The Genius Of Bill Bruford

The time has come!🎉

Brandon never failing to perfectly perform the most difficult/iconic drum parts is the most underrated part of this series. Legend.

Bill's work in KC in particular was absolutely unbelievable- that body of work is unlike anything else in existence

One of my favourite things about his style is the way he really "plays" the kick drum. Most drummers use it to keep time, but he uses it like a snare or a tom.

Bill Bruford's style stood out to me when I first heard it on The Yes Album. To me, it sounded so intentional, so composed, compared to other drummers of the time. It wasn't until Stewart Copeland in The Police that I heard another rock drummer with such a recognizable and personal sound. Thanks for all the great drumming moments, Bill!

Finally some justice to the amazing bruford, he advanced drumming so much on his career

I'm 23 years old and when I was 18 years I discovered the prog rock and I've never heard a drummer like Bill Bruford, he just blow my mind and then I learned all the drum parts with Yes, King Crimson and his solo project. All the polyrhythms, odd time signatures and other important things about this particular drum style. Great video! Bill Bruford is my favourite drummer of all time, I hope to meet him one day.

Huge Bill Bruford fan here. I've many books about him. There's one particular quote that I always remember. It's regarding Jamie Muir, the charismatic King Crimson percussionist in the short-lived 72-73 (5-member) version of the band. From "When in Doubt, Roll": "I had come upon Jamie Muir, who was a stalwart in the London avant-garde scene, and his influence was profound. His merciless tongue reduced me, on more than one occasion, to tears of humiliation, as he made me painfully aware that there was more to rythm and drumming than the acquisition of an ever-faster, ever smoother paradiddle. With him, I began to lower my defenses and ego, start listening to myself and hearing myself from the other musicians' point of view. It may seem that it was a little late in the day, but this was my first absolutely major drum lesson". You've to remember Bill came from Yes, so he was 1) much more well-known; 2) technically superior to Muir. And still, he listened and learned. It was a lesson for me too. (Muir would also have a big influence on another Yes member: Jon Anderson. It was a brief encounter, at Bruford's wedding reception, in March 1973. ("I felt I had to learn from him", Anderson later said ). There, Muir suggested to Jon that he read the book "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda. Based on this, Anderson wrote Tales from Topographic Oceans. The four sides of the album represent the four ancient hindu texts that the book describes. And, yes, I'm a huge fan of Jamie Muir as well.)

Bill had the cleanest sound, while a major rock influence, without slurred or confusing riffs. A master.

That jam part in And You & I is one of my favorite pieces of music of all time, I had no idea how behind the beat he was playing. What an amazingly versatile drummer Bruford is

Bills playing on ANYTHING is always a true joy to listen to!

The cool thing about Dr. Bill is that when you think you know one of his parts he gets bored and he changes it. Also, i am so glad that you mention The great deceiver!

Top, top drummer. He was my Music History teacher at music college.

Amazing drummer. The only musician to have played in the so-called 'triumvirat' of prog rock: Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis. And he considers himself more a jazz drummer than a rock drummer. This is just a sign of how he was constantly learning and evolving, often against his own wallet. I'm a drummer and deeply admire him.

I'm so glad you showcased Bill Bruford! He really laid the groundwork for progressive drumming, had an incredibly creative career and influenced modern progressive drum heroes like Mike Portnoy and Danny Carey. He gets a lot of love among drummers but he really needed a video like this one. Thank you!

I’ve never played anything like Bill Buford, but he has absolutely influenced every note I play.

My favorite Bruford moment is the interplay between him and Chris Squire in the bass solo section of Heart Of The Sunrise

Cant wait for this one. Bruford has such an amazing catalogue of drumming and the written work he has done on drumming post retirement.

Yes! My favorite drummer of all times!!

Another sonic Bruford moment is the use of the 'China' trashy cymbal in One More Red Nightmare, from Red (1974). It has become a legend among prog drummers. Here's the story, told by Bruford: " I found it in the rehearsal room trash can, deposited there by the group in the room before us. It was turned up on one side in an effort to get it to fit in the bin, like an Australian bush hat; it had definitely seen better days. It was a 'foreign made' Zilco Standard cymbal imported into the UK by Arbiter Co. Ltd., and... Anyway, it's maltreatment had bequeathed it this fabulous trashy sound with a very short, fast decay. It looked so sad; I took pity on it and we fell in love. I used it for about a year or so before it split, and the end came swiftly after that. I sent the CD to Paiste Cymbals in Switzerland, with a view to them creating something similar, but heard no more".