Althouse: "He started playing guitar at 13 and attended the University of Wisconsin, where he performed at coffeehouses."

November 20, 2022

"He started playing guitar at 13 and attended the University of Wisconsin, where he performed at coffeehouses."

"He was a student there when he met Bob Dylan, an itinerant folk singer traveling through. 'Dylan crashed with me for a few weeks in Madison on his way from Hibbing, Minnesota, to New York,' Mr. Kalb told AM New York in 2013. 'We had so much fun, I dropped out and followed him.'"

From "Danny Kalb, Guitarist Who Gave Blues-Rock an Edge, Dies at 80/His 1960s band, the Blues Project, won a following with a driving, experimental approach to traditional material that was anything but purist" (NYT).

16 comments:

madAsHell said...: That's really bad music.; 11/20/22, 6:04 PM
Lurker21 said...: Many, many are the unsung musicians. Patrick Haggerty, the pioneering gay country singer also died this month.

I know. I hadn't heard of him either. But now he's having his posthumous 15 minutes.; 11/20/22, 6:37 PM
Shannon said...: His guitar is so incredibly out of tune its jarring to the ears. Nobody sober could possibly sit through that.; 11/20/22, 7:21 PM
guitar joe said...: Very cool slice of 60s rock experimentation. Some great moments, some jarring ones, but that was what led to some bracing moments during the 60s. Kalb was a great player.; 11/20/22, 7:55 PM
Mutaman said...: "Projections" is a really nice album. The Blues Project's cover of Chuck's great "You Can't catch Me" is very nice.

"Radio tuned to Rock n Roll".
I'm gone, gone gone, like a cool breeze".; 11/20/22, 10:17 PM
Ex-PFC Wintergreen said...: The Blues Project did some really cool stuff. RIP Danny.

If one is interested in that era, Al Kooper’s autobiography, Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards: My
Life As a Rock and Roll Survivor, in which the Blues Project features prominently, is a great read.; 11/20/22, 10:24 PM
Dustbunny said...: Mimi Parker of Low died this week. I had no idea she and her husband were practicing Mormons who lived in Duluth.; 11/21/22, 3:29 AM
Heartless Aztec said...: Just picked up one of their albums at the used vinyl store the other day...; 11/21/22, 7:33 AM
Kai Akker said...: Mutaman, it gets boring having to say this, but you are right .... again!.

Projections is a terrific album from that era.

"Wake Me, Shake Me," "I Can't Keep from Crying" great rockers. "Flute Thing," "Steve's Song," beautiful and different. I couldn't get Ann's video link to play, but judging from the comments, it may not be the ideal sample of Blues Project music by which to characterize them. The album version is nice.

Or try this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esc4y5MRpUk; 11/21/22, 7:54 AM
Roger Sweeny said...: "Flute Thing" is perhaps the worst thing the Blues Project did. "Look at us. We're not doing low class blues. We're doing high class cool jazz."; 11/21/22, 8:37 AM
Chris said...: There's only one flute that works in Rock and Roll and that's Ian Andersons Flute.; 11/21/22, 8:50 AM
Chris said...: There's only one flute that works in Rock and Roll and that's Ian Andersons Flute.; 11/21/22, 8:50 AM
Kai Akker said...: The Blues Project wanted to avoid sounding like they played "low-class" blues?

Roger, I am missing the logic there!

But I like the Flute Thing song myself. A refreshing piece on the album. Chacun a son gout.; 11/21/22, 9:09 AM
Stephen said...: Kalb also played a wonderful role as lead guitarist and vocalist on one of the best jug band revival albums of the '60's. There is a lot of great blues and traditional jazz energy here. Check it out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Van_Ronk_and_the_Ragtime_Jug_Stompers; 11/21/22, 12:19 PM
MOfarmer said...: Going strictly from memory, I believe that was Al Kooper's band; not Kalb's.; 11/21/22, 1:18 PM
Mutaman said...: "If one is interested in that era, Al Kooper’s autobiography, Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards: My
Life As a Rock and Roll Survivor, in which the Blues Project features prominently, is a great read."

I might check that book out. Would love to read about Al and his Blonde on Blonde experiences. As I understand it, when Bob was trying to record Blonde with The Band in NYC, he just wasn’t happy with it, so he headed down to Nashville and recorded it with Charlie McCoy and the A-Team. But he did take Al and Robbie Robertson along with him and they made some nice contributions to the album; 11/21/22, 5:14 PM