1968 Matrix Club - Harvey Mandel, Jerry Garcia, Elvin Bishop live reel to reel tape

Christmas Eve 1968 at the Matrix on Fillmore Street reel to reel tape recording. Jerry Garcia, (Grateful Dead) Harvey Mandel (Canned Heat), with Stephen Miller (Alman Bros) Along with Elvin Bishop. The unknowns may have been Jack Casaday (Jefferson Airplane) and or George Chambers (Chambers Bros). The drummer or drummers that evening are unknown.

The Matrix was essential to the San Francisco rock music scene from 1965 to 1972. And this night had it all. sonics are excellent. Mic placement on the stage imparts a sense of stereo and presence. There was a small sound booth opposite the stage at the center of the left wall so this is a great sounding tape. There may be content from the night before on this tape as well, December 23, 1968.

The audio as no base treble or mid adjustment or leveling it is the flat signal coming out of the Pioneer tape deck and is authentic analog as possible.

The tape is played on a Pioneer RT-909 tape deck "line in" to an RME ADI-2 Pro FS Analog to Digital converter operating in DSD "direct mode." The Native DSD256 file was then converted to PCM 48kHz for upload to youtube.

Last year I posted one of the songs from THE DOORS March 1967 Matix tape here    • March 7th 1967 MATRIX - THE DOORS "Th...   and plan to upload the full Doors session soon.

Miller may be the person singing on "Feel It" (title song for Elvin Bishop's second album), Three O'Clock In The Morning, and Mojo Worker. The jam after Mojo Worker or one of the unknown songs may be "Wade In The Water".

Newspaper ads mention Jack Casady (bass player in Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna), so perhaps he is the bass player, but also maybe George Chambers (bass player for The Chamber Brothers).

From the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper of Monday, December 23, 1968 pg 35: "At the Matrix tonight and tomorrow night: Jerry Garcia, Jack Casady, open-end jam, no door charge" and elsewhere on the same page under the heading "OPENING TODAY": "ROCK CLUB - Jam Session with Jerry Garcia, Jack Cassady, and others, from 9:30 p.m., the Matrix, 3138 Fillmore. Free." It is speculated David Crosby may have been playing that night as well.

Source: Peter Lawson's "Miles Ahead" site http://www.plosin.com/MilesAhead/Tape...