BRUFORD: FEELS GOOD TO ME

The first of the three Bruford albums from the late 1970s, Feels Good to Me is so tightly wound, so concisely constructed and precisely performed, that it almost scared me off upon first listen. (I bought it when it came out). The angular and often dissonant lead guitar work of Allan Holdsworth took me some getting used to--as did the vocal stylings of Annette Peacock (though I was much more quickly won over by her than I was by Holdsworth). The funky "non-keyboard" keyboard work of Dave Stewart--especially on that (in retrospect, amazing) opening song took me by surprise (I had not at this point been exposed to any Canterbury-style jazz fusion). I knew BRAND X and, of course, drummer extraordinaire Bill Bruford. I also had quite a challenge in having to process and accommodate bass player Jeff Berlin's amazing speed, dexterity, and melodic choice-making. All in all, this was a form and style of music that pushed all of my musical buttons; I was just not ready for it! And yet I persisted and continued to play and accumulate Bruford albums and anything and everything he touched over the next three decades. Every song here is jaw-dropping for the virtuosity of its musicians as well as for the innovation of its compositional twists and turns. Great work from a collective of very strong-willed virtuosi. No wonder it only lasted a couple of years. As for the album's Canterbury-ness, it's a bit of a stretch when compared to the music of Caravan and Khan, but it is quite comparable, in my opinion, to that of the more "serious," jazz-oriented Canterbury artists such as Gilgamesh, National Health and later Soft Machine.

Four stars; an excellent example of the jazz fusion side of progressive rock music.