Deeply saddened to have just heard the great Jack Bruce has died. As a practising lawyer some 20 years ago, i acted for Jack in a long-running royalties dispute with his former record label, an endeavour in which we had modest success. During the course of our professional relationship we became friends. In the rough world of popular music at that time, Jack was like a beacon; funny, humble, fiercely talented not only as songwriter, vocalist and bassist but also as a cellist and pianist (he was adamant that both daughters should learn the cello, which they did and became proficient players). On a lighter note, he was also a great cook- he put that down to his years spent in Italy! His passing relinquishes one more link with the origins of modern British jazz and r & b. As well as his own solo albums, Cream, etc, his sideman albums- for instance on Kip Hanrahans Clave label- were a revelation, with Jack switching from jazz to latin to Haitian vodou rhythms at the drop of a hat- something that any bassist will tell you is notoriously hard. Jacks songwriting partnership with Pete Brown has lasted a monumental period of time- not surprisingly, because there are few artists that could keep up with Jacks creative energy, and Pete was one of them. The much publicised arguments between the former members of Cream were blown up ridiculously by the media: I know for a fact that Jack, for one, was saddened at the many press inaccuracies in the way all that was reported back in the 90s. My sympathies to his lovely wife and daughters, who will no longer hear that warm, chuckling Glaswegian burr. And as for the rest of us, we will never again hear one of the two or three most distinctive rock voices that this country has ever produced.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 15:41:31 +0000
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