All About That (Jack) Bruce: I Want To Know

As we study the musical history of Jack Bruce, he appears to be a man that was destined to play in super groups and today’s selection is no different. It all came about when Elektra Records was opening their London office under the management of producer/A&R man Joe Boyd.

To celebrate that auspicious occasion, Paul Jones of Manfred Mann suggested that such a group be formed. Former members of The Roosters and current members of Manfred Mann, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and the Spencer Davis Group collaborated on a recording. This short-lived band was named Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse.

The group consisted of the following:

Former Roosters members – Eric Clapton (guitar), Paul Jones (harmonica & back-up vocals), and Ben Palmer (piano).

Current Manfred Mann members – Paul Jones and Jack Bruce (bass).

Current members of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce.

Current members of The Spencer Davis Group – Steve Winwood (vocals) and Peter York (drums).

The Powerhouse recorded four tracks with Elektra releasing three of these on the sampler “What’s Shakin’.” The sampler headlined the Lovin’ Spoonful and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, but also included cuts from Al Kooper and Tom Rush.

Because Winwood was under contract at the time, he used the pseudonym Steve Anglo; however, Elektra initially got that wrong and he was credited as Steve Angelo. Winwood, under the Anglo/Angelo name, and Eric Clapton were the only two Powerhouse members to receive specific credit on “What’s Shakin’.”

In order to be distanced from this project on another label, Paul Jones’ composition “I Want to Know” was credited to his first wife under a variation of her maiden name, Sheila MacLeod; writing credits were assigned to “S. McLeod.” “I Want to Know” features the driving bass of Jack Bruce as well as the excellent musicianship of the rest of the Powerhouse team. The three cuts, including, “I Want to Know,” were produced by Joe Boyd.

All About That (Jack) Bruce: Stormy Monday

For a short time, Jack Bruce was a member of John Mayall’s legendary Blues Breakers, but like his tenure in Manfred Mann, it was short lived. What survived are some live cuts that were recorded at London’s Flamingo Club on March 17, 1966. Mayall’s original intent was to record a live LP that featured the soaring guitar solos of Eric Clapton.

Because the quality was not the best, Mayall scrapped the idea of a live album and began recording the legendary “Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton” LP that same month. John McVie, who would later be a founding member of Fleetwood Mac, replaced Jack Bruce on bass.

While many of the recordings featuring Jack Bruce have been released over time, the first to see the light of day was Mayall’s interpretation of T-Bone Walker’s legendary “They Call It Stormy Monday,” which has been covered by a countless number of artists. “They Call it Stormy Monday” was first released in 1969 on Mayall’s “Looking Back” album.

Besides Bruce’s bass and Clapton’s guitar, “Stormy Monday” featured John Mayall on organ and vocals and Hughie Flint on drums. Besides Bruce’s solid bass, the guitar leads of Eric Clapton reinforce the idea that he is one of best guitarists of all time.

All About That (Jack) Bruce: Train Time

Featuring some of the most talented musicians in Britain, the jazz/blues band The Graham Bond Organization (also stylized with the British spelling as The Graham Bond “Organisation”) would be termed as a super group today. At the time though, the members were relatively unknown. In 1965, they released their critically acclaimed debut album “The Sound of 65.”

The lineup included Graham Bond on vocals, keyboards, and alto sax; Jack Bruce on bass, harmonica, and vocals; Ginger Baker on drums and percussion; and Dick Heckstall-Smith on tenor and soprano saxophones. Although not on this recording, a previous incarnation of the Graham Bond Quartet featured guitarist John McLaughlin (along with Bond, Bruce, and Baker).

The band recorded two albums with a third that was posthumously released. It included some live recordings from The Graham Bond Quartet days. All three albums feature Jack Bruce. While I thought about featuring a tune with Bruce’s vocals, as there were several, I decided to allow you to savor the his fantastic harmonica playing with “Train Time.”

Bruce actually composed the song, but it was credited originally to “John Group” – a pseudonym that he used with The Graham Bond Organization. Apparently, all members of the band received royalties for this number under that name. It later emerged as a live staple for Cream and appeared as “Traintime” on “Wheels of Fire” and the “BBC Sessions” albums. Graham Bond sings on the original recording.

During their tenure with the band, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce were constantly fighting with one another. Further problems with Bruce led to him being fired before the release of their second album. It is said that Baker was enlisted to do the dirty work. Apparently by 1966, Bruce and Baker patched up their differences, as they were reunited in Cream less than a year after Bruce exited The Graham Bond Organization.

All About That (Jack) Bruce: White Room

I don’t know how I missed it, but somehow I didn’t see the report that Jack Bruce died from liver failure on October 25. He was 71. While today’s audiences may not recognize the importance of Jack Bruce’s contributions, he was a musician extraordinaire. Although he studied classical ‘cello and additionally played guitar, harmonica, and piano; he was a bassist through and through – playing fretted electric bass, a Fender Bass VI, fretless bass, and double bass during a very productive career since the 1960s.

This month, our second week feature is dedicated to Jack Bruce and its title is a play-on Meghan Trainor’s number one record from earlier this year, “All about that Bass.” Since with Bruce, it typically was all about that bass, we will be featuring a solo recording as well as cuts from his tenure with The Graham Bond Organization; John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers; Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse; Cream; West, Bruce, & Laing; and BLT.

Since I’ve already featured his one recording with Manfred Mann, “Pretty Flamingo,” it will be missing from this week’s lineup. For today, I am featuring one of the better known tracks featuring Bruce’s bass and vocals: Cream’s “White Room.” Released as a single in September 1968, the song also features Ginger Baker on drums and timpani, Eric Clapton on rhythm and wah-wah guitar, and producer Felix Pappalardi on violas.

“White Room” was co-written by Bruce and his frequent collaborator, poet Pete Brown. The single peaked at #6 on Billboard’s Hot 100. While many of us heard the single edit at 3:05, album rock played the longer cut that was nearly five minutes in length from the double LP “Wheels of Fire.”

We’ll miss you Jack Bruce, but thank you for your contributions to rock and jazz. Rock on.

Cris Jacobs: The Devil or Jesse James

A few weeks ago, I heard our feature artist on Mountain Stage doing a number of songs including today’s selection, “The Devil or Jesse James.” In fact, I heard it twice with an encore presentation a week later. As I was listening to the show, Jacobs’ impressive guitar work caught my ear. From Baltimore, Jacobs had been a member of the band The Bridge until they officially called it quits in 2011.

Besides one reunion date with The Bridge in 2012, Jacobs has been performing solo and with his own band – which is appropriately called the Cris Jacobs Band. It’s hard to tell exactly what tuning that Jacobs is using on this cut, as his fingers are often obscured by the microphone. My best guess is that it is a Double Dropped “D” Tuning (DADGBD) that is capoed up a full step to “E.”

This version was recorded on February 23, 2014 as part of the webcast “Listen in with Ellen Cherry.” Nice stuff.

Elektra Records: Amazing Grace

One of Judy Collins biggest hits was an unlikely choice to make it to the top 15 – the traditional hymn by John Newton – “Amazing Grace.” Although a popular choice of Christian congregants, the song amazingly (pun intended) hit the top 15 twice in the early 1970s. Both versions were unique.

In 1972, the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and their bagpipe instrumental peaked at #11. Judy Collins’ a cappella version, which was akin to Joan Baez’s performance at Woodstock a year earlier, peaked at #15 in 1970. During the same period, Rod Stewart and Aretha Franklin both recorded “Amazing Grace” – neither charted.

Collins’ love affair with “Amazing Grace” began when she was a member of an encounter group in the 1960s. At the end of each meeting, the group sang the only song which everyone had known the words – “Amazing Grace.” To Collins, the song was a culmination of a long line of protests of the Vietnam War. After doing all she could to end the war, nothing was left but to sing “Amazing Grace.” And that she did.

Using the vocal talents of a group of friends, Collins recorded the song at St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University in New York City. The venue was selected because of its excellent acoustics. Although the song did extremely well in the US, it charted eight times in the UK between 1970 and 1972. The highest position was at #5.

Elektra Records: Tomorrow Night

Since they never had a US hit, Atomic Rooster remains an enigma to many American audiences. The band was formed out of the ashes of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown who had one hit – 1968’s “Fire.” Atomic Rooster’s original line-up included Vincent Crane on keyboards, Carl Palmer on drums, and Nick Graham on bass and vocals.

Their self-titled debut album, however, was not released in the US. By the time of the release of their first American album, “Death Walks Behind You,” the band’s personnel changed dramatically. Guitarist John DuCann had joined and made the band a quartet for a short period; however, Carl Palmer and Nick Graham left prior to recording the second album.

DuCann took over lead vocal duties and Crane added the bass lines via his Hammond organ. As done with many albums marketed in the US, their American label (Elektra Records) chose a different cover. The original British version on B&C Records had William Blake’s etching of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

The American version sported a metal sculpture of a rooster’s head. It was fitting for Atomic Rooster’s American debut. In addition, the album’s title was not listed on the front cover – thus providing the viewer the assumption that this may have been the band’s first LP.

Today’s feature is the lead single from “Death Walks Behind You” – “Tomorrow Night.” The long version of the song features a syncopated piano intro by Vince Crane. He later adds his Hammond organ – which has a Jon Lord feel using Hammond’s distinctive percussion settings. Back in 1969, Deep Purple had opened for Atomic Rooster. “Tomorrow Night” peaked at #11 in the UK; however, it never made it to the American charts.