Album Review: Born in Chicago: The Best of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band

“Born in Chicago :The Best of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band” (Varese Sarabande)-Chicago born harmonica ace Butterfield formed his highly influential and innovative urban blues outfit in 1964, joining forces with fellow blues enthusiast Elvin Bishop and, a little later, guitarist  Mike Bloomfield  to create a string of excellent albums for the Elektra label whose  compelling  power  still  remains intact some half a century later. This  fine anthology brings together the best of the Butterfield band’s output from those far off days, including their archetypally hard driving re-vamps of  Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Good Morning  Little  School Girl” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful” and an extended version of jazzman Nat Adderley’s “Work Song,”  which provided an impressive vehicle for some instrumental flights of fancy from Messrs Butterfield, Bishop and Bloomfield. By Kevin Bryan.