JACK BRUCE

JACK BRUCE is best known in Australia as a

member of the legendary 60s rock group 'Cream'.

He is also arguably, and inexplicably, the least

known member of that group despite, in my

opinion, being the member which set the band

apart from others of their time and those that

followed them.

He was not only the bassist and lead singer

but also wrote the majority of their original

material including the legendary

SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE, Wrapping

Paper, SWLABR, We're Going Wrong,

WHITE ROOM, AS YOU SAID, Politician and

DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART .

Cream had a very short but glorious life span. After its demise Clapton and Baker formed the ill-fated Blind Faith before going their own ways. Clapton had a period of exile, made the landmark 'Layla and Assorted Other Love Songs' and had a series of tradesmanlike solo albums before coming back with an unplugged version of Layla and reinventing himself as an AOR musician. Baker formed Ginger Bakers Air Force and disappeared for long periods in Africa. Despite a history of musical differences between them, Jack and Ginger have sporadically worked together with Ginger appearing at Jack's 50th birthday concert, on a couple of tracks on the Question of Time Album, and in the shortlived BBM (the 'M' was Gary Moore).

For his part Jack Bruce issued a solo album 'Songs for a Tailor'  the break-up of Cream. The 1969 album was a huge departure from Cream, with hardly a guitar solo evident. The album reunited Bruce with a number of musicians from his earlier days with Alexis Korner and the Graham Bond Organisation. Instead of long guitar solos the album contained crisp and fluid playing from Chris Spedding, a guitarist little known in Australia but possessed of a most tasteful style of playing. A number of tracks included brass arrangements with guest performances by the likes of Dick Heckstall-Smith and Henry Lowther and Art Theman.

The album contained a number of standout tracks - NEVER TELL YOUR MOTHER SHE'S OUT OF TUNE , WEIRD OF HERMISTON  (this sample is taken from the 'Monkjack' album where Jack is accompanied only by himself on piano and Bernie Worrell on Hammond Organ), Tickets to Waterfall, He the Richmond (a new version of which appears on Jack's latest album 'Shadows in the Air'). For me though, the song of the album was THEME FROM AN IMAGINARY WESTERN a song which Jack has, apparently, continued to include in his live repertoire to date. The song has also been performed by Mountain, a band of which the producer of Cream, Felix Pappalardi, was a member, and by Colosseum, a band from the 60s containing many musicians that Jack has played with over the years including John Hiseman, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Clem Clemson.

ROPE LADDER TO THE MOON was another song from 'Tailor' which Colosseum recorded. The lead singer of Colosseum on 'Theme...' was Chris Farlowe who had earlier had a big hit with the Rolling Stones song 'Out of Time'. Jack's version of ROPE LADDER... was almost acoustic in style utilising unusual chord structure in a way not dissimilar in structure, although quite dissimilar in sound to 'As You Said' off the Cream 'Wheels of Fire' Studio album. The final song on 'Songs for a Tailor' was THE CLEAROUT which I have since found out was demoed by Cream and which, although unusual in a rock setting, using as it does a march-type beat, remains in my view a great song.

Released in 1969 'Songs for a Tailor' had a brief flurry of success in the UK and was at least commercially released in Australia. For those who had become accustomed to the music of Cream, the album was perhaps too much of a departure to enable it to be a commercial success. One piece of trivia which might be of interest is that whilst Chris Spedding was the only guitarist credited on the album, in a later 'retrospective' album 'Willpower' the track Never Tell Your Mother She's Out of Tune lists George Harrison as guitarist.

'Tailor' was followed in 1971 by 'Harmony Row' an album with autobiographical links to Jack's childhood in Glasgow. By this stage (early 70s) Jack's albums received no airplay or publicity in Australia. Any knowledge of his music was only available out here through English and US music papers and magazines. Jack formed a live band at about this time which included guitarist Larry Coryell, better known as a jazz player and a member of Gary Burton's band, and Mitch Mitchell of Jimi Hendrix' Experience. Apparently Jack, Jimi and Mitch were considering forming a band before Jimi's premature death.

So far as I am aware the Bruce/Coryell/Mitchell lineup never recorded commercially - it may be that there exist some live recordings but I have none. Neither Mitchell nor Coryell played on the studio album. Chris Spedding was again the guitarist. I am unable to recall at the present time whether the drummer was John Marshall or John Hiseman - my best guess is that it was Marshall.

'Harmony Row' starts with CAN YOU FOLLOW, a haunting song on which Jack is accompanied only by himself on piano, which segues into 'Escape to the Royal Wood on Ice'. This album contains some of the most poignantly beautiful songs which Jack has written with the wistful FOLKSONG and my all time favourite of Victoria Sage. This is an absolutely exquisite song with Jack's vocals at their best, and arguably the best lyrics Pete Brown has ever written. Topped off by some lyrically smooth guitar work by Spedding, for me this is the ultimate Jack Bruce track. It's therefore unfortunate that I don't have a digital copy from which to make an MP3 sample. A Real Player sample is however available at jackbruce.com in the Sound Samples section.

For me Harmony Row is the most rewarding of Jack's solo efforts and also represents in my view the best collaborative work between Jack and his long time lyricist Pete Brown. But that is not to say that Jack's work has stagnated over the last 30 years - quite the contrary.

In his pre-cream days Jack had played in Graham Bond's Organisation with John McLaughlin. McLaughlin later played guitar with Miles Davis on albums including Bitches Brew. In the early 70s Jack and John were reunited in a band called 'Lifetime' formed by drummer Tony Williams who had also played with Davis, and with Larry Young on organ. The band recorded two albums which, I must confess, I never really got into. From my limited perspective the problem appeared to be in production with the sound appearing, to my cloth ears, to be 'muddy' with little delineation between the instruments. In terms of the music it was however a precursor for McLaughlin's 'Mahavishnu Orchestra' which brought jazz/rock fusion into a clearer perspective. It may be that the Lifetime albums were just a bit ahead of my time. It appears that Jack loved playing in the band and was deeply upset when it disbanded.

At some stage Jack recorded an instrumental album 'Things We Like' with Dick Heckstall-Smith, John McLaughlin and others. I am not sure when this album was recorded and confess to having never heard it.

After the breakup of Lifetime Jack returned to a hard rock trio, forming West Bruce & Laing with Leslie West and Corky Laing, former members of Mountain. This was the first of a number of returns by Jack to the lineup format and style of Cream. Such attempts have been met by fans either with scorn or with passion. Whilst I have one 'WBL' album it is in LP format and I have not listened to it now for some time. One of the tracks which Jack wrote for the band was POWERHOUSE SOD. I have never heard WBL's version and the sample comes from a live version recorded by Jack on the album BBC Live in Concert in about 1977. WBL released three albums between 1972 and 1974.

Jack's third solo album was made in US in 1974 with guitarist Steve Hunter. 'Out of the Storm' was a delightful album, with songs such as One (not a version of the Johnny Farnham song I can assure you), PIECES OF MIND  and RUNNING THROUGH OUR HANDS (this sample is from the BBC Live in Concert album) having a particularly haunting quality and KEEP IT DOWN providing a bluesy feel without being limited to a 12 bar progression. I came upon it for the first time some years after it had been released and have no knowledge as to whether the musicians on the album ever toured as a live band. Unfortunately my copy of this album is vinyl and I have not seen it out here on CD. I have heard nothing of Steve Hunter since that album, which is a shame because his guitarwork was excellent.

Jack became associated with jazz pianist Carla Bley and sang and played bass on her triple album 'Escalator Over the Hill'. He also collaborated with Mike Mantler on a number of albums which were avant garde but to my ears inaccessible.

By the mid 70s news of Jack's music was virtually impossible to receive in Australia. My time line in this piece may therefore be somewhat out of whack. Jack was doing lots of different things.

In about 1975 Jack formed a band 'Jack Bruce and Friends' with Carla Bley on keyboard and with Mick Taylor, formerly of Mayall's Bluesbreakers and the Rolling Stones, on guitar. Again this band disbanded before any studio album could be recorded. The BBC's album 'Jack Bruce - Live on the Old Grey Whistle Test' contains 6 tracks by this lineup covering tracks from 'Harmony Row' including 'Can You Follow' (this has traditionally been Jack's concert opener) and from 'Out of the Storm' (Pieces of Mind).

During the late 70s I heard little about Jack or his music. The album BBC Live in Concert was supposedly recorded in August, 1977. The band consisted of Graham Bond on organ, piano and alto sax, Art Theman on tenor sax, Chris Spedding on guitar and John Marshall on drums.

Jack's notes on the album refer to this as 'only the second band I had formed following the break up of Cream' but for the life of me I can't see how this is correct, given that he had formed the 'Friends' band with Larry Coryell and Mitch Mitchell, had the second 'Friends' band with Mick Taylor and Carla Bley, and had been a member of WBL all before this album was recorded. It may in fact be that the date of recording is incorrect - with the exception of Powerhouse Sod which Jack played with WBL Jack's compositions on the album come from Songs for a Tailor and Harmony Row, plus WE'RE GOING WRONG from Cream's Disraeli Gears period. It may therefore be that this recording predated 1977 and was recorded before Out of the Storm and the 1975 Friends and perhaps even before WBL. I would assume that Jack would have a better idea than the record company. Jack in a tribute to George Harrison following the latter's untimely death referred to George's reputation as the 'quiet Beatle' and suggested an affinity with him because Jack was the 'quiet' member of Cream. I'm not sure whether Jack was being tongue in cheek given his fiery relationship with Ginger Baker and his confession that despite his admiration and affection for Graham Bond, he was forced to 'part company with Graham when I was provoked into assaulting him with a sink, in a tear-gas filled dressing room in a Milan theatre'. Graham Bond unfortunately died prematurely and Jack recommends Harry Shapiro's book GRAHAM BOND: THE MIGHTY SHADOW to anyone interested in reading about Bond's 'tragic story'.

Jack released two albums with a band comprising Hugh Burns on guitar, Tony Hymas on keyboards and Simon Phillips on drums. HOW'S TRICKS was released in 1976 and followed two years later by Jet Set Jewel. I had no idea that these albums had been released until the Willpower retrospective was released in 1989. MICKEY THE FIDDLER of the Jet Set Jewel album was later reworked by the Bruce, Cobham, Clemson and Sancious line up on the 'I've Always Wanted to Do This' album in the early 80s.

In the early 80s Jack re-emerged with a band containing Billy Cobham (drummer from Mahavishnu Orchestra amongst others), Clem Clempson and David Sancious. This lineup recorded an album 'I've Always Wanted to Do This'. A song from this album, Dancing on Air was revived by Jack on Shadows in the Air. Included on the album was a tribute to Charlie Parker BIRD ALONE. The sampled version comes from the live recording of Jack's 50th birthday concert Cities of the Heart. Again this lineup received little, if any, exposure in Australia. I first knew of the band's existence when I was travelling in Europe in 1981 and arrived in Cologne the day after they had played that city. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch up with the band elsewhere. This was an extremely hot line-up and evidence of that can be gleaned from the number of live albums that emerged. I have an album Live at Bottom Line which doesn't seem to appear on the Discography on Jack's official website. I presume therefore that it is a 'bootleg'. Whilst the quality of recording is nowhere near Cities of the Heart the quality of the playing is exceptional. Listen to the solo on THEME FOR AN IMAGINARY WESTERN (yes I know, yet another version of 'Theme...' but what the hell I love the song). I believe it is Dave Sancious playing the solo but am not 100% sure - I understand he used to solo on this song and to my ears it doesn't sound like Clem Clemson. By the same token I can't hear any rhythm guitar in the mix, and there is piano and bass, so it may be Clem after all. Irrespective of who played it, it's a damn fine solo. Two other live recordings of this band are referred to on the official website Concert Classics (released in 1999) and Doing This on Ice (a double CD released in 2001).

Throughout the 80s and 90s Jack has continued to pursue a varied career combining rock, blues, jazz, and avant garde. In 1981 he teamed up with Robin Trower (the original lead guitarist with Procol Harum to form 'BLT'. Of all Jack's returns to a 3 piece line-up this one worked best for me. Trower has a distinctive guitar style, even if he borrows heavily from his idol Jimi Hendrix and there does not appear to be an attempt to reinvent Cream with this line-up, a criticism which is levelled at both WBL and BBM with Ginger Baker and Garry Moore.

It appears that Jack released another solo album Automatic in 1983 but so far as I am aware it has never been released in Australia and I have heard none of the material on it. In that year Jack also guested with Kip Hanrahan and has continued to be associated with Kip ever since. This collaboration stirred up Jack's passion for latin rhythms a passion which came to the fore on his most recent album Shadows in the Air. Jack has been a contributor to many of Kip's albums over the years and has played live with Kip's band. However, if you want to pick up any of those albums in Australia, good luck to you.

In 1989 the album Willpower was released. It was largely a 'retrospective' album with tracks from Wheels of Fire, Songs for a Tailor, Harmony Row, Out of the Storm, How's Tricks and Jet Set Jewel. The track WILLPOWER saw Jack reunited with Eric Clapton on lead guitar, supported by Clem Clemson and Stuart Elliott. Although I don't consider the track to represent one of Jack's best songwriting efforts, it nonetheless has historical value and the playing is very good. The only other track on the album which had not at that time being previously released was SHIPS IN THE NIGHT a duet between Jack and Maggie Reilly with Clapton again appearing on lead guitar. 

These two tracks later also featured on an album Something Els released in 1993.

In 1989 he released an album A Question of Time where he was reunited on a number of tracks by Ginger Baker and for which he attracted guests of the quality of Vernon Reid (Living Colour and later the Cuicoland Express) on LIFE ON EARTH, Bernie Worrell, Paul Barrere on FLYING, Alan Holdsworth on OBSESSION, plus Tony Williams, Albert Collins and Jonas Bruce.

1993 saw not only the release of the album Something Els but also Jack's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his fellow members of Cream and also a live concert to celebrate his 50th birthday. The lineup for this concert included great musicians with whom Jack has been associated, with appearances by Gary Moore, Ginger Baker, Clem Clemson, Kip Hanrahan, Bernie Worrell, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Art Themen, Henry Lowther, Simon Phillips, Gary Husband, plus Jack's sons Jonas and Malcolm and of course Jack's long-time songwriting partner Pete Brown.

The CD recorded at the concert was originally released as a two-CD package Cities of the Heart. A single CD was later released containing (obviously) less tracks and with a heavier concentration of Cream material, under the title Sitting on Top of the World. My suggestion is to hang the expense and buy the double CD - it provides a fanastic retrospective of Jack's career, dealing with Cream, his solo material, his love of blues and a couple of jazz instrumentals with old mates. The album has a wonderful feel to it and represents a true celebration for a phenomenal career.

Presumably buoyed by the quality of their performances at the 50th birthday gig, Jack, Gary Moore and Ginger Baker got together in 1994 to form BBM. I understand that the album Around the Next Dream charted in the Top 10 in the UK but, as can only be expected rated not even a murmur in Australia. As with the venture with Leslie West and Corky Laing the BBM work was either greeted warmly by fans or dismissed as 'Lite Cream'. For my part, whilst these efforts do not represent my favourite recordings by Jack they are nonetheless an essential ingredient in his career - Cream won a well deserved reputation as the vanguard rock band charting areas where rock had previous not dared. If by forming bands of a similar type Jack is able to gain some commercial success to enable him to pursue the other avenues that appeal to him, then good luck to him.

In 1995 Jack released a solo album on which he was accompanied by himself on piano and Bernie Worrell on organ. The limited instrumentation, ironically, allows Jack great freedom in his writing. The album has a particularly haunting introspective quality - played loud when one is alone late at night in front of a log fire this is a sensation experience. The album contains two tracks co-written by Jack and Kip Hanrahan including DAVID'S HARP. The album also contains reworkings of Weird of Hermiston from Songs for a Tailor and of FOLKSONG from Harmony Row. Australian fans should in my view purchase this album if they have not already done so. As things presently stand it would appear likely that a line-up similar to this may be the only economically feasible way that Jack can get here.

Jack toured in the late 90s with Ringo Starr's All Starrs, with a line-up including Ringo Starr, Gary Brooker (Procol Harum), Peter Frampton and others.

In the early 2000s there was talk of a band being formed by Jack with Andy Summers under the name of Hot Flash but this has not, as yet at least, materialised.

Last year Jack pursued the latin rhythms further and released his latest album 'Shadows in the Air' with a lineup called 'The Cuicoland Express' - musicians on the album included Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Dr John, Eric Clapton and Garry Moore. Apart from original material the album included reworkings of 'Sunshine of Your Love', 'White Room' , 'Boston Ball Game....',  'He the Richmond' off the first solo album 'Songs for a Tailor', 'Out in The Fields' from the WBL era, and 'Dancing on Air' from the Cobham/Sancious/Clemson days. I still love the album and can thoroughly recommend it. However, I am presently unable to find my copy and therefore can't post any samples. This will be addressed once I have either found the album or purchased a new copy.

Jack has until recent times been touring with a live 'Cuicoland Express' - their latest gigs in New York have however been deferred until October with Jack now performing in A Walk Down Abbey Road - A Tribute to the Beatles. He is joined in this project by Todd Rundgren and Alan Parsons. The first performance was apparently on 16 June, 2002 at Honolulu but as yet I've had no feedback as to how it went. It is performing in various parts of the USA throughout June and July, 2002. The Cuicoland Express is scheduled to appear again at BB Kings in New York in October, 2002.

Sadly Jack has never made it to these sunny shores. There were threats that he would tour with the 'Ultimate Rock Symphony' which came here some years ago and included Alice Cooper, Peter Framptom, Roger Daltrey and Paul Rogers. Jack pulled out shortly before the tour citing difficulties with the promoter - given that the promoter replaced him with Jimmy Barnes one can see Jack's point.

There was also talk that the Cuicoland Express would be touring here in May, 2002 but again a promoter to cover the cost of such a sizeable band was unable to be found.

For the moment therefore, we Australians are limited to Jack's recorded work. Fortunately there is a website www.jackbruce.com which keeps his Australian fans up to date and allows us to get our frustrations at not being able to see him live off our chests.

Thanks to Jack's wife and manager Margrit for allowing me to use the samples on this page.

There is a big band of Australian Jack Bruce fans, many of whom appear regularly on Jack's website's guestbook. Marc Wickett, with assistance from Dennis Lawrenson and their respective spouses, publishes a newsletter containing news and views of Jack's and related music. You can subscribe by sending an email to

mailto:friendsofjbruce@hotmail.com

Dennis Lawrenson and Mark Marriott also have a site at

http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/jlorro.

Back issues of the Express can be obtained from this site together with other bits and pieces of information. Visit Dennis' site and have a look around.

The above represents a personal perspective on Jack's career and is not meant to be either objective or exhaustive. There will doubtless be errors and omissions and if you spot any please let me know so that I can clear it up. I have not attempted to deal in any great detail with Jack's pre-Cream career. However, apart from his time with Alexis Corner and Graham Bond he was also for a time a member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and, for a short time, he joined Manfred Mann and was the bass player for the recording of 'Pretty Flamingo'. He was voted the 'Best Bass Player' in Melody Maker polls before Cream was formed and has continued to be regarded as one of, if not the best rock bass player of all time. He is also a wonderful singer with great power, range and dynamics, and a sensational songwriter in a variety of genres.

Jack Bruce has been a longstanding musical influence on me - without his influence there is no way I would presently be singing or writing my own materal. If any of Jack's influence can be seen in my song-writing that is something of which I would be extremely proud.

Subject to approval from Jack's management I am hoping to do a recording of 'Theme For an Imaginary Western' which I will upload to this site as a tribute.