BRUFORD: ONE OF A KIND

Bill Bruford returns on this sophomore release of his band "Bruford", this time without any special guests, only his core quartet. But that is all we need here as this time around, the technical jazz/rock sound is amazing and the talents of each of the individuals in the quartet really shines.

I think I'm safe to say that most people here would already know that Bill Bruford came to prominence with his drum work with "Yes" and "U.K." When Burford left "U.K." he spent more time making his own music, and Alan Holdsworth came with him taking half of the original, unique "U.K." band's sound with them. The reason I was originally interested in this album was for that reason. Even though I love U.K.'s "Danger Money", you can tell there is a slight difference in the sound between that album and the self-titled album. In this album, I hoped for a sort-of 3rd U.K. studio album, and because of this, I was initially disappointed. But the more I listened to Bruford's "One of a Kind", the more I loved it until now I consider it right up there with the U.K. albums. There are some tracks where that sound really stands out, however, so I would highly recommend this album to anyone that loves the original U.K. album, just don't expect an exact clone all of the time because even though Holdsworth is also along for the ride, Dave Stewart brings along some of his own keyboard styles that make this album a bit more jazz fusion oriented (that's not a bad thing at all), and mostly unknown bassist (at least at the time of this release) Jeff Berlin would prove that he was just as great as the other more familiar musicians in this quartet. It is Berlin's work with Bruford that would propel him to much more notoriety.

Here is the breakdown of the tracks on the album:

Hell's Bells - Written by Dave Stewart, this one includes a three chord pattern that can be heard during Holdsworth's excellent guitar solo in the middle of the track. That pattern comes from Stewart's colleague Alan Gowen of "National Health". Stewart's synth work is a bit new age-y and might even sound a bit dated, but the tricky rhythm structure here more than makes up for that. Don't worry, though, this one is fairly short and is the weakest on the album. The rest of the album is quite amazing.

One of a Kind, Pt. 1 - This has more of the U.K. vibe on it especially during the Holdsworth solos. Again you get that great complex rhythm and the keyboards and tonal percussion sounds much better on this track, not as dated as the previous track. This ends when the first melodic idea breaks down and?

One of a Kind, Pt. 2 begins with a more improvised sound and turns to a minimal feel with the instruments playing softer and building as the amazing guitar pushes it all forward. Bill's unique way of drumming can make this complex meter sound more straightforward than it is, and that is one of his talents that really stands out here. The tempo takes off again during the last half of this track eventually returning to the original theme for a short time at the end.

Travels with Myself -- And Someone Else - This is a nice, mellow fusion track with the piano and keys taking the lead at first, and then giving way to some amazing bass from Jeff Berlin, who was pretty much unheard of prior to his tenure with "Bruford", but as a result of his performances with this project, came to prominence and built his reputation from this. Again, the meters are ever changing, especially in the middle of the track, and Bruford pumps out his amazing kaleidoscopic drum patterns throughout.

Fainting in Coils - This track has some dramatic readings from Bill (Mock Turtle), Sam Alder (narrator) and Anthea Norman Taylor (Alice) during the first part of the track while the instruments support in a non-typical way. The instrumentals take over and turn this track into a prog-lover's dream. The bass is quite amazing once again and the synths create some really nice passages, but the band and instrumentation is exceptional throughout the track. This is probably the most dynamic and complex of the tracks on the album, and that's saying a lot.

Five G - Co-written by bassist Jeff Berlin, this is the only track on the album where he shares co-writing credit. The track begins with a complex and upbeat sound with Berlin shining through right from the start, but everyone gets to shine in this track as Holdsworth plays like his fingers are on fire, yet Berlin keeps up with him quite admirably. It's tracks like this on the album that prove that Berlin needs to be recognized and you can see why his playing caught everyone's attention.

The Abingdon Chasp - This one is completely written by Holdsworth, the only track giving him writing credit. It's everything you would expect from Holdsworth, complex progressive jazz with his signature sound.

Forever Until Sunday - This track, along with the remainder of the tracks on the album, were all originally meant for U.K., but since Bill Bruford wrote them, he took the songs with him when he left U.K. This track even features the violin part that Eddie Jobson played for the U.K. unreleased version, here re-recorded specifically for this Bruford album. It is a bit more mellow than you would expect considering it was considered for inclusion on U.K.'s 2nd album, but the violin backed by the bass is simply beautiful, with that somewhat enticingly cold and metallic sound that U.K. had. It's a nice slow burner of a track, almost romantic, but with Jobson's signature violin sound. Halfway through, the beat picks up a bit and the synth and bass work together to build tension and intensity with Holdsworth guitar finally churning up the whole thing in the last section of the track.

The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 1 - Again, Bruford originally wrote this for the U.K. sophomore album, but instead used it here. It all starts out cold and expansive, sort of like "Alaska", but with a drone-like quality and interesting effects. A fast and repeating keyboard riff builds up the intensity until the drums kick in and the piano and tonal percussion take things spiraling along like the wind spirals the snow hinted at in the title. As it builds more, it sounds more like something you would have heard on the non-existent U.K. album, and is quite satisfying to those wishing for something more from that short-lived band. Things calm down to almost minimal levels and we move into?.

The Sahara of Snow, Pt. 2 - The piano riff comes back, a bit trickier now and things take off quickly this time. This one was co-written with Eddie Jobson, even though he doesn't appear on the track, yet it definitely feels like a strong U.K. track. Part way through, the track moves to a heavy, mid-tempo rhythm that the piano surprisingly pushes along quite effectively as Holdsworth churns out another amazing solo. This is one that will satisfy those rabid U.K. fans that want more and is worth getting the album for if you haven't completely been convinced yet, that is.

Except for the weaker first track, this is a strong and impressive album that also helps fill the gaps left from the original U.K., but also sets a new style and sound in motion in the progressive fusion world. It doesn't seem that most of the U.K. fans didn't make the transition over to Bruford like both Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth did, but that only means there are a lot of fans out there that would probably be quite surprised by this album, and I think it is definitely worth while for them to check it out. For me, I love this album first on it's own merits, and the fact that a few of the tracks bring back memories of the great U.K. lineup is only the icing on the cake. This is one of those albums that should be recognized much more in prog circles and fusion circles for that matter. This is amazing music!