The 15 most Interesting Jams of 2014

I’m sure everyone is exhausted with the ‘best’ jams of 2014 debate. Is it the Dick’s Simple? The Randals Chalk Dust? The Miami DWD? (yes, I am including the full NYE run in the ‘2014' consideration, because…come on…). This post is about the most interesting jams of the year. By that I mean jams that truly sounded different than most jams; odd jams; surprising jams. What was the ‘best’ jam of 2013? Probably the Tahoe Tweezer or the Reading DWD. What was the most ‘interesting’ jam of 2013? Without a doubt the Hampton Tweezer. Let’s be honest. Since 2012, Phish has been delivering consistent epic improvisations the likes we perhaps couldn’t have dreamed of in early 3.0. The march of what are conventionally thought of as “great” jams has almost become unremarkable. For example, a DWD like the 10/24 Inglewood version would have probably made the “best of” lists of 2010 or 2011. In 2014, that show is often derided. Amidst this bounty of great jams, I myself have become increasingly drawn to jams that sound different and often weird. Phish’s history has always been one of development and change. It is in these jams where I see them breaking new ground that we haven’t heard before.

I will list these in chronological order because they are all so different and strange it is really not worth ranking them. Why 15? Because I couldn’t narrow the list to 10 damn it.

1. 7/1/14 — Mansfield Hood: Well, this probably shows up on several ‘best of’ lists. But, for a jam like this to emerge from Harry Hood on the opening night of tour was truly stunning. What is awesome is how early Trey signals the jam will ‘exit’ the normal structure: listen to the little crackle loop he engages at about 5:47. The is a ‘type ii’ signal. The jam went to several places from a loopy bliss at around 10:20, to a menacing blues rock riff at around 13:50, before landing back into the Hood jam to take it home.
2. 7/3/14 — SPAC Limb: I was at 8/28/12, so I realize this song is capable of great things. It is not only the fact that this Limb jam exited the normal structure, but it landed in a space that sounded like a psychedelic circus. At around 9 minutes (already on the heels of some very interesting albeit conventional exploration), the jam seemed to fall apart into nothing. But, then Trey started repeating a fast series of low notes. This repetition built into a syncopated and dissonant loop of craziness that eventually dissipated nicely into the first “Winterqueen” of the year.
3. 7/11/14 — Randalls Gin — Remember in the late ‘90s when a first set Gin often meant 10–30 minutes of insanity? (e.g., 7/29/98) Those were the days. “Bathtub Gin” is a microcosm of the larger problem with Phish first sets these days: stale, predictable, and by the book. Don’t get me wrong, almost every standard Gin this year sounds great. I have said it is the “Lake Wobegan” of jams — every version appears above average with a glorious build to a peak. But, this Gin! This defied what we might expect from 3.0 first sets. In my view, this Gin was the highlight of any first set in 2014. Perhaps it was building off of the rare set II exploratory Gin from 7/3/14, but this version exited the normal Gin peak territory at 9:45. Trey started with some chord comping and within a couple of minutes the groove had built into a melodious and beautiful section. Melodious but not formulaic. After that, the jam broke down into a very quiet and patient rhythmic groove that eventually found its way back to the Gin theme.
4. 7/18/14 — Northerly Wombat — Who would have predicted that song to produce this jam? What is a humorous funk tune somehow transitioned into a glorious and beautiful “bliss” jam. At 4:oo in it is just doing its Wombat thing, funking a long, but the second Trey lets a melodic note ring out, Fishman slowed the beat and the jam started to move out into ethereal bliss space. But, then 4:23, they kicked back into the funk. Almost “dared” by Fishman’s earlier dramatic changing of the beat/rhythm, at 4:50 Trey starts his ‘trilling’ move which in 2014 signals — lets takes this out into spacier, bliss territory. But, Mike is continuing to play sinister funk grooves. After a while, (5:56 or so) Trey and Mike finally settles on a very simple two (eventually three) note melody that is repeated in lower register notes. This simple vamp then becomes the basis for the next 6 minutes of pure glory. Eventually Trey finds a chord progression that for a while sounds like the Runaway Jim interlude but some called “The Wheel” jam (I’m not sure I hear that). Try listening at 5:56 and hear how that simple melody is built around.
5. 7/20/14 — Northerly Ghost — This rather unremarkable show was “saved” by the fourth quarter. Almost everyone remembers the breakthrough 15 minute version of “The Wedge.” While there were debates on the quality of that jam, it sounded like a conventional 2014 Phish jam featuring Trey on rhythm guitar and some standard rock themes (I’ll leave the “Paradise City” debate to others). In my view, the “Ghost” that followed was the improvisational highlight of the night. This version completely broke the “minor-funk->major bliss” formula for Ghost that has underwritten so many glorious versions this year. This version flirted with some rock themes until around 6 minutes, then Trey found this menacing and dissonant chord, that he just kept repeating. The repetitive drone of the chord continued as Page went off on piano (see around 8:30 for truly inspired playing from Page). As Trey experimented with different voicings and engaged some loops, the chord itself remained as a thick, dissonant stew for the band to build upon until Fishman deftly transitioned to the needed Weekapaug. This jam was truly different than any other Ghost this year.
6. 7/27/14 — MPP NICU: This jam isn’t long — about 2.5 minutes after the normal end of NICU. But, what it indicated is that on this particular evening, anything was possible. While this set has some incredible jamming in the (third) Tweezer and the DWD, the thick funk groove out of NICU was the most surprising jam of the night. It was initiated by a simple flurry of notes from Trey out of the end melody that built to a thick funk groove that hinted on the HYHU to come.
7. 7/30/14 — nTelos Fuego: After the “Wingsuit” set on 10/31/13 almost everyone concluded that “Fuego” was Phish’s next “big” jam vehicle. It was not even a debate. I was a lonely skeptic because (a) neither the 10/31/13 or 12/31/13 offered much of jam and (b) there is clear, composed end section that would be difficult to return to from some kind of exploratory type ii jam. Early in Summer tour 2014, Phish proved my skepticism was stupid: they don’t need to play that silly end section! The SPAC Fuego is on many “best of” lists and for good reason. It has everything we look for in a Phish jam: a delicate, communicative build to a glorious and triumphant peak. The Mann “Fuego” on 7/9/14 perhaps didn’t have the clear “peak” but it was a kind of 25 minute magnum opus — several distinct sections that cohesively bled into one another. This “Fuego” was altogether different. It was just a layered groove that built, built and built, until around 15:30 when it reached a bouncy, bliss space (common to many jams in 2014). But even this more melodic section was fiercely rhythmic — and even featured mostly clavinet work from Page. The jam then dissipated away. And, here’s the kicker: it was the last truly exploratory “Fuego” of 2014. The sure-fired, no doubt jam vehicle had a mere three versions that really went “out there.” Puzzling.
8. 8/3/14 — Alpharetta Gumbo: Like I mentioned above, first sets have become incredibly predictable and stale: both in terms of song selection (few bustouts) and in terms of interesting jams. Thus, when there is a significant first set type ii jam it deserves mention. This “Gumbo” built on the fact that since 10/23/13, Phish had been playing with a ‘funky’ outro that featured Trey on wah and Page often playing more clavinet (as opposed to the normal ragtime outro with Page on piano). Those funk outros were cool for sure, but none of them developed into a sure fire exploratory jam like this Gumbo did. It was only about 4 minutes of incredibly textured groove space, but in first sets in 2014 we will take what we can get.
9. 8/29/14 — Dicks 46 Days: Sure everyone loves the Simple->Ghost from this set, but this “46 Days” bring something really different to the table. In a song that is usually about the “Trey-rock-star-shredfest,” around 6 minutes in, Trey starts repeating some notes, the beat slows, and within a minute we are in a dense, patient groove with Trey playing delicate and dark melodies and Mike accenting them with a repetitive and hypnotic bass line. Eventually, Trey plays some simple chords and Page does some dense clavinet work. The -> into “Back on the Train” is the definition of a ripchord, but the ride was nice while it lasted.
10. 10/17/14 — Eugene Crosseyed and Painless: I suspect this one might be on some “best of” lists as well. With all the talk of how “off” Phish was in early Fall tour, we forget how awesome this show was (This amazing jam came after the epic Carini->Plasma pairing). This jam was not conventional sounding by any means. Early in the jam it explored some distinctly “plinko” feels (remember plinko???) before settling on a simple repetitive melody that built an amazing thick textured groove. Trey hinted at some rock themes, but could not escape the dissonant and syncopated groove. Eventually, the return of the “Still Waiting” lines is not something “new” in a Crosseyed jam, but this might be my favorite and most successful attempt. The vocals that returned were differently melodic and eerie in a way that fit the dissonant groove perfectly. If you haven’t noticed, I find jams like these (the ones that build and build a simple motif/chord/idea) to be the most interesting jams that Phish does these days.
11. 10/18/14 — Seattle Sand: This show came with much anticipation and was heavily derided because it is mostly a standard affair. But, in my view, this one of the most interesting and unique Sand jams of 3.0. For such an open one chord jam song, “Sand” too often becomes a standard pentatonic scale shred-fest for Mr. Anastasio. This one stays in a low-key funk groove until around the 7 minute mark when the entire jam shifts to a major key feel. While many conventional jams would choose to build this bliss melodic section to a frenzied peak, this version was remarkably patient and featured thoughtful, sustained notes from Trey. The result was a beautiful and contemplative melodic section — further proof it needn’t all be about peaks. The jam turned dark for a second only to return to the melody with Trey playing it higher up on the neck. Glorious. We shall forget about the ->#line. :-) PS: Forgive me if this has been discussed ad nauseum, but does anyone else hear the seeds of “The Very Long Fuse” in this jam? You definitely hear Page play a similar accompaniment even if Trey’s melody is not quite the same.
12. 10/22/14 — Santa Barbara Drowned->Theme From the Bottom: OK, some might object to this pairing as “one.” Indeed, the segue can even be debated as a “->” variety. But, these jams were both so interesting and back-to-back, I consider them kinfolk. The “Drowned” was conventional for most of the duration — somewhat meandering despite a beautiful melodic idea from Mike that the whole band picked up on — but then about 11 minutes in, it took a dark turn. Trey started playing these straight jagged melodies that repeated up and down the register (does anyone know what kind of effect he has on his guitar for this section???). It reminds me of the SPAC Limb in that it sounds menacingly circus-like. Fishman is the star of this section: as it gets weirder and more dissonant, he adds crazy fills to continue to build the tension.This dark, dissonant section eventually melded into an abstract, loopy mush….and Theme emerged out of the nothingness. In 3.0, we have grown accustomed to “Theme From the Bottom” being a standard song. Apart from the fun “Theme from the Shaft” in 2013, most versions sound alike. After that insane “Drowned”, this version tacked on an incredible 3 minute section. When I was listening to an AUD stream live, I just thought this was a beautiful and almost composed sounding jam featuring watery and melodic lines from Trey. But many people believe this is a jam on “Echoes” by Pink Floyd. After re-listening I tend to agree. The question was it planned and conscious? Regardless, it is incredible. Again, why is early Fall tour so bad again?
13. 10/28/14 — Bill Graham Twist: Thanks to n00b100 on phish.net for directing my attention to this gem (it is his “best” jam of the year). I must have not paid attention on first listen, but the final 5 minutes of this reach this utterly gorgeous delicate and ethereal space. The melodic interplay between guitar, bass and organ is sparse and spacious. Again there is certainly no catharsis, no peak, but it provides a more emotional and contemplative vibe; an aura that I, for one, think what Phish music is all about. Akin to the Miami DWD, this version also sounds composed as if it travels through distinct sections (with appropriate drum fills in between).
14. 12/31/14 — Miami Theme from the Bottom->Cities: Now this is a real “->” segue. Both of these songs, apart from some standout versions, have been rather unremarkable in 3.0 (there are a couple 4 minute Cities in 2014 that really make you scratch your head). On the heels, of the “Echoes” Theme discussed above, Trey makes clear he doesn’t want the song to end after the normal “from the bottom” vocal section (this section, essentially a drone on a D chord, sounds like it should launch into a major open jam every time). The jam starts with some fierce rhythmic funk, some stop and start chords, and echoes of “The Birds” jam from the Halloween set. 10 minutes in, Trey is playing really disjointed and dissonant solos that evolve into some textured loops and spaciness (Mike has some interesting effects here). Then around 12:15 we start to hear the “Cities” chord, but in the moment none of us probably realized “Cities” was coming because of the “they attack” samples. This “Cities” jam starts normally enough. A thick funk groove builds for a couple minutes with incredible interplay between the members. Then around 6:38, Trey lets a chord ring out which signals a shift to a major key. He starts with some gorgeous arpeggio work, but then starts playing clean tone chords. This was a theme of the Miami run. In Tweezer, the DWD, and other jams, Trey chose chords over single-line playing — and usually gorgeous chords like in this Cities. Trey’s rhythm guitar allows Page to shine on the organ. Trey plays some more arpeggios and Page switches to piano. Finally, Trey hints at “The Dogs” before busting into the similar riff of “Chalk Dust”. Once again, this jam is more emotional and contemplative than a clear build or peak. It is also the best “Cities” since I don’t know when.
15. 1/2/15 Miami Weekapaug : To call this jam “interesting” is pretty “obvi” as the kids like to say. While it is quite common for a Paug jam to exit the structure into type ii territory, is is crazy to have them return to the final chords and set up the return to the vocals and then take the jam out (see 5:39–6:08). Those with disdain for the “woo” can skip ahead the next couple minutes of stop start jamming. By the 7th minute, the jam is establishing fierce funk groove amidst “they attack.” By the 8th minute, the jam has taken a spacier, darker turn. While Mike’s guitar work gets all the attention, this is the point of the jam where Jon Fishman begins to go utterly nuts — his fills and rhythmic disjointedness builds the tension as the jam builds. After more loopy spaciness, by 9:42 Trey has moved to the Marimba Lumina and Page, Mike, and Fish sounds like a sick jazz trio (I honestly think it sounds like some of those fierce funky sections on Headhunters). Again, listen to Fishman go nuts. Not to say that Trey’s Marimba work was silent, but hearing the three of them like this reminds us how talented the three of them are without Trey even playing the guitar. Then, of course, at 11:10 Mike puts down the bass, Page takes the bass in his left hand, and Mike picks up Languedoc #2. Wow. His playing is so psychedelic…so tasteful. He seems to be engaging some of Trey’s digicrap to make his repetitive lines ring out and echo. He’s absolutely killing it. Again, it is a reminder how much Trey’s guitar sound defines Phish…when someone else picks up the guitar it sounds like a completely different band. By 15:13, we’ve got Trey back on guitar and we come back to Weekapaug chords with remarkable ease. Yes, that was an interesting jam to say the least.

I’ll close with some ‘honorable mentions’. The Randalls Ghost has a truly insane 3 minute coda that deserves a listen. The Bill Graham “Ghost” is a weird laid back experiment in spontaneous composition. The Bill Graham KDF is cool because that song finally jammed out again. I’d also like to give a shout out to the “Wingsuit” middle Lydian jam that Phish added for the summer tour (It did not exist in the 10/31 or album versions). That has made “Wingsuit” jams probably the most consistent and exciting improvisation coming off of the album. OK, that’s all. Enjoy the long winter wait for summer tour dates. Sigh.