Farewell to Ginger Baker, Drummer Extraordinaire

A bit belated, but certainly still important, I'd like to give a somber nod to ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker, who passed away last weekend. I heard about it on Monday and have been thinking about Baker all week long. His unique percussive style on the Cream albums makes it an absolute pleasure to listen closely to his playing. The technical and creative fuse seamlessly in Baker's drumming with the legendary supergroup. I am most familiar with his recordings with Cream out of his huge body of work both before and after that historical stint.

Ginger tapping out a beat, with his Cream bandmates noodling around in the background

Ginger Baker came from a jazz background, having studied under a top British drummer in the early 60's. He took that grounding to pop and rock music, developing a sound all his own. Though not quite the same, I feel his style is sort of in the same ballpark as that of Keith Moon... not as conventional as most rock drummers, and definitely with a flair and colourful personality to suit their celebrity.

Baker influenced rock drumming in a variety of ways. He and his Cream mates formed what would later be dubbed a "supergroup", the first of its kind, really. In the 70's, he explored uncharted territory and pioneered jazz fusion and world music. His use of double bass drums was almost unheard of, too, though Keith Moon of The Who was also an early adopter of the set-up. Baker also developed what would "become the archetypal rock drum solo" (quote from Baker's Wikipedia webpage) with the five-minute instrumental song Toad. The guy really had it going on, and his influence will be forever felt within the drum and music community.

I've only ever heard a tiny smattering of Baker's work with Blind Faith and Baker Gurvitz Army in all my years, but I have been able to absorb a lot of Cream songs through various compilation albums in my collection. Someday, maybe not too long from now, I'll try to pick up the Cream discography... since it's a small one at just four studio albums released over four years in the late 60's.

Tonight I put on the headphones and played my vinyl LP copy of Best of Cream, released in 1969, which showcased Ginger's talent at the kit. Not to mention the formidable guitar and bass of Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, respectively. A true supergroup.

Rest in peace, Ginger.