(2022) Bill Bruford’s Earthworks - Live at the Schauburg, Bremen 1987 


Review:
Having already spent twenty years on the cutting edge of modern rock percussion, Bill Bruford (ex-King Crimson, Yes, UK a.m.m.) formed Earthworks in 1986, as a deliberate return to his roots in jazz. Availing himself of the brightest young talent on the burgeoning U.K. jazz scene, namely keyboardist and tenor horn player Django Bates, and saxophonist Iain Ballamy, both best known as frontrunners with the anarchic big band Loose Tubes, Bruford encouraged the use of rock technology with jazz sensibility - the hallmark of Earthwork's stylish approach. By letting in air and light, and adding a little wit and wisdom, they produced a particularly British antidote to the increasingly grotesque jazz fusion scene. The first LP for Editions EG, Earthworks, was a testament to their achievement. It sounds simple, but the band only found its direction through serious live playing. No theoretical studio concoction here. Japan, Europe and the UK were all visited before the release of the first album. In November 1987 Bill Bruford, double bass player Mick Hutton, Django Bates as well as Iain Bellamy performed at the "Schauburg" in Bremen (Germany). The famous German Radio & TV station Radio Bremen recorded the show. Stylistically, Earthworks offered here again all the band's openness to diverse styles: Power rock passages alternate with lyrical, balladic passages. Influences from African and Latin American music stood next to swinging sections. It was an amazing show and musically a tremendous night to remember, now for the first time on CD. — lasercd


   


Track List:
01. The Shepherd Is Eternal
02. Bridge of Inhibition
03. Making a Song and Dance
04. Pressure
05. Up North
06. Ikebana
07. It Needn't End in Tears
08. Dancing on Frith Street
09. My Heart Declares a Holiday
10. Thud


Media Report:
Genre: jazz, prog-rock
Country: UK
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)


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