SCI Fidelity

Earlier this year, The String Cheese Incident revived its Winter Carnival concert series for the first time since 2007. To celebrate its return, SCI archivist Larry Fox delved deep into the group’s vaults to create Frozen Cheese – a well-rounded compilation featuring unreleased material from Winter Carnival shows performed between 1999 and 2003. A sizzling run from “Little Hands” into “Frozen Jam” and Weather Report’s “Birdland” from February 20, 1999 opens Frozen Cheese and showcases the dobro playing of Jerry Douglas – one of the many Carnival guests through the years. Douglas mixes well with the then five-piece and pushes the group’s soloists to majestic heights during each segment – especially on “Birdland,” which turns into a high-energy, bluegrass hoedown. “The Chicken,” featuring original Meters George Porter Jr. and Art Neville, goes in the opposite direction by demonstrating SCI’s affinity for funk. Frozen Cheese’s second disc focuses on material performed during the second set of its March 18, 2003 show in Vail, with the electronica-tinged “Emma’s Dream” and a signature jam that develops out of “Under African Skies.”