Earthworks | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 16 March 1987[1] | |||
Recorded | October 1986 | |||
Studio | Terminal 24 Studios, London, England | |||
Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
Length | 43:55 | |||
Label | EG | |||
Producer | Dave Stewart, Bill Bruford | |||
Bill Bruford's Earthworks chronology | ||||
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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]
Review scores | |
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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]
Source:[7]