Bruce, ktorý je považovaný za jedného z najlepších basgitaristov všetkých čias, si udržal sólovú kariéru, ktorá trvala niekoľko desaťročí a hral aj v niekoľkých hudobných skupinách. Bruce, známy ako spevák a basgitarista, bol tiež skladateľom piesní. Hoci sa vyučil ako klasický violončelista a považoval sa za jazzového hudobníka, veľa z jeho katalógu skladieb a nahrávok inklinovalo k blues a rock and rollu.
Od roku 1962 začínal Bruce ako kontrabasista u Grahama Bonda v organizácii Graham Bond Organization , ktorá hrala zmes jazzu, blues a R&B. V tom čase sa zoznámil s bubeníkom Ginger Baker . Po pôsobení s Johnom Mayallom a Manfredom Mannom založil s Bakerom a gitaristom Ericom Claptonom skupinu Cream . Cream mal počas svojej existencie množstvo hitov, väčšinu z nich napísal Bruce s textárom Petom Brownom .
V rokoch od rozpadu skupiny Cream v roku 1968 vydal Bruce množstvo sólových albumov, väčšinou v experimentálnejšom duchu, a spolupracoval so širokou škálou hudobníkov v mnohých žánroch. Na zozname sú Robin Trower , Tony Williams , John McLaughlin , Carla Bley , Allan Holdsworth , Ringo Starr a Frank Zappa . Bol tiež členom kapely West, Bruce and Laing .
V roku 1994 vydal album pod názvom kapely BBM (Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker a Gary Moore) s názvom Around the Next Dream.
Bruce vydal nový štúdiový album Silver Rails v marci 2014 na Esoteric Antenna, jeho prvý sólový štúdiový album za viac ako desať rokov.
Discography
Songs for a Tailor (1969)
Things We Like (1970)
Harmony Row (1971)
Out of the Storm (1974)
The Jack Bruce Band Live ’75 (vydáno 2003)
How’s Tricks (1977)
Jet Set Jewel (nahráno 1978, vydáno 2003)
I’ve Always Wanted To Do This (1980)
Automatic
Inazuma (1987)
Willpower (1989)
A Question of Time (1989)
Somethin Else (1992)
Cities of the Heart (1993)
Around the Next Dream (1994)
Monkjack (1995)
Shadows in the Air (2000)
Rope Ladder to the Moon (2003)
More Jack Than God (2003)
Silver Rails (2014)
Bird Alone
Jack Bruce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Songs promised everything
From sad guitars
The faces never change but you're not there
I hear the notes you played
Still in the air…
Don't give up that feeling when you finally got it down
Don't give up that feelin when you got it in your hand
Keep it hot & squealin
When you make it with your band
Don't give up that feelin when you're up against the wall
Keep it hot & squealin and you'll have yourself a ball
Don't give up that feelin when you've got it in your hand
Keep it hot & squealin
When you, when you make it with your band
Bird alone goin home
Did not know
The right tomorrows
Heard your flight
Somewhere inside of night
It was daylight
And I'm down here blowin over the sparks
Somewhere
Somewhere inside the night
Heard you sing from the wings
Everything was happening
Bird alone
Every day you have done
You've won
In "Bird Alone," Jack Bruce reflects on the music scene he encounters in bars, where songs and sad guitars promise everything yet the faces never change. Despite this, Bruce finds solace in the notes played and the music that lingers in the air. He encourages the listener to hold onto that feeling of musical passion and keep it alive, especially when faced with adversity. In the end, Bruce references the "Bird alone goin home," perhaps alluding to Charlie Parker, the famous jazz saxophonist who died tragically at a young age. Yet, even though Parker may not have known what tomorrow would bring, Bruce suggests that his musical legacy lives on and in some sense, so do we as we listen to his music and carry on with our own musical endeavors.
At the core of "Bird Alone" is an appreciation for music and its ability to transcend time and space. It speaks to the ephemeral nature of music and how it can bring us together in unexpected ways. Bruce's use of imagery such as "blowin over the sparks" and "somewhere inside the night" adds to the dreamlike quality of the song, as if the music is both tangible and intangible at the same time. Overall, "Bird Alone" is a reflection on the power of music and its ability to inspire and connect us, even in the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
Love in the mirrors down in the bars
The love present in the bars is usually just a reflection of oneself in the muddled mirrors.
Songs promised everything
The songs offer hope for everything.
From sad guitars
Though the guitars make sad music, they are still something that reminds us of beauty.
The faces never change but you're not there
The faces in the bars may be the same, but someone special is not present in them anymore, causing pain.
I hear the notes you played Still in the air…
The music played before lingers on, even though the person who played it isn't there anymore.
Don't give up that feeling when you finally got it down
It's important to hold on to the good sensations of things once they are learned.
Keep it hot & healin when you take it round the town
When taking what you've learned out and about, keep it passionate and therapeutic.
Don't give up that feelin when you got it in your hand
Once you've accomplished your goals, don't let those feelings go away.
Keep it hot & squealin When you make it with your band
When making music with others, keep the energy lively and intense.
Don't give up that feelin when you're up against the wall
Even when facing tough times, cling to the good emotions to get through it.
Keep it hot & squealin and you'll have yourself a ball
Maintaining excitement will make life more enjoyable.
Bird alone goin home Did not know The right tomorrows
The bird is flying home, but is unaware of what tomorrow may bring.
Heard your flight Somewhere inside of night
Somewhere in the darkness, the bird's flight can still be heard.
It was daylight And I'm down here blowin over the sparks
It's now daylight, but the singer is still reminiscing over something exciting from the night before.
Somewhere Somewhere inside the night Heard you sing from the wings
In the night, the singer heard the bird singing from the sidelines.
Everything was happening Bird alone
The only still thing in motion was the bird as everything else was moving in the night.
Every day you have done You've won
Every day that is lived through is a victory.
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.