His name is relatively unknown, but every rock lover knows his music. For example, Al Kooper made up and played the famous Hammond part on Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone. In addition, he played as a session man on countless records by Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Rolling Stones, he was band leader of Blood Sweat & Tears and The Blues Project and producer / discoverer of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Black
… Coffee is Kooper's first solo album in over thirty years. 'A twisted Jewish equivalent of gospel', is how Al once characterized his characteristic style and that characterization still partly applies. Black Coffee is an album as it could only have been made by Kooper. The CD has some good moments but unfortunately hardly has any cohesion. Live material is interspersed with well-arranged studio productions and own songs with covers of Smokey Robinson and Booker T & The MG's. Many ideas but little focus: that combination of character traits may explain man's erratic career. (MS)more
