Grateful Dead's Bob Weir pays tribute to Phil Lesh

The Grateful dead‘S Bob Weir paid tribute to his bandmate Phil Lesh next the death of the bassist Friday.

On social media, the guitarist credited Lesh with introducing him to much of the music that would influence his own playing style, as well as influence the Dead’s improvisational music.

“At the age of seventeen I listened to the John Coltrane Quartet, focusing on the work of McCoy Tyner, feeding on Coltrane’s harmonic and rhythmic ideas as a springboard – and from that I developed an approach to guitar playing. This happened because Phil referred me to the Coltrane Quartet,” Weir wrote on social media.

“Early on he also introduced me (and us) to the wonders of modern classical music, with its textures and developments, which we quickly tried to integrate into what we had to offer.”

Weir continued: “Concurrent with all this was the ongoing conversation about the things (ideas) we present outside of music, and the effect this would have on shaping the world around us – let’s just say Phil wasn’t there certain was averse to messing up a few things. feathers. Of course we had our disagreements, but it is not platitudinous to say that this only made our work more meaningful. Our conversation and interaction will last at least until the end of my days.”

Lesh and Weir shared the stage together for nearly 50 years, from the band’s brief appearance with the Warlocks to their decades-long run as the Grateful Dead and post-Dead acts like The Other Ones and Furthur to the final “Fare Thee Well”- shows. in 2015.

“The Muse gives us the people and tools to work with. Where we go with that work lies somewhere between our intuition and its inspiration. It is a process that is always deeply hidden in mystery, and at its best the mystery continues forever after it has been depicted,” Weir added.

“Meanwhile, considering that death is the last and best reward for a life *well and fully lived*, I rejoice in its deliverance….”

The remaining members of the band – Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann – added Lesh a separate statement“Today we lost a brother… Phil Lesh was irreplaceable. In one note from the Phil Zone you could hear and feel how the world was born. His bass flowed like a river would flow. It went where the muse took it. He was an explorer of indoor and outdoor space who happened to play bass. He was a explorer of previously unknown musical worlds. And more.”

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