Arteconciencias: Jack Bruce: “Jimi Hendrix regarded the guitar as an extension of himself. But in an instrumental sense, I would argue that Eric Clapton was probably better”

Created for sauuuuul.peliculas@blogger.com | Web Version

October 3, 2022

CONNECT WITH THE PICK

Handpicked stories from the world of guitar

Editor's Note

Hendrix or Clapton?

"Obviously Jimi was Jimi, and he could have played the Indian nose flute and it wouldn’t have mattered, because he was playing himself – I think he regarded the guitar as an extension of himself. But in an instrumental sense, I would argue that Eric was at least as good as Jimi, probably better. I think Cream had something quite magical as a band when we were playing live."

So said the late, great Jack Bruce in an interview with Bass Player in 2003.

We can argue the opposite, or in Bruce's favor, until we're blue in the face (personally I have to go with Hendrix – I mean... Little Wing? That riff? The angelic tone? Come on!!), but at the end of the day, we didn't play in a power trio with Clapton for years, or jam with Hendrix.

Bruce has stories aplenty about both of them, and a number of other rock legends, in this 2003 chat, published for the first time today on guitarworld.com. Give it a read below.

Jackson Maxwell – Associate Editor, guitarworld.com

Watch Metallica perform Nothing Else Matters with “real singer” Mickey Guyton

(Global Citizen Festival/YouTube)

The country musician joined the metal icons onstage during their set at New York's Global Citizen Festival

Watch Ichika Nito wield a headless seven-string Ibanez to devastating effect in his dizzying new single, Away

(Ichika Nito/YouTube)

It's another instrumental masterclass from the Japanese virtuoso, who carves out his composition from the fretboard of an Ibanez QX527PB

Watch pro-shot footage of Rush performing Working Man with Chad Smith at the LA Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

(Rush)

See Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee team up with the RHCP drummer for a spectacular live outing

Features

Jack Bruce: "Jimi Hendrix regarded the guitar as an extension of himself. But in an instrumental sense, I would argue that Eric Clapton was probably better"

(Brian Rasic/Getty Images)

In this classic 2003 interview, the pioneering bass guitarist and rock legend talks Cream, explains why Clapton was better than Hendrix, and confesses his love for gangsta rap

The Big Moon's Soph Nathan: "When I first started playing, I thought I should be noodling over everything. But space is really important"

(Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns)

The indie rock band's lead guitarist explains how motherhood and lockdown helped The Big Moon write Here Is Everything – their most confident album yet