The Blues Project were one of New York’s seminal bands in the mid-1960s. Their first album, “Live at the Cafe Au Go,” recorded at the Greenwich Village club at the end of 1965, forged a fresh alliance between folk, blues and rock and roll. They played folk songs by Eric Anderson and Donovan, blues by Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters and rock ‘n’ roll by Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.There were originally six members of the Blues Project, including vocalist Tommy Flanders. After Flanders opted out of the band around the time the live album was released, what was left was a half-minyan of Jewish musicians from New York: Al Kooper (organ and piano), Danny Kalb and Steve Katz (guitars), Roy Blumenfeld (drums) and Andy Kulberg (bass).
I should add that the joke around town was that the Project were the Jewish Beatles. I should also add that Tommy Flanders, the original lead singer, managed the Floor Models for the first year after we got together
Here's the rest of the story.
And wait till you see the one that's going up over the weekend for Shabbos.
4 comments:
I remember buying the Live album at the USF bookstore. Never heard of them before but liked the covers they did. Turned into one of my favorite all-time albums.
There's something called the Blues Project doing reunion concerts lately but it doesn't have Danny in it so who cares.
Saw them three times - the first time with Kooper still in the group at Steve Paul's Scene in December 1966. Went through two copies of the album.
Saw them as part of a Murray the K extravaganza in March 1967, the first NY appearance. The Who were also on the bill, along with many others. Each act got 8 minutes.
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