Song of the Day 11/10: Al Kooper, “Brand New Day”

Al Kooper spent the ’60s and ’70s showing that he could do almost anything musically, from writing songs to playing as a sideman for Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and dozens of others, to founding Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Amid everything else, Kooper found time to write and record two songs for the soundtrack to director Hal Ashby’s first film, “The Landlord,” in 1970, including “Brand New Day,” which also served as the lead track to Kooper’s double LP “Easy Does It,” released the same year as he embarked on a solo career. He played all the instruments on the cut except bass and drums; he played the “horns” on a forerunner of the synthesizer called the ondioline.