By Tim Van Schmidt

This has been a rather fallow year for me as far as live music events are concerned. There’s just been too much life going on otherwise that has taken top priority. However, I’m very glad I made it down to Hodi’s Half Note on August 4 for the Papa Mali/Bill Kreutzmann show- it was everything you could ask for in a club date.

First of all, despite the relatively impressive pedigree of the musicians- a core member of the Grateful Dead and a progressive Louisiana roots guitarist- the venue was not particularly crowded. Crowded enough to be a happening, but thin enough to avoid being packed in tight with no room to move. And in the end, being able to move was the optimal way to enjoy this unit’s music.

Next, I very much enjoyed the use of a second stage in the small venue to showcase local talent along with these national-level heavies. That is, the funky jazz sounds of a group called the Nu Classics, who have been hosting a funk and jazz jam at Hodi’s on Mondays. The Nu Classics started the evening off on the little stage to the front of the club with some no nonsense jazz jamming- crisp, sharp and synched in. The beauty of the band starting things off on a separate stage meant the lag time between the opening set and the headliners was cut deliciously short- a lesson other venues might benefit from. Once the music got going, those painful breaks in between sets were practically non-existent. This included another set by the Nu Classics in between Papa Mali and Kreutzmann’s sets. It provided smooth transitions and more bang for the buck for the patrons, the Nu Classics, featuring two saxes in the second set, wailing for all they were worth.

Being in a small club for this, of course, meant that everybody had real close proximity to the stage and that made the hot jamming hotter when it’s right in your face. And the band did jam, whirling off into instrumental excursions that didn’t really have to go anywhere in particular to be effective. The focus here was on Papa Mali, whose thin yet guttural vocals served the songs well and whose guitar explorations took the proceedings to very cool places. However, Kreutzmann’s playing was just as strong and distinctive displaying that certain looseness of swing, yet solid centering on the general beat that underscored the Dead’s music so well.

Rounding things out on stage with Papa Mali and Kreutzmann was bassist Reed Mathis, of the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, and a keyboardist. Mathis added plenty to the bottom of the music and took the spotlight with a dramatic duet with Kreutzmann. The keyboardist also wailed on harmonica and jumped into the crowd with a trombone at one point.

The group played a lot of familiar Dead material- opening with “Mister Charlie” and including great tunes like “He’s Gone,” “I Know You Rider” and “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.” The crowd sang happily along. But it was refreshing to hear this music without someone trying to sound like Jerry Garcia in the process. Papa Mali put his own original stamp on the music- with a rougher, edgier sound- that nonetheless fit in fine with the songs. His voice was in the same ballpark as Garcia’s tone wise, but never seemed to imitate. Mathis reached some of the resounding depths original Dead bassist Phil Lesh often plumbed, but mostly stayed nimble and active, the keyboardist also finding ways to veer from the original keyboard parts, perhaps making them fuller and stronger sounding. That Kreutzmann anchored things with his original playing style somehow took these new parts and helped make them an authentic extension of the Dead tunes. It was satisfying to get to hear some Dead music that wasn’t, well, dead.

So I got something old- some real connection to warm, familiar Dead music- and something new- some fresh arrangements and even riveting live jamming- out of this particular show. I even forgot to be cool and got some dancing in. Added to this was a display of Kreutzmann’s art- colorful and imaginative computer- generated pieces- right in the middle of the venue, making down time in this event practically nonexistent. It was a great release, which is what it’s all about anyhow I suppose, so it was a successful night out. Thanks Hodi’s- and thanks Papa Mali and Bill Kreutzmann for filling in your schedule with a visit to Fort Collins!