Jennifer Hartswick & Natalie Cressman Add Brass Magic To moe.’s ‘Ophelia’ Cover In Mexico

Following a headlining set on Monday, moe. closed out the final day of The String Cheese Incident’s “Mexico Incident” at the Dreams Sapphire resort in Puerto Morelos on Tuesday. The late night set saw the jam veterans welcoming the Trey Anastasio Band Horns of Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman for a cover of The Band’s “Ophelia.”

moe. kicked off the set curated by guitarist Al Schnier with a three-song seamless sequence of “Jazz Wank,” “Buster” and “Bullet,” which went upwards of half an hour. SCI percussionist Jason Hann joined moe.’s Jim Loughlin in percussion world on “Buster.”

The band then brought out trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick and trombonist Natalie Cressman to throw down some brass on The Band favorite “Ophelia.” Appearing on The Band’s 1975 studio album Northern Lights – Southern Cross, the song features a masterful brass, woodwind and synthesizer arrangement played by the multi-talented Garth Hudson.

The arrangement was so good that Allen Toussaint barely changed it when he arranged the horns for The Band’s legendary The Last Waltz concert. In Mexico, Hartswick and Cressman provided the renowned arrangement, took solos and delivered backing vocals alongside Al’s lead.

moe. would go it alone for the rest of the set which continued with a pairing of “George” > “Lazarus” followed by a standalone “Downward Facing Dog” and a cover of Traffic’s “Light Up or Leave Me Alone.” The classic from bassist Rob Derhak, “Rebubula,” sealed the set.

Watch moe.’s full “Mexico Incident” closing set below (“Ophelia” at 38:18):

Photos & Setlist

Next up for moe. is a January 2025 two-night run in Woodstock, New York before the band heads out to the West Coast for a winter tour. Scroll down for moe.’s itinerary and ticket info.