Two rising stars of the extended jam community collided on Sunday when Eggy guitarist Jake Brownstein sat in with Sam Grisman Project. The cross-genre collaboration occurred on Eggy’s turf in Bridgeport, CT at the Park City Music Hall.
With Eggy off the road following the conclusion of the band’s West Coast winter tour, Brownstein was free to give a local’s welcome to the visiting son of mandolin great David Grisman. Jake wasn’t the only special guest on hand Sunday night, as frequent collaborator Todd Livingston joined in on dobro throughout the first set on classic American folk song “Down in the Valley” and SGP guitarist Max Flansburg‘s “Long Hard Year” before making room for Brownstein. Sam Grisman Project and Brownstein previously collaborated on “Mission In The Rain” at Maryland’s Hot August Festival last summer.
To fit the format, Brownstein traded his electric guitar for an acoustic one and put it to good use on a soulful reading of The Beatles‘ “I’ve Got A Feeling” with vocals by percussionist Chris English. Livingston and Brownstein stuck around to lend extra strings on Mississippi John Hurt‘s murder ballad “Louis Collins” ahead of a brilliant pairing of Dino Valenti‘s “Birdses” and Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia‘s “Bird Song” that saw some of the most improvisationally ambitious playing of the night. Jake and Todd left on a high note following the jam, leaving Sam Grisman Project to close out the set with latter-era Grateful Dead gem “Built to Last” and John Hartford progressive bluegrass touchstone “Steam Powered Aereo Plane”.
Not straying too far, Livingston returned with his dobro to assist on the latter half of the second set, jumping in on Doc Watson‘s “The Riddle Song”, Jimmy Cliff‘s “Sitting Here in Limbo”, and more before Brownstein returned for the grand finale. To close out the set, Grisman and company brought it all back around with another tribute to Dawg’s late collaborator Jerry Garcia on a jammed-out “Cats Under The Stars” which marked a final high-water mark for the evening.
Check out a collection of photos from Jake Brownstein with Sam Grisman Project in Connecticut courtesy of David Gray along with fan-shot videos and full-show audio on Internet Archive. Eggy will resume touring tonight, March 13th, with a show in Cohoes, NY followed by dates throughout the Northeast this month. Sam Grisman Project has a smattering of cross-country gigs including the Dawg At 80 birthday celebration for David Grisman on March 25th in Seattle. Visit Eggy’s or Sam Grisman Project’s websites for tickets.
Sam Grisman Project, Jake Brownstein, Todd Livingston — “I’ve Got A Feeling” (The Beatles) — 3/9/25
[Video: Kami]
Setlist: Sam Grisman Project | Park City Music Hall | Bridgeport, CT | 3/9/25
Set One: Bound By Love, Brown Eyed Women, We Share As One, Cedar Hill, Down In The Valley [1], Long Hard Year [1], I’ve Got A Feeling [1] [2], Louis Collins [1] [2], Birdses [2] > Bird Song [2], Built To Last, Steam Powered Aereo Plane
Set Two: Russian Lullaby > Tipsy Gypsy, Wicked Messenger, Rainforest Song, It’ll All Work Out, Janice, The Riddle Song [1], Sitting Here In Limbo [1], Drivin’ My Life Away [1] [3] Highway Of Sorrow [1], Home Sweet Home [1], Cats Under The Stars [2]
Encore: Why Don’t We Do It In The Road
[1] Todd Livingston on dobro
[2] Jake Brownstein on guitar
[3] Todd Livingston on dobro, vocals
