I recently had the pleasure to speak with Kofi Baker, son of the late Ginger Baker about his band, Sons of Cream, a DNA interpretation of classic “Cream”, a sound fusion of British blues, with the pop, rock and psycheldelic sound that dominated the music scene in the mid to late 1960’s. Who can forget the super group that consisted of Ginger Baker (drums, dod 2019), Jack Bruce (guitar, dod 2014) and Eric Clapton (guitar). Fast forward 60 years to Kofi Baker, a very pleasant animal conservationist who lives next to a nature preserve in Indiana.
Sons of Cream members consist of Kofi Baker on drums, Malcolm Bruce, son of Jack Bruce, Cream’s primary songwriter and vocalist and Rob Johnson, grand-nephew of Ginger.
All three are seasoned musicians. Kofi performed with his father when he was six years touring Europe with him. At that point, Cream had disbanded. His occasional drum lessons from Ginger were based upon the “exceptions” rather than standard techniques. Ginger set the bar for drumming with his double bass technique of Africian polyrythms and a jazz sound.
Kofi was raised on this technique and today incorporates it into each and every one of his Sons of Cream performances. He has also published a drum instruction book, “The Forgotten Foot” which demonstrates the importance of the left foot for better timing and consistency and includes exercises to enhance the double bass drumming technique that Kofi “cut his teeth on” as a child.
In 2017 he was part of The Music of Cream 50th Anniversary Tour. Ever since, Kofi’s core band has toured with top session musicians for each tour. On February 20, 2020 he participated in the Ginger Baker tribute concert organized by Eric Clapton to celebrate the life and times of Ginger Baker in which great Britan’s rock legends performed a 15 set songlist (with “Crossroads” as the encore) honoring Ginger’s work in Cream and Blind Faith.
Currently, Sons of Cream has been traveling on an intense UK and USA tour playing on a daily basis, music from the landmark, four Cream albums released in a little over two years before breaking up in 1968. “Fresh Cream”, 1966 introduced the world to N.S.U., I’m So Glad (which became a classic), “Sweet Wine” and the Willie Dixon classic “Spoonful” first recorded by Howling Wolf in 1960 and covered by many groups over the years.
“Disraeli Gears” released in 1967, introduced what was and still is today, Cream’s anthem, “Sunhine of Your Love”, plus “Strange Brew “and “Tales of Brave Ulysses”. Cream reached its height with “Wheels of Fire” the album that spawned ‘White Room”, “Born Under a Bad Sign”, “Crossroads”, “Toad” and the repeated hit, ” Sunshine”.
Cream united in 1993 when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was included in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of all Time” and number 16 of VH1’s, 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Post-Cream, “Blind Faith”, was an attempt by Clapton to recruit Steve Winwood. Eventually they all chose different paths: Bruce began a successful solo career. Baker formed the jazz-fusion, Giger Baker’s Air Force and Clapton went on to a long and varied career.
Kofi is affable and candid. When asked “what was the most important advice that your father gave you?”, he replied, “Ginger said, do everything I do, just don’t do it on heroin”.
By Maria Passannante-Derr
