Shadows in the Air - Bruce, Jack (CD 2001)

Since their breakup as a legendary power trio in 1968, the three members of Cream have gone on to new careers though the mantle of the "world s best power trio" has followed them, ever in the shadows.

Ginger Baker had his own Air Force for awhile, joined assorted other power groupings, explored progressive rock, jazz and fusion, and has continued to be a highly regarded drummer with his own jazz/blues/fusion recordings. Eric Clapton is of course, one of the world s premier guitarists and, perhaps, the most highly regarded figure in rock.

Jack Bruce [b. 1943-], ever the journeyman, has always been something of a musical traveler. He has joined other trios (Jack Bruce and Friends, West, Bruce and Laing, did two albums with guitarist Robin Trower, and one album with the Cream-like BBM) as well as numerous other records in various configurations of drums, bass and ? His music has continually forged ahead. Bruce even had a folk-rock period, but his music remains heavy with solid blues and jazz influences.

He has continued to write his unique songs (with Pete Brown and others), blending stream of consciousness lyrics with the power of a rock and roll mystic. His music has always been jazz and blues based and his most recent solo recordings have reflected that.

His latest album is called Shadows in the Air on Sanctuary Records. Produced by Bruce and Kip Hanrahan, Shadows in the Air includes the inevitable nods to Bruce s past, with an updated use of world rhythms (Afro-Cuban), merged with his recognizable jazz/blues riffs. It works wonderfully and finds Bruce s tenor in good shape. A little ragged and experienced, yes, but as powerful as ever.

Tracks/Writers:
1. Out into the Fields (Brown/Bruce/Laing/West)
2. 52nd Street (Bruce/Hanrahan)
3. Heart Quake (Brown/Bruce)
4. Boston Ball Game 1967 (Brown/Bruce)
5. This Anger's a Liar (Bruce/Hanrahan)
6. Sunshine of Your Love (Brown/Bruce/Clapton)
7. Directions Home (Bruce/Hanrahan)
8. Milonga (Bruce/Hanrahan)
9. Dancing on Air (Brown/Bruce)
10. Windowless Rooms (Bruce/Hanrahan)
11. Dark Heart (Bruce/Hanrahan)
12. Mr. Flesh (Bruce/Hanrahan/Reid)
13. He the Richmond (Brown/Bruce)
14. White Room (Brown/Bruce)
15. Surge (Bruce/Hanrahan)
Total: 62:35

Musicians: Jack Bruce: Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Piano, Arranger, Vocals/Dr. John: Organ, Piano (tracks 5, 10)/Milton Cardona: Conga/Robert Ameen: Drums (all tracks)/Malcolm Bruce: Synthesizer, Guitar/Eric Clapton: Guitar, Vocals (tracks 6, 14)/Richie Flores: Conga/Andy Gonzalez: Bass/Jimmy McDonald: Accordion/Vernon Reid: Guitar (tracks 1, 2, 5, 10, 12, 13)/ Mario Rivera: Sax (Tenor)/Piro Rodriguez: Trumpet/Alfredo Triff: Violin/Papo Vasquez: Trombone/Miguel Xenon: Sax (alto)/Changuito Luis Quintana: Congas, Quinto, Timbales/El Negro Horacio Hernandez: Drums(all tracks)/Gary Moore: Guitars (tracks 3, 11)

What Exactly Is a Bearded Rainbow?
A change is noticeable on the opening Out into the Fields, one that dates back to 1973 and the West/Bruce/Laing years. With Vernon Reid from Living Colour, on guitar the track has the requisite power one would expect, but it also takes on a atmospheric and lively arrangement that really envelopes the listener and gives a song about nothing some real heft. Reid contributes a stylized solo that fans will recognize and Bruce adds some piano color.

52nd Street merges in the use of congas effectively and the percussive elements (Quintana guests here) work well with Reid s guitar. Lyrically the song is a snapshot of the city s rhythms with nods to the political problems (racism, justice) as well as the hidden strengths of diversity.

It merges into Heart Quake quickly and Bruce s vocal on song of need is highly stylized with bursts of power followed by vulnerable falsetto. It s an album highlight for me. Gary Moore adds some needed color but the power of the song is all in Bruce s voice.

Boston Ball Game 1967 from 1969 s Songs for a Tailor remains as strange as ever, with an effective horn section. If this is Bruce/Brown s impressions of a ball game, I d like to have what they re having.

A boastful, if not malevolent, male lover appears to have his comeuppance coming in This Anger s a Liar with help from Dr. John and Gonzalez. Once again, Bruce s vocal prowess is a highlight with a song that lyrically might not work otherwise.

It s Getting Near Dawn
A revisit to Cream s most powerhouse track Sunshine of Your Love is another album highlight. Bruce and Clapton might have been tempted to cruise here, but they do most assuredly do not. Clapton burns and flits in and out of Bruce s vocal, with the touches of other worldly rhythms adding something here not heard before. (I repeated this track three times, it s that good.)

Directions Home that Bruce dedicates to Tony Williams and Larry Young is a lyrical nod to the end of life, and a fusionary workout with the dual drumming from Ameen/Hernandez working in tandem Triff s violin and Bruce s percolating bass.

Milonga is a mournful meditation on loss, a bridge that may be out of place here since the preceding tracks are all moving forward compositions So take it as breather to the rest of the album.

The dual drumming is highlighted again in Dancing on Air from the I Always Wanted to Do this album from 1980. It s a jazzy jam, a possible mediation on the journeyman nature of musician life. Windowless Rooms continues a bit along this wavelength lyrically (woe is the musician s life where love is concerned) with a decided blues undertone.

Shadows in the Air
Dark Heart contains the lyrics that title the album. The arrangement with an emphasis on congas/piano/guitar/accordion belies a seemingly dark melodrama, another character with hidden wounds that surface with Bruce s vocal. Moore s solos embody the lyrical darkness with fitting moments of intrigue and retreat. Mr. Flesh is a short snippet of talk with a heavy dose of Reid s color seemingly directed at a certain part of a man s body and his friend.

He the Richmond is another track from the Tailor album, another track with psychedelic lyrics, now married to more percussive elements and solid bass by Bruce.

Wait in this Place
Not too surprisingly, White Room again finds Bruce and Clapton in high spirits. Updated with an inventive percussive arrangement and synth work by Bruce s son Malcolm Bruce, this song still works as another great slice of psychedelic rock from the Cream archive. The new arrangement uses some violin color and a heavy dose of drums and congas to weather the breaks between Bruce/Clapton interplay. Clapton s solos are of 60s vintage and supple.

The ending track, Surge is a short burst of Bruce vocalese about the shortness of time with a ending dose of percussion.

All Just Killing Time
It struck me that much of the album seems to have a thread about time running through it. The characters are at the end of life or just beginning, some in the middle of course, all have problems in life/love, and the passage of time remains an underlying theme. Whether one is looking back or looking forward, the one constant is time, or the Shadows in the Air.

On the Sanctuary Records Web site [www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com] it is revealed that both Directions Home and Milonga were both improvised in the studio. Bruce notes in the accompanying bio, that this is the first in a trilogy of Latin-influenced records he is planning.

I m ready to wait for the second one. Shadows in the Air is a terrific record, one that will satisfy old fans and engage new ones. Bruce is in great voice and the material is top-notch and well done. This one will be in rotation for a long while. Five Stars

Cat Rating Scale
Whenever I play my old Cream records or my CDs, Freddie and Chester enjoy the experience with a dose of high-grade catnip. This record was no exception. They immediately recognized Bruce s voice and headed for the cupboard as their jones was alive and well. Two paws up response.