The music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead shows no signs of dying. Garcia died more than 20 years ago, but his bandmates, acolytes and fans have continued to explore his intensely exploratory — and largely inimitable — style.
Organist and pianist Melvin Seals joined the Jerry Garcia Band in 1980 and played serious B-3 blasts with the band for 15 years, until Garcia’s death. Seals has presided over JGB as a kind of carrier of the baton for 20 years now, playing Garcia’s tunes and honoring his expansive style.
The band’s 2006 record was called “Keepers of the Flame,” just to drive home the sense of mission. It’s easy to forget that, as much as the psychedelic percolation of Garcia’s sound, playing with an organist was a central part of what the guitarist did, from back to the Dead’s first record and on through the solo records.
For a glimpse into how Seals and his comrades are pushing the Jerry Garcia legacy into the 21st century, listen to his guest appearance on Jay’s Happy Sunshine Burger Joint’s 2015 release, “Burger Bud,” which takes elements of Dead tunes and places them in a reggae/jam/hip-hop context.
Melvin Seals and JGB play Infinity Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford on Thursday, March 3, at 8 p.m., $29 to $44. 866-666-6306 and infinityhall.com.
