Remembering Jack Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) | Cream - White Room (FAREWELL CONCERT 1968) | Don’s Tunes

Cream in 1966, Ginger Baker Eric Clapton And Jack Bruce

There had always been problems between Ginger and myself. We're kind of like brothers. When it's nice it's great, but then sometimes, as with siblings, it can go really wrong. He took it upon himself to fire me from the Graham Bond Organisation, although he wasn't the band leader [laughs].

He said I was playing, "too busy." I think I was just finding myself and a style very much influenced by James Jamerson, people like that who played melodically. I was interested in trying to take the bass guitar out of the rhythm section. I was also influenced by jazz: Scott LaFaro, Charlie Mingus, the sort of people I looked up to. So yeah, I probably was playing a lot of notes. He didn't quite agree with that [laughs].

What's your favorite Cream song?

Bruce: Probably, “White Room.’’ The inspiration for the music came from meeting Jimi Hendrix and his approach to playing. In fact, he came to the recording session of that in New York and said to me, "I wish I could write something like that." I said, "But it comes from you!" 

Interview By Jim Clash, Forbes   The Complete Interview Forbes Mag - Jim CLASH


Photograph: Associated Newspapers/Rex

Don’s Tunes

WHITE ROOM - CREAM (Farewell Concert 1968)

[Poor Eric never quite got how to play the Wah-wah peddle!]