I don't know if many of you ever heard of the Blues Project but they were an awesome group in the mid to later 60s. Their album 'Live at the Cafe au Go Go' was the first non-mainstream album I purchased which I need to thank my sleep-away camp counselor for turning me onto.

This was one of the first groups Al Kooper belonged to, if not the first, and along with him was Danny Kalb on lead guitar, Roy Blumenfeld on bass, Steve Katz on rhythm, Tommy Flannigan on vocals and piano and the drummer whose name i can't remember.

The album was released in 65 or 66 and it was quite a revelation back then as the Beatles, Stones, DC5, Herman's Hermits, Simon & Grafunkel, etc were the more popular groups and compared to them the Blues Project was a giant sea-change in sound and music.

If you like 'white' blues you should give this group a try. They even played at the Monterey Int'l Music Festival :)

:thmbsp: The Blues Project - Live at the Cafe Au Go Go featuring Tommy Flanders, Verve/Folkways FV-9024. The Blues Project/ Projections, FTS-3008
So Butterfield Blues band Should be to your liking also.

Drummer was Roy Blumenfeld who with Andy Kulberg went on to Seatrain

"Projections" is their best album, with Kooper writing & singing "lead" on many of the tunes. Of course, Kooper left to form Blood, Sweat, & Tears afterward, with Steve Katz tagging along. A 2 CD anthology was released by Polydor on their Chronicles series- best sound, aside from the original Projections LP which was on Verve Records.

Dug up The BS&T LP with Kooper. Cloumbia - CS 9619. Set out to listen with project Lp's tommorrow. Been a long time since I gave them a listen.

That 1st BS&T Lp, "Child is Father to the Man," is great. Kooper really shined on it. I loved "Super Session" with Kooper, Bloomfield & Stills too.

"Flute Thing" was the BP song that got all the play back in my day.

And "The Child is Father to the Man" is a must for all collections.

I read an interesting Al Kooper interview a few years back and he said that because of the problems he faced in the Blues Project and later on with BS&T he had a nervous breakdown. Not that this means anything about his music but an interesting item about the personal side.

I agree that the 1st BS&T album was the best and the 2nd not too far back but the sound and their music did change which I guess which is why they kicked out Kooper. Artistic differences seems to have changed and destroyed many groups.

I'm sure all the drugs, girls, & the hectic life style didn't help Kooper's health.
But it sure did result in some awfully good music.