The progeny of some 1960's rock superstars will be playing in Spokane this week.
The band Cream was the first supergroup of the 1960’s, bringing together the cream of British rock in a blues-psychedelic trio that featured guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker.
Now a tribute band, Music of Cream, will play Spokane this week.
The band was formed originally in 2017. It presently features Kofi Baker, the son of Ginger Baker, as well as Will Johns, nephew of Eric Clapton.
The 51-year-old Kofi Baker says he began to play drums when he was young and his father showed him some basic rudiments.
“When my dad told me to play a pattern and said, 'Keep that pattern going,' and left the room, I kept it going. He came back two hours later, he’d forgotten about me. I was still sitting there and my hands were hurting and I was crying, but I dare not stop, because he told me not to stop,” Baker said.
Baker admits his father was a disciplinarian and he learned many of his drum skills because of Ginger’s strict ways.
Kofi has been playing professionally as a drummer since age 14, playing with rock as well as jazz and fusion bands. Much of it was original music. He says there are some who say his current Music of Cream project is him hanging on to his famous father’s coat tails.
“I feel as though I need to represent my dad as no one is representing that music anymore. And it’s such great music, so why not play it and keep his legacy going?" Baker said. "If your dad was a glass blower or something, and you went into the business after him, you’d want to keep his way of blowing glass alive, right? Especially if it was really good,” he said.
The original band Cream was known for its improvisational skills, and taking their blues-rock based songs into lengthy jamming.
Kofi Baker says, on this tour, the group plans to play the entire Cream album "Disraeli Gears."
“We jam at the end of White Room. We jam at the end of Sunshine. But there’s not as many jams that we did on the first tour. So it’s a bit more reined it but we still improvise, and it’s different every night,” Baker said.
The second part of the show will focus on Eric Clapton's classics, material from Derek and the Dominoes, including its album "Layla," as well as Clapton’s solo efforts.
Baker says there is also a big screen with visuals presented during the show.
“When I do my drum solo, my dad does his solo beside me, so we do the solos together. Psychedelic stuff going on behind us when we’re playing,” he said.
The Music of Cream will perform Wednesday evening at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane.
