Horses and Trees

Description

Horses And Trees is the second solo album by rocks first superstar drummer Ginger Baker of Cream fame. Made in New York in 1985 and released on Celluloid Records in 1986, this 6-track instrumental masterpiece was recorded in collaboration with producer Bill Laswell. I went to find Ginger Baker, in Tuscany. I said I have a project for you He lived in the mountains with olive trees, dogs, and horses, no electricity, it was very rough. I said I want to bring you to New York, were gonna record something. I talked about Africa a lot with him because I was just starting my work in Africa. It was interesting I bought him to New York for PIL, John Lydon, and we had a great connection. While he was here, we said lets do some other stuff Horses And Trees came up, lets do a record on Ginger Bill Laswell The album became a showcase for an impressive line-up of guest musicians which reads like a list of the Laswell all-stars. Even when pared down to an all-rhythm trio on Mountain Time, Baker, although undeniably effective, remains the big beat behind Daniel Ponce and Aiyb Diengs percussive display. Uncut finds the likes of Bernie Worrell, Shankar and Laswell in fine form, taking solos like a jazz combo. Dust To Dust is the only piece composed solely by Baker, a set with a repeated section that sounds like an alien hoe-down with world music undertones. Laswell alumni and hip-hop pioneer Grandmixer (of Rock It fame) returns, delivering slashes from his turntable to provide the sort of genre-bending texture for which Laswell and Celluloid are known. Ginger Baker, while never caught stealing the show on any track, looms large. Newly remastered so all the finer details of Bakers rhythmic expertise can be fully appreciated, this reissue of Horses And Trees is an undoubted highlight in Bakers expansive discography.