Original Blues Project Reunion in Central Park

AMG Review of Original Blues Project Reunion in Central Park

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

Considering the acrimony with which the original lineup had broken up six years earlier -- Tommy Flanders (who wasn't even here for this event) stomping out at the end of the group's beginning and Al Kooper cast out in an internal hijacking at the beginning of its end -- this ranks as one of the most artistically successful reunions in blues or rock. The participants are all on the same page and, to judge from the evidence of this recording, in the same groove from beginning to end. The rocking numbers like "You Can't Catch Me" work the best, but tracks like "Steve's Song" and "Louisiana Blues" are equally rewarding. If there were any personality conflicts, they don't show, and while Kooper and Danny Kalb are in the best position to shine, everyone acquits themselves well, and the quintet creates a truly long-lasting concert document of their work. Most important, the members seem to respect their own past -- and re-create it with spontaneity and energy. And the sound quality is first-rate as well.