STAMPING GROUND - LIVE

This album presents us the live condition of the earlier incarnation of Bill Bruford's Earthworks. The sounds are more electronically orientated if compared to the records of the later version of this band, featuring new players except the drummer maestro. I'm much fonder of his later neo-classical acoustic jazz stuff, but there are many interesting compositions and details found here too, and of course the musicians are true professionals. Nevertheless the stylistic choices practiced here have affected severally to the listening rates of this record for me. My favorite here is the tender tune "It Needn't End In Tears", which opens with Iain Ballamy's fabulous saxophone solo, which is later joined by the band in a very delicate manner. Though I didn't appreciate this stuff completely, I think that many fans of jazz / fusion prog rock might like this CD more than the later records of this band, as it is closer to the style of conventional jazz rock than the later traditional material by this fabulous band are.