Unique constellations often have a special story leading up to them. When Fritz Thom in 1997 learned from Marcus Miller's management that Clapton's next CD would be produced by Miller, the idea of a very special concert event was born. The European Jazz Festivals Organization (EJFO) had proved helpful as a laboratory for new and unexpected constellations between artists and genres of music. This applies also to this case, when Fritz Thom forged out a small tour of Eric Clapton and Marcus Miller performing togehter.

Legendary with Cream and Yardbirds since the 1960ies
Eric Clapton had been inspired to become a musician because of blues records he heard as a teenager in England. His early career began when he was 18 in 1963 and over the next decade included stints as a member of a variety of bands: Cream, The Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Derek and the Dominos, and Blind Faith. He launched his highly successful solo career in the early 1970s. While his musical styles have ranged from psychedelic rock to reggae to pop, it has always been based on Clapton´s first love, the blues.

Encounter of superstars from Rock and Jazz
During the 1997 tour the man known to his fans as "Slowhand" clearly enjoyed himself playing as a "simple bandmember" to along with such fine musicians as Joe Sample, Marcus Miller, Steve Gadd and David Sanborn. The collaboration of Clapton and Miller would then turn out as very fruitful as also can be seen from the piece "Silver Rain" they wrote together. At a sold-out Wiener Stadthalle the band entertained their audience with a memorable evening of live fusion, an outstanding example of musical encounters across the genres, a meeting of superstars of Rock and Jazz as it had been still rare at that time.