Jack Bruce & Friends

Jack Bruce – The 50th Birthday Concerts

It was a late 50th birthday present. Born on May 14th 1943, John Symon Asher (AKA Jack Bruce) greeted his notable friends on stage on November 2nd and 3rd 1993 at the E-Werk in Cologne The Scottish bassist from Bishopbriggs had invited long time companions such as drummer Ginger Backer, saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and guitarist Clem Clempson. The enthusiastic audience had the opportunity to congratulate him with an extraordinary celebration. In a unique session, Bruce and guests loke drummer Simon Phillips and pianist Bernie Worrell celebrated jazz, rock and blues highlights from the holy Cream days as well as songs which Jack had released on his solo records. From Willie Dixon’s classic “Spoonful” to the magical ballad “Ships in the Night” with singer Maggie Reilly, the interpretations are distinguished by a rare talent for improvisation and intensity. No one had ever experienced “Sunshine of Your Love” in such an opulent arrangement before: brass instruments, percussions and keyboards. In contrast to this was the intimate “Running Thru Our Hands” with pianist Gary Husband. In this spectrum the extraordinary talent of the multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Jack Bruce, who brought his bass to the front row as a solo instrument, can be seen. This ability had made him stand out when he played in other bands with Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Manfred Mann at the beginning of the 60s, before forming Cream in 1966. He advanced to become the most important writer in this trio with songs like “I feel Free,” “Politician,” and “White Room,” which originated from the collaboration with lyricist Pete Brown. This is the first time “White Room” has been

released in this version. The late guitarist Gary Moore also performed on one night, stepping in for Eric Clapton he was truly more than a substitute. The performance at the “Rocklife” concert with Ginger Baker resulted in the 1994 studio album “Around The Next Dream”. Other highlights from the birthday bash include the epic “Bird Alone” and “Theme For An Imaginary Western” from Jack Bruce’s first 1969 solo album “Songs for a Tailor.” This Cologne performance shows an impressive width of a remarkable career. The fantastic lineup underlines the meaning and the value of the two November 1993 evenings Jack Bruce presented. This box set includes songs which until now have been lying dormant in the WDR archive, adding alternative versions of some songs performed at the concerts. The exuberant “Blues You Can’t Lose” as well as the acoustic “Rope Ladder to the Moon” are also to be seen here for the first time. This recording is a legacy of an extraordinary musician, who effortlessly transformed the world by not conforming to one genre and switching between jazz, rock, blues and classical music. He worked with elements of all genres in his music, performed with pianist Carla Bley, conductor Eberhard Schoener and with rock guitarist Leslie West. “The bass made my life easier; I love it,” said Bruce in a Rocklife interview. But now his instrument has fallen silent and another Cream reunion like that in 2005 is no longer possible. The composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer passed away on October 25, 2014 of cancer. His “Life on Earth” ended too soon, but for his fans the charismatic soloist will forever remain a phenomenon in the popular music scene. – Uli Kniep

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Tracklisting:
2DVD+ 1 bonus CD:
DVD 1:
Minuet No.1 03:48
FM 03:16
Can You Follow? 01:56
Running Thro' Our Hands 04:21
Childsong 06:06
The Tube 07:44
Over The Cliff 05:20
Statues 07:57
First Time I Met The Blues 06:30
Smiles And Grins 08:24
Bird Alone 14:21
Neighbor, Neighbor 05:53
Born Under A Bad Sign 05:39
Boston Ball Game 1967 04:29
Ships In The Night 05:15
Willpower 09:16
Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune 04:38
Theme From An Imaginary Western 06:10
Golden Days 06:00

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DVD 2:
As You Said 04:12
Rope Ladder To The Moon 02:53
Life On Earth 04:52
Drum Solo "Simon Phillips" 04:07
NSU 05:19
Sitting On The Top Of The World 05:15
Politician 08:29
White Room - feat. Clem Clempson 07:28
Sunshine Of Your Love 07:35
Blues You Can't Loose 13:38
Life On Earth - feat. Gary Moore 05:09
NSU - feat. Gary Moore 09:45
Sitting On The Top Of The World feat. Gary Moore 08:15
Politician - feat. Gary Moore 06:26
Spoonful - feat. Gary Moore 09:45

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CD "The Lost Tracks":
White Room (feat. Gary Moore on Guitar) 07:01
Drum Solo 'Simon Phillips' 02:28
NSU (feat. Clem Clempson on guitar) 06:41
Sitting On The Top Of The World (feat. Clem Clempson on guitar)  04:39
Politician (feat. Clem Clempson on guitar) 08:22
Blues You Can't Loose 13:38
Willpower 08:54
Boston Ball Game 1967 04:05
Rope Ladder To The Moon 02:51
FM 03:02
Childsong 06:04
As You Said 04:00
Improvisation On Minuet No.1 03:44

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2DVD
Tracklisting:

DVD 1:
Minuet No. 1 03:48
FM 03:16
Can You Follow? 01:56
Running Thro' Our Hands 04:21
Childsong 06:06
The Tube 07:44
Over The Cliff 05:20
Statues 07:57
First Time I Met The Blues 06:30
Smiles And Grins 08:24
Bird Alone 14:21
Neighbor, Neighbor 05:53
Born Under A Bad Sign 05:39
Boston Ball Game 1967 04:29
Ships In The Night 05:15
Willpower 09:16
Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune 04:38
Theme From An Imaginary Western 06:10
Golden Days 06:00

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DVD 2:
As You Said 04:12
Rope Ladder To The Moon 02:53
Life On Earth 04:52
Drum Solo "Simon Phillips" 04:07
NSU 05:19
Sitting On The Top Of The World 05:15
Politician 08:29
White Room - feat. Clem Clempson 07:28
Sunshine Of Your Love 07:35
Blues You Can't Loose 13:38
Life On Earth - feat. Gary Moore 05:09
NSU - feat. Gary Moore 09:45
Sitting On The Top Of The World feat. Gary Moore 08:15
Politician - feat. Gary Moore 06:26
Spoonful - feat. Gary Moore 09:45

Improvisation On Minuet No.1 03:44

 

Fotos

 

Photos by Ralph Weber