THE MUSIC OF CREAM
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Balboa Theatre,
868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter
$36-$50, plus service
Tickets: charges
(619) 570-1100 ticketmaster.com
Phone:
Online:
They will also play some Cream rarities and songs from Clapton’s post-cream repertoire, including “Layla,” accompanied by vintage videos and photos of Cream that have seldom been seen before.
Ginger Baker died last October at the age of 80. For Kofi Baker, whose f leeting relationship with his notoriously difficult dad was, well, very difficult, playing Cream’s music enables him to salute and extend his father’s musical legacy. His goal is not just to provide a nostalgic experience for graying baby boomers, but to build a new audience of younger listeners.
“A lot of today’s music acts have all this dancing onstage because the music is so boring. In Cream’s day, you’d close your eyes and you could really get into the music,” Baker said.
“When I started learning Cream’s stuff, I was amazed. I thought, ‘Hey, my dad is playing all my licks!’ It was very easy for me to do, because my dad taught me. He was a jazz player, and I grew up playing jazz. So I play it the way I feel it, and it’s the way my dad played it. I’m pretty close, but I don’t play exactly like my dad. I’m more influenced by (Frank Zappa/ Herbie Hancock drum alum) Vinnie Colaiuta. My dad was was into drummers like Baby Dodds and Art Blakey. He loved Tony Williams, who I thought was insanely good and learned a lot of stuff from.”
Baker was still in his teens when he performed a concert in Budapest with Cream co-founder Jack Bruce. But it was not until last month that he teamed with Cream’s sole surviving member for the first time.
The London concert was billed as Eric Clapton & Friends: A Tribute to Ginger Baker. It was a fundraiser for Leonard Cheshire, a charity that provides support to disabled people around the world. The lineup included Clapton, Steve Winwood, Pink Floyd cofounder Roger Waters, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers.
Kofi Baker was featured on two Cream songs synonymous with his dad’s name, “Pressed Rat and Warthog” and “Toad.” The latter found him soloing alongside fellow drummers Steve Gadd, Sonny Emory, Kenny Jones and Henry Spinetti.
“My sister chose the charity,” Baker said. “There was a really great spirit, and I didn’t feel sad at all. We were celebrating my dad and his music, so I it was very happy and positive for me.
“It really did feel like I was coming full circle. I grew up playing with my dad, and I’d played with Jack once, but I’d never played with Eric. To play with him and all my dad’s friends felt like a completion, because I honored my dad in the best way possible. I didn’t want to put on a tribute with anybody less than Eric and Steve. I couldn’t afford to put it on myself, so Eric did and I’m really thankful he did. It felt amazing and it was really a highlight of my life.”
george.varga@sduniontribune.com