RIP Jack Bruce – Rawalpindi Blues

In memory of Jack Bruce, Rawalpindi Blues, a long piece from Escalator Over The Hill, the jazz opera (?) by Carla Bley and Paul Haines recorded with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, which included the cream of jazz from the 1960s and early 1970s, including Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin, and others (see here).

Here, Jack's voice, which I liked as much as his bass (and maybe even more), is very much in evidence. The piece is ideally divided into several sections in which an Eastern Band consisting of Don Cherry (ceramic flute and percussion as well as trumpet and vocals), Calo Scott (cello), Leroy Jenkins (violin), Sam Brown (12-string guitar), Souren Baronian (G clarinet and dumbek), Ron McClure (bass), Carla Bley (piano and organ), Paul Motian (drums, dumbek and bells) and a Western Band with Jack Bruce (electric bass and vocals), John McLaughlin (electric guitar), Carla Bley (piano and organ) and Paul Motian (drums and percussion) (which ultimately, in the album liner notes, would appear under the name Desert Band) alternate.

Obviously, the first creates a typically Eastern sound made of soft atmospheres suffused with a drone, while the second has a Western electric sound. As already mentioned, these two musical visions alternate, sometimes suddenly and other times connected by the entrances of the Jazz Composer's Orchestra. Interestingly, since it was impossible to gather all the musicians in New York due to their commitments (there was a lot of playing in those years), the piece was recorded separately in various sessions. First one with Don Cherry and the Eastern Band on November 30, 1970, then, on December 7, one with the Western Band. Other tracks were added later during the final edit. It all creates a beautiful fusion of the two worlds, well summarized in the title.

Obviously, there are many other Jack Bruce albums to listen to, but I wanted to choose Rawalpindi Blues, firstly because I can also talk about Escalator Over The Hill, which I've always loved, and secondly because he always transcended genres, moving from rock to jazz to European 20th-century music without any qualms, and he could do so with a certain ease and without forcing it because he was incredibly good, both technically and musically.

E poi un passaggio live

Back