Birthdays: Al Kooper (82)

Happy birthday to Al Kooper, born as Alan Kuperschmidt in New York City on this day in 1944. 

Once upon a time you dressed so fine threw the bums a dime

Like A Rolling Stone Live at Newport Folk Festival (1965)

Route

(Photo: Susan Monosson)

Birthdays | AL KOOPER [81]

 Happy birthday to Al Kooper, born as Alan Kuperschmidt in New York City on this day in 1944. 

Once upon a time he dressed so fine.

Live at Newport -Bob Dylan - "Like A Rolling Stone"(1965)

Route

Happy 81st birthday to Al Kooper! 

Al Kooper has been a legendary songwriter, record producer and musician for over six decades. Highlights include his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears, playing organ on Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and collaborating with countless artists. 

" If it doesn't reach my heart or my groin, I'm not interested and really I can't listen to it. That's why I love Gospel music, because it's so real. Those people are not trying to have a hit. They're singing what's in their hearts and souls. They sing better than people who are trying to get a hit. That's why I love that music so much. It's such incredible singing. 

I don't play that good. In terms of organ players, there's like millions of people that can play better than me. I'm not technically all that good compared to people that play. For instance, Joey De Francisco is like the most amazing organ player I've ever heard of in my life. If I lived three lifetimes, I couldn't play as good as he plays. There's a lot of really great organ players. What I'm good at is studio stuff. You play me a song and somebody's singing and I can play nicely behind them. I'm a good sideman. My skill is more of an arranger than as a player. I have to say I think I'm a really good arranger. I think I'm a much better arranger than I am a player. The other thing is, I like so many different kinds of music and I play a lot of different instruments. If you just like one kind of music and you just play one instrument, it's pretty fuckin' boring. That's why I do it...just to keep myself entertained. Otherwise, forget about it! I couldn't believe, I figured it out the other day. I've been playing the organ for forty-three years. That's pretty amazing. I didn't know that. I just figured it out the other day. "

Gary James Interview

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 

All Hallows Eve 31st Oct - 1 November Samhain [or Sauin] Must be the Season of the Witch!

 Incredible String Band - Witches Hat

Incredible String Band - Witches Hat (1968)

Certainly, the children have seen them,
In quiet places where the moss grows green.
Colored, shells, jangle, together,
The wind is cold, the year is old
The trees whisper together, and bend in the wind, they lean……

Donovan Season of The Witch

Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger Trinity - Season Of The Witch

Bloomfield Kooper Stills - Supersession : Season of The Witch

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL KOOPER! (79)

 

Happy birthday to organist Al Kooper, born as Alan Kuperschmidt in Brooklyn, New York on this day in 1944. "Once upon a time he dressed so fine. . . . . "

from Route publishers

Al Kooper

Mike Bloomfield: The Bluesman (28 July 1943 - 15 February 1981) - URBANASPIRINES

 

"On 15 February 1981, Michael Bloomfield's lifeless body was found locked inside a car on a side street in San Fransisco.His mysterious drug related death ended the troubled life of a world class Bluesman who had influenced an entire generation of music lovers and guitar players. He was 37."

Nice piece this morning over at Urbanaspirines in their profile on the legend that was Mike Bloomfield who was significant to me ( and all of us?) for a number of projects not least perhaps my favourite blues tracks of all time with Paul Butterfield Blues Band (Shake Your Money Maker, Got My Mojo Working?) his work with Bob Dylan (early electric debut, Highway 61 Revisited!) and his jam sessions with the likes of Al Kooper and Steve Stills (Season of The Witch?) to later projects with Nick Gravesites, Dr John and John Hammond (Triumviate) and ore besides.

This fine article references some 10+ albums and all are worth a listen. 

MIKE BLOOMFIELD - BLUESMAN - Urbanaspirines

mock linocut (sic?) digital art by artist unknown if you know who this is by please let me know so I may credit them?

Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield 

Paul Butterfield feat Mike Bloomfield (Shake Your Money Maker)

Paul Butterfield Blues Band feat Mike - Born in Chicago (and he was!)

Bobby on Bloomfield . . . . 

Bought when it came out, this and Money maker BLEW me away!

Al Kooper (3) - Urbanaspirines

 AL KOOPER

Nice profile and tribute to the legendary Al Kooper this morning from Urbanaspirines principally through look at three albums and his relationships with Bob Dylan, Mike Broomfield, Shuggie Otis et al

Al Kooper - Urbanaspirines

Al Kooper - Mike Bloomfield - Steve Stills: SUPER SESSION on Urban Aspirines HERE

Music Italy 70 came up with a great idea this morning and it features photos of great rock figures and the adding a track featuring them at their best
So . . . . . well I changed some and might carry on the tradition a picture and a clip. . . . 

It's Friday! have a great one and it will soon be the weekend!

Jeff plays Beatles . . . . . 

Heck let's play the video!

CARL RADLE & ERIC CLAPTON

Slunky

https://youtu.be/EP0x2oCXGPg

Oh go on then grab this while it lasts . . . . . note Pete Ham from Badfinger on accompanying guitar

BANGLADESH for the people there and the recent victims of the terrible fire, purchasing the single on iTunes helps support the people of Bangladesh still

Changed this one to mey choice of track David and Tina working together . . . . . 
\

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON

Me And Bobby McGee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YaWBIJZ8go

Al Kooper

Season of The Witch

https://youtu.be/NWkMMXgQohc

BOB MARLEY

Lively Up Yourself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDnNqsy7rYE

Viv Albertine -The Slits

Rare(ish) full length video

Typical Girls

The late Ariane Foster (Ari Up), Viv Albertine, Teressa Pollitt and Peter Edward Clarke ("Budgie") create some new wave punk in 1979

SEASON OF THE WITCH!

For your Halloween entertainment . . . . . we don't or didn't really do Halloween over here and I always feel that we adopted it because of our American cousins who go ape over it. However it is really ancient and based around Samhain a pre-Christian European celebration of the time of the seasons changing and has really very little to do with America per se.
So here's a spooky song for ya!

Donovan – Season of The Witch

live on tele

I first came across this song by the supergroup Al Kooper, Steve Stills and Mike Bloomfield

and didn't even know it had been written by Donovan . . . . I also like to play it on the guitar too!



Enjoy!

for Halloween 



a favourite song, although first heard by me by the supergroup (so called) of Stephen Stills, Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield 'Super Session' of '68