**1/2 Jerry Garcia and David Grisman

SHADY GROVE

(Acoustic Disc)

On this post-mortem release, Jerry Garcia sings "Casey Jones," but it's not the "Casey Jones" you're thinking of. It's by Mississippi John Hurt, a finger-picked folk song about the death of a train engineer, and a far cry from Uncle John's Band. This is typical of Garcia on Shady Grove, which collects 14 traditional folksongs recorded between 1990 and 1995 with mandolinist David Grisman and occasional bass, percussion, or fiddle. This collection will be the first in a series chronicling their collaborations.

Edition number one offers more historical than musical value. When the energy peaks, as on "Jackaroo" and the hypnotic title track, Garcia and Grisman bounce off each other as a perfect acoustic duo. Unfortunately, Shady Grove is full of inferior ballads that mostly highlight Garcia's deteriorating voice. "Casey Jones" and "Louis Collins," both authored by Mississippi John Hurt, are excellent, however. They relax the tempo, with Grisman adding touching mandolin fills and Garcia singing in his gentle tenor; the songs end up even prettier than the 1928 versions. For a moment, you might actually believe the liner notes' assertion that Garcia was a folk ambassador to today's youth.

-- Dan Tobin