Customer Reviews

Falling Off the Roof

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Ginger Baker shows, again, that he can create more sound, more music, more emotion from drumming than anyone else. The drums are out front, not tucked into the background. Ginger Baker, Bill Frisell, and Charlie Haden play so well together that it seems they have always been together. Frisell is a master guitarist, and he brings this music alive. Haden has always been a master at getting more emotion from the bass than other players, and he clearly anchors these sessions.

The music can be challenging, and it demands that you pay attention. It takes several listens to "get" it. This music is absolutely the opposite of everything Cream was, so do not expect anything remotely like the power trio Ginger played with in the '60s.

I first heard this album on the radio in a local restaurant. A familiar melody caught my ear- that sounds like Cream's "Sweet WIne", I thought- but was that Bill Frisell? And the bass sure sounds like Charlie Haden. And who was that tasteful drummer?

It wasn't until someone played the album for me a few weeks later that the puzzle was filled in. Ginger Baker with Charlie Haden? How unlikely, I thought, until I found out later that Baker had indeed returned to his jazz roots in recent decades, and was even better than he was in his days with Cream. And "Sweet Wine" was in fact "Vino Vecchio"- actually "old wine" in Italian, a bit of an inside joke.

But the playing here is certainly no joke. If you enjoy Frisell's unique approach to guitar- simple, sparse and totally original lines- and Haden's tasteful bass playing, you'll appreciate this album. It certainly gets a lot of play at my house.

This CD may actually be a little more consistent than the first one,though it lacks anything as explosive as "East Timor." The addition of a second guitarist and Bela Fleck on banjo on a few tracks fleshes out the guitar-bass-drums trio sound.

So, if Baker, Bruce, and Clapton in their twenties were "Cream" these guys must be "Cognac" or something.

It is a second Ginger Baker Trio album with Bill Frisel and Charlie Haden. First trio album "Going back home" was a mega success just because Ginger proved once again that he is the best drummer in the world and jazz is a part of his playing style. Now the second album is more swinging, but I love it - it was hard for Ginger to puzzle the audience as we knew what to expect. Still it is a great Ginger album. Ginger chose best players - Bill is a king of jazz guitar and Charlie is a top bass player in jazz history. This is a "white" jazz players trio, but ginger though pale has a "black" feeling for music and his gods include Art Blakey, Max Roach and Philly Joe Jones. I hope we all sign under the dotted line.

The Wounded Bird label has reissued this album that was originally available on Atlantic. Whilst the sound is the same, the inserts have been reproduced from low resolution artwork, and consequently appear slightly blurry compared with the Atlantic release. An exceptional band beautifully recorded.

never heard of this cd before. i listen to all thoses guys from way back but never together. this cd is a must.