I early acquired the habit of listening to music from the bottom up. A tune with an energetic bass line is far more likely to catch my attention than one in which the bass merely marks chord changes. I took to Cream immediately, partly because of Clapton and Baker, but mainly because of bassist, singer and songwriter Jack Bruce. There are many musicians whose bass playing I’ve enjoyed, but Bruce has always been my favorite.
Jack Bruce passed away today. R.I.P.
Here’s Bruce with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton:
With Jim Gordon and Frank Zappa:
With Rory Gallagher:
Here’s another video that I can’t embed. The first half is Bruce discussing playing the bass, with demonstrations, and the second half is “Politician” with Garys Moore and Husband.