THE FORD BLUES BAND
WITH ROBBEN FORD & CHRIS CAIN
''IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL BLOOMFIELD''
OCTOBER 15, 2002
55:02
1/Interview/:18
2/Killing My Love/Gravenite/4:35
3/The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)/Simon/5:43
4/Stop/Ragovoy, Shuman, Waters/3:21
5/Next Time You See Me/Forest, Harvey, Tucker/2:41
6/Interview/:17
7/I Got a Mind to Give up Living/Traditional/5:18
8/Interview/:11
9/Groovin' Is Easy/Polte/3:33
10/Peter's Trip/Bloomfield/2:06
11/The Ones I Loved Are Gone/Bloomfield/3:11
12/It's About Time/Davis, Gravenites/6:20
13/Jimi the Fox/Bloomfield, Goldberg/3:33
14/Mary Ann/Bruce, Charles, Cooper/5:04
15/Interview/:23
16/Blues With a Feeling/Little Walter/3:47
17/Interview/:23
18/Blues for MB/Ford, Strifler/4:18
Interview Segments Between Bloomfield And Dan McClosky
John Burr / Keyboards (Includes Harpsichord And Strings)
Chris Cain / Guitar (Left Side) On Tracks 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, Vocal On Tracks 2, 11
Brad Catania / Trumpet On Track 12
Regina Espinoza / Vocals (Bckgr)
Dejuana Logwood / Vocals (Bckgr)
Patrick Ford / Drums
Robben Ford / Both Guitar (Left Side), Vocal On Tracks 3, 7, 12, 14
Mic Gillette / Trombone, Trumpet
Andy Just / Harmonica, Vocal On Track 16
Tony Lufrano / Organ On Tracks 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18 And Piano On Track 7
Dewayne Pate / Bass
John Lee Sanders / Saxophone, Vocal On Track 9
Volker Strifler / Guitar (Right Side), Vocal On Track 5
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
Following their 2001 tribute to Paul Butterfield (credited to Robben Ford & the Ford Blues Band), the Ford Blues Band pick 13 tracks they feel best-represent the harmonica bandleader's illustrious -- but short-lived -- guitarist, Mike Bloomfield. Interspersed with five fascinating but brief interview snippets of Bloomfield chatting about his first employer and playing blues in general, the band, with help from brother Robben Ford, guitarist Chris Cain, and a sparingly utilized horn section, judiciously choose many obscure selections from the guitarist's diverse projects. "Jimi the Fox" comes from the little-known Two Jews Blues, "Peter's Trip" was a tune included on the B-movie soundtrack to The Trip, and "Next Time You See Me" as well as "The Ones I Loved Are Gone" were originally found on Bloomfield's seldom-heard and generally disappointing solo album, It's Not Killing Me. This band not only resurrects these forgotten gems, they bring them alive with sizzling authority. Ford burns on a version of East-West's "I Got a Mind to Give up Living," guest harmonica player Andy Just sounds scarily like Butterfield on a supercharged "Blues With a Feeling," and the horn-infused cover of the Electric Flag's "Groovin' Is Easy," featuring female backing vocals, nearly outdoes the original. Guitarists Cain and Ford do a terrific job re-creating Bloomfield's terse style without aping it and these reinterpretations never seem rote. The recording quality is crisp but not slick, the performances are scintillating, production by drummer Patrick Ford is lean, and the arrangements bring out the best in these tunes. Except for shoddy graphics that look like they were thrown together overnight, this is an inspired project that will hopefully expose Bloomfield's music to another generation.
BIOGRAPHY
by Dan Forte
After leaving Ukiah, CA, and moving south to San Francisco to form the Charles Ford Band (named for their father) in the late '60s with harmonica player Gary Smith, brothers Pat (drums) and Robben (guitar) were enlisted by Charlie Musselwhite and were pivotal members of one of the best aggregations the harpist ever led. Leaving Musselwhite after recording Arhoolie's Takin' My Time, they recruited bassist Stan Poplin and younger brother Mark, then age 17, on harmonica and played under the name the Real Charles Ford Band. Heavily influenced by the original Butterfield Blues Band and the Chess catalog, the quartet was famous for their live jazz explorations -- often jamming for 30 minutes or more on a John Coltrane and George Benson tune -- and hear-a pin-drop dynamics (with Mark abandoning mike and amp to play acoustically into the room or Robben turning the volume all the way off on his fat-body Gibson L-5). Muddy Waters sat in with and praised the young band, and Chess Records even came courting, but the brothers split on New Year's Eve, 1971, recording their sole LP posthumously, as it were. Robben went on to major cult status via session work and sporadic solo releases, and after lengthy hiatuses Mark and Pat continue to gig around the Bay Area and Europe. Pat founded his own Blue Rock'it label, on which albums like The Ford Blues Band, Hot Shots and 1999 were released. The band's influence in Northern California is still enormous, particularly among guitar players who continue to ape licks Robben forgot two decades ago.
WITH ROBBEN FORD & CHRIS CAIN
''IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL BLOOMFIELD''
OCTOBER 15, 2002
55:02
1/Interview/:18
2/Killing My Love/Gravenite/4:35
3/The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)/Simon/5:43
4/Stop/Ragovoy, Shuman, Waters/3:21
5/Next Time You See Me/Forest, Harvey, Tucker/2:41
6/Interview/:17
7/I Got a Mind to Give up Living/Traditional/5:18
8/Interview/:11
9/Groovin' Is Easy/Polte/3:33
10/Peter's Trip/Bloomfield/2:06
11/The Ones I Loved Are Gone/Bloomfield/3:11
12/It's About Time/Davis, Gravenites/6:20
13/Jimi the Fox/Bloomfield, Goldberg/3:33
14/Mary Ann/Bruce, Charles, Cooper/5:04
15/Interview/:23
16/Blues With a Feeling/Little Walter/3:47
17/Interview/:23
18/Blues for MB/Ford, Strifler/4:18
Interview Segments Between Bloomfield And Dan McClosky
John Burr / Keyboards (Includes Harpsichord And Strings)
Chris Cain / Guitar (Left Side) On Tracks 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, Vocal On Tracks 2, 11
Brad Catania / Trumpet On Track 12
Regina Espinoza / Vocals (Bckgr)
Dejuana Logwood / Vocals (Bckgr)
Patrick Ford / Drums
Robben Ford / Both Guitar (Left Side), Vocal On Tracks 3, 7, 12, 14
Mic Gillette / Trombone, Trumpet
Andy Just / Harmonica, Vocal On Track 16
Tony Lufrano / Organ On Tracks 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18 And Piano On Track 7
Dewayne Pate / Bass
John Lee Sanders / Saxophone, Vocal On Track 9
Volker Strifler / Guitar (Right Side), Vocal On Track 5
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
Following their 2001 tribute to Paul Butterfield (credited to Robben Ford & the Ford Blues Band), the Ford Blues Band pick 13 tracks they feel best-represent the harmonica bandleader's illustrious -- but short-lived -- guitarist, Mike Bloomfield. Interspersed with five fascinating but brief interview snippets of Bloomfield chatting about his first employer and playing blues in general, the band, with help from brother Robben Ford, guitarist Chris Cain, and a sparingly utilized horn section, judiciously choose many obscure selections from the guitarist's diverse projects. "Jimi the Fox" comes from the little-known Two Jews Blues, "Peter's Trip" was a tune included on the B-movie soundtrack to The Trip, and "Next Time You See Me" as well as "The Ones I Loved Are Gone" were originally found on Bloomfield's seldom-heard and generally disappointing solo album, It's Not Killing Me. This band not only resurrects these forgotten gems, they bring them alive with sizzling authority. Ford burns on a version of East-West's "I Got a Mind to Give up Living," guest harmonica player Andy Just sounds scarily like Butterfield on a supercharged "Blues With a Feeling," and the horn-infused cover of the Electric Flag's "Groovin' Is Easy," featuring female backing vocals, nearly outdoes the original. Guitarists Cain and Ford do a terrific job re-creating Bloomfield's terse style without aping it and these reinterpretations never seem rote. The recording quality is crisp but not slick, the performances are scintillating, production by drummer Patrick Ford is lean, and the arrangements bring out the best in these tunes. Except for shoddy graphics that look like they were thrown together overnight, this is an inspired project that will hopefully expose Bloomfield's music to another generation.
BIOGRAPHY
by Dan Forte
After leaving Ukiah, CA, and moving south to San Francisco to form the Charles Ford Band (named for their father) in the late '60s with harmonica player Gary Smith, brothers Pat (drums) and Robben (guitar) were enlisted by Charlie Musselwhite and were pivotal members of one of the best aggregations the harpist ever led. Leaving Musselwhite after recording Arhoolie's Takin' My Time, they recruited bassist Stan Poplin and younger brother Mark, then age 17, on harmonica and played under the name the Real Charles Ford Band. Heavily influenced by the original Butterfield Blues Band and the Chess catalog, the quartet was famous for their live jazz explorations -- often jamming for 30 minutes or more on a John Coltrane and George Benson tune -- and hear-a pin-drop dynamics (with Mark abandoning mike and amp to play acoustically into the room or Robben turning the volume all the way off on his fat-body Gibson L-5). Muddy Waters sat in with and praised the young band, and Chess Records even came courting, but the brothers split on New Year's Eve, 1971, recording their sole LP posthumously, as it were. Robben went on to major cult status via session work and sporadic solo releases, and after lengthy hiatuses Mark and Pat continue to gig around the Bay Area and Europe. Pat founded his own Blue Rock'it label, on which albums like The Ford Blues Band, Hot Shots and 1999 were released. The band's influence in Northern California is still enormous, particularly among guitar players who continue to ape licks Robben forgot two decades ago.
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