Earthworks (album)
1987 studio album by Bill Bruford's Earthworks
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Earthworks is the first album by Bill Bruford's Earthworks, a jazz fusion band led by drummer Bill Bruford with keyboardist and trumpeter Django Bates, saxophonist Iain Ballamy, and acoustic bassist Mick Hutton.[2] It was released in 1987 on EG Records and reissued on Summerforld in 2005. The album was co-produced by Bruford's former bandmate Dave Stewart.[2]
| Earthworks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 March 1987[1] | |||
| Recorded | October 1986 | |||
| Studios | Terminal 24 Studios, London, England | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 43:55 | |||
| Label | EG | |||
| Producers | Dave Stewart, Bill Bruford | |||
| Bill Bruford's Earthworks chronology | ||||
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Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [4] |
| Moving the River | [5] |
At AllMusic, critic Chris Kelsey gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five.[3] He wrote, "The best thing about this band is its refreshing ingenuousness; they make intelligent, sophisticated instrumental pop music that doesn't pander in the least."[3]
Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman noted that "Bruford's attraction to the juncture of strict form and freer improvisation, took a giant leap forward with Earthworks," and commented that the group "was unquestionably an improvising band; more than just a soloist playing over a fixed rhythm section, Earthworks has always been a looser affair, as much about interplay as adhering to any compositional form."[6]
A reviewer for Moving the River wrote: "Some musicians have a unique touch – you can identify them within a few notes. In Bill Bruford's case, his snare drum is his main audio imprint. But he also always had a highly-original composing style before his retirement in 2009, and both are very much in evidence on the excellent Earthworks album."[5]
Track listing
- "Thud" (Iain Ballamy) – 4:10
- "Making a Song and Dance" (Ballamy, Bill Bruford) – 5:52
- "Up North" (Ballamy, Django Bates, Bruford) – 5:19
- "Pressure" (Bruford) – 4:57
- "My Heart Declares a Holiday" (Ballamy, Bates, Bruford) – 4:35
- "Emotional Shirt" (Bates) – 4:45
- "It Needn't End in Tears" (Ballamy) – 5:14
- "The Shepherd Is Eternal" (Bates, Bruford) – 1:50
- "Bridge of Inhibition" (Ballamy, Bates, Bruford) – 4:15
Personnel
- Bill Bruford – drums, electronic drums, percussion, producer
- Iain Ballamy – alto, soprano, and tenor saxophones
- Django Bates – tenor horn, trumpet, keyboards
- Mick Hutton – bass
- Dave Stewart – keyboards, sampling, producer
Source:[7]