Triumvirate

Triumvirate is the kind of album that never happens anymore. It’s a simple document of three top-bill musicians — each a master in his respective field — meeting up for an album that feels casual but not wasteful. Bloomfield, Hammond and Dr. John swap tunes like three friends swapping stories at the bar. The majority of the album is blues tunes by electric greats like Little Walter, B.B. King and Elmore James. These performances are tight and lean, and Dr. John slides easily into the role of honky-tonk pianist, letting Hammond and Bloomfield take the reins. Even better are “Cha-Dooky-Doo,” “I Yi Yi,” and “Sho Bout to Drive Me Wild,” in which Hammond and Bloomfield’s Chicago blues chops are melded into Dr. John’s New Orleans funk. There is no pretense here and no ambition — the prize is hearing this impromptu trio exchange ideas in a dressed-down setting. There's a distinct chemistry here: the trio’s rendition of Bo Diddley’s “Pretty Thing” is a conception that could have only happened with these players.