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

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 it's 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 and digital