William Scott Bruford (born May 17 1949 in
SevenoaksSevenoaks is a commuter town situated in the west of Kent, England. It gives its name to the Sevenoaks district, of which it is the principal town...
,
KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
), better known as
Bill Bruford, is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
who is recognised for his forceful, highly precise, polyrhythmic style. He was the original drummer for the highly successful
progressive rockProgressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility."...
group
YesYes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
, and has been a prominent figure in the
progressive rockProgressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility."...
movement. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring drummer for
GenesisGenesis are a Grammy Award-winning English rock band formed in 1967, and are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time with approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide, including 21.5 million albums sold in the United States. In 1988, the band won the Grammy Award for Best...
. From 1972 to 1997, Bruford was the drummer for progressive rock band
King CrimsonKing Crimson is a progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. They have typically been categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, although they have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation drawing from jazz, classical and...
. Bruford moved away from
progressive rockProgressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility."...
to concentrate on
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
, leading his own jazz group,
EarthworksBill Bruford's Earthworks was a British jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford. The band recorded several albums for Editions EG, Discipline Global Mobile and Summerfold Records....
, for several years. He retired from music-making in 2009, but continues to run his two record labels and to speak about music. His autobiography,
Bill Bruford: The Autobiography, was published in early 2009.
He began playing the drums when he was thirteen, and was influenced by
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
drumming, which would manifest itself on early Yes albums and would remain an influence on his style throughout his career. He had success in the early seventies during his time with Yes playing on their first five albums including the
LPsA gramophone record, commonly known as phonograph record, vinyl record, or simply record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc...
The Yes AlbumThe Yes Album is the third album by British progressive rock band Yes. The first release to feature 24-year-old guitarist Steve Howe, the album was released on Atlantic Records in February 1971 in the UK, a month later in the United States...
,
FragileFragile is the fourth album by the British progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records, catalogue 7211. It was the band's first album with keyboardist Rick Wakeman after the departure of Tony Kaye, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, his work emblematic of both the band...
, and
Close to the EdgeClose to the Edge is the fifth album by British progressive rock band Yes.- Features :This record set a trend for Yes of structuring an album around a single epic song, significantly longer than the album's other tracks. Here the centerpiece is the song "Close to the Edge"...
. He left Yes at the height of their success in 1972, returning briefly for the
Union album which was released in 1991.
Early life
Bruford explained that he chose to play drums because he watched
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz drummers of the 1960s on
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
TV on Saturday evenings. These programmes turned the head of the thirteen-year-old Bruford. He found all the instrumentalists to be fascinating and mysterious, but particularly the drummers. His sister then gave him his first pair of brushes as a present. He later took a few lessons - while still attending
Tonbridge SchoolTonbridge School is a British boys' independent boarding school in Tonbridge, Kent, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd...
- from Lou Pocock of the Royal Philharmonic, but after that he picked up other techniques wherever he found them.
He said that he never acquired drum technique for the sake of acquiring it, but as a solution to a particular problem, and if he heard something that he couldn't do, he would learn how to do it. Bruford applied this way of learning to other instruments as well, although acknowledging that he has the 'classic amateur's technique'; meaning that he knows some very difficult bits and that he has some large gaping holes in his knowledge, but his amateurism can sometimes be helpful in forging a style, because he has to work around his weaknesses.
He met his wife, Carolyn, when they were 15; marrying at 24. They have three children, Alex (born 1977, also a drummer and in the band The Infadels), Holly (born 1979) and Jack (born 1986).
Bruford's pre-Yes bands included The Breed (1966-67), a Sevenoaks-based r'n'b/soul band which included future
Flash-Flash:Flash was an English progressive rock group, formed by former Yes guitarist Peter Banks and vocalist Colin Carter in August 1971. Bassist Ray Bennett and drummer Mike Hough completed the line-up....
bassist Ray Bennett and guitarist Stu Murray (since Bruford was at boarding school and not available for all gigs, the band occasionally used another drummer, Pete Skinner, and sometimes both), a short-lived band named The Noise (1967) with whom he gigged in Italy, and
Savoy BrownSavoy Brown, originally known as the Savoy Brown Blues Band, are a British blues band formed in 1966, in Battersea, South West London. Part of the late 1960s blues rock movement, Savoy Brown never achieved as much success in their homeland as they did in the United States, where they promoted their...
(1968), his first professional engagement - which lasted all of three gigs.
Yes
Most of the early members of Yes all lived in the same house. They were almost confined to the property, because at short notice they would be asked to play a concert somewhere, so leaving the house for a few hours was their only freedom from the confines of the band. Bruford likened it to the life of a fireman; when the bell rang they would slide down the greasy pole and go play a
gigA concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band. Informal names for a concert include "show" and "gig"...
somewhere.
Although seemingly a close-knit band, there were other sides to Yes: Bruford remembers the whole era as being very argumentative, and hot blooded. There was a constant state of friction, and plenty of arguments between Bruford,
Chris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes...
, and
Jon AndersonJon Anderson, born John Roy Anderson on 25 October 1944, is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes...
. This was explained as being because all three were from totally different social backgrounds. Bruford admitted that he found it hard to understand Anderson's northern English accent, and Anderson's penchant for speaking in strange sentences that nobody could understand, which later influenced Yes' lyrics.
The band members were no strangers to
alcoholAn alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits....
, but Bruford doesn't remember a lot of "
sex, drugs and rock n' roll"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is a song and single by Ian Dury. It was originally released on the 1977 Stiff Records single BUY 17 "Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll" with "Razzle In My Pocket" as the B-side. on August 26th. The song was released under the name 'Ian Dury'...
". The whole band used to drink a lot of alcohol, and they often visited a club in London called the
SpeakeasyThe Speakeasy Club, 48 Margaret Street London W1, was a late-night haunt for the music industry from 1966 to the late 1970s. The club was managed by Laurie O'Leary from 1968 to 1977...
that the band's manager, Roy Flynn, also managed. The Speakeasy stayed open until two or three in the morning, so Yes could play a gig in England within a hundred-and-fifty mile radius and still make it back to the Speakeasy at about two o'clock, where they drank "large amounts" of
scotchWhisky or whiskey is a type of alcoholic beverage distilled from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize...
and
CokeCola is a beverage usually containing caramel coloring, caffeine, and a sweetener such as sugar or high fructose corn syrup.Originally invented by the druggist John Pemberton, it has become popular worldwide. Coca-Cola has become the major international brand, leading to the drink often being seen...
.
Bruford, by 1972, had felt that Yes had come as far as it could, or at least as far as he could contribute to it. He didn't want to spend what he felt was an inordinate amount of time in the studio debating chords and producing records that he felt would only be in the shadow of
Close To The Edge. His main reason for leaving the band, however, was the fact that his rehearsals with bassist
Chris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes...
were always delayed. Waiting for Squire to turn up was the worst thing he had to endure, and said that Squire is, "I'm sure, a wonderful guy. But in those days he was also very, very late for all appointments, departures, arrivals, and sound checks." According to Bruford, it is the most grievous form of offense that one musician can visit upon another. He suggested that it's the last guy who enters the room is seen as the "biggest guy." Squire used to keep Yes waiting for everything, and Bruford suggests that they are quite possibly "still waiting for everything".
He also once had a fist-fight with Squire after a concert, because they had violently disagreed about who had played badly. However, it is important to note that Bruford played drums on Squire's 1975 solo album,
Fish Out of WaterFish Out of Water is the title of progressive rock musician Chris Squire's first solo album. It was released in 1975 during a break between duties for his band Yes. Bill Bruford, Patrick Moraz, and other members of Yes in its various incarnations contribute to the record, while Squire employs his...
.
King Crimson
Bruford had accepted an invitation from
Robert FrippRobert Fripp is a guitarist, composer and a record producer best known for being the guitarist for, and only constant member of, the progressive rock band King Crimson. His work, spanning five decades, encompasses a variety of musical styles...
to join
King CrimsonKing Crimson is a progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. They have typically been categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, although they have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation drawing from jazz, classical and...
, which he had wanted to join for quite some time. His instinct to remember complicated drum parts was shown when he learned how to play the long percussion and guitar part in the middle of "
21st Century Schizoid Man"21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by progressive rock band King Crimson from their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King.-Credits:* Greg Lake - Vocals, bass guitar* Ian McDonald - saxophone* Robert Fripp - Guitars* Michael Giles - drums...
", "by listening to it and just learning it".
He admits that his note-reading skills are slower than he would like: "I learned how to read the horizontal lines, but not the vertical notes." Despite this, he has successfully written lots of compositions over the years, albeit slowly.
Bruford was more interested in artistic pursuits, and the framework of King Crimson appealed to that sensibility in him. He cites the six months that the group contained avant-garde percussionist
Jamie MuirJamie Muir was a UK percussionist best known for his work in King Crimson. He is now a painter.-Biography:Muir attended Edinburgh College of Art during the 1960s and began playing jazz on trombone before settling on percussion...
as tremendously influential on him as a player, opening him up to "musical worlds I had only vaguely suspected existed". Violin, viola and keyboard player
David CrossDavid Cross is an electric violinist born in Plymouth, England, best known for playing with progressive rock band King Crimson during the 1970s...
was selected to flesh out the sound of the new band. Rehearsals began in September 1972, followed by an extensive UK tour.
Larks' Tongues in AspicLarks' Tongues in Aspic is a 1973 album by the British progressive rock group King Crimson. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, and features original member and guitarist Robert Fripp and new members John Wetton , David Cross , Jamie Muir , and Bill Bruford , as well as...
was released early the next year, and the group spent the remainder of 1973 touring Britain, Europe, and America. Fripp's guitar playing was loud and aggressive, and Bruford's propulsive drumming meshed with
John Wetton'sJohn Kenneth Wetton is an English singer, bass guitarist and guitarist.Born in Willington, Derbyshire, Wetton grew up in Bournemouth, Dorset...
often powerful bass guitar.
Two albums were released with the four-member line-up (Fripp, Wetton, Bruford, Cross),
Starless and Bible BlackStarless and Bible Black is an album released by the British progressive rock band King Crimson in 1974. Most of the vocal pieces on the album are satires and commentaries on the sleaziness and materialism of society, in particular the music industry, similar to the track "Easy Money" on their...
, and the posthumous live album
USAUSA is a live album by the English band King Crimson, released in 1975.*Tracks 1-6 and 8-9 recorded at the Casino, Asbury Park, June 28, 1974*Track 7 recorded at the Palace Theatre, Providence, USA, June 30, 1974...
, recorded on some of Cross's final dates with the band. Finally, as a 3-piece (Fripp, Wetton, Bruford) King Crimson recorded
RedRed is a 1974 album by progressive rock group King Crimson.It was their last studio recording of the 1970s and the last before the lead member Robert Fripp temporarily disbanded the group...
in July 1974. Many consider this King Crimson's most formative and experimental period. After the release of
Red in September, Fripp decided to disband King Crimson.
Genesis live
Bruford also spent six months touring with
GenesisGenesis are a Grammy Award-winning English rock band formed in 1967, and are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time with approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide, including 21.5 million albums sold in the United States. In 1988, the band won the Grammy Award for Best...
in 1976, recordings from which appeared on the Genesis live albums
Seconds OutSeconds Out is a live double album by Genesis, released in October 1977. It reached #4 in the UK, remaining in the charts for 17 weeks. The performances were recorded in Paris in 1976 and 1977 on their tours in support of A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering...
and
Three Sides LiveThree Sides Live is the third live album by British band Genesis, released in 1982. It is also the title of its video equivalent.-History:...
, as well as the theatrical release of
Genesis: In ConcertGenesis In Concert is a concert film directed and produced by Tony Maylam for the English progressive rock band Genesis. The recording of the film took place during concerts in Glasgow, Scotland and Stafford, England in 1976...
. Bruford, who was rehearsing (as guest percussionist) with Collins' side project
Brand XBrand X was a jazz fusion and rock band, notable for including Phil Collins in its ranks. Its original incarnation was active between 1974–1980. Other important members were John Goodsall Percy Jones , Robin Lumley and Morris Pert .In the 1990s, original members John Goodsall and Percy Jones...
, suggested drumming while Collins sang until they found a permanent live drummer. In the event he found he felt no deep affinity to the band's music. "I was just concerned with doing a good job on drums as a kind of 'hired gun'", he has been quoted as saying, stating he "behaved badly, sniped critically and impotently from the side lines", for which he subsequently apologised.
Solo career
Bill Bruford led his own band in the late 1970s, called simply "
BrufordBruford were a band that former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford formed and led in the late 1970s.Bill Bruford had assembled a band for his debut solo album, Feels Good to Me, with Dave Stewart , Jeff Berlin , Allan Holdsworth and Bruford . That album also had Annette Peacock on vocals,...
". Members of the band were initially Dave Stewart (keyboards),
Jeff BerlinJeff Berlin is an American electric bass player. Since the mid-1970s, he has been known for his virtuosic jazz fusion and progressive rock bass playing....
(bass),
Allan HoldsworthAllan Holdsworth is a British guitarist and composer. He has released ten studio albums and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but is best known for his work in jazz fusion....
(guitar) and Bruford (drums).
The first album
Feels Good to MeFeels Good to Me is the debut solo album by the British drummer Bill Bruford. The band Bruford grew out of the line-up assembled for this album, which was released on August, 1978. Led by drummer Bill Bruford, the album also features guitarist Allan Holdsworth and John Goodsall, bassist Jeff...
(recorded as a solo project) also had
Annette PeacockAnnette Peacock, born Brooklyn, New York, USA, is a female composer, arranger, producer, musician, poet and singer; pioneer of live performance electronic music, and of the synthesizer, the free ballad, jazz-rock, prog-rock, rap, and the inventor of the freeform song.- Biography :Annette Peacock...
on vocals, and
Kenny WheelerKenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
on flugelhorn. The second album,
One of a KindOne of a Kind is an album by the British band Bruford. It was released in 1979 and is a collection of progressive melodies with much jazz exploration, in style that can be defined within the limits of jazz fusion. The group led by drummer Bill Bruford features guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist...
, was entirely instrumental, except for some spoken lines during the introduction to "Fainting In Coils". There were two live albums from this period.
Bruford - Rock Goes To CollegeRock Goes To College was a BBC series that ran between 1978 and 1981 on British television. A variety of up-coming rock oriented bands were showcased live from small venues and broadcast simultaneously on television and radio during a 40-50 minute live performance.It was a follow-on to the...
is a 2006 DVD release from the eponymous
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
television series and
The Bruford Tapes, a live show originally broadcast for radio station
WLIRWLIR-FM is an ESPN Radio affiliate radio station via an LMA with New York City radio station WEPN . WLIR-FM broadcasts in the Hamptons-Riverhead area...
, with John Clark replacing Holdsworth on guitar.
The group's final studio album
Gradually Going TornadoGradually Going Tornado is the third and final studio album by Bruford. It was co-produced by Weather Report collaborator Ron Malo and released in 1980 . In contrast to the band's previous all-instrumental effort, it included several songs, sung by bassist Jeff Berlin...
continued this lineup with bass player Berlin providing vocals on some songs.
UK
Following his first solo album, he was involved in a reunion with King Crimson bassist and vocalist John Wetton in the progressive rock group
UKU.K. were a short-lived British progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980.-Formation and first album:In September 1976, singer/bassist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, alumni of King Crimson,...
. During his time in the band, from 1977 to 1978, the band released its
eponymous debut albumUK is the debut, self-titled album from the band UK, featuring ex-King Crimson members John Wetton and Bill Bruford, ex-Roxy Music member Eddie Jobson, and Allan Holdsworth. It was released in 1978 on E.G...
and conducted one UK tour and a couple of North American tours, after which he left the band - in disagreement with Wetton and keyboardist
Eddie JobsonEdwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, 801, U.K., and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77...
's decision to fire guitarist
Allan HoldsworthAllan Holdsworth is a British guitarist and composer. He has released ten studio albums and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but is best known for his work in jazz fusion....
, whom he'd brought into the band - to focus on his own band
BrufordBruford were a band that former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford formed and led in the late 1970s.Bill Bruford had assembled a band for his debut solo album, Feels Good to Me, with Dave Stewart , Jeff Berlin , Allan Holdsworth and Bruford . That album also had Annette Peacock on vocals,...
.
In 1983 he joined up with former Yes pianist Patrick Moraz, who had played on the Relayer album; the duo released Music for Piano and Drums that year and
FlagsThe Flags Pipeline is used to transport gas from the following Oil platforms:* Cormorant A* North Cormorant* North West Hutton* Ninian Central* Ninian North & South* Brent 'A', 'B', 'C' and 'D'* Tern...
in 1985, followed by a short string of live shows.
Return to King Crimson
Bruford was part of a newly formed King Crimson again in 1981 with a different lineup, consisting of Bruford, Robert Fripp on guitar,
Tony LevinTony Levin is an American bass guitarist.Levin is best-known for his work with progressive rock pioneers King Crimson and Peter Gabriel...
on bass and
Chapman StickThe Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s...
, and
Adrian BelewAdrian Belew is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer...
on guitars and vocals. He recorded
Discipline,
BeatBeat is an album by the British rock band King Crimson, released in 1982.According to the Trouser Press Record Guide, the album focused on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Kerouac's On the Road. The album makes several references to the writings of the beat generation:* "Neal and...
, and
Three of a Perfect PairThree of a Perfect Pair is an album by the band King Crimson, released in 1984. It was noted for being quite clearly divided into two distinct sides: the first side featured the more accessible tracks; the second side contained King Crimson's more experimental offerings...
with them, moving to a kit of both acoustic and electronic drums and using his renowned polyrhythmic style, before they disbanded again in 1984.
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, and Yes again
Anderson Bruford Wakeman HoweAnderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a permutation of the progressive rock band Yes. The group consisted of vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . These Yes alumni had played together in Yes on their most popular recordings in the early 1970s...
(sometimes referred to by the acronym ABWH) was a permutation of the
progressive rockProgressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility."...
bandIn music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band* Dansband* Fife and drum...
YesYes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
. The group consisted of vocalist
Jon AndersonJon Anderson, born John Roy Anderson on 25 October 1944, is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes...
, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist
Rick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer, and songwriter known as the keyboardist for progressive rock group Yes. Originally a classically trained pianist, he was a pioneer in the use of electronic keyboards and in the use of a rock band in combination with orchestra and...
, and guitarist
Steve HoweStephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist best known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes after replacing Peter Banks in 1970...
, with Tony Levin providing the bass duties since Yes bassist
Chris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes...
was involved with the real Yes. These Yes alumni had played together on the most popular recordings by Yes in the early 1970s. Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe recorded one
self-titled studio albumAnderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is the self-titled album by four alumni of the progressive rock group Yes, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.The project began in 1988 when Yes was in its 1980s line-up featuring Trevor Rabin. At that time vocalist Jon Anderson began to feel artistically limited in the...
in 1989. A
live recordingAn Evening of Yes Music Plus is a live album by the progressive rock group Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.Though ABWH had lost the legal rights to use the name of their parent group Yes, it was agreed that they could refer to their origins in Yes on tour posters and merchandise...
from their subsequent concert tour was released in 1993.
Bruford would rejoin
YesYes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
briefly in 1991 and 1992 for the
Union album and tour, so titled because it brought together ABWH and the members of Yes prior to the union as an eight-member band. His comments about the album and tour:
About the tour:
Bruford and Steve Howe would later undertake a recording project together in 1992/1993 to have an orchestra reinterpret some of Yes' most memorable works, but this would prove to be the very last of his involvement with Yes. The resulting album, titled
Symphonic Music of YesSymphonic Music of Yes was a 1993 orchestral album covering songs of the progressive rock band Yes. The arrangements were by Dee Palmer . Playing on the album were two then-former Yes members, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Bill Bruford. Some tracks featured then-current Yes vocalist Jon Anderson....
, was released on RCA records in 1993.
King Crimson, again
King Crimson re-emerged once more in 1994 as a six-piece band, consisting of its 1980s lineup along with
Trey GunnTrey Gunn is an American musician probably best known for his membership in progressive rock King Crimson from 1994 to 2003, playing Warr Guitar and Chapman Stick.-Biography:...
on Warr guitars and
Pat MastelottoPat Mastelotto is a rock drummer who has worked with Mr. Mister and King Crimson, amongst others. For King Crimson he initially formed part of the "double trio" lineup, joining Bill Bruford on drums.- Career :Mastelotto started playing the drums at the age of 10...
sharing the drumming duties with Bruford. This so-called 'double trio' configuration recorded one full-length album,
1995'sThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- Events :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
THRAKThrak is an album by the band King Crimson released in 1995, a companion to the preceding mini-album VROOOM . This album was recorded in the "double trio" format of King Crimson. The track "B'Boom" features the first drum solo to appear on a King Crimson studio album. Its title may or may not...
, as well as experimenting with the
ProjeKctsThe ProjeKcts are a succession of spin-off projects associated with the band King Crimson.Devoted to instrumental and heavily improvised music, the ProjeKcts were most active from 1997 to 1999, but have performed intermittently since...
, before Levin and Bruford left the band. Bruford's reasons for abandoning the double trio were a result of his frustration with rehearsals:
Bruford couldn’t see the purpose in further rehearsals, which were getting very expensive. He felt that the band didn’t seem to be going anywhere with them. He wanted to move forward, and couldn’t understand why they were not going forward. Robert Fripp, obviously, wasn’t happy with the music either. They had ten days of rehearsals in May 1997, and Bruford said that he had had enough, and that he couldn't contribute anything at all. The music was going nowhere, he had nothing to say about it, and nothing to contribute, so it was best that he then proceeded with a full-time jazz career.
Earthworks
EarthworksBill Bruford's Earthworks was a British jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford. The band recorded several albums for Editions EG, Discipline Global Mobile and Summerfold Records....
was formed in December 1985 and its original line-up (which lasted until 1993) featured two up-and-coming UK jazz musicians and composers,
Django BatesDjango Bates is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn.-Career:...
on keyboards and tenor horn, and
Iain BallamyIain Ballamy is a British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player.- Career :Ballamy was schooled at 1975-80 George Abbot School, Guildford. He then studied Musical Instrument Technology from 1980-1982 Merton College...
on saxes. The band re-emerged in the 1990s with an acoustic line-up, notably featuring
Tim GarlandTim Garland is a British jazz saxophonist, composer and band-leader. He is also known for his innovative bass clarinet playing and for his prolific output as composer, blurring the boundaries between modern jazz and classical concert music.As a performer, he has worked widely both in Britain and...
for a period.
Bruford is perhaps most famous for having revolutionised drumming through the use of
Simmons electronic drumsSimmons was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums that supplied electronic kits from 1980 to the early 1990s. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be found on countless albums from the 1980s....
and his melodic drumming, though in recent years he has returned to using a primarily acoustic drum set. While Bruford has creative freedom with Earthworks, he continues to collaborate with many musicians, including one-time
YesYes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
keyboardist
Patrick MorazPatrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
(with whom he recorded two albums in the 1980s) and bassist
Tony LevinTony Levin is an American bass guitarist.Levin is best-known for his work with progressive rock pioneers King Crimson and Peter Gabriel...
. Earthworks has been his primary focus in recent years, particularly after his departure from the latest incarnation of King Crimson (which ended the band's 'double trio' experiment).
In an interview for
The San Diego Union-TribuneThe San Diego Union-Tribune is a daily newspaper published in San Diego, California. The result of a February 2, 1992, merger of The San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868, and the Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895, it refers to itself as the oldest business in San Diego County and the...
(15 May 2003) he said, "I have this image that I might be a 'rock guy on vacation'. That idea is anathema to me — and I've cured it by making eight albums with Earthworks."
He described Earthworks as "seeing music as a social encounter, where you look another guy in the eyes across the room, say 'one-two-three-four' and the music begins. That's where my pleasure lies, for sure" (
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
, 16 May 2003).
Recent work
With Earthworks put on hold in 2007 (apart from a brief return in 2008), Bruford focused on new collaborations—including as a duo with pianist
Michiel BorstlapMichiel Borstlap is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer.Borstlap started playing piano at the age of 5 years....
; and with contemporary composer Colin Riley and collective
pianocircuspianocircus is a musical ensemble consisting of six pianists.The original six-piano ensemble formed in 1989 to perform Steve Reich's Six Pianos...
—and drum clinics.
He retired from public performance on January 1, 2009 and subsequently from studio recording too. His autobiography was released in early 2009.
Trivia
- Bruford, noting the alliterative
Alliteration is a literary or rhetorical stylistic device that consists in repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in close succession...
qualities of both names, would sometimes wear a Boston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, entering the league as the first United States-based expansion franchise...
tank top that had a large letter "BB is the second letter in the Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled bee, plural bees.-History:The letter B might have started as a pictogram of the floorplan of a house in Egyptian hieroglyphs or the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet...
" on the front.
- Bruford has been involved in a number of abortive projects, most notably a trio with Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer, and songwriter known as the keyboardist for progressive rock group Yes. Originally a classically trained pianist, he was a pioneer in the use of electronic keyboards and in the use of a rock band in combination with orchestra and...
and John WettonJohn Kenneth Wetton is an English singer, bass guitarist and guitarist.Born in Willington, Derbyshire, Wetton grew up in Bournemouth, Dorset...
which made the headlines of Melody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s-1960s:Originally the Melody...
in October 1976; Bruford has also told of "an abortive and late rehearsal/audition with bass player Jack BruceJohn Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician, composer and singer. He is best-known as an electric bass guitarist, harmonica player and pianist, and was most famous as a vocalist and the bass guitarist for the 1960s rock band Cream. He lives in Suffolk...
out at his mansion in EssexEssex is a county in the East of England region of the United Kingdom. The county town of Essex is Chelmsford.-History:In pre-Roman Britain the territories of Suffolk and Essex were home to the Trinovantes tribe, which had grown wealthy through intensive trade with the Roman Empire, contemporary...
, once, but nothing came of that". He was also approached in 1985 by ex-Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands, helping to pioneer the genre...
guitarist Jimmy PageJames Patrick Page OBE is an Englishcomposer and record producer.Page has been described as "unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important, and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history". In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Page #9 in its list of the 100 Greatest...
to be the drummer for his new band with Paul RodgersPaul Bernard Rodgers, is an English rock singer-songwriter best known for being a member of Free and Bad Company. Both bands experienced international success in the 1970s. Before establishing a career as a solo artist, he was also a member of The Firm and The Law. He has recently toured and...
, The Firm, along with bass player Pino PalladinoPino Palladino, is a Welsh bass guitarist of Italian ancestry. Palladino rose to public notice playing primarily rock, blues rock, and R&B music, becoming one of the most sought-after session players on the bass in the music industry, playing on a large number of recordings by some of the world's...
. "We rehearsed briefly, but I think decided we were mutually unsuited..!".
Notable bands
- Yes
Yes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
, from its foundation in 1968 to 1972's Close to the EdgeClose to the Edge is the fifth album by British progressive rock band Yes.- Features :This record set a trend for Yes of structuring an album around a single epic song, significantly longer than the album's other tracks. Here the centerpiece is the song "Close to the Edge"...
, and its 1991-92 Union period.
- King Crimson
King Crimson is a progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. They have typically been categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, although they have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation drawing from jazz, classical and...
, from 1972 and Larks' Tongues in AspicLarks' Tongues in Aspic is a 1973 album by the British progressive rock group King Crimson. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, and features original member and guitarist Robert Fripp and new members John Wetton , David Cross , Jamie Muir , and Bill Bruford , as well as...
to the mid-1990s and the ProjeKctsThe ProjeKcts are a succession of spin-off projects associated with the band King Crimson.Devoted to instrumental and heavily improvised music, the ProjeKcts were most active from 1997 to 1999, but have performed intermittently since...
.
- Collaboration with numerous bands in the mid-to-late-1970s, including touring with Genesis
Genesis are a Grammy Award-winning English rock band formed in 1967, and are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time with approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide, including 21.5 million albums sold in the United States. In 1988, the band won the Grammy Award for Best...
and GongGong are a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Mike Howlett and Pierre...
and playing with National HealthNational Health was a progressive rock band associated with the Canterbury scene. Founded in 1975, the band included members of Dave Stewart's band Hatfield and the North and Alan Gowen's band Gilgamesh, the band also included guitarists Phil Miller and Phil Lee and bassist Mont Campbell as...
.
- Bruford
Bruford were a band that former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford formed and led in the late 1970s.Bill Bruford had assembled a band for his debut solo album, Feels Good to Me, with Dave Stewart , Jeff Berlin , Allan Holdsworth and Bruford . That album also had Annette Peacock on vocals,...
, a fusion band which released four albums between 1977 and 1980.
- UK
U.K. were a short-lived British progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980.-Formation and first album:In September 1976, singer/bassist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, alumni of King Crimson,...
on their 1978 debut album.
- Earthworks (band)
Bill Bruford's Earthworks was a British jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford. The band recorded several albums for Editions EG, Discipline Global Mobile and Summerfold Records....
, his current jazz band founded in 1986 and which has gone through several incarnations.
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a permutation of the progressive rock band Yes. The group consisted of vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . These Yes alumni had played together in Yes on their most popular recordings in the early 1970s...
(1989), a project of four Yes alumni.
- Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
Bruford Levin Upper Extremities was a musical group composed of drummer Bill Bruford, bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Torn, and trumpeter Chris Botti....
, an experimental collaboration with Tony LevinTony Levin is an American bass guitarist.Levin is best-known for his work with progressive rock pioneers King Crimson and Peter Gabriel...
, David TornDavid Torn is an American composer and guitarist.He is known for the organic blending/manipulation of electronic and acoustic instruments and performance techniques that have an atmospheric or textural quality and effect, along with a particular harmonic richness...
and Chris BottiChristopher Stephen Botti or Chris Botti [BOH-tee] is an American trumpeter and composer. Botti has been nominated for two Grammy Awards...
.
Bruford has been quoted as saying over the years that he tends to choose Jan 1st as the date to proceed with new ideas/directions. It may be noted that he retired from public performance on this very date.
Yes
- Yes (1969)
- Time and a Word
Time and a Word is the second album by progressive rock band Yes, released in mid-1970 in the UK and November 1970 in the US. This was the last Yes album to feature the group's original line-up, as Peter Banks was fired before the album's release....
(1970)
- The Yes Album
The Yes Album is the third album by British progressive rock band Yes. The first release to feature 24-year-old guitarist Steve Howe, the album was released on Atlantic Records in February 1971 in the UK, a month later in the United States...
(1971)
- Fragile
Fragile is the fourth album by the British progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records, catalogue 7211. It was the band's first album with keyboardist Rick Wakeman after the departure of Tony Kaye, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, his work emblematic of both the band...
(1972)
- Close to the Edge
Close to the Edge is the fifth album by British progressive rock band Yes.- Features :This record set a trend for Yes of structuring an album around a single epic song, significantly longer than the album's other tracks. Here the centerpiece is the song "Close to the Edge"...
(1972)
- Yessongs
Yessongs is the first live album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1973. It mostly documents the tour for the album Close to the Edge but also features two tracks recorded during the previous Fragile tour...
(1973, live)
- Union (1991)
King Crimson
- Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Larks' Tongues in Aspic is a 1973 album by the British progressive rock group King Crimson. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, and features original member and guitarist Robert Fripp and new members John Wetton , David Cross , Jamie Muir , and Bill Bruford , as well as...
(1973)
- Starless and Bible Black
Starless and Bible Black is an album released by the British progressive rock band King Crimson in 1974. Most of the vocal pieces on the album are satires and commentaries on the sleaziness and materialism of society, in particular the music industry, similar to the track "Easy Money" on their...
(1974)
- Red
Red is a 1974 album by progressive rock group King Crimson.It was their last studio recording of the 1970s and the last before the lead member Robert Fripp temporarily disbanded the group...
(1974)
- USA
USA is a live album by the English band King Crimson, released in 1975.*Tracks 1-6 and 8-9 recorded at the Casino, Asbury Park, June 28, 1974*Track 7 recorded at the Palace Theatre, Providence, USA, June 30, 1974...
(1975, recorded live 1974)
- Discipline (1981)
- Beat
Beat is an album by the British rock band King Crimson, released in 1982.According to the Trouser Press Record Guide, the album focused on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Kerouac's On the Road. The album makes several references to the writings of the beat generation:* "Neal and...
(1982)
- Three of a Perfect Pair
Three of a Perfect Pair is an album by the band King Crimson, released in 1984. It was noted for being quite clearly divided into two distinct sides: the first side featured the more accessible tracks; the second side contained King Crimson's more experimental offerings...
(1984)
- The Great Deceiver
The Great Deceiver is a live 4CD box set by the band King Crimson, released on Virgin Records in 1992. In 2007, it was reissued as two volumes of 2 CDs each...
(1992, recorded live 1973-1974)
- VROOOM
Vrooom is an EP by the band King Crimson released in 1994, a companion to the subsequent album THRAK .All of the tracks on Vrooom reappeared on THRAK as different recordings...
(1994)
- THRAK
Thrak is an album by the band King Crimson released in 1995, a companion to the preceding mini-album VROOOM . This album was recorded in the "double trio" format of King Crimson. The track "B'Boom" features the first drum solo to appear on a King Crimson studio album. Its title may or may not...
(1995)
- B'Boom: Live in Argentina
B'Boom: Live in Argentina is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 1995. All songs were recorded between October 6 and October 16, 1994 at the Broadway in Buenos Aires, Argentina, except for "Heartbeat" which was recorded in Córdoba.King Crimson's Argentinian shows in late 1994 were...
(1995, recorded live 1994)
- THRaKaTTaK
Thrakattak is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 1996.*Compiled from performances of, and improvisations during, the piece "Thrak" in USA and Japan....
(1996, recorded live 1995)
- The Night Watch
The Night Watch is a live album by the English rock band King Crimson, released in 1997.This album contains an important performance in King Crimson's career, being the source of the improvisations "Trio" and "Starless and Bible Black", the Fripp instrumental "Fracture" and the intro to the song...
(1997, recorded live 1973)
- Absent Lovers
Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal is a live album by the band King Crimson, recorded in 1984 and released in 1998. This was taken from the final night of their 1984 tour and would subsequently be King Crimson's last performance until the THRAK warm-up shows in Argentina ten years later.-Track...
(1998, recorded live 1984)
- Live At The Jazz Café
Live at the Jazz Café is a live album released in 1998 by ProjeKct One, a side project of King Crimson. Live at the Jazz Café was released as part of the 1999 box set The ProjeKcts.-Overview:...
(1999 as part of The ProjeKctsThe ProjeKcts is a 1999 box set of four live albums recorded between 1997 and 1999 by four side projects of the band King Crimson, known as ProjeKcts.-Overview:...
sub-group box set, recorded live 1997)
- VROOOM VROOOM
Vrooom Vrooom is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 2001.*Disc 1 of the album derives mostly from the same recordings as the live album Live in Mexico City...
(2001, recorded live 1995-1996)
Steve Howe
- Beginnings
Beginnings is the title of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's first solo album. It was released in 1975.The five Yes band members each did a solo album in 1975/6 and then current Yes members Alan White and Patrick Moraz guest on Beginnings, while Howe guested on White's Ramshackled album...
(1975)
- The Steve Howe Album
The Steve Howe Album is the title of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's second solo album. It was released in 1979. The album featured current and former Yes band members.-Track listing:...
(1979)
- Turbulence (1991)
Bruford
- Feels Good to Me
Feels Good to Me is the debut solo album by the British drummer Bill Bruford. The band Bruford grew out of the line-up assembled for this album, which was released on August, 1978. Led by drummer Bill Bruford, the album also features guitarist Allan Holdsworth and John Goodsall, bassist Jeff...
(1978)
- One of a Kind
One of a Kind is an album by the British band Bruford. It was released in 1979 and is a collection of progressive melodies with much jazz exploration, in style that can be defined within the limits of jazz fusion. The group led by drummer Bill Bruford features guitarist Allan Holdsworth, bassist...
(1979)
- Bruford - Rock Goes To College (1979 - released 2006)
- Gradually Going Tornado
Gradually Going Tornado is the third and final studio album by Bruford. It was co-produced by Weather Report collaborator Ron Malo and released in 1980 . In contrast to the band's previous all-instrumental effort, it included several songs, sung by bassist Jeff Berlin...
(1980)
- The Bruford Tapes (1980, live recording)
- Master Strokes: 1978-1985 (1986, compilation)
Genesis
- Seconds Out
Seconds Out is a live double album by Genesis, released in October 1977. It reached #4 in the UK, remaining in the charts for 17 weeks. The performances were recorded in Paris in 1976 and 1977 on their tours in support of A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering...
(1977, live)
- Three Sides Live
Three Sides Live is the third live album by British band Genesis, released in 1982. It is also the title of its video equivalent.-History:...
(1982, live) (International edition only, until 1994 when the album was remastered with the US version being deleted.)
- Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992
Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992 is a 2000 boxed set by veteran progressive rock/pop band Genesis. This retrospective covers the band's history while Phil Collins was lead singer....
(2000, live)
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is the self-titled album by four alumni of the progressive rock group Yes, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.The project began in 1988 when Yes was in its 1980s line-up featuring Trevor Rabin. At that time vocalist Jon Anderson began to feel artistically limited in the...
(1989)
- An Evening of Yes Music Plus
An Evening of Yes Music Plus is a live album by the progressive rock group Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.Though ABWH had lost the legal rights to use the name of their parent group Yes, it was agreed that they could refer to their origins in Yes on tour posters and merchandise...
(1993)
Earthworks
- Earthworks
Bill Bruford's Earthworks was a British jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford. The band recorded several albums for Editions EG, Discipline Global Mobile and Summerfold Records....
(1987)
- Dig? (1989)
- All Heaven Broke Loose (1991)
- Stamping Ground: Bill Bruford's Earthworks Live (1994, live)
- Heavenly Bodies (1997, compilation)
- A Part & Yet Apart (1999)
- Sound of Surprise (2001)
- Footloose and Fancy Free (2002, live)
- Random Acts of Happiness (2004, live)
Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
- Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
This album is the debut album and the only studio album of the band Bruford Levin Upper Extremities.- Track listing :# "Cerulean Sea" – 7:03# "Interlude" – 0:23# "Original Sin" – 4:55# "Etude Revisited" – 4:57...
(1998)
- B.L.U.E. Nights
B.L.U.E. Nights is an album by Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, recorded live in Japan and the USA during 1998 and released in 2000.-Line-up:* Bill Bruford — drums* Tony Levin — bass guitars, Stick* Chris Botti — trumpet...
(2000, live)
With Tim Garland
- Random Acts of Happiness (2004)
- Earthworks Underground Orchestra (2006)
With Michiel Borstlap
- Every Step a Word, Every Word a Song (2004)
- In Two Minds (2007)
External links