When the Grateful Dead took a hiatus in 1975, Jerry Garcia formed the Jerry Garcia Band, with John Kahn on bass, Ron Tutt on drums, and keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, who had previously played with the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, Jeff Beck, and many others as one of the most in-demand session players around.

Hopkins only played a few shows with this first incarnation of the JGB, which adds to the significance and much sought-after quality of Rhino Records new release, “Let It Rock,” a double-CD set culled from two shows in November 1975 at the Keystone in Berkeley, Calif. The set captures every bit of the spirit and vitality that Garcia had to offer in those transitional times, when the Dead were moving in a direction toward more jazz-inflected music while still deeply involved in the roots-based music in which they had been engulfed.

The tone and intensity of the performances are more laid-back and easy-going, the jams are epic, and the song selection mixes covers like “Let’s Spend The Night Together” and “I’m A Road Runner” with Garcia/Hunter tunes like “They Love Each Other,” “Friend of the Devil,” and “Sugaree.” Even some songs destined to be stalwarts in the Jerry Band repetoire surface in this early version of the band, like Allen Toussaint’s classic “I’ll Take A Melody,” the Hank Ballard standard “Tore Up Over You,” and Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock.” There are also a couple of Nicky Hopkins gems you won’t hear on many JGB recordings, as the band stopped playing them after Hopkins moved on to other projects.

The sound quality is pristine, and the performances are inspired, the interplay between Garcia, Hopkins, and the other members at times reaching spine-tingling heights of intensity. This set is a must-have for any Deadheads, and a great introduction to those who haven’t experienced the distinction between the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia as a solo artist.

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