Bill Bruford Interviewed at AAJ

For twenty years drummer Bill Bruford has been the engine of Earthworks, one of Britain's most inventive and original jazz bands. Earthworks slowly revolving door has, over the years, seen the coming and going of some of Britain's finest young jazz talent, from keyboardist Django Bates and saxophonist Iain Ballamy to ex-Chick Corea sideman and current reed/flute maestro Tim Garland, and current pianist Gwilym Simcock. The fostering of such youthful talent has brought comparisons between Bruford's Earthworks and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

The longevity of Earthworks, and the critical acclaim from around the world, is due in large part to Bruford's ability to experiment and evolve from an electronic to an acoustic band without compromising Earthworks' core values, namely melody, improvisation and a total disregard for categorization. There is simply no jazz quartet quite like Earthworks.

AAJ's Far East correspondent Ian Patterson spoke with Bruford recently about the evolution of Earthworks, and two new DVDs - Video Anthology Vol. 1: 2000's (Summerfold, 2007) and Video Anthology Vol. 2: 1990's (Summerfold, 2007) - that document this enduring and ever-evolving group from 1991 through to the present.

Check out Bill Bruford: Earthly Endeavors, Heavenly Pursuits at AAJ today!