Skip to main content

View Post [edit]

Poster: dfrank111 Date: May 17, 2011 3:11pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: *New* Grateful Dead master class free online with Dave Frank: Exploring Dark Star!

Join NYC piano monster Dave Frank for a unique, in-depth master class on the Grateful Dead's classic recording Dark Star! Includes a new performance by Dave, and an exploration of the individual and group improv concepts that Jerry, Phil, Bob, etc. are using to create this classic collective improvisation. Man you will DIG this:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs_4TQLycQI

Reply [edit]

Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: May 18, 2011 3:27pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: *New* Grateful Dead master class free online with Dave Frank: Exploring Dark Star!

Thanks for pointing this out, man. This You Tube video of NYC pianist Dave Frank's master class on Dark Star belongs in my taper's handbook, and I just put it in there. Like "WillCo" says, you may want to open a second browser tab with Dave's notes to enhance this free class. Here's the first paragraph from Dave's notes:
Dark Star is a collective composition/improvisation performed by the Grateful Dead and originally released on the classic LP Live/Dead in 1969. This incredible 23 minute musical tapestry is an excursion to the astral worlds, involving beautiful and powerful melodies, modal harmonies, undulating waves of musical sound, contrapuntal lines, changing rhythms and a unique telepathic musical empathy between the band members. Dark Star was an example of the spirit of the Woodstock generation at its best — creative, explorative, co-operative, boundary pushing musical and communal genius.

This post was modified by dead-head_Monte on 2011-05-18 22:27:37

Reply [edit]

Poster: WillCo Date: May 18, 2011 8:48am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: *New* Grateful Dead master class free online with Dave Frank: Exploring Dark Star!

Thanks so much Dave! You've got Dark Star bad and that is good.

Wow. Being no musician myself I usually like to "let the mystery be" as to why and how my favourite popular music sounds so good. But Dark Star is so strong that analysis of this kind is well rewarded.

This is unreservedly recommended to all forumites. Two suggestions: first of all open a secoond browser tab with Dave's notes http://www.davefrankjazz.com/ustream/dead/dead.html
Second suggestion: set up your own copy of Live Dead to play alongside Dave's playback of the whole song at the end.

I look forward to "attending" more of Dave's masterclasses (Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett etc.). And to the ones on "That's It For The Other One", "Alligator", "The Eleven", "Lovelight", "Eyes Of The World" etc.

Reply [edit]

Poster: MindBendah Date: May 18, 2011 9:39am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: *New* Grateful Dead master class free online with Dave Frank: Exploring Dark Star!

Really great musical deconstruction of one of the all-time great Dark Stars (2/27/69 - Live/Dead album)! Being tuned only to the listening aspect of music and not the playing or compositional aspect of music it was very interesting to learn about the simplistic structure of Dark Star combined with the intricacies of the improvisational aspects. It was also pretty funny watching Dave geek out listening to Dark Star at the end of the lecture :)

Reply [edit]

Poster: wisconsindead Date: May 17, 2011 5:27pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: *New* Grateful Dead master class free online with Dave Frank: Exploring Dark Star!

Very cool! about to watch it. Thanks!