Michael Bloomfield
From His Head To His Heart To His Hands

"Sometimes a journalist would come to me and say that he didn't think there was a white man who could really play the blues well, white people couldn't have lived the same life experiences as black people. I'd look him in the face and reply that maybe he'd never heard people like Mike Bloomfield play..." How could anyone argue with a blues giant like Buddy Guy in describing in few decisive words one of the greatest white interpreters of the genre? Bloomfield still represents one of the greatest bluesmen that ever existed, a pioneer of the blues revival of the early '60s and a consummate guitarist, with a velvety and extraordinary touch, able to influence legions of musicians such as Eric Clapton himself, who called him "the blues on two legs".

Michael was born in the "Windy City" in 1941 to a wealthy Jewish family, a very different environment from the humble origins of the blues masters, far from the Mississippi fields, the shacks and the cotton fields, from the sweat and toil suffered by his musical heroes such as Waters, Wolf, or King. The young man had no intention of following in his father’s footsteps and from an early age, he distanced himself from home to pursue his greatest passion, playing the "devil’s music," learning its secrets and growing as a musician. He began at a young age to frequent the South Side of Chicago, going to hear the great bluesmen in the seediest dive bars in the city, learning the tricks and secrets of his favorite music directly from them, participating with the same black artists in jam sessions that helped him grow significantly, both as a man and as an artist. His hunger for music led him to learn quickly, and his career started very early when he auditioned for Columbia Records' famous producer-talent scout, John Hammond, who had launched Bob Dylan a few years earlier. In this work, you can hear young Bloomfield play his first-ever recorded song, "I'm A Country Boy," a delightful traditional blues that earned him a contract with the record label back in 1964. From here on, his rise to success was swift; Dylan noticed the young musician playing and wanted him in the recording sessions of his perhaps greatest album, "Highway 61 Revisited", where Mike made a significant contribution with his Telecaster in the creation of music milestones such as "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Tombstone Blues," here on the album in instrumental versions to highlight the great guitar work of our artist. He also participated in the famous 1965 Newport Folk Festival with Dylan, a performance remembered for the harsh criticism from the folk purists towards Dylan and his electric shift, which began right on that stage.

Fame arrived with the Butterfield Blues Band, led by the despotic and proud Paul Butterfield, who initially didn’t want him in the band. "The Paul Butterfield Blues Band," their debut album, is represented here with various tracks, especially covers of great black artists like Dixon, Waters, and Elmore James, reworked and revitalized by the electric care of the young Chicago musicians. Splendid are the versions of "Born In Chicago" and "Blues With A Feeling," burning and effective blues, where the young man's guitar intertwines well with the harmonica work of the band leader. The subsequent "East-West" is perhaps the best testimony of Mike's greatness as a musician. The track, a true raga-blues lasting about twelve minutes, ventures into unexplored territories until then. Over the powerful and hypnotic rhythmic base of the band, Bloomfield takes center stage, improvising a psychedelia-tinged blues with Indian rhythms that are powerful and precise, obsessive and pulsating, a true timeless masterpiece. After the experience with Butterfield, the guitarist became part of the blues-soul band "The Electric Flag" with lifelong friend Nick Gravenites, with whom he created a great album, "A Long Time Coming" from '68, testified here by tracks like the revisited classic "Killing Floor" and "Texas," a soul-tinged blues composed by him and drummer Buddy Miles, a future member of Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys.

Many tracks are taken from another '60s masterpiece, "Super Session," an album of great depth born from the guitarist’s collaboration with his great friend Al Kooper, whom he met during his collaboration with Dylan. "His Holy Modal Majesty" and "Stop" encapsulate all the skill and perfection, talent and class of the musician, here free to vary and improvise at will; you feel the blues running through his veins, and the sounds of his guitar are extraordinary and clearly represent his passion for the devil’s music. It’s a pity that Bloomfield couldn’t finish the record; he only did one side of the album and was forced to leave the recording studios due to serious health problems caused by a severe form of chronic insomnia that undermined his health and career. Mike never properly sought treatment, attempting to solve his health issues alone, starting to abuse medication and drugs, becoming a shadow of himself. He continued to collaborate with Kooper with various live performances and concerts, later captured in the splendid album "The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper," testified here by the splendid cover of "59Th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy)" by Simon & Garfunkel, "The Weight" by The Band, and the original "Fat Grey Cloud," which well represent the musicians’ virtues.

The rarities contained in the third album titled "Last Licks" are excellent and interesting, where the musician collaborates with all the greatest of the era, like Muddy Waters and Janis Joplin (One Good Man is exceptional), plus tracks from his solo albums and collaborations with his old friends from Electric Flag and Butterfield Blues Band. Also noteworthy is the live version of "The Groom Is Still Waiting At The Altar," where in 1980 Dylan called Mike onto the stage during a concert. Great track, elevated even more by the pure class of the Chicago musician, here in a super version.

Unfortunately, with the start of the '70s, his mental and physical health further deteriorated, which further affected his performance, increasingly occupied with battling his own demons that had tormented him for years. He began attending parties and associating with disreputable people, abusing drugs, alcohol, and sedatives, which made him a shadow of his former self and eventually led to his death in 1981 in San Francisco, where he was found lifeless, lying across the seats of his car. A major loss for music, for the blues. Many artists continue to see that shy city boy as their inspiration, a guitar genius, which is well documented in the DVD included in this box set, titled "Sweet Blues," an excellent testimony of the life of an exceptional artist who contributed to spreading the blues doctrine worldwide.