Malcolm Bruce is the son of Cream bassist Jack Bruce. (Photos by John Lappen)
Kofi Baker is the son of Ginger Baker, the original Cream drummer.
Guitarist Rob Johnson joins singer-songwriter Malcolm Bruce and drummer Kofi Baker in Sons of Cream.
Stefani M.C. Janelli talks to Kofi Baker and Malcolm Bruce before their Sons of Cream performance Friday, Aug. 16 at the Newton Theatre. Baker is the son of Ginger Baker, the original Cream drummer, and Bruce is the son of Cream bassist Jack Bruce. The band also features guitarist Rob Johnson.
Question: Sons of Cream is breathing new life into the legacy of Cream and their classics we all know and love. Can you tell us how you all met and formed the band?
Baker: I have known Malcom since the ’80s and we have played together a lot. As for Rob, he is my cousin on my dad’s side. We recorded an album together last year, so we like each other’s playing so much me and Malcolm added him to Sons of Cream, and as he is family, it means the whole band is family of Cream.
Bruce: I met Kofi when we were teenagers just starting out in our careers and have worked with him on a number of projects so far. I’ve only just met Rob Johnson at the beginning of this year when Kofi brought him into Sons of Cream. We played a 20-date U.K./European tour in March this year and now we are playing 25 dates over the summer, 14 in the U.K. and 11 initial dates in the U.S., so it’s all very new. But we are already booking for early 2025 onwards so we are committed to making this work and getting out there, I think we all feel there is much potential to take this somewhere substantial.
Q: Your band is not a tribute band, but instead, you’re referred to as a “celebration of Cream’s iconic music.” What sets your Sons of Cream performance apart as a celebration rather than just a tribute, like Malcolm’s done for his father?
Baker: It’s not a tribute band as we are carrying on where Cream left off. We improvise so it’s different every night, and we play the songs our own way.
Best think about it like a glass blower carrying on the family business and adding his own flavor to it. A tribute band just copies a band.
Bruce: I would say, generally speaking, a tribute band tends to replicate note for note what a particular band has already done, whether that emulation is of a particular era or recording or live concert setting or a combination of all these things. And we do not take that approach. We like to get inside the music, to inhabit the spirit of the original, the form of the songs, but explore that in our own ways through the lens of our own musical personalities. And because so much of Cream’s music is based on improvisation, that is a very natural process for us, that’s what we grew up doing with our dads.
Q: Throughout the set, you’re known to share stories about the band and their career. What was the purpose of adding this type of context to the performances?
Baker: We add stories because there (are) so many moments in our upbringing that are so not the norm and people seem to like it.
Bruce: Sometimes we talk a lot between songs, sometimes less so. I very much go on how I’m feeling in the moment and try not to be too scripted. Kofi has specific anecdotes he likes to tell. But sometimes there are important historical aspects that are useful to impart. For instance, the songs that my mom, Janet, co-wrote with my dad and Ginger and similar info. Perhaps, without going too overboard with it all, these things can be useful as a little history lesson. It’s almost 60 years ago that the band was formed, and Cream is a very important band in the history of popular music for a multitude of reasons, so a little info can be valuable to keep the awareness of the context within which this music comes from.
Q: What inspired you to continue the musical legacy of your families? Were any of you trained directly by any of Cream’s original members? If so, what was that experience like?
Baker: My dad (Ginger Baker) taught me from age 3, so when I started playing my dad’s music, I found that he played the songs just like me, so I (thought) he had a time machine and stolen my drum style.
Bruce: Again carrying on from (before), it’s an important form of music making that hasn’t really been fully explored in the way Cream explored. How music of this nature can unfold and be a conduit for deep exploration and the freedom to discover, react and respond. It really is a kind of jazz approach but within perhaps a more accessible language. It’s wide open, so it’s very exciting to perform. And it is the background we come from so it’s second nature for us.
Yes, both myself and Kofi worked a lot with our dads and learned from them. And in their own way were encouraging and recognized our potential. I spent my childhood and upbringing constantly around music making as a lifestyle; it was bound to rub off. And our guitarist, Rob, worked a little with Ginger, his granduncle, too.
Q: Aside from Cream, have any other artists influenced the dynamic sound of Sons of Cream?
Baker: We bring lots of other influences to the music just like Cream did, as we all have playing for decades.
Bruce: Too many to single out any individually. I like only one kind of music: good music!
Q: You’ve brought up other renowned musicians throughout your Sons of Cream shows. Who was your favorite? Is there someone else you’d love to join you on stage?
Baker: Yes! Brian May, (he) was a Cream fan, and Geddy Lee, lot of those guys like that I like.
Bruce: No absolute favorite so far; we have all collaborated with so many so far. We have the wonderful Dave Bainbridge joining us for a show on this tour, a founder member of Celtic band Iona who is also in the Strawbs and has worked with so many wonderful artists, even with my dad, Jack, so I’m looking forward to that. And my amazing daughter Maya has sung with us too. She’s working on her first EP right now. And we were joined by the late great Pete Brown for a couple of shows a while back, the lyricist for many of Cream’s songs. There’s just a few great people to mention.
Q: Together you also include two songs by Blind Faith in your live sets. What inspired the addition of those songs? What is particularly special about those two tracks?
Baker: Well, Blind Faith is all part of my legacy, so figured why not add some.
Bruce: Both songs from Blind Faith that we play were written by Steve Winwood; wonderful songs to play. It’s just another aspect to the legacy that is shared collectively and a beautiful addition to the set that brings some variation and color to the whole thing. There’s so much material to cover from all the different strands of the three original guys’ careers, not to mention our own music. We are talking about recording an original album at some point soon as well.
Q: Which Cream song is your favorite?
Baker: I have no favorite. I like them all!
Bruce: “We’re Going Wrong” probably!
Q: In a time when the blues genre is not as popular as it once was, why do you think it’s so important to keep the spirit of blues and Cream alive?
Baker: Cream was one of the first jam bands and that’s is still big among the young kids, so we just want to show them how it’s really done. As Cream was the best jam band of its time.
Bruce: That’s a big statement. What is popular ... there are so many factors that influence what is in the mainstream; consumerism, corporate agendas, politics, etc. I would say there is still much interest in blues and rock music. But it also still has the capacity to grow, perhaps that is why playing this older form of blues and rock can have relevance, to rediscover the potentialities. A lot of the contemporary scene has become a little predictable, to be honest. Maybe there is room for some wonderful innovation, in the same way Cream themselves blew the lid off the whole thing, albeit only briefly.
Q: You’re currently on tour making a stop at the Newton Theatre on Aug. 16. What are you most looking forward to for this show?
Baker: It’s a great theater and great people out there so it should be a lot of fun to play.
Bruce: We just love to play, and we love bringing this music to people. Authentic music making and connecting through the music. We can’t wait to see everyone!
Q: What songs can we expect to hear? Any we would be surprised that are on the set list?
Baker: We try to cover all the bases, so the well-known songs are all there: “Sunshine of your Love,” “White Room,” “Crossroads,” etc., and then the aforementioned Blind Faith might be surprising to some, and we might slip in a few surprises too. It just depends on how long people want us to play for! We are happy to go for three hours or more given the chance!
