black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

In the, uh, ’30s and ’40s, the Brill Building was the hub of, uh, musical activity in Tin Pan Alley in New York City.

Al Kooper

I believe Irving Berlin was there, and uh, and everything just centered around there.
AL KOOPER

Around Believe Center Country Everything Just Live
Every day from 10 to 6, we’d go in there and pretend that we were 13 year old girls and write these songs. That was the gig.
AL KOOPER

Day Every Gig Old Pretend Six Song Ten Thirteen Write Year
Mike Bloomfield sat down and started playing, and I went, whoa! Because I had never heard any white person play like that before.
AL KOOPER

Before Celebrity Down Hear never Person Play Start Went White
Only through sheer ambition did I end up playing on [Bob Dylan sessions] and the fact that I could do that is a testament to how disorganized it really was.
AL KOOPER

Ambition Bob End Fact Play Session Sheer Through
I mean just out and out crooks. And the next generation had a little more finesse. But I mean those first wave of people, you know, definitely would take all your money, no doubt about it.
AL KOOPER

Crook Definitely Doubt Fitness Generation Little Money More Out People Take Wave
Still being ambitious to want to play on the record, I was a mediocre keyboard player. And uh, I seized the opportunity and played the organ.
AL KOOPER

Ambitious Keyboard Mediocre Opportunity Organ Play Player Record Seize Still
I liked being challenged by music. It’s good for me.
AL KOOPER

Challenge For God Like Me Music
Bob Dylan said to the producer, turn up the organ. And Tom Wilson said, oh man, that guy’s not an organ player. And Dylan said.
AL KOOPER

Guy Man Organ Player Producer Say Turn
The place that I worked I used to joke about it. There was a, every morning at 10:30 I’d come into work and I’d go into this cubicle that had a little upright piano and fake white cork bricks on the wall.
AL KOOPER

Cock Cubic Every Fake Joke Morning Paino Place Upright Wall White Work
So I would come in on the upbeat of one. I would wait until the band played the chord, and then as quickly as I could come in play the chord.
AL KOOPER

Band Chord One Play Quick Unbeat
The first generation from the ’50s that were in 1650 [Broadway] were pretty much all crooks,
AL KOOPER

Crook Doubt First Generation Mean Much People Pretty
Musically Bob [Dylan] is a primitive. He’s not a Gershwin, or somebody that uses eloquent music terms.
AL KOOPER

Bob Eloquent Music Musically Primitive Somebody Term Use User
Unlike so many Dylan-writer-wannabes and phony ‘encyclopedia’ compilers, Sean Wilentz makes me feel he was in the room when he chronicles events that I participated in.
AL KOOPER

Chronicle Compiler Event Feel Intelligent Many Participate Research Room So Unlike
The [Bob] Dylan sessions were very disorganized, to say the least. I mean, the “Like A Rolling Stone” session I was invited by the producer to watch.
AL KOOPER

Celebrity Disorganized Invite Least Like Mean Producer Roll Say Session Stone Watch
I started in the music business I was first introduced to 1650 Broadway, uh, which was in reality where everything happened in the ’60s.
AL KOOPER

Broadway Business Everything First Happen Introduce Music Reality Start
My influences were mostly gospel. So I was playing my twisted Jewish equivalent of gospel music over his twisted equivalent of rock and roll music. And it was a very excellent marriage.
AL KOOPER

Equivalent Excellent Gospel Influence Jewish Marriage Mostly Music Over Play Twist

In the, uh, ’30s and ’40s, the Brill Building was the hub of, uh, musical activity in Tin Pan Alley in New York City.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

In the, uh, ’30s and ’40s, the Brill Building was the hub of, uh, musical activity in Tin Pan Alley in New York City.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Al Kooper Quotes