Buckshot LeFonque Another Day (1997)
Taping was a thing in the 1960s and 1970s. It was popularized by the Deadheads (for those who don't know, that's what die-hard fans of the band Grateful Dead are called). “Tapers” recorded concerts, often from standing microphones in the audience and later in specially designated zones behind the soundboard.
Out of roughly 2,350 performances by the Grateful Dead, nearly 2,200 were recorded, and the majority of these recordings can be accessed online. Fan-made tapes emerged from the frustration shared by fans and critics alike over the band's albums' inability to capture the highly esteemed live quality and spontaneity of their performances.
An example of an official live album by the Grateful Dead that enjoyed both commercial success and critical acclaim was Without A Net. It was also the first live album to be released on CD (read our post “Was Music Healthier Before the CD?” here). And it's one of just two albums (out of a total of 90!) on which you'll find saxophonist Branford Marsalis jamming along—Marsalis had occasionally joined the band for live performances and held a special place among fans.
He once remarked that his popularity among Deadheads was “the most bizarre thing that ever happened to me.” Yet, he consistently demonstrated exceptional versatility and openness. He played alongside Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, led the studio band for Jay Leno's Tonight Show, contributed to Sting’s solo debut, composed film scores for Spike Lee and played the saxophone on Public Enemy's “Fight the Power”.
One of his own projects, where he collaborated with a variety of musicians and producers, including DJ Premier, was Buckshot LeFonque. During the mid-nineties, under Marsalis's guidance, the group released two albums, which have since remained somewhat overlooked in the annals of music history. Only two tracks have stood the test of time in the streaming era, with one of them being the melancholic soul-jazz joint “Another Day”—today's song.
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