You exactly correct. I was there and almost didn’t go into the show. If we didnt get tickets we would just go and party in the parking lot. As luck would have it we parked right next to a group of people who had extra tickets and I was very fortunately present for that show. Kinda wish I yelled during a quiet moment to be able to point out for the rest of my life that I’m on that album. I’m getting sidetracked.
I was literally going to post a nearly identical comment and immediately saw yours. Lol That Nassau gig and particularly that "Eyes of.." is Bradford's peak w the Dead . Just added pure magic ❤
There are a handful of people I've heard get close to explaining the unexplainable.... the magic of the Dead. He speaks honestly, respectfully and eloquently as does his playing. Thank you sir.
Explaining the unexplainable. Hit that on the head. You either get the Dead or you don't. I think I'm starting to convert my daughter. She's 34 and finally in a calm place in her life. I think she's ready. And even though she couldn't get her face out of her phone, I saw her swaying and tapping her feet to the first couple songs from Wrigley set2 night2. She was digging Terrapin and really enjoying Sugar mags. She even looked up from her phone a couple times. Another miracle brought on by the Dead
Thank you, sir is perfect. I can't imagine my life without 41 years of the Grateful Dead & especially Jerry. I loved seeing JGB as it was a whole other level. I've seen Merle Saunders & Papa John Creech play with JGB... Its a beautiful thing!
The Dead is like the folk songbook of Americana, perhaps the only thing that might compare is the Carter family (who gathered all the pre 1920 Appalachian music) or perhaps a Willie Nelson.
@James B I'm a long time Dead Head...since 1979. And yes I am so lucky to be a member of the sub-culture. Thinking about getting a vanity plate for my car "Thx JG" but those plates are rather expensive here in CT land of taxes! ✌🌹⚡
Some people don’t get classical music or jazz. But no one says you either get Bach or you don’t or you either get Miles David or you don’t. The Dead are the only group I’m aware of where this is said.
Today, December 7th, 2021 (over 26 years later), hearing Brandford talk, and smile while he talks, about Jerry brings on the tears. The good tears that only the experience of hearing and seeing Jerry can bring so many years later. I'm glad my time on the earth has coincided with the time of the Grateful Dead on the earth. Thanks to Branford, and thanks to Jerry & Company.
So good to hear someone who played with them give such a resounding account of playing with them. Thank you Branford. There's no question the Grateful Dead are the greatest band ever. And in regards to Dead heads being turned on to other music, as a Dead head I listen to at least 12 genres of music, because different flavors keep it interesting.
@@StoopidSmith323 - I have loved the Dead since !967 , enjoying them in person then even before I had a chance to smoke grass and I have considered them the best rock band in the world for at least 35 years . Finally I realized that no band is the best in the world as there are so many great bands . To me they are one of the very best ...
@@michaelweber5702 yes! This is an honest way to look at music. Art isn't, and shouldn't be a competition. At this point I listen to everything from the dead to hip hop to death metal to electropop. It's all mood based, and should be in my opinion. There's something to appreciate in every genre new and old
Did you happen to see Ken Burns "jazz" documentary? Wynton is also "eloquent." This is getting dangerously close to talking about "clean and well spoken POC." On the other hand, the entire Marsali clan manifest elegance, eloquence, and excellence, whether or not your eyes are open. 😍😍😍
@@carlfoster1952 Both you and Ryan Baker are projecting. There are lot of people I admire for being good at their chosen professions who aren't "eloquent" and that has nothing to do with race their (white, black, or otherwise), or "how" they sound. The definition of eloquent is "fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing". From the internet: "When you're eloquent, you have a way with words. An eloquent speaker expresses herself clearly and powerfully. Even though eloquent usually describes oral speech, it can also be used to describe powerful writing. Being eloquent is about using words well. ... A great orator or speaker like Martin Luther King was eloquent." Enough with the race-baiting, work on your reading comprehension.
The '90 Nassau shows with him were, in my opinion, the ultimate celebration of Grateful Dead music. They were, in every sense of the word, magical on stage and Marsalis was essential! Amazing interview
Much as I love the Grateful Dead, which was 200+ shows worth over 24 years my favorite Garcia work is what he did with Merle and John Kahn and various other folk in the mid '70s Branford would have been a very interesting addition to those bands
Great interview. That Nassau concert from March 1990 is fantastic. Marsalis really brought this awesome new sound to the songs, and you can tell the boys were pumped to have him on stage playing with them.
Branford eloquently expresses his experiences, as well as love and respect for Garcia and the GD. As I understand it, the band members respect for Branford was immense. We the fans were blessed with the resulting music. Thank you Branford Marsalis!
Fave Garcia melodic solo...Death don't have no mercy , Live Dead..haunting , concise , utterly beautiful .Floats over the band which is in complete empathy with his feel .Psychedelic blues .
What a treat ! No one else coulda said it any better..... Getting to see that March 1990 show was the real treat...... Branford, always the gentleman...... Thank you so much for sharing this w/us.......
What a genius of a man who happens to be the person Jerry enjoyed playing with more than anyone. We’re all blessed to have heard these guys play together whether live or on a recording. 🙏🏽⚡️😀
This is probably the best conversation about the Dead that I've heard, in terms of trying to understand what they were all about. Too bad some of it couldn't have been included in the new Long Strange Trip documentary. The fact that Branford said he enjoyed listening to Jerry more than playing with him is very telling, and I liked that quote about Jerry saying the Dead were like licorice: "Some people don't like it, but the people that do, really like it!" Was that historic "Eyes of the World" from Nassau Colosseum during Branford's first night with the band? If it was, it blows my mind that they could be that good during the first time they all played together on stage.
It was. Branford did a great job, even though armed with that knowledge, you can tell he didn’t know the song. Fortunately, Jerry was creating jewels that night and Branford’s poise and taste made it into a great improv.
f-off he's an idiot that has for years dismissed the great avant garde and free jazz players (Brotzmann, Dixon, Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, Oxley, Schlippenbach, etc.). And those guys (not Marsalis) have kept jazz alive as a living, growing art form. He's a talented guy, but in no way original and with good intent has been destructive to jazz music and profoundly closedminded which is paradoxical for a jazz musician.
It has nothing to do with "feel" it's historical; don't take my word for it. Of course if you're not into outside jazz you're on his side. I didn't know having a contrary opinion to yours made me friendless - you must be surrounded by lonely people.
I'm a coma survivor. i live in disabled housing. You are correct, its a very lonely place. You told me to f u ck off. Every breath i take is a big deal, to me anyways. i'm a Deadhead. i'm not going to wax poetic about jazz. My jazz taste is limited to Miles and Thelonious. i saw Branford play with the Dead the same day he was hired to perform on the Tonight Show. Say what you will, i know he's got great chops. With the right "feel" you can play with anyone.
I don't want to split hairs, but it was "f-off" which was my attempt at leavening the insult. Secondly, "f-off" to a stranger is a tad abstract so don't lay the "I'm in disabled housing" as if I should have known or it was personal. Having said that, I'm not a monster - my heart goes out to you and I hope your life improves etc. Yeah, you're probably a pre-70s Miles guy am I right? I love him and Monk too. Sorry, but I actually am passionate about free/avant- jazz and the relative obscurity of some of these brilliant guys makes me mad. And Bradford's ilk is somewhat responsible for that injustice. Take care.
He said best how I feel about the Dead. I would not have had such a wide musical taste if not for the Dead. It was because of them i like Jazz, Bluegrass, Funk, R&B, Blues, Soul, etc. etc. Greatest band ever!!!...beatles schmeatles!
zane jarratt clearly the Beatles fit into that cornucopia though,no? It's an understatement to say the Beatles were massively influential, just as the Dead are, especially considering their evolution from 1964 to 1970. The growth they made musically in six years was astounding and no other band in the history of modern music changed so much in such a short period of time all the while keeping the music artful and groundbreaking. Don't get me wrong. I listen to the Dead more than any other band but you can't deny the power and genius of the Beatles, or compare them to any other band in modern music history. I think Jerry would agree.
zane jarratt , ditto!! I grew up in the South and I hated everything southern as a child but the Dead turned me on to the most southern styles of music on Earth like country and bluegrass. had it not been for the Dead I may never have learned to love all types of music.
The Dead certainly didn't think of them as Beatles Schmeatles. They covered their music dozens of times over 30 years as well as in JGB. I'll just leave this quote right here, about the influence of A Hard Day's Night: "The Beatles were why we turned from a jug band into a rock and roll band," said Bob Weir."
Branford is great. I love to hear him talk & I love to hear him play. Those soprano solos & lines he did with Sting send chills down my spine to this day.
I was fortunate to be at the 3/29/90 Nassau show where Branford came out and played on Birdsong in the first set. It was surreal. Then, when he showed up at the start of the second set and played all the way through ...⚡️
How is anyone giving this a thumbs down?? This interview is great. Sad how soon after Jerry died it happened. The dead/Jerry are far and above anything going on in music today.
This is not from 1996. It was from the week Garcia died in 1995 on VH1. I remember watching it live and also how weird it was that VH1 even did a special on Garcia. It was basically unheard of for that network.
What an insightful discussion, BM even as a young man, a music encyclopedia, to see how the GD and jazz have this connection in their improvatory approach, very hip; music is the medicine.
Josh, thanks so much for sharing this!!! Brandford is soooo well spoken and descriptive about his time playing with Jerry, I found myself just watching a smiling. I was at the Nassau show and it was a great night for sure. fantastic 10 min distraction!!!
I bow to you Mr. Marsalis, and to your terrific words summing up the Dead's gifts like no one else ever has. Thank you for credentialing the band as they deserve. I loved hearing you play with them and am grateful to have become a jazz lover from those days forward.
Branford is brilliant. His playing is so sweet. Also I've never heard anyone explain the dead experience as well as he does. I wasn't at Nassau colosseum the night he played but I was there the next night and people were all abuzz.....Branford played last night it was sick.....And Dark Star with Branford was the best version ever!
Someone asked me once what I thought about the Marsalis brothers...? I very quickly stated that Winton was like a Musicologist professor, he could discuss and play examples of any genre from any great innovator. Branford could actually DO IT...!!!
Super cool interview. He really nailed the essence of what made the band special... amazing for a guy who only performed with them a handful of times. Unlike others who may have ridden the Dead train to pick up some fans, Branford didn't go into these gigs with that idea but simply to play some music. Interesting note: When Branford came to speak at a master class at Tufts in the late 80s, he criticized the Dead as shitty musicians. I'm 100% sure that he had a change of perspective playing with them. In fact, they weren't/aren't great technically. Really, with a couple of exceptions, they were self-taught... Jerry, Bob, Phil... and even Billy to a fair extent. They weren't studio cats, that is. But they had IDEAS, and you only realize that onstage, performing with the Dead. I'm so glad that he got that opportunity. They were one of a kind. Miss em.
Branford is very articulate, eloquent and absolutely telling the truth. His perspective is very revealing as his love of music shows an awareness of how to play with other musicians on a transcendent level. He describes playing music very clearly. He's a great collaborator and added a lot to those shows. THANKS!
Darkstar dude! I had seen Marsalis once at the Chicago jazz fest, and then at least 10 times with the Dead. Its cool to hear how present he was. I can't imagine it would be any other way, but it was nice to hear him talk so affectionately about his relationship with Jerry. Cool interview.
So glad I saw this interview. I love that you can actually see his enjoyment and enthusiasm in his expressions as he relives some of those moments, and he describes his experiences quite eloquently ...the music never stopped...
Two nights in a row stumbling over a random piece of Dead history and leaving teary-eyed. What a great, refreshing step back. Thanks for getting it, Branford, and relating "it" with such clarity.
I come back to this every few months. Such a thoughtful and insightful converation. Where is this from? Where is the full thing? I need it. Lol. Dark star dude!
This "lost" interview was called Four on the Floor. I remember seeing this popular VH1 show decades ago. It was very popular amongst music fans years ago. I enjoyed watching Anthony DeCurtis weekly. As a Deadhead, it was a sheer joy. So fun watching Branford, again, re-telling his story. Fun listening about Kevin Eubanks too.
"They are a band that have earned their audience". Are they ever! This is from 23 years ago and every word of this interview rings true today. You cannot put their music in a category. And their fans are about the music
thats so cool i love this interview especially when he does the little dance to represent deadheads at his shows. Then screams out Darkstar. Had me laughing. I really like his take on the NYE show he spoke of too haha. He just happened to be in town and threw together a band like its nothing. Really cool to hear that. Not to mention he literally said "PLaying with jerry and the boys" haha what a character of a guy.
Really nice! Cool to hear someone outside/inside the unit speak with such great perspective. He knew what it meant to tap into that legacy yet he was confident enough not to need it. Really fun!!
Even as a non-musician, I like hearing a more technical explanation of the Dead's music. Even if you couldn't put your finger on it, you knew it had something special.
