On November 1, 1971, Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales' jazz-rock fusion album Hooteroll? was born. This album would go on to become a beloved cult classic. On Friday, April 7, drummer Joe Russo will bring this iconic album to life on our stage. Russo will be playing the songs and themes from the album, along with selections by Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Gary Burton, Carla Bley, and more. Special guests include Stuart Bogie, Erik Deutsch, Jonathan Goldberger, Dave Harringotn, Kevin Kendrick, and Jordan McClean.

Curious to know what Hooteroll? is all about? We're dropping some knowledge on you.

"Howard did more for my ears than anybody I ever played with because he was so extended and so different." - Jerry Garcia.

The Cap was lucky enough to speak with Howard Wales via phone to discuss his influences, relationship with Jerry, and personal philosophy on music. We were happy to discover that Wales is currently performing in a trio, and you can enjoy some of his recent work here.

How did you decide to become a keyboard player?

My specialization is the Hammond B-3, I'm a keyboard player in general, I was four years old when my parents gave me piano lessons because they wanted to get rid of me. I didn't come from a musical family, I came from a family that was non-musical.

You're from Wisconsin, how did you get out to San Fransisco?

I came out for music like Sly And The Family Stone. The whole scene just started.

So it was the music that brought you there?

Me and my 49 panel truck and my Hammond B-3 organ. We played at a small club, they put me in a tortilla factory flipping tortillas, and things just started to happen.

What happened from there?

I was hooked up with this band A.B. Skhy, we played opening spots at The Fillmore. Bill was a good friend of mine, we were the best opening band that he ever had, we opened for so many groups, from The Who to Albert King. Bill loved us, we didn't show any ego to out do the main act. A lot of people were jealous of us, it was hard to get on Bill's good side. We played all the Fillmore's including the one in New York.

What's your philosophy on music?

You have to believe in what you believe in, and you pay a lot of dues for that. I just go along and try to keep my individuality, keep my head in a way that's spiritual, go with music as it really is.

Tell us a little bit about your relationship with Jerry Garcia.

Jerry was there, but he was there in a different way, people don't understand, that's the way that everything came down. Basically, the album, the tour, all of that stuff is myself, with Jerry as a guest.

Would you say that you were the driving force?

I was the driving force, Jerry wanted to be on the tour because he and I were very great friends.

Thank you so much for your time, Howard!

Check out some reasons we're excited for this show...

The Master of Ceremonies, Joe Russo! Russo is known for putting a unique spin on the music of the Grateful Dead. In a interview with Relix Magazine, Russo stated, "I've recently been getting back to more improv based, instrumental music for my local shows-you could say getting back to my roots. And it struck me that this album, in particular, holds a pretty cool link and reflection on my personal career." Sounds like a music match made in heaven.

This isn’t your average Jerry Garcia or Grateful Dead tribute, it's pure gold

The time to experience Hooteroll? in all of it's psychedelic glory is now. The loose feel and complicated guitar work reflect on Garcia's strive to always step out of his comfort zone and to challenge himself. Joe Russo has hand-picked special guests to allow this album to be heard as intended by Garcia and Wales. Russo explained his "lightbulb" moment in an interview, saying, "As I was listening to Hooteroll? that day in the car, the band just fell into place in my mind almost as immediately as the concept for the concert did. Jonathan Goldberger (guitar), Erik Deutsch (keys) and Kevin Kendrick (vibraphone and percussion) are three members of the Fat Mama group, while being perfectly complemented by Dave Harrington (bass), Stuart Bogie (reeds/flute) and Jordan McLean (trumpet). I couldn’t imagine playing this music without these Mama guys, and I’m so excited to collaborate with this group as a whole.

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What does Hooteroll? sounds like?

After the first few seconds, the listener is transported into a new world via a musical spacecraft, driven by non-other than Garcia and his co-pilot Wales. This world of space-funk is around 34 minutes long, and features a landscape made by constant collaboration. In 1971, Rolling Stone magazine's Gary Von Tersch said of the album, "Garcia's also-recent outing with keyboard man Howard Wales is an unqualified success. Wales has been around for a while I believe he was the original piano-player for Commander Cody, but I could be wrong and it really matters little as far as this record goes. With more-than-able assistance from Garcia, a couple of drummers. Ken Balzall's trumpet with Martin Fierro's saxophone (another fellow who has also been around a while). Wales delivers one of the most expert and exciting rock cum folk cum jazz albums of the year."

Fun Facts about Hooteroll?

The album art was made by artist Mati Klarwein, who also made album art for Miles Davis, Earth Wind and Fire, Gregg Allman, Santana, and Joe Beck.

There are four different versions of the album. The first release was in 1971 featuring the initial LP track list. In 1987, an updated version removed the song "A Trip to What Next" and added two new tracks "Morning in Marin" and "Evening in Marin." The third version was released in 1992 as a reissue, and in 2010, an additional release came out with the missing track "A Trip to What Next" added, along with two live tracks that were recorded at the Palace Theatre in Providence, RI on January 28, 1972.

On January 21, 1972, Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales played a show at the Academy of Music. That show was booked by Howard Stein who was a promoter and worker for The Capitol Theatre. You might recognize this lady, who can be seen on The Capitol Theatre's merch!