Damià Timoner Jerry's Smilin' - A Guitar Tribute to The Grateful Dead

Damià Timoner
Jerry's Smilin' - A Guitar Tribute to The Grateful Dead
Zoho Music

On his Facebook page, Damià Timoner writes, "I was born in Manacor, Mallorca, which is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, and instead of showing preference for fishing-rods, lines and nets, I chose the strings of the Spanish guitar." He studied classical guitar but decided there were enough classical guitarists, so he decided to play his own compositions. While he has played in group contexts, he prefers playing solo and being the focus of attention. His personal listening is oriented to rock artists such as the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Deep Purple, Byrds, Genesis, The Police, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, and AC/DC. Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead's music is particularly a favorite of his. This recording has him devoting his nylon string guitar to songs associated with the legendary Garcia and the Dead.

Timoner's performances pretty much stick to the melodic themes and melodic embellishments of these themes beginning with Gracia-Hunter's "Brown-Eyed Woman" and concluding with "Touch of Grey." One can imagine Gracia singing "I will get by, I will survive" during a charming "Touch of Grey." "Ramble On Rose" is a lovely track. Then there is a sterling rendition of the Weir-Barlow penned "Cassidy," played with an eloquent precision. Then there is the bluesy flavor of Garcia-Hunter's "Loser" and the ragged-jug band flavor of Ron' Pigpen' McKernan's "Operator." The songs here span the Dead's entire timeline with a performance of "Dark Star" to "Built to Last" from the Dead's last studio album.

Kabir Sehgal provides information on specific performances that inspired specific tracks and whether he altered the pitch of specific strings or played a song in its original key. This technical information will, perhaps, be of most interest to guitarists. Regardless, "Jerry's Smilin'" is a first-rate, easy-to-listen recording that displays how Dead's songs continue to inspire and entertain us long after Garcia's passing.

I received a review copy from a publicist. Here Damià performs "Ramble On Rose."