I thought it was only fitting, following Townsman Geo‘s posting of the Mother of All Jams, The Grateful Dead‘s Live/Dead version of “Dark Star,” that we also run Henry Kaiser‘s loving cover of this classic jam. This one’s from his Those Who Know History Are Doomed to Repeat It album, courtesy of Geo. I remember this release causing quite a fuss when it came out. It seemed to be part of the avant-punk scene’s acknowledgment of the Dead’s forgotten cred. I didn’t get it then, but hearing it after all these years, compared with the extremely subtle, shall we say, classic Dead version, this even longer jam grabs a hold of my attention more readily. What do you think?

Henry Kaiser, “Dark Star”

A funny coincidence: I was watching Werner Herzog‘s documentary about the South Pole tonight, and who should appear in it but Henry Kaiser! He’s seen jamming, man, on the roof of a trailer. Turns out he even produced the movie and did the soundtrack with David Lindley. What’s the deal with Henry Kaiser, anyhow?

OK, now you guys tell me there’s a lack of clarity on the term jamming. Some of you feel that the more it’s planned out the less it’s jamming. I’m not so sure that I agree. I think, in part, the term refers to a communal activity among musicians that involves the stance of jamming. As a group, let’s define what we mean when we talk about jamming.