In the last few years of his life, Jerry Garcia reconnected with his old mandolin-playing pal David Grisman and casually recorded tons of old folk, blues, and country tunes at Grisman's home studio in an all-acoustic format. The bulk of these have been presented over the course of a series of discs, and BEEN ALL AROUND THIS WORLD purports to be the last installment. It's a hell of a swan song.

Garcia used to perform "I've Been All Around This World" in the Grateful Dead's acoustic sets, and the version included here lives up to that legacy. Freddie Hart's acerbic country waltz "Drink Up and Go Home" gets a suitably wry reading. Things go further afield with folk takes on James Brown ("I'll Go Crazy") and Jimmy Cliff ("Sitting Here in Limbo"), demonstrating the eclecticism that was part and parcel of Garcia's musical vision.