Cream and The Last Goodbye Show (San Diego 1968)

Cream, live at the Sports Arena, San Diego on 20th October 1968 Worn out by touring and personal disagreements, Cream agreed to disband after a farewell tour in October 1968. Recorded in outstanding fidelity for broadcast on KPRO-FM, this outstanding gig features a cross-section of their best-loved material, and clearly indicates why they were regarded as the pre-eminent rock band of their day. It’s presented here together with background notes and images.

Cream were a 1960s British rock power trio consisting of drummer Ginger Baker, guitarist/singer Eric Clapton and bassist/singer Jack Bruce. The group’s third album, “Wheels of Fire” (1968), was the world’s first platinum-selling double album. The band is widely regarded as the world’s first successful supergroup. In their career, they sold more than 15 million copies of their albums worldwide. Their music included songs based on traditional blues such as “Crossroads” and “Spoonful”, and modern blues such as “Born Under a Bad Sign”, as well as more current material such as “Strange Brew”, “Tales of Brave Ulysses” and “Toad”.

Live In San Diego '68

Our Last Goodbye to Ginger Baker...

Thank you and Rock In Peace

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Who is Ginger Baker?

Ginger Baker - The Legend on Drums

Ginger Baker on Drums

Ginger Baker will forever be best known for his influential drum work as part of British blues-rockers Cream. But as most serious admirers of the drummer know, Baker subsequently tackled countless other styles. Case in point, African Force. Joining Baker is a supporting cast of percussionists with a tribal drumming background, and expectedly, this style is reflected throughout the album. In fact, it sounds very comparable to David Byrne's solo albums and also Paul Simon circa his Graceland period, especially on such tracks as "Brain Damage" and "Sokoto," while the over-epic twelve-minute album-closing title track adds some funk bass to the mix. For those who think that all of Baker's work sounds like Disraeli Gears, you're in for quite a surprise with African Force.

Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Wolfgang Schmidtke

Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Mixed By, Written-By – Jan Kazda

Drums, Written-By – Ginger Baker

Percussion – Francis Mensah

Percussion, Congas – Thomas Akuru Dyani*

Percussion, Voice – Ampofo, Ansou Mana Bangoura, J. C. Commodore (tracks: A1, A2, A5, B1, B3)

Trombone – Ludwig Gotz*

The African Force (2013)

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Who is Ginger Baker?

Ginger Baker - The Legend on Drums

Ginger Baker - Jazz (Drums)

During the early '90s, Ginger Baker gradually established his reputation as a genuine jazz musician, proving that he was no rocker who was merely dabbling. Of course, anyone familiar with Cream will realize that he was among rock's jazziest drummers, but his series of records with Bill Frisell convinced many doubters of his musical merit. On one of his tours, he happened to hear trumpeter Ron Miles and bassist Artie Moore play in Denver. Impressed with the two musicians, he relocated to Colorado and assembled the Denver Jazz Quintet-to-Octet. The DJQ20 is a shifting group of musicians that has Baker, Miles, and Moore at its core and, as it turns out, their elasticity is what gives them strength. For their first effort, Coward of the County, they're joined by a saxophonist, along with a variety of local Denver musicians, and the results are startlingly fresh. Using hard bop as a foundation, they're unafraid to venture into challenging territory, where they pull together free, funk, and rock into unpredictable combinations. Baker wrote two of the songs, including the opening tribute, "Cyril Davies," but the remainder of the record is devoted to originals by Miles, who proves himself to be an inventive composer, capable of lovely lyrical ballads ("Megan Showers") and experimental jazz. Often, Coward of the County veers into unpredictable territory -- witness how the funky fusion on "Ginger Spice" moves into dissonant improvs, how the title track is colored by pedal steel and organ, or how "Daylight" is a series of surprises, as its gentle beginnings are submerged by waves of distorted guitar that fade back, revealing darkly beautiful textures. Not only are the compositions challenging, they're delivered with ease by the group, which are remarkably empathetic and graceful. In fact, it's a testimony to Baker's skills as a leader that he never dominates, preferring to let all the parts weave together to create a full, rich sound. And by doing so, he has made Coward of the County, in a way, a showcase for Miles, since his compositions become the focal point. They signal a young writer of considerable skill, ambition, and talent -- and he's not a bad trumpeter, either.

Coward Of The County (1999)

Ginger Baker And The DJQ2O With Special Guest James Carter

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Who is Ginger Baker?

Ginger Baker - The Legend on Drums

Ginger Baker, Bill Frisell & Charlie Haden - Fusion Jazz (USA)

Give Ginger Baker this: He sure knows how to choose his sidemen. In fact, there is a certain pleasant symmetry to his recording career between the mid-'60s and the mid-'90s. It is a career bookended by power trios, first with his partnership with fellow virtuosos Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce in Cream, and then, almost 30 years later and well after most would have written him off as a relic from a bygone era, this trio with Charlie Haden and Bill Frisell. More surprising even than this unlikely partnership is the fact that the album actually works. Most memorable are the Baker-penned compositions, which sport melodies that seem to have more in common with British or Arabic folk music than bebop. As a jazz drummer, Baker is surprisingly convincing on most of the material. The timbre of his drums, unusual for a jazz album, adds a pleasing earthiness to the proceedings, and intersects well with Haden's rich bass. Everything Frisell touches turns to gold, and this album is no exception. Here he is at his quirky, impressionistic best, tossing off Monk quotations as effortlessly as he sculpts darkly ambient textures. Despite these fine achievements, Going Back Home is not perfect. On some of the material, Baker's heavy rock hand shows a bit too much, as on "Straight, No Chaser." The results are charming in their own way, but one wishes that Baker could ease up on the "Sunshine of Your Love" tom-tom fills once in a while. Also, the closer, "East Timor," features an annoying voiceover by Baker that ends the record on an off note. However, the "rockisms" work more often than they don't, and even when they don't, the groove never suffers, and the trio members always sound like they're having fun. By turns hauntingly melancholy and fearlessly experimental, this record is sure to please Frisell and Haden fans, and likely to pleasantly surprise those who enjoy Baker's work with Cream.

1994 - Going Back Home

Eric Clapton & Very Good Friends!!!!

Eric Clapton matando as saudades do Cream, com Jack Bruce e Ginger Baker, além de dar uma duelada com Jimmy Page. Sonzeira.

Eric Clapton & Friends - The Album
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Who is Ginger Baker?

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (born 19 August 1939 in Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer who played with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with Gary Moore, Hawkwind and Public Image Ltd.

Baker's drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship and his use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single bass kick drum (following a similar set-up used by Louie Bellson during his days with Duke Ellington). Although a firmly established rock drummer and praised as "Rock's first superstar drummer", he prefers being called a jazz drummer. Baker's influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including Billy Cobham, Peter Criss, Bill Ward, Ian Paice, Nick Mason, and John Bonham. AllMusic has described him as "the most influential percussionist of the 1960s" and stated that "virtually every drummer of every heavy metal band that has followed since that time has sought to emulate some aspect of Baker's playing." 

While at times performing in a similar way to Keith Moon from The Who, Baker also employs a more restrained style influenced by the British jazz groups he heard during the late 1950s and early 1960s. In his early days as a drummer, he performed lengthy drum solos, the best known being the five-minute drum solo "Toad" from Cream's debut album Fresh Cream (1966). He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the flam, a drum rudiment in which both sticks attack the drumhead at almost the same time, giving a heavy thunderous sound.

We selected 4 albuns to give a brief summary of the glorius carrier of Mr. Ginger Baker. Hope you enjoy.

Cream - 1968 - BBC Sessions

BBC Sessions by Cream was released May 25, 2003 on Polydor Records. It contains 22 tracks and 4 interviews recorded live at the BBC studios in London. Between October 21, 1966 and January 9, 1968, Cream recorded eight sessions for the BBC radio network, selected highlights from seven of which are featured in chronological order on this collection. Only the versions of "Steppin' Out" and "Lawdy Mama" had been previously released, although both were released on Eric Clapton's solo Crossroads box set, not by the band itself. BBC Sessions was later included as the third disc in the "limited edition box set" release of Cream's 2005 compilation album I Feel Free - Ultimate Cream.

Fela Ransome & Ginger Baker - Kuti and the Africa 70

Live! is an album recorded in 1971 by Fela Kuti's band Africa 70, with the addition of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker on two songs. It was released in 1971 by EMI in Africa and Europe and by Capitol/EMI in the United States and Canada. It was reissued on CD by Celluloid in 1987 and was reissued on CD in remastered form by Barclay with a bonus track from 1978. Baker with Kuti travelled into Africa in a Land Rover to learn about the continent's rhythms. The bonus track on the Barclay CD reissue features a 16-minute drum duet between Baker and Africa 1970s drummer Tony Allen recorded at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival.

Ginger Baker - Stratavarious - 1972

Stratavarious is an album by Ginger Baker,the drummer from Cream, released by Polydor in 1972. Baker had many associations with an eclectic mix of musicians brought together under numerous band titles bearing his surname. Stratavarious is the only album which was released under the name of Ginger Baker without other associated names. The lineup on Stratavarious includes Bobby Tench, vocalist and guitarist from The Jeff Beck Group, who plays guitar under the pseudonym Bobby Gass and the Nigerian pioneer of Afrobeat, Fela Ransome-Kuti who appeared at concerts with Baker at this time. The album was re-issued in 1998 on Polygram in the UK, Atco in USA, and RSO in Japan, under the title of Do What You Like, along with tracks from Ginger Baker's Air Force and Live! (Fela Kuti album).

Ginger Baker Trio - (1996) Falling Off The Roof

Baker's latest record, Falling Off The Roof, is another vivid chapter in his ongoing self-reinvention. Once again backed by Bill Frisell on guitar and Charlie Haden on bass, Ginger propels the groove through a rocking/swinging melange of originals and standards that are indelibly memorable. An unselfish bandleader who gives plenty of room to his mates, Baker nonetheless looms over the proceedings with a Blakey-like persona-subtly throwing vibes by strategic drum rolls and bombs, brushing up billows of wind, shifting time and space, rocking out. Highlights-that's tough, but the gothic blues of Frisell's "Skeleton," Baker's 4-on-the-floor "Vinco Vecchio" and the bluegrassified Frisell/Béla Fleck (banjo) plecturings on Haden's "Taney County" are keepers. So is Falling Off The Roof.

Mr. Ginger Baker's skills and talent were documented and captured in two major works:

1 - Baker's autobiography Hellraiser was published in 2009.

2 - In 2012 the documentary film Beware Of Mr. Baker of Ginger Baker's life by Jay Bulger had its world premiere at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas where it won the grand jury award for best documentary feature. The film was nominated for the Grierson Award at the 2012 British Film Institute Awards.

Trailer: (  http://youtu.be/wqrigN8jxj8  )

More GINGER BAKER on Valvulado:

Baker Gurvitz Army (4 albuns)

Ginger Baker - Pop History Vol. 18

Ginger Baker - Air Force (5th Drummer)

Dedicado ao Dead - Som Mutante

Baker Gurvitz Army

BAKER GURVITZ ARMY was a heavy progressive rock band formed in 1974 in England. The band was the combination of members of THE GUN and THREE MAN ARMY, with ex-CREAM drummer Ginger BAKER, guitarist and vocalist Adrian GURVITZ, and bassist Paul GURVITZ formed the band's lineup. The band released their first self-titled album in 1974, which enjoyed moderate success in the UK. The band returned in 1975 with "Elysian Encounter," as well as a live album "Live in Derby '75." In 1976, the band released their third album, "Hearts on Fire." However, the death of the band's manager caused the band to break up. The three members, of whom were already ingrained in the music business' rolodex, had no trouble joining, collaborating with, and forming new bands and projects, such as ATOMIC ROOSTER, HAWKWIND, and others.

The band's music is heavily based in the famous hard rock style of the period, with artful and progressive elements added. Akin to heavy prog giants such as ATOMIC ROOSTER, BAKER GURVITZ ARMY is a prime example of heavy prog with a more accessible edge.
(Text from: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=6700 )

Baker-Gurvitz Army (1974)

Ginger Baker's mid-'70s profile took another unexpected turn following Cream's blues-rock blood and thunder and his Afro-beat matchups with Fela Kuti. He formed this straight-ahead power trio with the guitar- and bass-playing brother team of Adrian and Paul Gurvitz, who'd briefly lit up the '60s U.K. charts as Gun (of "Race With the Devil" fame). Such a step might have seemed subversively normal for Baker, but he and the brothers had an undeniable chemistry; not surprisingly, their debut album is a self-assured, aggressive affair. "Help Me" and "I Wanna Live Again" are punchy and succinct; so are the hard-driving instrumentals "Love Is" and its funkier cousin, "Phil 4." The band leavens their hard-hitting delivery with subtle orchestration and piano; the latter instrument works to haunting effect on the introspective "Memory Lane." There's some engaging humor, too; "Mad Jack"'s lyrics about a reckless outback race are silly, but kitschy fun. The only real clinker is "Since Beginning," which is bogged down from self-consciously "meaningful" lyrics and meandering delivery; its eight minutes could have benefited from judicious pruning. Naturally, no Ginger Baker album could pass without some drum solos, but they're tastefully done. He's very much a team player here, in contrast to infamous stick-bashing marathons like "Toad." That said, this album's a strong, decisive statement, and if hard rock's what you crave, you won't be disappointed.

GINGER BAKER drums
ADRIAN GURVITZ guitar
PAUL GURVITZ bass

Elysian Encounted (1975) 

Alternative LINK

Em 1975 lançam Elysian Encounter pela Mountain Records, um álbum que é considerado por muitos o melhor da banda. A bateria, como era de se esperar, permanece incrivelmente em evidência durante todo o disco, este com uma sonoridade na qual o Hard Rock se une ao Rock Progressivo com nuances de Blues. Além dos membros já citados, gravaram o álbum o formidável vocalista Mr. Snips (Steve Parsons) e o tecladista Peter Lemer (com grande “bagagem no mundo do Jazz). - 

See more at: http://www.somvintage.com/musica-vintage/baker-gurvitz-army-elysian-encounter/

Hearts On Fire (1976)

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Hearts on Fire is Baker Gurvitz Army's third and last studio album, released in 1976.

Ginger Baker : drums, percussion, vocals
Adrian Gurvitz Guitar, Vocals
Paul Gurvitz : bass, vocals
Mr. Snips Vocals
John Norman Mitchell : keyboards, synthesizer, vibes
backing vocals on 05 : Madeline Bell, Rosetta Hightower, Barry St. John, Lisa Strike
Madeline Bell Background Vocals
Irene Chanter Background Vocals
Kay Garner Background Vocals
Brian Chatton Clavinet, Mini Moog
Ken Freeman Synthesizer Strings
Ann Odell Piano, Hammond Organ

Still Alive (2008)

Still Alive CD music This 2 CD set is taken directly from the masters, recordings of the band at their best during their 1975-76 tour. Still Alive music CDs The thunderous drums of Ginger Baker, and the wall crumbling power of the Gurvitz Brothers make these must have CDs.