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 | ||||
Released | March 6, 1987 | |||
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 | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
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]
Source:[6]