Jerome John Garcia would have turned 70 on August 1. Although his body is gone, Jerry Garcia’s spirit and music have never been more alive. That spirit is the heart of “Very Jerry II,” Ashkenaz’s second annual tribute to Garcia’s life and music. The night celebrates Garcia the composer and performer, as soloists, duos, and bands perform separately and in kaleidoscopic combinations, in this community benefit for Ashkenaz. To enhance the celebration, Ashkenaz is pleased to present a screening of Steven Brown’s new Grateful Dead documentary, “Steve’s Flashback Jam,” before the concert.

Although Jerry Garcia never played at Ashkenaz, the venue has a long history with Garcia’s music. Since the ’90s Ashkenaz has hosted Grateful Dead Nights and has featured a plethora of musicians who worked with Garcia over the decades, as well as bands that pay homage to the music of Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and scores of acts who follow in their footsteps.

Tonight’s all-star cast of performers includes:

• David Nelson, singer-guitarist-bandleader (Jerry Garcia was the original steel guitarist in his band New Riders of the Purple Sage)
• Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, vocalist in the ’70s editions of both Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band
• Henry Kaiser, experimental guitar wizard
• Stu Allen, guitarist-singer with Mars Hotel, Ghosts of Electricity, Front Street, and formerly Melvin Seals & JGB
• Pat Nevins, guitarist and leader of various Dead tribute bands (who learned to play guitar in the parking lots of Dead shows)
• David Gans, singer-songwriter and Grateful Dead chronicler, and organizer of tonight’s event
• Garrin Benfield, nationally touring guitarist-singer-songwriter
• David Thom, bluegrass bandleader and singer
• Lebo (Dan Lebowitz of ALO)
• Jeff Pehrson (The Fall Risk, Box Set) and Sunshine Becker (SoVoSó), both of Furthur, led by Phil Lesh and Bob Weir
• Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman, dynamic acoustic roots duo
• Mookie Siegel, keyboard player-singer (David Nelson Band, Ghosts of Electricity)
• Jim Lewin, guitarist for Great American Taxi
• Scott Cooper, guitarist (China Cats, Gary Gates Band, Stackabones)
• Joe Balestreri, guitarist-singer (The Flux, Samba Ngo)
• Fiddle Dave Muhlethaler (The Fall Risk)
• the bands THUGZ and Liquid Sun Day

They’re backed by the stellar house band:

• fiddler Suzy Thompson and her husband, guitarist Eric Thompson (known for Cajun and blues bands, but in his early years in Palo Alto Eric and Jerry Garcia played together in such groups as the Black Mountain Boys and Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions)
• keyboard player Jordan Feinstein (Mars Hotel, Jordan & the Ritual)
• bassist Robin Sylvester (Ratdog, Ghosts of Electricity, David Nelson Band)
• drummer Peter Lavezzoli (Melvin Seals & JGB, Crazy Fingers, Mars Hotel)
• guests Adam Perry (drums) and Pat Campbell (bass)

Limited tickets are available for a pre-concert screening of Steven Brown’s new Grateful Dead documentary! “Steve’s Flashback Jam” collects intimate footage of rock concerts, interviews, and personal experiences from the years that Steve Brown was integral to the Grateful Dead organization. Brown worked as a promoter, production coordinator, and art productions coordinator for Grateful Dead Records during the ’70s and ’80s and also worked on the Grateful Dead Movie.

The film starts with historic local events including the 1967 Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park and the Mountain Festival on Mt. Tamalpais, travels on the road with the Dead in Europe, and includes humorous highlights of the Bill Graham tribute and many more one-of-a-kind musical moments. Viewers will catch a glimpse of the powerful counterculture that was birthed during this era and that gave rise to many of the generation’s greatest rock legends. Artists appearing in the film include the Dead, the Rolling Stones, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Roy Rogers, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, John Cipollina, Bonnie Raitt, Albert King, Jackson Browne, Wavy Gravy, and others. If you lived the San Francisco rock scene in the ’60s and can’t remember it, you’ll want to see this film. If you’re a Deadhead, you won’t want to miss it.

Very Jerry II is a Community Benefit Night to raise funds for Ashkenaz. Beginning with a salute to Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday in May 2011, musicians have donated their time and talents in a creative and inspiring series of tributes, every couple of months honoring a different music great and supporting the nonprofit local institution that is Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center.