1921 Little Hatch*
1947 Coco Robicheaux*
1950 Eberhard Stolle, auch Big Joe Stolle*
2014 Jack Bruce+
Kevin Sekhani*
Till Theisen*
Happy Birthday
Eberhard Stolle, auch Big Joe Stolle *25.10.1950
Eberhard Stolle, auch Big Joe Stolle, ist ein deutscher Bluesmusiker, Gitarrist, Mundharmonikaspieler und Songwriter aus Berlin.
Ende der 1960er Jahre spielte Stolle in verschiedenen Amateurbands der Leipziger Beatszene, u. a. bei Bordband und Kaleidoskop. Während seines Grundwehrdienstes 1972 bis 1973 in der Armee der DDR war er Mitglied in einer Soldatenband. Von 1973 bis 1977 studierte er anfangs klassischen Gesang und später Tanzmusik an der Musikhochschule in Leipzig. Nach der Armeezeit schloss er sich der Leipziger Band Soft an, spielte zeitweilig bei Karussell und Mama Basuto. Gleichsam vollzog sich seine Hinwendung zum Blues, dem er bis heute treu geblieben ist. Anfang der 1980er Jahre wechselte er mit weiteren ehemaligen Basuto-Kollegen zu Zenit. Die Band, welche 1975 in Rostock gegründet wurde und später nach Ost-Berlin wechselte, erhielt 1979 Profistatus und bestand bis 1990. Zur Band, deren Besetzung mehrfach wechselte, gehörten: Eberhard Stolle (Gesang, Gitarre, Mundharmonika), Wilfried Kaminski (Gesang, Gitarre), Joachim Rudolf (Gesang, Gitarre), Reinhard Daisy Kehl (Gesang, Gitarre), Klaus-Dieter Brieger (Gesang, Schlagzeug), Jürgen Schötz (Schlagzeug), Berndt Schumacher (Piano, Saxophon), Hans-Jörg Erbse Moser († 2006/Bass), Andreas Schrödter (Bass), Rene Moosgraber (Bass), Jens Stache (Piano) und Alexander Blume (Gesang, Piano, Keyboard). Die Band erspielte sich eine Spitzenposition in der Blueserszene der DDR und Stolle entwickelte sich neben Bernd Kleinow zu einem herausragenden Blues-Harp-Spieler. Ende der 1980er Jahre war die Band regelmäßig in den DDR-Medien präsent und 1985 produzierte das DDR-Label Amiga die erste Langspielplatte mit Zenit.
Anfang der 1990er Jahre trat Stolle gemeinsam mit Alexander Blume, der heute als Boogie-Pianist aus Thüringen bekannt ist, und der Intercity Blues Band auf. Seit Mitte der 1990er Jahre ist er solistisch tätig, stand mit internationalen Musikern wie Champion Jack Dupree, Charlie Musselwhite und Jack Bruce gemeinsam auf der Bühne und tritt zeitweilig mit Bernd Kleinow, Reinhard Daisy Kehl oder Band Bluesmachine auf. Musikalisch präsentiert Stolle heute eine Mischung aus Boogie, Soul und Blues.
11.Blues Open Air Niederlehme - Big Joe Stolle - "Whisky"
Big Joe Stolle Record Release - pt.6 - "Mein Bruder Blues"
Big Joe Stolle - Dirk Zöllner - Cäsars Blues
Little Hatch *25.10.1921
Little Hatch (October 25, 1921 – January 14, 2003)[1] was an American electric blues singer, musician, and harmonica player. He variously worked with George Jackson and John Paul Drum.
Born Provine Hatch, Jr. in Sledge, Mississippi,[1] he learned to play harmonica from his father. Hearing blues and gospel music, Hatch knew he wanted to make music for a living. At age 14, his family moved to Helena, Arkansas and the blues scene caught his attention.
Hatch joined the Navy in 1943; after his tour of duty, he relocated to Kansas City, Missouri in 1946. After working for a cartage company for two years, he founded his own cartage business and married.
In the early 1950s, Hatch began jamming in blues clubs of Kansas City. He closed his business in 1954 and took a job with Hallmark Cards. In 1955, he formed and fronted his own band, playing on the weekends and a few nights a week. This act would continue for more than 20 years. By the late 1950s, Hatch's harmonica style became influenced by Chicago blues players such as Little Walter, Snooky Pryor and Junior Wells.
In 1971 German exchange university students recorded a Little Hatch performance. This became an album, entitled The Little Hatchet Band, but distribution was limited to Germany and Belgium. He retired from Hallmark in 1986 and his band, 'Little Hatch and the House Rockers', were hired as the house band of the Grand Emporium Saloon in Kansas City.[1] A cassette of his blues performances at the Grand Emporium was released in 1988.
In 1993, the Modern Blues label released Well, All Right! and became his first nationally-distributed album. In 1997, Chad Kassem opened Blue Heaven Studios and founded the APO label. Kassem had befriended Little Hatch in the mid 1980s and asked him to be his first signed recording artist. In 2000, the album Goin' Back was released and was followed by Rock with Me Baby in 2003.
From 1999 to 2001, Hatch occasionally toured other parts of the United States, and twice toured Europe. He settled back down as a Kansas City performer, frequently playing at BB's Lawnside Bar-B-Q and other venues. In 2002, Hatch was diagnosed with cancer.
Hatch died in El Dorado Springs, Missouri, in January 2003.
Coco Robicheaux *25.10.1947
Curtis John Arceneaux (October 25, 1947 – November 25, 2011)[1] better known by the name Coco Robicheaux, was an American blues musician and artist, from Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States.
He was born in Merced, California, the son of Herman Arceneaux from Ascension Parish in Louisiana and Virginia Grant of Waushara County, Wisconsin. His father was of Acadian (Cajun) descent, while on his mother's side his ancestry included English, Norwegian, Scottish, German, Dutch, Welsh, and Native American (Mohawk). Also on his mother's side he was a direct descendent of accused Salem witch Sarah Cloyce. He spent some of his preteen/early teens in France where his Air Force father was stationed for 3 years. The accent and other Cajun flails were manufactured. Curtis was a genius with an extremely high IQ. He could master and did master every musical instrument he tried. He was also an accomplished artist. He was a master story teller who could and did embellish every story he told. [2] He spent some of his childhood in the French countryside.[3] Arceneaux took his stage name from a Louisiana legend, in which a naughty child called Coco Robicheaux, is abducted by a werewolf (Loup Garou or Rougarou). Also, the name 'Coco Robicheaux' is repeated in the song "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" from Dr. John the Night Tripper's 1968 album, Gris-Gris.[4]
Robicheaux appeared in the episode "Hotshots", of the USA Network series Big Easy, playing a New Orleans musician named "Coco", who had sold his soul to the devil. Two of Robicheaux's songs were also featured in the episode, "Broken String" and "Spiritland". Coco Robicheaux appeared as himself in the second episode of HBO's Treme, first broadcast in the US on April 18, 2010.
Coco Robicheaux died in November 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the age of 64.[1]
One of his last recordings were for the Danish singer Naja Rosa Koppel´s album "The Place I Call Home" (2012)
His very last recording took place on his 64th birthday, one month before his death, with singer Frenchie Moe. Mike Hood, Leon "Kid Chocolate" Brown, Jimmy Carpenter and Jack Cruz also contributed to the song.
Kevin Sekhani *25.10.
As a 20 year veteran of the Austin music scene, Kevin Sekhani has done it all. From blazing rock-n-roll to Holy Ghost Honkytonk, for years Sekhani has entertained crowds with heartfelt enthusiasm and poignant lyrics. In Austin, Sekhani spent his time working with Michael Ramos (John Mellencamp, Patty Griffin), Andrew Duplantis (Son Volt), and Austin Chronicle’s three-time String Player of the Year winner Warren Hood. In 2010, Sekhani moved back to his home town of Lafayette, Louisiana to front The Mercy Brothers, a Gospel group walking the fine line of sinners and saints. Since the prodigal son’s return home, he has won over the hearts of Jazz Fest and Festival International audiences, landed a top 5 spot on the Americana charts in Europe with The Mercy Brothers debut release, toured Sweden, and signed his Gospel group to Louisiana Red Hot Records.
Kevin Sekhani’s veracious songwriting extends beyond Gospel into secular territory with his new solo album “Day Ain’t Done” set for release on Louisiana Red Hot Records early 2015. No Depression praises the album saying, “With a voice slightly reminiscent of a young Steve Earle, solid songwriting, and musicians that include a member of Son Volt and veterans of the backing bands of Patty Griffin and John Mellencamp, Kevin Sekhani’s Day Ain’t Done is one of the best debut albums I have heard in years”. Day Ain’t Done is layered with Americana staple instrumentation, taking the earthy tones of violin, mandolin, accordion and acoustic guitars to give the feel of a back porch jam on a Louisiana Saturday night. The album’s track “Oilfield Tan” has found its way into regular rotation on local Louisiana and Texas radio stations, resonating amongst an area all too familiar with the demanding industry of oilfield work.
Kevin Sekhani celebrates his Louisiana roots bringing Day Ain’t Down to the worldwide stage.With stops at 2014’s South by Southwest music festival, Sekhani has already began to garner an excitement for his solo career. You may catch Kevin Sekhani at a large festival or even on a small front porch, but wherever it is, it is guaranteed to be one hell of a performance.
Kevin Sekhani’s veracious songwriting extends beyond Gospel into secular territory with his new solo album “Day Ain’t Done” set for release on Louisiana Red Hot Records early 2015. No Depression praises the album saying, “With a voice slightly reminiscent of a young Steve Earle, solid songwriting, and musicians that include a member of Son Volt and veterans of the backing bands of Patty Griffin and John Mellencamp, Kevin Sekhani’s Day Ain’t Done is one of the best debut albums I have heard in years”. Day Ain’t Done is layered with Americana staple instrumentation, taking the earthy tones of violin, mandolin, accordion and acoustic guitars to give the feel of a back porch jam on a Louisiana Saturday night. The album’s track “Oilfield Tan” has found its way into regular rotation on local Louisiana and Texas radio stations, resonating amongst an area all too familiar with the demanding industry of oilfield work.
Kevin Sekhani celebrates his Louisiana roots bringing Day Ain’t Down to the worldwide stage.With stops at 2014’s South by Southwest music festival, Sekhani has already began to garner an excitement for his solo career. You may catch Kevin Sekhani at a large festival or even on a small front porch, but wherever it is, it is guaranteed to be one hell of a performance.
Kevin Sekhani - Jimmy
Till Theisen *25.10.
Mr. T und Big Tom – das ist die deutsche Vater und Sohn Kombi des Blues. Till Theisen, einer der aufstrebenden jungen Harp-Virtuosen in Deutschland, jung und cool mit einem modernen Twist weg vom klischeehaften „Mundharmonica-Spielen“ - der Wolf und nicht der Hirte!! Er lässt es krachen zusammen Big Tom, dem Mann, dessen Stimme das Bier im Glas zum schwingen bringt und nicht nur dass – ein Shouter allerbester Güte mit akustischer Gitarre in allen Variationen. Die moderne
Version des akustischen Folk-Blues fernab von Freight Train Romantik der 60er Jahre.
Version des akustischen Folk-Blues fernab von Freight Train Romantik der 60er Jahre.
Blue Moon Session im Zwick Altona - Till Theissen und Band
R.I.P.
Jack Bruce +25.10.2014
John Symon Asher „Jack“ Bruce (* 14. Mai 1943 in Bishopbriggs, Schottland; † 25. Oktober 2014 in Suffolk) war ein britischer Rock-, Blues- und Jazzmusiker. Er spielte hauptsächlich E-Bass, aber auch Cello, Piano und Mundharmonika, sang und schrieb Songs. Bekannt wurde er als Gründungsmitglied von Cream.
Leben
Jugend
Bruce
erhielt als 17-Jähriger ein Stipendium für Cello und Komposition an der
Royal Scottish Academy Of Music. Seine frühen Interessen galten der
schottischen Folklore, dem Jazz und Bach. Auf Grund der Tatsache, dass
man als Cellist in einer Jazzband weniger gefragt ist, wechselte er zum
Kontrabass. Er spielte dieses Instrument dann in der Scotstoun Jazzband.
Seine Art, Bass zu spielen, profitierte von seiner (abgebrochenen)
klassischen Ausbildung auf dem Cello. Von ihm stammt der Ausspruch,
Johann Sebastian Bach habe die besten Bassläufe aller Zeiten
geschrieben.Werdegang
Bruce suchte Anfang der 1960er Jahre Kontakt zur britischen Bluesszene. Er spielte bei Mike Taylor, in Alexis Korners Blues Incorporated, der Graham Bond Organization, zu der er bereits eigene Songs beisteuerte, John Mayalls Bluesbreakers und der Manfred Mann Combo, bevor er 1966 zusammen mit Eric Clapton und Ginger Baker Cream bildete. Er hatte in der damals neuartigen Power-Trio-Besetzung die zentrale Rolle des Bassisten und Leadsängers und zudem des Komponisten der meisten Songs. Texte steuerte der englische Beat-Dichter (und später auch Rockmusiker) Pete Brown bei.[1] Die Zeit mit Cream war es auch, die den Ruf von Jack Bruce als außerordentlichem Musiker begründete. Ähnlich wie zur selben Zeit auch sein Kollege John Entwistle (The Who) arbeitete er darauf hin, den Bass innerhalb des Bandgefüges der Lead-Gitarre gleichzustellen. Der Jack-Bruce-Sound ist knurrig und aggressiv. Sein Markenzeichen waren lange, auf seinem Gibson EB-3-Bass vorgetragene Improvisationen in Interaktion mit den anderen Musikern, bei denen gelegentlich kaum noch zu unterscheiden war, welche Teile von Bruce und welche vom Gitarristen Clapton stammten. Bruce hat später scherzhaft behauptet, sie hätten damals so lange improvisiert, dass er am Ende des Solos Schwierigkeiten hatte, sich zu erinnern, welchen Song sie gerade spielten („… we’d get to the end of a long improv and I’d be wracking my brain to remember what the song was!“).
Nach der Auflösung von Cream Ende 1968 arbeitete Bruce mit dem New Jazz Orchestra, Tony Williams’ Lifetime, Mike Gibbs, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Larry Coryell und weiteren Kollegen aus dem Jazzbereich, so mit Carla Bley als Sänger und Bassist im Jazz-Oratorium Escalator over the Hill und für einige Konzerte auch mit Ian Carrs Nucleus. Von 1972 bis 1973 spielte er gemeinsam mit den Ex-Mountain-Musikern Leslie West (Gitarre) und „Corky“ Laurence Gordon Laing (Schlagzeug) in der Hard-Rock-Gruppe West, Bruce & Laing, die drei Alben veröffentlichte. Er brachte einige Soloalben heraus, darunter Songs For A Tailor (mit Mitspielern wie Chris Spedding, Jon Hiseman, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Harry Beckett und George Harrison), Harmony Row und Out Of The Storm. Anfang 1977 stellte er mit Tony Hymas, Simon Phillips und Hughie Burnd die Jack Bruce Band zusammen und brachte mit dieser Formation das Album How’s Tricks heraus. 1980 versuchte Keith Emerson, eine Band mit Bruce und dem südafrikanischen Sänger und Gitarristen Trevor Rabin zusammenzubringen, der Versuch scheiterte allerdings, da Rabin sich für ein Projekt mit dem Bassisten Chris Squire und dem Schlagzeuger Alan White entschied, aus dem später eine neue Yes-Besetzung entstand. Im selben Jahr trat die neu gegründete Formation Jack Bruce & Friends (Clem Clempson, Billy Cobham und David Sancious)[2] unter anderem bei der 7. Rockpalast Nacht in Essen auf.[3] [4]
Für die zwei Alben B.L.T. und Truce spielte Bruce 1981 mit Robin Trower zusammen. In den Jahren 1982 und 1983 war die Jan Hammer Band mit Carsten Bohn, Jack Bruce und Colin Hodgkinson auf Tournee in den USA und Europa. 1994 erschien das Album Around The Next Dream unter der Bandbezeichnung BBM, das er zusammen mit Ginger Baker und Gary Moore eingespielt hatte. Später war er an unterschiedlichen Projekten von Kip Hanrahan beteiligt und spielte auch in der Charlie Watts Bigband und in Ringo Starrs All-Starr Band.
Im Sommer 2003 wurde bei Bruce Leberkrebs diagnostiziert. Im September starb er beinahe bei einer Lebertransplantation, da er sich in erschöpftem Zustand noch eine Lungenentzündung zugezogen hatte. Im Oktober war er auf dem Wege der Besserung. Im Jahre 2005 war die Gesundheit des Musikers so stabil, dass er im Mai an mehreren Reunion Concerts in der Londoner Royal Albert Hall teilnehmen konnte, bei denen er zusammen mit Eric Clapton und Ginger Baker in der Originalbesetzung von Cream die Klassiker des seiner Zeit als erste Supergroup des Rock gefeierten Trios spielte. Von diesen Konzerten gibt es einen repräsentativen Querschnitt auf DVD (mit aktuellen Interviews). 2006 sang er auf dem Jazzfestival in Frankfurt am Main seine Songs mit der hr-Bigband.
Er war mit seiner Managerin Margrit Bruce, die aus Schwaben stammt, verheiratet. Die beiden hatten zwei Töchter und einen Sohn und lebten auf La Palma sowie in der Nähe von London, wo er am 25. Oktober 2014 im Alter von 71 Jahren an den Folgen eines Leberleidens starb.
Bruce maintained a solo career that spanned several decades and also played in several musical groups. Although recognized first and foremost as a vocalist, bassist and songwriter, he also played double bass, harmonica, piano and cello. He was trained as a classical cellist and considered himself a jazz musician, although much of his catalogue of compositions and recordings tended toward blues and rock and roll.
Early life
Bruce was born on 14 May 1943 in Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire, to Betty (Asher) and Charlie Bruce,[1] musical parents who moved frequently, resulting in the young Bruce attending 14 different schools, ending up at Bellahouston Academy. He began playing the jazz bass in his teens and won a scholarship to study cello and musical composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama while playing in Jim McHarg's Scotsville Jazzband to support himself.[2] The academy disapproved of its students playing jazz. "They found out", Bruce told Musician correspondent Jim Macnie, "and said 'you either stop, or leave college.' So I left college."[citation needed]
Career
Early career
After leaving school he toured Italy, playing double bass with the Murray Campbell Big Band.[3] In 1962 Bruce became a member of the London-based band Blues Incorporated,[4] led by Alexis Korner, in which he played the upright bass. The band also included organist Graham Bond, saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and Ginger Baker. In 1963 the group broke up and Bruce went on to form the Graham Bond Quartet with Bond, Baker and guitarist John McLaughlin.[2] They played an eclectic range of music genres, including bebop, blues and rhythm and blues. As a result of session work at this time, Bruce switched from the upright bass to the electric bass guitar. The move to electric bass happened as McLaughlin was dropped from the band; he was replaced by Heckstall-Smith on saxophone and the band pursued a more concise R&B sound and changed their name to the Graham Bond Organisation. They released two studio albums and several singles but were not commercially successful.
During the time that Bruce and Baker played with the Graham Bond Organisation, they were known for their hostility towards each other. There were numerous stories of the two sabotaging each other's equipment and fighting on stage. Relations grew so bad between the two that Bruce left the group in August 1965.[5]
After leaving, Bruce recorded a solo single, "I'm Gettin Tired", for Polydor Records.[2] He joined John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers group, which featured guitarist Eric Clapton. Although his stay was brief; the Universal Deluxe double album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton contains all the known tracks featuring Bruce.
After the Bluesbreakers, Bruce had his first commercial success as a member of Manfred Mann in 1966, including "Pretty Flamingo" which reached number one in the UK singles chart (one of two number one records of his career - the other being an uncredited bass part on The Scaffold's "Lily the Pink")[2] as well as the free-wheeling and ground-breaking jazz-rock of Instrumental Asylum. When interviewed on the edition of the VH1 show Classic Albums which featured Disraeli Gears, Mayall said that Bruce had been lured away by the lucrative commercial success of Manfred Mann, while Mann himself recalled that Bruce attended recording sessions without having rehearsed but played songs straight through without error, commenting that perhaps the chord changes seemed obvious to Bruce.[6]
While with Manfred Mann, Bruce again collaborated with Eric Clapton as a member of Powerhouse, which also featured the Spencer Davis Group vocalist Steve Winwood credited as "Steve Anglo". Three tracks were featured on the Elektra sampler album What's Shakin'. Two of the songs, "Crossroads" and "Steppin' Out", became staples in the live set of his next band.
Cream
In July 1966 Bruce, Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker founded the power trio Cream, which gained international recognition playing blues-rock and jazz-inflected rock music. Bruce sang most of the lead vocals, with Clapton backing him up and eventually assuming some leads himself.[6]
With his Gibson EB-3 electric bass, Bruce became one of the most famous bassists in rock, winning musicians' polls and influencing the next generation of bassists such as Sting, Geddy Lee and Jeff Berlin.[7] Bruce co-wrote most of Cream's single releases with lyricist Pete Brown, including the hits "Sunshine of Your Love", "White Room", and "I Feel Free". Cream broke up in 1968.[8]
Post-Cream: 1960s–70s
Collaborative efforts with musicians, in many genres – hard rock, jazz, blues, R&B, fusion, avant-garde, world music, third stream classical – continued as a theme of Bruce's career. Alongside these he has produced a long line of highly regarded solo albums. In contrast to his collaborative works, the solo albums usually maintain a common theme: melodic songs with a complex musical structure, songs with lyrics frequently penned by Pete Brown, and a core band of world-class musicians. This structure was loosened on his live solo albums and DVDs, where extended improvisations similar to those employed by Cream in live performance were sometimes still used.
In August 1968, before Cream officially disbanded, Bruce recorded an acoustic free jazz album with John McLaughlin, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and Jon Hiseman.[2] This was issued in 1970 as Bruce's second solo album, Things We Like. The album was a precursor to the jazz fusion boom in the early 1970s, and more recently has been sampled by many[who?] hip hop artists.
Bruce's first solo release, Songs for a Tailor, was issued in September 1969; it too featured Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman.[2] It was a worldwide hit, but after a brief supporting tour backed by Larry Coryell and Mitch Mitchell, Bruce joined the jazz fusion group Lifetime. With drummer Tony Williams, guitarist McLaughlin, and organist Larry Young, the group recorded two albums. Bruce joined on the second album, Turn It Over. However, Lifetime did not receive much critical or commercial acclaim at the time, and the band broke up in 1971. Bruce then recorded his third solo album Harmony Row, but this was not as commercially successful as Songs for a Tailor.[2] The song "The Consul at Sunset" from Harmony Row, which was inspired by the Malcolm Lowry novel Under the Volcano, was released as a single in 1971 (Polydor 2058-153, b/w "A Letter of Thanks"), but did not chart.
In 1972 Bruce formed a blues rock power trio, West, Bruce & Laing. Besides Bruce, the group included singer/guitarist Leslie West and drummer Corky Laing, both formerly of the Cream-influenced American band Mountain. West, Bruce & Laing produced two studio albums, Why Dontcha and Whatever Turns You On, and one live album, Live 'n' Kickin'.
The band's break-up was announced shortly before Live 'n' Kickin's release in early 1974, and Bruce released his fourth solo album Out of the Storm later that year. Also in 1974 he made a guest appearance on the title track of Frank Zappa's album Apostrophe. Bruce was credited with bass and for co-writing the song. However, when asked about Zappa in a 1992 interview Bruce tried to change the subject and jokingly insisted that he had played only cello parts. In 1973 Bruce recorded bass guitar for Lou Reed's Berlin album, playing on all but two tracks.
A 1975 tour was lined up to support the Out of the Storm album with a band featuring former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and jazz keyboard player Carla Bley, with whom he had collaborated in 1971 on Escalator over the Hill. The tour was documented on Live '75 (at Manchester's Free Trade Hall),[9] but it ended with Taylor's departure, and no studio album was completed.
In 1977 Bruce formed a new band with drummer Simon Phillips and keyboardist Tony Hymas. The group recorded an album, called How's Tricks. A world tour followed, but the album was a commercial failure.[2] The follow-up album Jet Set Jewel, while since commercially released, was rejected by Bruce's record label RSO upon its initial completion as not being marketable, and RSO ultimately dropped Bruce from their roster in 1978. In 1979 Bruce toured with members from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, reuniting him with John McLaughlin, and introducing him to drummer Billy Cobham. A 3-CD collection of his 1970s BBC recordings, entitled Spirit, was released in 2008.
1980s
By 1979, Bruce's drug habit had reached such a level that he had lost most of his money. Bruce contributed as a session musician to recordings by Cozy Powell, Gary Moore and Jon Anderson to raise money. By 1980 his career was back on track with his new band, Jack Bruce & Friends, consisting of drummer Billy Cobham, guitarist Clem Clempson, and keyboardist/guitarist David Sancious. After releasing an album, I've Always Wanted to Do This, at the end of 1980, they undertook a long tour to support the record, but it was not a commercial success and they disbanded. In the early 1980s, he also joined up to play with friends from the Alexis Korner days in Rocket 88, the back-to-the-roots band that Ian Stewart had arranged, and Bruce appears on the album of the same name, recorded live in Germany in 1980. They also recorded a "live in the studio" album called Blues & Boogie Explosion for the German audiophile record label Jeton. That year he also collaborated on the Soft Machine album Land of Cockayne (1981).
In 1981, Bruce collaborated with guitarist Robin Trower and released two power trio albums, BLT and Truce, the first of which was a minor hit in the United States.[2] By 1983 Bruce was out of contract with the major record companies, and he released his next solo album, Automatic, only on a minor German label, Intercord. A European tour followed to promote the album enlisting Bruce Gary from The Knack (who had also played in Jack Bruce's 1975 band) on drums and Sancious from his 1980 band (Jack Bruce & Friends) on guitar and keyboards. In 1982 Bruce played with a short-lived ensemble A Gathering of Minds comprising Billy Cobham, Allan Holdsworth, Didier Lockwood and David Sancious at Montreux. In 1983 he sang on tracks 5–6 of the Allan Holdsworth album Road Games.
In 1983 Bruce began working with the Latin/world music producer Kip Hanrahan, and released the collaborative albums Desire Develops an Edge, Vertical's Currency, A Few Short Notes from the End Run, Exotica and All Roads Are Made of the Flesh. They were all critically successful, and in 2001 he went on to form his own band using Hanrahan's famous Cuban rhythm section. Other than his partnership with lyricist Pete Brown, the musical relationship with Hanrahan has been the most consistent and long-lasting of his career.
In 1985 he sang lead and played blues harp on the song "Silver Bullet" with Anton Fier's Golden Palominos. It appears on the album Visions of Excess. In 1986 he re-recorded the Cream song "I Feel Free" and released it as a single to support an advertising campaign for the Renault 21 motor car. A solo album, Something Els, recorded in Germany between 1986 and 1992, reunited him with Eric Clapton, and brought belated, but widespread critical acclaim.[10]
1990s
In 1989, Bruce began recording material with Ginger Baker and released another solo album, A Question of Time.[2] Baker and Bruce toured the United States at turn of the decade. Bruce played at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990, and was invited by Irish blues rock performer, Rory Gallagher (who had a long-standing relationship with Bruce, having supported Cream's farewell concert in the band Taste in 1968) to perform a couple of songs together on stage. In 1991 he was one of the supporting musicians for Vivian Stanshall's solo show "Rawlinson Dog-ends", but quit over a lack of adequate rehearsals.[11]
In 1993 Baker appeared, along with a host of former Bruce band colleagues, at a special concert in Cologne to celebrate Bruce's 50th birthday. A special guest was another Irish blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore. The concert recordings with Moore were released as the live double album Cities of the Heart. On the back of this successful gig Bruce, Baker and Moore formed the power trio BBM, and their subsequent (and only) album Around the Next Dream was a top ten hit in the UK.[2] However, the old Bruce/Baker arguments arose again and the subsequent tour was cut short and the band broke up. A low-key solo album, Monkjack, followed in 1995, featuring Bruce on piano and vocals accompanied by Funkadelic organist Bernie Worrell.
Bruce then began work producing and arranging the soundtrack to the independently produced Scottish film The Slab Boys with Lulu, Edwyn Collins, Eddi Reader and the Proclaimers. The soundtrack album appeared in 1997. In 1997 he returned to touring as a member of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band, which also featured Peter Frampton on guitar. At the gig in Denver, Colorado the band was joined on stage by Ginger Baker, and Bruce, Baker and Frampton played a short set of Cream classics. He continued to tour with Starr through 2000.
2000s
In 2001 Bruce reappeared with a band featuring Bernie Worrell, Vernon Reid of Living Colour on guitar and Kip Hanrahan's three-piece Latin rhythm section. Hanrahan also produced the accompanying album Shadows in the Air, which included a reunion with Eric Clapton on a new version of "Sunshine of Your Love". The band released another Hanrahan produced studio album, More Jack than God, in 2003, and a live DVD, Live at Canterbury Fayre.
Bruce had suffered a period of declining health, after many years of addictions which he finally beat with clinical treatment, and in 2003 was diagnosed with liver cancer.[12] In September 2003, he underwent a liver transplant, which was almost fatal, as his body initially rejected the new organ.[13] He recovered, and in 2004 reappeared to perform "Sunshine of Your Love" at a Rock Legends concert in Germany organised by the singer Mandoki.
In May 2005, he reunited with former Cream bandmates Clapton and Baker for a series of well-received concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall,[14] released as the album Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005, and New York's Madison Square Garden.
In between the UK and US Cream dates he also played live with Gary Moore and drummer Gary Husband at the Dick Heckstall-Smith tribute concert in London.
Subsequent concert appearances were sparse because of recovery after the transplant, but in 2006 Bruce returned to the live arena with a show of Cream and solo classics performed with the German HR (Hessischer Rundfunk) Big Band. This was released on CD in Germany in 2007. In 2007, he made a brief concert appearance, opening a new rehearsal hall named in his honour at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow with Clem Clempson, keyboard player Ronnie Leahy and Husband.
In 2008, Bruce collaborated again with guitarist Robin Trower on the album Seven Moons. It also featured Husband.
In May 2008 Bruce was 65 years old and to commemorate this milestone two box sets of recordings were released. Spirit is a three-CD collection of Bruce's BBC recordings from the 1970s. Can You Follow? is a six-CD retrospective anthology released by the Esoteric label in the UK. This anthology is a wide ranging collection covering his music from 1963 to 2003 and, aside from his work with Kip Hanrahan, is a comprehensive overview of his career.
Improved health led to Bruce playing a series of live outdoor concerts across the US starting in July 2008 as part of the Hippiefest Tour. He was supported by members of the late Who bassist John Entwistle's The John Entwistle Band, and headlined at a tribute concert to the bassist.
In November 2008 he recorded a concert in Birmingham, England for Radio Broadcast with the BBC Big Band, where he again played the Big Band arrangements of his classic songs. In December he was reunited with Ginger Baker at the drummer's Lifetime Achievement Award concert in London. They played jazz classics with saxophonist Courtney Pine and for the first time in 40 years played the Graham Bond–Cream classic "Traintime".
The same month, Bruce, with guitarist Vernon Reid, drummer Cindy Blackman and organist John Medeski played a series of Blue Note Club tribute concerts to The Tony Williams Lifetime in Japan. These shows were broadcast in high definition on television in Japan.
In 2009 a series of concerts was performed with Trower and Husband in Europe. Proposed dates in the US in April were cancelled because of a further bout of ill health. Bruce recovered and the band played summer concerts in Italy, Norway and the UK during 2009. This promoted the release of the Seven Moons live CD and DVD, recorded in February during the European leg of the tour in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
During the Scottish dates of the 2009 tour Bruce was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Glasgow Caledonian University for services to the culture of Glasgow and music in general.
In August 2009, the 1983 Bruce solo album Automatic was released on CD. With this release, all his solo albums from his 1969 debut Songs for a Tailor onwards have become available on CD as well. In addition, all the discs up to and including How's Tricks contain previously unreleased material.
In October 2009, Bruce performed at the 50th anniversary of Ronnie Scott's Club with the Ronnie Scott's Blues Band.
2010s
Composing Himself: Jack Bruce The Authorised Biography by Harry Shapiro was released by Jawbone Press in February 2010. Shapiro had previously written biographies of Bruce collaborators Alexis Korner, Graham Bond and Eric Clapton. The book followed biographies from his Cream bandmates Clapton (Clapton, 2007) and Baker (Hellraiser, 2009). His songwriting partner, Pete Brown's, biography White Rooms & Imaginary Westerns was published in September 2010. They each have differing recollections of forming Cream, playing and writing together.
On 14 January, at the 2011 North American Music Merchants Show, Bruce became only the third recipient of the International Bassist Award, a lifetime achievement award for bassists, after Jaco Pastorius and Nathan Watts.
His first independent CD release, Live at the Milkyway, Amsterdam 2001, featuring his Latin-based band of the time, was issued in October 2010. The double album received an official worldwide release, distributed by EMI in February 2011. To support this release Bruce again played four dates in London at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with the Ronnie Scott's Blues Experience, followed by a further ten dates across the UK with the band. On 4 June 2011, Bruce played a special concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, which was celebrating its 60th anniversary. The evening celebrated the 50th anniversary of the blues in Great Britain, and Bruce played with his Big Blues Band and special guest Joe Bonamassa.
Bruce started 2012 playing the Gerry Rafferty tribute concert in Glasgow, followed by a date with the traditional Celtic band Lau. BBC Scotland recorded a one-hour special on Bruce, which also included a performance with Lau. The completed documentary Jack Bruce – The Man behind the Bass was transmitted in February 2012 by BBC Scotland. It featured new interviews with Bruce, Clapton, Baker and Brown. It was transmitted again on November 9, 2014 on BBC2 Scotland and on November 17, 2014 on BBC4 in the UK.[15]
February 2012 saw Bruce playing in Havana, Cuba, along with guitarist Phil Manzanera, supporting the mambo band of Augusto Enriquez. March saw another residency at Ronnie Scott's in London supported by his Big Blues Band, followed by a UK tour. The concert at the Stables, Milton Keynes on 18 March was due to be recorded as an Instant Live CD release, but technical issues prevented this. The following evenings performance at the same location was recorded and a 2CD version issued by Instant Live.
Spectrum Road was released in June 2012 by the US jazz record label Palmetto Records[16] and was accompanied by a series of dates at large jazz festivals in North America and Europe throughout June and July.
Bruce released Silver Rails, in March 2014 on the Esoteric Antenna label, his first solo studio album in over a decade.[17] Silver Rails was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, produced and mixed by Rob Cass and features contributions from Cream, lyricist Pete Brown, Kip Hanrahan and wife Margrit Seyffer as well as musicians Robin Trower, Cindy Blackman, Phil Manzanera, Uli Jon Roth, John Medeski and Bernie Marsden.[18] The deluxe version of the album featured a behind the scenes documentary "The Making of Silver Rails" which was filmed on location at the studios and directed by Bruce's daughter Kyla Simone Bruce. This film was shown on the BBC Channel Four website on the BBC iPlayer on November 17 2014 for 30 days[19] Bruce's son Malcolm Bruce pre-produced the album and played guitar on several tracks, while Bruce's daughter Aruba Red was featured on "Hidden Cities" singing backing vocals.
Personal life
In 1964 Bruce married Janet Godfrey, who had been the secretary of the Graham Bond Organisation fan club and had collaborated with Bruce on two songs written for the group.[3] Together, Godfrey and Bruce had two sons, Jonas (Jo) Bruce, who grew up to play keyboards in his father's band and formed a band called AfroCelts, and Malcolm Bruce, who grew up to play the guitar with his father and played with Ginger Baker's son, Kofi. Jonas died in 1997 from respiratory problems.
In 1982 he married his second wife, Margrit Seyffer.[20] With her he had two daughters, Natascha a.k.a. Aruba Red and Kyla, and a son Corin.[21]
Death
Bruce died of liver disease on 25 October 2014, in Suffolk, England, aged 71.[22] His publicist Claire Singers said: "He died today at his home in Suffolk surrounded by his family."[23] He is survived by his wife, Margrit, as well as four children; Malcolm Bruce, Aruba Red, Kyla Simone Bruce, Corin Bruce and granddaughter Maya Sage.[22]
His funeral was held in London on 5 November 2014 and was attended by Clapton, Baker and noted musicians Phil Manzanera, Gary Brooker, Vernon Reid and Nitin Sawhney among others. Dozens assembled at the Golders Green Crematorium paying a last tribute singing "Morning Has Broken", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Theme for an Imaginary Western". Bruce's remains were later cremated[24] and then buried at a private family ceremony on 31 December 2014 at the Golders Green Crematorium.[25]
Tributes and legacy
Writing in The Sunday Times in 2008, Dan Cairns had suggested: "many consider him to be one of the greatest bass players of all time."[26] Steve Anderson, writing in The Independent said ".. he became one of the most famous and influential bass players in rock."[27] Roger Waters of Pink Floyd recently described Bruce as "probably the most musically gifted bass player who's ever been."[22] Eric Clapton posted on Facebook about Bruce "He was a great musician and composer, and a tremendous inspiration to me" and composed an acoustic song in his honour[28] and Ginger Baker wrote "I am very sad to learn of the loss of a fine man, Jack Bruce... My thoughts & wishes are with his family at this difficult time."[29] Guitarist Leslie West, of rock group Mountain, posted on Facebook, "It is with great sadness that one of the worlds greatest musicians and bass players, who I had the honor of playing with in West Bruce and Laing, Jack Bruce has died. I was hoping somehow that we might have gotten together one last time. Rest in Peace my friend."[30] Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi said on Twitter that Bruce had been his favourite bass player, saying "He was a hero to so many" and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler regarded him as his "biggest influence and favourite bass player".[31] Guitarist John McLaughlin said on Twitter, "Very sad to have lost my old friend Jack Bruce."[32] Long-standing collaborator Robin Trower wrote on Facebook, "It has always been a great source of pride to me to have made music with Jack (one of the few musicians that can be truly called a force of nature) and Jack and I were proud of that music. He will be greatly missed".[33] Fellow bassist Billy Cox also posted a tribute to Bruce on Facebook.[34] Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Neil McCormick said, "There was a time when Jack Bruce was synonymous with the bass guitar in rock history, when he was widely revered as the best there was on four strings."[35] Rush bassist Geddy Lee wrote: “The sudden passing of Jack Bruce is terribly sad news. One of the greatest rock bassists to ever live and a true and profound inspiration to countless musicians. He was one of my first bass heroes and was a major influence on my playing and my music. My heartfelt condolences to his family and fans.”[36] In March 2015, a tribute concert at London's Roundhouse scheduled for October 2015 was announced. Guest artists confirmed were, Joss Stone, Phil Manzanera, Ginger Baker, Ian Anderson and Mark King and musical directer Nitin Sawhney.
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