[Harp-L] Butterfield-Bloomfield

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   Wanted to thank James Hoskins for his insights.  Oddly enough, I don't
think Elvin Bishop was in the band much after Bloomfield left.  I know that
the "Pigboy Crabshaw" album was the last Butterfield effort that I enjoyed
through and through.  I remember going to see the band and being
disappointed that Buzzy Feiten was the guitarist because I wanted to see
Elvin.  The album title, "The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw" was
actually a reference to him.  The material sounded fine, though, and Paul
held his own that night against some very stiff competition. I think BB
King and Albert King were also on the bill.  I remember the set closer was
eerie and effective.  The band unplugged and walked off one by one, until
Paul was the only one left.  He walked off singing and playing without his
microphone, the music fading off into silence.
   I only saw Butterfield one other time live.  It was towards the end of
his life and it looked like he had put together a jam band to make some
money.  The tunes seemed like they were all 20 minutes long and I think the
bassist, Harvey Brooks, got a long solo in every one of them.  Paul looked
like he was wired and had slept in his clothes.  He was playing a lot of
notes, a lot of the same patterns.  I went with a buddy who wanted to see
this legendary harpist for the first time.  After the first set I asked my
friend if he wanted to stick around.  He told me he had seen enough and I
was in agreement.

Mick Zaklan