BRUFORD: ONE OF A KIND

Is it possible for a "smooth jazz" song to feature near-Malmsteenian shredding? The Bruford group, with Allan Holdsworth on the six-string, aims to find out on "One of a Kind, part 1" from their second album, One of a Kind. Turns out it is possible, and they deploy some of that late-1970s/early-1980s smoothness not only on this song, but throughout the LP: wizardly guitar soloing over those standard-issue chord changes played on a synth. Nice enough, but we expect more from Bruford.

Luckily, they give us more. There are three Bruford classics here: "Hells Bells" and each of the two parts of "The Sahara of Snow." And there are two other strong offerings, "Fainting in Coils" and "5G," both of which showcase bassist Jeff Berlin. Much of the other half of One of a Kind is fusion-lite with occasional prog-rock forays.

Although Holdsworth's playing here is rightfully praised, ex-National Health keyboardist Dave Stewart is the keystone on most of the tracks, and at least for One of a Kind, the group could just as fairly be called Stewart.

On the whole, One of a Kind is a good album and a slight improvement over the group's debut, Feels Good to Me (1977). Most of the best songs on these two LPs are also on the 1979 live album The Bruford Tapes, which I'd ordinarily recommend as a starting point for this group. However, while the performances on The Bruford Tapes are great, the sound quality isn't, and at least one track is incomplete.

Meanwhile, the Bruford group's third and final studio album, the relatively rock-oriented Gradually Going Tornado, is their best, but fusion fans will likely find more to like on this album and on Feels Good to Me.

P.S.: One of a Kind is a must for Rototom fans. Having largely abandoned mallet percussion for this album, Bruford relies on a set of Rototoms to lend some tonality to his playing.