Reply #56: There was a great article a few years back [View All]

[Rambis]

It had Branford Marsalis talking about playing with the dead and how intricate things were etc etc etc. Old souls that were tapped into something spritual etc etc etc. Experimenting with ancient rhythms etc etc etc. Some of the best jazz artists I have ever played with etc etc etc

When I was playing with Sting, I couldn't play anything jazz-like because it wouldn't work within the structure of the music. But with the Dead, I could play anything I wanted because they were so open and loose. When they were clicking it was great."

Marsalis always pulled out a bit of wisdom about music or the music profession from his stories. As he continued to talk about the Dead, he contrasted the way they played with what he hears in current rock music.

"They were really an improvisational rock band," he said. "It was something that was relatively common in the '60s and early '70s and something that is completely nonexistent now. Electronic rock music has a tendency to be rigid, all the parts are meticulous, like a machine, and there's not much deviation. It was nice to be in a band that had that much sway to it. It was hip."