BRUFORD: THE BRUFORD TAPES

This is a live recording of a radio broadcast from a club called "My Father's Basement". There is compression colouring the sound, typical of FM broadcast-quality, in contrast to the outstanding production qualities of the two Bruford solo albums that this tour promoted. The "unknown" John Clark as he is billed on the sleeve, sounds close enough to Alan Holdsworth that for my money it could be the same person but under a pseudonym due to contractual problems. The renderings of some of the best cuts from the first two Bruford albums "Feels Good" and "One of a Kind" are played with incredible dexterity, but there's nothing too new here. If you're a fan it's worth hearing, but I think you'll pull the studio albums out more often. You do get to hear Bruford speak with the audience, and shows himself to be an eloquent host. The audience is very receptive and appreciative and is heard throught the recording as a background din. The sound quality gets it 3 stars instead of 4.