RIP Ginger Baker. Here is Baker's great, great TOAD. Which will live forever.

[Mark Kohut]

from Marianne Moore's great poem on poetry:

"nor till the autocrats among us can be
     “literalists of
      the imagination”—above
         insolence and triviality and can present

for inspection, imaginary gardens with real toads in them,
      shall we have
   it. "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi5g-hxdcEQ....

There was a time I used to listen to this almost every day, seldom just
once. Like a narrative poem but wordless, of course, where we can insert
our own toads....we're walking, then running and skipping and it's
building and rising and rising some more then falling; crescendoing (sic),
then diminuendoing (sic); we're always having to listen... slowly....and,
with the two lines of music (at least) going like an ideal dialogue, two
pushing each other, meeting the other, rising to their words, slowing to
catch one's breath...almost stopping but those hands of Ginger's always
carrying the life force forward....first time I heard it I could not
believe it never ended when it seemed to, thereby forcing our
attention...attention, that human need and gift to others...at minute seven
when he comes in again with what I hear as a contra voice leaning against
the other voice....sublime. Perfect....and finally when the rest of Cream
all enter,  surprisingly, I still get chills, he's home, the solo is not
alone, never was.

I mean this is Shakespearean or Pynchonian drumming, yes?....the whole ages
of man speech in one solo, so to speak and more; a long Gravity's Rainbow
scene, so to analogize.....I am so glad Ginger lived as long as this great
solo says he would. 80 communicative  years...

Ginger, I will ask for this to be played at my funeral.....

A final Ginger note: here he is carrying the beat, again, as subtly as love
itself on one of the greatest love songs ever recorded. *Sunshine of Your
Love*...a defiant declaration...when Jack almost shouts his
besottedness/commitment you know there is NO QUESTION of "forsaking all
others". He's so hers he wants to merge with her, ---"where I'm going"--the
certain slant of light, the whole new morning forever in her sunshine.
"Until his seas are dried up", that tale of brave Ulysses. Now home for
good.

The most defiant version, from the album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt51rITH3EA

A great live version with an extra minute of jamming and Ginger's face and
Ginger rocking it home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3y8jf01UY8