Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Stromboli Kicks (Stuttgart, 30th March 1991)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 มี.ค. 2024
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“Yeah, but you can’t play tunes on those things!” sneers the unbeliever, pointing at my drum kit. That depends on your definition of ‘tune’ or ‘melody’, but I spent some time with electronic drums trying to ring tunes or melodic patterns out of them. The melodic and chordal framework to much of Earthworks’ music was played in real time from pre-stored patches on the Simmons drum kit: that was the original blueprint for the group.
This track ‘Stromboli Kicks’ is a case in point. The drumkit plays all the chordal harmony and changes colour like a chameleon four times before the horn solo at 3'23". Granted, it took a lot of sweat and the electronic set was a cumbersome instrument that eventually became unsustainable, but I was at it long enough to prove the unbeliever wrong. Try ‘Bridge of Inhibition’, ‘Pilgrim’s Way’, ‘Stromboli Kicks’, ‘Up North’, ‘Hotel Splendour’ or a dozen others from the Earthworks catalogue, or King Crimson’s ‘Waiting Man’, if you don’t believe me.
The Western drum kit is unpitched, or more precisely, of indefinite pitch. A prejudice against unpitched instruments, coming from the association between drums and noise on the one hand and musical sounds on the other, can be traced back centuries. Disappointingly, the association continues to be heavily promoted to children globally through Roger Hargreaves’ “Mr. Men” series of books, in which “Mr. Noisy: the Musician” is, somehow inevitably, a drummer.
A toxic Western art music ideology has nurtured a sense of inferiority on the part of those who perform on instruments of indefinite pitch, relative to those who perform on pitched instruments, and accorded the indefinite people low status. Hence the drummer jokes. It exacerbates the separation of thought from feeling and the concomitant downplay of intellect among we drummers. The supremacy of pitch and the marginalisation of those who perform ‘only with rhythm’ has created a circling of the wagons which, I suggest, finds the less secure among us unwilling to engage with the broader musical picture in case he or she be found lacking in inventiveness. I like the broader musical picture and have always wanted to be part of it.
I don’t really know why I dived so deeply into the drums-and-melody issue, but I blame Max Roach. His solos, such as ‘The Drum also Waltzes’ or ‘For Big Sid’, were (unpitched) masterpieces. Maybe I needed to assuage feelings of insufficiency or inferiority, to persuade others that I was necessary. It was probably a compensation mechanism born of reaction to the prevailing pitched-instrument prejudice.
Around this time I met Max backstage at a King Crimson show. Aged past 70 and as interested as ever, he’d come to check out the latest deal in electronic drums, to see if these toys could really do anything. My friend who brought him, Steve Apicella, said Max had managed to sleep through most of the music - which was a first for anyone within the first thirty rows of a King Crimson performance. Max gave me more than he could ever have imagined.
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Dig the patina on that horn! That horn has probably been around longer than many of the people listening to this.
Beautiful song. Mr. Bruford is positively precise as usual.
Bill, you've been a part of my life since I was eleven. I first heard your band on my radio, The Yes Album crushed it in the Chicago area. The new version of KC will feature Adrian and Tony, wish it had Robert and we know who. I wish I could shake your hand and TY.
I love this song & I love strombolis.
I love this title, and always liked your harmonic drumming, really interesting and innovative, whatever the others think :-)
Bill having some of that obvious fun out there again. Love to see it.
Esa bateria habla!, gran musico, llevar el peso de dos bandas tan grandes y complejas como Yes y Crimson .. el oscar es para ti Bill
Thanks for many years of such wonderful distractions Uncle Bill. 👍👍❤️
Thanks Bill. What captures me most here is the level of attention and presence you extend to your fellow band members - most clearly captured starting 5:59. Reacting, responding, and supporting... it feels so intimate.
I saw a listicle where Bruford picked some of his favorite accomplishments over the years. One of his choices was "a simple 7/4 vamp" behind Holdsworth's solo from "In the Dead of Night".
Thank you for posting these videos maestro! You are and have been an inspiration for me to always go and pick up a pair of sticks. Sad to hear you won’t be on the Beat tour doing Crimson tunes this year
Finally!
Oh, those first couple of minutes going into the groove are special.
Muchas gracias Bill.
Saludos desde ciudad de Canelones, Uruguay.
I appreciate these tracks much, it was a super cool period for Bill!
Fantastic
You were a giant inspiration when I was coming up as a drummer.
Met you outside the theatre in Southport Arts Centre in the early 1980s Bill, great gig that was. Hope you are well..
This has always been one of my favorites from your catalog, Bill. Your first Earthworks album got heavy rotation on my walkman when I was doing experiments in lab during my PhD in molecular genetics. Thank you! (Big and long time Crim and Yes fan as well, but there's something special about this record.) And so I bought the second record and was not disappointed! Wonderful sound, wonderful songs.
Right before the YES tour.
Had to be a huge adjustment.
What i love with Bill is simply watching him play.... the incredible calm and control, which appears almost effortless. The Zen of drummers!
Whilst i remember seeing Billy Cobham with the Mahavishnu orchestra, and marvelled at the power, and feel, and watched Terry Bozio with Zappa... all dynamic youthful energy and showmanship (he was 19 at the time) there is something to behold in Bill's playing that is curiously calming and relaxing no matter how complex teh parts he is playing.
Met him once briefly when a small company i worked for was demonstrating probably the first Class D bass amp (in prototype form) and Bill was on drums. I got to stand behind him and watch him play. A gentleman, and a player.
I think you've very nicely summed up what is so unique about Mr. Bruford. Well, one of the things that is so unique about him, at least.
Wow! Seriously fun music! Loved the unique choice of horns!
Kudos to the engineer who dealt with the electronic drums!
Yeah!!! Great to hear where this band took this piece. Saw this incarnation from front row right under Ian and djano trading keyboard duties at the chestnut cabaret in Philly.
This well be a treat for me too hear! I hope 2 of my buds are playing! 🎉😊🎶🎵🥁🖤🐲👊🕶️
awesome!
Incredible!
Great video.
Melhor audição impossível 😊
Shades of what I loved about Alber Ayler's ensemble.
I get so hungry every time I think about Stromboli. 😋
nice!
So underrated drummer..
I wouldn't say he's underrated.
He's highly regarded as one of the best, more so within the prog community.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Impressive not about Max Roach's attendance. And I admit I'll have to absorb this 20 more times to understand the utility of this in your description but I hear several other things. Has anyone listened to the melody within an old teletype?? That's I'd like to hear played via drum sticks..
Bill Bruford is the Overlord of the universe of percussion
No match for the legendary Buddy Rich. Best drummer of all time not Ringo Starr who says he was.
It's a shame that only fans of Bill Bruford are listening to it.
Spread the word! 😊
Bruf-ford! nuff said...
Does anyone know who is one bass? I thought it was Jeff Berlin but It doesn't look like him, there aren't good camera angles...
His name is Tim Harries (I think I spelled that right). He played on the first 2-3 Earthworks albums. Later he replaced Rick Kemp on several of Steeleye Span’s 80s/90s/00s albums. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a SSpan concert in Houston, TX in the late 90s. A very nice but very shy guy. I think he is a great bass player but have no idea what he’s done since he left Span.
Django Bates had hair ???
Django Bates rules!
Why no credit in plain writing for the other great musicians?
I don't like the horns in this EarthWorks formation. Electric guitar would have been better to my taste.
Circus music on acid
For circus music acid you need to check out Ballamy’s soundtrack for the movie Mirrormask. It’s unquestionably brilliant!!
There's really not much like this