Jack's Diary: 1999-2004
18 December 2004
It is with a terrible sense of loss that I have to announce the death of my great friend, Dick Heckstall - Smith who died last night in a London hospital.
Dick was one of my very closest friends and when I first came to London in the early sixties he took me under his wing. I looked up to him as an older brother and he introduced me to many aspects of music that changed my whole life. Indeed it was Dick who got me my first important job with Alexis Korner's Blues Inc. Dick it was who first played me the early music of Bob Dylan and the Beatles He turned me on to great writers I had not known as yet like Joseph Heller and Malcolm Lowry.
If it had not been for his encouragement and guidance, I might never have been a part of the blossoming London scene. Dick introduced me to Ginger Baker and told me to check out a brilliant new guitarist called Eric Clapton!
Dick never received the recognition he deserved. He was without doubt the world's foremost blues saxophonist. His ability on tenor and soprano saxes (sometimes both at the same time) was unsurpassed in his chosen field.
Goodbye Dick. It was a great honour to have known you and a great privilege to have played with you. You will live in my heart forever. 18/12/2004
14 May 2004
It is so wonderful to be able to write to you on this my 61st birthday. There were times in the last few months when quite a lot of my medical people didn't think I would see this day. They didn't know me very well I don't think, cos I never really had any doubts!
I do know that a great deal of the strength I have had was a result of all your prayers and the good wishes that I actually felt directed towards me through the ether!
Again thanks so very much to all of you and I look forward to playing for you again. I have a feeling that something very exciting will happen next year, and I am continuing my revovery towards this end.Jack Bruce
(For information about Jack's successful battle with liver cancer and his trasnplant surgery in September 2003, see our Press Releases.)
30 November 2001
I am really shocked and saddened to hear of the death of George Harrison. Along with the all of his contemporaries as well as millions throughout the world I mourn the passing of a musician whose sensitivity and spirituality touched all of us. Apart from his work with the Beatles and his important solo recordings George was one of the first in the sixties to bring the influence of Indian culture to the attention of the world thus changing the direction of western music for all time. He was also almost single handedly responsible for the resurgence of the British film industry in recent times through his Hand Made Films production company. Without his input it is unlikely that films such as The Life of Brian, Brazil, Withnail and I, Mona Lisa, A Private Function and many others would ever have been made.
I first had the privilege of working with him on the Cream Goodbye sessions and his wonderful rhythm guitar work on Badge prompted me to ask him to play on Never tell Your Mother She's Out of Tune on my first solo album, Songs For a Tailor. This he did superbly using the name L'Angelo Misterioso for contractual reasons. He took the session so seriously that he arrived at the studio an hour before anyone else in order to be prepared for the live recording!
I always felt a special empathy with him, the "Quiet Beatle" as I guess I was also the "Quiet Cream!"
Farewell George. I will miss you.Jack Bruce
6 October 2000
Hello folks of world! How are ye? I haven't been in touch for quite a while and a lot has been going on that may be of interest to you.
First regarding the album All Quiet in Cuicoland; it progresses well if a little slower than I would like. In November I am planning to finish the recording with a little help from some friends. We are in negotiation with a record company and all looks promising on that front. I'll keep you posted.
Now at last I can break the news about the new band. I've been bursting to let you in on this but it is only now possible to 'fess up!
Our name is HotFlash and we are Jack Bruce (bass, voc.) Andy Summers (gtr.voc.) and Dennis Chambers (drs. voc.)
Andy and myself have already written more than twenty new songs and the band recorded seven in one day!
As you can tell I am very excited about this. The band sounds great - very much the Cream Police! and can't wait to get back to work. We plan our first release early next year and then we want to hit the road bigtime. Around the world - at least around the world!
Finally a big thanks to all of you who check in to this site and a very special Hello to all the great people "Down Under." It's folks like you
that make it all worthwhile.Love and Peace. Until the next time - keep on listening!
Jack Bruce
29 May 2000
St. Louis Missouri
Hello folks of world,
Well i've finally gotten it together to write a little diary entry. I also have some cool snaps which will appear on the site when I can find a connector cable. (Damn Mac.)
The tour has been going great guns so far and to me most if not all the gigs have been a groove. My particular faves so far have been the Beacon in New York City (where my good friend Andy Summers sat in on "Theme for an Imaginary Western," and last night in a shed near St. Louis Missouri. But they've all had something going for them, especially the great audiences. I get to play boogie woogie piano on Dave Edmond's tunes. It was great to get to hang with our man Derek A. and his lovely friend, Blair, and Peter Luger's in Brooklyn was a hoot. Oh the carnage oh the blood! (For those not in the know, it's a famous MEAT restaurant.) Don't go there if you're a cow. It's almost as dangerous as Chuck Berry's bathroom in this town. (If you're reading this, Mr Berry, I'm just joking!)
But for me the most moving was the pleasure and privilege of meeting Marc & Lorraine Wickert. You're the best - and thanks for the hat. I've changed my name to Crocodile.
Thanks so much for all the lovely things all you lovely people write to me. I read them and it makes it all make sense somehow.
More (relatively) soon
Today's word is haddock. (I do miss them on the road.)
17 February 2000
It is with great regret that I have to inform my friends in Australia that I am unable to take part in the "Ultimate Rock Symphony Tour." This is because of problems with the promoter ( in particular I was not being given enough time to perform adequately) as well as pressure of other commitments, especially the completion of my solo album. I am extremely sorry to disappoint all those who were planning to attend the shows, but I have agreed to visit Australia with Ringo and the All Starr Band later in 2000, and I feel I will be able to do more justice to my fans as well as my music under these circumstances.
28 October 1999
I am shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Bruce Cameron. I had the good fortune to work on his first solo CD "Midnight Daydream" and would like to pass on my condolences and sympathy to his friends and family.
Bruce Cameron
1955-1999
R.I.P.Jack Bruce