Bryn Fortey Enters the 1940's Contest

Recently the New Yorker published an appreciation of progressive rock, and this summer/fall one of the contests will honor musicians born in the 1940s, so tonight is a good evening to post Bryn Fortey's tribute to Bill Bruford.  Bruford was not only a drummer for Yes, King Crimson, and other bands but also a jazz musician, leading the band Earthworks and playing with Al Di Meola, Michiel Borstrap, Kazumi Watanabe, and others.

WILLIAM SCOTT BRUFORD

(Born: May 17, 1949)

For Bill Bruford

A drummer whose musical interests

Would fill a book

It began and ended with jazz

The BBC2 programme JAZZ625

Was his introduction

Playing brushes on LP covers

While he listened and watched

And the jazz group EARTHWORKS

Was his last major enterprise

Prior to his retirement from performing

In between came the pomp and excesses

Of YES and KING CRIMSON

In various line-ups and reunions

Also touring with GENESIS

And more side projects

Than you could throw a cocked hat at

An early interest in electronic drumming

Was put on hold while he waited

For the technology to catch up

With what he wanted from them  

But he had reverted to acoustic by the end

In retirement he has continued

To run his records labels

And studied music at university

Musically restless

Bill Bruford was always willing to go

Wherever his inventive nature took him

Bryn Fortey

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Bryn also draws our attention to the Ganelan Trio, a group of Russian jazz musicians.

THE GANELIN TRIO

Born out of the unique circumstances

Of pre-Gorbachev Russia

Three classically trained musicians

Who combined in a part-free/part-composed music

Under the influence of such as

Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane

Pianist Vyacheslav Ganelin (born 1944)

Saxophonist Vladimir Chekasin and

Percussionist Vladimir Tarasov (both 1947)

Between them they composed and taught

Directed a conservatory orchestra

Played in a symphony orchestra

And blended all their Russian roots and training

With the jazz they heard on

Voice of America radio broadcasts

And expensively imported records

The Trio played European festivals

And toured both America and Britain

Making people aware of Russian interpretations

Of improvisational free-music.

Bryn Fortey 

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44250772

At one point, Bill Bruford was with a group called Gong:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBympzI4bxI

Here he is with Earthworks, playing "Triplicity": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLSoSsbiaDk

This is his "Up North," also with Earthworks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkrlMFHX7NU

"Melanchoe" is with Kazumi Watanabe and Jeff Berlin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9NwNDqOqs

Here is a live recording of the Ganelin Trio from 1976:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKN4kEsBnVM

This live performance of "Priority" is from 2005: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrIpgjv-PAo

Enjoy!