Michael Bloomfield

For the past month I've been obsessed with Michael Bloomfield. Well, much longer than that really - I first listened to him in '68 when he was working with Al Kooper. He did some solo work, and had a short lived band The Electric Flag, and played with muddy Waters and others. I didn't catch up with his earlier work with Dylan, and Paul Butterfield till '70.

Who knows why something grabs a hold of you at a particular time, but strangely enough that time is now. Like a deer in the headlights I have listened almost exclusively to just a few sessions continuously and repetitively while commuting and during lunch, and other spare moments. I was hungry for something tough to bite into and savor and this guitar went straight to the marrow and stayed there. Maybe now also because I have now gathered a mass of his music (thanks to new and reissues), which in the past has been hard to get.

Like many musicians of that era, whose genius drove him too close to and finally over the edge at a young age, he left us too young but left us just enough to call a legacy. He was more than just a blazing blues guitarist - he was a smart musician. He had big ears and knew how to play in the context of a band always knowing just where to be and what the larger presence required. He played with the obsessive passion of someone who lives of, by, and for the music. I believe he ranks with the likes of Hendrix, Allman, Garcia, and Stevie Ray to name a few. It is perhaps no coincidence that none of them are here today.

I am grateful for the contributions of Michael Bloomfiled, thankful for his passion and his legacy, and thankful that his music can continue to do for me what possibly it could not do for him.

Thank you.



Recommended Samples:

Sample 1:Maggie's Farm - W/Dylan at Newport '65

Sample 2:Drinkin' Wine-Electric Flag

Sample 3:Stop - W/Al Kooper - Super Session

Sample 4:Born In Chicago - Fillmore West '69

Wellfleet, Ma Cape Cod

Most folks reeturning from a relaxing Cape Cod vacation probably would have posted a nice scenic beach photo to honor the occasion, but not me. I chose the front doors of a church in process of restoration. The former Catholic church, now named Wellfleet Preservation Hall when finished will be used to facilitate music, dance, and other artistic and community gatherings.

Perhaps the perfect transformation, in my opinion, for a Catholic church.



More Info:Wellfleet Preservation Hall

Kerouac

On The Road

If they had let (or even made) us read this book in high school I might have learned how to read and certainly how to think, perhaps even write, long before I found these true directions on my own. But it was a different time. In 63-64 this book was only 7 years old and the world had yet to feel the full impact of this book (the midwest being even further behind) and Kerouac was not taken seriously as a writer then either.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (published 6 years before On The Road) was about the most daring thing they let us attempt and it was dry and a bit less obvious to my yet untrained mind. Cars, alienation, jazz, seeking truth on a different path could have been just what the literary doctor ordered. Oh well... the times were what they were and lacking resources (there were no internet/Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders, TV/Radio talk shows, no cable, satelite, FM, NPR or PBS) I had to get there on my own about 10 years later.

This is the 50th anniversary of the book's publishing, and in Kerouac's home town of Lowell, Ma. the original scroll manuscript of On the Road - yes, 120 ft of unparagraphed documentary - is on display, and I took the opportunity to make the pilgrimage to the holy grail of modern popular literature. While I don't unconditionally revere either the book or its author, I do believe that the book is an important social and literary documentary of the time. In addition it stands the test of time in story and character, it remains a 'right of passage' to young readers especially those who are seeking a less traditional path, and is certainly a pathway to a larger movement both literary and social known as the The Beats. Strip away the pop iconography associated with the movement and you still have a very large legacy of artistic and political achievement.

There is nothing I can say regarding the book or the author that hasn't been said previously. To a kid from the midwest lacking identity, direction, role models, or even much imagination I could have experienced, perhaps, what Bob Dylan did "I realized there were others out there like me". If you haven't read On The Road or any of Kerouac's work, or taken some time to investigate the Beats I would recommend even a brief look - if you have, I would recommend a revisit.


Sample 1:Steve Allen Show

Sample 2:Jazz

Sample 3:On The Road and Dharma Bums