Customer Reviews

Going Back Home

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bring together jazz drummer Ginger Baker, bassist Charlie Haden, and guitarist Bill Frisell you better be prepared for a lot of good music. Don't be scared that this album is all free jazz because Charlie Haden is in the lineup. For the most part the music is understandable and not too difficult to follow. They do cover Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin'" which ventures more into the free jazz venue. Never does it feel like that everyone is playing a different song at the same time.

The work by all three artists is outstanding. Frisell really stands out with his simple, yet expression filled playing (for some crazy reason, I think of his guitar sound as Hawaiian). Baker's rhythm is amazing. He's on the local radio station with some frequency, and listening to him talk you would think he'd have trouble finding the door of his home, little alone a rhythm. Haden is nothing less then Haden.

This band sounds tight for the ten tracks of the album. Everyone seems to know where the other is going, and they complement each other very well. "East Timor" is probably the hardest hitting song on the album. It starts with Baker ranting about a secret war that occurred on this island, then is followed by some very serious playing (and a different sound from Frisell). Not being a free jazz fan, I have trouble with "Ramblin'" and Haden's "In the Moment". Frisell's two songs "Rambler" and "When We Go" are light and elegant, the latter with the slight twang of country. They do a great cover of Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser". Baker pens three of his own songs here as well.

Overall, I feel that this is a pretty good album. These three musicians are great at what they do. If you like jazz, especially with a touch of the free jazz, you'll be impressed with this piece.

There are so few albums that come along whose appeal remains after many listenings. When one comes along that you can still marvel at five years after hearing it for the first time you should be very grateful. This is one of those albums.

Jazz music is in a strange place right now. With the ever-declining attention span of the average music listener came the proliferation of elevator jazz. It is important to realize that this is not jazz, since the primary ingredient in the jazz melting pot is a degree of daring improvisation, not some hack churning out trite pop melodies by the hundred on a soprano saxophone. Real jazz is a precious commodity. It is a slice of Americana that should be held sacred. This album comes through in that regard with flying colors. In this review I have opted to stay away from the traditional track-by-track method of reviewing an album, since this album really doesn't come across as a series of songs isolated from another, but like one event. Plus, if I got started on that road I would be here all day. I'll spare you that misery by giving you the low-down on the album as a whole.

From top to bottom "Going Back Home" shines in a sea of churning, almost tribal rhythms from Mr. Baker's drums. Instead of coming across as goofy technical stunts, his accents flow as if every stroke were intended to be there by some divine authority. Rather than simply leaving you slack-jawed by his drumming prowess, his fills actually add color and dimension. Sometimes he can make you laugh out loud. In the hands of another drummer his ideas wouldn't fly, but he manages to put the proverbial square peg in a round hole and make it seem that it were meant to go there all along.

The legendary Charlie Haden handles the upright bass duties on the album. This nearly deaf man, who is riddled with tinnitus, and arthritic as hell is still quite possibly the most musical bassist on the planet, and manages to appear on a ridiculous number of albums each year. He is a national treasure, and his playing on this album is melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically (read: musically) brilliant. He and Ginger sound like conjoined twins who learned to play in early childhood, sharing a cryptic language unique to them, but breathtaking to us.

Enter Bill Frisell. His guitarmanship is like a watercolor painting come to life. Notes swell from his guitar as if they occurred due to some cosmic miracle instead of being picked, bleeding into each other to form textures and soundscapes that you have simply never heard unless you've heard him. He never resorts to playing with speed as an attempt to impress. In fact he seems to be without ego. With playing that is equally childlike and awe-inspiring, this guy is a modern jazz-giant.

In summary, this is an album that can only be described with one word, and that word is Music. If you don't like this album there is something wrong with either you or your CD player.

I got this album many days ago and I can't quit listening to it. I'm a big fan of Bill Frisell, so it's always nice to hear him play. For those of you that don't know who Bill Frisell is....my only question is where have you been for the last 20 years? His atmospheric and textural guitar style has made it's way on many albums from Nora Jones to Marc Johnson to John Zorn. Then there is Ginger Baker who in my opinion is one of the greatest drummers in the world. Yes, he was in Cream and has played on countless other albums. Ginger really showed his range on this album. This album is swingin' with rhythm. Last, but certainly not least, is bass guru Charlie Haden. Charlie has a very melodic style and it shows on this album.

Every song on this album is great. Some song highlights for me are "I Lu Kron," "Ramblin',"Straight, No Chaser," "Ain Temouchant," and "In The Moment." I think if you like jazz and you like these three guys, then you should do yourself a favor and pick up this album.

I believe that the world would be a better place if everybody left a review on Amazon for their all-time favorite album. Here's mine. How often do you read a review that starts out like that? The more important question is, how often do you come across a disc as good as as the Ginger Baker Trio's "Going Back Home?" The answer is, this is a once in a lifetime experience. This is perfect music. "Going Back Home" (GBH) is the paramount example of psychedelia meeting intellectual music that rocks, swings and trips. The music is dark, dreamy and very intelligent. Baker, Frisell and Haden made this one of those once in a lifetime albums due to having the right musicians in the same place at the optimal time. The disc is a convergence of dynamics, (like the production and song choices) but more mystically, the stars and planets were all in perfect alignment. The sequel, "Falling off the Roof" is great, but not legendary as with the predecessor. Initially, I thought this album would turn me onto Ginger Baker's post-Cream discography. Instead, this recording pulled me into the world of what eventually became one of my all-time favorite guitar players, Bill Frisell. By the way, if you dig GBH, you will enjoy "Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones" almost as much. At the time of review, you could purchase about a dozen of these discs used for under $5.00, so what are you waiting for?

First of all, just let me say that I have only heard two songs off this CD. However, since nobody else has reviewed it, I'll give my take on what I know. The first song I heard was the trio's version of "Straight No Chaser." The one thing that sticks out in my mind is the clarity of Frisell's playing. If you are not familiar with Frisell, then shame on you--he is one of the most innovative players on any instrument in the world. The other song I'm familiar with is "East Timor" which oddly enough, I heard on the local community radio station (props to WMNF) during the underground music show. "East Timor" is a different animal altogether. Baker begins the first few minutes of the song harmlessly enough with a spoken-word narrative about the political situation on the island (and remember, this was a few years before the violence that erupted there in 1999). Slowly, though, the song begins to intensify--the spoken word part ends, and Frisell and Baker start to cook. Baker chaotically bashing the skins like there's no tomorrow. Frisell churning out some gruesome, mangled, feedback-laden guitar wails. Whereas I previously described Frisell's playing as crystal clear, the sound he creates here is downright warped (further proof of the man's ability to play anything--and I mean anything). So, in short, based on the strength of these two songs, I would recommend picking up this CD. I would guess that the majority of the album resembles "Straight No Chaser" moreso than the monstrous "East Timor." I might be wrong, but either way would be okay with me.

This is one of those releases in which you have to apply your ears and spend some time with to really enjoy. Maybe its the Frisellesque winding pathways of musicality, twisting and turning through the composition. Or, Ginger Baker cascading down and around the tracks dancing on the batterie' (drum kit) with experienced abandon. Perhaps it could be Charlie Haden's bass - beautifully resounding. No, its the combined effort, the synergy and free-play among the trio which makes this puppy cook. Dig it!

Ginger Baker knows his way around, through, above, and beyond rhythm. This CD is cool, crisp, concise. Ginger Baker, Bill Frisell, and Charlie Haden play so well together that it seems they have always been together playing and that we have just tapped into this ever playing stream of music. Frisell once more shows why he is one of the best guitarists on the planet, often by what he does not play. Haden bass playing blends perfectly with the flashy drumming of Baker. At time the mood gets mighty dark on this recording, but then you find yourself uplifted by the powerful interplay of three great musicians who have tapped into some mighty cool energy.

Note to Clapton's legions of current fans: You will not understand this music. This is not like Cream. Straight, No Chaser is an apt description.

I have a big music collection, so I am at the point where getting new music is getting hard for me. I don't like most of the new music out, so I am going back in time looking for things I may have missed the first time around. Going Back Home to me is a burried treasure. Most people know of Eric Claptons music off the top of their heads because of the tremendous amount of radio play he gets. Ginger Baker (Jack Bruce also), have made some great music since the Cream days. This album is living proof. The playing by everyone here is top notch. Bill Frisell truly shines on guitar. It is a shame such talented people do not get the exposure that they deserve. I you like 60's - 70's jam rock this is a great addition to your collection.

The emphasis is on the drums of course but not to a degree that spoils the music and the feel by any means. You know its Ginger and you think I have heard that before but his touch is mainly deft and clever and it is just part of the trio's sound. Bill Frisell is the ingredient here that make this more a Bill Frisell album with Ginger Baker drumming. I have to admit I am Frisell fan and I have 5 or 6 of his albums. (Ginger - I only have my Cream albums) I also have to admit that sometimes Frisell's inventiveness does not work for me - there are abums I would not have in the collection. This however is a very good one that works for serious listening and as background sound and I am just upset that I only found out about this 1994 album a couple of months ago - I have been denied its pleasures for nearly 16 years. As an Australian I also like Ginger's sentiments behind the "East Timor" track with its lyrics delivered in "Pressed Rat and WartHog" style. This will become a favourite album.

This might be the best thing that Ginger Baker has ever done. Although this record was cut about 25 years after Cream broke up, Baker's drumming apparently lost nothing in the interregnum; it is crisp, loud, energetic, and imaginative. You could call him the lead drummer on most tracks. If anything, he's even better than ever. And it doesn't hurt when you have Bill Frisell and Charlie Hayden, who are jazz greats, in your corner. The guitar work Frisell does here is the best I've heard him do. None of the tracks on this album are weak. It's great driving music. In fact, it's great music for anywhere--car or at home. I've listened to this album countless times since I got it back in 2000. Chances are, you will, too.