Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper & Stephen Stills

The Profile

Collaboration between American musicians Al Kooper (keyboardist, producer, b. Feb 5, 1944), Mike Bloomfield (blues guitarist, July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) and Stephen Stills (singer-songwriter/guitarist, b. January 3, 1945). They are best known for the 1968 album Super Session.

The album Super Session was released in 1968. According to reviews, the first side (Kooper with Bloomfield) was largely improvised and the five tracks on that side were reportedly recorded in a single nine-hour session. Bloomfield left during the project due to sleep problems linked in the reviews to heroin addiction; Stephen Stills played on the second side. The album was reissued in 2003 with four bonus tracks.

The reviews praise the 1968 album Super Session as a landmark blues-rock session. The first side—Kooper with Mike Bloomfield—is celebrated for spontaneous improvisation; Bloomfield left during the sessions and Stephen Stills plays on the second side, bringing country/rock and psychedelic touches. The album influenced the late-1960s blues revival and was reissued in 2003 with bonus tracks.