Al Kooper Introduces Shuggie Otis – Kooper Session

I admit I did not know Shuggie Otis until late last year. I've purchased three of this albums and I love them all. This gem, however, is a wonderful and appropriate introduction to this great bluesman. Kudos to Al Kooper for recognizing his talent. Would be nice for a remastered version of this album including other recordings (if available). Overall a great album which should be included with your Al Kooper or Shuggie Otis collections.

A vastly under-appreciated album featuring the production wizardry and musical genius of Al Kooper and the jaw-dropping brilliance of guitar prodigy Shuggie Otis. This one is in the “essential” category.

Musical conduit svengali Al Kooper mixes tight arrangements of gospel soul tinged R&B & electric blues on this somewhat improvised jam session of 15yo Shuggie Otis' first recording.
Top-shelf musicianship (including the rhythm session of seasoned studio musicians) & inspired performances all round.
Great piece of late 60’s music history.

Musical conduit svengali Al Kooper mixes tight arrangements of gospel soul tinged R&B & electric blues on this somewhat improvised jam session of 15yo Shuggie Otis' first recording.
Top-shelf musicianship (including the rhythm session of seasoned studio musicians) & inspired performances all round.
Great piece of late 60’s music history.

What a great combination these two make! Their version of One Room Country Shack is a total banger!

The Sony/CBS pressings from that period are usually very good, and this one sound f*****g great!

Absolutely a stellar LP. It isn't nearly as well known as Super Session of course, but boy does it serve as an excellent followup. You don't approach this type of work with the "traditional" sense of an album in my opinion....By this I mean this tape was made very organically. Kooper and Shuggie were just jamming in the studio with other band members and out came this. Keep in mind that Shuggie Otis is only 15 at this time. This is Shuggie's first time as the center on a record and he delivers. He plays very well alongside Kooper and his playing is very clean. The record speaks volumes to Shuggie's ability. At 15, he can play soul and blues with some very notable people.

This LP wasn't a sit down, plan out the theme/track list, record, etc... This kind of LP takes a certain level of genius to create. Take a good listen to this, and you may find yourself very inspired to play yourself. And of course, definitely listen to Super Session as well. When you listen to both of these LP's, take note of the state of rock upon release and read into the background. Doing those two things puts wayyyy more magic into the music.

And if you want more words, go listen to Dylan.

Enjoy folks.

VARIANT
Matrix / Runout (Side 1, Stamped): XSM151478-1H
Matrix / Runout (Side 2, Stamped): XSM151479-1J

Agree with Broshark. Very lovely record! more words. more words.

Highly underrated LP. Al Kooper is one of my favorite pianist/organist with solid smooth vocals. Shuggie, a guitar prodigy performing here at 15 years old is a standout! The licks, rhythm and scales on here are awesome, some of the best guitar I've heard. Album has an overall feel of soul & gospel with each song building into crazy solos from each artist that don't leave you hanging. Buy this LP now!