For more than two decades, Ginger Baker has managed to stay at least one step ahead of a rock world in constant search of the next important movement. From his ground breaking work with Cream (arguably the first heavy metal band) to explorations of African music (fifteen years before it became fashionable), and more recently to his dizzyingly pan-ethnic excursions, Baker has been the music's penultimate adventurer. He's also been the most inventive drummer, balancing power and restraint, instinct and intellect, to create a sound, both primal and ever changing, regardless of context.
After honing his craft in a series of traditional jazz bands (experience which lent an unmistakable bebop edge, even to his heaviest later work), Ginger Baker joined the influential group, Alexis Corner's Blues, Inc. in 1962 replacing Charlie Watts. Corner's Combo, besides playing a large part in the blues revival that would dominate the music scene later that decade, served as a sort of breeding ground for embryonic rock bands. One of the more fortuitous meetings was that between Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, who were wooed in tandem to join The Graham Bond Organization. Baker remained with Bond for one LP, THE SOUND OF 65, before joining forces once again with Bruce; this time in what was to become one of the most revered bands of all time-Cream.
Cream was the ultimate power trio, rising to volumes never approached before, but more importantly, to levels of musical sophistication never before associated with Rock'n'Roll. Indeed, the extended improvisatory solos that marked their work earned the three members of Cream reputations for being unquestioned masters of their respective instruments. In fact Bakers showcase "Toad", was the first serious drum solo to appear on a record. He set the stage for countless copies and insuring that a steady 4/4 would never be the "be-all and end-all" of rock percussion again. Cream which Baker always insisted was a jazz band that exploded purely by chance, only stayed together for three years, but sold fifteen million records and remains an icon for rock fans to this day.
The band, Blind Faith, was comprised of Baker, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Rick Gretch, and the first to be dubbed a "super-group". Their debut show played to a throng of 100.000 in London. And though short-lived, their single eponymous album, a classic of the first degree, is marked by some of Baker's most delicate work.
In early 1970, after the dissolution of Blind Faith, Baker struck out on his own, exploring a territory few had ventured into before: percussion as focus Rock'n'Roll. His vehicle, Air Force, was loosely structured, featuring as many as three permanent drummers at a time. Ginger Baker was always indisputable commander leading the band into the fertile crescent of African music. A year after founding Air Force, Baker moved to Nigeria, where he set up West Africa's first multi track studio. At this time, Baker was working pretty much non-stop, collaborating with a wide variety of musicians, including the legendary Fela.
The mid 70's saw the release of three albums of The Baker-Gurvitz Army, a group that had it's focus on Ginger's tasteful, jazzy playing. Garnering much critical acclaim, this band worked together through 1977, when Baker took a much-needed respite from the musical world.
He resurfaced at the start of the new decade, living in Italy's Tuscany region, building a successful olive farming business. Together with Bill Laswell, Ginger recorded HORSES AND TREES, and fused the spiritual side of the third world music that Baker had immersed himself in, with the pure power he was capable of unleashing.
In 1990 Baker created MIDDLE PASSAGE, also produced by Laswell. This record ventures further down the road less traveled. Slightly more organic than its predecessor, the disc throbs with a primordial urgency that belies its high-tech origins. In December of 1991, Baker recorded the entirely acoustic UNSEEN RAIN, with Jonas Hellborg on bass guitar and Jens Johansson on piano. Ginger Baler will always be a powerful force in the current of music influencing musicians and fans alike. |
