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 R.I.P. Jack Bruce 
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Post R.I.P. Jack Bruce
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Picture shows Emmett doing the final setup and adjustment on Jack Bruce's new Stick.

I met Jack Bruce when Emmett called and told me to bring my camera. Jack was a real hero of mine, as he was to millions of fans worldwide. Being a singer in my own band during the sixties and seventies, I seriously studied him and mimicked his brilliant vocals, while performing many of his innovative songs. "Sunshine of Your Love" was always the song that brought the house down.

Last night, before he died, I finally got around to watching "Beware of Mr. Baker," a masterful documentary about Ginger Baker, directed by Jay Bulger. Instantly I was drawn back into a visceral depth of feeling that I hadn't experienced since my teens. A rush of sensation. I do recommend it for anyone.

http://bewareofmrbaker.com/

Bruce, Clapton and of course Baker were a turbulent force of nature. All three definitely were "the cream". Their story depicted in this documentary through cinéma vérité, interviews, archival footage and pictures, and artfully demented animated drawings reveal the yin and yang relationship between Baker and Bruce that preceded "Cream" - their constant conflict and love shine through.

I was shocked to wake up this morning to the news that he is gone.


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Last edited by LADC on Wed Oct 29, 2014 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sat Oct 25, 2014 5:19 pm
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
In October 1967 Cream had a 2 week gig at the Cafe Au Go-Go on Bleeker St. in Greenwich Village so the singer in my blues rock band and I went to see them. It was a long narrow basement room with brick walls and peanut shells and sawdust on the floor - just maybe a 125 seat club at most. There were small PA speakers at intervals along both walls and there was one actually sitting on our table so we could hear the vocals and Jack's harp real well. We had to stand in line for an hour or more but we got a good table on the left side of the room and were probably 15 feet from the stage. This was when they first hit the states and only had one record - "Fresh Cream" out. Their songs were shorter with more concise solos etc than they were later with the long kinda tiring jams. They did do "Crossroads" and "Sunshine of Your Love" so I'm thinking they were working on Disraeli Gears concurrently while they were in New York and when that record came out a few months later I recognized the unique signature riff from "Sunshine" from having heard them do it. Same with "Crossroads" when that epic live version came out even later. They also did "Spoonful" and "Toad" w/the drum solo and "Rollin & Tumblin" where Clapton left the stage and it was just Jack playing harp and singing hardcore blues with light drums behind him. They did about an hour set. It was the first time I realized that 3 guys could have such a full complete fat sound.They were all young, great and at the top of their game and I knew right then I was seeing something special. I didn't meet them but man I sure wanted to. Clapton had that great big frizzed out hairstyle and played a psychedelic painted Gibson SG. I did pass Ginger Baker kinda face-to-face in the narrow hallway on the way to the bathroom and he didn't appear to be very healthy and could have used a shower and a trip to the dentist...Needless to say it was one of a few experiences that has stayed with me in great detail and I spent the next 5 years from age 20 to 25 trying - mostly in vain to play an SG guitar like what I heard that night. RIP Jack Bruce - you had chops.
A couple photos of that gig:


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Sat Oct 25, 2014 6:16 pm
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
Another great has gone, but what a trail of happiness and magnificence he left behind..

Pieces of Mind, a personal favourite.

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Sat Oct 25, 2014 6:28 pm
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
When they first came to the USA in 1967, I sculpted a bust of Baker that I think Diana has now... maybe Emmett has it. :?

Three bandmates and I went to see them at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Pretty long jams at that stage (1968) right after they released "Wheels Of Fire." After seeing them, we recruited a new drummer who could play a double bass kit.

it's perfect timing to see the Baker documentary, if you get the chance. He's the one who started the band. He's an ornary old coot now, with a remarkable story. Most surprising to me is that after all he's ben through, he's still alive today.

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Last edited by LADC on Sun Oct 26, 2014 12:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:22 pm
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
That's sad :(

I really like Cream, and I greatly admired Bruce, as a fellow bass/vocalist.

I've fooled around with an arrangement of "Sweet Wine" on stick a bit.

How did I not know he had a stick?

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Sun Oct 26, 2014 12:58 am
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
R.I.P. Jack Bruce. I listened so much this musical group...Cream...what a power trio. So charismatic at the same time...I'm so sad...I feel a bit the same than when Lennon or Harrison died...

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Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:01 am
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce had the voice, and the inspiration - something Olympian about his vision that far surpassed rock and roll culture. Those songs and Clapton's singing guitar changed my life, musically but also career wise.

In 1965 15 year younger brother Dan told me about this new "Fresh Cream" album sensation and I took it "underground", deep down to the top secret "code word" levels of SAC HQ in Nebraska where we 2nd Lieutenants were all congregated, working on photo interpretation of the first canisters of stereo satellite surveillance over the USSR and China. I played this landmark LP for my fellow Air Force Officers and it seemed that some of my advocacy for the new '60s age might have rubbed off on this conservative young crew.

In 1966 we were all summarily shipped off to Saigon to continue our analysis of satellite and also drone photography over North Viet Nam. Music was not on my mind and my first encounter with the '60s youth culture was a "wash".

In 1967 I finished my 4-year commitment and as a family we bought a house on Yucca Trail off Laurel Canyon, where I played and developed my 8 and 9-string guitar with greater intensity. In 1969 I was "struck" by a new playing technique on strings (the one that has by now struck many of you as well).

The singing, sustaining guitar lead lines of Clapton, then of Hendrix, all at high volume to catch the waves, that's what did it for me. On top of that was Jack Bruce's inspiring presence, especially in those glorious songs.


Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:10 pm
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
That's a great mental image of "Fresh Cream" and it's musically subversive effect on SAC HQ officers.

Do you remember when that picture of you and Jack Bruce was taken? People are now asking me. Judging by your personal style in the shot, it looks like it was right around when I took that turtleneck session for the brochure cover.

Was he buying a Stick that day? More to that story would be great to hear. And your impressions of him and that moment in time.

That "Fresh Cream" album was a sonic blast. Like lightening in a bottle. It's really hard to express how that sound affected us to anyone now. So many have taken off on it, that it can even seem like a parody, an overdrive guitar riff taking the place of the old cliché saxophone riff in movie sex scenes.

Of course Clapton was riffing on the old blues players, like B.B. King, Albert King and Sonny Boy Williamson, only his sound in 1966 was blues overdrive on steroids.

BTW, Fresh Cream was released in the US in January1967.

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Last edited by LADC on Mon Oct 27, 2014 7:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:49 pm
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
That's an interesting shot, Dan. Some time around 1980 I'd guess. There I am, showing this legendary man some fingering tricks when some 15 years earlier he and his trio had changed my entire perspective on music.

Bruce Gary brot him over to see The Stick and have a hands-on session. Bruce (Gary) and I were playing lots of "power duos" at clubs and colleges around L.A. (Yuta got us lots of gigs). He later joined Doug Feiger's "The Knack" to record some top hit albums with them and follow up with world tours.

I seem to remember that (Jack) Bruce was polite and friendly at my Laurel Canyon studio but not very enthusiastic about The Stick.

BTW, I have a well worked song arrangement of "In a White Room". I love the floating chords at the second part of the theme, also the battling 5/4 at the intro. What a revolution those first two Cream albums generated. Talk about a "British invasion"...


Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:10 am
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Post Re: R.I.P. Jack Bruce
Some fun facts and very interesting reading in this sad thread. He was one of my first bass heroes. "Sunshine of your love" was one of the first songs I learned to play on bass as a wee boy.

I remember one funny incident involving my father. I had played too many Kiss songs on my stereo really loud one day and I guess my father got tired of listening to hard rock for hours. So he walks into my room with a record in his hand and turns the volume down. He took the Kiss record off the turntable and put on the album that he had brought with him and then he said:

-"Now it´s time for you to listen to some PROPER music".

He played Ella Fitzgerald´s version of "Sunshine of your love" to me. It was obvious that he did not know who had written the song. I asked him afterwards: -"Do you wanna hear the original version"? After having listened to Cream´s version for about 10 seconds he jumped up and left the room saying: -"You go on playing your Kiss albums. This is horrible and has nothing to do with music....." :D :D :D

But yeah. Jack Bruce has been a huge influence. Never heard him live tho. Great singer and bass player. Did not know that he had a Stick. Thanks for the inspiration. RIP, Jack.

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Mon Oct 27, 2014 4:21 am
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