isn't a band so much as a project; one that served a specific purpose. , guitarist for -- and occasional member of -- was approached by to provide five hours of music to accompany his visuals that would play during the intermissions of 's 50th anniversary sendoff Fare Thee Well concerts. enlisted keyboardist (a fellow member of and 's bands), bassist ( , ), and drummer ) to that end. They walked into a studio with engineer having nothing prepared, spent two days recording live, and left with their mission accomplished. No overdubs were added during post-production. Concert attendees were so responsive to what they heard that decided to assemble this double disc. The titles of these ten tunes offer clues -- some quite deceptive -- as to the origins of these jams. While this music often references 's approach, just as often they follow the legendary jam band's example: it travels outside the given lanes to discover new paths. Only two tunes are under ten minutes. Opener "Hallucinate a Solution" is a gorgeous example of 's lyrical guitar soloing and interplay with his bandmates; it's adorned by silvery reverb and delay in trancelike, exploratory psychedelia. The two-chord foundation of "Kasey's Bones" is bright, danceable boogie. 's bass lays down an unshakable groove as , on both Rhodes and organ, delivers irresistible solos with adding lyrical fills. The set's longest (and strongest) number, "Farewell Franklins," offers a sparkling soul-jazz exposition before cracking itself open to psychedelic ghost conjuring, sparkling melodic pop, elliptical spacy jamming, and rocking jazz-funk over 25 minutes. And speaking of the latter, "Scarlotta's Magnolias," with its bluesy, relaxed pace, recalls the good-time music made with , and on . "Hat and Cane" touches on 's quiet, unhurried ability to make magic out of open and minor chords, while "Mountains of the Moon" is a graceful, loosely interpreted instrumental reading of the - tune. Given the cultural pressure cooker were inside to make this record, is remarkable, not only as a series of of jams inspired by , but on its own merit. If a listener is at all open to music created in the moment, pushing itself as far as it will logically go -- and far beyond -- this is two and a half hours of pure pleasure. Only time will tell if this group plays together again, but based on what's here, let's hope so. ~ Thom Jurek