Volume one captures three different versions of the acoustic Earthworks that emerged, after a brief hiatus, in 1999 with A Part, and Yet Apart (Summerfold, 1999). The first three tracks feature the initial lineup of pianist Steve Hamilton, saxophonist Patrick Clahar and bassist Mark Hodgson, culled from the Footloose in NYC footage. When this group first emerged, it was a refreshingly new combination of the kind of complex writing that Bruford had been pursuing ever since his first album as a leader, Feels Good to Me (Winterfold, 1977), along with a looser improvisational approach. Bruford's reputation, in the art rock sphere, was that of a drummer capable of creating visceral grooves under what were at times the most difficult of circumstances. His work with Yes and King Crimson defined, in many ways, how to work with complex meters and shifting bar lines without losing the physically-felt forward motion. But here, while the music is never less than challenging or deficient in polyrhythmic power, the language is more expansive, the feel more relaxed.