Early in the Morning with the Air Force

Cream are often dubbed as the first supergroup in the world.  And they probably were, but their super-extended egos prevented them from lasting more than a couple of years. Actually, it was Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker that couldn’t stand each other, while Clapton was always the quiet guy. He was so quiet that after the breakup of Cream and one album with Blind Faith he decided to be just another musician in a marginal band called ”Delaney and Bonnie and Friends.” On the other hand, Bruce and Baker immediately focused on their own music. While Jack Bruce was more experimental in his approach, Ginger Baker decided to explore the music of the day. He assembled a group called Ginger Baker's Air Force and started blending rock, jazz, funk, and soul elements in his unique fusion music.

The band formed in late 1969 with the line-up of Ginger Baker on drums, Steve Winwood on organ and vocals, Ric Grech on violin and bass, Jeanette Jacobs on vocals, Denny Laine on guitar and vocals, Phil Seamen on drums, Alan White on drums, Chris Wood on tenor sax and flute, Graham Bond on alto sax, Harold McNair on tenor sax and flute, and Remi Kabaka on percussion. This was practically the cream of the British music scene at the time. This lineup recorded the first eponymous album by the band, while the second one was recorded by a completely different one, with the exception of Baker and Graham Bond who remained until the disbandment of the group shortly after the release of the second LP.