My initial reaction is I'm too big of a Bruce fan for any 1 label 2 cd set to be of any interest unless it's hi-res

Wow, that was my reaction too Geff. I have the Esoteric box and that is killer!

Rick A.

There is going to be a Jack Bruce tribute concert, also called "Sunshine Of Your Love", in England in October. Universal wants to have a new collection on the market to coincide with that.

Looking to see who will perform. I bet everyone who is anyone is going to turn out.

Rick A.

Thanks Charles!

Rick A.

I'm sure Ginger Baker & EC will be there. Despite the issues between Baker & Bruce they still loved each other.

We talked about this awhile back in another thread. If Clapton doesn't show up, I am so done with him. Leslie West & Robin Trower should also show the courtesy & respect to do so. And if Carla Bley & Kip Hanrahan are still alive(?) I would expect them to do the same.

Baker is confirmed. EC is not (so far).

Eric posted a short instrumental tribute to Jack on his website shortly after his death. Interestingly, it was called "For Jack". I wouldn't be done with him if he doesn't make this show. Why?

It would seem to me to be an extreme lack of respect for the most important musician to his career's success that EC ever worked with. I've also stated this before; to my ears, EC has mostly been playing like he really doesn't care (kind of like playing guitar by #'s; remember paint by numbers?) since the mid 70's.

I haven't heard much of Bruce's work beyond Cream but the tributes I read following his death have left me curious. I understand he worked in a lot of musical styles including jazz, and I want to hear some of everything. So does this collection look like a good place to start?

Depends how far out there your taste goes. Post-Cream, Bruce did both hard rock (with Leslie West (I prefer the West "Theme" solo album over any West, Bruce, & Laing), Robin Trower, & Gary Moore (BBM is great hard rock)); avante Garde (with Carla Bley & Kip Hanrahan), & solo work of varying quality, that ranged from rock to pop to fusion jazz.

The 2 disc version of this one was the first that got me into post Cream Bruce. It packages Monkjack together with Collector's Edition.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008EWZH/?tag=imwan-20

I would definitely recommend this used at $8 over the Sunshine comp new at $17; especially if you already have the Cream tracks. And it covers most of his styles.

I've actually not gotten all that much into his 70's post Cream. Other recommendations would include the Cities of The Heart live mini box; both of the Rockpalast sets, the BBC box, & the 6 disc Can You Follow Box.

If you're into avante garde weirdness, pretty much everything he did with Kip Hanrahan is good & can be found cheap.

The "Can You Follow Box ?" box is great but I believe it's out of print.
I think a good start would be the BBC box Geff mentioned. It's called "Spirit" and it covers a lot of his 70's work.
"Willpower" is not bad for a single disc, and I think there's only 2 Cream tracks.

This new set is ok.

Saturday, October 24, 2015 Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1

Reviewed by Denise Prentice

It was an impressive outcome on the part of this Nitin Sawhney-directed endeavour, bringing together accomplished musicians including Mark King, Joss Stone and Ginger Baker celebrating the music of a song-writing and performing colossus, Jack Bruce. The concert was held a year on from Bruce’s passing, in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices – a charity which he supported. The varied set spanned the true depth and breadth of his extensive repertoire, giving the audience of this one-night-only performance an experience which was at times emotional, joyful and dramatic.

The set opened on a poignant note, with hazy black-and-white video footage of Jack Bruce, giving ‘Train Time’ with primal intensity, deftly alternating between harmonica and vocals. Back in the present in the packed Roundhouse, Jack Bruce’s guitar case lay open at the centre of the stage filled with flowers strewn within as a touching memorial.

Mark King, bassist and lead vocal with Level 42, delivered a number of powerful performances, emulating Bruce’s raw and distinctive style. King’s significant contribution ranged from an up-tempo rendition of ‘Hit and Run’, to a pleasingly dexterous display of his bass-playing skills during ‘Keep It Down’, in which Vernon Reid of Living Colour accompanied with a blistering guitar solo.

The evening sparked with a spectrum of dynamic appearances, illustrating Jack Bruce’s genre-defying versatility and the poetic lyricism which distinguished his material. The familiar introductory harmonies of ‘I Feel Free’ dovetailed beautifully and the musical arrangement soared with vitality with Uli John Roth of The Scorpions providing a compelling solo. Chantelle Nandi dazzled with an energised account of ‘Don’t Look Now’ with Paddy Milner sustaining a flourish of high drama on the Hammond. The flautist, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, and Miles Brett the esteemed violinist, performed a mystical and contemplative version of ‘Milonga’, framed by a slow and smoky tango rhythm.

The event benefited from a touch of grace, with poignant contributions from Jack Bruce’s children. Kyla Bruce’s tribute was a song which her father had taught her – ‘Weird of Hermiston’ – cascading with sadness with its theme of loss. Aruba Red’s pensive ‘Folk Song’ carried a fragile funereal tone which was quite lovely. Corin Bruce, Jack’s son, also played the djembe in ‘Candlelight’ and drummed alongside Joss Stone in ‘Never Tell Your Mother She’s Out Of Tune’.

’We’re Going Wrong’ was affected by a dramatic incident, heralded by the appearance of the legendary Cream drummer, Ginger Baker. As he joined Frankie Tontoh in a dual drumming effort, tensions arose when Baker stopped playing, clashed the high hat in a fit of exasperation, resulting in Tontoh storming off, Baker left to play the rest of the song alone. Tontoh returned for the finale – “Sunshine of Your Love”, where he engaged Baker into a competitive drum-off, Baker now storming off before the first verse was out. While this strange and discordant incident held an interesting parallel with Eric Clapton’s famous encounter with Jimi Hendrix, it was unclear as to whether it was intentional, or simply a demonstration of fiery creative temperaments.

Nevertheless, the positive highlights of the evening included a thrilling ‘White Room’, blazing with Clem Clempson’s electrifying guitar. Liam Bailey absolutely smouldered as vocalist in ‘Politician’, accompanied by Tontoh’s volcanic drumming skills, while Ayanna Witter-Johnson gave a deliciously minimal version of ‘Rope Ladder to the Moon’, delighting us with refreshing vocal tones and adroit creativity on her cello.

”Sunshine of Your Love” was a highly entertaining set, demonstrating Jack Bruce’s virtuosity as a musician and gifted songwriter. This was a touching tribute to his glittering legacy – from the wealth of musicians he influenced and the appreciative audience.

No Clapton. F.U. Eric.

I was at this show and this review doesn't accurately describe what happened between Baker and Frankie Tonoh.

About 30 seconds into the song---"We're Going Wrong," beautifully sung by Jack's daughter, Aruba---Ginger started leaning back trying to get Frankie Tontoh's attention. When that didn't work he bashed his high hat loudly and repeatedy (which the song definitely did not call for). This got Mr. Tontoh's attention so that Ginger could bellow "Fuck Orrrfff" at him. The audience couldn't hear it but could clearly see it, and Mr. Tontoh took it to heart, got off his kit and fucked off. This left Ginger solely responsible for the intricate drum pattern that he invented almost 50 years ago.

However, Mr. Tontoh insisted on coming back for next and last song---"Sunshine of your Love,"---and ignored Ginger when he went through more or less the same pantomime of trying to get his attention so that he could tell him to "fuck orrfff" again. Foiled in this, Ginger decided to bugger off himself and left his kit in the middle of the song, never to return.

My guess is that Ginger didn't realize that he would be sharing the stage with another drummer. Anybody with a passing knowledge of Ginger's dreadful reputation would have realized that it was a bad idea. If Jack was watching I'm not sure if he would have been laughing or crying.

It is an absolutely rediculous idea to have another drummer play with Ginger Baker at a tribute concert.
What a sad thing to happen at such an event. Surely the organisers are to blame considering Bakers fiery temperament and his ego.
I'm sure he would have preferred to have played his heart out 'alone' for his late friend.
Sad EC was not there but maybe he had other commitments