Jack Bruce
Bass guitar legend Jack Bruce was born in Scotland in 1943, showing extreme musical aptitude on the guitar and cello at a very young age, as well as a gift for abstract musical composition. He attended several prestigious schools of musical learning, including the Royal Scottish Academy of Music before becoming tired of the restrictive nature of the school.
His early formative years after leaving the academy were spent playing jazz in dance bands across the UK and Italy to keep money in his wallet and a roof over his head. His instrumental weapon of choice at the time was the Fender Bass VI, and his fingers tickled its neck like he wanted to make it laugh in double four time. As more and more musicians within the industry were exposed to Jack's improvisational bass skills, the opportunities for Bruce to expand the style and scope of his music exploded.
Jack hooked up with Eric Clapton the first time while playing with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in 1966, but would go on to be the bassist for Mannfred Mann (prior to that group becoming Mannfred Mann's Earth Band). In 1966, Jack joined Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, who he'd worked with on the Graham Bond Organisation, and the Super-trio known as Cream was formed. Not many people would have predicted that Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker would work together again, as their arguments and on-stage fighting while with Graham Bond were the stuff of concert legend. Jack's powerful bass guitar riffs and smooth vocals were a perfect fit with Eric's intricate and hypnotic electric guitar melodies, and the band enjoyed immediate success. Shortly after Cream recorded its classic debut album, Fresh Cream, Jack switched musical (Disreali) gears from the Fender Vi to his trademark Gibson EB-3 bass. Like most shooting stars though, Cream was destined for a short flight across the musical skies, and in 1968, after selling over 35 million albums in barely two years, Eric and Jack decided to move on to a different musical style...more acoustic and less psychedelic, and Cream was disbanded.
Since the 70's, Jack Bruce has played in various solo and collaborative projects, hammering his bass with such legends as Robin Trower, Leslie West (of Mountain fame), Tony Williams, Ringo Starr and countless others, his all-out improvisation style on the electric bass ushered in a new era for the instrument, and had a pronounced influence on other great bassists like Jaco Pastorius. His latest recording project, with Robin Trower and Gary Husband, titled Seven Moons Live, was released in 2009, and he is currently performing with Ronnie Scott's Blues Experience on the London circuit.
