Tribute Trio
From left: Rob Johnson, Kofi Baker, and Malcom Bruce. PHOTO: KERRY QUINN
The Sons of Cream draws on DNA and decades of musicianship to bring its audiences an improvisational blend of legacy and artistry.
When he was just six, Kofi Baker discovered his daddy was a famous musician. Ginger Baker didn’t tell him. Schoolmates did. He sported long hair and shabby clothes but lived in a huge house on a hill in metro London, where every room showcased a different color. “Very psychedelic,” Kofi said by phone.
Classmates teased him. “You think you’re special,” they told him before beating him up. Small price to pay for what he inherited.
Ginger Baker gained much of his fame and fortune in the band, Cream, where he played drums along with bassist Jack Bruce and guitarist Eric Clapton. Kofi and Jack’s son, Malcolm, join Rob Johnson as the Sons of Cream, and bring their tribute trio to Levoy Theatre. Not a straight tribute, but a living continuation of an improvisational legacy.
From their roots in the 1960s British blues-R&B scene, Kofi, Malcolm and Rob draw not only on DNA but on decades of musicianship to reimagine those classic Cream songs. Their concerts feature Cream staples like “Sunshine of Your Love,” “White Room,” and “Crossroads,” often morphing into extended improvisation, fresh reinterpretations and spontaneous interplay.
Johnson, a multi-genre guitarist, complements the other two members with his own modern flair. Together, the trio honors the achievements and raw emotional intensity combined, turning each concert into a journey through rock history.
The band frequently tours across the UK, USA, and Europe, performing 20+ dates per leg and delivering a concert tour experience that resonates with longtime fans of Cream as well as new listeners.
Kofi’s first live performance was with his father on the cult UK television music show The Old Grey Whistle Test not long after he proved he had inherited more than just his father’s name. In the early ’80s, Kofi and his father played drum duets throughout Europe, amazing audiences with complex African polyrhythms. Later, Kofi toured with John Ethridge and gigged in London with Steve Waller and Randy California. He also toured Europe with Steve Marriot’s Humble Pie.
During the 1990s Kofi toured with Jack Bruce in Budapest, signed with Scotty Brothers Records and recorded the album Lost City, cut Abstract Logic with Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane, and toured extensively, including more drum duets with Ginger Baker.
In 1994, Kofi headed off to the USA and for some time lived with his father in Colorado. Footage of this can be seen in the highly regarded documentary Beware of Mr. Baker.
In 2015, Kofi joined The Extreme Guitar Cream reunion concerts at Madison Square Garden and following these historic shows, started to develop and evolve his ‘Cream Experience’ band.
After leaving Colorado for LA, Kofi continued to play extensively and also set up his own drum school, which spawned many loyal fans and pupils. Anyone taking lessons or attending his clinics can testify to his easy, friendly manner and the excellent way he communicates his passion to others.
Between 2017 and 2022, he was invited to become an integral part of The Music Of Cream 50th Anniversary Tour, which began in Australia and New Zealand.
Malcolm Bruce has toured, performed, recorded and appeared on records with Little Richard, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Dr. John, Steve Cropper, Joe Satriani, Joe Bonamassa, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne, and of course, his father Jack. Between 2017 and 2019, he played about 100 shows in “The Music of Cream,” with Kofi Baker and others.
In 2018 and 2019, Malcolm was co-executive producer, arranger, and performer for “Heavenly Cream,” a project headed by Cream lyricist Pete Brown and recorded at Abbey Road Studios. It featured performances by Ginger Baker, Bobby Rush, Paul Rodgers, Deborah Bonham, Bernie Marsden, and Pee-Wee Ellis. An album, produced by Rob Cass, along with a documentary, The Cream Acoustic Sessions was released in November 2023.
Bobby is a member of the harmony centered trio Motel Sundown and is currently an instrumental tutor at Liverpool University, where he graduated. He has had extensive experience playing festivals and touring in the UK, USA, and Europe (including support slots for Iggy Pop). As well as performing live he has also worked as a session guitarist (MT Jones, Edgar Jones) and co-producer. Bobby has written and arranged material for artists, including Ginger Baker’s Airforce.
Kofi, having graduated from Liverpool University with a 1st class Degree and an avid interest in open tunings, he is compiling and releasing an open tuning chord book.
Baker met Bruce in Annie Lennox’s studio. “We’ve stayed together ever since,” he says.
The group did some original material but mostly kept to their legacy and improvised on their fathers’ catalogues. The improvisational method, means you don’t hear the same show every night.
So far the union has worked. But long ago, Kofi developed a fallback plan in case music didn’t work for him. “I was good at repairing cars and electronics. I also worked as a fitness trainer. But I never made as much money. The drums pay the bills.”
The money is good, but Baker also enjoys drumming. In 2010, He wrote a book on learning the drums the way he and his father learned. It is titled The Forgotten Foot: A Guide to Developing Foot Independence and Hi-Hat/Bass Coordination for All Drummers.
He also teaches drums the way his father learned. “My dad was a jazz drummer,” he says. “I learned the real way to play from the beginning.”
Unlike rock, jazz and Latin rhythms require frequent use of the left foot. Rock drummers can play 10 years without using the left foot.
“My dad taught me and I taught my students.”
Of the three primary members of Cream, only Clapton remains alive. “My dad was happy we had this legacy going. No one out there was doing it.”
They have an album coming out in the coming months with half original material and some Cream numbers. “If it does well, we’ll do another,” Kofi said.
Though Jack Bruce did not play with Blind Faith, Sons of Cream will sometimes pull a number from that short-lived band like “Can’t Find My Way Home.”
If You Go: Sons of Cream
Date: Tuesday, March 3
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Levoy Theatre 126-130- N. High Street, Millville, NJ 08332
Phone Number: 800-642-7676
Website: Levoy.net
Tickets: From $40 to $54, available at the box office or from the link: https://levoy.net/event/sons-of-cream/
