skeith Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 (edited) I just saw this one in Manhattan last weekend. It is a must see!!! Even if you are not a Cream fan (I am) you get to see actual film clips of his drum-offs in London with Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. Also his participation in the African music scene with Fela Kuti is documented. On top of everything else, the movie is hilarious because Baker is such a character. But at the end of the film, it is hard not to be convinced he was the greatest rock drummer of all time. Edited December 3, 2012 by skeith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jostber Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Seems to be a film to watch. http://www.avclub.com/articles/beware-of-mr-baker,89234/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertoart Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 I enjoyed reading the opinion on Do The Math. http://dothemath.typepad.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) It's streaming on Netflix, now! Worth watching just to hear him put down rock drummers like John Bonham and Keith Moon, and then break into tears when he declares that the thing he was most proud of was the fact that he was close friends with, and respected by Art Blakey, Elvin Jones and Phil Seamen Edited May 19, 2014 by sgcim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 http://www.hostboard.com/forums/f218/89608-elvin-jones-vs-ginger-baker.html I remember contemporaneous reports of this concert; it appears Elvin, with his small drum kit, kicked Mr. Baker's ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 (edited) Baker seemed to have adopted four jazz drummers, Max Roach, Elvin, Art Blakey and Phil Seamen as his father figures. His father died in WW II when GB was about five. I've watched the part that deals with Baker playing in the Graham Bond Organization, Cream and Blind Faith, four times, and I still can't stop laughing. Baker apparently hated Jack Bruce after he switched from upright to electric bass, and the present day interviews with Baker and Bruce have to be seen to be believed. Commenting on them would be ruining all the fun- see this doc! Edited May 20, 2014 by sgcim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 I have it DVR'd, but still need to see this. Meanwhile, I have tix to see him at Yoshi's next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 Kind of ironic that he's playing at Yoshi's; in the doc. he couldn't get a gig in LA when he lived there after coming back from Africa. The West Coast musicians were scared to death of him. He even placed an ad in some music magazine, begging for work. Under 'Previous Experience' it read: "Drummer for Graham Bond Organization, Cream, Blind Faith etc.." They wouldn't even let him join any Polo Clubs in the entire state, so he took off for Colorado, where he started his own Polo Club/ Jazz Night with Ron Miles' jazz group. He's got severe degenerative osteo-arthritis and COPD, so don't expect miracles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 I'm going more for curiosity's sake. If it turns out to be a good show ... all the better! Ginger Baker - Yoshi's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted May 21, 2014 Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 Be very careful if you decide to speak to him. One wrong word, and he'll set on you like a leopard on a zebra! He broke the director's nose with his cane when he told Baker he was going to talk to all the people in his past. When the director asked him if he played with Mick Jagger, he mimmicked the director saying: "Ooh, did you play with Mick Jagger?" He then described the experience thusly: "This little effeminate-looking kid came up, and tried to sing one number. I said to Jack (Bruce), who is this stupid looking little c-nt? What's he doing here? Jack and I threw some jazz things in there- completely threw him off! He was terrified of me!" (chuckles). He said the reason why he named his band Ginger Baker's Air Force is that that was the nickname for the junkie section of Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 Be very careful if you decide to speak to him. One wrong word, and he'll set on you like a leopard on a zebra! He broke the director's nose with his cane when he told Baker he was going to talk to all the people in his past. When the director asked him if he played with Mick Jagger, he mimmicked the director saying: "Ooh, did you play with Mick Jagger?" He then described the experience thusly: "This little effeminate-looking kid came up, and tried to sing one number. I said to Jack (Bruce), who is this stupid looking little c-nt? What's he doing here? Jack and I threw some jazz things in there- completely threw him off! He was terrified of me!" (chuckles). He said the reason why he named his band Ginger Baker's Air Force is that that was the nickname for the junkie section of Duke Ellington's Orchestra. I'll make sure to avoid contact with him at ALL costs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmce Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 People seem quite enamoured of his disposition, but he simply strikes me as a sociopathic piece of shit. Zero respect for him as a person or musician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) I don't think ANYBODY would give you an argument on him being a POS as a person (especially his family- he told his first wife. "If you think you come before my drums, you can just walk out of this house right now", or his son the drummer, who he abandoned, telling him, "You can't swing to save your life- just give it up"), but as far as music is concerned, he is generally recognized by most rock drummers as the very archetype of rock drumming itself. His six years in Africa studying African drumming and playing in Fela Kuti's band were groundbreaking. As far as jazz went, drummers like Phil Seamen, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Mel Lewis and Art Blakey highly respected him. Check out the groove he laid down with Charlie Haden here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEpMLiqzZd8 With a more mainstream soloist, this could've been some concert... Edited May 22, 2014 by sgcim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 he plays well in that video, but no better than about every drummer I've ever worked with; actually he's not as good as the last 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 I admire his talent but fucking detest his attitude. As someone that loves rock music equally as well as jazz music his elitist prick viewpoint and constant put-downs of rock music just make me want to smash him in the head with a brick, repeatedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Reynolds Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 he plays well in that video, but no better than about every drummer I've ever worked with; actually he's not as good as the last 2. As a kid I loved him - but what 17 year old didn't? I watched much of that video and a more recent one on PBS and he is OK but compared to Waits, Rainey, Drake, Cyrille, Bennink, Peterson, Hemingway just for starters......c'mon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted May 22, 2014 Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 I admire his talent but fucking detest his attitude. As someone that loves rock music equally as well as jazz music his elitist prick viewpoint and constant put-downs of rock music just make me want to smash him in the head with a brick, repeatedly. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I admire his talent but fucking detest his attitude. As someone that loves rock music equally as well as jazz music his elitist prick viewpoint and constant put-downs of rock music just make me want to smash him in the head with a brick, repeatedly. And yet, Neil Peart, Mickey Hart, Bill Ward, Lars Ullrich, Stewart Copeland and Nick Mason all took part in the documentary, and acknowledge GB as both the founding father of rock drumming, and their main inspiration for playing the drums. There are some reasons for his seemingly insane attitude: 1) He's got a serious case of degenerative osteo-arthritis, and is playing in intense pain whenever he picks up the drumsticks, and can't practice anymore. 2) He's got COPD, and has to use an oxygen mask. 3) He made and lost literally fortunes by: a) Taking the money he made from Cream and Blind Faith, and paying the salaries of the 12 member GB Air Force, without taking a cent for himself b) Using the rest of that money to build the first recording studio in Africa (which took three years), and then got it taken away from him by the Nigerian police, as they shot at him speeding away in his range rover. c) Building and funding a Veterinary Clinic He's extremely bitter about Jack Bruce and Pete Brown getting all the residuals from Cream when he was responsible for the 5/4 bolero in "White Room", and changing the tempo from JB's original fast, to a much hipper sounding medium tempo in "Sunshine of Your Love". He had to work as a firefighter in Colorado, and an olive farmer in Italy for many years. He's totally broke now. While I'm not saying that any of this justifies his ranting and raving, it does put his life in perspective... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Saw this on Netflix GB is a mess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 See my post in another thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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