Photos by Joanna Gleason
Review by Jean Senat Fleury
On Saturday November 15, 2024, the Cabot welcomed Melvin Seals and JGB. The sold-out show attracted thousands of fans. Those lovers of live music and particularly of the late Jerry Garcia were enjoyed coming to the modernized 1920s theater with ornate architecture, located in Beverly, Massachusetts.
The American rock band led by Melvin Seals continued the musical legacy of Jerry Garcia Band, in which Seals, who plays electric organ, was a longtime member.
In 1980 Melvin Seals joined the Jerry Garcia Band and remained a member until Garcia’s death in 1995. He is the third-longest tenure in the band next to Garcia and bassist John Kahn. Seals played a few concerts with other former members of Grateful Dead. Their idea was to continue playing the same music with everyone except Garcia himself. However, Kahn died on May 30, 1996, and Seals became the bandleader. He formed JGB to continue the Jerry Garcia Band’s legacy.
Born in San Francisco, Melvin Seals began playing piano at age eight and began his musical adventure playing gospel music for his local church. Over the next years he joined a few different bands in San Francisco in which he played keyboards, particularly the electric organ. He went on to record and to perform with artists such as Charlie Daniels, Elvin Bishop and Chuck Berry.
On July 30, 2004, he was the first Jerry Garcia Band member to headline an outdoor music and camping festival named in honor of Jerry Garcia, called Grateful Garcia Gathering.
In 2005 Seals released his first solo CD entitled Melting Pot. Other projects he has been involved in include The Mix with guitarist John Kadlecik and bassist Kevin Rosen and Steve Kimock’s Crazy Engine with Steve Kimock.
“As noted in Rolling Stone,”…when Garcia died in 1995, and the Grateful Dead went on hiatus, Seals took charge. Under his leadership the slightly renamed “JGB Band” pays tribute to Garcia by performing his songs and remaining faithful to his style.”
As Jerry Garcia, Melvin Seals’ musical interests were famously varied, and this is reflected in the diverse music played by his band. JGB with Melvin Seals played rock music that is influenced by blues, folk, country, and jazz in an improvisatory manner that is largely dominated by Seals’ solos. Rock versions of contemporary Americana are also prominent. The relatively languorous tempos are dictated by Melvin Seals and John Kadlecik.
Seals and JGB regularly covered many songs from Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead including Touch of Grey, Sara, Truckin’, Friend of the Devil, Ripple, We Can Run, Franklin’s Tower, Sugar Magnolia, Fire on the Mountain, Althea, Eyes of the World, Bertha, They Love each Other, U.S. Blues, Ramble on Rose, Unbroken Chain, Cassey Jones, Sugaree, Cumberland Blues, China Cat Sunflower, Stella Blue, He’s Gone, Uncle John’s Band, Find Your Way Back, Miracles, Playing in the Band, It’s Not Enough, etc.
With a set list focused on Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead’s songs, the emotions were high at the Cabot when Seals and JGB interpreted the famous song “No Man No Cry.” Kadlecik and JGB were terrific in their interpretation which made the audience jumping, dancing, singing, repeating every word from the composition of the emblematic Jamaican reggae star, Bob Marley, the leader of the Wailers.
As of 2024 the current lineup of JGB is Melvin Seals on keyboards, John Kadlecik on guitar and vocals, John-Paul McLean on bass, Jeremy Hoening on drums.
“A Melvin Seals show is a truly religious experience in the purest sense of the word. It’s like going to the best feel-good church service ever.” Those remarks have been verified during Melvin Seals and JGB’s performance at the Cabot.
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