• Title: Bill Bruford – The Autobiography: Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks and More
• Author: Bill Bruford
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jawbone Press (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906002231
• ISBN-13: 978-1906002237

I love wondering around bookstores because I never know what I’ll find – I love discovering something I didn’t know I wanted to read. One day at Book Soup, I found this book sitting in the music section; I love progressive rock and decided I needed to read this book. I’m glad I did.

I hope there was a ghost writer because I think it’s very well written.  There are times when time moves unexpectedly, but overall the book flows well, the words are well-chosen, and overall it’s quite interesting.  I especially love his comparison of playing in famous acts to his later role playing in jazz outfits; once he moves to jazz he has to instigate all the bits that used to be handled by other people, like booking flights and interviews (and what interviews, I can see why artists become numb to interviews).

For example:

The essence of the relationship between musician and instrument is monastic, timeless, and unchanging. It may be a relationship as close as and as exclusive as man and wife, or even more so, as many a spouse will atest.

And most importantly for me, I love his embrace of improvisation:

This most delicious of feelings, the sense of having pulled something unique out of the hat, something that lives briefly but surely will die, whose short life gave pleasure to so many in the room: this is what I do it for.

If you have a fondness for progressive rock, you should read this book. If you’re a drummer and interested in what progressive and jazz drumming is really like, you should read this book. And if you want to know more about the music business from the inside, well, you know what to do.