Stadium-filling prog-rock hero Bill, idolised for his work with King Crimson, Yes and, briefly, Genesis, has long been fascinated by and involved in jazz. He followed his own jazz-fusion outfit Bruford (which included Allan Holdsworth) with the hugely successful Bill Bruford’s Earthworks that involved, at various times, collaborations with heroes of the genre such as Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Tim Garland and Gwilym Simcock. Having retired from making music in 2009, he recently returned to the stage with this newly-formed group. the The Pete Roth Trio.
The Pete Roth Trio features leader Pete on guitar, Mike Pratt on bass, and the incomparable Bruford on drums. The band creates jazz for a new generation of music enthusiasts, exploring beyond traditional jazz conventions. A jazz standard might reveal its essence only in the final moments of performance. Roth’s original compositions, such as “Dancing with Grace,” the Trio’s collaborative works like “Trio in Five” and “Looking Forward to Looking Back,” or their reinterpretation of masterworks like Anton Dvorak’s “Largo from Symphony #9,” offer just a few gateways into the creative world of the Pete Roth Trio—a world that will likely reshape your perspective on what the guitar trio format can achieve.
Germany-born Pete found inspiration as a youngster in the raw emotion of blues and the electrifying energy of rock. However, his musical horizons expanded when he ventured to England to study jazz. There, he delved into the rich complexities of the genre, drawing influence from luminaries such as Joe Pass, John Scofield and Julian Lage.
Bassist Mike performed fortnightly at Ronnie Scott’s for several years in the ensemble Shorter Than Miles. He plays and writes for the jazz fusion project KGQ with Kieron Garrett featuring Dave O’Higgins and Duncan Eagles on saxophone, with two albums on 33 Jazz Records. He has performed with Acantha Lang and Liane Carroll, and at the Cape Town Jazz Festival, the Jazz Cafe and The Royal Albert Hall.
Pete Roth (gitaar), Bill Bruford (drums), Mike Pratt (bas)
