Im now 65 yrs old. After I watched this a rush of emotion came over me and it felt as if I was transported back in time. Emotions so real that I recall the very place and feelings I experienced when I first listened to these three men play music. It was ground breaking fresh and new. To be brought back to a time in my life as a teenage boy is magic only music can create. To feel the feelings I had as a young boy at that time was a bit frightening. The country was going through so many changes with the Vietnam war, the civil rights uprising and culture transformation at every turn. It was a trying time for me and my friends. We were forced to grow up quick. No computer's, cell phones or video games to fill our time. Only music. It was the one constant deversion and a place to run to go for comfort, not to mention some weed and acid. Music had the power to keep us connected as kids. No matter how dificult the time was thanks to bands like Cream we survived and I wouldnt change a single thing if I could.
@@bigdawg7703 Great post and so true. I got this reply late, but it is much appreciated. I too lived to see and experience the magic of those times. Nothing today equals any of it.
With all due respect - how can anyone not do so? Name me one live album of any of those rock bands that had as much power on the highest level as the live side of Wheels of Fire ...
There's many skilled drummers that cannot play fills and patterns like this. Ginger was the drummer everyone wanted to copy and it makes perfect sense why. God Rest Ginger and thank you for sharing your gift all those years.
The worst way to be a great drummer is to copy, per se. Hence so many bland robots now. But yeh, playing along with your fave albums featuring fave drummers till you find your own way to fit in is really handy as fook! LIke Ginger I understood FAST that African drumming is less about keeping a beat like most UK drummers tended to do and still do (I'm generalizing of course) but rather, about, in a sense, imagining via a pile of chosen drums, that you are in fact playing up to three (progenies can do more but may need assistants) singers harmonies that fit onto dance steps which those harmonies co-incide with. It's where African stuff gets the weight that much Euro music cannot. And you;re trying to give the effect of three dance/harmony patterns plating at once. Otherwise it';s just the usual banging stuff in time. May as well buy a metronome for that! lol.
To say everyone wanted to copy Ginger Baker is a bit of a stretch. Baker was certainly not the best drummer in the world. There are dozens of drummers in America that excel. He would be lost amongst them.
Finally someone giving a shout out for the audio crew, without them their wouldn’t be a show. To all the audio engineers out there here’s a big cheers🎉
You know, you're RIGHT!! The camera work was SO Good, that I almost didn't NOTICE it, but that's a sign that it IS good! Thanks for bringing that to my (and everyone else's) attention!! 🙂
They Got back after 40 years and sounded better than when they broke up. I thank my lucky stars to have heard and seen this Incredible Reunion. It was sent from Heaven to Everyone still here after so many years to enjoy these legends together again. R.I.P. Jack and Ginger.
Jack taught me the importance of having a double bass nearby your bed in your house if you fancy being a bass player. I clicked to what he meant straight away. And now? I've a beautiful 1951 full sizer to practice and write upon. And the Thunderbird for taking out and about!
This is an example of true rock talent. These men were/are great. Thank goodness above we still have Eric. May Ginger and Jack rest in peace. I love this band!
I did watch it, I was not familiar with him until then even though I am over 60, Ginger looked better than dd he did back in the 60's. Ginger Baker is his own man and nothing more.
I saw Ginger at a Ludwig Drum Co. clinic back in 1989. He spoke a while, then proceeded to blow everyone away with a 15-minute solo. The he sat and explained what he played. The best part? It was free and I sat nearly close enough to see him sweat. Then he signed autographs!
Well, that was a Master class in playing the drums melodically as a solo instead of just blowing out your chops and hoping that someone was impressed. Mr. Baker is an icon of days past. R.I.P.
Ginger was so melodic in his performances. Stunning. What a great loss, but left behind a treasure trove of music for generations to come. Thank you, Ginger.
Anyone listening to this in 2024. What brilliant piece of ryhmic drumming ball. I first discovered this brilliant track on Creams, Wheels on Fire vinyl album called Toad. What brilliant album that was/is. Ginger Baker one of the great drummers . Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce pretty special musicians too.
It's always amazing to watch a showcase of decades of skill and experience, no matter the field. It's not as flashy as the younger guys, but Baker plays with a patience and understanding that only comes from many years of study.
This is very true. He (and his intentionality) remind me very much of the British guitarist Derek Bailey, with whom I had the opportunity to play once (and listened to him many times). If God is in the details, these are / were very godly men. :)
@@JoeCooper-b4t We certainly did!! I wouldn't trade my youth for the world. Never again will there be a time that music flourished like it did. I remember when I first heard "Toad" on "Wheels of Fire", I couldn't believe what I was hearing, even though this version is fabulous in it's own rite.
Frigging beautiful! And when Clapton steps aside to let him do his thing, you know it's special. Absolutely one of the best musicians that ever lived, Mr Ginger Baker. 👍👍
@@scottmurphy4183 I agree - no point in only having one dominant hand as a drummer - even the basics require both hands to be as capable as each other.
Being ambidextrous is important, but being able to have all 4 limbs doing independant things is abosolutely amazing. He was the best at that. Bonzo had the best groove and Neil Peart was the best technical drummer. Just amazing to watch these 3!
Jack Bruce. One of the first great fretless bassists. Most of the time you couldn't tell he played fretless. Truly unique trio. That is some fine drumming by Baker. He had those Flams down solid.
If you love Ginger Baker look up the documentary of his travels in Africa, he wanted to find the history of drumming. He took his kit out to African villages, got people to play their drums and they played his, it was magical. I loved Cream, and was so lucky to meet Ginger Baker several times and chatted about his drug times, but he said he most moving and happiest times were when he was in Africa
Just talking with my band mates and Masters of reality came up and Ginger Baker.. I hope he's playing up in the sky....... Such an amazing person and musician ❤️❤️
I was not aware f this, but you can definitely hear the African influences in his melodic and rhythmic choices. It's not a 'look at what I can do' solo but almost a song in it's own right.
Mr Baker has always been my favorite drummer. I also began playing at 15. I’m only 73, but I’m still rocking. Still playing in several different rock bands. I play EVERYDAY. Just bought another brand new kit, which makes it four I currently own. Ginger will forever be my hero. May God Bless you Ginger. Look forward to seeing you again someday in a far better place.
I began playing rock in 1965 in a garage rock band as a self-taught drummer. I've seen Ginger, Mitch Mitchell, Dino Danelli and Danny Seraphine (CTA/Chicago) in person, up close, plus many other rock drummers who were also excellent. However, after hearing Joe Morello and Buddy Rich, I switched to jazz and never looked back. My favorite rock drummers are John Bonham and others with jazz backgrounds. I'm sorry, but Ginger always sounds the same to me regardless of what he plays. He plays well, but......
@@Beehive101 Ginger was a super athlete, he was a bicycle racer in England. I always wondered why some drummers wear the same clothes that basketball players wear. My brother the drummer said: "that's what they wore in high school or college when they played basketball." John "JR" Robinson is the most recorded session player and he played for Quincy Jone's In The House Band and also David Foster. He also was a high school hoop player.
I don’t know if he was the best at drumming but he sure was one of the best at writing drum parts. He has some of the most iconic drumming especially when you factor in the era
Wow! Ginger Baker was one of my favorite drummers. Sensational in both rock and jazz styles. No one sounds like Ginger Baker. He has a unique style and sound.
Absolutely amazing solo! WOW! It’s like he’s an octopus! I’ve always been impressed with drummers who sound like they have multiple limbs to hit as many beats as they do at the same time. I learned it from my Dad who was a drummer from when I was 4 till my late 30s. I was so excited the first time I could actually go to the bar where his band played every weekend and watch the crowd respond to his playing! I heard the band practice in my basement my whole childhood but it’s a whole different world when you can see them at a gig, getting the patrons to dance. The energy and atmosphere they created was so much fun. Here’s a cute story: When he married my stepmom, her father hired a band to play at the reception. Well when the band took a break to eat, my dads band went up and played a few songs!😂 And of course all of our friends and loved ones absolutely LOVED IT! But once my new step-grandfather noticed the band he had hired out on the dance floor, he went and told his daughter, (my stepmom), to get her husband’s band off the stage cause he’s not paying the band he hired to dance!😂😂😂
That perfect posture is why this drumming is as boring as it is. No drummer sits straight when he's utilizing his cybals within his solo! His posture is perfect because he's not doing anything!
Baker spent several years in the 1970s living and recording in Africa, often with Fela Kuti, in pursuit of his long-time interest in African music. He was even shot at by a leader after a dispute.
He was never a muscly/strength drummer like Keith Moon & John Bonham, but because he was orginally a jazz drummer he had as you said impeccable timing, flair, and as another said, courage/confidence to try new things. And make no error while he may not have had the pure muscle like Moon & Bonham, he had his own unique strength - he was wiry and apparently one time while in Cream did whack someone and they never got up.
I saw him in person at the Dakota in Minneapolis. His incredible sense of rhythm, impeccable technique, and the variety of meters that he played were amazing and really enjoyable to watch and hear. As they lifted him up to the drum stand he commented about how he was getting old. There was nothing old at all about his performance.
Dang! Sorry I missed that. I saw him with Cream back in the day. I was 15 YO at the time and had never seen such a powerful drummer. (Well, maybe Keith Moon,,,)
He smiles a lot, and obviously he's a legendary musician, but he certainly was not pleasant to his bandmates - he did try to stab Jack Bruce after all. Have a look at "beware of Mr Baker" on youtube. It's a doco about his life and career and features him, most if his band mates, and the major people involved in his life.
@@JungleLibrary that film was dishonest and intentionally put Ginger Baker in a poor light. He deserves some sympathy. He grew up having to fight for the tiniest bit of respect and peace he ever knew. Jack wasn't exactly an angel, either. They are both working-class Brits (Yeah I know Bruce was a Scot), and had the angst of their class imbued in them). But I loved them both. Eric, too.
Ginger Baker incredible drummer, from Cream days* Eric, Jack and Ginger* one of a kind!! Thanks for some of the greatest music of all time. Rod Getkate
Umm.., it’s not that hard believe me. Play drums for couple years. This guy is a pompous bozo. Not that hard people. This is super elementary shit. He always thought he was something special. Nah.
At a concert at the Fort Gardens in Gravesend Kent, the stuffy local council switched off the electricity at 9pm. Undeterred, and in complete darkness, Ginger thrashed his kit for another 45 minutes. Brilliant.
I’m 72 and love to listen to this piece of Ginger! Amazing progression tempo and feeling! He digresses and brings it back in, great ending section when the beat charges through on every piece of his set.
That was awesome. The creativity kept it alive through the whole thing. Most drum solos can't go past 3 minutes without you getting bored to tears. Speed only gets you so far. Creative flow takes it over the top! Well done Mr Baker
Ginger's speed had decreased over the decades, so in this solo, he did not attempt to perform a solo as he had when he was in his early '30s. As they say, "He stayed within himself." What impresses me is how precisely he played, not faltering one time. And don't forget that he was playing while his osteoarthritic back was aching tremendously. Also, he was hearing impaired. Considering his poor physical condition (heroin addict for decades plus gross abuse of alcohol and every other illegal drug known to mankind) he acquired himself quite well. 😮
Three giants in Rock & roll. This is a great video.....!!!!! Ginger is one bad man. As is Bruce and Eric. A lot of jazz influence in this solo. This is a great video. Masters at work here!!! This just gets better & better!!!! I want a tee shirt like the one ginger is wearing!!!!! These were the days.................. EPIC!!!!! So cool!!!!
Ginger really showed his class. Kit sounds great. Precision, so many interesting patterns, syncopation, musical flow, control, mastery over entire kit is beautiful. Love those triplets and the way he incorporates his double bass. Tremendous pro, one of the best.
This is tight! Ginger is killing it.. Well after all, it is Ginger Baker.. I do not need to say more. Brilliant... Complex! This band is/was so damn good..... I am not a drummer, however I don't think he missed a beat. Not a single one!!! And he makes it look easy. Then the other two legends return. This is rock and roll.. I love it...
Never heard someone better than Ginger, never!! Besides his tempers, most amazing drummer of all times. And kept his quality to the grave. God have mercy on his soul. 💪
Baker, Peart, and all those older drummers from rock, to jazz, and beyond. I always been amazed at their stamina to play a full show, do a solo, and give the other band members a break.
It’s hard to believe that 3 musicians got such a big sound. Cream was and will always be one of the greatest rock bands ever . Ginger Baker is a legend and has influenced many drummers over the years
@T A and another example in a completely different way is The Police. Huge amount going on for a three piece with every album even though they were all so different sounding.
It’s crazy, compared to what rock music turned into, running around the stage and thrashing instruments for the show. Cream was much less animated, but they hit all those notes hard as hell, and at the right times. Great sound, dynamic. The great bands know if you start at a 8 the step to 10 is not as important as If you start at a 4 and work it
I was at this concert. Flew all the way from New Zealand for it, and saw the second night. Cards on the table, I was mostly there to hear Clapton but seeing them live made me appreciate just how good Baker was...Toad absolutely brought the house down. Watching the other two handing their instruments to the roadies and just walking off at the start of the solo was...unforgettable.
The fact that we're all focused on his high hat that would be the standard with his time signature, and for Ginger to be so focused and standardized is absolute perfection. Thanks Ginge! 😊
I was lucky to have attended a number of concerts back in the seventies and watch him perform. It’s just incredible how effortless he makes it seem. An enormous investment of physical and mental resources and look at him: he barely seems to have broken a sweat. And of course, he went on like this all night. RIP Ginger.
I disaggree, if you want to see & hear a true master of the drum kit, listen to Buddy Rich playing "impossible solo", he makes Baker sound like he,s in a pub band.
OMG I have followed cream & absolutely loved their transition over the years, I miss Ginger & the wee jock Jack Bruce, my cousin Chris man who passed away in 2013 had met these guys after gigs in Cheltenham over drinks. Bloody shame my cousin & the guys Wee Jock, & Ginger. I would have loved to meet them.
This is the guy who brought me to drums... He might have been a 'difficult' person, and he wasn't the flashiest drummer ever, but his playing was always musical and based on solid chops. I love the way Mr Baker used 'rhythm' instead of 'showing-off' in his playing. That all and having his personal drum sound makes him - in my humble opinion - to one of the most outstanding drummers ever. Thank you Mr Baker for your input to a whole generation of drummers. Please rest in peace and may the god of rhythm and drums bless your soul. The world needs more musicians like you. btw to my fellow drummers: I haven't had the time yet to dig deeper to analyze and transcribe this solo... My first impression is that this solo is strongly based on the 'Swiss Army Triplet'...???
I was a Buddy Rich guy myself. But there were a handful of truly phenomenal drummers. It all depended if you liked Pepsi or Coke. A Win-Win. All good in the hood.
I'd say it's more based on 5 and 7 stroke rolls, but Ginger was an absolute master of rudiments, and there were definitely a few Swiss army triplets in there- often played polyrhythmically. Beautiful to hear.
Love his use of toms, just got a 60s session drummer for Kontak 7, and was excited when browsing the grooves to see his name in it. My dad brought me up right on Cream and others.
Beautiful drumming. There are many types of Drumming this is all about feel, tempo, timing and soul. Masterfully done. Carresing the kit not killing it.
“Oh for God’s sake, I’ve never played Rock. Cream was two Jazz players and a Blues guitarist playing improvised music. We never played the same thing two nights running…..It was Jazz.” -Ginger Baker
Incredible comraderie those three & that Baker solo was something that he probably played on a daily basis. I'm 66 years old and I've been playing drums since the 6th grade. Ginger Baker has always been my favorite. It was a sad day when he left us. Oh and by the way Clapton is God
Ginger adopted many rhythm patterns from several countries. Love the way he combines them into his own licks. Never be another Ginger!!! Loved his early work... I learned how to played listening to GB!!! Thanks Brother!!
Simply flawless Ginger flawless!!! Even after all these years I still Love Cream!! This is why an absolutely phenomenal performance!! And the audience's standing ovation proves it.
Saw him when he was a monster at Winterland in SF... the music was mind blowing back then and could wake a dead man up. Maybe people dance on the other side... who knows... know when you get there I guess...;-)
Ginger had it all. A complete drummer...you can hear that Fela Kunte Nigerian beat in his solo but you can also here his swing which few rock drummers really can do. Master of double bass and deep toms. Loved Ginger's playing. RIP at 76 he could still cook.
Im now 65 yrs old. After I watched this a rush of emotion came over me and it felt as if I was transported back in time. Emotions so real that I recall the very place and feelings I experienced when I first listened to these three men play music. It was ground breaking fresh and new. To be brought back to a time in my life as a teenage boy is magic only music can create. To feel the feelings I had as a young boy at that time was a bit frightening. The country was going through so many changes with the Vietnam war, the civil rights uprising and culture transformation at every turn. It was a trying time for me and my friends. We were forced to grow up quick. No computer's, cell phones or video games to fill our time. Only music. It was the one constant deversion and a place to run to go for comfort, not to mention some weed and acid. Music had the power to keep us connected as kids. No matter how dificult the time was thanks to bands like Cream we survived and I wouldnt change a single thing if I could.
@@bigdawg7703 Great post and so true. I got this reply late, but it is much appreciated. I too lived to see and experience the magic of those times. Nothing today equals any of it.
76 years old and I still love the Cream..
Amazing, Just Amazing !! Perfection Still at 76; Also appreciated Eric and Jack gently 'retiring for a cup of tea'
73, hippie in Hawaii 1968 when this happened ✌️💗🤙
72, and likewise. Jack Bruce was one of the reasons that I learned to play bass.
With all due respect - how can anyone not do so?
Name me one live album of any of those rock bands that had as much power on the highest level as the live side of Wheels of Fire ...
Me too (72). I practiced harmonica with The Yardbirds, but I really got my steam up laying with Fresh Cream's "Rollin' and Tumblin" back in 1967.
Just have to love This Amazing 3 Piece Band Cream 💯🎸 RIP Ginger Baker 🥁 & Jack Bruce 🎸
There's many skilled drummers that cannot play fills and patterns like this. Ginger was the drummer everyone wanted to copy and it makes perfect sense why. God Rest Ginger and thank you for sharing your gift all those years.
The worst way to be a great drummer is to copy, per se.
Hence so many bland robots now.
But yeh, playing along with your fave albums featuring fave drummers till you find your own way to fit in is really handy as fook!
LIke Ginger I understood FAST that African drumming is less about keeping a beat like most UK drummers tended to do and still do (I'm generalizing of course) but rather, about, in a sense, imagining via a pile of chosen drums, that you are in fact playing up to three (progenies can do more but may need assistants) singers harmonies that fit onto dance steps which those harmonies co-incide with. It's where African stuff gets the weight that much Euro music cannot.
And you;re trying to give the effect of three dance/harmony patterns plating at once.
Otherwise it';s just the usual banging stuff in time. May as well buy a metronome for that! lol.
BULLSHIT. Yours is the type of comment made by someone who is clueless.
John Bonham was the best!
Jeez, There were a lot of drummers who did NOT want to copy Baker ! !.
To say everyone wanted to copy Ginger Baker is a bit of a stretch. Baker was certainly not the best drummer in the world. There are dozens of drummers in America that excel. He would be lost amongst them.
Yes, AMAZING, and let's give a HUGE shout out to the GREAT camera work! And the spot on Audio crew! This clip should go in a time capsule.
Finally someone giving a shout out for the audio crew, without them their wouldn’t be a show. To all the audio engineers out there here’s a big cheers🎉
You know, you're RIGHT!!
The camera work was SO Good, that I almost didn't NOTICE it, but that's a sign that it IS good! Thanks for bringing that to my (and everyone else's) attention!! 🙂
They Got back after 40 years and sounded better than when they broke up. I thank my lucky stars to have heard and seen this Incredible Reunion. It was sent from Heaven to Everyone still here after so many years to enjoy these legends together again. R.I.P. Jack and Ginger.
Jack taught me the importance of having a double bass nearby your bed in your house if you fancy being a bass player. I clicked to what he meant straight away. And now? I've a beautiful 1951 full sizer to practice and write upon. And the Thunderbird for taking out and about!
No they didn’t. Gimme a break.🙄
This is an example of true rock talent. These men were/are great. Thank goodness above we still have Eric. May Ginger and Jack rest in peace. I love this band!
Eric was such a great guitarist, still is, but i saw him not too long ago and his touring setlist was just, awful
I did watch it, I was not familiar with him until then even though I am over 60, Ginger looked better than dd he did back in the 60's. Ginger Baker is his own man and nothing more.
Good bless the old racist!
@@SWINCRAB Who is the old racist?
Good...and enjoyable. But not great. I've heard much better.
I saw Ginger at a Ludwig Drum Co. clinic back in 1989. He spoke a while, then proceeded to blow everyone away with a 15-minute solo. The he sat and explained what he played. The best part? It was free and I sat nearly close enough to see him sweat. Then he signed autographs!
I still remember when ginger was a kid. Good old days
@@GOD-TheCreatorwachu mean?
Well, that was a Master class in playing the drums melodically as a solo instead of just blowing out your chops and hoping that someone was impressed. Mr. Baker is an icon of days past. R.I.P.
Ginger was so melodic in his performances. Stunning. What a great loss, but left behind a treasure trove of music for generations to come. Thank you, Ginger.
The guy was an extremely nasty/arrogant person
@@RockyTop85 you can always see a psychotherapist to help you through that
Its to bad people think Lars is better
I miss Jon Bonham 20 times more!!
@@remogatron1010 you are right. B put the drums within everyone's reach. Ginger didn't want everyone doing what he did.
Anyone listening to this in 2024. What brilliant piece of ryhmic drumming ball. I first discovered this brilliant track on Creams, Wheels on Fire vinyl album called Toad. What brilliant album that was/is. Ginger Baker one of the great drummers . Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce pretty special musicians too.
It's always amazing to watch a showcase of decades of skill and experience, no matter the field. It's not as flashy as the younger guys, but Baker plays with a patience and understanding that only comes from many years of study.
This is very true. He (and his intentionality) remind me very much of the British guitarist Derek Bailey, with whom I had the opportunity to play once (and listened to him many times). If God is in the details, these are / were very godly men. :)
Patience and understanding aren't two words that one expects to share a sentence with Ginger Baker.
Baker swings. That was always the point of his playing rather than showing off his technique.
ginger baker is like an easy rider on the drums. he plays very relaxed almost all the time. one of a kind
Søren Berlev Christiania 2017
Damn, for 76 years old he’s killing it! RIP Mr Baker.
Lol...he's killing it at any age! There are thousands of drummers that wish they had a bit of that maguc.
Total rhythm monster. No unnecessary fills and you can keep a rhythm all the way through.
Never say old folks are useless, this man was 76 years old when he did this!!! ROCK ON!!!
Most "Old Folks" aren't Ginger Baker
66
I knew he was old, but not that old - must have been as fit as a fiddle ( excuse the pun )
What?! 76 is OLD? LOL....
@@elahem6940 yeah well there's more than you think there are.
I grew up with Ginger Baker and Cream. He was wild back then. Long flaming red curly hair, drum sticks flying. A sight and sound to behold.
We grew up in the best of times, didn't we? 🙂
@@JoeCooper-b4t Yes, we did!!
@@JoeCooper-b4t We certainly did!! I wouldn't trade my youth for the world. Never again will there be a time that music flourished like it did. I remember when I first heard "Toad" on "Wheels of Fire", I couldn't believe what I was hearing, even though this version is fabulous in it's own rite.
Same here. Was a young boy in the 60s when the first cream album came out. Remember wearing the vinyl record out, and having to buy another one.
Frigging beautiful!
And when Clapton steps aside to let him do his thing, you know it's special. Absolutely one of the best musicians that ever lived, Mr Ginger Baker. 👍👍
Amazing and Speechless! Ginger we miss You! You were the best of the best!
Ginger and Keith two absolute legends of the drums.
He was ambidextrous which is very rare and it always showed in his performances ! Amazing musician! RIP GB !
Very rare? Being ambidextrous is a must have quality for any good drummer. I can play right and left handed.
@@scottmurphy4183 I agree - no point in only having one dominant hand as a drummer - even the basics require both hands to be as capable as each other.
Being ambidextrous is important, but being able to have all 4 limbs doing independant things is abosolutely amazing. He was the best at that. Bonzo had the best groove and Neil Peart was the best technical drummer. Just amazing to watch these 3!
Jack Bruce. One of the first great fretless bassists. Most of the time you couldn't tell he played fretless. Truly unique trio. That is some fine drumming by Baker. He had those Flams down solid.
I thought almost every note he played was out of tune. I'll listen again.
Unforgettable, unique, impressive! Cream, only Cream, Cream forever! Since I was 17een, now I'm 70een😂 and I am still a teenager fan of Cream!
Any great drummer knows that It doesn't matter if drumming is out of tune.
If you love Ginger Baker look up the documentary of his travels in Africa, he wanted to find the history of drumming. He took his kit out to African villages, got people to play their drums and they played his, it was magical. I loved Cream, and was so lucky to meet Ginger Baker several times and chatted about his drug times, but he said he most moving and happiest times were when he was in Africa
“Beware of Mr Baker” ❤️🔥
Just talking with my band mates and Masters of reality came up and Ginger Baker.. I hope he's playing up in the sky....... Such an amazing person and musician ❤️❤️
He lived in Africa for many years. Watch “Beware of Mr Baker” for the scoop 👍
I was not aware f this, but you can definitely hear the African influences in his melodic and rhythmic choices. It's not a 'look at what I can do' solo but almost a song in it's own right.
@@truebeliever6879 Eric and Jack Bruce
DAYAM! I Just saw that he was 80 years old! Inspires me to continue to learn to play drums at my 64 1/2 years of age!! ❤
No he was actually 66 as this was in 2005,he died aged 80 in 2019. They made a mistake by saying that
@@davidmellish3295 oh bummer! I thought he was still around! Thanks for letting me know! I’m sure he is at peace on that big stage in heaven!
Rock on!!
Go for it!
Mr Baker has always been my favorite drummer. I also began playing at 15. I’m only 73, but I’m still rocking. Still playing in several different rock bands. I play EVERYDAY. Just bought another brand new kit, which makes it four I currently own. Ginger will forever be my hero. May God Bless you Ginger. Look forward to seeing you again someday in a far better place.
Im 17, started about 3 years ago and I hope I can rock on for as long as you.
@@burningbacons3099 go on & God bless 🤗
@@burningbacons3099 I hope so too. It’s great fun! I’m 64 and still playing.
RD my arthritis riddled brother was a great drummer can't hold the sticks now, loved ginger but absolutely adored buddy rich.
I began playing rock in 1965 in a garage rock band as a self-taught drummer. I've seen Ginger, Mitch Mitchell, Dino Danelli and Danny Seraphine (CTA/Chicago) in person, up close, plus many other rock drummers who were also excellent. However, after hearing Joe Morello and Buddy Rich, I switched to jazz and never looked back. My favorite rock drummers are John Bonham and others with jazz backgrounds.
I'm sorry, but Ginger always sounds the same to me regardless of what he plays. He plays well, but......
Ginger Baker one of the best ever drummers. He was getting on in years when he played this solo. RIP
@@Beehive101 Ginger was a super athlete, he was a bicycle racer in England. I always wondered why some drummers wear the same clothes that basketball players wear. My brother the drummer said: "that's what they wore in high school or college when they played basketball." John "JR" Robinson is the most recorded session player and he played for Quincy Jone's In The House Band and also David Foster. He also was a high school hoop player.
I don’t know if he was the best at drumming but he sure was one of the best at writing drum parts. He has some of the most iconic drumming especially when you factor in the era
Søren Berlev Christiania 2017, better than this boring thing... But he was the drummer of Gasolin' back in the days of real life and rock so....
@@Crypt0sisGinger was inspirational to Bonham and Everyone else.
Ginger Baker at 80, fantastic. Joe Beiden at 80, comatose
Wow! Ginger Baker was one of my favorite drummers. Sensational in both rock and jazz styles. No one sounds like Ginger Baker. He has a unique style and sound.
Jazz my backside, in his dreams
Søren Berlev Christiania 2017
Absolutely amazing solo! WOW! It’s like he’s an octopus! I’ve always been impressed with drummers who sound like they have multiple limbs to hit as many beats as they do at the same time. I learned it from my Dad who was a drummer from when I was 4 till my late 30s. I was so excited the first time I could actually go to the bar where his band played every weekend and watch the crowd respond to his playing! I heard the band practice in my basement my whole childhood but it’s a whole different world when you can see them at a gig, getting the patrons to dance. The energy and atmosphere they created was so much fun.
Here’s a cute story: When he married my stepmom, her father hired a band to play at the reception. Well when the band took a break to eat, my dads band went up and played a few songs!😂 And of course all of our friends and loved ones absolutely LOVED IT! But once my new step-grandfather noticed the band he had hired out on the dance floor, he went and told his daughter, (my stepmom), to get her husband’s band off the stage cause he’s not paying the band he hired to dance!😂😂😂
Muy bien explicando tu vida crack.....pero este vídeo es de Ginger Baker .
The ability to create such a consistent rhythm whilst constantly changing the style is unbelievable
My computer is as accurate as he is...
@@derhorst1398 yep, incredible for a human to be as talented as a machine
@@alightthatnevergoesout No way - LOTS OF BETTER 👍💪💪💪
The Hi Hat never wavers 😎👍
Unreal
And that is how it's done. Relaxed, flowing, superb. And look at that perfect posture!
its the opium
Posture is indeed perfect
That perfect posture is why this drumming is as boring as it is. No drummer sits straight when he's utilizing his cybals within his solo! His posture is perfect because he's not doing anything!
@@perv8898 "utilising his cymbals" 😂😂😂........ really ?
@@perv8898 As if you could do better xD
Had the pleasure of seeing Cream live back in the day ... will never forget that experience.
lucky you. Now Ginger and Jack are gone and that will never happen again.
Ginger Baker. He was my favorite when he played with Cream.
He had such melodic solos - his timing is impeccable, and he keeps it so simple, but with so much flavor - Awsome!
It feels very jazz like.
Love it.
Baker spent several years in the 1970s living and recording in Africa, often with Fela Kuti, in pursuit of his long-time interest in African music. He was even shot at by a leader after a dispute.
Christ , I keep coming back to listen to this at least once a week.
He was never a muscly/strength drummer like Keith Moon & John Bonham, but because he was orginally a jazz drummer he had as you said impeccable timing, flair, and as another said, courage/confidence to try new things. And make no error while he may not have had the pure muscle like Moon & Bonham, he had his own unique strength - he was wiry and apparently one time while in Cream did whack someone and they never got up.
I saw him in person at the Dakota in Minneapolis. His incredible sense of rhythm, impeccable technique, and the variety of meters that he played were amazing and really enjoyable to watch and hear. As they lifted him up to the drum stand he commented about how he was getting old. There was nothing old at all about his performance.
Best of all time period
I agree power flowing through him
It’s also a *killer* recording. The sound quality is fantastic.
@@fishfire_2999 he ls the govenenor
Dang! Sorry I missed that. I saw him with Cream back in the day. I was 15 YO at the time and had never seen such a powerful drummer. (Well, maybe Keith Moon,,,)
Pure magic from the African influence to the jazz. Totally astonishing.
R.I.P Ginger.
Never get tired of watching or listening to GB... The reason I took up drumming and also teaching my son the drums. May he drum in peace 🤘🏼
He had that rare quality of being able to move effortlessly from one section of perfection to another. Never failing to deliver. RIP Ginger.
A definite force of nature.
The drums are a perfect vehicle for his personalty.
And had his own unique sound all the greats do.
Club drummer
Effortlessly?
My friend Steve Crabtree made drums for him later on and they became friends
I like how Ginger Baker who is often described as irascible, wore the gig T-shirt, smiled, and embraced his bandmates in a wonderful way.
He smiles a lot, and obviously he's a legendary musician, but he certainly was not pleasant to his bandmates - he did try to stab Jack Bruce after all. Have a look at "beware of Mr Baker" on youtube. It's a doco about his life and career and features him, most if his band mates, and the major people involved in his life.
@@JungleLibrary that film was dishonest and intentionally put Ginger Baker in a poor light. He deserves some sympathy. He grew up having to fight for the tiniest bit of respect and peace he ever knew. Jack wasn't exactly an angel, either. They are both working-class Brits (Yeah I know Bruce was a Scot), and had the angst of their class imbued in them). But I loved them both. Eric, too.
@@JungleLibraryYeah I saw the film and and all. I just mean this felt like a departure from all that, for as long as it lasted.
Ginger Baker incredible drummer, from Cream days* Eric, Jack and Ginger* one of a kind!! Thanks for some of the greatest music of all time. Rod Getkate
Jack was definitely one of the best bassist ever imo.
So... did you get Kate? :-)
Totally agree.I am a drummer my self.Drummers always under appreciated.lts not easy 👍👍👍😊
My sentiments Exactly!!
The man could swing the sticks no doubt about it. One of the greats.
Nope, THE greatest.
Did you hear the high hat miss a beat? Neither did I, not once in ten minutes of poly rhythms. Amazing.
Truly incredible!
This - I was literally thinking the same. Incredible.
Umm.., it’s not that hard believe me. Play drums for couple years. This guy is a pompous bozo. Not that hard people. This is super elementary shit. He always thought he was something special. Nah.
@@myronchild349 I have been a professional musician in bands for 50 years. Believe me, I know a good drummer when I see one.
@@myronchild349 Yeah, a couple of years air drumming...
What a drummer, he made it look effortless, like he wasn't even trying!
At a concert at the Fort Gardens in Gravesend Kent, the stuffy local council switched off the electricity at 9pm. Undeterred, and in complete darkness, Ginger thrashed his kit for another 45 minutes. Brilliant.
I’m 72 and love to listen to this piece of Ginger! Amazing progression tempo and feeling! He digresses and brings it back in, great ending section when the beat charges through on every piece of his set.
The one and only Mr Baker, one of the most musical drummer on this planet. God bless you Peter🎸🎸
Ginger once said: "We were always a jazz band, we just never told Eric."
The best thing that ever happened to ginger was Eric.
@@martinel2450 I disagree, I think it was the combination of carbonated soda
You never tell a blues guy he's playing jazz.
Baker..walking in many worlds. ^+
Except none of their music sounded nothing remotely close to Jazz.
That was awesome. The creativity kept it alive through the whole thing. Most drum solos can't go past 3 minutes without you getting bored to tears.
Speed only gets you so far. Creative flow takes it over the top! Well done Mr Baker
Both are the best in the music 60s through 80s and 90s
Ginger's speed had decreased over the decades, so in this solo, he did not attempt to perform a solo as he had when he was in his early '30s. As they say, "He stayed within himself." What impresses me is how precisely he played, not faltering one time. And don't forget that he was playing while his osteoarthritic back was aching tremendously. Also, he was hearing impaired. Considering his poor physical condition (heroin addict for decades plus gross abuse of alcohol and every other illegal drug known to mankind) he acquired himself quite well.
😮
Three giants in Rock & roll. This is a great video.....!!!!! Ginger is one bad man. As is Bruce and Eric. A lot of jazz influence in this solo. This is a great video. Masters at work here!!! This just gets better & better!!!! I want a tee shirt like the one ginger is wearing!!!!! These were the days.................. EPIC!!!!! So cool!!!!
Ginger really showed his class. Kit sounds great. Precision, so many interesting patterns, syncopation, musical flow, control, mastery over entire kit is beautiful. Love those triplets and the way he incorporates his double bass. Tremendous pro, one of the best.
The Best
Lots of grace notes and flams too
Yeah, yeah, yeah...8 cybals dry rotting!
Ginger Becker oque temos no seu solo candomblé jazz ou seja toques afros complexidade presisao genial incrível excelente
All of the above, PLUS he never repeats a riff the same way twice.
This is tight! Ginger is killing it.. Well after all, it is Ginger Baker.. I do not need to say more. Brilliant... Complex! This band is/was so damn good..... I am not a drummer, however I don't think he missed a beat. Not a single one!!! And he makes it look easy.
Then the other two legends return. This is rock and roll.. I love it...
Never heard someone better than Ginger, never!! Besides his tempers, most amazing drummer of all times. And kept his quality to the grave. God have mercy on his soul. 💪
Jeez, Bonham, Coppeland, Paice were better, & Rich blows him away ! !.
He was a genius. Fluctuating poly rhythms with different arms and different beats with his feet. Not many can drum like this.
No, you're wrong. Clearly you are not a drummer to say that silly stuff. Most of this is quite basic.
@@morbidmanmusic 😂😂😂’Bring on the Clowns’
Compared to Max Roach & Buddy Rich..Baker's drumming techniques are very basic.
@@kenneththompson8933 Whatever
I don't care how much they praise him, he will always be underrated. My hero and will never be forgotten.
Fact
Who? I forgot about him
I’m bored
Amen to that!
@@erichix1645 you never knew him
Never was the fastest of drummers but he can hold a beat forever. A true classic drummer and will always be one of my favorites.
Does "fast" equate to "good"????
A Master of his Craft!
Baker, Peart, and all those older drummers from rock, to jazz, and beyond. I always been amazed at their stamina to play a full show, do a solo, and give the other band members a break.
Correct and carl parmer
@@raymondvaughan6262Good choice, my favorite is " Fanfare for the Common Man "
It’s hard to believe that 3 musicians got such a big sound. Cream was and will always be one of the greatest rock bands ever . Ginger Baker is a legend and has influenced many drummers over the years
@Your Average Golfer ⁸
@T A I agree Rush is 3 of the best musicians do ever do it . And their sound was incredible
@T A and another example in a completely different way is The Police. Huge amount going on for a three piece with every album even though they were all so different sounding.
@T A it's no surprise that Rush was influenced and praised the work of both Cream and The Police.
It’s crazy, compared to what rock music turned into, running around the stage and thrashing instruments for the show. Cream was much less animated, but they hit all those notes hard as hell, and at the right times. Great sound, dynamic. The great bands know if you start at a 8 the step to 10 is not as important as If you start at a 4 and work it
I was at this concert. Flew all the way from New Zealand for it, and saw the second night.
Cards on the table, I was mostly there to hear Clapton but seeing them live made me appreciate just how good Baker was...Toad absolutely brought the house down. Watching the other two handing their instruments to the roadies and just walking off at the start of the solo was...unforgettable.
Hmmm.....very keen & devoted😂
Phenomenal! One of the best drummers ever! Thank you for all the years of great music. RIP Ginger!
Søren Berlev Christiania 2017
Am in total awe...A master of his own world which by definition is.....be one with yourself....!
The fact that we're all focused on his high hat that would be the standard with his time signature, and for Ginger to be so focused and standardized is absolute perfection. Thanks Ginge! 😊
I was lucky to have attended a number of concerts back in the seventies and watch him perform. It’s just incredible how effortless he makes it seem. An enormous investment of physical and mental resources and look at him: he barely seems to have broken a sweat. And of course, he went on like this all night. RIP Ginger.
He was also sick with a bad cold that night I heard but that's what I was told ?
I'm going to listen to a guy play drums. Right. Hours later...still listening. Baker is just so amazing.
Suonavo con la Ludwig ma in mano mia era sprecata quando vedo Ginger /
I love how calm and relaxed Gingers playing is. A true master of the drum kit.
I disaggree, if you want to see & hear a true master of the drum kit, listen to Buddy Rich playing "impossible solo", he makes Baker sound like he,s in a pub band.
He should be after 50 years playing the same tunes!!
Ginger a true drumming legend, 1 of a kind his timing was flawless. R.I.P ginger
I saw Cream in person at UCLA when I was 18 and had never heard anything so amazing as Ginger's solo. I have never forgotten the wonderful experience.
Nobody understands a genius...you just enjoy their 🎁
In person? How else would you see them if you were there?
@@user-tl2qn1qi1g Oh dear - not a trace of bitterness then!
U 2.
@@deloreswilson1798 Well said
The precision of his playing at his age in the clip is incredible. What a master drummer.
Check out Roy Haynes at 95. That's incredible. This is just recycled Baker with Cream.
@@farshimelt I checked it out, he was 85, sounded great. But I still like Baker also.
@@richardeast3328 ginger was 80 when he passed away
@@richardeast3328 ginger passed away in 2019
@Craven Greene What a troll you are...get a life
OMG I have followed cream & absolutely loved their transition over the years, I miss Ginger & the wee jock Jack Bruce, my cousin Chris man who passed away in 2013 had met these guys after gigs in Cheltenham over drinks. Bloody shame my cousin & the guys Wee Jock, & Ginger. I would have loved to meet them.
This is the guy who brought me to drums... He might have been a 'difficult' person, and he wasn't the flashiest drummer ever, but his playing was always musical and based on solid chops. I love the way Mr Baker used 'rhythm' instead of 'showing-off' in his playing. That all and having his personal drum sound makes him - in my humble opinion - to one of the most outstanding drummers ever.
Thank you Mr Baker for your input to a whole generation of drummers. Please rest in peace and may the god of rhythm and drums bless your soul. The world needs more musicians like you.
btw to my fellow drummers: I haven't had the time yet to dig deeper to analyze and transcribe this solo... My first impression is that this solo is strongly based on the 'Swiss Army Triplet'...???
Ringo and Baker were my inspiration. Two completely different drummers who are talked about 50 years later!
I was a Buddy Rich guy myself. But there were a handful of truly phenomenal drummers. It all depended if you liked Pepsi or Coke. A Win-Win. All good in the hood.
Well put....Love the power of his toms...!
I'd say it's more based on 5 and 7 stroke rolls, but Ginger was an absolute master of rudiments, and there were definitely a few Swiss army triplets in there- often played polyrhythmically. Beautiful to hear.
WOW. Ginger Baker really made this look so easy. He changed rhythms so effortlessly. For Ginger Baker, drumming was the same as breathing.
What do you have to say about him?
Because it is easy.
To me honestly this shit was the biggest snoozefest ever.. next!!
Best drummer ever, born to rock and roll us with his heart beat rhythms.
He better be damn good because he's an ass.
This guy was magic. He made music with drums. That's something that is rarely evident in "rock" music.
Love his use of toms, just got a 60s session drummer for Kontak 7, and was excited when browsing the grooves to see his name in it. My dad brought me up right on Cream and others.
Ginger Baker has always been one of my favorite drummers! He’s a legend!
So melodic. So smooth. So interesting. That is how a drum solo should sound!! Such a joy to watch. ✌️😎
So average
Beautiful drumming.
There are many types of Drumming this is all about feel, tempo, timing and soul. Masterfully done. Carresing the kit not killing it.
I have watched this maybe 50 times, it gets better every time. One left of a magnificent trio who changed music for the better
That was pure class that the two legends departed to let the legend GB take his rightful place at center stage. Well done all.
No matter how many times I hear/see him play I am still in awe.
Of what?
Ginger is in the zone..Amazingly great drummer! Sad he is gone.
He's in a zone that no other drummer can/will go to. A zone where no cybals are played!
If only he was at least a little nicer .Great drummer with great tribal beats.
He was very nice to his horses, apparently. 😉
Einfach geniale Drums. Ich bin inzwischen 68 und immer noch fasziniert von diesem Drummer.
I was preparing to be underwhelmed, but Ginger played a really great drum solo here.
lol
These guys are older than me (74) and they still love making music! Even Ginger Baker on this drum solo! They just keep on keeping on!
I have bad news for you lol
@@r3cusant Yeah, I just heard that he died at 80 years old! Amazing he lasted that long!
Jack Bruce has been dead like 10 yrs
I just saw only 2 videos of him. Back In 70s and this video. Now hes my favorite drummer all the time. I can feel his passion with the drum 🙌🏻👏🏻
Ginger Baker, simply a drum genius. How could a man of that age have so much stamina? Unbelievable
I saw Ginger play with Masters of Reality play the boxes that the Drums came in better than other drummers play the actual drums
GINGER ran on pure anger....
“Oh for God’s sake, I’ve never played Rock.
Cream was two Jazz players and a Blues guitarist playing improvised music.
We never played the same thing two nights running…..It was Jazz.”
-Ginger Baker
That was why Cream knocked all contenders out cold.
Most non-gay Jazz I’ve ever heard.
@John Lujan Check out the Buddy Rich impossible drum solo video
@@JJG86
Could you enlighten us as to what you mean by that???
Robert Morgan Cream was a great rock/blues band. Jazz is more elevator music.
2023 and still listening to the greatest!!
Mad as a box of frogs - but one of the best drummers of all time RIP Peter
Søren Berlev Christiania 2017
Incredible comraderie those three & that Baker solo was something that he probably played on a daily basis.
I'm 66 years old and I've been playing drums since the 6th grade. Ginger Baker has always been my favorite.
It was a sad day when he left us. Oh and by the way Clapton is God
Ginger adopted many rhythm patterns from several countries. Love the way he combines them into his own licks. Never be another Ginger!!! Loved his early work... I learned how to played listening to GB!!! Thanks Brother!!
Remember... Ginger was behind all of Creams track. He was a genius!!! Loved his work...
Simply flawless Ginger flawless!!! Even after all these years I still Love Cream!! This is why an absolutely phenomenal performance!! And the audience's standing ovation proves it.
Simple average
Pure beat fury! The patterns pick you up and push you along on perfectly fragmented streams of percussive mastery. RIP Ginger!
What a GREAT jazz drummer he was! Right there with Krupa!
How he goes from the boom beating of African drums into jazz like he does is magical.
You like magic?
Take up the drums.
I tried when I was a kid.
Ginger don't play. This is how he do!
Africa and Jazz rhythms are very closely related.
I've seen a lot of impressive drum solos, but rarely have I seen a complete piece of music performed on drum set.
Get out more, ginger baker was average at best
What do you think about Moby Dick?
First time I've ever seen him play without a big grin on his face!!! Loved Ginger Baker!
Ridiculously good. So much has been lost over the years when it comes to truly amazing performances.
What can I say, one of the best, if not the everbest!
Experienced, laid back, brilliant and probably one of the very best drummers ever. As a human being a Big shit.
Like most geniuses
just wow, what a man, what a musician. rest in peace ginge.
In his youth: a monster drummer
In his maturity: a master drummer
Right On! No one could've said it any better than that.
@@JimiBLong yeah bone shakin dude
-Master of the.. 'Fast Twitch'.. muscle memory ;}
Saw him when he was a monster at Winterland in SF... the music was mind blowing back then and could wake a dead man up. Maybe people dance on the other side... who knows... know when you get there I guess...;-)
Absolutely agree.
Ginger had it all. A complete drummer...you can hear that Fela Kunte Nigerian beat in his solo but you can also here his swing which few rock drummers really can do. Master of double bass and deep toms. Loved Ginger's playing. RIP at 76 he could still cook.