On Thursday, May 31 at 7:30 at the Berklee Performance Center, blues keyboard legend Al Kooper and guitarist Jimmy Vivino will join forces on stage to pay homage to Mike Bloomfield, one of the first pop music superstars of the 60s known as a superior instrumentalist. The guitarist, known for his work with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Kooper, and other artists, made an indelible mark on pop and blues despite his passing at the young age of 37 in 1981.

Kooper was a friend of Bloomfield's, and he appeard and produced the 1968 platinum-selling Super Session album featuring Bloomfield and Stephen Stills. Bloomfield's death spurred Kooper to create the highly regarded album Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper. Kooper's career isn't lacking in influential stories: from playing on Bob Dylan's records (he played the organ in "Like a Rolling Stone") to forming Blood Sweat & Tears to performing with Levon Helm and George Harrison. A former Berklee faculty member and Honorary Doctorate recipient, Kooper also does a weekly music playlist column for the Morton Report, New Music for Old People, that was recently featured in a Lefsetz Letter post about playlists being the new radio.

Vivino, the leader of Conan O'Brien's house band, was inspired to pick up the guitar by listening to the music of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (with guitarist Mike Bloomfield). In addition to working with musicians like Phoebe Snow, Felix Cavaliere, and Chuck Berry, Vivino began backing Kopoer at his New York performances early in his career. Soon after, he began recording with Kooper on albums like Rekooperation and Soul of a Man and became a regular member of the Rekooperators. When he's not on tap for O'Brien's show, he remains a staple of the New York blues scene.

Click here for more info on this not-to-miss show!