Denver – Al Kooper has had much success over the years in his musical career working in nearly all areas of the music business. He comes to Swallow Hill on Friday, January 19, with a recently released CD, Black Coffee, his first solo recording in 30 years.

Rolling Stone hails the new CD, "Now, this sixty-one-year-old seems to be hitting his stride as a solo artist. Backed by his band, The Funky Faculty, Kooper has gone back to the future with a release that delivers heartfelt soul and R&B." Beginning with an early top-5 pop music hit with the song "Short Shorts," a song that he performed as part of the band The Royal Teens. He has been a pop and rock performer, a session musician, sound engineer, producer, run his own record label, worked for A&R at Columbia records and worked as musical director for a Ray Charles 50th Anniversary Cable television special. He has had other chart topper hits including the song "This Diamond Ring," co-written by Bob Brass and Irwin Levine. He has performed on hit songs for a number of artists including Bob Dylan, The Who, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. Al has also produced Dylan's New Morning album and performed live in concert with Dylan.

Over the years Kooper has performed in the band The Blues Project and founded the bands Blood Sweat & Tears and The Rekooperators, a band made up of session performers who had worked with Al on his album Rekooperation and The Funky Faculty. When asked to play at the first Woodstock, Al turned down the offer. In his own words: "I played at Central Park that weekend for two dollars a ticket in protest of their comparative high ticket prices ... one of my great career moves, turning down the original Woodstock." He has performed on keyboards for Joe Walsh's Ordinary Average Guy tour, performed in the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Tribute and was music director for The Rock Bottom Remainders a rock band made up solely by authors including: Dave Barry, Stephen King, Dave Marsh, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver and Matt Groening among others. Al taught at the Berklee School of music along with fellow Funky Faculty band mates and now in his 5th decade of working in music continues to perform, produce and write music. "Kooper is the consummate performer — he deftly incorporates Southern soul, sassy blues, R&B, backwoods ramble and a hint of reggae." -Amplifier magazine

For tickets visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call (303) 777-1003. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members.

About Swallow Hill Music Association:
Helping people make music since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. With more than 2,100 members—some of whom are also volunteers—, Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 150 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. The Julie Davis Music School at Swallow Hill provides a valuable and affordable extra-curricular educational resource to the community with more than 50 music instructors involved in more than 240 adult classes and 70 children's classes annually.

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