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

[Mark Kohut]

Correction: ....No question of NOT "'forsaking all others'

On Sun, Oct 6, 2019 at 9:02 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
>
>
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