Earthworks (album)

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.[1] 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.[1]

Earthworks
Studio album by
Bill Bruford's Earthworks
ReleasedMarch 6, 1987
RecordedOctober 1986
StudioTerminal 24 Studios, London, England
GenreJazz fusion
Length43:55
LabelEG
ProducerDave Stewart, Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford's Earthworks chronology
Earthworks
(1987)		 Dig?
(1989)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[3]
Moving the River[4]

At AllMusic, critic Chris Kelsey gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five.[2] 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."[2]

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."[5]

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."[4]

Track listing
  1. "Thud" (Iain Ballamy) – 4:10
  2. "Making a Song and Dance" (Ballamy, Bill Bruford) – 5:52
  3. "Up North" (Ballamy, Django Bates, Bruford) – 5:19
  4. "Pressure" (Bruford) – 4:57
  5. "My Heart Declares a Holiday" (Ballamy, Bates, Bruford) – 4:35
  6. "Emotional Shirt" (Bates) – 4:45
  7. "It Needn't End in Tears" (Ballamy) – 5:14
  8. "The Shepherd Is Eternal" (Bates, Bruford) – 1:50
  9. "Bridge of Inhibition" (Ballamy, Bates, Bruford) – 4:15

Personnel

Source:[6]

References
  1. Kelman, John (23 April 2005). "Bill Bruford's Earthworks: Earthworks & Dig?". All About Jazz. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  2. Kelsey, Chris. "Earthworks – Bill Bruford". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 185.
  4. "Bill Bruford's Earthworks: 30 Years On". Moving the River. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  5. Kelman, John (23 April 2005). "Bill Bruford's Earthworks: Earthworks & Dig?". All About Jazz. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  6. "Earthworks - Bill Bruford". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
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