KooperKast

We discuss the wonders of adding horns to rock, particularly in view of Al’s experience creating Blood Sweat and Tears. As often happens, Nilly the Dog adds a brief comment of her own. You can submit questions for Al at alkooper.com on the Kooperkast page.

We ponder an interesting stream-of-consciousness email from Steven, talk about our recent partner-in-podcast-crime, Jimmy Vivino, and we begin a longer conversation about working with horns. After each answer from Al, Nilly the Dog adds a brief comment of her own. You can  submit questions for Al at alkooper.com on the Kooperkast page.

We answer listener questions about Al the hoopster, his parents big time involvement in the temple in Queens, Al going to Paul Simon’s bar mitzvah, and the origin of title of the Kapusta Albums is revealed… via Ernie Kovacs. After each answer from Al, Nilly the Dog adds a brief comment of her own. Ask Al questions at www.alkooper.com on the Kooperkast page.

In this episode we talk again – with a little different take  – on the infamous Rolling Stone session where Al uncorked his legendary organ sound on Dylan. Then we talk a bit about the upcoming Dylan movie.

In this episode Al answers questions about sheet music for Flute Thing, about Al’s old manger Sam Polley, from a nephew of Denny Cordell, a guy from Al’s old school, producer money from the Dylan days, and Al’s at Birdland as a kid. And Nilly the Dog is back in the swing of things, added a canine comment after each answer by Al.

The last Vivino episode starts with Elvis and ends with Nilly the Dog, with lots of stuff in between.

We talk about the contrast between the singing styles of Paul Simon and Bob Dylan and how much Al loved playing for Dylan back in the day.

The guys talk about the huge influence of the Everly brothers and the conversations wanders on from there...

The guys talk about the great arranger Charles Calello, then move on to to about arranging in general, and about live recording vs today's multi-tracked.

The guys talk about how pervasive influence of The Band on everyone from Eric Clapton to Elton John, then about how John Simon produced two great albums for The Band... and one for Blood, Sweat & Tears.

The guys talk about producers from Phil Spector to Brian Wilson to George Martin to Al Kooper.

Al and Jimmy talk about their great admiration for the work of Thom Bell, the Philly sound legend.

The guys start talking about Elton John, his great producer Gus Dudgeon, other great producers and that somehow leads to Al's legendary French horn opening to the Stone's "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

The guys start out talking about Jimi Hendrix which leads to other great guitar players, which leads to Terry Kath of Chicago.

The episode starts with Al as arranger, which leads back to Blonde on Blonde and how Al was on two of the four landmark double-albums in rock history.

This episode starts off with Jimmy stating that Chuck Berry was the most important song writer in rock and roll history. And they go from there and talk about Little Richard and on to how Nashville sessions guys are just different than New York session guys.

The guys talk about Al getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the question of how to sell Al’s box set, and on from there. And Al makes some outstanding stomach sounds.

The guys talk about the music biz today and the effect of streaming, how big time studio guys then started bands, and how amazing was Al’s Hammond organ playing with Dylan.

Jimmy traces Al’s career after the Royal Teens though songwriting and then becoming friends with Tom Wilson, which led to the day that changed Al’s life and the sound of Dylan and rock forever.

Jimmy talks about the big difference between the young American guys who played the blues versus the Brits. And that leads to talking about Al playing keyboard for the Stones, where Mick and Keith picked up Al, while playing a Taj Mahal album in the limo.

They talk about their love for the great blues players and Jimmy Reed in particular. (Your host specially dug this conversation since he first saw Al with the The Blues Project in Central Park where Jimmy Reed also played around 1968 or so.)

Jimmy talks to Al about the old days writing songs at 1650 Broadway, and Al accuses Jimmy of romanticizing those days, which Jimmy admits he totally trying to do.

Jimmy talks about how in many songs a certain instrument plays the role of the icing on the cake; it adds a certain extra beauty and how Al did that for Dylan and for so many others.

This is first of 19 episodes where these two music buddies invited us to listen in on their music biz talk. This one starts with how they met, but like all of these, goes off into all sorts of other stuff.

We answer listener questions about am radio in the old days, Skynyrd after Al, did Al play keyboard with the Tubes, playing with Taj Mahal, Al’s collection of 380,00 songs, and a drunk Hubert Sumlin fan who Al was really nice to. After each question Nilly the Dog adds a canine comment. You can always submit questions for Al at alkooper.com on the Kooperkast page.