BMG (label)
10 April 2022 (released)
10 April 2022
Bill Bruford has been one of the top drummers in the world music scene for well over 40 years and involved with major bands and artists from just about all the different facets of the rock/jazz/fusion/ world.
So, a simple ‘Best of’ wouldn’t really suffice and even this 6 CD set doesn’t cover everything he has done in that 40+ year career.
What is demonstrated here, above the remarkable talents of Mr Bruford, is his importance in the fields of rock and the incredible range of the Progressive field.
Just on CD1 the music veers from Yes to King Crimson and UK, from the slightly folky and mannered to the stark, aggressive and distorted and to the lush and Spanish influenced jazz. One man is common to all three – Bill Bruford.
The sheer spread of the music that he has been involved in beggars belief but here is music that varies enormously by rhythm, by pace, by structure and the point of commonality is a drummer who can sit at the heart of all of it.
One thing that I found rather pleasing was that Bruford has properly ‘curated’ this collection. He hasn’t included everything he ever worked on, only the material that shows the music in its best light and even the best version of a number such as the live version of Earthworks ‘Nerve’ rather than the studio version.
The six discs are split into his role in the music so CD 1 & 2 are the ‘Collaborator’ where Bruford was an integral part of the outfit, part of the writing process: CD 3 & 4 are the ‘Composing Leader’ where Bruford sets the direction and instigates the music: CD5 is ‘The Special Guest’ where Bruford was brought in for his special talents (and his name): CD6 is ‘The Improviser’ which is, as the theme suggests, created spontaneously rather than being pre-written.
Aa a demonstration of a life’s work, it is thorough and exhaustive (but never exhausting) and there is a huge amount of music that delights and intrigues. I found almost everything worth my time giving an ear to but inevitably, there will be certain tracks that don’t quite catch the listener’s imagination in the same way as others.
A fascinating rather than exhilarating collection but very well worth investigating.
