The group's origins tin flame live on traced to David Torn's album Cloud About Mercury (1987) which featured the above-listed musicians, except alongside Mark Isham playing trumpet. Enjoying their musical chemistry, the performers kept inwards touch, in addition to formed B.L.U.E. inwards the mid-1990s.
The band had real odd audio alongside elements of blues, rock in addition to ambient music. Bruford in addition to Levin were both longtime members of King Crimson.
Bill Bruford in addition to Tony Levin were the mainstays of the 1980s in addition to 1990s King Crimson, ane of rock's most consistently creative groups, in addition to together are amid the best musical rhythm sections inwards stone music. They played alongside David Torn on Torn's 1987 loose Clouds About Mercury, in addition to inwards 1998 they got together alongside him again. As on Clouds, they formed a quartet alongside a trumpeter, but instead of Mark Isham they enlisted Chris Botti, since Levin had worked on Botti's 1997 Midnight Without You release. On close one-half the tracks, Bruford, Levin in addition to Torn display a high-energy stone music, similar the opening "Cerulean Sea," alongside Torn in addition to Bruford playing inwards polyrhythms, in addition to "Cracking the Midnight Glass," a powerful slice alongside echoes of Led Zeppelin that Bruford calls "the ability trio incarnate." The 3 also play to a greater extent than or less quiet, atmospheric music on "Thick With Thin Air," which is also ane of the showpieces hither for Bruford's electronic drums. Chris Botti plays on the other half, in addition to provides them alongside a cool jazz feeling. His melodic move is highlighted on the jazzy Bruford composition "Original Sin" in addition to inwards a lovely duo alongside Levin on "Fin de Siècle," but his trumpet adds coloring inwards the fanfares of "Presidents Day," the haunting Pb of "Deeper Blue," in addition to the reprise of an etude from Levin's solo album World Diary. There are also a pose out of brusk interludes of Bruford playing a derelict pianoforte inwards Levin's garage, in addition to both Bruford in addition to Levin simultaneously playing a drum in addition to bass contraption.
I saw these guys alive in addition to must nation that this may live on the finest minute to appointment of Bruford in addition to Tony Levin. Bill Bruford's drumming was absolutely SICK in addition to Levin was precisely then professional person in addition to soulful that it precisely wasn't real. The present prompted me to larn the disc they were selling at the present in addition to it was precisely equally practiced equally the alive experience. Chris Botti was ultracool, alongside to a greater extent than or less Miles davis-like trumpet, in addition to guitarist David Torn has to a greater extent than or less interesting textures in addition to loops. What they played at the present is all hither on the disc, in addition to if you're into avante-jazz or King Crimson, you lot but cannot move yesteryear this ane up. These guys are incredible musicians, in addition to since Bruford & Levin are no longer inwards Crimso, perchance they should live on doing to a greater extent than of this stuff. This isn't mindless noodling, but venture avante-jazz. Smart musicianship which doesn't bore. I won't larn into the private titles, it's all good executed. If you lot did dig this album, larn to Tony Levin's website in addition to social club the double alive disc of the shows too. That's to a greater extent than or less other killer.Track listing
1. Cerulean Sea (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 7:03
Interlude (Bruford) 0:23
2. Original Sin (Bruford) 4:55
3. Etude Revisited (Botti/Bruford/Levin/Torn) 4:57
4. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Palace of Pearls [on a blade of grass] (Botti/Bruford/Levin/Torn) 5:33
Interlude (Bruford) 0:19
5. Fin de Siecle (Botti/Bruford/Levin) 5:22
6. DrumBass (Bruford/Levin) 0:54
7. Cracking the Midnight Glass (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 6:06
8. Torn DrumBass (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 0:54
9. Thick alongside Thin Air (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 3:28
10. Cobalt Canyons (Bruford/Levin/Torn) 3:53
Interlude (Bruford) 0:27
11. Deeper Blue (Botti/Bruford/Levin) 4:12
12. Presidents Day (Botti/Bruford/Levin/Torn) 6:22
Personnel:
Bill Bruford (drums, percussion),
Tony Levin (bass, chapman stick),
David Torn (guitar, loops),
Chris Botti (trumpet).
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