Sons of Cream Coming to the Greenwich Odeum Sunday, February 22

Whether you realize it or not, you probably know the songs of Cream, the groundbreaking power trio built by three rock legends – Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker – who came together 60 years ago in London. They were one of the great bands of the 1960’s, arguably the first “supergroup,” an act that continues to influence the direction of modern music. 

These days, the next generation carries the torch, with two sons and a grand-nephew of the original members hitting the road to promote Cream’s legacy, while updating the memorable trio’s sound. Sons of Cream -- bassist Malcolm Bruce, drummer Kofi Baker, and guitarist Rob Johnson -- are on a US tour that brings them to the Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich on Sunday, February 22.

I caught up with Malcolm Bruce, son of Jack Bruce, as the band was on the road between stops in Arizona and Texas, about halfway through their tour that comes to the area next week, just as the band is hitting its stride. “When you get on the road, it takes a few shows to get in, and then you kind of hit drive, and hopefully some magical things start happening,” said Bruce.

Bruce and Baker have a history that stretches back decades. “I’ve known Kofi Baker since we were teenagers,” Bruce continued. “I spent time with him in rehearsal rooms when we were in our teens, and we’ve done a couple of projects off and on. We put together Sons of Cream a couple of years ago, although we’ve done it before, about ten years ago, calling it Music of Cream. We added Kofi’s relative, Rob Johnson, who is Ginger’s sister’s grandson – his grand-nephew. So it’s kind of a family band, really fun, and it’s come together nicely.”

In rock and roll terms, Cream helped define the power trio format – a framework that gives each musician maximum room to shine, a style that evolved from the jazz tradition. “If you're going to improvise, the trio is probably the ultimate force,” Bruce explained. “It allows the sonic space to be able to express yourself fully. Even with four musicians, there's just much less room to be expressive as an individual.”

“I'm sure there were trios before Cream,” added Bruce. “But the power trio concept, in the sense that you have three musicians of equal stature rather than the bass player sort of plodding the root notes underneath the lead guitar player or whatever. Whether they were conscious of it or not, that's kind of what they created. They had three equally proficient musicians being able to express themselves.”

The result of Cream’s chemistry was a run of timeless songs that remain staples of FM radio more than 60 years later: “Songs like “Sunshine of Your Love,” “I’m So Glad,” and “Badge,” all fundamental to the classic rock genre, are examples of the band’s staying power. Rest assured, you’ll hear these classics and others at the show.

“It really is a different show every night,” noted Bruce. “People love those big hit songs, “White Room,” “Sunshine and You Love,” “Crossroads.” We do “Spoonful,” which is one of my favorites. We do “We're Going Wrong,” another one of my favorites. We have a good 13 to 15 songs each night. 

Bruce sees hope for the future of rock and roll in emerging artists, as well as classic rockers who keep the tradition alive. “It's such an interesting time, isn't it? It's like we are at the crossroads, culturally speaking, and not just in music. It's a really interesting time in that sense. We have to have the courage to not just conform to what is expected of us. And I think that that's impacted all walks of life. And, you know, maybe in my small way I can contribute to that. And I think we all can – just by listening to each other.” 

Look for the band’s debut album, Half and Half, including original songs and Cream covers, later this year. A few seats remain for the Sunday night show – click here for details.