Jazz Is Dead Confirms Lineup For 25th Anniversary Run

Grateful Dead tribute act Jazz Is Dead will tour next January featuring a new lineup. Original member bassist Alphonso Johnson will be joined in the latest Jazz Is Dead iteration by guitarists Steve Kimock and Bobby Lee Rodgers and drummer Pete Lavezzoli.

The news was revealed by music industry veteran Michael Gaiman, who created Jazz Is Dead in 1998 and served as the band’s manager. Gaiman’s post on Facebook noted the group will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a run spanning January 9 – 28, 2023.

Pete Lavezzoli (Melvin Seals & JGB, Oteil & Friends) shared Gaiman’s post and expressed how happy he is to participate. “Very excited to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of Jazz Is Dead with three of the finest musicians on the planet — original founding bassist Alphonso Johnson, and guitarists Steve Kimock and Bobby Lee Rodgers — this coming January 2023,” wrote Lavezzoli.

The original Jazz Is Dead lineup featured Johnson on bass, Jimmy Herring on guitar, Billy Cobham on drums and T. Lavitz on keyboards. Jazz Is Dead played jazz-fusion style instrumental versions of Grateful Dead songs. The group underwent many lineup changes through the end of its first run in 2006. After a hiatus that lasted nearly 10 years, Jazz Is Dead hit the road in 2015 with a formation consisting of Johnson, drummer Rod Morgenstein, guitarist Jeff Pevar and keyboardists Chris Smith and Tom Constanten.

Jazz Is Dead’s debut studio album, Blue Light Rain, came out in 1998. Laughing Water (1999), Great Sky River (2001) and Grateful Jazz (2012) followed. Stay tuned for the cities and venues for the January 2023 run to be announced.