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The Sons of Cream are keeping the legacy of Cream alive for both old and a newer generation of fans.  The band features Jack Bruce’s son Malcolm, Ginger Baker’s son Kofi and guitarist Rob Johnson who is also Ginger Baker’s nephew.

 

The band will be playing Music Box Supper Club on Thursday, March 5.  We had the opportunity to speak with Malcolm Bruce to discuss playing his father’s music as well as making new music on their own.

 

Greg Drugan:  The Sons of Cream carries such a powerful musical lineage. What does it mean to you personally to reinterpret your father’s music for a new generation of fans?

 

Malcolm Bruce:  The music of Cream is largely based on improvisation and stretching out the music.  We use the songs as a starting point.  This band is three equal musicians and it’s a very unique thing I think.  It’s never been done before in this way.  I think it’s exciting for people to see three musicians on stage, playing off of each other, equally. Rather than jazz music where someone is taking a solo.  The songs are amazing.  They seem to be timeless songs. We are carrying on this tradition that we inherited from our folks. We’ve gotten a very nice response.
 

GD:  When you’re performing classic Cream material like “Sunshine of Your Love” or “White Room,” do you aim to stay faithful to the originals, or do you consciously try to put your own stamp on them?

 

MB:  We are not a tribute band in the sense that we’re repeating the notes.  Obviously they are songs, and we play the songs but we go off on our own musical journey.  It’s not contrived like we are playing the song exactly how those guys did it sixty years ago. I don’t think there’s much of a point to be exactly like them.  We are our own people with our own creativity. I think this music lends itself to renewal and that’s what makes it exciting.
 

GD:  Growing up around that era of music, what memories stand out most about watching your father create and perform?

 

MB:  I wasn’t alive yet when Cream was around.  But I grew up around a lot of his successes. We were at home and we had a little recording studio so we would make music together.  I would help him with the recording of his projects. As I got older, I was on stage with him performing sometimes. I’ve had some amazing memories.  I don’t want to play my dad’s music forever, but it is just a wonderful opportunity to celebrate my legacy and where I come from. I think it’s an important body of work to celebrate. 

 

GD:  Growing up, besides your father who were some of your personal influences?

 

MB:  I think everything.  I think it was the Blues Brothers who said “There are two types of music.  Good music and bad music.” (laughs) Ultimately, anything especially when you are young, you are an open book. That’s what I gained from my father, just to be open. Very early on, I pretended to be Jimi Hendrix. I also started learning the piano at the age of five and had formal lessons.  Jazz and all kinds of things. Music at its best can be a portal into higher consciousness or authentic possibility. 

 

GD:  I’ve read that you’ve played with some amazing artists throughout your career from Little Richard to Elton John. What were those experiences like to play with such icons?

 

JB:  Just amazing.  I didn’t actually get to play with Richard.  We spent a couple of days at my friend Kevin McKendree’s studio.  Kevin is a multi-Grammy award winning guy who has worked with Delbert McKlinton and all kinds of people.  It just came up that a song writer named Dottie Rambo tragically passed away in a tour bus crash.  Her manager was putting together a tribute album for her.  So we had Richard in the studio for a couple of days and I was assisting with the engineering and the big bands.  It was a great couple of days.  Richard was super!  Lovely man, humble and just great to be around. What an icon, the inventor!  He called himself the originator and he was!  Lovely energy.  At the end of the session, Kevin asked him to get on the piano and play some boogie stuff and Richard was very complimentary. 

 

With Elton, that record was a Frankie Miller record.  Frankie had a brain aneurysm thing so he is not able to perform anymore. He had this incredible catalog then all kinds of people from Ray Charles to Elton that had sung his songs over the years.  The producer got a box of cassette demos and extracted the voice of Frankie and then put it together with a lot of amazing singers with backing bands.  One of which I was involved with.  The track I played bass on has Charlie Morgan on drums, Steve Cropper on guitar, Elton on piano Elton and Frankie are doing this duet. It’s a country song called “Where Do The Guilty Go?”  It’s one of the best things I’ve heard Elton do. It’s just beautiful and the piano playing is gorgeous. I’ve had a couple of amazing opportunities to play with amazing people, I’ve been lucky.

 

GD:  I’ve been fortunate to have seen both of them perform live in concert and both Elton and Little Richard are phenomenal talents in their own right. 

 

JB:  Oh, unbelievable yeah.
 

GD:  Since you’ve been out on the road with Sons of Cream, what’s been the most surprising reaction you’ve received from fans at your live shows?

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MB:  When you are a performer on stage, we are hyper-critical of ourselves.  When we get on stage, the sound might not be right.  Sometimes I get off stage and think, that wasn’t a very good show. I hold myself to a very high standard and sometimes it depends on how you feel. Surprisingly sometime you get off stage people say on social media, “wow you guys were incredible!”  I have to hold myself back from saying “yeah, but if you’d seen us last night, that would have been amazing.” Overall, people have been very, very positive of what we are doing.
 

GD: Looking ahead, you are going to be releasing your debut album with the Sons of Cream, and I love the title Half and Half, with six originals and six Cream covers. How did you choose the covers to put on the album?

 

MB:  With this lineup, with Kofi and Rob Johnson we’ve been doing this off and on for three years.  We know all of the Cream records but we kind of shied away from the big hit records, as it were. It would have been obvious to do “Sunshine of Your Love” or “White Room” or “Crossroads.”  We’ve done some slightly more obscure tunes, depending on how deep you know the records. I’m going to leave that as a surprise.  It came together organically.  We were rehearsing for a week and then we went into the studio. In terms of the originals, we are all writers.  We just worked on some ideas.  I think it's exciting. We are hoping the back end of spring or early summer.  We don’t have a release date yet. 

 

GD:  Are you guys fitting any original songs into the set on this tour?

 

MB:  We haven’t so far but we might work in a song or two.  We are sort of holding it back because there is so much Cream material. We are doing around two and a half hours or an hour and a half, depending on the venue.  We are doing 13-15 Cream songs a night.  With improvisation, we could do one song for four hours!  I think you have to be careful introducing new material into shows like this.  It is exciting and we are figuring it out as we go along.

 

GD:  You guys are going to be coming to Cleveland soon, what can fans expect from your show?

 

MB:  All the big hits, like we’ve mentioned.  We have a wonderful version of “Toad” which was Ginger Baker’s drum solo.  He really stretches out and does what his father did.  There’s really a lot of improvisation, we go on a musical journey.  We share this night which is a completely unique experience with our audience.  If you came to the next show, you would hear similarities but you will also hear a unique show.  People can expect a truely egalitarian experience.

 

GD:  Malcolm, I’m glad you gave me a call! I’m going to get the word out and I wish you all the best on your new album.  We will pack The Music Box Supper Club for you!

 

MB:  Thank you so much Greg for your time.  I really do appreciate it!

 

Make sure to check out The Sons of Cream at the Music Box Supper Club on Thursday, March 5.

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