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
Released16 March 1987[1]
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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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

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  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

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Source:[7]

References

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  1. ^ "New Albums". Music Week. 14 March 1987. p. 26.
  2. ^ a b Kelman, John (23 April 2005). "Bill Bruford's Earthworks: Earthworks & Dig?". All About Jazz. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Kelsey, Chris. "Earthworks – Bill Bruford". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  4. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 185.
  5. ^ a b "Bill Bruford's Earthworks: 30 Years On". Moving the River. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  6. ^ Kelman, John (23 April 2005). "Bill Bruford's Earthworks: Earthworks & Dig?". All About Jazz. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Earthworks - Bill Bruford". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2017.