Moraz + Bruford - 2 For 1
Patrick Moraz + Bill Bruford
Music For Piano And Drums - EG Records, 1983
Flags, EG Records, 1985
Patrick Moraz - Steinway D Concert Piano, Kurzweil 250 Synth
Bill Bruford - Acoustic and Electronic Drums and Percussion
Produced by Moraz + Bruford
Here is a pair of albums likely to cause some bit of constrenation among both jazz and art-rock fans. A duet of duets between Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz (ex-Yes and Moody Blues) and multi-percussion pioneer Bill Bruford (also ex-Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and currently leading the latest iteration of Earthworks). They are neither really jazzy or rock, have some classical chamber music peculiarities, but ends up still being its own weird animal. And in some spots, is a great listen.
The first album, Music for Piano and Drums is the superior of the two releases. It is as stripped down as can be; no overdubs, no electronic instrumentation, no filler. The tracks are mostly serious, introspective pieces with subtle shifts and exhibit a very consistent sound that makes for a solid collection of tracks. Particular standouts include Eastern Sundays, Blue Brains and Symmetry. The dominant elements appear to be Moraz's sharp percussive style coupled with a fierce percussionist in Bruford, who eschews bombast for creative left-turns and odd-time wonkiness. Overall, it just works. It doesn't swing but it has some jazz-inflected improvisation, it isn't studied enough to be really classical (unless you are talking of somewhere in modern classical, a term that never made any sense to me), and rock (even the artsy-kind) is strategically placed in the backseat. The pair seem to have largely composed and performed in absolute equilibrium on this one.
Flags had potential to be a great follow up, with the minor introduction of electronic elements (Bruford in particular innovated the use of what he called "chordal drums" using electronic drumming to operate on a more melodic platform and use a far wider range of sounds), but it ends up hackneyed in a lot of places, particularly on the Moraz compositions, which mostly sound trite compared to works of the previous album. Some of it is downright Yanni-esque (the almost unbearable Karu comes to mind). There are a few saving graces here though, namely Machines Programmed by Genes the vivacious Infra Dig and the absolutely badass solo piece by Bruford; a cover of Max Roach's The Drum Also Waltzes that seems to hold itself suspended in space.
If you can even find Music for Piano and Drums and like much of the more third stream sounding works on the ECM label, then it really is a must have item. Flags is more for the completist Yes/Crim/Bruford/Moraz fan, and even less likely to be found.
Music For Piano And Drums - EG Records, 1983
Flags, EG Records, 1985
Patrick Moraz - Steinway D Concert Piano, Kurzweil 250 Synth
Bill Bruford - Acoustic and Electronic Drums and Percussion
Produced by Moraz + Bruford
Here is a pair of albums likely to cause some bit of constrenation among both jazz and art-rock fans. A duet of duets between Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz (ex-Yes and Moody Blues) and multi-percussion pioneer Bill Bruford (also ex-Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and currently leading the latest iteration of Earthworks). They are neither really jazzy or rock, have some classical chamber music peculiarities, but ends up still being its own weird animal. And in some spots, is a great listen.
The first album, Music for Piano and Drums is the superior of the two releases. It is as stripped down as can be; no overdubs, no electronic instrumentation, no filler. The tracks are mostly serious, introspective pieces with subtle shifts and exhibit a very consistent sound that makes for a solid collection of tracks. Particular standouts include Eastern Sundays, Blue Brains and Symmetry. The dominant elements appear to be Moraz's sharp percussive style coupled with a fierce percussionist in Bruford, who eschews bombast for creative left-turns and odd-time wonkiness. Overall, it just works. It doesn't swing but it has some jazz-inflected improvisation, it isn't studied enough to be really classical (unless you are talking of somewhere in modern classical, a term that never made any sense to me), and rock (even the artsy-kind) is strategically placed in the backseat. The pair seem to have largely composed and performed in absolute equilibrium on this one.
Flags had potential to be a great follow up, with the minor introduction of electronic elements (Bruford in particular innovated the use of what he called "chordal drums" using electronic drumming to operate on a more melodic platform and use a far wider range of sounds), but it ends up hackneyed in a lot of places, particularly on the Moraz compositions, which mostly sound trite compared to works of the previous album. Some of it is downright Yanni-esque (the almost unbearable Karu comes to mind). There are a few saving graces here though, namely Machines Programmed by Genes the vivacious Infra Dig and the absolutely badass solo piece by Bruford; a cover of Max Roach's The Drum Also Waltzes that seems to hold itself suspended in space.
If you can even find Music for Piano and Drums and like much of the more third stream sounding works on the ECM label, then it really is a must have item. Flags is more for the completist Yes/Crim/Bruford/Moraz fan, and even less likely to be found.
posted by theloniusfunk at 6:17 PM
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