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Legendary bassist, vocalist, and multi instrumentalist Jack Bruce is the subject of a new autobiography, “Composing Himself”. best known for his founding role in the legendary power trio Cream, this book is a must read for anyone interested in music. Here’s why…

Jack Bruce: An Overview

Jack Bruce is probably best known for his integral role in the legendary power trio band Cream. And yet, his story doesn’t start or stop with that influential group.

It was there he crossed paths with and ultimately teamed up with drummer Ginger Baker and guitarist Eric Clapton to form Cream, a musical tour de force that still influences and resonates to this day. although Cream’s initial shelf life lasted less than three years, the world class musicianship of the three members spawned countless imitators and legions of admirers.

After the band’s 1968 break up, Bruce went on to forge a colorful music career, careening from hard rock to blues to jazz and all points in between. he has stayed true to his musical vision, whether or not it meant commercial success, and this is why his story is a must read for all aspiring musicians and fans of great music.

The Autobiography: Composing Himself

The Jack Bruce autobiography, Composing himself, is aptly written and narrated by Harry Shapiro, an accomplished author who has known his subject at arms length for decades. The forward is brilliantly written by Bruce’s Cream band mate, Eric Clapton, who offers a glimpse of Bruce’s talents from an insiders perspective.

Many other peers, friends, and family members provide an honest and often gut wrenching perspective of Bruce’s life and career. Like many high profile musicians, he struggled with the bounty of success, turning to drugs as a crutch.

With his career basically in shambles a short ten years after Cream’s break up, the book details his long journey back to physical and emotional health, and relevancy within the music business. His many musical partnerships are covered in fascinating detail, especially the aborted early 1970′s super group, West, Bruce, and Laing. Thrown together by music industry executives hoping for a big pay day, the band imploded under the weight of its own expectations, nearly ruining the three members in the process.

For the most part, the narrative keeps Bruce’s family life at arms length, other than to underscore their importance and positive influence in his life. Bruce, an extraordinarily private man, has never sought rock star adulation. as the book recounts, of more importance is his desire to pursue inner satisfaction via his music, commercially successful or not.

His recent reunion with Cream is detailed, both with poignant humor and wistful recollections. Long known for their combative relationship, the complicated interplay between Bruce and Ginger Baker is dealt with respectfully, but with the gloves off. in what Eric Clapton calls a sibling rivalry, Bruce and Baker have deep mutual respect but still do not see eye to eye, almost 50 years after they first played together.

Summary

One need not be a fan of Cream, or even Jack Bruce, to enjoy his autobiography, Composing himself. it is an honest chronicle of a man who lives for his music, a man who almost deliberately shunned the path of commercial success to stay true to himself and his vision.

Further, the book is a soul baring study in relationships; what should have been done, and what should have been said. it is a story of sadness, a story of triumph, but most of all a story of survival.

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The Karinthy Connection

01 November 2011 , 7:08 PM by nicole gundi

In 1929, Hungarian writer and poet Frigyes Karinthy wrote a short story called "Chains".

Few people know of the book or the author but you would know the phrase he coined, "six degrees of separation".

This is The Karinthy Connection. 

Every Tuesday after 5.30pm, a music lover is invited onto Drive with Bernadette Young to continue the musical chain.

Pete Carroll was closely associated with the Manchester music scene before moving to Australia in 1989 to work for Sony Music. He's worked with Oasis, Michael Jackson, Jeff Buckley to name but a few.  in fact, in the list of stars he's worked with only Celine Dion has NOT featured in The Karinthy Connection! he currently manages the Panics whom he signed to his independent music label, Little BIG MAN Records.

Following on from Rebecca Barnard with Dusty Springfield's Preacher Man…

Dionne Warwick "I'm your puppet" – it was recently released on an album called 'Sweet inspiration".  like Dusty, Dionne recorded this track in Memphis at the same studio with the same players.   Dusty and Dionne had recorded Bacharach and David songs and wanted to record a soul focused record. They had been inspired by records recorded there by Aretha Franklin Memphis – possibly the most important music hot spot that sparked a revolution in rock n roll and soul was the place Aretha Franklin also headed to following her move to Atlantic records – once again to record a soul record – in fact one of Aretha's best known songs from the period 'Do right woman" was written by Dan Penn, the same guy who wrote 'I'm your puppet". Aretha Franklin "Say a little prayer" a Bacharach and David song also recorded by Dusty and Dionne.   Aretha used a session guitar player called Duane Allman who was used on many soul sessions.

The Allman Bros "Midnight rider' taken from 'Idlewild south'.  Duane Allman played with Eric Clapton in Derek and the Dominoes which featured musicians from the South.

Derek and the dominoes "Little Wing". Eric Clapton had been inspired to leave Cream when he heard The Band's debut album "Music from big pink"

The Band "The Weight" taken from The last Waltz" featuring the Staple singers. The band were inspired by the Staple singers gospel call and response vocal approach and the music coming out of Memphis.  The Staples had signed to the label that epitomised the Memphis soul sound – Stax records The house band at Stax were Booker T and the MGs – Booker remembers seeing The Staples singing in a church when he was doing his paper round prior the playing with them a few years later in the studio

Booker T and the MGs "Green Onions".

Check out the last Karinthy Connection

gold_coast_coast_music , gold_coast_drive

Isn’t it funny how a smell, a word or a snippet of a song can bring a flood of memories back? I just experienced this the other day while driving to the store. Strangely enough, I was alone so I cranked up the radio. I was listening to a Classic Rock station when I heard the musical stylings of mr. Eric Clapton. he was singing “Pretending” a single that came out in 1989 — my senior year of college.

Immediately, I was transported to the backseat of a big ole brown car, driving back from a night of drinking at the bar. Tonya, you might remember this experience.

I must admit that while I never once drove drunk in my life, I am guilty of being a drunk passenger in the car while a friend was driving drunk. Infinitely better, I know.

We were very fortunate, nothing ever happened while we drove from Mac’s Bar in East Lansing straight down Michigan Avenue back to the campus of Michigan State University. not once did we get into an accident. not once were we pulled over by the police. Dumb luck, I’m sure.

Okay, so it was roughly 2:15 am, the bar had shut down and Troy was driving. I can tell you initially I had a few misgivings about him driving us home, as he drank all night, like the rest of us did.

But it was explained to my 21-year-old mind that he was “really good at driving while he’s drunk.” I’m laughing now at this rationale. because basically that’s all I needed to hear. he had super-human driving skills and no amount of alcohol was going to change that.

Sign me up, I replied, that works for me.

And between you and me, I laid that fear to rest. I wanted him to have super-human driving skills while drunk and so I embraced that lie to its fullest. I experienced no fear after the first ride home and relied on him as the designated driver.

Did I feel any nagging residual fear weeks later, when we were standing in Mac’s bar and he was downing pitcher after pitcher of beer?

No I did not. I was a fool.

Back to the story. It’s about 2:15 am and five of us have piled into this huge car. it looked just like this, but it was brown not powder blue. If you’re interested in purchasing this blue car, however, you can get to the link here. someone is selling it for $4,995.

So Tonya, Jenny and I were sitting in the backseat enjoying a massive buzz from the beer we’d been drinking all night. I’m quite reserved when sober; I have a pretty good poker face and I can hide my true feelings pretty well with a non-committal shrug.

But when I drink that repression drains away until I sober up. I do think I’m a fun drunk, though.

So Troy was driving down Michigan Avenue, it was a late spring day and the temperature was really warm, around 80 degrees, and all of the windows were rolled down. Suddenly the radio was blaring “Pretending” by Eric Clapton, a song Tonya and I really liked. it has a killer hook:

That’s when she said she was pretendingLike she knew the planThat’s when I knew she was pretendingPretending to understand

Pretending, pretendingPretending, pretending

Normally, when I hear a song I really like on the radio, I turn it up. In my head, I silently sing the lyrics. I can’t sing. I’m not trying to fool anyone. My voice sucks. Even I don’t want to hear it. so I rock out in my head.

But that night I was drunk. and my inhibitions were lowered.

So Tonya and I started screaming the chorus, along with Eric. “That’s when she said she was pretending…”

We were rockin’ out in the back seat and the music was so loud I couldn’t really hear my own voice. and I was drunk. I was feeling good.

And then Troy turned the music off. so it was just me and Tonya screaming/singing the chorus, off-key of course. “That’s when she said she was …” we trailed off. What the F?

I was drunk and I had been happy. But he kept turning the song on and off, to catch us singing. That’s when Cardiogirl said she was highly pissed off.

Troy, you totally harshed my mellow by doing that. Jackass.

And while I still enjoy the song I think of sitting in the back of that Grand Marquis, speeding down the road, singing to Eric Clapton. and then having the rug pulled out from beneath my feet.

Cut to the Jeopardy sound stage. Alex Trebeck reads the answer: This person can be upbeat and fun, but she remembers every injustice and harbors a grudge. for. ever.”

A Cardio peep buzzes in with the answer, which must be in the form of a question: “Alex, who is Cardiogirl?”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 7:04 am and is filed under Humor, Observations, Self Image. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.