The Michael Bloomfield Story - part 4

(You can find all 10 parts of this now-complete video bio by searching on "Michael Bloomfield Story")
(Please note: KZbin has added commercials to these videos because it feels we have used copyrighted content in a way that violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. We want all our viewers to know we do NOT profit from these ads, nor do we condone them. We have decided to leave the videos on KZbin because we feel their educational purpose supersedes the inconvenience and inappropriateness of these promotional annoyances.)
IN CELEBRATION OF Michael Bloomfield's 67th birthday anniversary, mikebloomfieldamericanmusic.com offers a video biography of the legendary guitarist, detailing his remarkable career with images, interview clips and music. Created by filmmakers Nick Lerman and Alex Wernquest, and site manager David Dann, this 10-part narrative begins with Bloomfield as a young, up-and-coming guitarist recording for John Hammond Sr., playing with Bob Dylan and joining the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. It then follows Michael as he creates the Electric Flag and performs to standing ovations at Monterey, records "Super Session" with Al Kooper and then pursues a career playing music on his own terms. Included are excerpts from previously unheard Bloomfield recordings as well as rare and seldom-seen photos of the guitarist.
Please note that this video should not be confused with, and is not associated with, the soon to be completed feature documentary, "If You Love These Blues: The Life and Music of Mike Bloomfield," a Ravin' Films production. It is expected to be released in 2012.

[@andrewz4537]

I was going to Jr. college in Menlo Park in '65. I used to go to a nearby guitar shop after school. There was a guy who was always practicing in the back of the store when I came in. He'd come up front and we'd chat about music. I was already deeply into the 1st Butterfield album. I'd heard Bloomfield wasn't a permanent member of the band. So when the guy in the guitar shop told me the Butterfield Band was coming to S.F. and that Bloomfield was with the band we were both excited to see them at the Fillmore that coming weekend. The guy in the guitar shop? Jerry Garcia.

[@tylerthompson1842]

Andrew Z great story man! I’m reading a great book about him at the moment called “ An American Life”. Can’t put it down, I’ve always loved his music.

[@simba30]

Bloomfield was a great influence on all guitar players RIP 🙏

[@randolphr]

Fantastic to have this documentary available. Huge thanks !!!!

[@ColdChicago]

dancing to butterfield at big johns... pound for pound the best white blues band going... blew the stones from the field, but then jagger and richard starting writing.... but instrumentally- butterfield was beyond the blues curve by miles...

[@bloomsdisco]

Thanks for your kind words, Rensa. The whole production did take about a year to produce. And the narrator is indeed a radio guy (and former NYC actor). Good call!

[@CodyzGuitar]

Thanks for this! R.I.P Bloomfield, easily one of the best

[@therealpinoyhapa]

I only know Bloomfield from Electric Flag and the soundtrack for Roger Corman's shlocky teen exploitation flick and his version of what it is like to trip on acid Peter Fonda and The Psychedelic Hippie Rat pack of Bruce Dern and Jack Nicholson (pre-Eady Rider trio) are the leads. Nicholson wrote the screenplay. While "The Trip" movie is stupid and silly, the music is totally mindblowing and incredible and features Bloomfield along with Buddy Miles , Nick Gravenites, Barry Goldberg and others. The album is blues and psychedelic mix and is beyond marvelous and outstanding. Thank you for giving me an insight on the life and work of Michael Bloomfield. I have subscribed.

[@clarkewi]

Excellent vid about a band that was never fully appreciated except by other musicians.

[@brainsareus]

clarkewi yes and no.........they were very much loved by fans[not hugely commercial]; but, they have faded into obscurity a bit.

[@jaelouis1980]

David Dan Bloomfield forever Music History lives on.....

[@MultiComputerScience]

Thank you! I´ve got to say very nice work on the documentary, must have taken ages to collect the information. I really love the dictators voice, he should be on radio. Very informative and straight to the point, well done guys :D

[@bloomsdisco]

That's Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'" (1966). A classic.

[@slowdncr]

The first album I ever bought was "East West"

[@randalmcmurphy1893]

the best!

[@bloomsdisco]

@dmce100 I understand your frustration, dmce100. It's a sad fact that there are very few films of Mike. The first film clips we have date from his appearance with the Butterfield Band at Newport in July 1965. We opted not to use those segments because they are readily available elsewhere on KZbin and because of rights issues. The next film clip that exists comes from Monterey in 1967, and is in the video in Part 6. Believe me, if there had been more footage available, it would be in the bio.

[@Muffie510]

thanks this is awesome

[@VincentAgostino-gy6hr]

What they don’t mention is that the 2nd guitar player with Hendrix was Randy California, who went on to form and be the guitarist in the band Spirit. The first 4 Spirit albums are great.

[@sirsurfalot2012]

That East West sounds as though it might have been an inspiration for The Byrds' Eight Miles High.

[@jackohara4585]

Combination LSD and Eastern Music

[@astolatpere11]

East West was like the Beatles for a lot of musicians. Bloomfield showed them an expanded view of the possibilities. Unfortunately, not many of those musicians had anywhere near the abilities of the Butter Band.

[@Pitsku]

Thanks so much for this. Great that it's not for profit but I'd love to get it on Amazon, even if they don't pay their taxes in the UK!

[@bloomsdisco]

@aktionman Actually, Nick wrote the tune "East-West" was based on -- a piece called "It's About Time." That tune had been inspired by Nina Simone's "Flo Me La." Nick and Michael played "It's About Time" as an extended jam when they briefly had a band together in 1965 before Mike joined Butter. Bloomfield brought that tune and "Born in Chicago" to the PBBB and after an acid-inspired insight into Indian music, developed "East-West" from it. Nick got co-composer credit on the original release.

[@stephanleo]

The P.B.Blues Band was dubbed "Best Bluesband in America" while B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Freddie King, Otis Rush, Ray Charles etc. were around??!! Don’t get me wrong, I love the Band and Bloomfield and they probably would never call themselves that, but it is very telling.

[@aktionman]

just a note... "East-West" was written by Nick Gravenites.

[@pretorious700]

Nobody phrased like Bloomfield. He was influenced by a lot of players, but he had a very unique style.

[@hodis8920]

These guys were way ahead of the music scene.

[@randolphr]

" ......the soon to be completed feature documentary, "If You Love These Blues: The Life and Music of Mike Bloomfield," a Ravin' Films production. It is expected to be released in 2012." - Splendid to hear of this. Can't wait. :D

[@ray.shoesmith]

randolphr Also looking forward to watching this

[@bloomsdisco]

@dstrobel3 Patience, Doug. The sleep issue and Super Session are dealt with in Parts 5, 7 and 8. While Nick did get co-composer credit for "East-West" on the original release, his part in it was derived from a lengthy jam version of his "It's About Time" that MB and he did when they briefly had a band together before Mike joined Butterfield. "E-W" was mostly a Bloomfield conception. And Muddy Waters, Johnny Littlejohn, Hubert Sumlin, Jody Williams and others all played LP Goldtops in the '50s.

[@ThomasDeLello]

Mike and Paul... should have hung together a lot longer than they did...

[@PBANDSNOW]

Bloomfield's Les Paul Godltop had a stop tail bridge. Was the picture of the guitar actually Bloom's (that the next owner customized) or was it just a random Goldtop?

[@bloomsdisco]

That pyrotechnic version of "Work Song" comes from a live Fillmore performance from Sept. 30, 1966. It's long been shared between tape traders, but you can hear at Wolfgang's Vault, too. Just search on Butterfield and you'll see the link under that date.

[@Jplent1]

The "Work Song" chord progression is changed to a 12 bar format bar the solo section. Jazz musicians don't really buy that, but it's easier to improvise over.

[@upstairsdodo]

7.21 gave me chills down my spine lol

[@conradsunkiojack2538]

Damn! 😂 A stage set jamming blues would have been Michael Butterfield, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and then giving covering fire could have been the blistering roar of Stevie Ray Vaughan! Listen to 🎵 music!☮️💕

[@nowtmajor]

I'm trying to identify the song that appears at roughly 8 minutes in - absolutely stunning, sounds like Coltrane.

[@bloomsdisco]

Right, Joe. That is John Coltrane, his piece called "India" from 1961. It's used here in the video to set up the "East West" saga. Bloomfield was, of course, inspired by Coltrane in creating his seminal instrumental.

[@nowtmajor]

Thats the one! Thanks so much, really appreciate it.

[@bloomsdisco]

@DannyDelReyo The tune is "I'm Droppin' Out on You," played by the Butterfield Band. It is indeed a live clip, and is from the winter of 1966-67. It may have come from a "Stage 67" appearance by the band in December ("Stage 67" was a short-lived ABC-TV variety show), or it may have been from the band's performance on "Ready, Steady, Go," a BBC production, during their tour of England in November. The tune is remarkable in part for it's 3/4-time passage in its more conventional 4/4 rock form.

[@MrRatherino]

killer///

[@bloomsdisco]

@PBANDSNOW That's just a generic Goldtop. There are no color pics of Michael's guitar that I know of. He got it in the fall of 1965 from Boston guitarist John Nuese, trading his Telecaster for it. Nuese had bought it from a guy in Providence earlier in the year and didn't like its sound for the country music he was playing. As you know, Michael later traded the Goldtop to Dan Erlewine for the famed '59 LP in the spring of 1967. The whereabouts of both guitars is currently unknown.

[@ray.shoesmith]

bloomsdisco Dan has a youtube channel @stewmac

[@conniesambrook]

they have added commercials because of Corporatocracy the greedy elite can't even get out of music....Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, Al Kooper and on and on gave us the music to live by....I just stop the adds and get on with the history of the music I love

[@CherylConti]

you can set your videos to block ads. Adblocker.

[@Tacopusher]

can anyone help me? I'm trying to figure out what song is being played at 6:11 in. That dual-guitar sound!! 😍

[@bloomsdisco]

The tune is Willie Dixon's "300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy," originally done by Howlin' Wolf. This performance by Butterfield comes from a bootleg tape made supposedly at the Matrix on Dec. 1, 1966, but more likely comes from the Fillmore or Winterland Ballroom. MB and Elvin Bishop do a marvelous duet, long before the Allman Brothers were even a band.

[@bloomsdisco]

@picajoool I'm assuming you mean the Clapton tune? That's "Stormy Monday," recorded with John Mayall's group on March 17, 1966, and released on Mayall's "Looking Back" LP on London. Pretty raw sounding, but one of my favorite Clapton bits.

[@bbnatedogg]

Nothing in this world is harmless if used inappropriately. There is very LITTLE in the way of actual peer reviewed data that suggests marijuana is harmful except for short-term memory, and that is relatively minor and not permanent.

[@georgebethos7890]

What was the song about 8:25. It's driving me crazy because I KNOW it ?

[@lastnamefirst4035]

Wow chet helms

[@Bopalena]

And one more thing....Maybe you like to take LSD, that magic sugar cube and see colors, blow you mind and take the trip, but remember this....There's another magic cube you should try. The library is full of them. They're called books! Dum dee dum dum! - Joe Friday

[@MultiComputerScience]

What is the song at 2:58 mark? Appreciate any feedback.

[@butchpea8525]

That is Sam And Dave’s ‘ hold on, I’m coming’

[@sprucetree49]

Why the plug for Gibson? Bloomfield's sound on the inaugural lp is the sound he is known for and it's a great sound. Also, you should have mentioned that the first lp had a box in hte liner notes saying 'for best results this album should be played at maximum volume.' - a gimmick later copied on Jeff Beck's Truth album. But it gets across the point that this was blues ROCK. no Muddy Waters album ever came with such an instruction.

[@jfrawlinson]

chicago blues players weren't playing les pauls? huh. you should tell that to muddy waters.

[@picajoool]

The song around 11:00 , do you know what it is?

[@TPAwavelink]

Give this guy a fucking break, too many people here complaining about this documentary. Not an easy thing to create these..Where is YOUR Bloomfield Doc? Jeez...

[@kinneucher]

Do you find socks on his feet. I'm told socks are dangerous.

[@brentnokes4365]

erics band only liked mikes band..not the west coast sound..hendrix was a uk guy

[@dennisschell5543]

East West sounds pretty sloppy to me...

[@stinkboneorien1270]

It is amazingly absurd how this bio egregiously omitts Clapton's HUGE influence on Bloomfield by falsely elevating Hendrix's influence while purposely & nefariously omitting Bloomfields historic 1968 Rolling Stone interview with Jann Wenner where Mike started the interview by heaping massive praise & superlatives on Clapton's playing and how he felt EC was the ULTIMATE blues players. Here's an excerpt from the interview: “he's taken blues guitar to its ultimate thing……Eric is the master in the world. That is why he is a perfect guitarist.” This was during Eric's halcyon Cream period. Here's the the complete section of that interview from Bloomfield's April 6, 1968 Rolling Stone Interview: Wenner - "You were telling me that Eric Clapton was a perfect guitarist. What makes you think that?" Bloomfield - "His attack is flawless, that's one of the things. A perfect musician is dedicated. He has ideas, attack, touch, ability to transmit emotion and abillity to transmit his ideas. His ability to transmit his ideas and his emotion logically is kineticism; he can build. Eric does all of these about as well as you can do them. It shows in the area that he plays that his attack is perfect. His tone is vocal; his ideas are superb; he plays almost He plays nothing but blues; he's a blues guitarist and he's taken blues guitar to its ultimate thing. In that field he's B. B. King cum the Freddie King and Ernie Cahill style of guitar playing. Eric is the master in the world. That is why he is a perfect guitarist. Eric plays in bad taste when he wants to. He can play crappy. But, like, Eric plays almost exclusively perfect." So as usual, guitar history revisionism that favors the Hendrix-Page industry is at it again. F.ck them if they can't take a joke🤔

[@jeffcripps1869]

Martin you are exactly correct, the Bluesbreaker album is fabulous in all kinds of areas, the recording is great, it has space and depth, 4 stars to the engineer + studio plus Eric is absolutely at his peak, it's a milestone, but please relax, the world knows what you know...

[@franklmac]

Actually it was michael who influenced Clapton. Clapton himself said as much. Recall purchasing the first Butter album and a year later the "Beano" album came out.

[@chigjuanspartacus2822]

NOTE: THERE WAS NO EQUAL TO JIMI

[@skipgeorge4550]

He was so good he trapped himself in that genre. He did not develop out of that style. His 'East West ' song is like fake Eastern and not really creative. He was too good a copyist

[@dstrobel3]

Why go to the "trouble' of making this doc w/out checking the "facts" there are countless mis-statements thru out this thing...ex. Chicago blues players weren't playing Les Pauls...the narrators voice is distracting...is he Joe Friday? this is a heartfelt tribute I give you that....but come on....get it right!!!! mention that Nick Gravenites is co author of East/West...nobody has mentioned Mikes insomnia...a key factor in his life...where is supersession....?? yikes doug