The second project to match drummer Ginger Baker with guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Charlie Haden does not reach the heights of the first effort. Guest appearances by banjoist Bela Fleck on three songs and guitarist Jerry Hahn on one are welcome, but the diversity and wide scope of the first Baker trio set are not reached. The music often leans toward country (Frisell was probably preparing mentally for his Nashville project), the originals are less memorable than before, and the element of danger is mostly absent. A bit of a disappointment. - by Scott Yanow, AMG
There are a whole lotta musicians who would kill for a resumé like that of peripatetic drummer Ginger Baker: member of Cream and Blind Faith, bandmate of Fela Kuti, survivor of a drum showdown with Elvin Jones, olive farmer, polo player, born-again jazzer (his '95 trio recording, Going Back Home, certified his abilities). Baker's latest record, Falling Off The Roof, is another vivid chapter in his ongoing self-reinvention. Once again backed by Bill Frisell on guitar and Charlie Haden on bass, Ginger propels the groove through a rocking/swinging melange of originals and standards that are indelibly memorable. An unselfish bandleader who gives plenty of room to his mates, Baker nonetheless looms over the proceedings with a Blakey-like persona-subtly throwing vibes by strategic drum rolls and bombs, brushing up billows of wind, shifting time and space, rocking out. Highlights-that's tough, but the gothic blues of Frisell's "Skeleton," Baker's 4-on-the-floor "Vinco Vecchio" and the bluegrassified Frisell/Béla Fleck (banjo) plecturings on Haden's "Taney County" are keepers. So is Falling Off The Roof. - by Tom Terrell, www.jazztimes.com
Artist: Ginger Baker Trio
Album: Falling off the Roof
Year: 1996
Label: Atlantic HDCD
Runtime: 57:51
Tracks:
1. Falling off the Roof (Ginger Baker) 4:00
2. Amarillo, Barbados (Bill Frisell) 4:41
3. Bemsha Swing (Thelonius Monk/Denzil Best) 4:21
4. Sunday at the Hillcrest (Charlie Haden) 5:54
5. Au Privave (Charlie Parker) 3:06
6. Our Spanish Love Song (Charlie Haden) 5:21
7. C.B.C. Mimps (Ginger Baker) 6:49
8. Skeleton (Bill Frisell) 5:57
9. Vino Vecchio (Ginger Baker) 3:56
10. Day the Sun Came Out (Ginger Baker/Bill Frisell) 8:23
11. Taney County (Charlie Haden) 5:23
Personnel:
Ginger Baker (Drums)
Bill Frisell (Guitar)
Charlie Haden (Double Bass)
Bela Fleck (Banjo) - 2,5,11
Jerry Hahn (Electric Guitar) - 4