Danny Kalb
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Danny Kalb is a blues guitarist and former founder of the 1960's group, Blues Project. He was a protege of Dave Van Ronk, and became a solo performer, as well as a session player with such folk singers as Judy Collins, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. Kalb and Sam Charters formed The New Strangers. He joined Van Ronk's Ragtime Jug Stompers. Inspired by African American backwoods bluesmen like like Son House, Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt, he experimented with acoustic and electronic music. In 1965 Kalb joined with Steve Katz and Al Kooper, Andy Kulberg, Roy Blumenfeld and Tommy Flanders to form The Blues Project. They cut three albums, spent 3 years as house band at the Cafe Au Go Go and Murray the K's last "submarine race-watching" spectacular at the RKO 58th Street theater in New York, and had several concert tours. In 1965 The Blues Project performed an 11 minute rendition of Muddy Waters' "Two Trains Running" in electronic form with Waters in the audience. When asked what he thought of it, Muddy Waters, the blues master said simply, “You really got me.” Kalb later said, “If I’d dropped dead at that point on the spot because of what we thought of Muddy Waters, then my life would have been well spent.” [1] Personalities, drugs and the 60s livestyle took their toll on the band. [2]Katz left to join Blood, Sweat and Tears. [3] However the band continues to be influential and has albums reissued.
Kalb was born in Mt. Vernon, NY in September 9, 1942. At the age of 15 he formed the band Gay Notes, and 1961 performed with Bob Dylan on a WBAI-FM concert broadcast. In 1963 Kalb performed in Ragtime Jug Stompers with his mentor Dave Van Ronk. In 1964 he recorded as Folk Stringers produced by blues ethnomusicologist Sam Charters. In 1964 Kalb played second guitar on Phil Ochs’ album “All The News That’s Fit to Sing” and in 1964 appeared on Judy Collins’ “The Fifth Album.” From 1965 to 1971 he was with The Blues Project. In 1968 he released Crosscurrents with Stefan Grossman. He was fairly quiet for the next 20 years, but joined Al Kooper for a Blues Project reunion recording at the Bottom Line in 1996. He currently performs solo acoustic gigs, plays acoustic and electric with his Danny Kalb Trio, and plays gigs with Stefan Grossman and Steve Katz. More recent solo projects include: “Livin’ with The Blues” (Legend 1995), “All Together Now” (self-released 2002), “Live in Princeton" (self-released 2003), and “Live in Brooklyn” (self-released 2006). [4] “Crosscurrents”, the 1968 LP with Stefan Grossman was re-released as CD in 2006 and a new CD, “Played a little Fiddle”, was released in 2007 by Danny, Steve Katz and Stefan Grossman.
According to Sam Charters, "It was generally conceded ... that ... Kalb was the most exciting of the new players." [5] or [6]
"Danny Kalb ... is up there with the best of all blues legends ... His work for me at Cafe' au Go Go was amazing ... I've worked with the greatest of all time and he is at the top ... Eric Clapton Mick Taylor Jimi Hendrix John Mayall Zappa all greats but Danny will emerge in the top 5." Howard L Solomon (Cafe au Go Go owner and promoter) 1999
==Discography== [7]
- 1963 True Endeavor Jug Band The Art Of The Jug Band with Sam Charters - Danny Kalb - Artie Traum
- 1964 The New Strangers Meet The New Strangers with Sam Charters - Danny Kalb
- 1964 The Folk Stringers with Barry Kornfeld - Danny Kalb - Artie Rose
- 1968 Crosscurrents with Danny Kalb and Stefan Grossman
- 1995 Livin' With The Blues
- 2007 Played a Little Fiddle Stefan Grossman, Danny Kalb and Steve Katz
