It's been a couple of days, but I didn't see the news here..

Sadly, the world has lost the most genius musician to ever play bass guitar in a rock band. A lot of people are unfamiliar with his work, and more people hated his band without much listening, but those who got IT knew that there has been NO other bassist like Phil Lesh.

The way he could improvise contrapuntally with Jerry's leads, the way he'd shake the foundations of earth with his Phil bombs, the way he'd open doors for others to step in and unveil musical universes hitherto unknown... And he was still jamming like a motherfucker in his 80s.

Here's one of the most transcendental moments of live music ever recorded. Pay close attention to the bass, the exquisite interplay between him and Jerry (and the rest of the band, of course), how each note from each separate musician flows as if they're one mind... Man, what a loss.

Fare you well, Phil. We love you more than words can tell.

 

"Today we lost a brother. Our hearts and love go out to Jill Lesh, Brian and Grahame. Phil Lesh was irreplaceable. In one note from the Phil Zone, you could hear and feel the world being born. His bass flowed like a river would flow. It went where the muse took it. He was an explorer of inner and outer space who just happened to play bass. He was a circumnavigator of formerly unknown musical worlds. And more.
We can count on the fingers of one hand the people we can say had as profound an influence on our development - in every sense. And there have been even less people who did so continuously over the decades and will continue to for as long as we live. What a gift he was for us. We won’t say he will be missed, as in any given moment, nothing we do will be without the lessons he taught us - and the lessons that are yet to come, as the conversations will go on.
Phil loved the Dead Heads and always kept them in his heart and mind. The thing is… Phil was so much more than a virtuoso bass player, a composer, a family man, a cultural icon...
There will be a lot of tributes, and they will all say important things. But for us, we’ve spent a lifetime making music with Phil Lesh and the music has a way of saying it all. So listen to the Grateful Dead and, in that way, we’ll all take a little bit of Phil with us, forever.
For this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago…"

- Mickey, Billy and Bobby

 

That's quite a blow for me. Another of my musical heros up, out...away.

 

Rest in peace Phil and thank you for your music!

Grateful Dead - 05-03-1968 Columbia U. (video)

 

Those Alembics are worth a hell of a lot of money today & will get way more than their worth in an auction.
I'd love to be one of the lucky few!

 

What a beautiful tribute.

 

Heroes should live forever. Somehow I always have the feeling that a part of my youth dies with each of these heroes. It's nonsense but anyway...Maaannn
Requiescat in pacem PL.

 

Such a long long time to be gone
And a short time to be there

Thank you Mr. Lesh for the tunes and the bass. RIP.