Jack Bruce

hmmm... a thread I suspect that is not going to get a lot of responses...

for the tags and labellers out there...  a nice review of 'Things we Like' to chew on..

"Things We Like" is a critical album in understanding the development of jazz rock fusion, not necessarily for it's combination of acoustic jazz and electric rock (it doesn't) but more for the freedom of playing that it allows the musicians. It has an innocence shared by similar landmark albums like Chick Corea's "Tones For Jones Bones", McLaughlin/Surman's "Where Fortune Smiles", and especially Miroslav Vitous' "Infinite Search" and "Purple". McLaughlin is definitely touting a freeform freedom he would further explore in moving to Germany by November of that year to play with Gunter Hampel, and hints of his upcoming soloing genius on "Extrapolation", but he is also happy to take a back seat and provide that amazingly chunky comping like no other. Heckstall-Smith remembers McLaughlin turned up to Bruce's sessions after running into each other at Pete Brown's pad. John just joined in without rehearsal." Bruce remembers it differently, that he saw McLaughlin skulking along, low after a sessionman gig for Decca, broke and with not enough money to get him to the US where Tony Williams was waiting for him to form Lifetime. This album gave him that financial opportunity. Whatever the circumstance, this was a journeyman already in search of a bigger meaning, pleased to learn from all contexts.

Charles Mingus was supposed to be a major influence for the album's style, but followers of Ornette Coleman will definitely hear parallels, especially when Heckstall-Smith blows brass and woodwind simultaneously. Bruce's acoustic basslines have that Charlie Haden upturned finish too, quite unlike his electric playing. It is time-signature, pulsating modern post bebop at its best. Rarely ponderous, it gets down to the job fast and keeps the pace alive, lending most soloing space to sax, some exposure for guitar, little for the rhythm section. It's tight and mighty.

However, the album was not a popular one. Firstly it was an in-your-face-as-far-as-you-can-get-away-as-possible-from-the-soon-to-be-disbanded-supergroup-Cream (it was recorded in August just before the Cream Farewell Tour of 22 shows at 19 venues in the United States between October 4 and November 4, 1968, and two final farewell concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on November 26, 1968). Even the album's title seems to make a statement about Bruce's preferred musical avenue over rock, and an attitude that some fans who may blame Bruce for the break up of Cream, consider salt in the wound. Or you could make the effort to find out the facts ("Things We Like" was the title of a grade school textbook Jack used as a boy), or you could read the title simply as an expression of joy to be among fellow-minded jazzers, old friends from the session underground, Soho pubs and London club scene, who have gathered to realise one of Jack's dreams of recording his long-penned (since age 11!) pieces that Cream could never have played like they needed to be played. He was afterall just going back to what he used to do before Cream. And thank goodness for his strength of character, rather than selling out to the temptation of repeating the rock success, he refused the money and concentrated on songwriting to produce "Songs For A Tailor" an amazing showcase of his melodic lyrical playing and singing style. This is not an essay on Bruce's career, so suffice to note that his and John McLaughlin's paths soon crossed again in Tony William's Lifetime and on "Escalator Over The Hill", but thank goodness they had this outing. Wonderfully exciting, memorable tunes that point to jazz's future paths like the other landmark exploratory albums of the time. By building on the old-world legacy, incredibly and minutely.

And don't forget Bruce  had played with McLaughlin, probably briefly in 1964-5 in Graham Bond's Organisation; apparently Organisation's drummer Ginger Baker fired McLaughlin (doing Bond's dirty jobs). That didn't stop Bruce Baker and McLaughlin backing a little time later ex rock'n'roller turned R'nB vocalist/harp-player Duffy Power  on a several recordings. Bruce appeared with McLaughlin and Tony Williams on the former's Electric Guitarist. It is also possible Bruce introduced Allan Holdsworth to Tony Williams - there is a missing-link (i.e. between two classic Lifetime line-ups) bootleg of Williams, Holdsworth & Bruce recorded in Stockholm called Wildlife. Then those legendary Sherwood Tapes demos by Holdsworth Bruce and Hiseman. A lot of inter-relationships here, reinforcing the concept that Jack is and has long been one of the great rock innovators - vocalist, player, composer, improvisor since the early 60's. And don't get me started on the Michael Mantler and Kip Hanrahan collaborations/recordings of the 80's and those very individual CMP Records recordings of the 90's......


There is much there of relevance wrt biography, JackBruce's life story here should be long one.


Edited by Dick Heath - October 18 2008 at 14:33

febus wrote: I don't know about that! ... ''Things we like'' is a JAZZ album to my ears and the rest of his solo output,( i have 4 of his albums), I never thought of any prog connection when i listen to them .

Made at the height of some great British jazz experimentation at the end of the 60's - wasn't there ~2 years delay between recording Things and its release date? BTW does the recording date chronology go:

Experiments with Pops (Gordon Beck with "Johnny" McLaughlin)
Extrapolation (McLaughlin with John Surman)
Things We Like (Bruce with McLaughlin)
Way Back When : (John Surman )
Where Fortune Smiles (McLaughlin, Surman etc. - Brits in a NYC recording studio, I think)

And I've not touched on Ian Carr (pe-Nucleus)/Don Rendell and Mike Westbrook's (with Surman in his band) impact at around the same time. British jazz rock was to in part come from these directions

Just read that he's playing a gig in our neighbourhood end of february next year. I'll be there for sure. Thanks to Dick H. I fell in love with the album This That, by the brilliant gang of Dick Heckstall-Smith - Jack Bruce - John Stevens...

As for the site: if Bruces proposed for J-R I'll rely on the judgement of the J-R team, since I know too little of Bruce's post Cream career. As a bass player, I should be ashamed...

I have Jack's "Deserted Cities of The Heart" double CD live, which was recorded in the 90's I recall. Quite good album, there's lot's of really jazzy stuff goin' on within a rock context. Some songs are not highly experimental, but anyway his stuff doesn't sound that it would have been done to please the markets. An obvious reason for his works not being so widely known.

a clear resounding Yes for me, although this will defintely open the door for Cream

micky wrote: I'll check where you asked about Pete Brown Hugues.. missed that.. and re: Cream. NO NO and NO again... that the danger if X then Y.  read the above  review of 'Things we Like'  not to mention the liner notes to Songs for a Tailor. Cream and JB were two completely different musical entities.   His solo career was an exploration of HIS musical love... jazz.  Cream has no place here IMO.  Progressive rock was a reaction against... exactly that kind of music.

I could easily argue you out of your arguments for Cream  (ex: Bruce and Baker laughing together and saying to az journalist that Cream was a jazz band, only they didn't tell Eric) , but shall not do it for it is Bruce we're looking at. here...

Sean Trane wrote: a clear resounding Yes for me, although this will defintely open the door for Cream   I also asked about Jack Bruce's lyricist Pete Brown in the collab zone....   if i could have some input......

Edited by Dick Heath - October 31 2008 at 11:18

Dick and no forget Piblotko and Battered Ornaments, group in when Pete collaborate.

^^^^^^^^^^^^