The last time we really spoke was a few months ago.
But playing together earlier this year was really fun.
Just being able to play with the quintet again was something we all needed to do.
Warren Haynes and Phil Lesh perform with Phil Lesh and Friends at the 23rd Annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam at The Orange Peel on December 9, 2011 in Asheville, North Carolina.David Gordon Oppenheimer/Getty Images
It was just a beautiful heartwarming experience.
That was the beginning of our relationship that lasted for decades.
It was a really life-changing experience.
He wanted everybody to bring their own personality in and take a fresh approach to all the music.
That was his mission at the time.
It was really fun.
I knew Kimock a little bit at that time, but he was the only one.
But it was a wonderful experience, and its interesting to look back on now.
Each time we got together, I felt more and more comfortable.
Even though we were playing that music, he was looking to take it into completely new directions.
He was completely open to any suggestions that anybody had.
His whole thing was always to just let the music be what its going to be.
The only rules were that nobody played or sing like Jerry at that moment.
I soon discovered his open-mindedness about music surpassed just about anyone that Ive ever met.
He put less pressure on the music than just about anyone Ive ever worked with.
Sometimes the jams would get so out there, and he just loved it.
There would be times when I would maybe think that something was not clicking, not working.
His approach and his outlook are totally unique.
Ive been very lucky to have experienced magical improv with a lot of different ensembles.
But his approach is unlike anyone Ive ever seen.
In some ways it sounded like Miles Davis Bitches Brew.
He came so many times to the charity show I do Christmas Jam in Asheville, North Carolina.
It was so gracious, and we had so many great experiences, musically speaking, as a result.
He had a distinct and unique sound, but also the approach.
He had this saying, there are no mistakes, only missed opportunities.
And thats what performances with Phil were continually about.
There was no right and wrong in his way of looking at music.
There was no right and wrong in his way of looking at music.
From Phil, I learned to let it go and about relaxing and letting the magic happen.
I was used to pushing to make the magic happen.
And he was saying that both are equally beautiful in their own right.
And thats something I had never experienced before.
