Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (B.L.U.E.) was a musical group comprising

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

Bill Bruford, bassist Tony Levin,

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

David Torn, and

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

Chris Botti.Bruford, Bill.
Bill Bruford: The Autobiography : Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks, and More
'. Jawbone Press, 2009. 240. The group's origins can be traced to Torn's ECM Records album '' Cloud About Mercury'' (1987), which featured Levin and Bruford, along with Mark Isham on trumpet. Recognizing the chemistry in their collaborative work, the musicians maintained contact and formed B.L.U.E. in the late 1990s under the joint leadership of Bruford and Levin. Chris Botti assumed the trumpeter's role, as Isham was touring with his own band at the time. The band blended an unusual combination of elements, including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, rock and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...

, to create a unique sound. Bruford and Levin were both longtime members of

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

Discography

* '' Bruford Levin Upper Extremities'' (1998) * '' B.L.U.E. Nights'' (Live) (2000)

References

{{Authority control English rock music groups American rock music groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2000 Discipline Global Mobile artists