Development of the British Blues and Rhythm

  --- show 33 ---   8-12-2015

Jack Bruce                                     1968-1971

Savoy Brown                               1969 & 1970

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As the intended sce of this series has expanded, we find ourselves further and further away from the basic guitar-driven model of the British Blues than ever anticipated and the music of Jack Bruce may be the one causing us to stray the farthest.  Our show-opening set is a three-song BBC broadcast recorded August 10^th 1971 and features Jon Hiseman on drums and John Surman on the saxophones

Jack’s next set begins with one tume from the album Things We Like, recorded in August of 1968, and features Bruce along with former Graham Bond band members Hiseman (although his tenure with Bond was after Bruce departed), saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and guitarist John MacLaughlin (and John was kicked out immediately prior to DHS joining).  The set’s second song, Never Tell Your Mother She is out of Tune, includes Beatle guitarist George Harrison joined by a full horn section of DHS and Art Themen on tenor and soprano saxophones, Henry Lowther and Harry Beckett on trumpets while Hiseman provides the drumming.  The same cast (minus Harrison) are heard on Boston Ball Game (plus trombonist John Mumford) and Ministry of Bag, the latter adding guitarist Chris Spedding to the mix.  A minimized band of Bruce, Spedding and Hiseman perform on Theme for an Imaginary Western

I know better than to try to make sense of the lyrics in Jack’s songs, especially when they are written by Pete Brown; I just listen to his voice as I would any other instrument.  Brown provided his poetic influence on Songs for a Tailor (recorded April to June 1969 and listing Jack on vocals, bass, piano and organ) which provided the last five tunes and Harmony Row (January 1971) whose three included songs close the set.  Only Morning Story came from the original album, Green Hills featuring Spedding on acoustic guitar and Bruce on piano as an alternate version of the album’s Can You Follow and an instrumental demo of Escape to the Royal Wood, which was actually recorded back on Oxtober 6^th 1969.

The final Jack Bruce set again comes from a BBC concert, this one from September 18^th 1971 and features tunes from the last two albums mentioned with a cast of Marshall, Spedding and Themen plus Graham Bond on keyboards, saxophone and the vocal on Have You Ever Loved a Woman.

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Jack’s Gone

Clearway

Powerhouse Sod

   Jack Bruce

A Hard Way to Go

That Same Old Feeling

Master Hare

Needle and Spoon

A Little More Wine

Is That So

I’m Crying

   Savoy Brown

Sam Enchanted Dick Medley

Never Tell Your Mother She’s Out of Tune

Theme to an Imaginary Western

The Ministry of Bag

Boston Ball Game 1967

*To Isengard (time permitting)

Green Hills (aka Can You Follow?)

Morning Story

Escape to the Royal Wood (On Ice)

   Jack Bruce

Gypsy

Poor Girl

Sunday Night

Sittin’ and Thinkin’

Leavin’ Again

Romanoff

   Savoy Brown

You Burned the Tables on Me

Smiles and Grins

A Letter of Thanks

We’re Going Wrong

The Clearout

Have You Ever Loved a Woman?

   Jack Bruce

Savoy Brown Boogie

   Savoy Brown