Blues
Who would've thought that in April of 2003, it would be sort of my take of a "Bloomfield" Month, with the duo releases of this album & the re-release of the Super Session album? The project as a whole had been delayed for some time, as I continually made my trip to the stores...only to find out on Al Kooper's web site that Sony/Columbia had to delay the project again.... & again.
True to Mr. Kooper's word, this album is "all about Bloomfield". Well sort of, as a nod must be given to the surprise guest appearance by Johnny Winter(what happened to the mentioned Buzzy Feiten cuts?). And he does not disappoint, but the drummer sure does. All over this recording, as he & the rest of the band are clearly out of sync.
However, there is enough here to overlook any of the faults. At time when he was still at the peak of his guitar powers, & his name was ALWAYS mentioned with the other great guitarists of the day. His singing NEVER was on par with his guitar playing(not much changes in my assessment w/ this album), but if one wants to just hear the man play with glee, pick this one up. It's what keeps many of us coming back for more to this inconsistent, but giant talent. By then, he wasn't the hot shot guitarist with the Butterfield Blues Band. Rather, a seasoned pro that had perfected his "Bloomfield" style.
The playing by Bloomfield is on par with the My Labors/Fillmore West releases, but those recordings were enhanced with the addition of Nick Gravenites, the backing band for those gigs, & the guest appearance by Taj Mahal.
Hopefully this project will remind the musical community again on what an awesome talent he was. Many of us owe it him, & countless others who were there to "educate" the rock & roll community on the art form known as the blues.
By N. Wakabayashi.
**
The live attempts at recreating the seminal jam chemistry of Super Session were hit-and-miss affairs, and this one, previously unreleased, has its fair share of off-key and off-target tunes. The rhythm section is erratic, the repertoire ranging from Simon & Garfunkel's "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" to an Elvis-flavored "That's All Right Mama"is a bit odd, and co-leader Al Kooper is competent but rarely inspired. Guitarist Michael Bloomfield, however, is uniformly brilliant and his graceful blues virtuosity is by itself well worth the price of admission.
Bloomfield and the group are joined on B.B. King's "It's My Own Fault" by a then-unknown Johnny Winter and things get really interesting. For nearly 11 minutes Winter and Bloomfield dive deep into the blues with Winter astounding the audience with his vocals and lightning licks on a song that had long been a staple of his live shows in Texas. The remainder of the album lacks similar energy and excitement, but Bloomfield's guitar work keeps it listenable. Overall, The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper, recorded several months earlier, provides a better look at the band's concert sound but it does so without Winter.
By Michael Point.
**
Al Kooper- (Vocals, Piano, Organ, Keyboards);
Johnny Winter- (Vocals, Guitar);
Mike Bloomfield- (Vocals, Guitar);
Paul Harris- (Piano);
Jerry Jemmott- (Bass);
Johnny Cresci- (Drums).
**
01 Introductions 1.27
02 One Way out 4:21
03 Mike Bloomfield's Introduction of J.Winter 0.58
04 It's My Own Fault Feat Johnny Winter 10.56
05 59thg Street Bridge Song 6.15
06 Tell Me Partner 10.11
07 That's All Right Mama 3.39
08 Together 'Till the End of Time 4.29
09 Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong 8.41
10 Season of the Witch 9.00
**
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