With a character as notorious as Ginger Baker there is always an element of risk.

The drummer may be one of the most influential in rock music as well as a respected jazzer who played with many of the greats.

But he is infamously truculent, prone to casual assault and drug abuse, with years of hard-living taking its toll on the 75-year-old.

Unsurprisingly Ginger Baker was not as agile as in his heyday – gone are the days of the ten-minute drum solo.

But as he has done throughout his career he surrounded himself with a band of living masters, including former James Brown bandleader and saxman Pee Wee Ellis.

So while Ginger’s drumming was no longer the star of the show, he was economic in getting the most out of his arthritic body. His Jazz Confusion played a mix of standards from the likes of Wayne Shorter and Sonny Rollins, spliced with Arabesque and Afrobeat grooves and original compositions.

Exuberant Ghanaian percussionist Abass Dodoo gave plenty of heft to the legendary Cream percussionist’s ailing impact.

Ginger admitted himself it was “bloody hard work” while smoking onstage, joking he would “pop his clogs” on the next number.

Yet he still displayed plenty of classiness from the stool, showing how elusive “time” is so much more crucial than brute force.