Bill Bruford Footloose & Fancy Free CD

Many people will know the name Bill Bruford from his widespread and varied career playing for bands such as Yes or King Crimson or perhaps many of the sessions Bill has managed to notch up over the years, most notably for Genesis for whom he briefly drummed alongside Phil Collins when Phil took over the vocalists spot vacated by Peter Gabriel. These days Bill fronts the jazz quartet Earthworks and in addition to playing the odd session Bill seems more than happy playing dates as far afield as Japan and South America to enthusiastic jazz audiences and music lovers in general. The second incarnation of Earthworks is in essence an acoustic Jazz trio rather than the more modern approach featuring electric instruments favoured by the original line up of Earthworks which Bill founded in the nineteen eighties The first release from Summerfold Records was the wonderful live album recorded in San Francisco in 2002, Random Thoughts Of Happiness.

Personnel includes: Bill Bruford (drums); Patrick Clahar (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Steve Hamilton (piano); Mark Hodgson (bass).
Recorded live at the Pizza Express Jazz Club, London, England on June 23 and 24, 2001. Includes liner notes by Michael Shore.
While the music made by Bill Bruford's earlier Earthworks band was consistently more interesting, his current lineup continues to make great strides given its more traditional stance (post-bop acoustic piano/saxophone quartet verses ultra-modern Euro-jazz fusion). On the live Footloose and Fancy Free, the group exceeds its own studio performances with room to spare. The lovely ballad "Come to Dust" is a fine showcase for pianist Steve Hamilton, and Bruford's punchy drumming moves a complex "Triplicity." Even non-Earthworks tunes from Bruford's late-'90s collaborations with Tony Levin ("Original Sin") and Ralph Towner ("If Summer Had Its Ghosts") get inspiring interpretations as well, thanks to the well-seasoned playing of both tenor/alto saxophonist Patrick Calahar and Hamilton. ~ John Duffy

Q (6/02, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Very vigorous and exciting...a real fire-breathing jazz dragon... He's never sounded better."
JazzTimes (9/02, p.87) - "...If Bruford hasn't already established himself as one of the premier working drummer-composers in jazz he certainly does with FOOTLOOSE & FANCY FREE..."