Bill Bruford's Earthworks - The Sound Of Surprise

2022 reissue

Digitally remastered edition.

The last fully studio album that Bill Bruford's Earthworks ever recorded - all subsequent albums were live. Originally released in 2001, the title The Sound Of Surprise is credited as New Yorker writer Whitney Balliett's definition of jazz. Out of print for some time; this re-issue is on Bruford's own Summerfold Records and was overseen by him personally. The crisp timekeeping and muscular fills of drummer Bill Bruford's rock work are very much in evidence in this acoustic fusion setting. A penchant for tricky time signatures continues to inform Bill's writing; and it's not impossible to imagine such quirky uptempo tunes as 'Revel Without a Pause' and 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' fitting neatly on one of his records from the late 70s. Stand-out tunes include the title track featuring a rare but blistering Bruford solo and the beautiful siren-song 'Come To Dust'.