Saw Ginger Baker’s African Jazz Confusion the night before last at Ronnie Scott’s in London [I had made a longer post, but it was trashed by WordPress]. Suffice to say a great experience: with Abass Dodoo (Ghana; can’t wait to see him again somewhere) on African percussion, Alec Dankworth on bass (great musician, wonderful rhythmic and melodic sensibility) and Pee Wee Ellis (a legend in his own right – ex-James Brown, Van Morrison, many others) on sax.
I love Ginger Baker’s style – his rolling, bounding river of beats just goes on and on, giving real movement and emotion to the music. This isn’t esoteric jazz or academic jazz drumming, this is something that taps into an underground river of rhythm and makes you want to get up and move, and start hitting some drums yourself. Younger ‘musicians’ and bands take note.
Woland's Other Cat 
Wow! Ginger Baker is still alive and making music? Fantastic. I am officially jealous, you barsteward.
BTW: you do realise that yesterdayish was the 20th anniversary of those farking riots you started in Los Angeles, right?
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And I’m heading back to San Fran next week. Maybe I should drop down to LA for a visit, see if they missed me…
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I did not get to see this concert:
But I’m betting you didn’t either. And I did not know that it had happened… it’s possible that you did, but if you did not, the world would be a terribly sorry place if I did not inform you, no?
Colour me appropriately awed by this clip, by the way.
PS: They did miss you. But if you’re not careful, this time they’ll take aim properly.
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