Some people believe rock ’n’ roll should never leave the cozy three-chord confines of the garage – and then there's Jack Bruce. The late Cream bassist, who died in September 2014, wouldn't have had it any other way. “There are specialists who remain in one idiom for their entire careers, and no-one respects them more than I do,” Bruce told in 2001.
“But there also have to be artists willing to go out on a limb in order for the music to grow and go somewhere new.” Ignited by the influence of James Jamerson, Bruce developed an aggressive, lead-bass style in the bands of blues rockers Alexis Korner, Graham Bond, and John Mayall. This culminated in the 1966 formation of Cream, the legendary power trio with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton that permanently altered the face of rock.
Bruce's bass innovations – first with his Fender VI and then with his Gibson EB-3 – provided a cornerstone in the instrument's development. In his post-Cream career, Bruce collaborated with artists as varied as Leslie West, Robin Trower, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed, Carla Bley, John McLaughlin, Bernie Worrell, and Billy Cobham. His solo albums comprise an audio diary of his unmistakable bass playing, singing and writing.
The following interview took place in New York City and was first published in the September 2001 issue of , with Bruce promoting his 12th solo album, . “After a long solo-album hiatus – which was really just the result of me not having anything inspiring enough to record �.