Roy Blumenfeld of The Blues Project is Making a Scene

November 24, 2025

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Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Roy Blumenfeld of The Blues Project

Roy Blumenfeld has lived at the center of some of the most electrifying moments in New York’s 1960s music revolution. Born in the Bronx in 1944, he came of age just as American rock and roll was taking shape. Drawn early to the sounds of blues, R&B, and jazz, he picked up the drums and quickly became part of the city’s vibrant, fast-moving music scene.

His path shifted dramatically when he connected with bassist Andy Kulberg while working with Al Kooper on the Elektra Records sampler What’s Shakin’. In 1965, Blumenfeld joined guitarist Danny Kalb in forming a new band that—once Kooper came aboard—became The Blues Project. Their fearless blend of blues, R&B, jazz, folk, and rock made them one of the most groundbreaking and influential groups of the era. Blumenfeld’s inventive drumming was a cornerstone of their sound, and he remained one of the band’s longest-serving members.

After The Blues Project dissolved in 1968, Blumenfeld and Kulberg co-founded Seatrain, carrying forward the spirit of experimentation that defined their earlier work. Over the years, he recorded and performed with a wide array of notable artists, including folk singer Mark Spoelstra for Columbia Records, Nick Gravenites through the 1970s, and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter throughout the ’80s and ’90s. He also reunited with members of The Blues Project for various projects and appeared with Al Kooper on the live recordings that became Soul of a Man.

If you were in New York during the Summer of Love in 1967, you knew the heart of the scene pulsed on MacDougal Street—and the place to be was the Café Au Go Go. Its star attraction was The Blues Project: Danny Kalb leading on guitar and vocals, Al Kooper on keys, Steve Katz on guitar, Andy Kulberg on bass and flute, and Roy Blumenfeld driving the band with powerful, expressive drumming that helped define their legendary live shows.

Today, Roy remains a revered figure among musicians and fans who recognize just how deeply his work shaped the sound and spirit of modern American music.

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