Bill Bruford – The Best Of Bill Bruford: The Winterfold And Summerfold Years [3CD Box Set]

The name Bill Bruford is known to many music fans, mainly due to his work with Yes and King Crimson, but as this collection shows he is much more than just a member of those ground breaking bands. After leaving King Crimson he decided to devote his career to jazz, surrounding himself with highly skilled musicians to create a long list of very fine albums.

This package brings together two, long out of print, albums which culls the best of his solo work recordings for these two labels mentioned above which has been entirely re-designed by Bruford’s long standing associate designer-photographer Dave McKean. The production was personally overseen by Bruford and it is due to be released on Summerfold/Cherry Red Records. This release is a 3CD box set consisting of 35 tracks along with a detailed 24 page booklet with lots of information and photos.

I personally got to see Bill Bruford live with my great friend Jez Rowden in the Uplands Jazz Club Swansea, they played as a trio that night (can’t recall the other musicians names) and it was an amazing experience with some brilliant music and the chance to see him play close up. Close up, being the operative word, the seating arrangement was such, that we sat about ten to twelve foot in front of him with a perfect view, indeed the saxophone player stood the other side of our table right by us.

This compilation could be described, by some, as an ideal beginners guide to Bill’s solo work. Now the first instinct when you hear drummer solo work is to be cautious, no need for that at here at all as the musicians all play their part each supporting each other with some fine jazz, with rock tinges here and there. It is important to note that Bruford’s playing is exemplary throughout all 35 tracks. As I mentioned earlier they are very skilled musicians here, indeed some of those names stand out Allan Holdsworth, Patrick Moraz, and Zappa stalwart Chad Wackerman, their contributions are easily heard. As you probably can see from band list below it was an ever changing and evolving line up, I believe that Bruford picked the musicians to suit particular albums, which is not too far fetched as it has been done by others, most notably Steely Dan. Interestingly three of the four tracks featuring Patrick Moraz are his compositions and the fourth written with Bruford, on all four tracks the pair are on fire playing with precision and skill.

With selections taken from albums of the Seventies, Eighties and the Two Thousands there is a clear indication, while listening, of his musical development throughout these decades, with new line ups, different instrument combinations there is a great deal to enjoy. His approach to jazz has made the music contained here accessible to even the casual listener, this is a skill that not many possess. With tracks that range from a laid back lounge jazz feel to jazz/rock fusions and many other influences inserted into the music these discs make for very interesting listening, and it becomes clear that he has a wonderful ear for this genre. Indeed, listening to these tracks reminds you of his playing style, which was evident during his tenure with Yes and King Crimson and maybe these albums are a natural progression for him due to his love of jazz styles.

Most tracks tend to clock in at around the four to six minute mark, there are a few that exceed the eight minute mark, notably the ten minute Footloose and Fancy Free. Here we have a nicely paced jazz workout with an almost big band feel and sound due to the lead being taken by trumpets, trombone and saxophone. Playing throughout the albums is exceptional from all musicians and Bruford’s drumming demonstrates what a master of his art he is, clear, clean and precise. This is no more evident than on the track Baye Kene N’Diaye, which is a percussion driven song where Bruford is joined by Chad Wackerman with Luis Conte on conga drums and Doudou N’Diaye Rose on the Sabar (a traditional drum from Senegal). It is presented in such a way it could be one of the highlights for me on this release.

This is another nicely put together release by Cherry Red Records who do have great reputation in getting these things just right, certainly a release worthy of investigation if you are a follower of Bill Bruford’s work, but there is much to like here for the newcomer as it provides a good cross section of his long jazz history.

TRACK LISTING
Disc One
01. Back to the Beginning (7:24)
02. Seems Like a Lifetime Ago Pt.1 (2:32)
03. Seems Like a Lifetime Ago Pt.2 (4:31)
04. Hells Bells (3:33)
05. Travels with Myself and Someone Else (6:13)
06. Age of Information (4:50)
07. The Sliding Floor (5:01)
08. Symmetry (3:44)
09. Blue Brains (4:52)
10. Flags (4:33)
11. Everything You’ve Heard is True (6:07)
12. Sample and Hold (6:37)
13. Adios a la Pasada (Goodbye to the Past) (8:45)

Total Time – 68:48

Disc Two
01. Up North (5:28)
02. My Heart Declares a Holiday (4:40)
03. Pilgrims Way (6:23)
04. Stromboli Kicks (5:36)
05. Temple of the Winds (5:07)
06. Candles Still Flicker in Romania’s Dark (4:39)
07. Nerve (6:08)
08. It Needn’t End in Tears (5:11)
09. If Summer Had Its Ghosts (6:21)
10. Thistledown (4:16)
11. Dewey-Eyed, then Dancing (5:37)
12. No Truce with the Furies (4:56)

Total Time – 64:27

Disc Three
01. Revel Without a Pause (7:36)
02. Sound of Surprise (3:32)
03. The 16 Kingdoms of the 5 Barbarians (8:44)
04. Kinship (3:58)
05. From the Source, We Tumble Headlong (6:42)
06. Baye Kene N’Diaye (5:01)
07. Footloose and Fancy Free (10:27)
08. Come to Dust (9:58)
09. White Knuckle Wedding (7:51)
10. Beelzebub (3:31)

Time – 63:53

Total Time – 197:08

MUSICIANS
Disc One
Bill Bruford – Drums (all tracks)
Jeff Berlin – Bass (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,12 & 13)
Dave Stewart – Keyboards (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,12 & 13)
Allan Holdsworth – Guitar (1,2,3,4,5 & 13)
Annette Peacock – Voice (1 & 2)
The Unknown John Clark – Guitar (6,7 & 12)
Patrick Moraz – Piano (8,9,10 & 11)

Disc Two
Bill Bruford – Drums (all tracks)
Iain Ballamy – Tenor & Soprano Saxophone (1,2,3,4,5,6,7 & 8)
Django Bates – Keyboards (1,2,3,4,5,6,7 & 8)
Mick Hudson – Bass (1,2 & 8)
Tim Harries – Bass (3,4,5,6 & 7)
Dave Stewart – Drum Programming (1)
Ralph Towner – 12-String Guitar, Guitar (9 & 10)
Eddie Gomez – Bass (9 & 10)
Patrick Clahar- – Tenor Saxophone (11 & 12)
Steve Hamilton – Piano (11 & 12)
Marl Hodges – Bass (11 & 12)

Disc Three
Bill Bruford – Drums (all tracks)
Steve Hamilton – Piano (1,2,8,9 & 10)
Mark Hodgson – Bass (1,2,8,9 & 10)
Michael Borstlap – Piano, Keyboards (3,4 & 5)
Doudou N’Diaye Rose – Sabar (6)
Chad Waherman – Drums (6)
Luis Conte – Conga Drums (6)
Jon Owens – Trumpet (7)
Alex “Sasha” Sipiagin – Trumpet (7)
Robin Eubanks – Trombone (7)
Steve Wilson – Alto Saxophones (7)
Tim Garland – Soprano & Tenor Saxophones, Bass Clarinet, Flute (7,9 & 10)
Chris Karlic – Baritone Saxophone (7)
Henry Hey – Piano (7)
Mike Pope – Bass (7)
Patrick Clahar – Tenor & Soprano Saxophones (1,2 & 8)

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Summerfold Records | Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: U.K.
Date of Release: 18^th October 2024

LINKS
Bill Bruford – Website | Facebook | YouTube