Still revered for his outstanding performances and recordings as the drummer in the original Yes lineup, and after in King Crimson, percussion master Bill Bruford is lionized on a pair of 2008 CD retrospectives on his own label. Actually Bruford has 2 music labels that each compliment different eras in his five decade long solo recording career. Over 13 tracks, The Winterfold Collection 1978-1986 recalls the sensational early albums made with the group Bruford, featuring guitarist Allan Holdsworth and Egg keyboard mastermind Dave Stewart. The Winterfold Collection CD is excellently sequenced and is rounded out further with tracks from two CDs Bill recorded with Pat Moraz in 1983 / 85. Getting back to the original intent of the classic first Bruford album, Feels Good To Me from '77 with Stewart, the CD’s live version of “Sample And Hold” spotlights that fabled summer 1979 gig at My Father’s Place in Roslyn. Culled from The Bruford Tapes, that song, in fact that whole CD was recently reissued by Winterfold with blistering digital dynamics that are beyond intense. That sound, that night 30 years later, is still as good as it gets for the entire fusion genre. As great as these early ‘70s and early ‘80s sides are, early fans of Bruford’s work as a rock icon will be in for a pleasant surprise after hearing the maturation of his myriad drumming styles on The Summerfold Collection 1987-2008. Spread over two CDs, the 22 track compilation on Bruford’s Summerfold Collection 1987-2008 finds the veteran cosmic rocker performing his magic in the less rock prone mainstream jazz medium. It’s amazing to hear these tracks, some from 20 years ago, and you can fully reexplore Bruford’s lineage from a student / fan of jazz to prog-rock icon and back again. Even without a rock guitar or vocal in the mix, the one thing constant in Summerfold Collection 1987-2008 is Bruford’s rock steady drumming. One highlight on Summerfold Collection is a jazzier version of the amazing “Beelzebub”, appearing here as an unreleased track made with his sax player Tim Garland, Steve Hamilton (piano) and Mark Budgson (bass). Since 1969, Bruford’s able hands changed rock and fusion for the better. His playing on the first five Yes albums instantly place him in the hall of fame. Trace him following Close To The Edge and his early solo years. It’s clear the lineage of high quality Bruford recordings keeps moving forward into the future with his excellent 2007 In Two Minds album with pianist Michiel Borstlap. www.BillBruford.com

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