And stuff about FUSION.
So I’ve been struggling with that EDM öhrwurm and as I’ve noted before a good way to get rid of an earworm is to start listening to something else. That didn’t work. So I decided to change genres. Time I went back to some Jazz Music.
So who do I go to? Miles Davis? John Coltrane? Monk? John McLaughlin? Nope, Bill Bruford.
I don’t think Mr. Bruford has ever classified himself as a jazz musician. And yet, to me, he is the epitome of fusion as is his favorite album of mine, One of a Kind. It is in the Indy / Alternative category (discovered when I ripped my CD). So why do I call it Jazz Fusion? Habit had since the 1970s when I really learned about and experienced Jazz, fusion, and that whole new world opened up to my young mind.
Fusion is like an inversion of Progressive Rock. Like Jazz, fusion has solos by each musician. And you tracked musicians, more than bands. I followed around Stanley Clarke, Jan Hammer , Johnny McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Jean Luc Ponty, to give a few examples of their fusiony tunes. With Fusion you could get those far out musical solos that would also, at just the right time, come together to bring you back to a 4 4 beats. Mahavishnu, Return to Forever … so many… so much fun to explore!
Bruford’s One of a Kind is like that. Incredible solos that come back to dramatic and glorious 4 4. And since the late 1970s it has been one of my top 5 albums. I listen to it when i want to ditch an earworm. When I want to calm down. When I want to jazz myself up. It’s my all purpose, go to, musical journeys. And not any one song. It’s the whole album in the altogether. Perfection.
Bruford has had one amazing career – here’s a quick peek, see the wiki for more:
“William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former[1] drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972 Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording and touring with King Crimson (1972–1974) and Roy Harper (1975), and touring with Genesis (1976) and U.K. (1978). In 1978 he formed his own group, Bruford, which was active until 1980.”
Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, UK: Does it get any better than that for ProgRock? No. I don’t think so.
Mr Bruford recently (last year? i think) launched his YouTube channel which he introduces below:
Bottom line? Need something awesome to listen to, discover Bill Bruford in any of his bands or solo endeavors.
Here is one of my favorites where he’s with Tony Levin (gods i love this guy, i’ll do a post on him soon), and Chris Botti. The talking at the beginning and end is in a cafe in Woodstock NY, it’s fun, it’s like eavesdropping on legendary musicians talking about their trade. I adore all the jazzy chaos around 2:38 that blends into the rock-ish groove… then the same along with the amazing drop at 3:39-4:03. Gives me gooooosebumps.
Oh. Yeah. I got rid of the earworm. 🙂