Diga Rhythm Band

Throughout a lull in activities using the Grateful Dead, percussionist and ethnomusicologist Mickey Hart became a member of with tabla player, Zakir Hussain, son of longtime Ravi Shankar accompanist, Alla Rakha, and students of the Ali Akbar College of Music to create the heavily percussive Diga Rhythm Group in 1975. Documenting their sole record, Diga, in Hart’s barn/studio room in Novato, California, the 11-piece group was augmented by Jerry Garcia on electric guitar and Jim McPherson, Kathy McDonald and David Freiberg on vocals. One tune over the record, “Happiness Is normally Drumming (Fireplace on the Hill) continued to be always a staple at concerts with the Pleased Dead, another Types and Hart’s Globe Drum. Formed because the Tal Vadya Tempo Music group in 1973, the group was renamed the Diga Tempo Band pursuing Hart’s arrival 2 yrs afterwards. Hart severed his reference to the group after coming back his focus to some re-energized Pleased Deceased in 1976. He provides continuing to collaborate with Hussain, a charter person in Planet Drum. Various other Diga Tempo Band members who’ve remained active consist of tabla participant Tor Dietrichson, who agreed upon a solo agreement with Global Pacific, and marimba participant Jim Loveless, vibes participant Ray Spiegel and duggi tarang and nal participant Arshad Syed, who became a member of multi-ethnic fusion group, Old Potential in 1993. Originally released over the Pleased Dead’s very own label, Round information, Diga premiered on Compact disc in 1983 within some Hart-produced recordings released by Rykodisc.