No mando content: Remembering Ginger Baker

[Elliot Luber]

He was a fantastic musician and widely disliked, but did I mention his music? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7h8...m9f1ugvv1VhODM

[MikeEdgerton]

Shaped part of my musical world when I was young. RIP.

[foldedpath]

He was my hero as a teenage Rock drummer in local garage bands. Compared to everyone else -- and Bonham, Keith Moon etc. were no slouches -- he was like someone transported from another dimension. I don't think many people back then realized that what he was doing was bringing a Jazz perspective into Rock drumming. A huge inspiration for kids like me playing drums.

Not someone you'd actually want to work with though, as it turned out. The Beware of Mr. Baker documentary is worth watching, although it focuses a bit too much on the elder years. But an absolute genius on the drums. I'm amazed he lasted 'til 80. That was a very hard-lived life.

[V70416]

I have to sympathize with his family,especially his son.

Ginger Baker seemed like a walking contradiction.

Surely "Animal" the drummer for Dr.Teeth and The Electric Mayhem Muppets band was inspired by Ginger Baker.

[David Lewis]

As complicated a person as th polyrhythms he so effortlessly played. A great drummer.

[Mando Mort]

His playing and the feeling he put into it made a huge impact on my ears.

[Dagger Gordon]

I was a huge Cream fan and they really inspired me to play lead guitar, which was my main thing as a teenager, and actually, their instrumental workouts did lead me into modern jazz.

I am still a jazz fan, and the lead guitar stuff gave me some technique for playing quite fast, which I later found to be a good foundation for playing jigs and reels etc on mandolin.

I'm sure I'm not alone in listening again to the Cream in the last few days, and thinking how good they were. In particular, it's good to be reminded how fiery Clapton's playing used to be.

I've also got to say I am amazed Ginger made it to 80. He looked pretty far gone even in the Cream days.

[catmandu2]

GB used to play weekly brunch gigs with Ron Miles and crew in Denver about 20 years ago. He was looking a bit frail then. He was quite pleasant chatting between sets.

[Elliot Luber]

Yes, I linked to the documentary above. He was a difficult man to get along with, but that made him independent in his musical ideas.

[Elliot Luber]

I play In the White Room on mandolin. It can be a little dull without the lyrics, though, but to me anything that puts rhythm in the lead points to some mando potential.

[mtucker]

What more to say. One of the all time greats, maybe the greatest... can’t help being reminded of Jaco, his undeniable musical genius and intense struggle with his own personal demons.