DESCRIPTION:
Ford Blues Band
with Robben Ford and Chris Cain
In Memory of Michael Bloomfield

Album Notes
Tributee: Michael Bloomfield.Personnel: Chris Cain , Robben Ford, Volker Strifler (vocals, guitar); Andy Just (vocals, harmonica); John Lee Sanders (vocals, saxophone); John Burr (strings, harpsichord, keyboards); Mic Gillette (trumpet, trombone); Brad Catania (trumpet); Tony "Macaroni" Lufrano (piano, organ); Patrick Ford (drums); Renato Espinoza (background vocals).Recording information: Red Rooster Studio, Berkeley, CA.Photographer: Greg Jacobs .Arranger: Patrick Ford.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. ~ Hal Horowitz