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The Butterfield Blues Band: Keep On Moving (Elektra EKS 74053)

Gary Kenton, Fusion, 28 November 1969

PAUL BUTTERFIELD seems to have fallen out of public grace recently. Back in the days of East-West, he gained recognition for being a true blues artist, but it seems that, like most labels, it restricted him in the public eye. The Butterfield Blues Band has its own brand of Blues; it's fresh and new. Ever since the addition of horns and the increased use of more complex arrangements, however, many have dismissed their blues as being "impure". Defense of the artist's right to do what seems right to him is hardly necessary, but there is a place on the blues scene for this group and a new ear for variations on old themes could be a good thing. This new album is entitled Keep On Moving. It is something one must do, either figuratively or physically, to preserve one's own sanity as well as to keep one's creative imagination in working condition.

Total word count of piece: 462

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