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IN 2014, a day before the first anniversary of his death at the age of 71, an all-star cast of musicians gathered at London’s Roundhouse to pay tribute to Jack Bruce.
Under the direction of musical genius Nitin Sawhney, the show was recorded and filmed and is now available on a new CD and DVD set.
The line-up was rock royalty indeed, among them Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, Jethro Tull‘s Ian Anderson, Level 42’s Mark King, Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers, Whitesnake’s Bernie Marsden and a host of others, including Bruce’s partners in Cream — drummer Ginger Baker who appeared for the encore and Eric Clapton who appears on the CD playing the acoustic track For Jack.
Lanarkshire-born Bruce’s initial path to rock stardom was somewhat unusual — he won a scholarship to study the cello and musical composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
But he began playing bass in his teens and in 1962 headed south to join Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated and later the Graham Bond Organisation, which included drummer Ginger Baker and guitarist John McLaughlin. He went on to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Manfred Mann before forming Cream with Baker and Clapton.
The first true rock supergroup, it became a global phenomenon, producing classic albums such as Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire.
When Cream split, Bruce cut some great solo albums such as Songs For A Tailor before joining Leslie West and Corky Laing of Mountain in 1972 to form West Bruce and Laing. His later career went into a different direction — jazz fusion, rock with Robin Trower and work with the BBC Jazz Orchestra.
Some of that extraordinary track record features in the concert, with versions of Cream’s I Feel Free, Badge, White Room, Politician and I’m So Glad alongside solo tracks from Songs For A Tailor including Tickets To Waterfalls, Rope Ladder To The Moon, Never Tell Your Mother She’s Out Of Tune and Weird Of Hermiston, culminating with an all-star encore playing Cream’s Sunshine Of Your Love and We’re Going Wrong, sung by Bruce's daughter Aruba Red.
The show raised £35,000 for Jack's favourite charity, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and a percentage of the sale of this set will go to the charity.
Sunshine of Your Love is released on Mig Music, £19.99.
