Album: Random Acts of Happiness
Artist: Bill Bruford's Earthworks featuring Tim Garland
2004 Summerfold Records
CD: SFVP001CD.JP (Japan)

Musicians:
Tim Garland: tenor and soprano saxophones, flute, bass clarinet
Steve Hamilton: piano
Mark Hodgson: acoustic bass
Bill Bruford: drums, log drum
 

Produced by Bill Bruford
Recorded live at Yoshi's, Oakland, CA, 13-14 May 2003
Recording engineer: Keith Yansurak
Mixed and mastered Jul/Aug 2003
Mix and mastering engineer: Andrew Tulloch

Design and illustration: Dave McKean at Hourglass
 

Tracks:
1. My Heart Declares a Holiday [Bruford/Ballamy/Bates] (5:12)
2. White Knuckle Wedding [Garland/Bruford] (7:28)
3. Turn and Return [Garland] (2:49)
4. Tramontana [Hamilton/Garland] (7:49)
5. Bajo del Sol [Garland] (8:28)
6. Seems Like a Lifetime Ago (Part 1) [Bruford] (3:55)
7. Modern Folk [Garland] (6:08)
8. With Friends Like These... [Bruford] (2:47)
9. Speaking with Wooden Tongues [Garland] (7:38)
10. One of a Kind (Part 1) [Bruford] (2:09)
11. One of a Kind (Part 2) [Bruford/Dave Stewart] (4:02)
12. Blues for Little Joe [Garland] (7:05) Japanese bonus track only
 

Notes: (*****) Eschewing the previous pattern of releasing new material through studio recordings, the debut release from the new Earthworks line up with Tim Garland is this fantastic live album. The material includes nods to Bruford's past with reinterpretations of older pieces—(1) is from Earthworks, (6) from Bill Bruford's Feels Good to Me, (10-11) from Bruford's One of a Kind—and pieces Garland brought with him—(3) and (12) are from Tim Garland/Geoff Keezer/Joe Locke's Storms Nocturnes. However, there is also new material here, including (4) which began as Hamilton's live spot.

In a May 2004 interview, Bruford explained that re-visiting older pieces was Garland's idea: "That was a request from Tim. He grew up with some of the Bruford/Holdsworth stuff and said, 'We've got to do some of that.' I said, 'Not really because the sound of it isn't going to work in this context,' but we did find two or three pieces that did sit well."

With the reorganisation at Discipline Global Mobile to concentrate on King Crimson releases, Bill Bruford's Earthworks moved label. Summerfold Records is a division of Bill Bruford Productions Ltd. distributed through Voiceprint.

(5) was included on the Moondo Records compilation Music for the World, due 1 Jun 04. (HP, 8 May 04; with thanks to Simon Barrow)


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