Gig Of The Week: Ginger Baker
Every week the Classic Rock website recommends a forthcoming gig for you to check out. Come inside to find out more…
BAND: Ginger Baker & Friends
WHERE: The Jazz Café, London
WHEN: Wednesday, November 4
Another great gig in the week long series happening in celebration of the Classic Rock Awards. And this is a very special moment indeed. Because Ginger Baker is celebrating his 70th birthday – which means that there might be a lot of surprise and very special guests turning up.
There are a number of rumours about who might make an appearance. And given Baker’s history, we could witness some of rock’s true royalty getting onstage. The celebrated drummer has played with Cream, Blind Faith, Hawkwind, Masters Of Reality… the list is mouth-watering.
One man who will be there is Masters Of Reality mainman Chris Goss.
(Ginger used to play drums in MOR – and, most memorably, he also even ranted on the band’s all-time classic song, T.U.S.A., about the dodgy standards of USA tea versus the far superior British Rosie Lee equivalent.)
Goss told Classic Rock:
“Ginger is one of the few drummers who plays with nuance. Not at all a typical bashing ape, playing terribly cliched kick and snare patterns. He tempers his playing differently for each song as all great musicians should: serving the song and simultaneously being sympathetic to the singer and other players.
“When I first heard Sunshine Of Your Love I got chills up my spine on hearing the cymbal crashes that begin during the solo. So simple and so powerful in building the song. He followed that by pioneering Afro-fusion, years ahead of his time. Quite a story.
“So many great musicians are passing away now, Joe Zawinul, Max Roach on and on… the guys who wrote the aesthetic book, and they’re passing with hardly ever being mentioned in the news. Shameful. And yet we’re at a time when modern media whores make the papers for reasons unspeakable. Honouring Ginger Baker is our honour. Plain and simple.”
For further info, go to www.ginger-baker.com or find out more about Classic Rock’s week-of-gigs here.
