The Lost Chord

DEREK BAILEY
 Photo by Fergus Kelly

The Guitar (& Why)

By Derek Bailey

R ecently, I came across the phrase 'pluralism from a single vision,' That might do as a
description of what I try to do.

I've looked to play in such a manner as to be able to take part - to be constructive, to be able to
contribute - in any kind of freely improvised context. My playing has developed out of
different improvising situations. If there are people I would like to play with but might not be
able to play with, I take that to mean I need to change or expand what I do. So, it's perfectly
logical - in fact central - for me to work at different times with a jazz tap dancer, with a
Japanese rock group, with a funk duo, with a classical percussionist, with a DJ and with a
Chinese pipa player - all recent playing alliances. These, and also other unrelated and often
contradictory playing encounters, are why I play how I play, and, as they are also my pleasure,
why I play. I don't adopt an idiomatic disguise in order to join these people in their worlds - in
fact, my main interest might stem from discovering if, and how, I can integrate my 'identity'
with an unfamiliar context but the ground we share is one which I hope will be unique to them
and to me.

Still video image on the first page by David Reid. Illustration by Carol Dallaire.
Acknowledgments

T
his free annotated discography (augmented by some information about books,
videos, concerts reviews, DVD, posters and photographs) has been assembled by
me, at first, for my own use while surfing and looking around on the Web, the
spur to push it further came from the excellent work done by Peter Stubley.

http://efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mbailey.html

I started working on this database around April 1988, first as a hobby, in fact, trying to find
some information about the recordings by Derek Bailey… it was quite a challenge in those
days to find those recordings in Quebec, Canada. After a few years I had what looked like a
small personal discography of a few hundred pages and the beginning of a small collection
of works by Mr. Bailey. I then discovered on the Internet the work of Mr. Stubley and
surfing and seriously looking around the Web, making from time to time a few interesting
discoveries, I was able to check out what was missing from mine one item at a time while
adding all these essays, reviews, texts, bootlegs and so on.

One day I wrote to Mr. Bailey about one of his recordings (the very touching Pieces for
Guitar). He sent me a toughtful postcard. I sent him back a few months later the first
version of The Lost Chord discography. In February 2005, I received from him a very
moving personal recording of what would turn out to be EXPLANATION AND THANKS,
the first piece found later that same year on CARPAL TUNNEL. For Christmas 2005, I
sent him a new improved version of the discography… sadly enough, Mr. Bailey died
December 25.

In July 2008, Karen Brookman-Bailey was very gracious and generous asking me if I
would like to make The Lost Chord available, as I wish, for free through Incus’ new web
site. Since December 25, 2005 we both knew all along that it is something that would have
pleased her husband Derek. This invitation gave me the incentive to work a little bit more.

Of course, the work represented here is not mine and I would particularly like to thank all
the writers, reviewers to whom all the rights and copyrights remain. I learned a lot from you
all and I am sure that the future readers of The Lost Chord will do too.

For the past two years I have decided to add as much information related to Derek Bailey,
mostly reviews of gigs, articles, posters, photographs, information about videos, bootlegs
and obituaries. Even at 1715 pages, some important stuff is still missing, mostly reviews in
magazines like The Wire, jazz magazines that need to be scanned. What I would like to see
more too, would be posters of gigs, photographs during live gigs, etc.

I made the decision to present the documents by year of recording but also being careful to
add the year(s) of release and of re-issue. It seems to make more sense that way showing
the development of Derek Bailey’s work, of his network and his influence. For now, all of
the recordings released after Mr. Bailey’s death are presented according to the date of
release. It seems arguably for now to make some sense to separate the recordings that way.
The difficult part, I am still working on it, seems to be the re-issues and the bootlegs. More
fun for the years to come.

This research is presented in pdf format (Acrobat) and must be distributed freely as far as I
am concerned for people like me but also for writers, critics, scholars enjoying and
appreciating the musicianship of Derek Bailey.

Please be kind enough to indicate the authors of articles, essays, reviews and critics if you
are to use any information made available for free in this database.

I will update the information from time to time. All the rights and copyrights are reserved
to the original writers and photographers. Some details are still missing (names, credits),
please, feel free to communicate with Incus and let us know about it. I will make the
necessary adjustments.

My fun was just to put everything together hoping that The Lost Chord will make someday
some sense. It will certainly show that Derek Bailey has created a lot of great improvised
music and in the process made writers develop a specific vocabulary for a large part of
improvised music.

Carol Dallaire, August 31, 2008

Carol Dallaire tient à remercier le Syndicat des chargés de cours de l'Université du Québec
à Chicoutimi, qui a rendu possible en partie la réalisation de ce projet, grâce à une Bourse
de perfectionnement offerte dans le cadre d'une recherche s'intéressant aux relations du
sonore et du visuel en art actuel à travers les concepts de l'indéterminé, du hasard et de
l'improvisation.

Carol Dallaire wishes to thank the Syndicat des chargés de cours de l'Université du Québec
à Chicoutimi for making in part possible the realisation of this project. He was offered a
grant for studying the relationships between the visual and the sound through the concepts
of indeterminacy, chance and improvisation.

The work of Carol Dallaire has been presented since 1977 in a number of expositions,
colloques and performances in Quebec, Canada, Portugal, France, Spain and Scotland. As
an artist in computer art he was invited twice at the Banff Centre for the Arts. His works
have been published in print and CD in La poésie possible des limites (Séquence, Éd. du
Sabord, Chicoutimi), also in Perception, Electronics, Technology (MusicWorks, Toronto,
2001), Espaces Sonores (Inter-Art Actuel, No. 98, hiver 2008). He has written scores for
theater, dance and video documentaries. He is the founding member (1995) of Les
Radicaux Libres, a group of improvised music. He is also the one and only memebr of the
lonely collective Le Art Ensemble of Le Milieu de Nulle Part (2001). He has played with
Montreal musician René Lussier (2001) and with Michael Snow (2003).
A photograph of the guy who put together all the information of The_Lost_Chord playing during
the opening of his last exhibition… that day he played sax, another day he played acoustic guitar
(in fact a french translation of Peter Riley’s Dead She Dances based on the one Derek Bailey
did). People were very moved by that text. Another day he played real loud distorted electric
guitar… at the end one of the teacher at the art school where he teaches came to him and told him
very seriously : It could have been a lot louder than that.
 Derek Bailey
Derek Bailey Biography

Derek Bailey is a pioneer and master of free improvisation who has taken the playing of the
guitar to unexpected new levels and has played with some of the biggest names in "free"
music - all of which has guaranteed him a comfortable level of obscurity. But musicians
know and acknowledge his mastery - as does a growing number of listeners who appreciate
his modest but fascinating improvisations.

Bailey was born on January 29, 1930, in Sheffield, England. From 1941 to 1952 studied
music with C.H.C. Biltcliffe and guitar with, among others, George Wing and John Duarte.
From 1951 to 1965 Derek Bailey worked as a guitarist - soloist, accompanist or orchestral -
in every kind of musical situation: clubs, concert halls, dance halls, radio, TV, and recording
studios. During this period, he became increasingly interested in the possibilities of freely
improvised music and, since 1965, has performed solo concerts in all major cities of Europe,
Japan and North America. He has also played with most of the musicians associated with free
improvisation.

In 1970, Derek Bailey formed Incus Records with Evan Parker and Tony Oxley. It was the
first independent, musician-owned record company in Britain. In 1976 he formed Company,
a changing ensemble of improvising musicians from many backgrounds, featuring players
from Europe, North and South America, Africa and Japan and which since then has
performed concerts and extended events all over the world. Company Week was inaugurated
in 1977 as an annual event in London to which all kinds of improvisers from around the
world were invited for five days of music-making through improvisation. Company Weeks
have subsequently been held at other locations, for example, New York and Hakushu, Japan.
The final Company Week was held in 1994.

Derek Bailey divides his time among solo performances, running Incus, practising, writing -
currently a book on the guitar - and, something he considers essential, ad-hoc musicall
activities.

Derek Bailey on the word "improvisation"

The word improvisation is actually very little used by improvising musicians. Idiomatic
improvisors, in describing what they do, use the name of the idiom. They 'play flamenco' or
'play jazz'; some refer to what they do as just 'playing'. There is a noticable reluctance to use
the word and some improvisors express a positive dislike for it. I think this is due to its widely
accepted connotations which imply that improvisation is something without preparation and
without consideration, a completely ad hoc activity, frivolous and inconsequential, lacking in
design and method. And they object to that implication because they know from their own
experience that it is untrue. They know that there is no musical activity which requires greater
skill and devotion, preparation, training and commitment. And so they reject the word, and
show a reluctance to be identified by what in some quarters has become almost a term of
abuse. They recognise that, as it is generally understood, it completely misrepresents the depth
and complexity of their work. But I have chosen to retain that term throughout this book;
firstly because I don't know of any other which could effectively replace it, and secondly
because I hope that we, the other contributors and myself, might be able to redefine it.

Excerpted from Improvisation by Derek Bailey, from the introduction

DEREK BAILEY: IMPROVISATION IT’S NATURE AND PRACTICE IN MUSIC

Da Capo Press 146 page paperback book

Second edition of Derek Bailey’s comprehensive and individualistic study of improvisation in

all its forms - indian music, flamenco, baroque, organ music, rock, jazz, contemporary and
‘free’ music. Drawing on conversations with John Zorn, Jerry Garcia, Steve Howe, Steve
Lacy, Earle Brown, Max Roach, Evan Parker, Ronnie Scott and others.

*
 FREE IMPROVISATION -- Derek Bailey

Free improvised music, variously called 'total improvisation, 'open improvisation', 'free music',
or perhaps most often simply, 'improvised music', suffers from -- and enjoys -- the confused
identity which its resistance to labelling indicates. It is a logical situation: freely improvised
music is an activity which encompasses too many different kinds of players, too many
different attitudes to music, too many different concepts of what improvisation is, even, for it
all to be subsumed under one name. Two regular confusions which blurs its identification are
to associate it with experimental music or with avant-garde music. It is true that they are very
often lumped together but this is probably done for the benefit of promoters who need to
know that the one thing they do have in common is a shared inability to hold the attention of
large groups of casual listeners. But although they might share the same corner of the market
place they are fundamentally quite different to each other. Improvisors might conduct
occasional experiments but very few, I think, consider their work to be experimental. Similarly,
the attitudes and precepts associated with the avant-garde have little in common with those
held by most improvisors. There are innovations made, as one would expect, through
improvisation, but the desire to stay ahead of the field is not common among improvisors.
And as regards method, the improvisor employs the oldest in music-making.

The lack of precision over its naming is, if anything, increased when we come to the thing
itself. Diversity is it's most consistent characteristic. It has no stylistic or idiomatic
commitment. It has no prescribed idiomatic sound. The characteristics of freely improvised
music are established only by the sonic-musical identity of the person or persons playing it.

Historically, it pre-dates any other music -- mankind's first musical performance couldn't have
been anything other than a free improvisation -- and I think that it is a reasonable speculation
that at most times since then there will have been some music-making most aptly described as
free improvisation. Its accessibility to the performer is, in fact, something which appears to
offend both its supporters and detractors. Free improvisation, in addition to being a highly
skilled musical craft, is open to use by almost anyone -- beginners, children and non-
musicians. The skill and intellect required is whatever is available. It can be an activity of
enormous complexity and sophistication, or the simplest and most direct expression: a
lifetime's study and work or a casual dilettante activity. it can appeal to and serve the musical
purposes of all kinds of people and perhaps the type of person offended by the thought that
'anyone can do it' will find some reassurance in learning that Albert Einstein looked upon
improvisation as an emotional and intellectual necessity.

The emergence of free improvisation as a cohesive movement in the early sixties and its
subsequent continuous practice has excited a profusion of sociological, philosophical,
religious and political explanations, but I shall have to leave those to authors with the
appropriate appetite and ability. Perhaps I can confine myslef to the obvious assumption that
much of the impetus toward free improvisation came from the questioning of musical
language. Or more correctly, the questioning of the 'rules' governing musical language. Firstly
from the effect this had in jazz, which was the most widely practised improvised music at the
time of the rise of free improvisation, and secondly from the results of the much earlier
developments in musical language in European straight music, whose conventions had, until
this time, exerted a quite remarkable influence over many types of music, including most
forms of improvisation to be found in the West.

Two important pieces of reading concerning free improvisation are Leo Smith's book
"NOTES: 8 Pieces" and Cornelius Cardew's "Toward an Ethic of Improvisation", which is
from his Treatise Handbook (published by Peters Edition). Each of these documents is
written by a musician with a great deal of experience of free improvisation and they write of it
with insight and pertinence. They are however totally different from each other. Smith speaks
of free improvisation almost exclusively as an extension of Jazz and Cardew considers it
mainly in terms of European philosphy and indeterminate composition. And both accounts are
valid, each reflecting perfectly one of the twin approaches to free improvisation which took
place in the sixties. It is necessary to point out that for Leo Smith the predicament of the black
man in America, particularly as this applies to the black musician, is of far greater significance
than the purely musical matters dealt with here. In a rather similar way Cardew's objections to
his situation were later to take a purely political form. But these documents also indicate that
for musicians of integrity, in either field, wishing for a direct, unadulterated involvement in
music, the way to free improvisation was the obvious escape from the rigidity and formalism
of their respective musical backgrounds.

COPYRIGHT Derek Bailey excerpted from "Improvisation: its nature and practice in music"
(146 pages) available from INCUS Records 14 Downs Road London E5 8DS England.

Book Review:

Musical Improvisation by Derek Bailey

by William Harris

I would like to call attention to the republication in 1997 of a very important book but one
which may easily be overlooked. In 1980 Prentice-Hall published in this country a book
which appeared a few years earlier in England, Derek Bailey's Musical Improvisation.

I read it years ago at a time when I saw little hope for improvisation other than in the
somewhat auto-mimetic world of jazz, and felt that Bailey had virtually reached a dead-end.
But it was not to be so, in Europe a movement sprang up, calling itself "Free Improvisation."
A casual survey of the web shows much musical activity in improvisation, much of it in
Europe but significant centers worldwide. Since the name does not in any sense define the
movement, local directions have emerged, but from what I have been able to gather, it emerged
in the 1960's as "demodulation" of the current jazz idiom, favoring a jazz-like jam sound and
the use of electric guitar and traditional jazz instruments.

Still the idea of Improvisation is reborn, after a century in which composers often played no
instrument and written out scores "were" the music in a certain sense. There was a time when,
if you wanted to hear a piece of music, you bought sheet music and played it on your piano, or
turned on the player mechanism underneath. How things have changed!

But the ancient urge to make some musical construct of your own is still there. Rather than
speak further, I would like to quote a few words from a man whose name you probably know
well:

Alexander Moskowski reported that in 1919 Einstein told him that". . . improvisation on the
piano was a necessity of his life. Every journey that takes him away from the instrument for
some time excites a home-sickness for his piano, and when he returns he longingly caresses
the keys to ease himself of the burden of the tone experiences that have mounted up in him,
giving them utterance by improvisations." Conversations with Einstein, published in 1921, as
cited in the above-mentioned book by Derek Bailey, which brings us back again in a two-
thirds century turn.
 L’IMPROVISATION : SA NATURE ET SA PRATIQUE DANS LA MUSIQUE
Traduit de l'anglais par Isabelle Leymarie, 160 pages – 180 x 220 mm
ISBN 2-907891-17-0

L'ouvrage de Derek Bailey concerne l'ensemble des pratiques musicales, bien au-delà de tel
idiome ou de tel style, et, de ce fait, il s'adresse à tous ceux – musiciens, enseignants,
mélomanes – qu'intéressent les mécanismes de création au sens le plus large.

L'objectif premier de l'auteur est de mettre en évidence la présence de l'improvisation dans les
domaines les plus variés de l'histoire et de l'expression musicales (musiques indienne,
flamenco, baroque, d'orgue, rock, jazz, contemporaine, improvisation libre). À l'intérieur de
cette trame, la réflexion conduit à dégager les traits communs à toute forme d'improvisation,
sans que jamais le propos ne verse dans le syncrétisme ou la confusion entre les genres et les
concepts. Pour cela, l'auteur s'est appuyé sur les témoignages de nombreux improvisateurs,
pratiquant leur art dans des contextes les plus divers.
C'est seulement au terme de ce tour d'horizon que l'auteur se tourne plus précisément vers sa
propre expérience, l'improvisation libre ou "totale", lieu de tous les possibles À ceux qui
parlent d'avant-garde ou de musique expérimentale, Derek Bailey rétorque qu'une
improvisation "libre" a été pratiquée à toutes les époques, et que, selon toute vraisemblance, la
première exécution musicale de l'histoire de l'humanité a été une improvisation libre !

À l'opposé du manuel ou du traité, ce livre nous invite à examiner les questions soulevées par
l'improvisation et plus généralement par la pratique de la musique : technique instrumentale,
rapports avec le public, composition, enregistrement, pédagogie, notion de groupe…

A l'opposé du manuel ou du traité, le livre Derek Bailey nous invite à examiner toutes les
techniques que l'improvisation adresse aux langages musicaux, à la technique instrumentale, à
la composition, au public, à la pédagogie... et au musicien lui-même. Ce tour d'horizon de
l'improvisation musicale permet d'en découvrir les enjeux à travers les témoignages précieux
de ceux qui la font vivre dans tous ses contextes (des musiques traditionnelles à
l'improvisation libre, en passant par la musique baroque, le flamenco, le rock, le jazz, etc.). Il
s'agit en fait de rappeler que l'improvisation, source de la musique savante occidentale, relève
d'un fonds commun à toutes les pratiques et toutes les cultures, toujours prêt à être réactivé
chez l'individu-musicien. " Il s'agit bien du choc de deux cultures musicales : d'un côté la
perfection rêvée par l'art classique, de l'autre l'imperfection (le transitoire, l'éphémère) voulue
ou tolérée, selon le point de vue, par l'improvisation... " (Andy Hamilton, Wire) " On ne
pouvait écrire un livre honnête sur l'improvisation qu'en s'appuyant sur des témoignages de
première main provenant de praticiens chevronnés. Et c'est exactement ce qu'a fait Derek
Bailey... " (Phil England, Rubberneck) " C'est un livre essentiel pour tous les musiciens, et
aussi pour quiconque écoute véritablement la musique sans se contenter de l'entendre... " (Ken
Hyder, Labour Weekly)

Wire
Il s'agit bien du choc de deux cultures musicales : d'un côté la perfection rêvée par l'art
classique, de l'autre l'imperfection (le transitoire, l'éphémère) voulue ou tolérée, selon le point
de vue, par l'improvisation.

Rubberneck
Un ouvrage facile à lire, divisé en chapitres brefs et distincts remplis d'anecdotes et de propos
fascinants, éclairant avec une apparente facilité les sujets les plus délicats. On ne pouvait écrire
un livre honnête sur l'improvisation qu'en s'appuyant sur des témoignages de première main
provenant de praticiens chevronnés. Et c'est exactement ce qu'a fait Derek Bailey.

Labour Weekly
Essentiel pour tous les musiciens, et aussi pour quiconque écoute véritablement la musique
sans se contenter de l'entendre.

London Musicians Collective News

Certainement le discours le plus logique et le plus cohérent sur l'improvisation que j'aie
rencontré. De plus, l'ouvrage est clair et accessible.
Coda Magazine
Quiconque s'intéresse, même de loin, à la musique quel que soit son genre, devrait lire cet
ouvrage fortement recommandé.

Nouvelle Vague
Sensible à l'éphémère qu'elle célèbre, l'improvisation est réfractaire à toute approche
académique. Mais elle est aussi une expérience et une pratique de la liberté, un espace ouvert
et de dialogue, comme ce livre passionnant de bout en bout.

Jazzman
Derek Bailey s'appuie sur la présence du phénomène improvisé dans diverses formes
d'expression musicale. C'est cet angle de la pratique qui rend passionnante son entreprise :
plutôt que de chercher à théoriser la place de l'improvisation dans chaque forme musicale,
Derek Bailey laisse parler les praticiens, les relance de questions bien senties, met ensuite en
parallèle leurs réponses. Un livre riche et enrichissant.

Indeed, this catholic acceptance of any and all musical influences is arguably what sets
Bailey's art outside the strict bounds of "jazz." The essential element of his work, however, is
the type of spontaneous musical interrelation that evolved from the '60s jazz avant-garde.
Sound, not ideology, is Bailey's medium. He differs in approach to almost any other guitarist
who preceded him. Bailey uses the guitar as a sound-making, rather than a "music"-making,
device. Meaning, he rarely plays melodies or harmonies in a conventional sense, but instead
pulls out of his instrument every conceivable type of sound using every imaginable technique.

His timbral range is quite broad. On electric guitar, Bailey is capable of the most gratingly
harsh, distortion-laden heavy-metalisms; unamplified, he's as likely to mimic a set of
windchimes. Bailey's guitar is much like John Cage's prepared piano; both innovations
enhanced the respective instrument's percussive possibilities.

As a group player, Bailey is an exquisitely sensitive respondent to what goes on around him.
He has the sort of quick reflexes and complementary character that can meld random musical
events into a unified whole.

Bailey came from a musical family; his grandfather and uncle were musicians. As a youngster
living in Sheffield in the '40s, Bailey studied music with C.H.C. Biltcliffe and guitar with
George Wing and John Duarte. Bailey began playing conventional jazz and commercial music
professionally in the '50s. In the early '60s, Bailey played in a trio called Joseph Holbrooke,
with drummer Tony Oxley and bassist (and later renowned classical composer) Gavin Bryars.
In the course of its existence, from 1963-66, the group evolved from playing relatively
traditional jazz with tempo and chord changes, to playing totally free. In 1966 Bailey moved to
London; there, he formed a number of important musical associations with, among others,
drummer John Stevens, saxophonist Evan Parker, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, and bassist Dave
Holland. This specific collection of players recorded as the Spontaneous Music Ensemble,
which served as a crucible for the sort of egalitarian, collective improvisation that Bailey was to
pursue from then on. In 1968, Bailey joined Oxley — another musician interested in new
possibilities of sound generation — in whose sextet he remained until 1973.

In 1970, Bailey formed the trio Iskra with bassist Barry Guy and trombonist Paul Rutherford.
Also that year, Bailey started (with Parker and Oxley) the Incus record label, for which he
would continue to record into the '90s. In 1976, Bailey founded Company, a long-lived free
improv ensemble with ever-shifting personnel, which has included, at various times, Anthony
Braxton, Han Bennink, Steve Lacy, and George Lewis, among others.
The 1980s saw Bailey collaborating with many of the aforementioned, along with newer
figures on the scene such as John Zorn and Joelle Leandre. Solo playing has always been a
particular specialty, as have (especially in recent years, it seems) ad hoc duos with a variety of
associates. Bailey later recorded an uncompromising three-disc set with a group that included
the usually more pop-oriented guitarist Pat Metheny. Viper followed in 1998.
Bailey's extreme radicalism makes for a difficult music, yet there's no doubting his influence;
his methods and aesthetic have significantly impacted the downtown New York free scene,
though many (if not most) of his disciples are little known to the general public. In 1980,
Bailey wrote Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice, an informative and undervalued volume

Chris Kelsey All Music Guide

*
There's a strong connection between his amelodic, arhythmic, atonal, uncategorizable free-
improvisatory style, and much free jazz of the post-Coltrane era.
At first glance, Derek Bailey possesses almost none of the qualities one expects from a jazz
musician -- his music does not swing in any appreciable way, it lacks a discernible sense of
blues feeling -- yet there's a strong connection between his amelodic, arhythmic, atonal,
uncategorizable free-improvisatory style, and much free jazz of the post-Coltrane era. His
music draws upon a vast array of resources, including indeterminacy, rock & roll, and various
world musics. Indeed, this catholic acceptance of any and all musical influences is arguably
what sets Bailey's art outside the strict bounds of "jazz." The essential element of his work,
however, is the type of spontaneous musical interrelation that evolved from the '60s jazz avant-
garde. Sound, not ideology, is Bailey's medium. He differs in approach to almost any other
guitarist who preceded him. Bailey uses the guitar as a sound-making, rather than a "music"-
making, device. Meaning, he rarely plays melodies or harmonies in a conventional sense, but
instead pulls out of his instrument every conceivable type of sound using every imaginable
technique. His timbral range is quite broad. On electric guitar, Bailey is capable of the most
gratingly harsh, distortion-laden heavy-metalisms; unamplified, he's as likely to mimic a set of
windchimes. Bailey's guitar is much like John Cage's prepared piano; both innovations
enhanced the respective instrument's percussive possibilities. As a group player, Bailey is an
exquisitely sensitive respondent to what goes on around him. He has the sort of quick reflexes
and complementary character that can meld random musical events into a unified whole.
*
Accueil

Improvisation (L')
L'ouvrage de Derek Bailey concerne l'ensemble des pratiques musicales, bien au-delà de tel idiome
ou de tel style, et, de ce fait, il s'adresse à tous ceux - musiciens, enseignants, mélomanes -
qu'intéressent les mécanismes de création au sens le plus large.

L'objectif premier de l'auteur est de mettre en évidence la présence de l'improvisation dans les
domaines les plus variés de l'histoire et de l'expression musicales (musiques indienne, flamenco,
baroque, d'orgue, rock, jazz, contemporaine, improvisation libre). À l'intérieur de cette trame, la
réflexion conduit à dégager les traits communs à toute forme d'improvisation, sans que jamais le
propos ne verse dans le syncrétisme ou la confusion entre les genres et les concepts. Pour cela,
l'auteur s'est appuyé sur les témoignages de nombreux improvisateurs, pratiquant leur art dans des
contextes les plus divers. C'est seulement au terme de ce tour d'horizon que l'auteur se tourne plus
précisément vers sa propre expérience, l'improvisation libre ou « totale », lieu de tous les
possibles... À ceux qui parlent d'avant-garde ou de musique expérimentale, Derek Bailey rétorque
qu'une improvisation « libre » a été pratiquée à toutes les époques, et que, selon toute
vraisemblance, la première exécution musicale de l'histoire de l'humanité a été une improvisation
libre !

À l'opposé du manuel ou du traité, ce livre nous invite à examiner les questions soulevées par
l'improvisation et plus généralement par la pratique de la musique : technique instrumentale,
rapports avec le public, composition, enregistrement, pédagogie, notion de groupe...

Plus d'information sur ce livre

(sommaire, extraits de presse, pages, auteur, etc)
 L’AUTEUR

LE GUITARISTE BRITANNIQUE DEREK BAILEY (1930-2005) a été l’un des pionniers de l’im-
provisation libre qu’il a contribué à développer en Europe à partir des années 1960.
Parallèlement à de nombreuses prestations en solo, il n’a cessé de réunir et de dialo-
guer avec les improvisateurs de toutes tendances (Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, Cecil
Taylor, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, Noël Akchoté, Yves Robert, Daunik Lazro,
John Zorn…). Derek Bailey a créé la MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY et, avec le saxopho-
niste Evan Parker et le percussionniste Tony Oxley, le label Incus Records. Il a fondé
COMPANY, ensemble international d’improvisateurs.
L'improvisation / Derek Bailey

L'improvisation [texte imprimé] : Sa nature et sa pratique dans la musique / Derek Bailey,

Auteur; Isabelle Leymarie, Traducteur . - Outre Mesure, 1999 . - 158 p. ; 18 x 22. - (Contrepoint)
.
ISBN : 2-907891-17-0 : 18,29 €
Langues : Français (fre)

Résumé : "L'ouvrage de Derek Bailey concerne l'ensemble des pratiques musicales, bien au-
delà de tel idiome ou de tel style, et, de ce fait, il s'adresse à tous ceux – musiciens, enseignants,
mélomanes – qu'intéressent les mécanismes de création au sens le plus large.

L'objectif premier de l'auteur est de mettre en évidence la présence de l'improvisation dans les
domaines les plus variés de l'histoire et de l'expression musicales (musiques indienne, flamenco,
baroque, d'orgue, rock, jazz, contemporaine, improvisation libre). À l'intérieur de cette trame, la
réflexion conduit à dégager les traits communs à toute forme d'improvisation, sans que jamais le
propos ne verse dans le syncrétisme ou la confusion entre les genres et les concepts. Pour cela,
l'auteur s'est appuyé sur les témoignages de nombreux improvisateurs, pratiquant leur art dans des
contextes les plus divers.

C'est seulement au terme de ce tour d'horizon que l'auteur se tourne plus précisément vers sa
propre expérience, l'improvisation libre ou "totale", lieu de tous les possibles À ceux qui parlent
d'avant-garde ou de musique expérimentale, Derek Bailey rétorque qu'une improvisation "libre" a
été pratiquée à toutes les époques, et que, selon toute vraisemblance, la première exécution
musicale de l'histoire de l'humanité a été une improvisation libre !

À l'opposé du manuel ou du traité, ce livre nous invite à examiner les questions soulevées par
l'improvisation et plus généralement par la pratique de la musique : technique instrumentale,
rapports avec le public, composition, enregistrement, pédagogie, notion de groupe…"

Note de contenu : Sommaire

Préface
Avant-propos

I
1. La musique indienne 1
Le s'ruti - Le s'vara - Le tala - Le laya - Le raga - L'alapa - Le gat
2. La musique indienne 2
3. Le flamenco

II
1. Le baroque 1
2. Le baroque 2
3. L'orgue 1
4. L'orgue 2
III
1. Le rock
2. Le public
3. Le jazz 1
4. Le jazz 2

IV
1. Le compositeur
2. Le compositeur et le non-improvisateur
3. Le compositeur – dans la pratique 1
4. Le compositeur – dans la pratique 2
5. Le compositeur – remise en question

V
1. L'improvisation libre "Joseph Holbrooke"
2. La Music Improvisation Company
3. La MIC – l'instrument
4. La MIC – les enregistrements
5. Le jeu en solo
Le langage - Le travail préparatoire - La forme

VI
1. Objections
2. L'enseignement de l'improvisation

VII
1. L'éternel improvisateur
2. Company
3. Limites et libertés

ANNEXES
1. Bibliographie
2. Index
 Author : Derek Bailey
ISBN : 9757652970
Translated by : Ali Bucak
Publisher : Pan Yayincilik
City, Date : Istanbul, Nov. 2001
Gitarist Derek Bailey'in bu kitabi,
dogaçlamayi, flamenko'dan rock'a, cazdan
modern müzige kadar uzanan genis bir
alandaki farkli uygulamalariyla ele alan ilk
kitaptir.
John Zorn, Jerry Garcia, Steve Howe, Steve
Lacy, Lionel Salter, Earle Brown, Paco Pena,
Max Roach, Evan Parker ve Ronnie Scott gibi
ünlü dogaçlamacilarla yaptigi karsilikli
konusmalarla Bailey, dogaçlama pratiginde
sakli olaganüstü imkanlari duru bir anlatimla
gözönüne seriyor ve bunu yaparken
dogaçlamanin müzik yapmanin temeli
oldugunu vurguluyor.

DOGAÇLAMA, Turkish version of the book

Japanese Version Of The Book German Version Of The Book

On the Other Hand : Derek Bailey Runs Free Beyond the Pale of Pop
By Jim Kirchner

- Aida. Incus, 1988.

- Lace. Eminem, 1989.
- Music and Dance. Revenant, 1996.
- Playbacks. Bingo, 1998.

Does it make any sense to discuss the guitarist Derek Bailey in relation to popular music?
Since the most likely answer to the question is "who?," that would seem to settle it. Here's a
musician whose best-selling CD on Amazon.com (which only carries a small sample of his
total discography) is ranked at 38,454--and most of the others are nowhere near that high.

No, Derek Bailey has never become popular, which is not to say he has no relation to that
category. In many ways, an overview of his career shows an ongoing engagement with the
whole idea of "the popular," quite directly early in his career, more obliquely at other times.
Despite the relative obscurity of his music, the conventions and concerns of more popular
forms of music have never left Bailey's interests.

Bailey's been committed to playing his style of music for over 35 years, with back catalog of
at least 100 releases. According to The Rough Guide to Jazz, he even once had a Grammy
nomination in the early '80s (The Grammys were unavailable for comment). He's written a
book on the nature of improvisation as practiced in a wide range of world music, and he
hosted a BBC series on the topic. At 71, he continues to play concerts throughout Europe and
America. But describing this "style of music" is no easy thing.

SAY WHAT?: TOWARDS A DEFINITION

Perhaps it just has to be called "free improvisation." Some call it free jazz, and it would most
likely be found in the jazz section of a music store, but it's really not anything in the Louis
Armstrong vein. Bailey suggested to John Corbett1 just calling it just plain "free," so that way
the name would have 4 letters like "jazz" and "rock," but be neither. Bailey sardonically
comments that "Four letter words are good for music, it seems to me, if you want to nail
something onto it."

Conventional wisdom has it that free improvisation music is resolutely unpopular, the ultimate
cult item that can't be "nailed." It's generally seen as having emerged out of the later efforts of
John Coltrane, taking up his impassioned, energetic approach to improvisation and completely
severing any lingering connection to chord structures and song forms. As a result, most jazz
fans don't even see any remaining relation to jazz; certainly it was passed over in Ken Burns'
lengthy documentary on the subject. Critics claim that without any apparent ongoing
connection to either jazz or popular (rock) forms, free improvisation wound up in an aesthetic
dead end, a victim of its own anarchy. Thus, conventional wisdom has it.

Although detractors might see free improvisation as a dead end, limiting free improvisation's
origins to its jazz roots misses other important influences. Its beginnings are also certainly
linked to the energies associated with rock music in the early and mid-sixties--a time now
safely enshrined in Cleveland, making the original threat of musical chaos it posed to some
seem quaint. At the same time, free improvisers were often aware of the avant-garde classical
practices of John Cage and others, such as the use of indeterminate scores and instruments
treated in innovative ways. Free improvisation could move forward, avoiding the dead end,
because of the many opportunities for cross-fertilization to continually renew it. Free
improvisation readily adapts to new influences, such as more recently incorporating the latest
digital technology like samplers and rhythm machines.
This ongoing growth can be seen in the fact free improvisation is actually continuing quite
strongly. While in the United States the music mostly is confined to places like New York,
Chicago, and Los Angeles, there's a vast array of festivals throughout the rest of the world and
a steady stream of CD releases from its practitioners. (For an extensive catalogue of these
ongoing efforts by Bailey and nearly 100 other musicians, see Pete Stubley's European Free
Improvisation site, which is updated monthly with the latest releases.2)

Although he's mostly unknown to the commercial music world, Derek Bailey would have to
be considered immensely popular when measured within this field. The Penguin Guide to
Jazz on CD goes as far as to consider him "a figure of immeasurable importance in
contemporary music." At the same time, they also point to why he remains unknown to most
listeners when they admit his "music resists exact description and evaluation." That's hardly
our goal here, but perhaps some adjectives will suffice. Bailey's technique and sound has been
described as "spidery" and 'pointillistic," as well as "Webernian," "a furious hardscrabble"
and even as an "example of [Karlheinz] Stockhausen's concept of moment form." Of course,
for the first time listener, it probably sounds mostly like a squirrel trapped inside a guitar,
scraping at the strings to get out--although one fond of ringing harmonics.

Another problem in finding an audience for this music is that it's utterly without repertoire.
There are no "favorites" to be played; as the name implies, freely improvised music is always a
response to the moment. In Bailey's case, there's an endless exploration of timbres, fingering
and plucking techniques, and even playing with amp volume via a pedal control. In short,
Bailey is concerned with exploring the elements of the guitar that are usually regarded as "pre-
set" for most performers and which make up a recognizable style. Christoph Cox, writing in
the British music magazine The Wire, characterizes Bailey's style in this way: "The guitarist
plays his instrument like a found object, treating it as through it lacked any previous history
and had simply descended from the sky. With all the intensity of a child playing or an expert
tinkering, [Bailey] reveals a relentless exploration of the instrument's possibility."

LOTS AND LOTS OF CDS NO ONE LISTENS TO

In recent years, the discography of Derek Bailey has expanded greatly: one discography lists
16 releases in 2001 of new material, re-issues, and one-off contributions, with 5 more in the
pipeline due before year's end. Although Bailey's idiosyncratic style is readily recognizable,
where it will be found is not. While the majority of his recordings are either solo or duets with
others in the free improvisation scene, he's also recorded with the popular jazz guitarist Pat
Metheny, a drum-n-bass DJ, a group consisting only of four (!) double basses, the funk
rhythm section of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time group, and a Japanese hard rock outfit. Not
to mention an album entirely made up of feedback (on both electric and acoustic guitars),
duets with a Chinese pipa player (a kind of lute), and duets with a tap dancer named Will
Gaines.

Bailey's also released over a dozen solo performances, but even within that setting, a wide
range of styles come into play--at least it might seem so. These aren't styles Bailey "tries on"
like a new jacket, but rather moments where, however briefly, he seems to enter familiar
territory. About the CD Aida, Christoph Cox comments, "To the listener straining for points
of reference, slices of Japanese koto, punk rock, Country blues, flamenco, and folk guitar
might seem to surface momentarily only to dissolve again, as Bailey draws his lines of escape
from all habit, cliché, and resolution."

Although a listener might strain to make these jumps, the effort shouldn't be so unpleasant--it
falls into the "missing the forest for the trees" category, by scrambling to tack on a label
before coming to terms with it on its own. Improvisation, whatever the genre or setting, might
be seen as a sort of Ur-music experience. After all, Bailey points out, the first music produced
anywhere in the world would necessarily have to be improvised, a raw musical impulse that
precedes the later development of conventions and genres. Bailey's music hints at the roots of
these genres without ever really entering them.

That such a range of styles seem to come into play won't seem surprising to the reader of
Bailey's book Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music 3. There Bailey's range of
interest is reflected in his interviews with musicians about the role of improvisation not only in
free improvisation, but in straight jazz, Indian classical music, rock, flamenco, baroque and
classical church organ music. Throughout these forms, the question isn't where room is made
for improvisation, but how improvisation serves as a kind of common thread that runs right
through the fabric of all these musical dialects.

Of course, with this range of interests as well as musical settings in which Bailey plays, the
catalogue of his releases is nearly unmanageable. Thus the listener is confronted not only with
the difficulty of grasping his style, but more concretely, the simple problem of locating his
CDs. Few of Bailey's releases will be found in American stores, but instead have to be mail
ordered, as they're mostly found on smaller European labels, including Incus, the label Bailey
runs himself. In fact, Bailey's most recent 14 releases appear on 10 different labels--and to
make matters even more complicated, he's begun releasing home-recorded CD-Rs.

A COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT HISTORICAL ASIDE

For all the difficulty Bailey's music poses for contemporary listeners, it's surprising to realize
just how thoroughly rooted he was in popular forms. He studied guitar under several jazz and
classical guitar teachers for more than a decade and worked extensively in the '50s and early
'60s in all sorts of popular and jazz settings: clubs, concert halls, dance halls, radio, TV, and
recording studios. His work included gigs in the bands for Shirley Bassey (of "Theme to
Goldfinger" fame) and for the first London appearance of the Supremes. He also worked in
the pit band for Morecambe and Wise, one of Britain's most popular comedy acts. So despite
what a cynic might claim, Bailey's later work in the avant-garde can in no way be linked to a
lack of more traditional success.

Instead, Bailey was drawn away from these comfortable gigs to the more challenging
experiments of the day. Bailey, along with drummer Tony Oxley and bassist Gavin Bryars
(now a noted classical composer), formed Joseph Holbrooke, a group that evolved over 1963-
66 period. They began by exploring the modal jazz pioneered by Miles Davis, carried on
through the even more open forms initiated by John Coltrane, and eventually found
themselves playing what's now called "free." This was a group named after an English
classical composer who, although very prolific and somewhat noted in his lifetime, had
become completely ignored at the time of his death. Bailey, in Improvisation, notes that there
were conflicting dates for Holbrooke's birth and death, and because of his prodigious output
of music, some speculation existed that more than one person published under that name.
Based on that bit of mystery and uncertainty, the group felt that name was "a good cover for
our activities." 4

The performances with Joseph Holbrooke were largely confined to lunchtime gigs at a pub in
Sheffield, but that lurch away from mainstream popularity hardly seemed a loss. In an
interview with musician and journalist David Toop, Bailey expressed a certain disgust with
some of his days of performing in mainstream settings, admitting, "I've played the most
appalling shit in front of huge audiences and they're really enthusiastic." However, he doesn't
claim that popular music itself was the problem, but rather the fact that working professionals
in that field were able to get by on tricks of audience manipulation or just coasting through
familiar routines rather than giving an engaged performance. This is something Joseph
Holbrooke sought to avoid.
SO YOU DON'T WANT TO BE A ROCK AND ROLL STAR?

Of course, at the time Bailey was opting out of the world of popular commercial music,
another option had become available. But despite the changes rock and roll music offered in
terms of energy, style and audience, if anything Bailey saw it as a step backwards. In his view,
the importance albums and especially hit singles (played repeatedly at home or on the radio)
held for the rock and roll audience made a massive difference compared to the music listened
to by the people who had previously frequented the dance halls.

In the dance hall setting, the popular music dance hall musicians played may have served as a
kind of "wallpaper," but the audience "didn't expect to be completely familiar with it," which
allowed a certain degree of freedom. Bailey told John Corbett, "you might be playing all kinds
of rubbish, but it was your rubbish to some degree. You weren't being asked to play other
people's rubbish." However, in the era that boomed around the rock and roll hit single,
"Everything you played had to be totally familiar to the people not listening to it, if you see
what I mean. You're still wallpaper, but you had to be exactly the kind of wallpaper with which
these people surrounded themselves at home."

At first glance, the explosion of rock and roll had seemed to offer a cure to the stale
professionalism a working guitarist might face. The groundwork for the image of the Guitar
Hero had been laid by Chuck Berry's duck walk, Bo Diddley's gunslinger act with his
squared-off guitar, and even Elvis' casual use of the guitar as prop. And then, by the time the
Joseph Holbrooke explorations were underway, a whole new range of styles came into play,
leading to Pete Townshend's acrobatics, Jimmy Page's (and Nigel Tufnel's) use of a violin
bow, and Jimi Hendrix' voodoo sexualization of the instrument. Everyone seemed to conduct
experiments in the use of feedback, and other techniques that aimed at redefining the nature of
the guitar. Certainly this offered another alternative to life in a pit band?

Yet ultimately these experiments with technique often remained only ornamental ways of still
playing familiar blues changes and the like. For Bailey, working with what is often ruled out
as mistakes (buzzes, scratches, strangled notes) is central to avoiding the "wallpaper" trap and
allowed him to go outside conventional styles. Besides, as Bailey told John Corbett, all it
really meant was that as a rock player, "you had to stand up all the fucking time." This isn't
just the objection of a chairbound dancehall player, but an objection to a whole new type of
ritual that would further obscure actual playing that's "free."

On this, Bailey seems to have had a point. Guitars will always have some role in popular
music forms like pop, metal, and rock. Madonna even still thought it worthwhile to learn a few
chords so she could strap one on (a guitar, that is) in her 2001 tour. However, the notion of
the Guitar Hero as popular phenomenon seems to have had its last gasp with the "hair bands"
of the '80s, reduced to what Frank Zappa described in this easy formula: go "weedly-weedly-
wee, make a face, hold your guitar like it's your weenie, point it heavenward, and look like
you're really doing something."

The problem for Bailey isn't the stylistic differences between rock, dancehall, etc. For his, they
all come down to the same thing: they've already been "composed," with only a little room for
improvisation. Even the lengthy solos of a Guitar Hero happen in prescribed spaces against
known chord changes. Bailey instead points out the importance of "that flip definition of the
difference between improvisation and composition: improvisation is not knowing what it is
until you do it, composition is not doing it until you know what it is."

And Rock has always known "what it was," sometimes coming down to just three chords and
an attitude. It was a kind of formula meant to be repeated endlessly, ecstatically. But for all the
energy and feeling of freedom rock music could offer in its simplicity, its joy always seemed
endangered through repetition. This often found its way into the music through the trope of
the grind of the studio and the road alike. It's even there in an early form in the 1957 Elvis
Presley film Jailhouse Rock. Perhaps the Who put it most succinctly in "Success Story,"
where the singer finds himself, "Back in the studio to make our latest Number One,/ Take
Two Hundred and Seventy Six, you know this used to be fun?", and the liberating anarchy
and violence of Townshend's guitar abuse is reduced to a business plan: "I may go far/ If I
smash my guitar."

I SAID, SAY WHAT?

So if it's not rock or jazz, what is it? Indeed, as Bailey's comment suggests, saying "what"
seems to be the problem. For instance, none of what's been said here so far gets at actual
performance. So some examples. One of Bailey's more unusual recordings is Music and
Dance, a 1980 performance re-issued in 1996 on Revenant. The sound quality is rather poor,
recorded not in a studio but in an old disused forge in Paris, a large room with a glass roof.
Bailey's guitar accompanies Min Tanaka, a Japanese Butoh dancer. Butoh is itself a kind of
"free improvisation" approach to dance, and Tanaka performs naked. So along with Bailey's
tangle of notes, the slapping of Tanaka's body can be heard as he roams the room, doing
whatever it is he's doing. Bailey too seems to walk about, judging from how he fades in and
out of the mix. At first, this seems like just a bad bootleg recording, but it becomes clear that
more is being captured than just some guitar sounds.

Eventually, a percussive sound begins to build until it becomes a complete roar: a rainstorm
has begun pelting the glass roof. And it's clear Bailey is accompanying that as well, until the
downpour briefly reaches the point where everything is drowned out. This is not a
performance that any microphone could reproduce, but rather a whole environment has come
into "play."

Which perhaps comes back to the enormity of Bailey's discography. It's not that he has that
much to say, not that there's so many original songs springing from his fingers to be exactly
catalogued. What's heard here instead is interaction--with a place, a body, another instrument,
and an audience--and of course with himself. Such interaction is always specific to a time and
place, and ultimately the attempt to reproduce it through recording is impossible. Which
would seem to demand no recording at all. Or, perhaps instead, the path of over-recording, of
creating a discography that's diary-like in assembling the details of continuous yet wildly
divergent interactions. It's been said that after hearing a Derek Bailey recording, you're either
not interested in hearing any more, or you want to hear it all. Which is, of course, nearly
impossible…

Or even desirable, perhaps, this attempt at completism. Something much more basic is at work
in this music that allows a listener to dive in anywhere. In an interview with David Toop,
Bailey put it quite simply: the music that interests him "depends on good will, curiosity and
adventurousness. That seems to be so rare in music that it's almost illegal. What are we talking
about? We're not talking about bloody insurance here." (And let's hope this article doesn't
sound like insurance talk. Bailey would probably disapprove, since as he once said in an
interview with Jean Martin: "But should musicians be talking about this sort of thing? Doesn't
it damage our anti-intellectual credentials? Noch ein grosses. Grunt.")

"GEORGE"

Perhaps three last little grunts?

1. On the 1998 CD Playbacks, a number of musicians sent Bailey prerecorded tracks for him
to improvise on or around. Most were percussion and rhythm-oriented, although a different
angle was offered by John Oswald, the composer associated with "Plunderphonics," which
simply put is the art of sampling taken to an artistic extreme. Oswald offered a cut-up or
collage version of previous Bailey recordings. At times his track seems fuguelike, taking
fragments and repeating them in loops that recombine with each other into a Grand Bailey
Orchestra.

Bailey didn't improvise to Oswald's offering. He let it stand by itself, since "He's effected such
an improvement on how my stuff usually sounds, I thought it better to leave it alone."

2. On the track "George," also from Playbacks, Bailey makes only a spoken contribution over
the playing of Jim O'Rourke and Loren Mazzacane Conners. In it, he slowly purrs: "The
guitar--the electric guitar--a lover's instrument…." Very romantic, Derek. Although he then
rambles on in a quite funny way about his ongoing obsession with the name "George," which
he then bestows on every one and thing he loves.

3. And on the 1989 CD Lace, another live solo performance, the audience applauds at the end
of his performance, expecting an encore. Bailey asks, "which bit would you like again?"

4.There's a long interview with Bailey and some recommended recordings in Corbett's
Extended Play: Sounding Off From John Cage to Dr. Funkenstein (Duke UP, 1994).

5. The information on Derek Bailey here goes far beyond a simple discography--it also
includes a sessionography, upcoming gigs and releases, interviews, a short bio, and even
sound and video clips.

6. Bailey's book Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music (Da Capo Press, 1992) was
originally published in 1980, but it was extensively revised when he was preparing a series of
television programs on the topic for the BBC.

7. Bailey's humor tends to be quite sardonic, but it also seems key to understanding his
approach to music. For a collection of quotations that attempts to capture both his humor and
aesthetic (all taken from his book Improvisation), go to The Derek Bailey Remix Project.
 The Derek Bailey Remix Project 1
Collage : ("And so they reject the word")

It was as though my whole experience were some fragile crystal chandelier or something
and somebody took a hammer and smashed it. (Jerry Garcia)

A language based on malleable, not pre-fabricated, material.

The absence of a residual document.

It is important to stress that the following are recollections of what happened.

Objectivity will, I am sure, be quite beyond me, but whenever possible
I shall quote other views and opinions.

(The effect is of slackness, blandness.

What it seems to demand above all else is lip-service.)

It has excited a profusion of sociological, philosophical, religious, and political explanations,

but I shall have to leave those to authors with the appropriate appetite and ability.

Very anti-duende, I should think.

Which might explain everything; but this is now a pretty unfashionable view.

And so they reject the word, and show a reluctance to be identified by what in some quarters
has become almost a term of abuse.

Virtuosic distortions of natural bodily functions unequalled since the days of Le Petomane.

These are strange ambitions in a music which once so clearly demonstrated the empty fatuity
of all these things.

(He's allowed to handle it but then only under the strictest supervision.)

Or that is how it seemed to me.

But my impression is that there is no shortage of exceptions.

It is easy enough to play silence but difficult to get it to sound right.

He didn't seem particularly worried about the possibility.

The quotations here come from Derek Bailey (except where indicated) and can be found
scattered throughout his Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music. They have been
arranged by Jim Kirchner.

*
 NOTICE BOARD

NEW DVD AVAILABLE NOW !

Notice Board
"DEREK BAILEY: PLAYING FOR FRIENDS ON
New Releases
5TH STREET"
CD Catalogue

Vinyl LPs
Books PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY ROBERT O'HAIRE. 51
Videos + DVD minute, NTSC all-region DVD Playing for Friends on 5th
Links
Street catches free-improv guitar legend Derek Bailey in an
intimate concert for about 40 friends and fans on
Audio Ad December 29, 2001. The friends - fixtures on the
Purchasing downtown scene - include guitarist Alan Licht, poets Steve
A History of Incus Dalachinsky and Yuko Otomo, DMG proprietors Bruce Lee
Gallanter and Manny Maris, and Stephanie and the late
Irving Stone, to whom Bailey dedicated the video release.
It was a casual evening and a casual performance as well.
Bailey seems to be working through ideas, finding little
nuances and sitting on them, working through
suggestions before strolling along other paths. The
single-camera footage, focused tightly on the guitarist, is
presented with few edits and nicely augmented with
various post-production effects: full screen and letterbox,
color and warm sepia halftones and stop motion lend to
the more-than-front-row intimacy of the video. Bailey is at
his best during the 51-minute set, which includes his
telling a story about working in a guitar shop in the 1960s
(accompanying himself as he does in his much
sought-after "chats") and a few moments of traditional
playing on the vintage Epiphone hollow-body he bought
on Staten Island. PRICE : £12 , €18 or $20.00 plus
postage
 FROM THE STORE No. 6
with Robyn Shulkovsky in concert & studio (Title)
Derek Bailey electric guitar
Robyn Shulkovsky percussion

Recorded in concert London 8th November 1998 & studio

9th November 1998

£10 sterling, $15 or 15 euro.

 FOUR NEW RELEASES IN THE
SIDELINE series...................

Number 5 in the Solo Guitar

series

LIVE AT G's CLUB

Derek Bailey - solo electric guitar

----------

Number 4 in the Solo Guitar

series

FILMED
Derek Bailey solo guitar

----------

LIVE at LAMAR'S
The SHAKING RAY LEVIS
with Derek Bailey

----------

BARBARIAN
Derek Bailey guitar
Steve Noble turntables
Pat Thomas electronics

CLICK ON THE STORE FOR

DETAILS
 Incus Records, 14 Downs Road, London E5 8DS England fax: +44 (0) 20 8533 2851 e-mail:
karenincus2001@yahoo.co.uk

A HISTORY OF INCUS RECORDS

Incus Records was established in 1970. Usually it is

referred to as, `the first independent, musician -
Notice Board run record company in Britain'. Overlooking one or
New Releases two short - lived predecessors in the 1950s, that's
CD Catalogue probably true. Owned and administered by
Vinyl LPs
musicians, the policy is centred on improvisation.
Books
Tony Oxley had the original idea, Michael Walters
Videos + DVD put up the money and Derek Bailey and Evan Parker
Links were recruited as co-directors. Since then, Walters,
Audio Ad Oxley and Parker have, at different times, left.
Many other people have given time to the running
Purchasing
of Incus, notably Karen Brookman who, since the
A History of Incus mid 1980s, carries out much of the administration
and design work.

Incus has issued over 100 recordings on formats as

various as LPs, EPs, reel to reel tapes, cassettes, CDs
and videos.

Although the primary purpose has always been to

serve the musical imperatives of the people who run
it, Incus has regularly issued albums by other
people.

Musicians and groups who made their first

appearance on record on Incus include Jamie Muir,
Steve Beresford, John Russell, Phil Wachsmann,
Dennis Palmer, Iskra 1903, The L.J.C.O., Balance,
Steve Noble/Alex Maguire Duo, Tony Bevan Trio,
Alex Ward/Steve Noble Duo, the Shaking Ray Levis,
the John Zorn/Fred Frith Duo, the John
Butcher/Vanessa Mackness Duo, the Eugene
Chadbourne/John Zorn Duo, the Roger Smith/Neil
Metcalfe Duo, the Stefan Jaworzyn/Alan Wikinson
Duo and the Geroge Lewis/Bertram Turetzky duo.
In all cases, the musicians on a record take part in
every aspect of the record's production, not only the
music, but artwork, design ideas, production, and
the subsequent promotion of the release. Musicians
whose original artwork is featured on recent Incus
releases include Tony Oxley, John Stevens, Jamie
Muir and Dennis Palmer.

Customarily, a record is reprinted once, occasionally

twice, and then allowed to rest in peace. Early
ambitions to keep the whole catalogue in print
proved impractical and the prevalent view now is
that when, usually for financial reasons, a choice
has to be made between reprinting an old record
and making a new one there is really no choice at
all.

Since about 1980, the number of records kept in

print at any one time has usually been between 30
and 40. The records out of print are divided
between those that might at some time be
re-printed (a number of early LPs have recently
been re-issued on CD ) and records which Incus will
not be reprinting. In these latter cases, the
masters ,publishing rights, artwork etc. are offered
to the artists concerned to do with as they wish.
Details of the full back catalogue can be found on
the European Improvisation internet site at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/efi.

The first recording made for Incus was by the then

three directors; Tony Oxley, Evan Parker and Derek
Bailey. It was never issued and the master tapes
have, apparently, disappeared. The record which
eventually appeared as Incus 1 was ` Topography
of the Lungs', recorded by Evan Parker, Derek Bailey
and Han Bennink on July 13,1970. The master tapes
for this have also, apparently, disappeared.

Incus 2, the second record, Derek Bailey solo, was

recorded in February, 1971; a set of improvisations
plus compositions for guitar by Gavin Bryars, Willem
Breuker and Misha Mengelberg. This was later
re-issued, with a different set of improvisations, as
Incus 2(R). These two issues are currently available
as CD10.
Subsequently, a further fifty LPs were issued. They
included such musical landmarks as the first
recording by Iskra 1903 (double album LP 3/4 ),
Evan Parker's first recordings with Paul Lytton ( LPs
5 and 14 ) and first four solo records ( LPs 19, 27,
39 and 49 ), the first recording by Barry Guy's
L.J.C.O.(double album, LP 6/7), two records by Tony
Oxley groups (Incus LPs 8 and 18. T.O. has a group
record currently available on CD15). There were
three reel to reel tapes of DB solo ( later issued on
CD by the Cortical Foundation of California ) and a
cassette with dancer Min Tanaka, an EP by AMM, in
the form of Eddie Prevost and Lou Gare, and the
first set of records by DB's improvisers' ensemble
Company'(Company 1 - 7 ) There have since been
further records by Company featuring a wide range
of musicians, including George Lewis, Vinko
Globokar, Fred Frith, Ursula Oppens, Anthony
Braxton, Akio Suzuki, Tristan Honsinger, Lol Coxhill,
Dave Holland, Buckethead, Lee Konitz, John Zorn,
Leo Smith, Steve Beresford, Pat Thomas, Richard
Teitelbaum, Steve Lacy, Vanessa Mackness, Maarten
Altena, Alexander Balanescu, Paul Haines, Will
Gaines and many more.

The Incus vaults hold many so far unissued tapes

and videos but its not known when, if ever, they
might appear. Our preference is for new or recent
recordings and there are usually too many of these
in the pipeline to allow us time for rummaging
around in the archives.
LIST OF RECORDINGS, REVIEWS, BOOKS, VIDEO, DVD
 DEREK BAILEY

RECORDINGS, REVIEWS, BOOKS, VIDEO, DVD, INTERVIEWS

- The Guitar (& Why) by Derek Bailey

- Acknowledgements

- The Guy Who Put It Together

- Both Sides of a Plectrum

- Derek Bailey Biography

- Musical Improvisation : The complete guide of the most widely practiced and the least
documented aspect of music, by Derek Bailey. Book.

- Improvisation It’s Nature and Practice in Music

- Free Improvisation

- L’improvisation : sa nature et sa pratique dans la musique

- L’auteur

- L'improvisation : résumé

- Versions of the book

- On the Other Hand : Derek Bailey Runs Free Beyond the Pale of Pop

- The DB Remix Project 1

- Incus, the old site

- A History of Incus Record

- Audio Advert for Incus featuring Derek Bailey

Click on the map of 14 Downs Road, Hackney, London.
 1965

- Rehearsal Extract. Incus CD single 01. Joseph Holbrooke. Released 1999.

- Cover Notes by Gavin Bryars
- On The Other Hand... by Derek Bailey
-
1966

Lee Konitz Quartet, Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley. Live recording. Manchester, UK (bootleg)

1966-1968

Pieces For Guitar. Tzadik, TZ 7080. Solo. Released in 2002.

Withdrawal (1966-7) . Emanem 4020. Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Released in 1997.

Spontaneous Music Ensemble : Unreleased. Unreleased Studio Sessions and Radio Broadcasts,
1966 - 1968. Bootleg.
 1968

Karyobin. Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Chronoscope CPE2001-2. Re-issued of ILPS 9079.

(LP). Released in 1968.

1969

The Baptised Traveller. CBS (GB) 52664/Sony-Columbia 494438. Released in 1969.

Nipples. Calig CAL 30604/UMS/ALP205CD. Peter Brötzmann Group. Released in 1970.

More Nipples. Atavistic Unheard Music Series UMS/ALP236CD. Peter Brötzmann Group.
Released in 2003.

Instant Composers Pool. ICP 004. Duo with Han Bennink. Released in 1978.

European Echoes. FMP 0010. Manfred Schoof Orchestra. Released in 1969.

John Stevens – Spontaneous Music Ensemble (aka‘Oliv’). Marmalade 608008/Polydor 2384
009 (lp). Released in 1971. Bootleg on Internet.
- Archive for the 'Spontaneous Music Ensemble'

1969-70

Music Improvisation Company. Incus LP17. Released in 1976.

- The Music Improvisation Company, taken from the Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz.

1969-1971-1974-1975-1977

Dreams : Scratching the Seventies. Saravah (France). Steve Lacy and al. Released in 1996.

1970

Born Free. Scout Records ScS 11. One track on festival album. Released in 1970.

Fuck de Boere. UMS/ALP211CD. Peter Brötzmann Group. Released in 2001.

Instant Composers Pool. ICP 005. J. Tchicai, M. Mengelberg, D. Bailey. Released in 1970.
- The History of the Instant Composer's Pool Orchestra

Groupcomposing. ICP 006. Released in 1970.

Four Compositions for Sextet. CBS (GB) 64071. Tony Oxley group. Released in 1970.

The Topography Of The Lungs. Incus 1. Released in 1970.

The Topography Of The Lungs. Victor VIP-6605. Japan. LP. Released in 1970?

Globe Unity 67 & 70. Atavistic/Unheard Music Series. Released in 2001.

Globe Unity Orchestra. German TV. Audio and video releases. Germany.

The Music Improvisation Company. ECM 1005. Germany. Released in 1970.

1970-1971

Buzz Soundtrack. Emanem CD 4066. Iskra 1903. Released 2002.

1970-1972

Iskra 1903. Incus 3-4. Released in 1973.

1970-1987-1992

Different guitars. Incus CD-R6. Solo. Released in 2002.

 1971

Improvisations For Cello And Guitar. ECM 1013. Duo with David Holland. Released in 1971.

Tony Oxley. Incus 8. Released in 1975.

Ichnos. RCA (UK) SF 8215 (LP). Tony Oxley and others. Released in 1971.

Solo Guitar, volume 1. Incus LP 2. Released in 1971.

- The Squirrel and the Ricketty-Racketty Bridge. Published in EMC Rhythmic Anthology.
Released in 1974.

So, What Do You Think ? Tangent TGS 118. Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Released in 1973.

1971 to 1998

In Whose Tradition? Emanem LP 3404. LP. Australia. Released in 1988.

Fairly Early With Postscripts. Emanem 4027. Largely solo tracks over a period of 27 years.
CD. UK. Released in 1999.

1972

Ode. Incus 6-7. London Jazz Composers' Orchestra. Released in 1972.

- London Jazz Composers Orchestra
- Bert Noglik
- John Corbett

Selections From Live Performances At Verity's Place. Incus 9, re-issued on Organ of Corti.
Duo with Han Bennink. Released in 1977.

1972-1973

Sequences 72 & 73. Emanem 4018. Paul Rutherford/Iskra 1912. Released in 1997.

1972-1974-1980

Then. Incus CDR solo guitar series no. 6. Released in 2004.

 1973

Derek Bailey-One Music Ensemble. Nondo DPLP 002. Solo (one side only). Released in 1976.

Derek Bailey - One Music Ensemble. Reel-to-reel tape. Solo. Released in 1976.

Free Improvisation. Deutsche Grammophon. One LP featuring Iskra 1903. Released in 1974.

Solo Guitar 102-103-104-105 (Incus Taps). Early Incus reel-to-reel tapes. Released in 1974.

Song For Someone. Incus 10. Kenny Wheeler and al. Released in 1977.

The Crust. Emanem (UK), 304 (LP). Released in 1975.

 1973-1974

Dynamics Of The Impromptu 1. Entropy Stereo ESR00. Released in 1999.

1974

Lot 74. Incus 12. Solo. Released in 1974.

- Lot 74 : Solo Improvisation. Essay.

Saxophone Special. Emanem 3310. Steve Lacy with other musicians. Released in 1975.

First Duo Concert (London 1974). Emanem 601. UK. Duo with A. Braxton. Released in 1974.

Braxton & Bailey Live At Wigmor. Inner City Records, IC 1041. Released in 1980.

Royal, volume 1. Incus 43. Duo with Anthony Braxton. Released in 1984.
Eighty-five minutes part 1. Emanem 3401. Released as LP in 1986 and re-issued on CD as
Quintessence 1.

Eighty-five minutes part 2. Emanem 3402. Released as LP in 1986 and re-issued on CD as

Quintessence 2.

Hamburg '74.Globe Unity Orchestra and The Choir Of The NDR-Broadcast. FMP (Germany)
FMP 0650 (LP). Released 1979.

The Music Improvisation Company

ECM 1005. US re-issue.

1975

The London Concert. Incus 16. Duo with Evan Parker. Released in 1975.

The London Concert. Incus 16-A. Duo with Evan Parker. Black cardboard sleeve.
The London Concert. Victor VIP 6658. Duo with Evan Parker. Japan. LP. Released in 1975 ?

First Duo Concert :London 1974. Emanem 3313. US. Duo with A. Braxton. Released in 1975.

- Emanem Moves to America. LP Insert.

Improvisation. Cramps CRSLP 6202. Diverso Solo electric guitar. LP. Released in 1975.

Ensemble Pieces. Island:Obscure No.2. EG Records EGED 22. Released in 1975.

The Sinking Of The Titanic. Editions EG, EGED 21/Obscure 1 (LP). Released in 1975.

Dreams. Saravah, SH 10058 (LP). Released in 1975 ?.

- The Interview – London 1975. By Henry Kaiser.

 1975-1976

Tristan. Incus LP 20. Duo with Tristan Honsinger. Released in 1976.

1975-1976-1977

Domestic & Public Pieces. Emanem 4001. LP in 1979 (US), CD in 1995, re-issued in 2000 (?).

1976

Duo. Incus 20. Duo with Tristan Honsinger. Released in 1976.

For Example. FMP R123. Solo track on commemorative/compilation 3LP set. Released in 1978.

Company 1. Incus 21. Released in 1977.

Company 1. Victor VIP-6621. Japan. LP. Released in 1977?

Company 2. Incus 23. Released in 1977.

Company 2. VIP 6634. Japan. LP. Released in 1977 ?

Company 3. Incus 25. Released in 1977.

Company 3. VIP 6644. Japan. LP. Released in 1977 ?

Company 4. Incus 26. Released in 1977.

VIP 6657. Japan. LP. Released in 1977 ?

- Company Week : A short report by Peter Riley.

Guitar Solos 2: various artists. Caroline Records (UK), C 1518 (LP), Caroline (Italy), ORL
8226 (LP). Released in 1976 ?.

Guitar Solos 2: various artists. VICTOR VIP- 4056 (LP) (rare japanese re-issue w/OBI).
Released in 1976 ?.

Machine Music. Obscure 8. Later Editions EG EGED28. Music : John White & Gavin Bryars.
Released in 1978.

Steve Lacy Quintet. Studio 104, Radio France, Paris. Bootleg.

1977

Company 5. Incus 28. Released in 1978.

Company 6. Incus 29. Released in 1978.

Company 7. Incus 30. Released in 1978.

Company Week. BOOK. Incus Records (UK).

- About Music Improvisation Company by Henry Kuntz

Fictions. Incus 38. Company. Released in 1978.

Drops. Ictus 3. Newtone Records.

K'ploeng. Claxon 78.2. Released in 1978.

Soho Suites, volume 1, 1977-1995. Incus CD 29. Part of double CD. Released in 1997.
Globe Unity – Improvisations. Japo Records, JAPO 60021. Released in 1978.

Company 3. Incus 25. Plain cover autographed by DB.

1978

New Sights, Old Sounds. Morgue 03-04. Solo live and in studio. Released in 1978.
- Derek Bailey in Japan by Stefan Jaworzyn

Duo and Trio Improvisation. Kitty Music (Japan) MKF 1034 (LP). Released in 1978.
- A Personal View Of Japanese Improvised Music in the 1970s by Otomo Yoshihide

Cassette.
Aida's Call. Star 9. Starlight Furniture. CD released in 1999.

Solo Guitar, volume 1. Incus 2R. Re-issue.

Solo Guitar. Victor VIP-6590. Japan. LP. 1978 ? Revised from 1971.
- The Musicians The Instruments. Peter Riley. Poem sequence. 36 pp.
- Six Poets : Views & Interviews. The Gig/Poetry.

1979

Time. Incus 34. Released in 1979.

Idylle und katastrophen. Po Torch Records PTR/JWD 6. Released in 1980.

The Crust. Victor, VIP 6635.Japa. LP. Re-issue.

Domestic & Public Pieces:Solo Improvisations 1975-1976. Quark 9999. Issued on LP. US.

- MusicWorks Magazine. Interview and review. Issue #9, Fall 1979, Toronto, Canada.
 1980

Views from 6 Windows. Metalanguage ML 114. Duo with Christine Jeffrey. Released in 1981.
- Derek Bailey & The Isolation Effect by Patrick Buzby

Fables. Incus 36. Company. Released in 1981.

Music and Dance. No Label. Cassette. Duo with Min Tanaka. Released in 1980.
- About Min Tanaka

Pisa 1980: Improvisors' Symposium. Incus 37. Released in 1981.

Aida. Incus LP 40. Solo. Released in 1982.

Arch Duo. Rastascan BRD 045. With Evan Parker. Released in 1999.
- Other proposals : Artworks for Arch Duo CD... and some more.

Metalanguage Festival of Improvised Music, vol.2 : The Science Set. Metalanguage (USA)
117/Beak Doctor (USA) 6 (LP). Released in 1980.

Het Apollohuis 1980-1997. Apollo Records ACD 090217/090218. Released in 2003.

Derek Bailey & Evan Parker : Montgomery Theatre, Seattle. Private recording. TaW's
Covers Vault.

1981

Dart Drug. Incus LP 41/CD19. Released in 1982.

Back on 52nd Street. DIW 406. Duo with George Lewis. Released in 1997.

Improvised music New York 1981. Muworks MU W 1007. Released in 1991.

Improvised music New York 1981. Intended to be released as a Material album, but couldn't
due to contractual obligations.
- Soundscape presents Mr. Derek Bailey. Premier N.Y. Performance. Poster.

1982

Epiphanies. Incus LP 46-47. Company. Released in 1985.

Cyro. Incus CD01. Duo with Cyro Batista. Released in 1988.

Aida. Incus LP 40. Solo. Plain cover autographed by DB. Sold from and by Incus.

Derek Bailey and Company. Roulette, NYC (bootleg).

1982-2002

The Wire 20 1982-2002: Audio Issue. 3 Cd-Box Set. One track from Improvisations 1975.
 1983

Outcome. Potlatch P299. Duo with Steve Lacy. Released in 2000.

Concert in Milwaukee. Private issue. Cassette. Solo. Released in 1983.

Trios. Incus 51. Company. Released in 1986.

Les douze sons. nato 82. With Joëlle Léandre. Released in 1984.
- Joëlle Léandre

ISKRA 1903 : Chapter One 1970-1972. Incus 3-4. Re-issue from 1973.

Yankees. Celluloid CELD 5006. With George Lewis and John Zorn. Released in 1983.
Derek Bailey, 5 juin 1983. Video document. Source unknown. YouTube. Internet 2006.

Bailey, Kondo, Dyani. Festival Grenzüberschreitungen,Germany. Bootleg.

1985

Associates. Musica Jazz Felmay FF 1001. Duo with Steve Lacy. Released in 1985.

Notes. Incus 48. Solo. Released in 1986 ?.

Scaling. Rhino R2 70717. Track taken from Incus 48 on compilation CD.

Compatibles. Incus 50. With Evan Parker. Released in 1986.

Welcome to the Dolphins. Drunken Dolphins: Calypso Now (cassette) 1985.

Money. Collage film by Henry Hills. Released in 1985.

- Derek Bailey's Company. 22 March 1985 at CCCH.
-
1986

Han. Incus CD02. Duo with Han Bennink. Released in 1988.

- Alternate version of the cover of HAN by Tony Mostrom.

Derek Bailey and Han Bennink (British Library). Michael Gerzon tapes.

Darn it! American Clave. Double CD compilation. two tracks by D. Bailey. Released in 1993.
- About Paul Haines

Moment Précieux. Victo 002. LP. Bailey-Braxton in Victoriaville. Released in 1987.

Eighty-five minutes part 1 and part 2 . Emanem 3401. Released as LP In 1986 and re-issued
on CD as Quintessence 1 and Quintessence 2.

1986-1987

Drop me off at 96th. Scatter 02. Solo. Released in 1995.

- He Didn’t Care What Time (It) Was

Chasing Rainbows : A Nation and Its Music. TV series. One program about DB.

1987

Figuring. Incus CD05. Released in 1990.

Once. Incus CD04. Company. Released in 1989.

Violin Music For Restaurants. RER BJRCD. Jon Rose. Released in 1991.
Live in Okayama 1987 (First edition). Improvised Company CD002. Bailey, Toyozumi,
Brötzmann. Released in 2000.

Live in Okayama 1987 (Limited edition). Improvised Company CD002. Bailey, Toyozumi,
Brötzmann. Released in 2000.

Live in Okayama 1987 (Collector edition). Improvised Company CD002. Bailey, Toyozumi,
Brötzmann. Released in 2000.
- Derek Bailey interviewed by Henry Kaiser. KPFA February 7, 1987 (MP3)

Brötzmann, Bailey. Uneigentlich echte musiken under will.

Bailey, Cora, Beresford, Hemingway. 5e FIMA, bootleg.

1987 to 2001

Chats. Incus CDR. Thirteen pieces from different periods. Released in 2002.
 1988

Pleistozaen mit wasser. FMP CD 16. Duo with Cecil Taylor. Released in 1989.
- With Their Wits About Them

Found Bits. FMP 1260. Duo with Peter Kowald. Released in 1991.

Lost Lots. FMP CD21. Duo with Peter Kowald. Released in 1991. Liner notes by Peter Kowald.
- Improvisation Pioneer. Guitar Player Magazine.

1989

LACE. Emanem 4013. Solo. Released in 1996.

Original Art by Tony Mostrom.

Derek Bailey & Jin Hi Kim. Private recording. TaW's Covers Vault.
- Plink, Scratch and Burr. Guitar World Magazine.
- 4 Concerts by Berek Bailey at Oasis. January 7-14-21-28. Poster.

1991

Village Life. Incus CD09. Released in 1992.

Solo guitar volume 2. Incus CD11. Released in 1992.

Company 91 volume 1. Incus CD 16. Released in 1994.

Company 91 volume 2. Incus CD 17. Released in 1994.

Company 91 volume 3. Incus CD 18. Released in 1994.

- About Company 91, Volume 1, Volume 2,Volume 3.
- Rubberneck, #9 : Company. Booklet, UK.
 1992

Playing. Incus CD14. With John Stevens. Released in 1993.

Tony Oxley Quartet. Incus CD15. Released in 1993.

One Time. Incus CD22. Released in 1995

Hello Goodbye. Emanem 4065. With Gjerstad, J. Stevens. Released in 2001.

Duo And Trio Improvisation. DIW 358. Japan. CD re-issue. Released in 1992.

Gig. Incus VD04. Video of a pub gig duo with John Stevens. Released in 1996.
- On The Edge. A series of four 55 minute films shown on Channel 4 TV in the UK.
- dmtls Merzbau : On the Edge
Solo Guitar, volume 1. Incus CD10. Re-issue.

Yankees. Celluloid CELD 5006. With George Lewis and John Zorn. CD re-issue.

Yankees. Celluloid. With George Lewis and John Zorn. Cassette.

Komunguitar: Jin Hi Kim. Nonsequitur-What Next? WN0012. Released in 1993-94 ?.

- Jin Hi Kim
-

Bad Alchemy No 19. Fanzine and cassette, Germany .

The Aerial #5. A Journal In Sound. What Next Recordings, NS-AERIAL#5-CD. Re-issued in
1995 (?).
- Derek Bailey & Greg Goodman Duets Woody Woodman's Finger Palace
Untitled Improvisation (4'05') (British Library). London Musicians’ Collective Festival of
Experimental Music.

Cheers/Tears/Stevens (British Library). Leicester, England, UK.

360 Degrees/Bailey (British Library). Watershed Studios, London, UK.

Wallop/Bailey (British Library). Watershed Studios, London, UK.

Playing/Bailey (British Library). Watershed Studios, London, UK.

Instance/Bailey (British Library). Watershed Studios, London, UK.

One Times/Stevens (British Library). Leicester, England, UK.

Untitled Improvisation (4'30') (British Library). London Musicians’ Collective Festival of
Experimental Music.

Untitled Improvisation (13'50') (British Library). London Musicians’ Collective Festival of

Experimental Music.

Not A Dry Glass In The House/Stevens (British Library). Leicester, England, UK.

Along The Coast/Stevens (British Library). Leicester, England, UK.

Without Warning/Stevens (British Library). Leicester, England, UK.

CheeU Kent And I/Tears/Stevens (British Library). Leicester, England, UK.

D Baby/Bailey (British Library). Watershed Studios, London, UK.

Ping Pong/Bailey (British Library). Watershed Studios, London, UK.

1992-1993
- Freeway Vol. 2, No. 4 Winter Review Of Show. Daniel Plonsey, copyright selections.

1993

II (of) XXVIII. Rectangle BA 7" single. Two poems of Ben Watson. Released in 1999.

‘The Formal Novel / William Siddle’ by Sam Simon

Wireforks. Shanachie 5011. With Henry Kaiser. Released in 1995.

Mountain Stage. Incus VD02. Video. Concert in Japan.Tanaka-Bailey. Released in 1996.

- Min Tanaka’s Butoh

Company in Japan. Incus VD03. Video from Company Week. Hakushu. Released in 1996.
Filmed. Solo guitar series. Incus CDR 4. Released in 2003.

Karyobin. Chronoscope CPE2001-2. Re-issue.

Music Improvisation Company. Incus CD12. Re-issue.

Yankees. JIMCO Records, JICK-89289. George Lewis and John Zorn. CD re-issue.

Moment Précieux. Victo CD02, Bailey-Braxton in Victoriaville. CD. Re-issue.

- Of Intellect and Accident
- 20-24 July Live Reviews from EST #5. Company Week.
- Improvisation, quoi de neuf ? Revue & Corrigée. (France) Magazine.
-

Improvisation (55'55'-1.06'00) (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder

with AKG D224E mics.
Improvisation (1'15'-25'40) (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder
with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1'26'-'50-1.33'20) (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT

recorder with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (15'00'-23'30') (British Library)Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder

with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1.10'45'-1.26'20') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT

recorder with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1'25'-14'30') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder

with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (19'20'-31'45') (British Library). Live from Place Theatre (London).

Improvisation (1.48'50'-2.00'25') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT

recorder with AKG D224E mics.
Improvisation (1.38'50'-1.45'40') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1.33'40'-1.38'39') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT

recorder with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1.19'38'-1.33'15') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT

recorder with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (55'35'-1.00'45') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder

with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (49'50'-55'28') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder

with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (45'15'-49'30') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder

with AKG D224E mics.

Outside Festival (British Library). Quartet improvisation. Live.

Improvisation (2'35'-14'45') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder
with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1'48'-29'15') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT recorder

with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1.13'15'-1.48'15') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT

recorder with AKG D224E mics.

Improvisation (1.01'30'-1.20'30') (British Library). Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT

recorder with AKG D224E mics.

1994

New Year Messages. Table Of The Elements. Solo. Released in 1994.

Banter. OO discs 20.Duo with Greg Bendian. Released in 1995.

Saisoro. Tzadik TZ 7205. Derek and the Ruins. Released in 1995.
- Epiphanies – Derek Bailey and Ruins, Essay.

Harras. Avant AVAN 056. With John Zorn and William Parker. Released in 1995.

Rappin & Tappin. Incus CD 55. Will Gaines. Released in 2003.

- Stefan Saffer, Derek Bailey And Will Gaines, One Guitar, Two Shoes And Countless Holes
Sloan Fine Art, East Village, Lower East Side. Exhibition.
- CCCP 4 Poetry Archive and Touché Tony
- Extended Play : Sounding Off from John Cage to Dr. Funkenstein by John Corbett.

1994 to 2001

In Church. Solo Guitar Series, No.1, Incus CDR. Solo. Released in 2002.

1994 to 2002

Visitors Book. Incus CDR. The Sideline Series. Released in 2002.

 1995

Incus Taps. Organ of Corti 10. CD. Re-issue.

- Off the Record! About Organ of Corti.

Boogie With The Hook. Leo LR 242. Two duos with Eugene Chadbourne. Released in 1996.

The Thunderclaps. Duo with Eugene Chadbourne. Released in 1996.

Tout For Tea! Rectangle L. Duo with Eugene Chadbourne. Released in 1998.

Will. Incus VD01. Video of duo with Will Gaines. Released in 1996.

The Last Wave. DIW 903. Arcana: Bailey/Laswell/Williams. Released in 1996.

- A magnificent POWER trio

Bill Laswell. 3 DVD set. Live with Derek Bailey on guitar. ???
- Who's afraid of the big bad junglists?

Guitar, Drums 'n' Bass. Avant AVAN 060. The 'jungle' CD. Released in 1996.

Guitars on Mars. Virgin AMBT 24. Two jungle tracks on compilation CD. Released in 1997.

Trio Playing. Incus CD28. Derek Bailey/John Butcher/Oren Marshall. Released in 1997.

Soho Suites, volume 2, 1995. Incus CD 30. Part of double CD. Released in 1997.

Selections From Live Performances At Verity's Place. Organ of Corti. Bailey and Bennink.
Re-issue.
Domestic & Public Pieces. Enamem 4001. Re-issued as LP in 1976 and as CD in 2000 (?).

1996

Close to the Kitchen. Rectangle F. LP. Duo with Noël Akchoté. Released in 1997.

Legend of the Blood Yeti. Infinite Chug 5CD. With XIII Ghosts. Released in 1997.

Drawing Close, Attuning - The Respective Signs Of Order And Chaos. Tokuma TKCF-
77017. Duo with Keiji Haino. Released in 1997.

Songs. Incus CD 40. Duo with Keiji Haino (voice). Released in 2000.

The Sign of 4. Knitting Factory Works KFW 197. With Pat Metheny, Gregg Bendian, Paul
Wertico. Released in 1997.
Viper. Avant AVAN 050. Duo with Min Xiao-Fen. Released in 1998.
- About Min Xiao-Fen.

First Duo Concert (London 1974). Emanem 4006. CD. Re-issue.

Ode. Intakt 041. London Jazz Composers' Orchestra. CD Re-issue.

Aida. Re-issued on Dexter’s Cigar. Solo.

- Relighting Dexter’Ss Cigar

Associates. Musica Jazz, Felmay FF 1001. Italy. CD re-issue. Duo with Steve Lacy.

1997

Tohjinbo. Paractactile PLE1101-2. Derek and the Ruins. Released in 1998.

No Waiting. Potlatch P198. Duo with Joëlle Léandre. . Released in 1998.

And. Rectangle REC-S.Derek Bailey, Pat Thomas, Steve Noble. Released in 1998.

Root. Lo Recordings LCD11. D.B. : single track on Thurston Moore disc. Released in 1998.

Root. Lo Recordings LLP11. . D.B. : single track on Thurston Moore disc. Released in 1998.

Root (deluxe edition). Lo Recordings LCD11X. D.B. : single track on Thurston Moore disc.
Released in 1998.

Takes Fakes & Dead She Dances. Incus CD31. Solo. Released in 1998.

- Dead She Dances. Fragments of text from Distant Points by Peter Riley.

- Excavations & Riley's poetics

Improvisation. MP97/ORF 15. Track by And on this concert CD. Released in 1998.

Playbacks. Bingo BIN 004. Overdubbed guitar on pre-recorded tapes. Released in 1999.

- Je suis tombé sur un disque... (rencontre avec Derek Bailey)

- About a Show : Derek Bailey and Casey Rice.

Quintessence 1. Emanem CD 4015. Re-issue.

Quintessence 2. Emanem CD 4016. Re-issue.

Music and Dance. Revenant, LP RVN 6010LP and CD RVN 201CD. Duo with Min Tanaka.

Music and Dance. Table of the Elements, Zirconium. LP. Duo with Min Tanaka.
Improvisation (1975). Cramps CRSCD 062. Solo electric guitar. CD re-issue.

Associates. New Tone 21750 7009 2. Italy. CD re-issue. Duo with Steve Lacy.

Miira Ni Narumade:My Dear Mummy. Sampled guest Derek Bailey: guitar. Released in 1997.

Derek Bailey & Transmutation. Frankfurt, Germany. Bootleg.

Derek Bailey & Transmutation. Frankfurt, Germany. Mp3 download ?

Derek Bailey & Transmutation. Frankfurt, Germany. Video bootleg.

- Derek Bailey, The Accidental Guitarist. Jazziz Magazine.

Derek & The Ruins live at the Purcell Rooms, South Bank, London, Apr 3. From Mixing It,
Radio 3 (UK). Naughty Dog. Trade only not for sale.

1998

Departures. Volatile Records VCD002. With Vertrek Ensemble. Released in 1999.

Unanswered Questions. BVHaast 9906. With Intermission. Released in 1999.

- Intermission - Unanswered Questions

Joseph Holbrook '98. Incus CD 39. Released in 2000.

- Audience Perspective by Andrew Shone

Saxophone Special +. Emanem 4024. Steve Lacy with D.B. & other musicians. Re-issue.
Traces : Arrival Records Via Airmail Series. VAM 5 Traces. Released in 2004.

Komunguitar: Jin Hi Kim. oodiscs #40. Re-issue.

RRR500. RRRecords. 500 locked-grooves. LP. Released in 1999.

In concert & studio. Incus CDR 6. Duo with Robyn Shulkovsky. Released in 2004.
- Derek Bailey / Robyn Schulkowsky
- Interview by Richard Leigh. (donation) (British Library). Partly transcribed in Opprobium.

Texaco New York Jazz Festival Radio Series Live At The Knitting Factory. Knitting
Factory. 6 CD for promotion only.
- Derek Bailey, Steve Noble & Pat Thomas. Donnerstag 3. Dezember.

Joseph Holbrooke Trio : The Moat ecordings. Tzadik 7616-2 and Corti. First studio recordings
of Derek Bailey, Gavin Bryars and Tony Oxley. Released in 2006.
- Notes on Joseph Holbrooke reunion

- From an interview with Derek

- Free Improvisation In A Classic Mode By Alan Licht

- Joseph Holbrooke Trio. Time Out NY.

- Joseph Holbrooke Trio. The Moat Recordings. Bagatellen.

Derek Bailey interview (British Library). Richard Leigh donation.

Yankees, Charly Records Ltd CDGR 221 (UK) (CD) Re-issue with a different cover.

1998-1999

LOCationAL. Incus CD 37. Duo with Alex Ward. Released in 2000.

1999

Company in Marseille. Incus CD44/45. Company. Released in 2001.

- IST : Improvising String Trio

Aerial #5. What Next Recordings, NS-AERIAL#5-CD.

Live at Lamar's. Incus CD-R7. Derek Bailey & Shaking Ray Levis. Released in 2003.

Live at Lamar's. SRR CD-003. Derek Bailey & Shaking Ray Levis. Released in 2003.
- Derek Bailey and Shaking Ray Levis
-

Untitled Improvisations. Illegal Radio (limited edition CD-R). Released in 2001.

Subtropic Music Fest : Derek Bailey-Michael Welch. Video by Derek Michael. YouTube.

South, Solo Guitar Series, No.2. Incus CDR. Released in 2002.

Daedal. Incus CD 36. Duo with Susie Ibarra. Released in 1999.

Post Improvisation 1: when we're smiling. Incus CD 34. With Han Bennink. Released in 1999.

Post Improvisation 2: air mail special. Incus CD 35. With Han Bennink. Released in 1999.

Mirakle. Tzadik TZ 7603. With Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston. Released in 2000.

Flying Dragons. Incus CD 50. Duo with Min Xiao-Fen. Released in 2002.

- Min Xiao-Fen Interview published in All About Jazz.

Dart Drug. Incus CD19. Re-issue.

The Baptised Traveller. Sony-Columbia 494438. Tony Oxley Quintet. CD re-issue.

Four Compositions for Sextet. Sony-Columbia 4944372. Tony Oxley group. CD re-issue.

Derek Bailey, Dennis Palmer, Bob Stagner. First Existentialist Congregation. Bootleg.

The Gospel Record. SRR CD-004. D. Bailey, Amy Denio, & Dennis Palmer. Released in 2005.

Derek Bailey And Company. Private recording. TaW's Covers Vault.

Eugene Chadbourne & Henry Kaiser:The Guitar Lessons. Victo 064. CD. Released in 2000.
 2000

Improvisation (1975). Ampere2. Solo electric guitar. CD re-issue.

Improvisation (1975). Get Back (Italy) GET 6202. Solo electric guitar. LP re-issue.

The Big Gundown. Tzadik TZ 7328. Minimal contribution to one bonus track. Released in 2000.

String Theory. Paractactile PLE1109-2. Solo feedback. Released in 2000.

Ore. Arrival Records ARCD001. Duo with Eddie Prévost. Released in 2001.

Llaer. SOFA 503. Duo with Ingar Zach. Released in 2001.

- Sofa, so good.
Agro Jazz. flo records flo013. One track on Panicstepper CD. Released in 2001.

Vortices and Angels. Emanem 4049. Duo with John Butcher. Released in 2001.

The Appleyard File. Incus CDR. The Sideline Series. Released in 2001.

- Charlie Appleyard

Fish. PSFD-8009. Duo with Shoji Hano. Released in 2001.

Daybreak. Emanem 4059. Ian Smith. Released in 2001.

Right Off. NUM 1100. With Carlos Bechegas. Released in 2002.

Visions: performances from the EMIT series. Isopin labs (no number). Duo with Jim Stewart
on compilation. Released in 2002.

Muckraker #9 + CD. Magazine + CD. One track (About Incus, voice and acoustic guitar).

Nipples. ATA205CD. Peter Brötzmann Group. CD re-issue.

Chapter One 1970-1972. Emanem 3CD 4301. Iskra 1903. Re-issue.

Domestic & Public Pieces. Emanem 4001. Re-issue.

- Solo Guitar at Renards.

- Derek Bailey/D.J. Soul Slinger, London/Rio de Janeiro

Derek Bailey & Cecil Taylor. Duo concert, Tonic. Video bootleg.
- Steve Dalachinsky : Cecil Tayor - Derek Bailey Duo @ Tonic 5/3/00. Poem.

Derek Bailey, Susie Ibarra and Alex Ward. Trio concert, Tonic. Bootleg (?).

- First Cut is the Deepest By Paul Helliwell.

- Derek Bailey/James Blood Ulmer at Tonic.

- Bruce’s Music Festivals Report.

- The Tonic hosted by Derek Bailey.

2001

Bailey/Hautzinger. GROB 425. Duo with Franz Hautzinger. Released in 2002.

Duos, London 2001. Incus CD51. With J. Kytasty, R. Turner, A. Wilkinson. Released in 2002.

Barcelona. Hopscotch, HOP10. With Agusti Fernndez. Released in 2003.

- Agustí Fernández, piano solo. From his web site. A Chaminera de Casa.
- Bailey - Fernández: Barcelona.
Bids. Incus, Incus CD52. Duo with Susie Ibarra. Released in 2002.

Incus Taps. Organ of Corti. LP. Re-issue.

- Tap 4c. Bonus Voice Track

15 August 2001. Sound 323 mini-CD. Limited ed. of 300. Bailey & S. Fell. Released in 2002.
- History of Sound 323 In-Store Concerts

15 August 2001. Sound 323. Video by David Reid.

Epiphany. Incus CD 42-43. Company. Re-issue.

Close to the Kitchen. Blue Chopstick BC6. CD. Duo with Noël Akchoté. Re-issue.
Soshin. Ambiances Magnétiques AM 113 CD. Berthiaume, Bailey and Frith. Released in 2003.

Barbarian. Incus CDR 5. And. Released in 2002.

Derek Bailey Playing for Friends On 5Th Street. Straw2Gold Pictures. DVD. Released in 2004.

Company 5. Incus CD41. Re-issue.

- Derek Bailey Interview: September 2001. Printed in London Calling. 2005-03-24

- Blastitude. Issue 10, October/November

- Bailey-Ibarra Concert. Banlieues Bleues. March 17.

Live at Tonic. NY, December 15. Naughty Dog. Trade only.

- Tonic, December 5. Review of show with D. Bailey-J. Zorn-R.Workman, J. Baron

Derek Bailey And Friends. Private recording. TaW's Covers Vault.

Derek Bailey And Julian Kytasty. Tonic, NYC, December 12. Video bootleg.

Company 6 & 7. Incus CD07. Re-issue.

Drops. Newtone Records Ictus re-issue, series #5 rdc5037. CD. Re-issue.

- Test pattern archive. Internet streams of two programs about the music of Derek Bailey.
- Dream World. Music edit for a film by Peter Tscherkassky.

2002

New Sights, Old Sounds. Incus CD 48/49. Solo live and in studio. Re-issue.

Seven. Incus CD54. Duo. Released in 2002.

Not Necessarily English Music. LMJ CD 11. One track. Released in 2002 with :
- LMJ11 CD Companion Introduction
Ballads.Tzadik. Solo guitar album. Released in 2002.

Cobra. Tzadik. KO-TZA7335-CD. One track. Released in 2002.

Bimhuis 25: Stories of twenty-five years at the Bimhuis. BH-BIMH25-BK. Book.

Tonic Live, Volume 1. Tonic Compilation disk. One track. Released in 2002.

Nearly a D. Emanem 4087. Released in 2003.

Limescale. Incus CD 56. Released in 2003.

Under Tracey's bed. Foghorn FOGCD-R02. With T. Bevan. Released in 2003.

European Echoes. Atavistic, ATA 232. Re-issue.

Tony Oxley. Limited edition Incus LP8 re-issue (?).

Improvisers 1988-1998. Book by Jo Fell. Foreword by Derek Bailey

- Company @ Tonic. NYC, May 15-16-17-18..

- Edition #4 : Derek Bailey. Interview at WPS1 Art Radio Tokyo. Mp3.

- Ongaku : Enjoy Sound. Concert.

Derek Bailey & George Lewis. Spruce Street Forum. October 5.

- Jazziz, The Guitar Issue. March.

- Private concerts. Barcelona. IBA144. September.

- A chaminera de casa. Photographs by Jesus Moreno.

- Entrevistas: Derek Bailey

O zurret d´artal : Barcelona 14 septiembre 2002, CD ( ?)

- Musica improvisada libre en Espana.

- A cuatro pasos. Portugal.

2003

The Beak Doctor. BD5-6 The Social-Science Set. CD. Re-issue 2002-2003.

Live At The Vortex 2003. Arto; USA. Ltd Edition of 100. Released in 2003.

- The Vortex Jazz Club – Hall of Fame.

Poetry & Playing. Paractactile PLE1116-2. Released in 2003.

Scale points on the fever curve. Emanem 4099. Duo with Milo Fine. Released in 2004.
Duo And Trio Improvisation. Digital remastered re-issue. Universal Music. Japan.

To Play : The Blemish Sessions. SamadhiSound 008. USA. Released in 2006.

To Play : The Blemish Sessions. Russian Federation (?). CD.

To Play : The Blemish Sessions. Opium Arts. CD.

- I Don’t Know This World Without Derek Bailey.

- A Unique Portrait.
- David Sylvian : Chasing The Muse by Anil Prasad.
- Location : #6 Derek Bailey, To Play by Chris Goode.

Blemish. Samadhi Sound. Two tracks. Released in 2003.

- 3ème festival musique et essai Musiques Libres 2003.

Jiyu No Ishi, Free Will. P.S.F. Co. Ltd. Book plus CD.

Tristan. Incus CD 53. Duo with Tristan Honsinger. Re-issue.

The Music Improvisation Company. Universal Japan. UCCU 9019. Re-issue.

Globe Unity – Improvisations. Universal Japan. UCCU 9020. Re-issue.

(?)Quantum. Trunk. Spliced by Basil Kirchin.

- Boating. Derek Bailey’s Five Piece Band

2003-2005 (?)

- One Plus One 2. Anders Edstrom and Curtis Winter 's film about Derek Bailey.
 2004

At the Sidecar. Incus CD SG5. Solo in Barcelona. Released in 2004.

Pisa 1980 Improvisors Symposium. psi 04.03/4. 2-CD set re-issue.

Howdy. Incus CD-R7. Duo in Barcelona. Released in 2004.

- Derek Bailey y Min Tanaka. Fundacio Joan Miro. Concert.

Song For Someone. Psi Kenny Wheeler and al. Re-issue.

!!Launch!! Derek Bailey & The Story of Free Improvisation by Ben Watson
-

Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation by Ben Watson. Verso Books. 416 pages.
- Derek Bailey and the Art of Free Improvisation. Review by Scott Thomson.
- What you hear is what you get: Bailey's astounding sounds Music as Sex by Richard Gehr.
- The Wire September. Pages 42 to 49.
Somewhere in Between. Music for an experimental film by Pierre Coulibeuf.

Meanwhile, Back In Sheffield ... discus 21cd. D.Bailey, M.Beck, P.Hession. Released in 2005.

- Photographs by David Clayton.

Haunted Weather, Music, Silence And Memory. Staubgold. Various.

- Haunted Sublimity by Ben Watson.

Cecil Taylor : All the notes. Short appearance in the video biography of Cecil Taylor.

My Favorite Strings. Isinaz 1002. Various duets. Released in 2004.

Hamburg '74. Globe Unity Orchestra and The Choir Of The NDR-Broadcast. ATAVISTIC,
ATA 248CD. Re-issue.
Guitar Series Volumes I & II : New Year Messages. Table Of The Elements. 2 CD re-issue.

- 291 Gallery. Review. August 17.

- Tony Bevan & Orphy Robinson with Derek Bailey. Concert.

-Tony Bevan & Orphy Robinson with Derek Bailey in Concert.

Bruise with Derek Bailey. Foghorn, FOGCD006, CD. Released in 2006.

The Composer's Cut. AUD 01303. Various.

Watch Out. Incus, unnumbered private CD-R.

- Music, Violence, Truth by Ben Watson.
- Towards the Bowels of the Earth. Book about butoh dancing. Author : Paul Roquet
- Impro à Marseille : Derek Bailey et John Giorno. Concert.

- L’anti-méthode. Jazz Magazine, no. 551. September. Pages 14-15.

- Festival Nuit d’hiver #2 – guitare.

 2005

The Good Son VS The Only Daughter : The Blemish Remixes. Samadhisound, ss005. UK.
Released in 2005.

The Good Son VS The Only Daughter : The Blemish Remixes. Japanese. P-Vine PVCP-8779.

The Good Son VS The Only Daughter : The Blemish Remixes. Japanese promo) PVCP-8779.

Aida. Dexter's Cigar. DEX 05. CD. Remixed re-issue.

The London Concert Derek Bailey & Evan Parker. psi 05.01. CD. Re-issue.
- Dear Sir (Carol to Derek)

To Carol From Derek. Private recording. Barcelona. Released in 2005.

- Dear Sir (…) I just got your CD.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Tzadik Key Series. Solo. Released in 2005.

Progressions : 100 Years Of Jazz Guitar. Columbia Legacy 517612, Sony Bmg. 4 CDs
compilation. One track

Like a rug. Derek Bailey and al. Freedom From, FF171 (CD)

- December 6. The Lost Chord was 860 pages long.

 Derek Bailey passed away in London.
December 25 -31, 2005
- Derek Bailey 1930-2005
BLG

- Derek Bailey is dead. Long live Derek Bailey

Sunday, December 25, 2005

- Derek Bailey (1930-2005)

- Lunedì, dicembre 26, 2005 : Derek Bailey (1930 - 2005)

scritto da Francesco

- Derek Bailey – An appreciation...

posted by Rod

- Obituary ; Derek Bailey

John Fordham. Thursday December 29, 2005. The Guardian

- I can't remember the first time I heard British guitarist Derek Bailey
Steve and others (David Beardsley, Dan Warburton)

- Playlist for John Allen (web only) - December 26, 2005

Mondays 6am - 9am on WFMU 91.1 fm 90.1 fm.

- Derek Bailey, 75, Guitarist and Master of Improvisation, Dies

Ben Ratliff

- Guerillabeatz : Derek Bailey is dead. Long live Derek Bailey

Sunday, December 25, 2005

- Derek Bailey UK improv godfather Derek Bailey has left us

Posted by Brian Turner

- In Memoriam: Derek Bailey, 1930–2005

Greg Burk

- Derek Bailey, Derniere Dissonance.

Eric Dahan, Quotidien

- Gavin Bryars
Saturday December 31, 2005. The Guardian
 December 25 -31, 2005

- Remembering Derek Bailey. James Beaudreau & John Eyles

- Life after God : Kellie and I saw Bailey play…

- R.I.P. Link Wray and Derek Bailey: Plutonium Nights from Dec. 30th, 2005
http://www.podcast.net/show/66087

- Derek Bailey. Christian Kiefer, blog.

- The Derek Bailey Day. Japanese blog.

- Center for Dyslexistential Studies

2006

Rod Smith Reads From "Some Snips & And Few Ghost Brains (For Derek Bailey)".
Croissant Factory. Jan 12, 2006

- Tribute To Derek Bailey, Rialta Santabrogio. January 24th, 2006, Rome - Italy

-The Magus Of Improvised Guitar - A Tribute To Derek Bailey.Plan B, Nakano Fujimicho,

Tokyo.

Frankfurter Ahnung. Sonic Arts Network, CD compiled by Ben Watson.

Ben Watson reading from and discussing his recent book Derek Bailey and The Story Of
Free Improvisation. Muswell Hill Bookshop.Tthursday 16 march 7.30pm. Unreleased
musical examples.
DEREK BAILEY, The Wire, 264, February 2006. A full collection of tributes to the late
musician, including a number of pieces which were not published in the magazine.

The Wire Tapper, 274, December 2006. One track on compilation CD.

The Jarrod Whaley Programme. Film, 22 minutes. DVD to be released by Incus Records.

The Topography Of The Lungs. PSI 06.05. UK. CD. Re-issue.

- This Is B Minor (For Derek Bailey). Daremes : Unrealesed Pieces (sic). CD

Drops. ICTUS 122. Re-issued for Ictus Records' 30th Anniversary Collection.

- Ictus Records' 30th Anniversary Collection. SKU: ICTUS141.12 CDs.

- Introduction To Ictus Records' 30th Anniversary. SKU: ICTUS 141. CD.

Quintessence . Emanem CD 4217. Re-issue.

Steve Lacy : Conversations. Book. Interview by Derek Bailey.

- L’héritage de Steve Lacy by Félix-Antoine Hamel.

- Remembering Derek Bailey by Henry Kaiser In Guitar Player Magazine, April 2006

Domo Arigato Derek-Sensei! Balance Point Acoustics 202. CD. Derek Bailey recorded in 1993.
Released in 2006.

- About Henry Kaiser and Domo Arigato Derek-Sensei !. Spanish.

- Derek Bailey’s Funeral. Poetry by Peter Riley.

- Oro Molido. Remembering Derek Bailey. No.16.

Derek : live at Tonic. Amulet 023. CD. Recorded in 2003.

John Zorn : Tribute To Derek Bailey. The Barbican in London, June 23. MP3 version.
 2007

The Advocate. Tzadik, Key Series. Duos with Tony Oxley. Recorded in 1975 and 2006. CD.

- About Toney Oxley

- Artificial Amnesia. Blog by Gregg Brennan and Kevin Parkinson.

Improvisation (1975). Strange Days Records. Solo electric guitar. Japan. CD same as Cramps
CRSLP 6202. Re-issue.

Improvisation (1975). Polydor Japan Import. Solo electric guitar. Japan. CD. Re-issue.

Portrait. Barry Guy. Intakt. The CD comes with an 88 page Book with photos.

- Ones de CROM : Derek Bailey. Radio Castellar 90,10 FM. Podcast

- Discofonia 39. Derek Bailey Podcast.

 2008

Fictions. Company. Bootleg.

- Répartitions. Blog Du spectacle. Bootleg Compilation.

- But More So (For Derek Bailey). John Butcher : The Geometry of Sentiment. CD

- To Derek Bailey. Thelmo Cristovam : Trombone. CD

- Attempted, Not Known (For Derek Bailey and George Lewis). Vandermark 5 : Target or
Flag. CD

Duos. Exclusive track with Frode Gjerstad and Derek Bailey. FMRCD222-0207. CD. Bailey
recorded in ?.

Withdrawal (1966-7). Emanem 4020. Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Reissue with a new design.

Tony Oxley Derek Bailey Quartet. Jazzwerkstatt, Germany. Recorded in 1993.

- Halana Issue Five. Magazine + 2 CDs. One solo piece. Not yet published.

- Listening to Bailey : an experiment. Software.

- Astrologie. The past, the present and the future predicted (in fench)
- Out : 17 Modern Guitarists Salute Derek Bailey. Tribute.

- Tony Renner : Anagrams. Tribute.

- Five Gentlemen of the Guitar. All That Jazz. April 1, 2007.

- Multiple Personality Disorder #29. Greek.

- The Wire Index. For all the writings and reviews about DB.

- DB on Face Book ( ?)

- State of the Axe Guitar : Masters in Photographs and Words. Book by Ralph Gibson.

- ésope reste ici et se repose # 01 + poster

- ésope reste ici et se repose # 01 (exhibition)

- Vasistas galerie

- Bailey cruising Love (mashup)

Edinburgh. Photo copyright Marc Marnie
1965, REHEARSAL EXTRACT, (UK) (Incus CD single and CD-ROM)
(released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Gavin Bryars : bass
Tony Oxley : drums

The only issued recording by Joseph Holbrooke.

1. Miles mode 10.26

Recorded in Sheffield, 1965.

Cover design by Karen Brookman.

single (10 & 1/2 minutes) of the Joseph Holbrooke group, recorded in 1965.

CD With Derek Bailey (guitar), Gavin Bryars (bass) and Tony Oxley (drums) --
a legendary ensemble, and a key to the whole dawn of the European free
music arena.. The first and only issued recording by this trio (named after an obscure turn-of-
the-century UK composer, Joseph Holbrooke). Includes an addition of some poorly designed
CD Rom material (text, photos and other emphera about the brief and generally
undocumennted existence of this trio) that doesn't seem to commonly function (doesn't work
with Netscape, seems to auto-crash on Explorer -- but maybe you're made of tougher stuff).
"This short piece was recorded in rehearsal in the front room of my ground floor flat at 329
Crooksmoor Road, Sheffield some time in 1965. It was a medium-size living room, carpeted
and with an open fireplace, and was just big enough for the three of us to have sufficient space
to play. I had lived in the upstairs flat during my last two years as a philosophy student, a
period when, in reality, I was spending more time working virtually as a professional musician
even before I graduated in 1964. Throughout the time that I lived there, until the end of the
summer of 1966, the three of us would rehearse frequently and try out ideas. Sometimes just
Tony and I would practice together, working on complex approaches to pulsed time, especially
in order for the trio to become familiar with Tony's increasing interest in subdivisions of
triplets (even when we were still playing relatively conventional jazz compositions). At other
times the three of us would rehearse, basically testing possible procedures in our transition
from jazz to free playing. We would perform regularly in public, playing each Saturday
lunchtime.

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EVENT

D ue to illness, the Joseph Holbrooke reunion was cancelled. In September 1998 for
Tony Oxley's 60th Birthday, produced by German Radio the trio reformed after 32
years. The event was selected as one of the 10 high-points of the year by Diedrich
Diederichsen in ARTFORUM best of issue December 1998

By it's own legend, what's called improvised music in Europe -- somewhere between "new
music" and "free jazz" -- was founded in the early '60s in London by the group Joseph
Holbrooke. Unfortunately its members -- composer Gavin Bryars, guitarist and improv-
philosopher Derek Bailey, and percussionist Tony Oxley, who was later involved in such
diverse pursuits as John McLaughlin's first solo album and innumerable collective
improvisation projects -- never recorded together. Their reunion on Oxley's 60th birthday in
the Stadtgarten in Cologne seduced old comrades and caught youngsters off guard with one
of the sweetest glowing weaves the acoustic permits."

Diedrich Diederichsen, ARTFORUM December 1998, page 114.

A insi, voici donc les premières traces discographiques (hormis un enregistrement

d’une tournée avec Lee Konitz dans les années 60) de ce fameux trio d’avant-garde
Joseph Holbrooke, qui réunit à Sheffield entre 1964 et 1966 trois jeunes
instrumentistes férus de jazz moderne et passionnés par l’exploration de nouvelles idées.
Outre le profond étonnement que suscitait chacune de ses performances au Grapes Pub de
Sheffield le samedi midi, le trio ne manquait pas d’étonner par l’étrange odeur, raconte Oxley,
qui accompagnait ses prestations à l’heure du déjeuner. En effet, le bassiste avait pris
l’habitude de faire réchauffer, à l’intérieur de son ampli à lampes, une steak & kidney pie
(tarte au boeuf et rognons) qui laissait s’exhaler des effluves persistantes dans le lieu de leurs
ébats. Peu après cette période formative que constituèrent les développements de Joseph
Holbrooke à Sheffield, le batteur Tony Oxley continuera de mener une double carrière de jazz
drummer, accompagnant au Ronnie Scott’s de Londres les vedettes de passage (Bill Evans,
Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz...), et de percussionniste free incisif et tonique. Alors contrebassiste
(déjà passionné par les travaux des dodécaphonistes viennois et de John Cage), Gavin Bryars
deviendra vite un compositeur de renom, depuis ses pièces cultes Jesus’ Blood Never Failed
Me Yet et The Sinking Of The Titanic (sur le label Oscure de Brian Eno) jusqu’à ses derniers
albums - chez ECM notamment. Derek Bailey, quant à lui, nul ne l’ignore, allait se consacrer
exclusivement à l’exploration de l’improvisation libre à la guitare, influençant de manière
indélébile de nombreux instrumentistes dans le monde entier, devenu dernier propriétaire du
label Incus (fondé en 1970 avec Oxley et Evan Parker) et organisateur de nombreux festivals
Company à Londres, New York et Tokyo. Le répertoire de Joseph Holbrooke recouvre toutes
les phases du jazz moderne de l’époque : Bill Evans (tout particulièrement son trio avec Scott
LaFaro et Paul Motian), Horace Silver, Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane etc. Insensiblement et par
étapes successives, il semble que le premier élément duquel ils réussissent à se débarrasser
soit le temps battu, la régularité rythmique. Adoptant ensuite l’improvisation modale, ils
s’affranchissent des grilles harmoniques. La phase suivante -plus radicale encore- est le
passage à une organisation atonale, avec l’introduction d’intervalles dissonants et d’éléments
sériels. Petit à petit, l’improvisation devient véritablement collective et non plus basée sur des
solos accompagnés, la démocratie et le respect entrent dans le processus musical, le maître mot
devient l’écoute mutuelle. Les dix minutes vingt-six secondes qui constituent le présent CD
sont des extraits d’une répétition de Miles’ Mode de Coltrane en 1965 (le CD est aussi un
CDRom riche en informations ouvertes aux seuls possesseurs d’un PC : halte au racisme
anti-Mac !). On remarque que, après une exposition du thème à l’unisson entre la guitare et la
basse, l’improvisation devient progressivement plus libre, les musiciens se libérant des
contraintes de la mesure, avec de brèves références au thème. Les improvisations restent
encore ici parfaitement modales et liées à la mélodie, mais on devine l’étendue des nouveaux
territoires en voie d’être explorés par les trois hommes loin des conventions de l’époque sur
le plan de la mélodie, des progressions d’accords et de la régularité rythmique. Le confort
moderne était en marche.
Gérard ROUY

COVER NOTES BY GAVIN BRYARS

Foreword

T his short piece was recorded in rehearsal in the front room of my ground floor flat at
329 Crooksmoor Road, Sheffield some time in 1965. It was a medium-size
livingroom, carpeted and with an open fireplace, and was just big enough for the three
of us to have sufficient space to play. I had lived in the upstairs flat during my last two years
as a philosophy student, a period when, in reality, I was spending more time working virtually
as a professional musician even before I graduated in 1964.

I met Derek and Tony for the first time when I had been invited to play with them, and pianist
Gerry Rollinson. The student trio that I led, with guitarist Eddie Speight, had played during
the interval of one of their quartet performances in a pub on Eccleshall Road.

When I came back to work in Sheffield towards the end of 1964 I managed to rent the lower
floor flat, which was more practical for a bassist. Throughout the time that I lived there, until
the end of the summer of 1966, the three of us would rehearse frequently and try out ideas.
Sometimes just Tony and I would practice together, working on complex approaches to
pulsed time, especially in order for the trio to become familiar with Tony's increasing interest
in subdivisions of triplets (even when we were still playing relatively conventional jazz
compositions) . At other times the three of us would rehearse, basically testing possible
procedures in our transition from jazz to free playing. We would perform regularly in public,
playing each Saturday lunchtime in an upstairs room in The Grapes, Trippet Lane.

The recording

W hen we had been playing jazz, the last recordings of the Bill Evans trio - with Scott
LaFaro and Paul Motian - were a useful example of one way in which the concept
of a hierarchy of roles could be undermined. Examples of the kinds of ideas we
used in the process of evolving from harmonic jazz to free playing are described in Derek's
book. A quite early device was to play modally but at the same time not impose any limit on
the amount of time that a player might spend improvising. That is, not to proscribe, for
example, the number of "choruses" and even to move away from the very idea of "chorus"
length in relation to the thematic material (here Miles' Mode) . Even when working with modal
material we established very quickly the practice of moving outside the mode established by
the theme once we were improvising, effectively negating the very concept of modal playing.

This rehearsal tape starts with a couple of minutes where we work out informally how the
theme itself is played. When we begin to play the piece there is always an unmeasured, but
quite long, pause after the theme's first phrase before moving on. ( In another recorded
rehearsal of the same piece, probably done much earlier, this does not happen and, in that
version, the bass and guitar play the theme in unison). For what could be termed the bridge
section of the theme there is an improvised bass solo, accompanied only by drums. The
improvisation proper begins as if it is going to be a guitar solo, accompanied by bass and
drums, but it is apparent almost immediately that this is effectively a collective improvisation
which becomes increasingly free, and has little dependence on the source material i.e. the
theme and its modality. Occasionally the guitar quotes elements of the theme in a fragmentary
way, almost as a parody of how it was being demonstrated in the pre-performance attempts to
play the tune!

From time to time the bass moves to arco, playing long sustained notes, slow repeated phrases,
playing out of time and independent of the fast rhythmic interplay between guitar and drums.
When the bass solo begins (pizzicato) it is completely unaccompanied for a while and indeed
long solos of this kind eventually became the norm in the actual performance at our regular
venue. Here, however, the other instruments gradually begin to act as a kind of support until
the solo becomes a double improvisation for the bass and drums, with discrete touches from
guitar. A very slow arco, rhapsodic and out of time, attempted statement of the opening of the
theme appears. This hints at the use of varied tempi that was also developed more thoroughly
in the later free playing.

The bass carries on further with its solo playing pizzicato and eventually states the theme
giving a new, and different, impetus to the music leading to a drum solo, initially as a duo with
the bass. Something which was very particular to Tony's playing at this time, and which can be
heard here, is the extreme care with which he would tune his drums - the bass drum, various
tom-toms and snare ( with the snares in their "off " position throughout this solo) giving his
solos great tonal, almost melodic, variety. Derek begins to restate the theme over Tony's solo
and it is interesting that Tony maintains exactly what he was already doing - quiet rolled
figures on the higher tom-toms- throughout this initial statement and only plays thematically
after the long pause in the statement. Many drummers would have immediately switched to
thematic playing as soon as the tune reappeared.

Although this rehearsal performance is based on an extant piece, there is some evidence here
of the group's transition towards a form of free playing.

Afterword

T he recorded legacy of Joseph Holbrooke from the 1960s is almost non-existent. Most
of the material is located in rehearsal tapes and there are no recordings of the free
playing to the best of my knowledge. There are tapes of our playing with Lee Konitz,
which are hardly representative of our work, when he toured the north of England in the mid-
60s. One of these, recorded at a club in Manchester, appears in the published discography of
Lee Konitz where the players are listed as guitar (Derek Bailey), drums (Tony Oxley), bass
player (unknown)..

Gavin Bryars, January 1999

ON THE OTHER HAND... BY DEREK BAILEY

T here were other views. Andrew Shone and John Capes were part of an homogenous
group of young people, fellow students, mostly, of Gavin Bryars, and they formed the
bulk of our audience. Their enthusiasm and perception and continuity provided the
'climate' in which we played: very encouraging. But, although predominant, it would be
inaccurate to represent theirs' as the only view of our activities.

A certain amount of grumpiness from any of the local musicians who occasionally chanced
their arm at sitting in with us, invariably with unhappy results, wouldn't have been surprising,
but I wasn't aware of any. Dissatisfaction of a more significant kind, for me, usually
manifested itself on the rare occasions that one of my earlier musical associates would turn up
in the audience. Their attitude was perhaps best expressed by George Paxton.

George and I had worked together in a band in Edinburgh some years previously. He was, in
my estimation, a brilliant pianist and our association had been very beneficial for me. I hadn't
seen him since that time but one Saturday, touring, George arrived at the Grapes. He came
during the first set and I didn't get to speak to him until the break.

George's objections were of a theoretical nature. 'What the fuck do you think you are doing?'
were his first words. This was not a question I was in a position to answer at that time but,
knowing there was one area in which we had always agreed, I bought us a drink. The rest of
our conversation consisted of George asking questions to which he didn't really want answers
and me happily not supplying them. But, it was amicable enough and, before returning to play
the second set and aware of the likely developments coming up, I suggested George might like
to cut his losses and leave now. In fact, he didn't. He stayed to the end. But, leaving, he gave
me what I think is described as a 'quizzical' look.

A couple of weeks later, back in Kilmarnock after his tour, George got in touch again. He sent
me a 'Get Well Soon' card.

Derek Bailey

Y ou could think of Joseph Holbrooke (the band, not the British classical composer
who died in 1958) as a kind of free-jazz Cream without the hype and hoopla. In the
mid-'60s, guitarist Bailey, bassist Bryars and drummer Oxley began to play extended
improv jams on jazz standards, stretching them so far out of shape that the song disappeared
and only the improv remained (there's a single example of their early work available on
another Incus CD). But the trio didn't last long, and Bryars eventually transformed into a New
Music composer while the others stayed at the cutting edge of improv. They reunited for a
concert in 1998, this time improvising freely in a relaxed, refined style of action and reaction,
with mumbled or spiky, pitched and unpitched guitar sounds set against a wavy bass drone or
throbbing bass line, backed by etched or walloped percussive strokes. An engaging,
chiaroscuric example of controlled freedom.

By Art Lange
All text, images, and media Copyright 2001, MTS Inc., All Rights Reserved.
pulseweb@towerrecords.com
1966, LEE KONITZ QUARTET (with Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley)
Live recording 1966 Manchester UK (bootleg)

Lee Konitz: alto saxophone

Derek Bailey: guitar
Gavin Bryars: bass
Tony Oxley: drums

1. Carvin' The Bird 08:27 cuts in

2. I Remember You 11:56 cuts in + out
3. Out Of Nowhere 11:22 cuts in

total time : 31:46

Recorded 19 March 1966 at Club 43, Manchester, UK

t's no surprise to hear Oxley on this as he has continued to play "straight" as well as free

I jazz throughout his career, but Bailey was a bit of a revelation to me. He sounds like a
Barney Kessell or Wes Montgomery or many other jazz guitarists of the day, playing
bebop ! As for Konitz, well he's as good as ever on this.

Please be warned that the sound quality is not good, even for a 1966 recording, so this is one for
the enthusiasts. As it is a short recording, I'm posting in flac only (sound quality needs all the
help it can get).

Thanks to Scholleck2 for seeding. He says "Bailey/Bryars/Oxley from 1963-1966 actually

formed the Trio "Joseph Holbrook", one of the pioneering bands of free improvisation. ".

I'm sure some of you will know something of the history, but I gather they both hail from
Sheffield. This was my home town in my teenage years (about the same time as they were trying
to make it there, though I had no interest in jazz in those days). At that time Sheffield was a
grimy steel city, a most unlikely place to try and establish free jazz. I can imagine they were
thrown out of a few pubs trying to play that sort of stuff.
11 comments:

Boromir said...

Link (flac)

http://rapidshare.com/files/123823063/KONITZ1966.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/123826325/KONITZ1966.part2.rar
21 June 2008 2:03:00
doron said...

thanks a lot. seem to me it shoul be very interesting to hear konitz play with these people.
21 June 2008 3:10:00
Wallofsound said...

Boromir, this is really great. Bailey's great as well (particularly in support), even if he's
overshadowed at this time by Konitz.

The sound is a bit variable, but I still shut my eyes and I was there!
21 June 2008 9:03:00
Anonymous said...

My first impression upon hearing these sides, which I've often heard about in passing from
folks with little firsthand knowledge, is that the trio is audibly rankling at the chains of bebop
convention. I think it's most apparent during Bailey's solos, when Bryars seems to get more
rhythmically adventurous and harmonically oblique (some free jazz-y pedals here and there).

Not that any of this music is particularly remarkable at this historical juncture--what with some
of the free Americans traveling to Europe around this time--but there are traces of things to come.
I hears some Kenny Burrell, maybe some Grant Green in Bailey's solo work, but it's already
sounding very rhythmically obtuse-- interesting punctuations, silences, and uneven phrases--and
harmonically weird by bop standards (he tends to resolve his melodic patterns clearly enough, but
man some of those lines are really nebulous-sounding). I'd say by certain clues in his articulation
that he definitely has chops, but he just doesn't seem too excited too going through the motions.

-K Evangelista
21 June 2008 23:48:00
glmlr said...

The most interesting thing about this piece of improvising archaeological history is that Bailey
never wanted to talk about it. One can hear and understand why!
22 June 2008 4:59:00
Anonymous said...

I recall Bailey mentioning his work with Konitz in his interviews in the Ben Watson
biography. His recollections in that book were not exactly negative, IIRC, although I didn't get
the impression that he found the stint with Konitz all that important toward his development.
Bailey's observations on his early work were, I think, some of the only substantial material in the
entire Watson book.

I'd think these recordings would have raised more of a stink when they made the rounds,
considering how everyone dropped a brick when that Joseph Holbrooke recording of "Miles'
Mode" streeted. But then that was a supposed disappointment, and the recent trio recording for
Tzadik wasn't exactly the second coming, so maybe people are burnt out on the JH hagiography...

-KE
22 June 2008 13:54:00
1009 said...

very very curious to hear this (speaking as a huge bailey fan). doubly so considering i enjoyed
the watson biography immensely (albeit w/ a fair degree of tolerance for watson's orthodox
adornoism). not necessarily high expectations for the music itself, but just to be a fly on the wall.

we can get too invested in ideas of "progression," or how we think an artist or group must
move from one step to another. bailey himself was pretty dubious about this idea. change is
undeniable, of course, but it's not always possible to see change as logical or unavoidable or
what-have-you. my two cents.
22 June 2008 19:14:00
Jason said...

thanks for posting this. i'm very excited to hear Bailey playing some straighter stuff. would
someone mind telling me what Dime is? i've seen it referred to in several places now, but i don't
know what it is.

again, thanks for this.

23 June 2008 0:21:00
glmlr said...

Jason: "Dime-a-Dozen", formerly known as EZTorrent, is a torrent tracker on the peer-to-peer

networks. Membership is hard to achieve, they don't exactly hold the door open. Most of its
content is pop-rock, but it has small jazz and classical communities. It will not track any
copyrighted material, nor mp3.
23 June 2008 1:06:00
Anonymous said...

Point taken, 1009, though I think Bailey's suspicion of ideas of progression has something to
do with oversimplifying the process of change rather than the idea that a musician can develop
him/herself. Seeing how the "Holbrooke" section of the Improvisation book made this sort of
point, then went on to deal with how that group developed over time, I think it's fair to look for
traces of creative progression in this music.

-especially because, by this time, the trio was supposed to have been playing entirely free
pieces. You could take the document at face value and chalk Bailey's tonal ambiguity and lack of
fluidity on these recordings up to a lack of affinity for the bebop idiom, or you could think of
these sides as a moment in Bailey's music where he is very audibly reined in but still edged into
experimentalism. It is in a way unfortunate that the folks involved haven't seen fit to comment on
the stint with Konitz as the musical results suggest an interesting creative scenario, even though
the dissection of that scenario--and the psychodrama therein--might be immaterial to Bailey's
(etc.) mature musical praxis.

As for Watson--good for someone who stands his ground and does some upsetting things, but
the musical polemic in the Bailey book is just beyond nauseating to me. I understand that Watson
was being "true" to the dialectical nature of Bailey's music by shoehorning tirades into the
biographical work, but Watson seems more intent on constructing a manifesto/fan letter to Bailey
than offering a substantive overview of the music. That there's a "story of free improvisation" in
there is a total joke--the subtitle seems tacked on to accommodate Watson's penchant for
rambling rather than to suggest a more catholic topical scope. WAY too much is left out of
accounts of both Bailey's music (especially his work as a sideman) and free improv, and all in the
service of including a bunch of politically overwrought condemnations of musciains Watson
doesn't like. Apparently, Evan Parker sucks because he gets festival gigs and likes to circular
breathe--what a CONFORMIST.

-K Evangelista
23 June 2008 11:17:00
dave said...

I re-read the Watson bio earlier this year and never thought I'd be able to find something like
this: thanks very much! All I want now is a soundboard recording of Bailey in the pit at a
Morecambe and Wise show ...
30 June 2008 11:46:00
1966-1967, PIECES FOR GUITAR, Tzadik, TZ 7080 (USA) (CD)
(released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

1- G.E.B. (in memory of my father George Edward Bailey) 03.54

2- Haught 03.13
3- Three pieces for guitar 03.07
4- Bits 09.49
5- Practising: wow & stereo 11.05
6- Improvisatin on guitar piece No. 1 03.06
7- Improvisation on guitar piece No. 2 04.05

Tracks 1 and 2 recorded in 1966; other tracks recorded 1967.

Released August 2002

total cd time - 38:45

Cover photograph of Derek Bailey, circa 1966; photographer not known; design by Heung-
Heung Chin.

rivate recordings of incredible historical importance (practically the holy grail to fans

P of free improvisation), Pieces for Guitar presents the earliest known solo recordings of
guitar innovator Derek Bailey. Dating from 1966 (possibly 1965) these pieces were
recorded for personal study during a transitional period and include some of the only
instances of him performing his own written compositions! Under the influence of the music
of Anton Webern, Bailey began working through a variety of techniques as he formalized his
unique approach to music in general and the guitar in particular. These fascinating recordings
offer us a rare glimpse into the secret world of one of the most original and respected
guitarists in the world.

arliest ever recordings of legendary British free improv guitar dude Derek Bailey

E playing solo, circa '66/'67. Those who only know (and love or hate) Bailey for his
later, freely improvised, spidery abstractions will find that these unreleased (until now)
private practice tapes reveal more melodic, composed moods to Bailey's playing than you
might expect, although "sparse" and "difficult" are still terms that would apply here. Really
this is primarily of historical interest to Bailey fans, giving a window thru which
knowledgeable, interested observers can perhaps see how his musical development at the time
incorporated his disciplined jazz-based background, the new, free music of the day, and his
obssession with the not-so-free music of Webern (as detailed in Bailey's liner notes). Others
may find this interesting as well, as sorta pretty, kinda spooky, lo-fi guitar noodling.

erek Bailey's approach to the guitar is uniquely eviscerating. Since the early 1960s

D his allegiance to non-idiomatic improvisation has been unswerving and from the he's
assembled a beautifully articulate and complex musical language that never falls back
on the emotional shorthand of stock riffs or conventional jazz chord progressions. Despite his
avowed intent to approach the instrument 'as new' every time he picks it up, his guitar style is
unmistakable, assembled from blurred shots of harmonics, the stabbing use of a volume pedal
and a tactile and sometimes aggressive use of damped notes.

Bailey is also a supremely lyrical player, if not in any conventional sense, and his
recent release Ballads, where he tackles classics like Stella By Starlight and My Melancholy
Baby, proves that he's just as capable of coaxing subtle melodic shapes from his guitar as he
is of creating whole new universes with each downstroke. Pieces For Guitar, an archival
release on saxophonist John Zorn's Tzadik label, helps fill out the picture even further. It
consists of the earliest known solo recordings of Bailey and -- as well as including some
rehearsal pieces and trial improvisations – it features him playing his own written
compositions, a real one-off in his back catalogue. The opening track GEB is particularly
revelatory, a beautiful melancholic piece written in memory of his father George Edward
Bailey.

Bailey's tone is bell-clear, alternating melodic runs with soft bass hits and single
notes that stand out like nudists and the piece feels truly alive, blossoming from the spare,
tentative intro through to speedy extrapolations that feel so inevitable it's almost as if he has
encoded its whole structure in that opening phrase.

Indeed, his compositional logic seems to mirror his improvisatory approach more
accurately than anyone would have thought possible, as he extrapolates an initial phrase out
into mind- boggling new configurations, triggered by the slightest of timbral associations. The
two closing improvisations are just gravy, especially Improvisation On Guitar Piece No 1 that
sounds at points like some kind of Martian flamenco. At only 38 minutes, it's a short album
but there are more ideas compressed into this disc than you find spread across most box sets.

David Keenan

reviously unavailable recordings from 1966 (probably) of Derek playing his own

P compositions. The booklet notes relate that around this time, Derek was listening to
Anton Webern's compositions every day, and it shows. These are atonal, pointillist
pieces, but not pure impersonations of Webern - they feel looser than Webern's tremendously
tight structures. Rather than the absolute compositional rigour that Webern subjected himself
too, you feel a greater freedom at work here. These are essentially improvisations, albeit
amazingly intense and concentrated improvisations. Essential for anybody seeking to find the
roots of Derek Bailey's guitar technique and style.

ohn Zorn has finally talked one of his most significant influences, the British

J improvising guitarist Derek Bailey, into releasing some of his earliest practice routines
and musical experiments. Bailey's transformation of the language of the guitar,
remorseless anti-compositional stance and quiet campaigning zeal (he was the catalyst for the
multi-national Company Week encounters for years) have had a formidable influence on the
evolution of non-idiomatic spontaneous music around the globe.

Bailey was a conventional session and studio player originally, then a free-player in the 1960s,
then began the phase documented here. He started transcribing Webern's serial music to break
the usual moulds of guitar technique, and moved on to abstract sound generation - brittle,
behind-the-bridge noises, glimmering electronics, raw, percussively struck discords. These
pieces sound like isolated fragments from a musical notebook, and lack the momentum of
Bailey's collaborations with others. But the movement from comparatively tonal music
(notably a soft-toned, glowing, almost vibes-like Bailey composition dedicated to his father),
through variations that suggest jazzy chord-change improvising (though on unusual chords,
and periodically diverted into preoccupied doodlings) and on to the wide-interval jumps, long
pauses, experiments with stereo imaging, scrabbling sounds and elastic-band twangs that
characterise the guitarist's later approach, is compelling listening for the improvisation
cognoscenti as well as the musically curious.

John Fordham, Friday November 29, 2002, The Guardian

hat an unexpected treasure trove this turned out to be! Derek Bailey's earliest

W extant recordings, all solo guitar, none previously heard. Although still very much
under the influence of Webern, Bailey was already committed to the idea of non-
idiomatic free improvisation, even if he arguably hadn't quite achieved that goal by this time.
Compared to his work from only a couple of years later, these pieces are considerably more
on the melodic and jazz-tinged end of things (he even comes close to quoting Monk!),
although even so, they certainly would have gotten him unceremoniously removed from most
stages in 1966-1967. Aside from their inherent beauty as stand-alone works, part of the
fascination of this disc is the way certain pieces clearly anticipate avant-garde rock trends of
the next several years. For instance, "G.E.B.," which opens the album, sounds very much akin
to Don Van Vliet's delicate instrumental tracks like "Peon" and "One Red Rose That I Mean."
Similarly, the closing improvisations bear a marked similarity to Robert Fripp's sparse,
spatially aware playing on "Moonchild" from the first King Crimson album. But the nascent
abstract and almost insectival aspect that Bailey fans would come to know and love is surely
present as well on gnarly, knotty works like "Bits," which also incorporates early explorations
into the use of feedback. And "Practising: Wow & Stereo" would still cause the hackles to
rise on the necks of the great majority of jazz fans, lo, these 35 years hence. It is an invaluable
artifact in the archeology of free improvised music and a must for any fans of the genre.
Highly recommended.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

I l titolo di quest'album - "Pieces for Guitar" - potrebbe forse fuorviarvi, richiamandovene
alla mente decine e decine d'altri analoghi, nell'odierna musica improvvisata
d'impostazione avant-jazz. In realtà col cd in questione, la benemerita Tzadik - etichetta
dell'eclettico, prolifico e spesso geniale sassofonista newyorkese John Zorn - ha voluto
sottrarre dall'anonimato e dall'oblio più ignominiosi alcune partiture fra le maggiormente
interessanti nel pluritrentennale catalogo di mastro Bailey (quello esordiente, nello specifico).
7 pezzi in tutto che colmano il gap informativo, concernente l'attività dell'oramai anziano
(classe 1930) chitarrista anglosassone, nel periodo '66-'67 (quando cioè militava, con tali Tony
Oxley - batteria - e Gavin Bryars - contrabbasso -, nel negletto trio Joseph Holbrooke). Niente
da eccepire sulla qualità delle musiche che ascolterete, magari riscoprendo o scoprendo ex
novo la sensata e razionale radice jazz (classico invero) da sempre celatasi dietro le contorsioni
stilistiche più audaci del Derek innovatore-strumentista. Questa è gran musica, diamine: niente
stecche o fitte atonali da brividi, nessun sfrigolamento o grattugiamento chitarristico di sorta.
Stavolta è un mood meditativo, non assente anche nel Biley "a venire", che tiene banco.
"G.E.B.", ad esempio, dedicata alla memoria del padre scomparso, traspone nell'ambito del
jazz modale, seppur deragliato, gli "accorgimenti" seriali d'un indiscusso caposcuola
contemporaneo: Anton Webern (con Schoenberg e Berg, vertice della cosiddetta Seconda
Scuola di Vienna). Scorrono le tracce sul display e mai davvero il sopruso armonico prende le
redini (differenziando QUESTO Bailey da QUELLO, per dire, della Company o delle prime
incisioni Incus). Se infatti "Practising: Wow" e "Stereo" indulgono in strimpellii e cacofonie
assortite, un uso ad hoc dei silenzi e dell'alea cageana smorzano qualsivoglia velleità
belligerante dei pezzi. L'influenza probabilmente più duratura, nei modi "gentili" di questo
"old fashioned" Bailey, è certamente quella del Webern pianistico. In tal senso, "Improvisation
On Guitar Piece n°1 & 2", riproducono e glorificano alla 6 corde le complessità timbriche
tipiche dei lavori "espressionisti" più riusciti del compositore viennese. Terminato l'ascolto mi
pare un po' come se un povero musicista fantasma - magari d'una orchestrina sinfonica, ormai
estintasi, del "bel secolo" - seguitasse ad eseguirmi nelle orecchie tristi lamenti funebri su d'un
invisibile strumento a corda. Se non avete mai provato il brivido suscitato dai poteri medianici
in musica, acquistate - con le poche lirette salvatesi da anni d'infauste politiche economiche -
questo dischetto e quel sublime ectoplasma ve lo ritroverete, come per incanto, a materializzarsi
nel chiuso buio delle vostre camerette. Un'esperienza da brividi.

ara quienes no tienen la más remota idea de quién es este septuagenario guitarrista

P británico, valga la siguiente referencia: Derek Bailey es el Jimi Hendrix de la

improvisación libre y la música avant-garde. Y si tal vez el retrato verbal suena a
exageración, podemos confirmar la idea con una segunda embestida contundente y categórica:
puede que ni siquiera Hendrix tenga el peso específico de Bailey en esta balanza.

Derek Bailey es la piedra angular de una edificación única cuyos soportes más fuertes son la
libertad de expresión y elección, la exploración y la inspiración espontánea. Algunos
musicólogos norteamericanos de respeto comparan su tratamiento de la música improvisada a
través de las cuerdas de su guitarra, con el trabajo de piano preparado del compositor John
Cage. Bailey es, en consecuencia, el principal deconstructor de los parámetros de
aproximación a la guitarra. Después de él vinieron Keith Rowe (del mítico ensamble docto
AMM), Fred Frith (del grupo experimental Henry Cow), Robert Fripp (líder de la escuela
Guitar Craft), Sonny Sharrock (el gran guitarrista del free jazz), Henry Kaiser y Elliott Sharp
(los más jóvenes exponentes del avant-garde neoyorquino), y todos aquellos guitarristas que
encontraron detrás de la tonalidad y las seis cuerdas una fuente de expresión ilimitada.

Estas Pieces for guitar muestran a un Bailey de 36 años (la estampa de la fotografía de la
época también lo denota) en un documental período transitivo en su obra como músico de
jazz. Si en sus comienzos en la industrial Sheffield se había desvivido por el swing del
maestro gitano, nacido en Bélgica, Django Reinhardt y había actuado en combos de jazz
tradicionalista, instalado en la metrópolis londinense al promediar los años sesentas su
maestro era entonces el compositor austriaco Anton Webern y el lenguaje aleatorio su nueva
razón de ser. Siete registros históricos surgidos en este contexto de apertura total fueron
editados por el prestigioso y anticonvencional sello discográfico Tzadik (perteneciente a John
Zorn), originalmente grabados entre cuatro paredes con tecnología precaria, tal como lo han
hecho prácticamente todos los músicos de la historia alguna vez. Los temas, fechados entre
1966 y 1967 (aunque posiblemente haya registros de 1965), se llaman “piezas”, puesto que
pueden ser “composiciones” o “improvisaciones” según el planteamiento. Son los
magníficos inicios de Bailey como “primera piedra” del edificio, simple y complejo al mismo
tiempo, en una búsqueda ansiosa por llegar a buen puerto: el brote de lo que poco después lo
transformaría en el más importante guitarrista de vanguardia de la historia.

Íñigo Díaz

B ailey's extreme stance makes for a difficult music. Undoubtedly influential he's
championed the atonal, uncategorizable free-improvisatory style throughout his career
and these recordings on Tzadik present his earliest known solo recordings. Recorded
in 1966 and 1967 on electric guitar they are some of the only instances of him performing his
own compositions and are amongst some of the most accessible and enjoyable releases of his
entire career.

piccadillyrecords.com

*
Postcard from D.B. September 2002
1966-1967, WITHDRAWAL (1966-7), Emanem 4020 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997)

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion

Paul Rutherford : trombone, percussion
Trevor Watts : oboe, alto saxophone, flute, voice, percussion
Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones, percussion
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar (tracks 5-11 only)
Barry Guy : double bass, piano
John Stevens : drums, cymbals, percussion

1. Withdrawal soundtrack part 1A 05.19

2. Withdrawal soundtrack part 1B 05.07
3. Withdrawal soundtrack part 1C 07.49
4. Withdrawal soundtrack part 2 13.42
5. Withdrawal sequence 1 11.22
6. Withdrawal sequence 2 10.51
7. Withdrawal sequence 3 "C4" 02.34
8. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Introduction:"Puddles, raindrops & circles" 04.02
9. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Movement 1 04.43
10. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Movement 2 "C" 05.15
11. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Movement 3 07.23

All analogue studio recordings made in London by Eddie Kramer

Tracks 1-4: 1966 September/October. Tracks 5-11: 1967 March

Front cover photograph by Jak Kilby.

P reviously unreleased recordings from 1966-67. "Transitional sextet and septet
performances quite unlike anything before or since, featuring John Stevens, Trevor
Watts, Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Kenny Wheeler and, in 1967, Derek
Bailey. Not only of great historical interest, but fine music in its own right, too. The earliest
published recordings of Guy and Parker, and one of the earliest of Bailey playing free music."

S pontaneous Music Ensemble. Previously unreleased recordings from 1966-67.

"Transitional sextet and septet performances quite unlike anything before or since,
featuring John Stevens, Trevor Watts, Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford,
Kenny Wheeler and, in 1967, Derek Bailey. Not only of great historical interest, but fine
music in its own right, too. The earliest published recordings of Guy & Parker, and one of the
earliest of Bailey playing free music."

SME at Betterbooks Basement (London), March 23 1967. L to R: Paul Rutherford

(trombone), Derek Bailey (amplified electric guitar), Chris Cambridge (double bass), John
Stevens (drums & cymbals), Trevor Watts (oboe, alto sax, flute, voice, percussion), Evan
Parker (tenor and soprano saxophones). Photo © Jak Kilby (reproduced from Withdrawal -
Emanem 4020; Barry Guy is the bassist on the recordings featured on this CD).

T his 78 minute CD presents 11 tracks of 30 year old yet previously unreleased material
from three sessions. The two "Withdrawal" sessions are where they got together to do
the soundtrack for a 35 minute film about a young addict and his experiences in a
mental institution. Barry Guy's double bass provides a wild and weaving ground to the
melodic figuring of Kenny Wheeler's trumpet and Trevor Watts's oboe. The second session
has Derek Bailey in it but I cannot say that he is prominently featured but Watts's flute
playing is superb and is well complimented by John Stevens's drumming.
The third session is a suite, composed and directed by Stevens, called "Seeing Sounds and
Hearing Colours." It begins sparse and atonal with multiphonics from the woodwinds and
bowed cymbols. Paul Rutherford's trombone becomes prevalent. Then it transitions into
somber long tones that cover as far up and down the frequency spectrum as possible. The
third movement has percussion and strings doing a free jazz thing while the woodwinds
occasionally interject these single notes in unison. Beautiful.

Glenn Engstrand, Martin Davidson

The Improvisor, The International web site on free improvisation

EXCERPTS FROM SLEEVE NOTES:

H ere is a missing link between the first two Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME)
recordings to be published. The music on CHALLENGE (recorded 1966 March and
issued on a long vanished Eyemark LP) is mainly free jazz, with composed themes
framing improvisations which are mostly accompanied by the rhythm section. On the other
hand, KARYOBIN (recorded 1968 February, originally on Island and now on Chronoscope
CD CPE2001-2) is radically different - a distinctive, translucent group improvisation with
virtually no traces of jazz left. (Some earlier recordings of this highly influential SME or
"atomistic" approach were recently issued as SUMMER 1967 on Emanem 4005.)

This CD, however, does not give the whole interim story - thirty years later one can only listen
to the aspects that were recorded. The SME was then a collective grouping with John Stevens
and Trevor Watts being the prime movers (and composers). Regular performances, mostly at
the Little Theatre Club in London, featured some or all of these seven musicians (plus a few
others) in various combinations, using pre-composed material at times. All the while, new
approaches were being tried, but many did not make it to tape.

WITHDRAWAL was composed and recorded as the soundtrack to a 35 minute film of the
same name, produced and directed by the American George Paul Solomos. The film has
vanished without trace, but two (slightly imperfect) mono tapes of music, presumably recorded
for the soundtrack, have survived. Special mention must be made of Kenny Wheeler's very
fine playing in what is almost a concerto on PART 1, with Paul Rutherford's trombone and
Trevor Watts' oboe providing most imaginative foils. PART 2 contains particularly excellent
playing by Watts (on alto saxophone) and Wheeler. As before, Barry Guy's role is limited to
providing a flexible drone.

These recordings are the earliest recordings to be published of the then recent SME recruits,
Barry Guy and Evan Parker - and they will probably remain the earliest. It must be said that
not much of Parker is heard here - he says he felt overawed in such company! The other four
musicians had all been on the CHALLENGE LP, whilst Wheeler had appeared on numerous
jazz records during the previous decade.

For the next three months Stevens was resident in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, with one or
two other SME musicians joining him for shorter periods. The group still continued during
this period under the direction of Watts, who also invited Derek Bailey to join them at the
Little Theatre Club, so that when Stevens returned, the group comprised seven musicians who
all went on to have very distinguished careers in free improvisation and/or other areas of
music.

It was decided to record an LP to be called WITHDRAWAL that would include a reworking

of some of the material used for the soundtrack, plus a new suite composed by Stevens while
he was away. The remainder of this CD (tracks 5-11) is the music that was then chosen for
that LP, but not issued until now.

This session is one of the earliest recordings of Bailey playing free music. He appears to play
excellently thoughout, but is unfortunately rather under-recorded.

The revisiting of the WITHDRAWAL material is quite different from the soundtrack
recordings. For instance, Guy no longer has the restricted droning role he had before. The
most obvious item in common is the glockenspiel motif played intermittently on the
soundtrack by Stevens, and now played by Parker (who does not even get to play a saxophone
on the two major tracks).

SEQUENCE 1 features some very fine trombone and trumpet work, and a prime example of
what Victor Schonfield calls "start/stop" drumming. Stevens still used a fairly orthodox jazz
drums and cymbals kit - the small SME kit (first recorded on SUMMER 1967) was some
months off. SEQUENCE 2 is particularly notable for Watts' flute playing (over a rare
example of Guy playing piano), while other tracks feature his equally strong oboe playing, A
year or two later, he decided to concentrate exclusively on the soprano and alto saxophones,
and abandoned his other wind instruments. SEQUENCE 3 is a sparse composed theme over a
busy backdrop (based on C4 written for the mid-1966 Jeff Clyne Quartet SPRINGBOARD
date).

SEEING SOUNDS AND HEARING COLOURS was a suite composed and directed by
Stevens with specific musical textures, timbres and 'colours' in mind.. It reveals the group at an
historically significant transitional point, experimenting with instrumentation and composition,
before taking the plunge with free improvisation; but the group were not wholly satisfied with
these experiments and Stevens later felt he was 'getting side-tracked from the natural, organic
approach towards improvisation'.

This INTRODUCTION featuring oboe and bowed cymbal was inspired by a scene depicting
raindrops falling into pools of water in a natural history film about New Zealand.
MOVEMENT 1 starts with a flourish that ends with a long oboe note leading into a collective
improvisation. MOVEMENT 2 is an improvisation built around the note C. The final
MOVEMENT 3 begins with three chords preceding a group improvisation that is terminated
by the material from the start of MOVEMENT 1 in reverse. As well as containing historically
important transitional music, this CD can be also enjoyed, thirty years late, as being excellent
in its own right by any standards.
Martin Davidson 1997

he record WITHDRAWAL was released on Emanem in 1997. I know, it's not new,

T but it just landed in my CD player and I was completely taken over. These recordings
dating back to 1966-1967 are superb : soft, delicate, emotion-driven, entrancing. To cry
over. A must, as much for the historical relevance of these recordings as for the sheer beauty
of the music. My strongest recommendation *****.

Francois Couture. Delire Actuel Cflx 2000

Y et more Spontaneous music unearthed from the seemingly bottomless Emanem

goldmine archives, and very much the icing on the cake of the label's ambitious and
laudable programme of SME documentation. The SUMMER 1967 CD (Emanem
4005) just about caused me to pop a blood vessel in an inconvenient place, and this one really
had me climbing the walls, showcasing as it does at an achingly early point the work of a
group of improvising musicians who would go on to exert an unquantifiably massive
influence on the way free music as we know it would come to develop. WITHDRAWAL
drips history, from the classic period photos in the booklet right on down to the music.

Given that all involved were still at a - relatively - nascent/formative stage in their careers, one
could be forgiven for thinking that an archival issue of this type might come out somewhat
tentative, but such is absolutely not the case, and with the level of telepathic interplay on
display here, it's easy to see how the SME would rapidly become one of the most brilliantly
pioneering free music entities of all time. Playing by all throughout is totally assured. In
experimental transition between composition and improvisation, the group plays itself inside
out, individual members weave in and around each other, voicing and juxtaposing a multitude
of colours and textures - particularly on the breathtaking Withdrawal - in a visually dazzling
tapestry sequence. Magnificent, faultless stuff, actually similar to what the various members of
the AACM were doing at the same time - though both collectives were completely oblivious to
each other's existences.

The early sound of the SME can now be heard in all its history-rewriting significance and
musically blossoming splendour. WITHDRAWAL is a staggering, crucial document, and an
absolute must if you've crossed paths with any of these men. So profoundly and joyously
does this music move and delight that I'm stumped to name any other that's so 'essential'.

Nick Cain - Opprobrium 1997

P ick up the SME's amazing WITHDRAWAL CD for another ear-opener, a great

history lesson, and some brilliant photographs from the sessions. A genuinely
harrowing early free-screech classic, with some beautiful and unusual combinations of
instruments in the palette, such as flugelhorn, oboe, vibraphone and glockenspiel all blending
in the mournful mix.

Ed Pinsent. The Sound Projector 1997

I think that when this recording was made John Stevens had an idea that the music would
develop by exploring new sounds - understandable, as those were exciting times for new
sounds in general. It was a phase which didn't last long, as he came to realise that the
future lay primarily in group interaction rather than sonic novelties. The music includes a lot
of percussion playing by the members of the group.

Withdrawal is music for a film and features Kenny Wheeler extensively. He plays superbly
and in view of his long involvement with the SME it's a shame that so little of this was
recorded. There is marvellous oboe playing by Trevor Watts. Prodded by John Stevens'
spasmodic propulsion, Wheeler and Paul Rutherford play an intricate interweaving passage
against Watts' vibes playing and Derek Bailey's brief references to Jim Hall.

Richard Leigh - Resonance 1997

here's a slow-motion, hallucinatory quality to the (Soundtrack) music, arising, in

T particular, from Guy's deep arco drones and Wheeler's hazy trumpet tone. Watts
contributes some fascinating near-ethnic sounds on oboe which become increasingly
frenzied as the separate lines work towards occasional tangled crescendos. Stevens' simple,
disorienting glockenspiel wouldn't be out of place in a Hitchcockian psychodrama. The few
jazz inflexions that remain are most noticeable in the playing of Wheeler and Rutherford, the
former here emerging as the most persuasive soloist.

Seeing Sounds & Hearing Colours demonstrates a more ambitious range and control of
group dynamics, with large and small gestures confidently balanced and combined, space used
to telling effect, and a surer sense of structural development and mood-creation as individuals'
non-idiomatic vocabularies become much richer (notably Stevens and Watts) within this
collective context. Over the course of about six months, we've heard the SME develop into a
seminal improvising unit: so much so, that this release now occupies that cornerstone position
in British non-idiomatic free improvisation once held by KARYOBIN.

Chris Blackford - Rubberneck 1997

T he Emanem label is to be congratulated for releasing WITHDRAWAL, an example of

what the SME was up to as early as the middle sixties. It is also noteworthy for being
the first recordings ever to have included the participation of Evan Parker and Barry
Guy, two gentlemen who have made more than a little glorious noise over the last twenty
years. More important than either of these nice historical features (and the excellent liner notes
and photos), however is the music. Here too, WITHDRAWAL is a winner: it's not just
important, it's very good. The late John Stevens was an extremely talented percussionist,
composer and leader, and most of the two suites found on this disc amply demonstrate his
substantial gifts.

The sound quality of both the mono Withdrawal and the stereo Seeing Sounds is bright and
(except for Bailey, who's a bit distant) fairly clear.; The metallic percussion, in particular, is
nicely miked. This disc is well worth the price, not just as evidence of something or other, but
as the very thing itself.

Walter Horn. Cadence 1998

E verybody looks so young in the photos in the booklet. The way they play, I suspect
only Stevens and, in his alto sax passages, Trevor Watts would be at all recognisable
in blindfold tests today. Evan Parker pipes tentative notes here and there, and some
guitar chords by Bailey are audible; Barry Guy supplies bowed bass drones; Kenny Wheeler
frequently becomes the foreground figure, simply by playing dry melodic lines amid the
surrounding pointillism, while Rutherford plays in the background. The music's continuity
comes from Stevens, by default: though his role is largely accompaniment, he plays
throughout the disc. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Stevens conceived of playing drums
like an orchestrator, with an orchestrator's feeling for density, textures, sounds.

John Litweiler - Coda 1998

T his one is an early gem of Bailey's free improvising, in an ensemble featuring some
of what would become the biggest names in English free improvisation: reedmen
Evan Parker and Trevor Watts, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, trombonist Paul
Rutherford, bassist Barry Guy, and percussionist John Stevens. "Withdrawal" is a moody,
brooding, stalking, thing, the soundtrack to a vanished film, on which Wheeler and Watts (on
oboe) play especially well over Barry Guy's whooping, whirling bass. Bailey enters on
amplified guitar during the "Withdrawal Sequence," immediately adding a new energy and
lightness to this music. He immediately comes to the fore with his unpredictable and
mesmerizing improvisations, here in a deft dialogue with Stevens and Guy. The "Withdrawal
Sequence" and "Seeing Sounds & Hearing Colours" sections are excellent opportunities for
hearing Bailey's subtle and intricate interplay with other instrumentalists. What he plays is
never expected, never straightforwardly fitting within a neat harmonic pattern, and yet always
somehow right in terms of helping to form the sounds into a coherent whole.

T hese are recordings of the greatest significance, demonstrating the rapid evolution of
the group's music from soloist with accompaniment patterns to increasingly collective
dialogue.

Stuart Broomer. Coda 1998

manem's excavation of treasures from the early days of British free improvisation

E goes from strength to strength with these three Spontaneous Music Ensemble CDs,
spanning the years 1966-74. Arguably most important are previously unreleased
performances from September/October 1966 and March 1967 which comprise Withdrawal,
also the title of a 35-minute film (now presumed lost) by American George Paul Solomos,
based on the David Chapman book about a drug addict in a mental institution. The four
'Soundtrack' improvisations by Messrs Wheeler, Rutherford, Watts, Parker, Guy (EP's and
BG's earliest published recordings to date) and Stevens were to accompany this film;
musicians having first familiarised themselves with the book. And there's a slow-motion,
hallucinatory quality to the music, arising, in particular, from Guy's deep arco drones and
Wheeler's hazy trumpet tone. Watts contributes some fascinating near-ethnic sounds on oboe
which become increasingly frenzied as the separate lines work towards occasional tangled
crescendos. Stevens' simple, disorientating glockenspiel wouldn't be out of place in a
Hitchcockian psychodrama.

The few jazz inflexions that remain are most noticeable in the playing of Wheeler and
Rutherford, the former here emerging as the most persuasive soloist. Interestingly, Parker
seems less inhibited when taking over glockenspiel duties on track 5. By 'Sequence 1' of the
seven 1967 pieces, Bailey has joined the ensemble, and for 'Sequence 2' Guy has switched
briefly to piano, delivering some imaginative internal (on the strings) and external (on the
keys) percussive sounds. As one might expect, this later series of pieces, entitled 'Seeing
Sounds And Hearing Colours', demonstrates a more ambitious range and control of group
dynamics, with large and small gestures confidently balanced and combined, space used to
telling effect, and a surer sense of structural development and mood-creation as individuals'
non-idiomatic vocabularies become much richer (notably Stevens and Watts) within this
collective context. Over the course of about six months, we've heard SME develop into a
seminal improvising unit; so much so, that this release now occupies that cornerstone position
in British non-idiomatic free improvisation once held by Karyobin (1968). As usual, this
Emanem disc comes with informative sleevenotes and good period photos. Spot the Harry
Palmer lookalike.
 The Spontaneous Music Ensemble
SME at Olympic Sound Studios, 18 February 1968. L to R: Dave Holland (bass), John
Stevens (drums), Evan Parker (soprano saxophone), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet & flugelhorn),
Derek Bailey (electric guitar). Photo © John Kilby (reproduced from Karyobin -
Chronoscope CPE2001-2)
1966-1968, SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE : Unreleased Studio
Sessions and Radio Broadcasts, no label, (CD). Bootleg.

Juicy (from the unreleased Cul-de-Sac soundtrack)

K. Komeda 2:14/completed track

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet

Paul Rutherford : trombone
Trevor Watts : alto saxophone s/breathing**
Jeff Clyne : bass
John Stevens : drums/percussions)

Rec. by Eddie Kramer, prob. at Olympic Sound Studios, London, April

1966.

The Ensemble was apparently commissioned via Eddie Kramer to record

compositions by Krzysztof Komeda for the soundtrack of Roman
Polanskiís 1966 film Cul-de-Sac, an offbeat black-comedy set on the
island of Lindisfarne.

Springboard (and radio announcement)

(Stevens/3:29)

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet/flugelhorn

Paul Rutherford : trombone
Evan Parker : soprano sax/tenor saxophone
Trevor Watts : alto sax/flute/oboe
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Barry Guy : bass
John Stevens : drums

Rec. live by BBC Radio at the Paris cinema, London, Mon March 20,
1967; tr: BBC Radio Light Programme The Jazz Scene (Jazz Club slot),
March 26, 1967.

Willow Trio - Part 2

extract 8:03

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone

Barre Phillips : bass
John Stevens : percussions

Rec. by Eddie Kramer at Olympic Sound Studios, London, October 6,

1967. Willow Trio sessions.

Double Trio - Part 1

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone

Trevor Watts : alto saxophone
Dave Holland : bass
Peter Kowald : bass
Rashied Ali : drums/percussions

John Stevens (d/perc Rec. by Eddie Kramer at Olympic Sound Studios,

London, March 10, 1968.
Unreleased studio session.

T he members of this group are pretty spectacular - though at that time, only the truly
devoted took notice. The Spontaneous Music Ensemble was the brainchild of the
pioneering British drummer John Stevens and a bit of history is provided at
emanemdisc.com.

John Stevens (1940-1994) and Trevor Watts (b. 1939) first met in 1959 when they (and Paul
Rutherford) were in the Royal Air Force. They re-met in 1965, when Stevens became the
drummer in the quintet co-led by Watts and Rutherford (trombone). With the opening of the
Little Theatre Club at the beginning of 1966, that group became the Spontaneous Music
Ensemble (SME). The personnel evolved over the next year. Early in 1967 Stevens had become
the sole leader, and the other members were Watts, Rutherford, Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), Evan
Parker (saxophone), Derek Bailey (guitar) and Barry Guy. By the middle of that year, with a
change of musical direction to the beginning of what is generally considered SME music, the
group had reduced to the duo of Stevens and Parker, with other musicians added on an ad hoc
basis.

As Chilly Jay Chill of destination-out.com commented: "The Spontaneous Music Ensemble were
35 years ahead of the curve. And conjuring their necromancy in real time with actual musicians.
Not that one approach is better, just that the live aspect gives SMEís experiments a different
flava."

According to allaboutjazz.com, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble championed free improvisation

as a form of musical expression. "Everything about the music, right down to the sheer volume of
it, is the product of the moment, and a consequence of this is that the task of gauging precisely
what is going on is made reasonably straightforward. Rhythm and tempo are both irrelevant to
music of this kind, and such is the alertness and responsiveness of the musicians involved that the
music frequently takes on a contemplative air in a way not far removed from chamber music for
all of the idiomatic differences and the antithetical approach. Solos too are sacrificed in pursuit of
a group ethic that makes of ultimate importance the overall sound."

Thanks to notreally for sharing the tracks and for extracting the information below from Paul
Wilson's John Stevens discogaphy at http://efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mstdisc1.html.

If you enjoy free jazz, this should knock your socks off.
1968, KARYOBIN, Chronoscope CPE2001-2, ILPS 9079 (UK) (LP)
(released in 1968)

SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE :

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, flugelhorn
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Dave Holland : bass
John Stevens : drums

- Karyobin parts 1-6 Total time : 49.04.

Recorded by Eddie Kramer at Olympic Sound Studios, 18 February 1968.

Remastered at Town House Studios, 1993.

Original sleeve design by David Chaston.

Painting of Karyobin by Robert Macauley.

aryobin is a gem from 1968. Look at the line-up. The impeccable Evan Parker

K (saxes), already showing the trademarks of his emerging virtuosity and split second
reflexes. Derek Bailey (guitar) beginning to carve a new language from the
vocabulary of the jazz and function musician of only a few years previous. Kenny Wheeler
(trumpet), the most conventional player here yet with a fluidity of invention that does full
justice to the company he keeps. Dave Holland, shortly to leave for the States and Miles
Davis, underpinning the proceedings with his quicksilver lyrical bass. And, of course, the
group's convenor the late great John Stevens (drums), who committed himself to the pursuit of
freedom and beauty in the darkest corners. This is jazz on the cusp of free improvisation, and
it is the spirit of collectivity and the ascendance of spontaneity over tradition that makes it such
a landmark.

Gus Garside

S PONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE Karyobin CD [Chronoscope] Quite why this

came up for review, I don’t know. Up there with The Crypt and Machine Gun as a
benchmark of what was at the edge of the bench in Europe by the late 60s, Karyobin
(1968) is so great an exercise in free playing that the Penguin Jazz Guide clearly recommends
it. This site is, apart from all else, an unmissable early appearance of Evan Parker, one of the
most interesting players of anything of the last few decades. Rather than sound beyond the
usually musical or hard and hairy fury, this is unhitched instrumentalist interplay of the most
paradisiacal splendour. Gentle and quick, like birds, the linear flurries of sax and guitar weave
feather after feather into the jewelled whole, a miracle of selfless happiness. Every deft stroke
is dauntingly clear: no overblowing, no scratching, no scraping; just pure old fashioned notes
and beats. Here we witness a musical Eden beyond envy or jealousy, where the musicians
roam naked and are not ashamed.

Jon

aryobin was originally released by Island Records! It is one of the seminal

K recordings of freely improvised music, made in 1968 by British pioneers

Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Personnel: Kenny Wheeler, Evan Parker, Derek
Bailey, Dave Holland and John Stevens. Also, Parker and Bailey's first record. An
accomplished group outing it was, too. Wheeler and Parker provide the most assertive
dialectical exchanges: the former still with a Cool ear for jazz heritage, the latter sculpting a
new, non-idiomatic soprano sound, bristling with lightning flourishes. Bailey's textural
smudges and icy chords are glimpsed above the restless, understated groundswell of Stevens'
cymbalplay. Holland, though freed from rhythm section constraints, opts for a fairly
conventional tonal role. Karyobin also makes a fascinating comparison with the following
year's more abstract Music Improvisation Company release (Incus CD 12).

Chris Blackford

S ME had already been going for a couple of years when Karyobin was recorded in
1968. Drummer John Stevens has pushed the group from the from the freedom of jazz
into the wider challenge of collective free improvisation. The awareness and openness
this demanded on the part of the musicians can be heard throughout this pioneering album.
Compared to the magnificent raging bark of Peter Brotzmann's Machine Gun (recorded a
couple of months later), the music on Karyobin distances itself from the energy and
impassioned self-expression of free jazz. Evan Parker and Kenny Wheeler play with
extraordinary closeness, between and beneath them Derek Bailey had already taken the guitar
into unheard-of territory. The rhythmic flexibility of John Steven's gentle work provides the
space for it all to happen. Like the best of the improvised music that has followed in the
ensuing 30 years, it touched on a special kind of intensified awareness, an in-the-moment
saying and listening that is enthralling to hear unfold. WM
1969, THE BAPTISED TRAVELLER, CBS 52664 (GB) (LP)
(released in 1969)

Tony Oxley Quintet :

Evan Parker : tenor saxophone
Kenny Wheeler : trumpet/fluegelhorn
Derek Bailey : guitar
Jeff Cline : bass
Tony Oxley : drum

1- Crossing 11.00
2- Arrival 11.25
3- Stone garden 12.00
4- Preparation 04.00

Recorded 3 January 1969.

969 studio session (January 3rd for all you 'Martin Davidson' types...) including Evan

1 Parker (tenor Sax), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet/flugelhorn), Derek Bailey (guitar), Jeff
Cline (bass), as well as Tony himself (drums). As far as late 60's SME related
recordings go, this one's a scene stealer; all (now familiar) moves are squarely in place and a
certain youthful exuberance/reckless abandon exhibited within certainly hinders not.

Hrvatski.
C lassic recording from the early days of British free jazz, this disc features Oxley,
Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, and bassist Jeff Clyne. This is not free
improvisation, the three cuts are actual compositions (two by Oxley, one by Charlie
Mariano). At times there are tunes, at times there is pulse, at times there are free
improvisations. It is fascinating to hear Oxley play on a normal drum kit, for those of us used
to hearing him on his current setup, which is just as much a work of art as a drum set.

O ne of the problems with early British improv has been that recordings haven't always
been easy to get a hold of, since a number of them were recorded for larger
corporations that haven't been very interested in reissuing them. For instance, the
classic 1968 SME date _Karyobin_, recorded for Island, was unavailable until very recently,
with the Chronoscope re-issue. ECM still hasn't re-issued a number of notable dates, like the
Music Improvisation Company's final recording, or the Bailey/Holland duets. Deutsche
Grammophon has a 3-LP set of free improv in its archives which they have never re-issued. --
Fortunately Columbia has recently re-issued a pair of Tony Oxley discs from this period,
though I'd suggest snapping them up before they vanish again. _The Baptised Traveller_ is
not strictly free-improv because all tracks involve composed materials (even a version of a
Charlie Mariano tune), but the radicalness of the musical language is nonetheless apparent,
especially on the opening blasts on the 1st track, & the freedoms of the last track,
"Preparation". This is closer to American free jazz, in fact, than the MIC or (some lineups of)
the SME; in particular I've never heard Evan Parker sound so directly Aylerish--it's quite
revelatory listening for anyone who's only heard his more "mature" work. It's a terrific band,
rather similar to _Karyobin_'s lineup: Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey (who only
plays on the 2nd side of the original album), Jeff Clyne & Oxley himself, playing "straight"
kit rather than the more extravagant nonstandard kit & electronics he increasingly turned to in
the 1970s. Documentation of Wheeler's "out" playing is rather thin on the ground at the
moment, so this is especially welcome--& he's in marvellous form. Any fan of free-improv
will want this album: it still packs a punch.

Amazon: Customer Reviews

Early days in British improv, March 15, 2002
Reviewer: Nate Dorward from Toronto, ON Canada

C lassic recording from the early days of British creative improvisation, this disc
features Oxley, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, and bassist Jeff Clyne.
This is not free improvisation, the three cuts are actual compositions (two by Oxley,
one by Charlie Mariano). At times there are tunes, at times there is pulse, at times there are
free improvisations. It is fascinating to hear Oxley play on a normal drum kit, for those of us
used to hearing him on his current setup, which is just as much a work of art as a drum set.
1969, NIPPLES, Calig CAL 30604 (Germany) (LP) (released in 1970)

PETER BRÖTZMANN SEXTET:

Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone
Evan Parker : tenor saxophone
Derek Bailey : guitar
Fred Van Hove : piano
Buschi Niegergall : bass
Han Bennink : drums

1- Nipples

Recorded at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg on 18 April 1969.

PETER BRÖTZMANN QUARTET :
Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone
Fred Van Hove : piano
Buschi Niegergall : bass
Han Bennink : drums

2- Tell a green man

Recorded at Rhenus Studio, Godorf on 24 April 1969.

Produced by Manfred Eicher.

Cover design by Peter Brötzmann.

S imply put, Nipples is one of the rarest & most influential European energy jazz
recordings of all time. The incendiary Sextet lineup featured an international cast of
musical greats. The Quartet recordings (sans Bailey & Parker) also remain an
intensely creative watershed of conventionally configured jazz lineups 30 years later. Virtually
everything about Nipples is simply the stuff of legend. Beyond the remarkably stunning
lineups, half the recordings were laid down at none other than Conny Plank’s studio; the
balance at Manfred Eicher’s Ludwigsburg facility. Truly a collector’s holy grail & an
absolute must for any jazz fanatic.

L ong awaited re-issue of this historic pre-FMP album by Peter Brotzmann. Known to
many for it's placement on "The List" (T. Moore's Top Ten list of free jazz artifacts as
published in Grand Royal of course), this is one of the most desirable and completely
unseen albums in the genre of modern improvisation. Recorded April 18/24, 1969 and
released on the Calig-Verlag label. "Simply put, Nipples is one of the rarest and most
influential European energy jazz recordings of all time. The incendiary Sextet lineup featured
an international cast of musical greats; leader Brötzmann and bassist Buschi Niebergall
(Germany), tenor saxophonist Evan Parker and guitarist Derek Bailey (UK), and pianist Fred
Van Hove (Belgum). Virtually everything about Nipples is simply the stuff of legend. The
most revered lineup in the history of Euro free jazz got together on only one occasion to
record a genre-defining album in the most creative & hallowed of German studios (Conny
Plank's), and the result has been out of print for 30 years.

P eter Brotzmann Sextet & Quartet's "Nipples," the first track on the recently re-issued
CD of the same name, starts off with a percussive noise and a saxophone in overdrive,
immediately playing all over various the place. Guitar, piano and bass arrive as well,
and soundtracks the musicians blast their way into a sound full of energy and openness.
They sound to me like they're playing together and separately at the same time. In your ears
you can isolate each instrument and in each case you'll hear a musician soloing like crazy,”
playing a dizzying path of spot-on notes. Listen to the whole, however, and you don't get the
mess that you might expect with six musicians each blazing his own path. Instead you get a
new kind of cohesiveness. Everything fits together in an interesting way, without being
planned to fit together, at least not in the conventional way that musical numbers are
plannedout.
This track and the other one on Nipples were recorded in April of 1969 and fit in the category
of old music that sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. Or today, tomorrow or in
the next century. It has both the wild energy of the best rock music and the timelessness of
something new. It also has a historical place in free jazz, though that I can't pretend to be the
expert who can deliver all of the details. Free jazz is something fairly new to my ears, which is
one reason it's so amazing how easy Nipples is to listen to. This is intense, wild music, but to
me it doesn't sound as uncomfortably noisy as free jazz potentially could sound to someone
not accustomed to its form.

The historical significance of this release, as I understand it, is that Nipples is the only
recording ever made by this particular group of musicians, including not only saxophonists
Brotzmann and Evan Parker, but also guitarist Derek Bailey, pianist Fred Van Hove, bassist
Buschi Niebergall and drummer Han Bennik, most of whom have carved out their own
spectacular places in the history of jazz and avant garde music. It also was has been out of
print for 30 years, and therefore has been a much-sought-after rarity.

The second track, "Tell a Green ping, awe-inspiring and beautiful.

ipples is one of those landmark releases that been heard about more than heard. In

N 1969, For years this record was extremely hard to find, and if you did find it, you'd
pay a premium price. "Nipples" was Peter Brotzmann's third album which shows
compositional complexity taking precedence over the bone pulverizing intensity of his debut:
Machine Gun. For the title track, Brotzmann assembled a sextet that featured Englishmen
Evan Parker on sax and Derek Bailey on guitar along with Han Bennink on drums, Fred Van
Hove on piano and Buschi Niebergal on bass. It's fascinating to listen to "Nipples," knowing
what each of these players would go on to do. The range of dynamics in this 17 minute piece
is astounding. The group works through an array of textures from howling sax barrages, to
splintery electric guitar figures to pianistic plate tectonics. It's almost a preview of the next
thirty years of free improvised music.

INK 19
Author: Bob Pomeroy. Posted: 8/10/00; 11:06:31 PM

ime has a way of softening the sound of chaos. Ornette Coleman’s double-quartet

T freakout Free Jazz may have sounded like God’s own thunder in 1960; now it sounds
like a relatively mortal blueprint for the stylistic moves to come. Ditto with the
Stooges’ Fun House, Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica and any number of other
headsplitting milestones. Recorded in 1969, Peter Brötzmann’s Nipples is a none-too-quiet
exception. One of the pioneering avant-garde reedist’s early recordings, the two pieces on
Nipples (running 17:54 and 15:32 apiece) still sound fierce, out of control, mad, bad and
dangerous to know. "Nipples" is the Sextet piece, and features Brötzmann’s staunchly
abrasive tenor sax in good company with Evan Parker’s own tenor, Derek Bailey’s atonal
guitar and the rhythm section of Fred Van Hove (piano), Buschi Niebergal (bass) and Han
Bennik (drums) all bashing away in vertiginous circles that leave the listener very few
footholds of comfort. If "Tell a Green Man" sounds slightly more tame, it’s just a numbers
game: With only Brötzmann and the rhythm trio snarling at each other, they rise out of the
piece’s sedate intro to make just as much noise with a bit less volume. For anyone who
believes that musicians have only recently begun to really make noise, Atavistic’s Unheard
Music Series re-issue of Nipples is a roaring reminder that some things do not mellow over
time.

Brian Glaser, July 13–20, 2000

1969, MORE NIPPLES, Atavistic Unheard Music Series UMS /
ALP236CD (UK) (CD) (released in 2003)

Peter Brötzmann Quartet and Sextet :

Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone

Evan Parker : tenor saxophone (track 1 only)
Derek Bailey : guitar (track 1 only)
Fred Van Hove : piano
Buschi Niebergall : bass
Han Bennink, drums

1- More nipples 17.18

2.- Fiddle-faddle 13.14
3.- Fat man walks 09.21

Track 1 recorded at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg on 18 April 1969; other tracks recorded at
Rhenus Studio, Godorf on 24 April 1969.

Cover design Flyswatter lithograph, 1962 by Peter Brötzmann.

O ne of the great archaeological finds of recent years: Three lost tracks from the
Nipples sessions. Dateline: Germany, 1969. The legendary lineup: Peter Brötzmann
and Evan Parker (saxophones), Derek Bailey (guitar), Fred Van Hove (piano),
Buschi Niebergall (bass), Han Bennink (drums). Over the course of two long studio
sessions, Peter Brötzmann assembled one of the masterpieces of free jazz from Europe,
Nipples, which was re-issued by the Unheard Music Series in 2000. Brötzmann has always
 mentioned more material, but thought it had been discarded long ago. But in 2002, FMP
founder Jost Gebers discovered a reel of material, recorded by both the quartet (without Bailey
and Parker) and sextet incarnations, in the FMP archive. Here, then, for the first time, is an
entire record's worth of alternate pieces, including a sextet blowout featuring Parker on
soprano saxophone and Bailey's guitar much more up-front than on the original LP, and two
fantastic quartet pieces.

P
rime cuts of Peter Brötzmann and company at his most ferocious, the 40 minutes of
music on this CD were literally forgotten until 2002 when FMP founder Jost Gebers
discovered this cache of unreleased tapes in his archives.

Living up to the series title, the three tracks were recorded at the same 1969 session that
produced NIPPLES (Atavistic/Unheard Music Series UMS/ALP 205 CD), one of the
German saxophonist’s most distinctive early sessions, that itself was out-of-print for years
until reissued in 2000. Unlike that disc, British saxophonist Evan Parker and guitarist Derek
Bailey are only featured on the title track. The other two highlight the reedist’s quartet of the
time, completed by Flemish pianist Fred Van Hove, the late German bassist Buschi
Niebergall and Holland’s Han Bennink on drums and percussion. Among the likely reasons
that these tracks weren’t released at the time of recording is that in contrast to the original
LP, the more than 17-minute tune with the two Englishmen sounds closer to certified,
restrained BritImprov than the expected balls-to-the-walls Continental variety.

The top of the piece initially features rapid runs or laid back arco work from the bassist,
rubato piano cadenzas, irresolute plinks and clinks from the guitarist and drumming that’s
more shake and rattle than anything you would imagine from Bennink today. Van Hove’s
flashing octave jumping and right-handed tremolo lines appear to share lead duties with
Bailey’s flat-picking, with the others almost struggling to keep up. Only when the saxmen
shows up does Niebergall assert himself with a buzzing output that takes on jagged, top-of-
scale, violin-like qualities. Then Bennink, who could be making music with a collection of
pots and pans -- so brassy is his sound -- starts to clatter away at greater volume, while
Bailey retreats. Using Van Hove’s high-intensity
arpeggios ranging over the keyboard as backing, Brötz and Parker make like an avant-garde
Griff & Jaws produced an onslaught of curved split tones. Characteristic wild gouts of
overblown notes tumble from the German’s horn, and, surprisingly, he’s answered in kind
by the Briton.

Before an oscillating bass line and simple piano end the proceedings, Brötzmann has
asserted himself with long nasal yowls from his horn Using the same rattling, metallic
percussion, Bennink also introduces timbres that could come from struck wood block and
hand-spanked conga drums on the quartet tracks, recorded in another studio six days later.
With his cymbals quivering like aluminum pie plates, the Dutchman’s playing starts to
resemble what you hear from Third World junkeroo bands that find their percussion
instruments in garbage heaps and trash cans. However the bassist is more energized,
probably spending as much time resolutely hammering on the wood with his fists and
rapidly striking the front of his strings with the bow as he does bowing and plucking. As for
Brötzmann, on both tunes he works himself into an altissimo, artery-bursting fury, yanking
multiphonics and irregular vibrations from his reed in a style that’s half bar walking R&B
tenor sax and half intestinal shrieks. It gets so that any duck quackingoverblowing he
exhibits is overtaken by unaccompanied renal screams, that under pressure from the rhythm
section’s rapid response move into a higher and more feral range.

You have to remember that this was a time when Albert Ayler was still alive and other tenor
men like Pharoah Sanders, Charles Tyler, Frank Wright and Archie Shepp were playing at
their most vehement. With Teutonic meticulousness Brötz seems to be going them one
better.

Is this an essential disc then? Well, it’s different and certainly interesting, but only in spots
offers more than expected. Still if you’re a follower of any of the men involved --and/or
need another fix of unfettered Free Jazz preserved in its rawest form -- the CD will
unquestionably excite you.

Ken Waxman, October 6, 2003

1969, INSTANT COMPOSERS POOL, ICP 004 (UK) (LP)
(released in 1978)

Instant Composer Pool :

Derek Bailey : guitar
Han Bennink : drums, oboe, gachi, conch-trumpet

1- An old woman is shelling beans inside her privy parts.

It sounds "like the deep croaking of a frog". 14.40
2- Suki 02.35
3- Gachi = long tin african trumpet 01.35
4- Kst, Kst 01.30
5- Good Morning, Derek I 10.45
6- Chonkichonki 05.20
7- Tsk, Tsk 02.30

Recorded 30 July 1969.

Cover design by Han Bennink.

A s much as any group anywhere, ICP encompasses a full range of modern musics:
Ellington and Monk, Kurt Weill and European dance band music of a lost age, Lacy
,Webern' chamber music, South African kwela, free improvisation, conducted
improvisation, interactive games, counterpoint and simultaneity, catchy melodies, pastel
harmonies, order and built in chaos.
Post modern composers like to jump cut from one style to another: think Zorn. ICP‚s music
drifts from one locus to another like the action in a dream, where the guiding intelligence may
thwart rational progress. Some compositions feature glaring wrong notes or brazenly dumb
ideas; no piece exists in a definitive state. Players have the option of making some will fully
idiotic melody sound better or even worse. From one performance to the next, a piece may
sound radically different."

ICP’s mix is perplexing in the best sense: the music doesn‚t give up its secrets on first
hearing, or second, or third. It keeps you coming back. This is jazz / improvised music at its
most deft and sophisticated. The musicians treat it with the reverence usually reserved for a
chewed up slipper."

From New Dutch Swing by Kevin Whitehead. Billboard Books, 1998.

T he ICP, or Instant Composers Pool, Orchestra recorded relatively little, but achieved
international acclaim for its sophisticated improvisations, ingenious interpretations of
landmark composers such as Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk and for the band
members' extraordinary level of musicianship. The Amsterdam-based group is a blend of
European improvised music, jazz music and the Dutch irreverent attitude, in general, which all
combine into a highly sophisticated yet enjoyable music that has astonished and impressed
music lovers for several decades.

ICP was founded as a label and group concept in the late '60s when reedist Willem Breuker
and drummer Han Bennink self-released a duo recording on a label they named ICP. Fellow
Dutch musician and collaborator, pianist Misha Mengelberg became the third equal member
of ICP, having recently come up with the term "instant composing" to use in "improvising's"
stead. The name ICP quickly became an umbrella for a wide variety of line-ups during its first
decade of existence. It wasn't too long before these groups included either Breuker or
Mengelberg but not both, as the two musicians had clashing opinions on approaches to live
performance, what ICP should be and many other musical issues. Breuker wanted tunes and
rehearsals, Mengelberg wanted instant composing. Breuker wanted more people admitted who
would have equal voting rights, Mengelberg wanted the core three members to have final say.
Both also had different takes on music theater, which ICP got involved in the late '60s. So,
both led their own ICP gigs, with Bennink (who didn't choose sides) performing in both,
although more often with Mengelberg. Breuker's group included such musicians as bassist
Maarten Altena, trombonist Willem van Manen, saxophonist Peter Bennink (Han's younger
brother), pianist Leo Cuypers and keyboardist Michel Waisvisz. Mengelberg and Bennink
first had a trio with the frequently-visiting British saxophonist Evan Parker starting in 1969,
followed by a quartet line-up with reedsman John Tchicai and guitarist Derek Bailey, which
had a brief tour and two recordings from 1970-71, including a classic of European
improvisation, Fragments. Months before this, the core duo and Parker were joined by Bailey,
saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, trombonist Paul Rutherford and Peter Bennink to record a
septet album, Groupcomposing. During this time, Mengelberg and Bennink also recorded an
untitled duo for the ICP label.

By 1973, the inevitable split came and musicians went with one or the other, resulting in
Breuker's still-thriving theatrical and fun-loving Willem Breuker Kollektief, while Mengelberg
continued with the name ICP, which was, again, a continuously changing line-up for several
years, during which only Misha, Han Bennink and American tubist Larry Fishkind were
mainstays. Rotating members included Brotzmann, Tchicai, cellist Tristan Honsinger,
saxophonist Keshavan Maslak, trombonist George Lewis and saxophonist Paul Termos. The
first recording of ICP in its later, larger size came in early 1977, as ICP-Tentet in Berlin (SAJ,
1978). The first of the lasting members came three years later, when trombonist Wolter
Wierbos joined. Reedsman Michael Moore came on board not too long after, first appearing
on Japan Japon (DIW, 1982), as did violist Maurice Horsthuis, who was soon followed by his
Amsterdam String Trio bandmates, bassist Ernst Glerum and cellist Ernst Reijseger
(Reijseger, Moore and Bennink also formed another group together, the Clusone 3).
Horsthuis eventually left (and the violist chair was filled a couple more times before being
retired) but Reijseger and Glerum stayed. Due to the larger roster, the "instant composing"
tenet shifted slightly to "conducted improvisation." By the 1990s, the band also included
saxophonist Ab Baars and trumpeter Thomas Heberer, with Honsinger returning by the mid-
'90s.

ICP Orchestra has recorded tributes to Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols (ICP 026) in
1984 and 1986, respectively. Mengelberg has also led the group in many brilliant (but
unrecorded) programs of Duke Ellington's music. In addition to the Monk/Nichols release,
and the early '80s DIW Japan Japon, ICP also recorded two volumes of Bodspaadje
Konijnehol (Forest Path Rabbithole) from 1989-90 (ICP 028,029). The ICP Orchestra didn't
record again until 1997, this time for HatArt, resulting in the critically hailed album Jubilee
Varia. The line-up by then consisted of Mengelberg, Moore, Baars, Wierbos, Reijseger,
Honsinger, Glerum and Bennink, but by the time the group toured for the album's 1999
release, Reijseger had left the group permanently.

Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide

1969, EUROPEAN ECHOES, FMP 0010. (LP) (1969)

Manfred Schoof Orchestra:

Enrico Rava : trumpet
Manfred Schoof : trumpet
Hugh Steinmetz : trumpet
Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone
Gerd Dudek : tenor saxophone
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Derek Bailey : guitar
Fred Van Hove : piano
Alex Schlippenbach : piano
Irène Schweizer : piano
Arjen Gorter : bass
Peter Kowald : bass
Buschi Niebergall : bass
Han Bennink : drum
Pierre Favre : drum

1- European Echoes, Part 1 15:24

SOLOISTS:

Derek Bailey : guitar

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone
Enrico Rava : trumpet
Alexander von Schlippenbach : piano
Fred van Hove : piano
Irene Schweizer : piano

2- European Echoes, Part 2 15:26

SOLOISTS:

Pierre Favre : drums

Han Bennink : drums
Arjen Gorter : bass
Peter Kowald : bass
Buschi Niebergall : bass
Gerd Dudek : tenor saxophone
Hugh Steinmetz : trumpet
Manfred Schoof : trumpet

Recorded: June 1969

Released: 1969, W.Germany
Credits (Productions) : Composed By Manfred Schoof
Produced by Jost Gebers / Recorded in Bremen, Germany, June 1969
Coverdesign: Wolfgang Walter / Coverphotograph: Johannes Muth

M anfred Schoof grew up perfecting his innovative jazz style, often practicing on
either his jazz trumpet or his flügelhorn. By the time he reached high school,
Schoof was composing his own arrangements. In 1955, Schoof decided to purse a musical
career, enrolling in the Music Academy (Musikakademie) at Kassel. After studying and
performing there for three years, he moved to further his studies at the Cologne
Musikhochschule. While there, Schoof took a jazz class by Kurt Edelhagen, a West
German bandleader who also had his own radio program. Schoof and Edelhagen
established a musical connection, with the pupil contributing to the teacher's Radio Big
Band radio show. At the same time, Schoof began touring with Gunter Hampel. In 1965,
Schoof created a free jazz quintet with Gerd Dudek and Alex Von Schlippenbach. It would
be the foundation for another band he formed in 1969, the Manfred Schoof Orchestra. The
group toured throughout Germany and Europe, featuring Evan Parker and Irène Schweizer,
among others. In 1969, he joined the George Russell Orchestra and stayed with the band
until 1971. Throughout the next two decades, Schoof expanded his musical horizons,
recording and performing with several groups, including Global Unity Orchestra and Jasper
Van't Hof. He also began composing classical music pieces, often composing them for the
Berlin Philharmonic.

Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide

An excellent record that will appeal not only free jazz/improvisation music fans but even
industrial/experimental music lovers.
1969, JOHN STEVENS – Spontaneous Music Ensemble (aka‘Oliv’)
Marmalade 608008/Polydor 2384 009 (lp) lame 320 kbs. (Released
in 1971) (Bootleg on Internet)

John Stevens – Spontaneous Music Ensemble (aka ‘Oliv’)

Kenny Wheeler (fh)
Trevor Watts (as)
Johnny Dyani (b)
John Stevens (perc)
Maggie Nicols (voc)
Pepi Lemer (voc),
Carolann Nicholls (voc).

Waiting for Giorgio 14’02 unissued

add Derek Bailey (g), Peter Lemer (p)

Waiting for Giorgio 22’50

Oliv I (Stevens/Nicols) 19’33

Marmalade 608008/Polydor 2384 009 (lp)

all out except Watts, Dyani, Stevens, Nicols
Oliv II (Stevens/Nicols) 16’02

Marmalade 608008/Polydor 2384 009 (lp)

Rec. by Eddie Offord at Advision Studio, London, February 7th, 1969.

This is almost folk like , very different to the pointilism derided as plink plonk scratch by
detractors, which characterises most of their out put.

14 comments:

sotise said...

info not included in the file

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AFHSQJEE
20 July 2008 4:01:00
Anonymous said...

GREAT find. Thanks.

-KADE
20 July 2008 11:50:00
Nick said...

thank you sotise, and thank you anonymous friend. I've always been curious to hear this.
20 July 2008 17:55:00
Anonymous said...

many thanks! just found this blog...haven't done any blog trawling since church no. 9 went
down
-duplo
20 July 2008 19:39:00
glmlr said...

Thanks Sotise. I'm a little confused - you wrote, "Waiting for Giorgio 14’02 unissued", then
"Waiting for Giorgio 22’50 –
" blank! Is it included here?? I have this LP, but my ears are still "Waiting For Giorgio"!
21 July 2008 11:54:00
gerireig said...

What a line-up! Once again, your impeccible taste is showing. Thanks again.
21 July 2008 19:10:00
sotise said...
 glmlr you'll unfortunately be waiting a long time for giorgio ..the track is not included here
either.

the info was taken from john stevens online sessionography.

if anyone has either/or both takes of waiting for giorgio..please post!!

22 July 2008 3:52:00
kinabalu said...

Thanks for this one, sotise. This is certainly one I've been waiting to hear. It's chamber music-
like, if one would like to put a word on it, and perhaps not directly categorisable as jazz (though it
goes get jazzy once the full band kicks in). I picked up one John Stevens record called "Folkus -
Life of Riley" which at least on the face of it would seem folkish, but on closer listening, is not
really anything of the sort. This was an Affinity release from the first part of the 80s.

The Giorgio shouldn't happen to be Giorgio Gomelsky (also known as the G in the BYG
label)?
24 July 2008 4:34:00
sotise said...

yep kinabalu, thats our george.

folkus- life of riley sounds tantalizing, i never really explored stevens output much outside of
sme.. it would make a fine future post perhaps eh....
25 July 2008 6:31:00
glmlr said...

Kinabalu: No, that's not right. The G in BYG was Jean Georgakarakos.
27 July 2008 5:32:00
kinabalu said...

sotise,

well, that's exactly what I've done - explore the non-SME part of John Stevens - assuming that
the hounds would be after the SME - and by and large disregard whatever else he's done - hence
making it easier to pick up good itmes on the second-hand market. And the Folkus is just one
case in point.

glmr,

thanks for that correction. I haven't been able to make any clear connection of Gomelsky with
BYG except through Daevid Allen and Gong - and he was involved with Magma later on, but
were they on BYG at all? And I believe BYG started before Gomelsky left for France (for good -
having had enough of the "perfidious Albions" by then).
27 July 2008 7:44:00
Duncan said...
 Thanks for posting this. I also have always wanted to hear this. For a lot more of John Stevens
(SME and non-SME) see the Emanem label.
27 July 2008 8:24:00
glmlr said...

I understand there's no Magma in the BYG Actuel catalogue, S.

For the record, BYG stands for Jacques Bisceglia, Jean-Luc Young & Jean Georgakarakos,
who established the label.
27 July 2008 10:13:00
hideo said...

incomprehensibly, I missed this and was just doing some web lookup on John Stevens and
came back to it

thankyou, thankyou!
26 August 2008 7:32:00
» Spontaneous Music Ensemble http://destination-out.com/?cat=45

Archive for the 'Spontaneous Music Ensemble' Category

The Present Inside the Past
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006

OLIV I
Spontaneous Music Ensemble
John Stevens - Spontaneous Music Ensemble
Marmalade/Polydor : 1969

Kenny Wheeler, flugelhorn; Derek Bailey, guitar; Trevor Watts, alto sax; Peter Lemer, piano; Johnny Dyani, bass; John
Stevens, percussion and glockenspiel; Maggie Nicols, Pepi Lemer, Carolann Nicholls, voices.

DLD:? Is there a “British sensibility” in jazz? Is it expressed here?

CJC:? To me, the British part of this track comes across less in the jazz elements than the other sounds.
“Oliv I” has always sounded like it had a strong Brit folk tinge. Some of the ritualistic textures and
droney voices seem straight off the original Wicker Man soundtrack. There’s something… eldritch
about the whole piece. A strange mix of minimalism and freak-folk. Like an unholy mash-up of Terry
Riley and? vintage Fairport Convention. ?

DLD:? So I guess you could say it’s real British roots music.

CJC:? It’s probably? easier to hear those elements now than it was, say,? 20 years ago. Especially since
the whole folk thing has come full circle and reissues of avatars like Vashti Bunyan, Comus, and The
Incredible String Band are totally in vogue.

DLD:? Hmm. Simon Reynolds has this brilliant piece in the new issue of The Wire (#273) about the
Ghost Box label and a tribe of British electronic musicians who create their pieces by sampling the
U.K.’s pop culture past. They use elements of library music, television and radio shows, Hammer
horror flicks, and crucially, lots of English psychedelic folk music. I’m not exactly sure it directly relates

22/03/08 15:07
» Spontaneous Music Ensemble http://destination-out.com/?cat=45

to SME, but it seems like they were doing something similar. ?

CJC:? Of course SME were 35 years ahead of the curve. And conjuring their necromancy in real time
with actual musicians. Not that one approach is better, just that the live aspect gives SME’s experiments
a different flava.

DLD:? Okay, so here’s the bigger question: Is this even jazz?

CJC:? Why not? The length and sprawl of the piece — it travels for almost 19 minutes — certainly
come straight from jazz. Ditto for the the free improv elements and the interactions between the
musicians.

DLD:? After the steady vocal/sax drone begins, “Oliv I” actually starts to remind me of the soundtrack
to 2001. Those haunting Ligetti pieces. Space is the place, except this piece is grounded by Wheeler’s
endlessly inventive playing and Bailey’s sensitive interpolations. Wheeler almost singlehandedly keeps
things interesting. I love how he blends a natural lyricism with an acute awareness of what’s going on
around him.

CJC:? John Stevens said he selected the performers for the piece and then began to organize the music
around them “with the hope that they could contribute fully to the music as a whole and also retain their
individuality.”

DLD:? Which reminds me: There’s no better source of SME-related information than Martin
Davidson’s remembrance of John Stevens, hosted at the European Free Improv pages. Go check it out.

Posted in Spontaneous Music Ensemble |

1969/1970, MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY, Incus LP17 (UK)
(LP) (released in 1976)

The Music Improvisation Company :

Jamie Muir : percussion
Hugh Davies : live electronics & organ
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone & amplified auto-harp
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Pointing 07.10
2- Untitled 3 06.32
3- Untitled 4 04.10
4- Bedrest 07.38
5- Its tongue trapped to the rock by a limpet,
the water rat succumbed to the incoming tide 08.55
6- In the victim's absence 10.35

Tracks 1 to 4 recorded in mono in the BBC studios in London on 4 July 1969; tracks 5 & 6
recorded in stereo in London on 18 June 1970.

Cover painting by Jamie Muir.

O n the broadcast (July 23, 1969) the group is announced as "The London
Instrumental And Electronic Improvising Group". Three tracks were included, the
last incomplete, of which only one was released on the Incus record.
 THE MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY
(taken from the Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz)

Photograph by j. Rouye

During the early phase of its existance European free jazz developed a number of different
scholls or regional styles, and it was quite common to speak of german energy play, Dutch
comical music or British sound research. This last is represented by the work of the Music
Improvisation Company (MIC), founded in 1968. The essence of its work lies in the idea on
non idiomatic music, as formulated by Derek Bailey. A freely improvised music, independant
of all existing musical languages, wouls follow the individual teniques and preferences of the
players exclusively.

Of course this idea is probably based on illusion, for although the mere avoidance of any
idiomatically fixed means of creation must not automatically result in a new musical idiom ( it
could, as with John Cage, lead into the domain of chance ). the practical results of the MIC's
work make it quite clear that this music can easily be identified as a particular and
unmistakable form of musical creation - in other words, as a music idiom.

Obviously style , under certain preconditions, may be established when any associations with
existing musical languages are forcefully avoided. One of the most important preconditions is
that the improvisor acts as a concious ego and does not follow only the generative energy of
chance. And this is obviously the case with the members of the MIC.

To describe the groups conceptual guidelines, it seems easier to indentify features it does not
exhibit than those it does : no tonality, no repitition, no melodic continuity, no periodicity, no
system. On the other hand there is one feature obvious at first hearing : the emancipation of
noise as an independant means of creation, "noise" meaning sound with no dense structure of
harmonic frequencies whose amplitudes and phase change randomly.
The most efficient noise producer in the group is, of course, Hugh Davies. With electronics he
brings to the music a vast repertory of noise : static noise, like buzzing or humming, pulsating
noise, like crackling or clapping, variable noise like gliding frequency bands, tec. Also guitarist
Bailey uses his instrument to produce aperiodic sound structures by rubbing the strings with
his fingers or other devices, and by working with variable string tension. And Parker finds a
number of ways to produce non harmonic and also percussive sounds with his saxophone.
Thus the concious manipulation of noise is one dominating feature of the MIC's work. The
other is interaction.

Because any written score or even verbal arrangements are taboo, the group relies exclusively
on spontanious actions and reactions among all four players. This interaction within the group
converges most of the time, for although both Davies and Bailey speak of a tendancy towards
"mutual subversion", meaning that one player might irritate the other by non participation or
contrary action, such situations occur only rarely, at least in the groups recordings. This form
of agreement should not be confused with harmony and linear development, for the overall
sound structure in predominantly dissonant and discontinuous.

*
1969-1971-1974-1975-1977, DREAMS : SCRATCHING THE
SEVENTIES, Saravah (France)
(released in 1996)

"This 3CD box set is the re-issue of the 5 albums registered during the 70s at the Saravah
studio. It contains Roba (1969), Roba, recorded in Milano just before leaving Italy, plus 4
albums recorded in Paris : Lapis (1971), Scraps (1974), Dreams (1975) & Owl (1977). "
Lapis is a classic solo album for soprano sax, percussion and tape -- one of Lacy's most
outside documents and a crucial solo outing. Dreams features Derek Bailey. Lacy regulars
like Steve Potts (saxophones), Irène Aebi (cello, voice), Kent Carter (bass), Oliver Johnson
(drums) contribute throughout the rest of the sessions, along with various guests. Classic-era
euro freedom.

Reedition: Etienne Brunet & Vincent Lainé.

Mastered at Digipro on August, 1996. Engineer: Jean-Pierre Chalbos.

Producer: Pierre Barouh.

Cover photography: Hart Leroy Bibbs. Cover art: Phong Luong Dien.
CD #1: LAPIS

Three Pieces From The TAO Suite:

1.1- Existence Steve Lacy 03:56
1.2- The Way 03:17
1.3- Life On Its Way 04:23
2- The Highway 05:27
3- The Cryptosphere * 03:09
4- Lapis 07:29

The Precipitation Suite:

5.1- I Feel A Draft 01:21
5.2- Cloudy 02:26
5.3- Rain 03:37
6- Paris Rip-Off 03:09

CD #1: SCRAPS

7- Ladies Steve Lacy 09:05

8- Obituary Steve Lacy / Anonymous 01:02
9- Scraps Steve Lacy 07:13
10- Name 04:45
11- Torments 05:31
12- Pearl Street 03:48
13- The Wire 05:13

Derek Bailey : guitar on DREAMS plus

other musicians

CD #2: DREAMS

1- The Uh Uh Uh Steve Lacy 05:18

2- Dreams Steve Lacy / Brion Gysin 03:06
3- The Oil Steve Lacy 07:05
4- The Wane 09:57
5- Crops 11:01

CD #2: ROBA (Part 1)

1- Roba (Part 1) * collective 19:27

CD #3: THE OWL

1- Somebody Special Steve Lacy / Brion Gysin 06:51

2- Blinks Steve Lacy 07:25
3- The Owl Steve Lacy / Guillaume Apollinaire 05:28

Touchstones:
4- Wish Steve Lacy / Francis Picabia 05:53
5- Spell Steve Lacy / Salvador Dali 03:39
6- Lesson Steve Lacy / Dr Georges Ohsawa 08:08
7- Notre Vie Steve Lacy / Paul Eluard 04:27

CD #3: ROBA (Part 2)

1- Roba (Part 2) * Collective 22:03

S ans aucune nostalgie, encore plus indispensables aujourd'hui qu'hier, ces faces
permettent de faire le point voire le tri dans une oeuvre qui ces derniers temps et après
toutes ces années de vache maigre, à l'instar de celles de John Zorn et d'Archie Shepp,
a souvent été en dépit du bon sens éditée / démultipliée, noyant l'auditeur sous un flot de
disques certes excellents mais parfois identiques jusque dans les formations convoquées et les
compositions interprétées.
Une chose est sûre avec ce coffret de 3 CD rééditant les 5 LP parus chez Saravah - ce n'est
que d'essentiel dont il s'agit. Ceux qui ne connaîtraient pas ces disques doivent se plonger
dans l'univers de Lacy : Free Jazz Workshop avec Roba dont les préoccupations esthétiques
renvoient aux recherches de The Forest And The Zoo et The Moon ; rerecording en clin d'oeil
au Brion Gysin d'Electronic Poetry et au Braxton de l'épée de Bois sur Lapis, l'oeuvre en solo
la plus expérimentale de Lacy qui sera au fil du temps prolongée via Axieme et Only Monk ;
thèmes en hommage à Dali, Eluard, Apollinaire, Picabia, Lenny Bruce et bien évidemment
Brion Gysin des permutations de Dreams à Somebody Special (dont les arrangements dignes
de Kurt Weill en font une des plus belles chansons de jazz moderne) le filon continue d'être
exploré avec Troubles et Songs ; "Free pas free", hommages à Hendrix et Harry Partch
simultanément écrits et improvisés avec les amis de toujours, Irene Aebi, Steve Potts, Kent
Carter, Jean-Jacques Avenel... des histoires qui continuent de s'écrire et se nomment The Way,
Prospectus, Clangs, We See ... et aussi l'occasion d'écouter Kenneth Tyler, Boulou Ferré,
Michael Smith, Derek Bailey, Takashi Kako, Laurence Butch Morris ou Jack Treese, l'homme
des méconnus "Maitro the Truffle" et "Love can make it work". Une irréductible armée de
rêveurs.

Philippe Robert. Revue & Corrigée n 31, mars 1997. Improjazz.

C himie "taylorique", précipité "evansien", cristallisation "monkienne"... mais que s'est-il

"vraiment" passé après les School Days (1963, hat ART) des "sixties" dans l'univers
de l'alchimiste Lacy ?
Le superbe travail de réédition mené par Etienne Brunet et Vincent Lainé pour Saravah nous
apporte quelques éclaircissements sur ces "scratching seventies" européennes,
"démangeantes" et dérangeantes. Roba (1969), Lapis (1971), Scraps (1974), Dreams (1975),
The Owl (1977)... Voici cinq très importants jalons de l'évolution lacyenne, cinq disques
produits par Pierre Barouh, cinq "pierres de touche" qui constituent l'intégrale Lacy chez
Saravah (sans oublier, en 1975, une apparition aux côtés de David Mc Neil, SHL 28 CD). Ce
formidable coffret est accompagné d'un superbe livret, composé d'une récente interview du
sopraniste, d'excellentes photos (Ah... Roberto Masotti !) et de notes complètes - enfin - et
détaillés.

Ces enregistrements, signaux jetés dans la tourmente fertile de cette décennie 70, éclairent la
quête esthétique lacyenne d'un jour nouveau. On savait que l'américain s'était "fait" européen,
qu'il avait rencontré Irene Aebi, écrit et exploité ses premières compositions, délaissé Monk...
mais où était "the Way", entre The Forest And The Zoo (1966) et les Songs (1981, hat ART)
? Campagnes de chasse avec le Globe Unity Orchestra (1975, FMP ) ou le C.C.O. de SILVA
(1971), explorations avec COMPANY de Bailey (1977), nage en torrent avec AREA (1976),
recherches d'itinéraires avec Altena (1978, hat ART) nourrissaient les premières escalades en
solitaire: réécoutez dans le premier concert solo enregistré (Weal & Woe) les 7 et 8 Août
1972, ces Stations (à 5' 25") où Steve cite et met à l'épreuve sa composition The Owl , datée du
27 Juillet de la même année... Laboratoire, réflexion, action, révolution, évolution, c'est tout un
monde qui s'élabore !

Carnet de bord d'un explorateur, le coffret Saravah appelle une écoute attentive et une curiosité
de chaque instant pour, tantôt déceler "l'image dans le tapis" (The Cryptosphere, in LAPIS,
repris d'ailleurs, en clin d'oeil, par Evan Parker dans son Process & Reality de 1991, tantôt
savourer l'évidence des poignants Dreams... Recueil de compositions encore bien vivantes (le
cycle TAO, Torments, Blinks, The Wane ), cet opus est aussi marqué par l'éphémère:
l'élaboration, dans l'instant, d'une matière aussi mouvante que le tissu de ROBA en témoigne.
On reste pantois, éberlué et ravi devant cette oeuvre "polyfree", aux mille facettes poétiques ;
tous nos héros y passent : Bailey, Potts, Rava, Carter, Aebi, mais aussi Apollinaire et Gysin,
tous nos rêves en sont hantés...

Longue vie à l'éternel jeune homme Lacy, longue, sereine et belle !

Guillaume Tarche (ImproJazz - 3/97)

C inq albums originaux parus en 1969 (Roba, en quintette) et dans les années 70 (Lapis,
premier disque en solo, Scraps, où prend forme le sextette de Steve Lacy élargi dans
Dreams et The Owl ). Aujourd'hui rassemblés dans ce coffret de trois disques, ils
furent à l'époque enregistrés pour Saravah - Pierre Barouh, Higelin, Brigitte Fontaine, Areski,
du jazz, des chansons, des éclats de rire, de la tendresse, de l'utopie...

Dans l'entretien entre Etienne Brunet et Steve Lacy qui constitue la majeure partie du livret
accompagnant cette très belle réédition, le saxophoniste et compositeur commente ses
rencontres, l'ambiance parisienne de l'époque, I'American Center, ses expériences, son souci de
réflexion - la mort, l'amitié, la place de l'artiste - le rapport aux textes, les passages de
l'improvisation à l'écriture... Lacy se raconte et raconte une époque, sans nostalgie. Sa musique
est toujours d'une grande clarté, selon une expression singulièrement moderne parce
qu'affranchie de l'usure du temps et du passage des modes, non datée - même lorsque se font
entendre quelques " tics " stylistiques liées à cette période.

La répartition des plages en fonction de leurs durées n'a pas permis une présentation
strictement chronologique. Roba vient ainsi s'intercaler entre Dreams (avec notamment Derek
Bailey, assurément une des grandes oeuvres de l'époque qui justifierait à elle seule
l'acquisition de ce coffret) et The Owl . Mais par-delà la cohérence de l'ensemble qui résiste à
cette entorse, chaque disque mérite l'attention particulière. Seul regret, les pochettes originales,
superbes, qui n'ont pu être reproduites. Ceci ne suffira pas à nous détourner de cette oeuvre
multiforme et éclatée d'autant plus nécessaire qu'elle a été - et reste aujourd'hui - une source
d'inspiration et de référence majeure pour le Jazz européen.

Sylvain Siclier. Jazzman 23 - 3/97. Les Inrockuptibles

E ntre I97I et I977, Lacy enregistre cinq disques, devenus introuvables, pour Saravah, la
compagnie de Pierre Barouh - LAPIS, Roba, SCRAPS, Dreams, The Owl -, qui sont
précisément la matière en fusion de ce coffret. On trouve dans cet ensemble à la fois
léger et monumental toutes les facettes de l'art de Lacy, du solo intégral (LAPIS) à la poésie
mise en musique, du free hermétique (ROBA) aux recherches mélodiques et harmoniques les
plus sophistiquées. C'est un scintillement d'idées et de matières qui trouvent leur sommet dans
le morceau DREAMS, merveilleuse miniature de 3 min 06 sur un texte de Brion Gysin - sans
doute l'écrivain de prédilection de Lacy - chanté par Irene Aebi, dont le Sprechgesang, plus
proche de Kurt Weill ou du Pierrot lunaire de Schönberg que de Bessie Smith, a suscité moult
malentendus. " Dreams est le morceau que je préfère parmi tout ce que j'ai fait. Il marque la
naissance de ce que j'appelle le polyfree, c'est-à-dire en quelque sorte du free pas free. C'est un
mélange entre l'écriture et l'improvisation, avec des choses cachées comme cette partie de piano
à peine perceptible que j'ai jouée moi-même juste derrière..."
En écoutant ou réécoutant ces musiques vingt ou vingt-cinq ans plus tard, on est bien sûr
frappés par leur incommensurable liberté et leur foisonnement sans équivalent mais plus
encore par leur raffinement perpétuel et leur insondable poésie. Le soprano de Lacy, pinceau
tout à la fois strident et caressant, invente des mondes autonomes où se croisent l'arte povera,
I'Ecole de Vienne, Guillaume Apollinaire, Salvador Dali ou bien sûr Brion Gysin, alter ego de
William Burroughs.

L'électronique y tient un rôle non négligeable - on entend par exemple dans Highway Lacy
jouer en solo avec en contrepoint le bruit du trafic routier -, les cordes (Irene Aebi et Kent
Carter) tissent un tapis qui s'accorde admirablement avec l'aigu maîtrisé du soprano ou la
puissance des sax de Steve Potts et on croise même dans Dreams, décidément le plus beau
disque du coffret, le grand Derek Bailey, génial guitariste anglais trop peu connu en France.
Quant aux chansons, elles ont le charme entêtant de ritournelles qui tournent sur elles-mêmes,
comme l'admirable Somebody Special de Brion Gysin, et s'incrustent en nous comme des
motifs intimes. Au total, il y a chez Lacy quelque chose d'oriental dans cette recherche
dépouillée de l'acoustique et du son qui est aussi le comble du swing et de la danse et qui fait
de Scratching the Seventies un sommet musical.

Thierry Jousse. Les Inrockuptibles n. 91 - du 12 au 18 février 1997.

T chin tchin aux scratchies seventies. To scratch, ca veut dire gratter, griffer : gratter les
années qui démangent. L'état d'esprit des musiciens à cette époque était-il tourné vers
l'improvisation totale ? Oui, tout à fait. Bien sûr j'arrivais avec mes bagages. J'arrivais
avec mes compositions. Je voulais les jouer avec les musiciens d'ici. J'avais un book et je
cherchais des musiciens capables de réaliser et de déchiffrer ma musique. Mais je ne pouvais
pas leur demander ça tout de suite. Il faut stimuler les autres avant de leur demander un
service. You've got to turn them on before they turn you on. Il faut trouver un terrain commun,
un lingua franca. Cette chose commune c'était jouer free. Tout le monde pouvait improviser!
J'avais aussi des pièces simples avec des petites abstractions graphiques, des pièces post-free
avec quelques directions ébauchées. On pouvait aussi jouer des compositions de Monk. Il n'y
avait pas de problèmes pour jouer !

Entretien réalisé par Etienne Brunet à Paris le 5 août 1996 (extraits des notes de pochette)
1970, BORN FREE, Scout Records ScS 11 (LP) (released 1970)
Cover has number Scout ScS 11; the three LPs are numbered Scout ScS 12 - 14.

Derek Bailey on one track (#12) on festival album.

Festival big band [Conny Jackel, Manfred Schoof, Frédéric Rabold, Ferencz Aszodi,
trumpets; Albert Mangelsdorff, Rudi Fuessers, Egon Christmann, Peter Herbolzheimer,
trombones; Emil Mangelsdorff, Jaki Freund, Heinz Sauer, Günter Kronberg, Gerd Dudek,
saxophones; Fritz Hartschuh, vibraphone; Volker Kriegel, guitar; Günter Lenz, bass; Ralf
Hübner, Kurt Bong, drums]: Noisy silence, gentle noise.

1- Blues booth 06.12

Albert Mangelsdorff Quartett [Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone; Heinz Sauer, tenor saxophone;
Günter Lenz, bass; Ralf Hübner, drums].

2- Sahara 09.17

Klaus Doldinger Quartet [Klaus Doldinger, tenor saxophone; Ingfried Hoffman, piano, organ;
Helmut Kandelberger, bass; Cees See, drums].
3- Freedom jazz dance 11.43

Phil Woods and his European Rhythm Machine [Phil Woods, alto saxophone; Gordon Beck,
piano, electric piano; Henir Texier, bass; Daniel Humair, drums]
.

4- Turn around Mrs Lot 12.25

Dave Pike Set [Dave Pike, vibraphone; Volker Kriegel, guitar; Hans Rettenbacher, bass; Peter
Baumeister, drums].

5- Tangente 06.20

Frédéric Rabold Crew [Frédéric Rabold, trumpet, altohorn; Ulrich Schwarz, soprano and tenor
saxophone, flute; Helmut Wilberg, alto and baritone saxophone; Walter Hüber, baritone and
bass saxophones; Jochen Nitsche, electric bass; Holger Mayer, bass; Martin Bues, drums].

6- Action playing 07.28

Jazzworkers [Axel Hennies, tenor saxophone, flute; Michael Thielepape, alto saxophone,
soprano saxophone; Ulrich Maske, guitar; Günter Christmann, bass, trombone; Rainer
Grimm, drums].

7- März 1970

Just Music [Dieter Herrmann, trombone; Alfred Harth, tenor saxophone, clarinet; Johannes
Krämer, guitar; Thomas Stösand, Franz Volhard, cello; Peter Stock, bass; Thomas Cremer,
drums, clarinet].

8- Frictions 08.18

Free Jazz Group Weisbaden [Michael Sell, trumpet; Dieter Scherf, alto, soprano saxophones,
piano; Gerhard König, guitar, flute; Wolfgang Schlick, drums].
9- Invention 2 03.12

Frankfurter Trio für improvisation [Christian Möllers, clarinet; Wolf Burbat, flute; Klaus-
Henning Usadel].

10- Kundalini 04.24

Limbus 4 [Odysseus Artner, Bernd Henninger, Matthias Knieper, Gerd Klaus, percussion and
diverse instruments].

11- Position 2001 06.35

Modern Jazz Quintet [Herbert Joos, fluegelhorn, mellophone, percussion; Wilfried Eichhorn,
tenor, soprano saxophone, flute, bass clarinet; Claus Bühler, bass; Rudi Theilmann, drums].

12- Fuck de Boere 05.15

Peter Brötzmann Group : Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Willem Breuker, saxophones;
Malcolm Griffiths, Paul Rutherford, Willem van Manen, Buschi Niebergall, trombones; Fred
van Hove, piano; Derek Bailey, guitar, Han Bennink, drums.

13- Satz 05.31

New Jazz Trio : Manfred Schoof, trumpet, fluegelhorn; Peter Trunk, bass; Cees See, drums.

14- Siddharta 05.58

Pierre Favre Group : Juerg Grau, trumpet, guitar; Trevor Watts, alto and soprano saxophone;
Irene Schweizer, piano; Pierre Favre, drums.
15- Rue de la Boule Rouge 05.59

Joachim Kühn Group [Joachim Kühn, piano, alto saxophone; J.F. Jenny-Clarke, bass;
Jacques Thollot, drums; Rolf Kühn, clarinet].

16- Centering 13.50

Gunter Hampel Group [Jeanne Lee, voice; Gunter Hampel, flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone,
piano; Willem Breuker, saxophones; Willem van Manem, trombone; Maxine Gregg, cello;
Jack Gregg, Arjen Gorter, bass].

17- Getting to know you all, part 2 – Germany

European Free Jazz Orchestra of the Art Ensemble of Chicago [Lester Bowie, trumpet,
fluegelhorn, leader; Joseph Jarman, alto and tenor saxophones; Roscoe Mitchell, bass
saxophone; Malachi Favors, bass; Karin Krog, voice; Jeanne Lee, voice; Frédéric Rabold,
pocket trumpet; Herbert Joos, fluegelhorn; Michael Sell, Manfred Schoof, trumpets; Paul
Rutherford, Albert Mangelsdorff, Günter Christmann, trombones; Alfred Harth, Heinz Sauer,
Gerd Dudek, tenor saxophones; Axel Hennies, tenor saxophone, flute; Dieter Scherf, Michael
Thielepape, Joachim Kühn, alto saxophones; Gunter Hampel, bass clarinet; Claus Bühler,
Peter Stock, bass; Gerhard König, guitar; Rainer Grimm, drums].

Recorded on 21 and 22 March 1970 at the 12 German jazz festival, Frankfurt, Main.

Cover design by Kieser; photograph by Hartmann.

1970, FUCK DE BOERE, UMS/ALP211CD. Peter Brötzmann Group
(CD) (released 22 May 2001)

Personnel : Peter Brötzmann Nonet: Brötzmann, Willem Breuker, Gerd Dudek, Evan Parker-
saxophones; Fred van Hove- piano; Peter Kowald, Buschi Niebergall- basses; Han Bennink,
Sven-Ake Johansson- drums. Peter Brötzmann, Willem Breuker, Evan Parker- saxophones;
Malcolm Griffiths, Willem van Manen, Buschi Niebergall, Paul Rutherford- trombones;
Derek Bailey- guitar; Fred van Hove- piano (organ); Han Bennink- drums.

Both recorded by the esteemed Hessischer Rundfunk organization at the Frankfurt Jazz
Festival, March 24 1968 and March 22 1970, Frankfurt, Germany.

1- Machine Gun 17:34

2- Fuck De Boere 36:33

F irst: an unheard alternate version of Brötzmann’s groundbreaking Machine Gun, this

time with a nine piece group (same as the LP, adding tenor saxophonist Gerd Dudek),
recorded three months before the BRO/FMP record was made!

Second: a 40-minute masterpiece from ’70, with a large group featuring three tenors, three
trombones, no bassist, Fred van Hove on organ, Derek Bailey on guitar and Han Bennink and
Sven-Åke Johansson on drums.

O ut-Jazz fans: maybe you'd better sit down before reading... "Two concert recordings
- never before released, mastered from original radio master tapes - by larger groups
led by the German saxophone legend Peter Brötzmann. Both recorded by the
esteemed Hessischer Rundfunk organization at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival, in 1968 and 1970.
Two of the most explosive, rivetting pieces of music ever to come out of the European vaults.
First: an unheard alternate version of Brötzmann's groundbreaking Machine Gun, this time
with a nine piece group (same as the LP, adding tenor saxophonist Gerd Dudek), recorded
three months before the BRO/FMP record was made! A beautiful recording, revealing some
heretofore obscure aspects of the composition, it's sure to be a favorite for free jazz fans of
any stripe. Second: a 40-minute masterpiece from '70, with a large group featuring three
tenors, three trombones, no bassist, Fred van Hove on organ (!), Derek Bailey on guitar and
Han Bennink and Sven-Ake Johansson on drums. It's a monumental piece, featuring some of
the most extreme Bailey on record (sounding at times like Masayumi Takayanaki from five
years later), and tremendous interplay between Brötz, Evan Parker and Willem Breuker.
Dedicated at the time to South African bassist Johnny Dyani, it's a moving poem on forces of
oppression and the idea of resistance. This deluxe package includes a12-panel foldout booklet
designed by Brötzmann, including very personal liner notes by him; two beautiful period
photographs (the waft of late '60's freedom off these is utterly exhilarating and undeniable),
and the cover photo sports a large Joseph Beuys-like sculpture Peter created during the same
period."

T wo concert recordings never before released by larger groups led by the German
saxophone legend Peter Brötzmann. Both recorded by the esteemed Hessischer
Rundfunk organization at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival, in 1968 and 1970 and mastered
from original radio tapes. Two of the most explosive, rivetting pieces of music ever to come
out of the European vaults.

First: an unheard alternate version of Brötzmann's groundbreaking "Machine Gun," this time
with a nine piece group (same as the LP, adding tenor saxophonist Gerd Dudek), recorded
three months before the BRO/FMP record was made! A beautiful recording, revealing some
heretofore obscure aspects of the composition.

Second: a 40-minute masterpiece from 1970, with a large group featuring three tenors, three
trombones, no bassist, Fred van Hove on organ, Derek Bailey on guitar and Han Bennink and
Sven-Ake Johansson on drums. It's a monumental piece, featuring some of the most extreme
Bailey on record (sounding at times like Masayumi Takayanaki from five years later), and
tremendous interplay between Brötz, Evan Parker and Willem Breuker. Dedicated at the time
to South African bassist Johnny Dyani, it's a moving poem on forces of oppression and the
idea of resistance. This deluxe package includes a12-panel foldout booklet designed by
Brötzmann, including very personal liner notes by him.

I am hoping that the German saxophonist, Peter Brotzmann, will be given his just due one
day as an avant garde Godhead. Maybe, just maybe, in the same fashion that saw the late
mainstream hornman, Joe Henderson, become a reluctant icon, although past his prime
playing.

This two concert CD documents Peter Brotzmann in the malestorm of like-minded European
improvisors. Fuck De Boere is equal parts justified political diatribe and historical relic of the
then burgeoning European outcat scene. "Machine Gun" is performed here as its first
incantation, three months before the BRO/FMP release. Brotzmann leads this nine piece
aggregation in a wash of sonic spectacle. This version of "Machine Gun" is forty minutes of
sometimes frustrating episodic beauty and excess, all dedicated to the late South African
bassist, Johnny Dyani.
Even in this boys-noise of swirling tenor saxophones (3), blurping trombones, and the skrunk
of Derek Bailey's guitar, Peter Brotzmann proves himself to be an acute listener. All in all,
both pieces offer an uncompromising blend of free jazz that lacks the focus and variety of
Brotzmann's subsequent work.

Ludwig vanTrikt

G erman saxophonist Peter Brotzmann has been a central player in the European free
jazz scene since the mid-1960s. This new CD consists of two previously unreleased
concerts recorded at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival for radio broadcast in 1968 and 1970.

The first piece is a previously unheard alternate version of his seminal, post-Ayler, free jazz
piece, "Machine Gun," recorded in Germany in March 1968, three months before its previous
available FMP recording. In the midst of the late-1960s Vietnam war student protest era, this
seventeen minute long piece for four saxes, piano, two basses and two drums seemed like a
political statement as much as a sonic assault. The playing has strong force, but it's not all
screaming horns—there is also some subtlety, too, as the horns drop out for a duet of bowed
basses, or a drum, piano or sax solo.

Then comes the amazing forty-minute long title piece—dedicated to South African exile
Johnny Dyani. (When the late bassist told stories about the evils of the South African De
Boere apartheid government, he ended with "Fuck De Boere." Hence the title.) As on
"Machine Gun," the players on this piece project strong energy, endurance and power, rising
in emotion as the sound builds to a shout. This piece has a greater variety of sounds than
"Machine Gun" does—partly due to the inclusion of avant guitarist Derek Bailey who can
make a wide array of sounds, and the addition of a trombone.

Listening to these pieces thirty years later let me see his more recent collaborations with
Chicago musicians, on the Chicago Octet/Tentet and Stone/Water Okkadisk recordings, as a
continuation of some of his ideas, such as the use of changing dynamics and of soloing by
different subgroups. Even today, the waves of sound of "Machine Gun" and "Fuck De Boere"
make a strong impression.

Alan Lankin, September 2001

1970, INSTANT COMPOSERS POOL, ICP 005 (UK) (LP) (released in
1970)

Instant Composers Pool :

Han Bennink : drums, percussion, etc.
Misha Mengelberg : piano
John Tchicai : saxophone
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Fragment a 00.53
2- Fragment b 07.55
3- Fragment c 04.28
4- Fragment d 01.11
5- Fragment e 03.27
6- Fragment f 03.49
7- Fragment g 10.17
8- Fragment h 05.16
9- Fragment i 00.33
10- Fragment j 00.51

Recorded 3 March 1970.

Cover design by Han Bennink.
Dutch (Ukrainian-born) pianist Misha Mengelberg (1935) graduated from the conservatory in
1964 after participating in the John Cage-inspired artistic movement Fluxus. He debuted with
Driekusman Total Loss (december 1964), credited to a Kwartet featuring alto saxophonist Piet
Noordijk, drummer Han Bennink and bassist Gary Peacock, that contained three lengthy pieces in
a free style (Driekusman Total Loss, Nature Boy, If I Had You) and The Misja Mengelberg
Quartet (march 1966), containing other lengthy pieces (Auntie Watch Your Step, Driekus Man
Total Loss, Journey).

For a few years he was mainly involved in the improvised recordings of the "Instant Composers
Pool" series with other improvisors, notably Instant Composers Pool 002 (may 1968), containing
Amagabowl for a trio with altoist John Tchicai and Bennink, Instant Composers Pool 005 (march
1970), in a quartet with Tchicai, Bennink and guitarist Derek Bailey, Groupcomposing (may
1970), with trombonist Paul Rutherford, tenorist Peter Broetzmann, soprano saxophonist Evan
Parker, altoist Peter Bennink, guitarist Derek Bailey and Bennink that inaugurated the ICP
Orchestra (Instant Composer's Pool Orchestra), and Instant Composers Pool 010 (march 1971) in
a duo with Bennink. Other duets with Bennink (on all sorts of percussion noises) yielded
Coincidents (june 1973), Einepartietischtennis (may 1974), Midwoud 77 (march 1977), Instant
Composers Pool 023 (july 1979). The duo also recorded Yi Yole (september 1978) with altoist
Dudu Pukuwana, and 3 Points and a Mountain (february 1979) with Peter Broetzmann on
saxophones and clarinets. These albums displayed Mengelberg's debt towards Thelonious Monk
and other jazz greats, but mainly his (and Bennink's) bizarre language of humorous noises and
detours, better codified in the Suite Banana on his solo album Pech Onderweg (february 1978). A
quartet with trombonist Paul Rutherford, altoist Mario Schiano and Bennink recorded the four-
movement improvisation Tristezze di Sanluigi on A European Proposal (april 1978).

Mengelberg also played on and composed for the ICP Tentet's ICP Tentet (april 1977), that
included four saxophonists (Peter Broetzmann, John Tchicai, Peter Bennink, Gilius van
Bergeyck), pianist Misha Mengerberg, celloist Tristan Honsinger, bassist Maarten van Regteren
Altena, drummer Han Bennink, and Tetterettet (september 1977). Mengelberg and Bennink were,
above all, the pillars of the ICP Orchestra, a rotating ensemble of improvisors that recorded Live
Soncino (september 1979), with trumpeter Enrico Rava, saxophonist Gianluigi Trovesi, tuba
player Larry Fishkind and other Italian musicians, Japan Japon (may 1982), with trumpeter
Toshinori Kondo, saxophonist Peter Broetzmann, viola player Maurice Horsthuis, Fishkind,
trombonist Walter Wierbos, clarinetist Michael Moore, etc, Caravan (same session), Extention
Red, White & Blue (may 1984), with soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, cellist Ernst Reijseger,
Wierbos, Fishkind, Moore, Horsthuis, etc, Two Programs (may 1984), with Lacy, trombonist
George Lewis and others, devoted to Mengelberg's heroes, Bospaadje Konijnehol I (november
1986), containing Mengelberg's suite De Purperen Sofa, with George Lewis, Maurice Horsthuis
on viola and Ernst Reijseger on cello, Bospaadje Konijnehol II (november 1990), containing
Mengelberg's eight K-Stukken and Mengelberg's four-part suite Tegenstroom. Mengelberg's
music for larger ensembles was permeated by the same absurdist circus-like atmosphere of his
duets with Bennink but it augmented it with ambitions worthy of chamber music.

A quintet with trombonist Gerge Lewis and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy performed Herbie
Nichols compositions on Change of Season (july 1984). A similar quintet with Lewis, Lacy,
Bennink and cellist Ernst Reijseger recorded Dutch Masters (march 1987), containing Lacy's
Dutch Masters and Utah as well as two Monk compositions.

Mengelberg finally returned to the solo format for the 13 Impromptus (june 1988), another
kaleidoscope of madcap proto-folk nonsense, that was followed by Mix (may 1994) and Solo
(december 1999). These solo albums delivered his cacophonous vision uncensored and unedited.
The other main outlet for Mengelberg's "compositions", the ICP Orchestra, became a tighter and
more focused affair on Jubilee Varia (november 1997), containing two more Mengelberg suites,
Jubilee Varia Suite and Jealousy Suite, performed by Wierbos, Moore, Reijseger, trumpeter
Thomas Heberer, clarinetist Ab Baars, cellist Tristan Honsinger, bassist Ernst Glerum and
Bennink. Oh My Dog (june, 2001) was a lesser version of it, containing the 15-minute Happy
Dreams and emphasizing Honsinger's role (who composed half of the titles). The live Aan & Uit
(december 2003) added Mengelberg's six-movement Picnic to the orchestra's repertory.
More than anyone else, Mengelberg found the missing link between free jazz and Dadaism and
John Cage's "alea".

Mengelberg's collaborations ranged from Who's Bridge (february 1994), a trio with Brad Jones
(bass) and Joey Baron (drums) that sounded like a summa of his jazz influences, to MIHA, that
collected more duets with Bennink (from 1992 and 1997), from the nine untitled pieces of The
Roots of the Problem (may 1996), particularly the ninth with trumpeter Thomas Heberer and tuba
player Michel Godard, to the mediocre No Idea (june 1996), in a trio with bassist Greg Cohen
and drummer Joey Baron, from The Field Recordings 5 (march 1997), with saxophonist Mats
Gustafsson and percussionist Gert-Jan Prin, to Playing (march 1998), duets with saxophonist
Yuri Honing, from Two Days in Chicago (october 1998), with assorted Chicago musicians (such
as tenorist Fred Anderson, tenorist Ken Vandermark, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, percussionist
Hamid Drake), to Lively (july 2000), with saxophonist Yuri Honing and cellist Ernst Rreijseger,
containing the 29-minute Vrijdag. Best of the "conventional" recordings was perhaps Four in One
(september 2000), a quartet with trumpter Dave Douglas, Brad Jones and Bennink.

Mengelberg has also composed classical music, notably the Saxophone Concerto (1980).
1970, GROUPCOMPOSING, ICP 006 (UK) (CD) (released in 1970)

Instant Composers Pool :

Paul Rutherford : trombone
Peter Bennink : alto sax, bagpipes
Peter Brötzmann : tenor sax
Evan Parker : soprano sax, tenor sax
Misha Mengelberg : piano
Derek Bailey : guitar
Han Bennink : percussion, oe-oe, gachi

1. Groupcomposing - part 1 19:16

2. Groupcomposing - part 2 24:20

Recorded on 14 May 1970 in Rotterdam.

Cover by Han Bennink.

The History of the Instant Composer's Pool Orchestra http://www.icporchestra.com

ICP at 30: Everybody in the Pool

In 1958, guitarist Jim Hall, in notes to a Jimmy Giuffre record, used the term "instant
composition" to describe improvising. A few years later, Misha Mengelberg, knowing
nothing of this, recoined the term, and it stuck. A quiet manifesto, those two English
words countered notions that improvising was either a lesser order of music-making
than composing, or an art without a memory, existing only in the moment, unmindful
of form. Misha's formulation posited improvisation as formal composition's equal (if not
its superior, being faster).

Yes but: Misha says he was thinking of "instant coffee," stuff any serious java drinker
(count Misha in: espresso cup rattling in its saucer announces his approach to a stage)
recognized as a sham substitute, however aggressively sold. He deflates his lofty idea
even as he raises it. He's also praised the "instant poetry" that came out of the Fluxus
art movement he was involved with around then: put individual words on strips of
paper, place in a jar and shake. Years later it became a commercial novelty: words on
tiny magnetic tiles you can arrange on a refrigerator door.

For Misha mid-'60s Fluxus was inviting because it stood for nothing, had no ideals to
defend. What bound together Fluxus's conceptualists, shock artists, early minimalists,
musical comics et cetera was a need for a performance format that could accommodate
them all. One solution was that symbol of '60s kookiness, the multimedia Happening.
Those events belatedly helped inspire Mengelberg's absurdist-circus theater shows
with Wim T. Schippers in the '70s and '80s, and the fluid play of styles, unbinding
rules, lyricism and barnyard humor that characterize the ICP Orchestra today.

Nineteen sixty-seven, 30 years ago: Misha was as happy to think about music as play
it. He said in an interview not long after, for me a few gigs a month is plenty. But his
drummer of six years, Han Bennink--who'd sparked their little tours with visitors like
Johnny Griffin and Eric Dolphy, and played sans Misha with everyone from Sonny Rollins
to Marion Brown, (and a former art student who thought Happenings were contrived
jive)--was as always eager to play, a lot, and working, a lot, with early Dutch punk
Willem Breuker.
The History of the Instant Composer's Pool Orchestra http://www.icporchestra.com/

Willem was a kindred spirit on several levels. He had hellfire as a tenor saxophone or
bass clarinet player, untutored enough (and eclectic enough in his tastes, jazz being
just one of his interests) to sound like nobody so much as himself. He was also a
conceptual composer full of odd ideas: barrel organ music out of John Cage; a piece
conducted by a toy, which no one could see because it was for radio. Willem gives
himself fair credit for helping to bump Han and Misha out of Monkish postbop and into
a new improvised music.

Bennink and Breuker did a lot of gigs, and so made a record to sell at them, each cover
a handmade Han Bennink original. They gave it catalog number ICP 001. Instant
Composers Pool. And then, as Breuker tells it, Misha said, I too am part of ICP.

How innocently it began. Mengelberg and Bennink put together ad hoc groups to
improvise music with a shifting foundation (sometimes with Breuker, sometimes not).
They were already interested in the big picture: not just the improvised moment, or
the shape of a piece or set or entire evening, but in how the ways people deal with each
other off stage help shape the music. Each recalls, independently, fondly, a quartet
tour where Derek Bailey and John Tchicai argued endlessly.

That confrontational aspect became stylized in the Bennink-Mengelberg duo, the most
durable of all the formations to work under ICP's umbrella. You could look at that duo as
a sort of loud violent chess game. Or maybe a fight between brain and muscles: Misha
uses psychology to bend a duo partner in his direction; powerhouse Han can always
elect to drown out the piano for an entire set.

Han kept working with Willem too, and both were already working with German free
schoolers like pianist Alex von Schlippenbach and saxophonist Peter Brotzmann. By no
coincidence, this is when the drummer really became the magician who can keep some
breathtaking bit of drum business and some spectacular visual effect going
simultaneously, in different tempos: ideas occupying different worlds, a
mini-Happening. This is not so easy.

Early on there were some Breuker-Mengelberg-Bennink trio gigs which garnered a few
witty negative reviews and other perplexed responses, but that molecule was too
unstable. Breuker and Mengelberg never really got along. Before long an ICP gig meant
either you got a Misha unit, usually improvising, or Breuker and company playing
Willem's charts: the midsize ones often included Willem van Manen, Leo Cuypers and
Maarten Altena.

In 1974 Breuker split--money wrangles, and by now severe mutual antagonism with
Misha--and remade his splinter band into the Breuker Kollektief. Altena stayed with ICP
through the '70s, period when the bassist with the double-jointed plosive
pizzicato--classical bass attack attacking itself--developed from instant improviser to
conceptual composer. When he left he began his long trek to becoming a
composer-leader and then composer period.

Breuker, nine years younger than Misha, was hare to his tortoise. The Kollektief found
its mature voice immediately, made Dutch music and humor marketable exports. Same
period, Misha's first big ICP groups were habitually quite sloppy, despite some very
good players including Altena, Brotzmann, cellist Tristan Honisnger and (slightly later)
saxophonist Sean Bergin. Han as ever pursued his own self-contained conceptual
ruminations on the bandstand, animating inanimate objects and making gloriously
wrong and unexpectedly right turns.

These bands usually had lots of bleary saxophones, could make you think Mengelberg
was trying to parody the Kollektief sometimes, but he denies it. Misha was looking for
something of his own--or more accurately, players who could do all he now had in mind.
By his own estimation and recorded evidence, it took him ten years to find it.
The History of the Instant Composer's Pool Orchestra http://www.icporchestra.com/

The modern ICP Orchestra begins to take shape in the early '80s when newer recruits
Maurice Horsthuis, Michael Moore and Wolter Wierbos begin to emerge from the
rumbling rubble of the '70s band. Violist Horsthuis and his colleagues Ernst Reijseger
and Ernst Glerum from the Amsterdam String Trio put ICP's string section on a par
with the versatile brass and reeds. Moore's jazz grace played against the violent
coloring within the lines by fellow reedists Paul Termos or Ab Baars: Baars like
trombonist Wierbos had a brass band/fanfare/harmonie background, leading to a
peculiarly Dutch extraverted sound, which is not to say they neglected their Ellington
models. Far from it. Ellington was subject of one of three '80s repertory projects that
served, among other things, as object lessons for the younger players, on the value of
pretty melody and voicings (Ellington), the construction and subversion of chords
(Monk) and how to devise chord progressions that move in funny ways, with funny
timing (Herbie Nichols. On the latter, Misha found a great ally in Nichols' friend Roswell
Rudd). Misha is very picky about trumpeters, and with so many bad ones around no
wonder, but the first time he heard Thomas Heberer at a rehearsal in Berlin, he said,
someday I'll find a place for you.

Ellington wrote charts that A) borrowed intelligently from his players' pet licks, and B)
designed pieces to let those rich stylists flourish. Misha is more B-oriented, but pieces
are apt to address player's weaknesses as well as strengths. The ingredients are not
always fully assembled when presented in rehearsal, so musicians have to do a little
head scratching to figure what goes where, all the more so as a decent Mengelberg
piece may have two strong melodies that work well in or out of counterpoint. Even
rehearsing, Misha gives little verbal direction. Set lists, if any, are provided shortly
before show time.

It was always the ICP Orchestra, never the Misha Mengelberg band, though he's always
been its guiding intelligence. Glerum, Moore, Baars, Horsthuis and more have brought
tunes to the band's book, usually because the pianist hadn't brought anything new in
awhile (though there's a few CDs worth of unrecorded Mengelberg material from the
band's '90s book).

Lots of good players have passed through ICP since it began to stabilize (its 'newest'
member Tristan Honsinger had done an earlier tenure not long after ICP's 10th
anniversary). Amazing to think that the modern version of the Orchestra that began in
the early '80s--the one documented on two brilliant CD volumes of Bospaadje
Konijnehol--by now has been around for half of ICP's 30 years. If a certain kind of Dutch
music is about humor, theater, pan-stylistic references, excellent jazz chops, delicate
writing and game strategies, ICP has touched on more of them, in less regimented and
more fluid settings, than any band around. As the name implies, everyone involved
shares credit: everybody in the Pool.

Kevin Whitehead
New York, September 1997

© Kevin Whitehead 1997

1970, FOUR COMPOSITIONS FOR SEXTET, CBS 64071 (GB) (LP)
(released in 1970)

Tony Oxley group :

Evan Parker : tenor saxophone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Kenny Wheeler : trumpet/fluegelhorn
Derek Bailey : guitar
Jeff Clyne : bass
Tony Oxley : drums

1- Saturnalia 10.00
2- Scintilla 08.53
3- Amass/Megaera 19.08

Recorded 7 February 1970.

1 970 mock-suite featuring Oxley, Derek Bailey (with whom Oxley and Gavin Bryars
had worked in a trio setting) Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Jeff Clyne, and Paul
Rutherford. The Columbia connection (and RCA, with whom he had recorded several
months earlier, as odd as it seems today) undoubtedly came about after Oxley's stint as
drummer-in-residence at Ronnie Scott's London club, 1967.
Hrvatski.

nother classic re-issue of British creative improvisation, Oxley's last recording for

A Columbia. This features the same lineup as Baptised Traveller, adding trombonist
Paul Rutherford. There are four compositions, all of which feature plenty of collective
improvisation, like the SME in an aggressive mood. Some pieces feature lines, others textures,
and others the gradual adding of players. Oxley is heard here on regular drum kit, but his
rhythmic language is closer to that we are all familiar with from his current work. He also
plays an awesome drum solo in the third piece, starting with manic activity and gradually
transitioning to minimal cymbal and squeaking drumhead sounds.
1970, THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LUNGS, Incus 1 (UK) (LP)
(released in 1970)

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

Derek Bailey : guitar
Han Bennink : percussion

1- Titan moon 20.48

2- For Peter B and Peter K 04.32
3- Fixed elsewhere 05.05
4- Dogmeat 12.18

Recorded in London on 13 July 1970.

n the midst of an array of whacky excerpts about acoustical, anatomical and related

I subjects there is the sentence 'Frederick Rzewski writes about free improvisation and
makes sense' and also a statement from one of Evan Parker's recommended saxophone
tutors. The foreword to the second edition of Top-tones for the saxophone; four-octave range
by Sigurd M Rascher (1961) contains the statement: 'register. On the other hand, the student
who realizes that mind (concept) and body (embouchure, fingering) must work together, will
in due course succeed. We too often under-estimate the power of the active mind.' Also
included in the 3rd edition, 1977, Carl Fischer p.4.
1970, THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LUNGS, Victor VIP-6605 (Japan)
(LP) (released in 1970?)

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

Derek Bailey : guitar
Han Bennink : percussion

1- Titan moon 20.48

2- For Peter B and Peter K 04.32
3- Fixed elsewhere 05.05
4- Dogmeat 12.18

Recorded in London on 13 July 1970.

Released in Japan.
1970, GLOBE UNITY 67 & 70, Atavistic/Unheard Music Series.
UMS/ALP 223 (USA) (CD) ( released in 2001)

Alexander von Schlippenbach's Globe Unity Orchestra

GLOBE UNITY 67

Gunter Hampel : flute, bass clarinet

Kris Wanders : alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Gerd Dudek : tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet
Willem Breuker : baritone saxophone, clarinet
Heinz Sauer : tenor and soprano saxophone
Peter Brötzmann : alto saxophone
Manfred Schoof : cornet, high D trumpet
Jürg Grau : trumpet
Claude Deron : trumpet
Jiggs Wigham : trombone
Albert Mangelsdorff : trombone
Willy Lietzmann, tuba
Alexander von Schlippenbach : piano, bells, gongs, tam-
tam
Karlhanns Berger : vibraphone
J. B. Neibergall : bass
Peter Kowald : bass
Jaki Liebezeit : drums, tympani
Mani Neumeier : drums
Sven-Åke Johansson : drums
GLOBE UNITY 70

Evan Parker : tenor and soprano saxophone

Gerd Dudek : tenor and soprano saxophone, flute
Michel Pilz : soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Heinz Sauer : tenor and soprano saxophone
Peter Brötzmann : tenor and baritone saxophone
Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, flugelhorn
Manfred Schoof : trumpet, flugelhorn, Bach trumpet in D
Tomasz Stanko : trumpet; Bernard Vitet, trumpet
Malcolm Griffiths : trombone
Paul Rutherford : trombone, tenor horn
Albert Mangelsdorff : trombone
Buschi Neibergall : bass, bass trombone
Peter Kowald : bass, tuba
Arjen Gorter : bass, electric bass
Alexander von Schlippenbach : piano, percussion
Derek Bailey : guitar
Han Bennink : drums, shellhorn, dhung, gachi
Paul Lovens : drums; percussion

1. Globe Unity 67 34.11

2. Globe Unity 70 17.54

Track 1 recorded on 21 October 1967 at Stadthalle, Donaueschingen, Germany; track 2

recorded on 7 November 1970 at Kongresshalle, Berlin, Germany.

von Schlippenbach, Alexander & Globe Unity Orchestra : Larger than life, bigger than any
mere mortal, and presented with a gorgeous 14-panel cd booklet with reproductions of Herr
Schlippenbach's original scores.

Design by PMFroehle; photograph from collection of Peter Kowald.

F ree jazz recordings have been the subjects of more scrutiny than perhaps any other
kind of music. Hailed effusively as visionary and cosmic or derided thoroughly as
shamelessly indulgent and noisy. While much free jazz can be ineffective, it removes
one variable from the equation of recording: material. Sessions rooted in basic improvisatory
frameworks rather than strict song structures allow what is important in jazz to be fully
responsible: the musicians.

Perhaps then, it is best, despite being tedious, to simply name the musicians involved in this
recently surfaced duet of live performances and let their collective and individual resumes
speak for themselves. Multi-instrumentalist Gunter Hampel; reedmen Kris Wanders, Gerd
Dudek, Willem Breuker, Heinz Sauer, Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker and Michel Pilz;
trumpeters Manfred Schoof, Jürg Grau, Claude Deron, Kenny Wheeler, Tomasz Stanko and
Bernard Vitet; trombonists Jiggs Whigham, Albert Mangelsdorff, Malcolm Griffiths and Paul
Rutherford; tuba player Willy Lietzmann; vibist Karl Berger; bassists Buschi Neibergall, Peter
Kowald and Arjen Gorter; guitarist Derek Bailey; drummers Jaki Liebezeit, Mani Neumeier,
Sven-Åke Johansson, Han Bennink and Paul Lovens.

This album would be significant if only for the fact it involves virtually all of the major
Western European and English free jazz players of the time. It would also be significant since,
besides the original Schlippenbach “Globe Unity” LP (MPS 1966), this is the oldest work
extant of the Globe Unity Orchestra, a group that, in various incarnations, pioneered free
music for over twenty years.

The Globe Unity Orchestra, as it stands on these recordings, was the outgrowth of Alexander
von Schlippenbach’s 1966 free jazz concept. Bringing together existing groups (the Manfred
Schoof quintet and the Peter Brötzmann trio) as well as other free practitioners, the free jazz
concept was no longer applied solely to the small coterie but towards a massive big band
setting. The benefit was obvious: impact three or four musicians could not provide; the risk
equally apparent. One has to admire the courage of Schlippenbach and his cohorts traveling
this unmarked terrain and doing it so effectively. Free jazz at its best is not about method but
all about result. Atavistic Records is to be lauded for releasing this material, especially with
such excellent sound reproduction. At least some small audience is appreciating it; my local
record store sold all 15 copies before the official street release date.

The disc contains two long tracks “written” by Schlippenbach. Mostly Europeans participate
in the first track “Globe Unity ‘67”. “Globe Unity ‘70” exchanges some of the Europeans
of the first performance for a number of Englishmen working in the same vein across the
channel.

Describing free jazz is like assigning blame in a twenty-car pileup. However, it is much easier
to determine whether the result is effective.

The first piece, clocking in at over 34 minutes is a gem. The listener’s interest never lags
because different instrumental groupings are highlighted across the track, rather than 18
participants competing with each other. Beginning inauspiciously with a simple opening of
cymbals, the rest of the group comes in with long unison passages quickly turning into
pandemonium. The saxophones state quick ascending lines echoed by the other horns,
morphing in and out of musical frenzy. The bassists add an unaccompanied dissonance with
their bows until the chaos reappears, punctuated by jarring drum bursts. Playful trumpets
leading into a beautiful section of flute, tuba and percussion follow thoughtful trombone
passages. A manic trumpet-trombone duel ensues leading into a honky-tonk-like section
utilizing mutes. Hampel’s marvelous flute makes periodic but stirring appearances.
Schlippenbach’s piano sometimes drives the group forward, at other times is swept up by it.
His keyboard work, supported by tympani and gong direct the group into a chord played
repeatedly until the piece shifts gear into a drum-led section that ends suddenly to enthusiastic
applause.

One very important thing about this release is how well the mastering was done. Every
instrument is clearly discernable at all times, which is especially important in music with so
much activity. Derek Bailey’s unique style is perfectly clear even in the louder sections of the
second track. Unfortunately, it is much less effective than the early performance. The
individual performances are good, especially the trumpets of Wheeler and Stanko and the
drums of Bennink and Lovens, but the improvisations are not as cohesive. Two of the
members from the just-formed group Iskra 1903 are present but the problems I find with that
group are evident here. The ensemble as a whole never seems to gain any real momentum.
There are some moments of interest: the dialogue at one point between Brötzmann and Bailey
which leads in to the most energetic group passage of the 18 minutes. The rest is uninspired,
never coming together spontaneously the way good free jazz does so often. Except for one
moment in the middle, the pace is plodding and no one seems to want to push the
improvisation in any particular direction. Rather then end on a high note, it just peters out.

It is hard to recommend this album without reservation. I find it to be inconsistent with “ ’ 6 7 ”

really overshadowing “’70”. However, free jazz is very open to personal taste and others may
find the quieter improvisations more to their liking. Nevertheless, for those whose tastes run in
this direction, the album is an important document to have in order to understand much of the
work that followed it.

Andrey Henkin

A
ouvenirs of a time when “globe unity” meant more than the convergence of
commercial or military interests, this CD of never-before-released tracks
feature a small army of Euro improvisers luxuriating in the freedom
promulgated by John Coltrane’s ASCENSION and The Jazz Composer’s
Orchestra.

Formed in late 1966, following a Berlin Jazz Festival commission for founder/pianist
Alexander von Schlippenbach, the Globe Unity Orchestra (GUO) evolved over the years
from this wild-and-wooly Energy ensemble to one that joined other European large groups
in a concern for compositions. Besides, many might find that these two pieces, initially
taped for German radio, more exciting than what came from the band afterwards.

The more than 34-minute, 1967 performance, for instance, finds the less than a year old, 19-
piece GUO taking full advantage of the era’s heady musical freedom. Roaring up and down
the score is a literal who’s who of (in-the-main) German free jazzers, some of whom like
saxophonist Peter Brötzmann -- here playing alto of all things – bassist Peter Kowald and
vibist Karl Berger (as an organizer/teacher) went on to greater and more varied expression.
Some like reedman Willem Breuker, trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff and brassman Manfred
Schoof turned to more conventional playing. A few musicians have since died and others
have been lost in the mists of time.

In a composition made up of many climaxes, ending on an extended Wagnerian flourish, and

which practically knocks over the listener with its sheer power, von Schlippenbach seems to
be the leader only by osmosis. It’s pretty much every man for himself, spurred and taunted
by a massed rhythm section of three percussionists, two bassists, a vibist, a tubaist and the
pianist smashing a gong when the spirit moves him. Especially impressive are Schoof
soaring into the ozone layer with his cornet and high D trumpet, and Breuker puffing out
some deep-dish baritone saxophone blats. Halfway through as well, Gunter Hampel’s flute
and Willy Lietzmann’s tuba join for a minuet that suggests a rhinoceros sashaying with a
crow. Additionally, the pianist sounds best two thirds of the way through, when he unleashes
some space boogie-woogie, rather than at other places where he still seems in thrall to Cecil
Taylor.
However with such a large aggregation and so many short solo peeping out of the dense
musical mass, at times it’s hard to ascribe proper praise where it’s due. Is it Gerd Dudek or
Heinz Sauer who takes the hairy-chested, Coltranesque tenor saxophone solo at the
beginning; and does Hampel or Kris Wanders contribute bass clarinet bottom elsewhere?
With everyone trying to contribute his two marks worth, identification become difficult.

Three years later, with the band members’ hair and beards grown even longer and wilder,
the Germans are joined by Czech, Polish, French, Dutch and a whole contingent of British
musicians -- most prominently saxophonist Evan Parker, guitarist Derek Bailey and
drummer Han Bennink. With the section swelled by U.K. trombonists Malcolm Griffiths
and Paul Rutherford, the almost 18-minute piece is more brassy and thanks to Dutchman
Bennink and his German opposite number Paul Lovens, more percussive. Interestingly
enough, though, except for some minor guitar feedback at the top and a small circuit of
protracted saxophone excavating in the middle -- which could come from any one of the five
saxophonists -- neither Bailey nor Parker seems to showcase any part of what would soon
become an instantly identifiable persona.

Instead the -- at times -- nine brasses assert themselves more than the other instruments.
Cleaner than many live recordings, but not sonically perfect, the disc boosts the GUO’s slim
discography and offers a fresh and memorable look at the band in its formative, most
experimental, years.

Ken Waxman, December 3, 2001

1970, GLOBE UNITY ORCHESTRA, German TV "Jazz gehürt und
gesehen", (Audio and video releases) (Germany)

Kenny Wheeler, tp,fh

Manfred Schoof, tp,fh,bach-tp,
Tomasz Stanko, tp
Bernard Vitet, tp
Albert Mangelsdorff, tb
Malcolm Griffith, tb
Paul Rutherford, tb,tenor-h
Evan Parker, ss,ts
Gerd Dudek, ss,ts,fl
Michel Pilz, bcl,fl,ss
Heinz Sauer, bs,ts,as
Peter Brôtzmann, ts,bs,betthorn
Alexander Schlippenbach, p,per
Derek Bailey, el. g
Buschi Niebergall, b,b-tb
Peter Kowald, tu,b
Arjen Gorter, b,el-b
Han Bennink, dr,shell,horn,dhung,gachi
Paul Lovens, dr,per
1 Announcement MSch / Globe Unity 70 (ASch,comp) 07:44

2 Ode (MSch,comp) 12:54

3 Drunken In The Morning Sunrise (PB,comp) 09:53

Total Time: 31:49

Kongresshalle, Berlin, Germany

November 7, 1970
German TV "Jazz gehürt und gesehen" (Joachim-Ernst Behrendt)
dime_upped by Jazzrita

Available on line at http://follyfortoseewhat.blogspot.com/2008/07/globe-unity-orchestra70.html

AUDIO FLAC

http://rapidshare.com/files/127724557/guo 70 audio.rar

VIDEO VOB

http://rapidshare.com/files/127739759/Globe_Unity_Orchester_-_Berlin_-_1970_-
_DVD__PAL_.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/127739724/Globe_Unity_Orchester_-_Berlin_-_1970_-
_DVD__PAL_.part2.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/127739732/Globe_Unity_Orchester_-_Berlin_-_
1970, THE MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY, ECM 1005
(Germany) (LP) (released in 1970)

Company :
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Hugh Davies : live electronics
Jamie Muir : percussion
Christine Jeffrey : voice

1- Dragon Path
2- Packaged Eel
3- Untitled No.I
4- Untitled No.II
5- Tuck
6- Wolfgang Van Gangbang

Recorded on August 25, 26, 27 1970 at the Merstham Studios, London

 S axophonist Evan Parker and guitarist Derek Bailey met while both played with the
Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the late '60s. In 1968 they combined with
percussionist Jamie Muir and keyboardist Hugh Davies to form the Music Improvisation
Company, one of England's seminal free improvisation units. Although the musicians were
conversant in jazz styles, the music made by the MIC was essentially and intentionally non-
idiomatic, drawing upon any and all elements of musical thought and given voice in the
moment. The resulting music was dissonant, discontinuous, and ultimately in the vanguard
of improvised music. With drummer Tony Oxley, Parker and Bailey formed Incus Records
in 1970. The label documented MIC's music on the album Music Improvisation Company
1968-1971; the title reflects the group's brief lifespan. However, in 1976 Bailey formed
Company, a similar enterprise with rotating personnel that has included a plethora of
creative musicians from around the world. Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Fred Frith, and
Bill Laswell are just a few of the many and varied musicians to participate. In 1977 the
ensemble held the first of its "Company Weeks," a week-long festival of improvised music
featuring different guest musicians every night. The festival became an annual event.
1970-1971, BUZZ SOUNDTRACK, Emanem 4066 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2002)

Iskra 1903 :
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar
Barry Guy : double bass
Paul Rutherford : trombone

1. Buzz trio 1 10.37

2. Buzz trio 2 02.02
3. Buzz trio 3 03.57
4. Buzz trio 4 05:16
5. Bass & trombone 01.33
6. Trombone & guitar 01.11
7. Guitar & bass 01.59
8. Bass solo 1 02.08
9. Trombone solo 1 01.20
10. Guitar solo 1 03.12
11. Buzz trio 5 08.00
12. Bass solo 2 03.47
13. Trombone solo 2 02.07
14. Guitar solo 2 04.03
15. Buzz trio 6 06.35
16. Buzz trio 7 03.09
17. Buzz trio 8 05:55
18. Buzz trio 9 04.50
19. Bass solo 3 02.31
20. Trombone solo 3 01.57
21. Guitar solo 3 02.56

All analogue studio recordings made in London 1970 or 1971. All previously unissued.
Excerpts from sleeve notes :

T o start with, it must be said that this is not a typical Iskra 1903 session. To hear how
they sounded 'normally', listen to the highly acclaimed triple-CD set CHAPTER ONE
on EMANEM 4301. What BUZZ SOUNDTRACK documents is the trio reacting to
a film and providing a soundtrack to complement the events on the screen. Director Michael
Grigsby probably also made some suggestions. The results could possibly be entitled "The
Gentle Side of Iskra 1903", but don't let that put you off - the music is still very fine, even if
not quite what you expect.

Michael Grigsby and Paul Rutherford knew each other socially at the time, so when Grigsby
was making a film about a character called Buzz, he asked Rutherford to supply the
soundtrack with his trio. The film with the Iskra 1903 soundtrack was released in 1971 but
has apparently since become unobtainable. (Note that Rutherford formed Iskra 1903 in 1970,
so this recording was made in the trio's first year of existence.) Rutherford recently dug up
copy tapes of this long forgotten music. The pieces are presented in the order they appear on
the tapes, which may or may not be the order of recording and/or the order of usage in the
film. The gaps between the pieces have been removed in order to get everything to fit onto a
single CD, and also because the music seems to work very well as a semi-continuous whole.

The condition of the mono recording left a lot to be desired. Dave Hunt and myself have spent
a considerable amount of time cleaning it up and making it more listenable, but even so it is
still not perfect, and probably never could be. So please try not to be disturbed by the
remaining imperfections - the quality and uniqueness of the music more than make up for
such drawbacks.

Martin Davidson, 2001

he group indeed sounds different than on CHAPTER ONE, a lot more moody and

T introspective with strains of jazz weaving in and out (Rutherford is clearly working
out a theme in Buzz Trio 4).

The resulting music actually feels very similar in spirit and context to another Emanem
archival release, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble's soundtrack WITHDRAWAL. We find
the same ghostly contours, the same desire to provide an atmosphere while setting the music
on its own non-decorative course. Gaps between pieces had to be set to a minimum interval to
fit all the music on one CD, thus creating an artificial semi-seguing suite, but it works very
well that way. Each of the 21 short tracks (only a couple go over six minutes) adds another
hue to the soft palette. A recurring sequence of trios and bass, trombone and guitar solos
(always in that order) give this album the scope of a full-fledged studio project. Sound quality
is quite good considering the age of the tapes, making this a recommended CD.

François Couture - All-Music Guide 2002

he slow motion unfolding of these pieces isolates the beautiful sounds embedded in

T even their most cantankerous outbursts. The luminosity of Rutherford's long tones,
Guy's glissandos and Bailey's pedal-enveloped chords are undiminished despite a
marginal mono recording. At times, the music is almost too inviting and too accessible, given
Iskra 1903's revolutionary aura. BUZZ SOUNDTRACK will force enthusiasts who thought
they knew this trio inside out to listen to them anew.

Bill Shoemaker - The Wire 2002

T his has got to be the weirdest album we have ever received at Film Music on the Web.
The album claims that Buzz Soundtrack "documents the trio reacting to a 1971 film,
Iskra (somewhat obscure – it's not listed in Halliwell) and providing a soundtrack to
complement the events on the screen". The film is supposed to be about a character called
Buzz. Well, this person and the film must have been grotesque in the extreme because the
music to put it at its kindest sounds like instrumentalists tuning up before playing. Or to be
even kinder some sort of experimental free improvisations. They should be charged by the
listeners for assaulting their ears with nearly 80 minutes of complete twaddle. I will not waste
any more time on this rubbish and declare it

Ian Lace

O f the many significant improvised music ensembles formed in the late 60s and early
70s (AMM, Globe Unity Orchestra, ICP, The London Jazz Composers' Orchestra,
SME, to name a few), Iskra 1903 was one of the least recorded and (with the benefit
of 20/20 hindsight) one of the more important.

Formed by Paul Rutherford in 1970, and originally consisting of Rutherford, Barry Guy and
Derek Bailey, the trio had no drummer, in contrast to all those listed above in which the
drummer was a key figure. This removed any expectations of a conventional rhythm or pulse,
allowing the listener to focus on the individual voicings and their interactions, a giant leap at
the time. Emanem has been a primary source of Iskra 1903 recordings; the triple CD Chapter
One (Emanem 4301) documented their earliest work from 1970 to 1972, and Buzz
Soundtrack is an important complement to it. Recorded early in the trio's existence, it is the
soundtrack to a long forgotten film by Michael Grigsby, a friend of Rutherford's. The trio
played while viewing the film, providing a soundtrack to complement the events they saw on
screen. Across the twenty-one tracks (which play continuously, without gaps) there are trio,
duo and solo pieces.

Unlike most improvised music, the players are not primarily reacting to each other's playing
but to the stimulus of the film. However, this music definitely stands alone, not needing any
visuals to enhance it. Similar in character to the trio's earliest work on Chapter One , the
defining qualities on show are subtlety, restraint, patience and sensitivity. The music is allowed
to evolve slowly without any of the players forcing the issue. All three sublimate individual
ego to the greater totality, content to leave each other ample space in which to create, without
the need to constantly assert themselves. If one recognises parallels between improv and
conversation, this music is not idle chatter or a heated argument; it is a polite, formal debate.

Given that it is over thirty years old, Buzz Soundtrack sounds remarkably contemporary; the
understatement and restraint displayed are reminiscent of the work of New London Silence
players such as Mark Wastell and Rhodri Davies. This welcome release can stand on its
merits; it is of far more than historical interest.

Reviewer: John Eyles

E ven within the meager field of releases that makes up ISKRA 1903's currently
available discography, this release stands as unique entry. A completely improvised
soundtrack commissioned to accompany a film by Paul Rutherford's friend Michael
Grigsby, the music offers up an unexpected facet to the trio steeped in softer tones and dour
drones. The accompanying sleeve notes record very little revelatory information regarding the
film or the music, but the latter facet of the package largely speaks for itself. Sadly, the
entropic ravages of time werenot kind to the tapes and significant source defects do surface in
the sonic mix. But thanks to the assiduous noise reduction efforts of producer Martin
Davidson and sound engineer David Hunt, the more intrusive blemishes are mostly smoothed.
Most importantly, the overcast fidelity doesn't compromise the clarity of the trio's immediately
cohesive bond.

Barry Guy's arco harmonics on the third trio piece shear through the muffled atmosphere
offering one of the rare instances of overt stridency; his first duet with Rutherford is another.
More frequently his fingers ramble in complex pizzicato patterns across the strings loosing
pearled tonal droplets that patter liquid-like into the serpentine harmonic nests woven by his
partners. A limpid fluidity replaces Rutherford's usual unctuousness much of the time, his
well-greased slide moving in elongated thrusts instead of with staccato speed. His first solo
piece follows such a path - a string of bulbous held-notes hovering in the studio firmament.
Derek Bailey swaps his usual bristling for a curious delicacy, tinkering with his frets like a
rubbernecking bean counter hunched over an antique abacus. His signature volume pedal
effects weave a spectral trail throughout, often further expanding the tonal palette with subtle
(and sometimes not so subtle) pitch gradations. Showing yet another side, percolating
arpeggiations on the guitarist's second solo track take on the cast of dancing boreallic lights
weirdly mirroring the sound of an African sanza.

Divided into episodic segments on the basis of instrumentation, the program follows a logical
schematic through trio, duo and solo testimony. The demarcations are largely lost thanks both
to the brevity of many of the pieces and the fugacious nature of the interplay. In each of the
instances these three players practice conscientious and active listening. To what degree they
are responding to the film, the aurally invisible element that influences the action is of course
unclear. But the magnitude of give and take suggests that cues shared between them, both
sonic and visual, are at least in part piloting the ship. In this haunted habitat of gradual sounds
standouts are tough to gauge but, from a completely subjective standpoint, Guy's first solo
foray, a bowed tour de force that weaves tandem lines through a harmonic wash of moribund
hues broken by a final flurry of gravity-defying plucks, sticks most in this reviewer's ear. Also
absorbing is the disc's median track, a trio effort where Rutherford and Guy appear to be
treading the same thematic trail at separate elevations while Bailey interjects sporadic salvos of
string shrapnel in their path. This artifact from ISKRA 1903's inaugural year is essential not
only as a further cog in the group's stilted catalog, but also in the larger library of improvised
music in general.

Derek Taylor
1970-1972, ISKRA 1903, Incus 3-4 (UK) (LP) (released in 1973)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and amplified guitar

Barry Guy : acoustic and amplified bass
Paul Rutherford : trombone and piano

1- Improvisation 5 05.57
2- Improvisation 6 10.37
3- Improvisation 7 04.29
4- Improvisation 8 06.22
5- Improvisation 9 03.38
6- Improvisation 10 03.10
7- Improvisation 11 07.35

One LP featuring Iskra 1903.

Recorded in London, 3 May 1972 (precise date provided by Martin Davidson).

Re-released on 3CD set in February 2000 with additional material on Emanem 4301.
1970-1987-1992, DIFFERENT GUITARS, Solo Guitar Series Number 3,
(UK) (Incus CDR6) (released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : guitars

Recorded in London, early 1970s

1- 03.50
2- 02.40
3- 05.25
4- 04.44
5- 02.00

Martin D18 guitar with Min Tanaka, dance,

recorded PLAN B, Tokyo, 8 December 1987

6- 09.33

Gibson Super 400 guitar, recorded Berkeley

California in April 1992

7- 08.52
8- 17.29

Cover artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

Note: this disc doesn't officially have a number but as it was the sixth CD-R available from
Incus I have decided to number it accordingly. A series of CD-Rs : minimal artwork, no-fi
recording quality, no reviews, no distributors. Strictly cottage industry. You send £10 or $15
U.S. we burn your CD-R and send it to you. We pay postage.

ncus records is historically one of the very first improvised music labels in England.

I Originally created by Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Tony Oxley and a fourth person
bringing some money upfront it later became Bailey and Karen Brookman’s affair. It
would be more than one reason for us to listen and study some of their releases and
particularly their vinyl editions in the 70’s which for few of us had reached some sort of
perfection in both content and format. Back to CD and actual activities of the label here are
some more records.

Another Incus line recently started consisting of CDRs, the serie’s called »From the store«
and for about 15 Euros (post included) you’ll get directly a signed copy of pretty amazing
unreleased tapes. Three guitar solos in our case, # 1 »In Church« (1994 and 2001), # 2
»South« (1999) and # 3 »Different guitars« (70’s to 92). The thing is that I honestly don’t
know any bad Derek Bailey record. Each improvisation, due to its own nature and process of
playing actually, contains the same sort of integrity, acquity, sharp and fast thinking. I could
even go further and state that for me this unique, and that no other great free players ever
reached something like that. That also means that once you entered the process it’s hard not
hear it all. These three solos are just beautiful, and Derek Bailey solos are a very particular
form of improv. The last album, »Different Guitars«, is a particularly interesting compilation
of unexepected instruments (19 strings guitar or Derek playing a rare Gibson super 400 from
the big band aera). I guess all that enthusiasm has everything to bore many of our readers but
I’ll insist here : This is unique and rare. It probably doesn’t happen twice in a century. All
albums and infos to be found on www.incusrecords.force9.co.uk

Noël Akchoté. Mon 22. Dec. 2003

Photograph by Gérard Rouy

19 strings guitar (more or less)

As written on the CD-R
From Bagatellen :

T he back cover reads from E.E. Cummings poem, "One's not half two. Its two are
halves of one... All lose, whole find. Cummings' words, as do the improvisations here,
speak to the numerous effects of controlled collaboration that transcend far beyond
what just one experienced musician might rear. In a rare recorded meeting, Bailey and Holland
performed together before a small audience in London's Little Theatre Club in early 1971. Of
those hours, only 40 or so minutes made it to the original issue.

True to form, Bailey and Holland show wonderful command of their instruments and
communicate in such a way that divergence comes off natural, even in the most antipodal of
their instruments' tonal stances. Holland's training in orchestral music is largely evident as he
latches on to Bailey's unparalleled approach to guitar. The results, as one might guess, are far
detached from certain improvisational advances of the time, even as Bailey's Music
Improvisation Company was well under way.

Today, the music is fresh, and somehow archival. It can be argued that modern improvisation
in the hands of current Western musicians undoubtedly flowered from roots such as those
heard here.

Posted by al on April 8, 2003 07:54 PM

ailey and Holland had originally played together in John Steven's Spontaneous

B Improvisation Ensemble back in the late 60's - alongside Evan Parker. Historical note:
Tony Oxley, Parker and Bailey founded Incus records, which was and is a prime
source for UK improvised music: 'Tony Oxley had the original idea, Michael Walters put up
the money and Derek Bailey and Evan Parker were recruited as co-directors. Since then,
Walters, Oxley and Parker have, at different times, left.'

This live recording of 'Improvised Piece iv' dates from 1971. Holland on cello draws out rich
dark brown sounds and Bailey responds in pointillistic fashion at first, gradually coming more
into the conversation as Holland goes higher, stringing out those jumpy, kinked, staggering
lines from his guitar (hint of Monk somewhere way back?). Ebb and flow – the tidal
movement of free improvisation – fading to silence and returning with high ethereal bowed
notes, becoming more scratchy as the guitar plays popping phrases. The cello moves to
pizzicato in an echo of the guitar (and more conventional jazz bass?) Very physical music in
the sense of the foregrounding of the bowing, plucking and plectrum on the strings... the cello
gives a classical flavour of idiom – Bailey's electric guitar something else – coming from jazz
(via his interest in Webern) but not jazz – combining to build on the new sonic areas spinning
off the back of the 60's that were distinctly European...
1971-1975, TONY OXLEY, Incus 8 (UK) (LP) (released in 1975)

Tony Oxley : percussion, amplified percussion

Barry Guy : bass
Dave Holdsworth : trumpet
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Howard Riley : piano
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Never before or again 10.40

Parker, Holdsworth, Rutherford, Riley, Guy, Oxley : recorded 1972
2- M-W-M 06.30
solo Oxley : recorded 1975
3- EIROC II 05.30
Bailey, Parker, Rutherford, Oxley : recorded 1971
4- East of Sheffield 06.20
solo Oxley : recorded 1971
5- South east of Sheffield 07.40
solo Oxley : recorded 1973
6- P.P.1 08.30
solo Oxley : recorded 1975

Recorded over a four year period, 1971 to 1975, these tracks illustrate the evolutionary
development of Tony Oxley's music, and particularly his percussion vocabulary.
Amplification has played a large part in this development, giving breadth to the instrument, and
allowing a reconsideration of the role of percussion in relation to improvised and structured
music.
Cover drawing by Alan Davie.
1971, ICHNOS, RCA, SF 8215 (UK) (LP) (released in 1971)

Evan Parker : soprano sax, tenor sax

Paul Rutherford : trombone
Derek Bailey : guitar
Tony Oxley : percussion, amplified percussion
Kenny Wheeler (1,4) : trumpet, fluegelhorn
Barry Guy (1,4) : bass

1- Crossing (Oxley) 08:33

2- Oryane - percussion solo (Oxley) 10:41
3- Quartets: 1.Eiroc - 2.Santrel (Oxley) 07:20
4- Cadilla (Oxley) 12:12

Recorded in London
1971, SOLO GUITAR VOLUME 1, Incus LP 2 (UK) (released in 1971)

Derek Bailey : solo electric and acoustic guitars, VCS3 synth

1- Improvisation 4 02.02
2- Improvisation 5 07.43
3- Improvisation 6 05.29
4- Improvisation 7 03.10
5- Where is the police ? by Misha Mengelberg 08.25
6- Christiani Eddy by Willem Breuker 05.50
7- The squirrel and the ricketty-racketty bridge by Gavin Bryars 06.31

Derek Bailey plays electric guitar plus VCS3 synthesiser on Where is the police?; on
Christiani Eddy he plays electric guitar unamplified and on The squirrel and the ricketty-
racketty bridge he plays two acoustic guitars at the same time (not double-tracked). The
improvisations are on electric guitar.

Recorded February 1971; equipment and recording Hugh Davies and Bob Woolford.

Improvisations 4, 5, 6, and 7 and the three compositions were previously released on Incus LP
2 in 1971. In 1978 the record was re-released as Incus 2R with the improvisations replaced by
Improvisations 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Incus CD10 brings all the material from the two LPs
together.

Front cover photograph by Christine Jeffrey.

Incus 2 sleevenote :

M aking a record is an anomalous action for somebody interested in improvisation as

I am... There are two reasons which perhaps justify it - it is a sort of example of
what you are up to and maybe it facilitates getting a few gigs... As long as it is
fairly representative of what you're concerned with, wheter it is a strikingly succesful
improvisation or not doesn't seem to me that important... I have these two interests - the
instrument and improvisation - and the aim is to make them as complimentary as possible... I
couldn't see any point in presenting more than 20 minutes of improvisation and, because this
record is largely a try at getting down some sort of view of the guitar, it seemed a good idea to
get some other views of the guitar for the other side... I thought it would be interesting to ask
three people to write pieces for me to play and to see what they would do... If I had been
writing for the guitar, I wouldn't have written anything like these three... The pieces largely
dictate how the music is going to sound... My contribution is just how well or badly I play
them.

Derek Bailey, 1971.

Incus 2R sleevenote :

he above note, which appeared with the 1971 issue of this record, still applies, I think.

T Some of the music, however, has been changed. The improvisations on side one of
that issue (4, 5, 6 and 7) are replaced now by other improvisations recorded at the
same time (3, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12). Side two is unchanged. As everyone knows, compositions
are forever.

Derek Bailey, 1978.

CD10 sleevenote :

T his CD brings together all the music previously put out as described above. There
seems little to add at this point except that the stimulus for the present re-issue came
from Kunio Nakamura, a continuing source of help and encouragement. My own
preference was to make a new solo record. That is issued as Volume 2 on Incus CD 11.

Derek Bailey, 1992.

oth that CD (Incus Taps) and this one are stuffed full of solo electric guitar playing,

B Bailey sitting in a chair while the big hollow-bodied stringed thing in his lap hums
and glows with a life of its own, coughing and spitting as our bespectacled
experimenter whacks and whittles away at its strings, working a volume pedal all the while to
create a now-you-hear-it-now-you-don't instability. I personally think that these early-70's
electric guitar improvs are the best thing Bailey has done solo (preferable to -- believe it --
much-acclaimed all-acoustic works like Aida). There's something primitive, psychedelic, and
even warm-and-caressing about the way his amplified sounds float, buzz, and hover that really
tucks me in, big-blanket style.
Substance abounds in Derek Bailey 's Solo Guitar Volume I. This re-issue consolidates
material on two Incus LPs. His linear conception is given weight and counter-balanced by
unusual intervallic concerns linking the guitarist to the Viennese 12-tone school (an encounter
with Franz Koglmann seems inevitable) as well as Thelonious Monk . The regular utilization
of harmonic overtones, all manner of overdubbing, chopping and scraping of chordal clusters
and, on electric, feedback and volume pedal phasing are supportively interwoven with grace
and finesse. Compared to later a cappella documents, Volume 1 is attractively austere,
purposefully ragged and, on the first four cuts, effectively random in approach. Also of
interest here is the hardcore improvising guitarist's meeting with three compositions; Misha
Mengelberg's shuffling "Police" augmented by synthesizer enhancement, the fretboard
tapping of Gavin Bryars' "Squirrel" and the intricate linearisms of Willem Breuker 's "Eddy",
where the struggle between score and interpreter IS the piece, and hilariously so.

Milo Fine, Cadence, All Music Guide

B
PGJ ***
ailey's music defies exact description and evaluation. He plays intensely and
abstractly... Bailey's solo performances give the clearest impression of his pitchless,
metreless playing but this is extremely forbidding music.

1974, THE SQUIRREL AND THE RICKETTY-RACKETTY BRIDGE

Instrumentation: 1 player, 2 guitars (or multiples of this)

Published in EMC Rhythmic Anthology

First performance: Studio recording Incus Records (Derek Bailey guitars).

First live performance: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London,

December 1972( Derek Bailey/ John Tilbury, 2 players, 4 guitars).

1971, SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?, Tangent TGS 118 (LP)
(released in 1973)

Spontaneous Music Ensemble :

John Stevens : drums

Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, flugelhorn
Dave Holland : double bass
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- So, what do you think ? (sides 1 and 2)

Recorded at Tangent, London on 27 January 1971.

Sleeve design/front cover photograph by Jak Kilby.

The SME’s music can be seen in part as one answer to the problem of motion in music, as
an attempt to synthesize linear and non-linear movement within a looser improvisational
context without one seeming to take precedence over the other. Cecil Taylor, of course,
forged something of his own intensely compacted solution to this problem, and the Art
Ensemble of Chicago’s procedural and stylistic stream-of-consciousness was another. But
only in England has this been at the heart of any on-going musical investigations - as a
result of which certain of the English musicians have come to stand in the forefront of
contemporary improvisation.

The Source is a composition in several parts (by John Stevens) whose principal aesthetic
thrust stems more from Coltrane’s Ascension than from anything else. There are long,
drawn-out lines that serve either as a basis for improvisation or as something to improvise
against; or, at times, are ignored altogether. But, as absorbing as this piece is, it is not as
dark or raucous a work as Ascension and, like Coltrane’s recording, tends as much to
accentuate as to come to grips with the problem of motion. That is part of its attractiveness,
but it is not as advanced as certain other English music from this time (the ground-breaking
Topography of the Lungs, Incus 1, for example) nor does it offer as many implications for
further development as an earlier SME recording, “Oliv II” (1969), on the out-of-print
Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Marmalade 608 008).

“So What Do You Think?” suggests much more. Compositionally, the piece (in two parts)
is credited to John Stevens, but it seems to be almost entirely improvised. Built on and
around any number of quick, discontinuous motifs, there is a sense (during “Part One”
anyway) that the piece could begin or end anywhere. It is clearly going someplace, but it
doesn’t seem to matter whether or not it ever really gets there. Its investigations may in fact
be only of a minute area - much like watching cell activity under a microscope - or it may
be all-encompassing. It is not really certain and, in a sense, it doesn’t matter. It merely
exists as itself and, in its agitation, presents multiple pathways into and out of that self. Its
form is neither linear nor non-linear, yet it might be thought of as either.

“Part Two” is built on similar principles, but at times there is a deliberate falling back into
relatively more conventional linear movement; this is juxtaposed by the type of activity
referred to above. “Part Two” is less important for its juxtapositions, but its tentative
retreats allow the further advances of “Part One” to stand out all the more clearly. That
part, as noted, is particularly provocative and should be heard and absorbed.

The Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME) was a loose collection of free improvising
musicians convened beginning in the
mid-1960s by the late South London-based jazz drummer/trumpeter John Stevens and alto
and soprano saxophonist Trevor Watts.

SME performances could range from Stevens-Watts duos to gatherings of more than a
dozen players. One can loosely divide the
group’s history into two periods: the more horn-oriented earlier ensembles (typically with
some combination of Watts, Evan Parker
and Kenny Wheeler), and the later string-based ensembles with guitarist Roger Smith (who
became as central to the second edition of
SME as Watts was to the first) and violinist Nigel Coombes. (The transitional point is the
quartet album Biosystem (Incus, 1977), which also featured cellist Colin Wood.) Countless
other musicians passed through the SME over the years, including Derek Bailey, Paul
Rutherford, Maggie Nichols, Dave Holland, Barry Guy, Peter Kowald and Kent Carter. The
final edition of the group was a trio of Stevens, Smith, and the saxophonist John Butcher, a
configuration documented on A New Distance (1994).

Inspired both by American free jazz and by the radical, abstract music of AMM, as well as
influences as diverse as Anton Webern and Samuel Beckett (two Stevens touchstones), the
SME kept at least a measure of jazz in their sound, though this became less audible in the
later “string” ensembles. As critic Brian Olewnick writes, the SME emphasised an
“extremely open, leaderless aspect where a premium was placed on careful and considered
listening on the part of the musicians. Saxophonist Evan Parker observed that Stevens had
two basic rules: (1) If you can’t hear another musician, you’re playing too loud, and (2) if
the music you’re producing doesn’t regularly relate to what you’re hearing others create,
why be in the group? This led to the development of what would jocularly become known
as ‘insect improv’ — music that tended to be very quiet, very intense, arrhythmic, and by
and large atonal.”

Stevens’ death in 1994 brought an end to the SME.

Henry Kuntz, 1975

1971-1979-1987, IN WHOSE TRADITION? Solo Guitar Improvisations
1971-1979 Emanem LP 3404 (Australia) (LP) (released in 1988)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar, amplified guitar, talk

Side A ;

1- Six fairly early pieces 12.21

- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
Stereo studio recording by Ben Christianson, July 26, 1971
2- In whose tradition? 00.34
Stereo home recording by Martin Davidson, June 29, 1974
3- Three More Public Pieces
- Fifth
- Sixth
 - Eighth
Stereo concert recording by Martin Davidson, May 22 at ICA
Cinema

Side B :

4- Some More Domestic Pieces

- Happy Birthday To You
recorded March 1977
- Self-erasing 00.16
recorded February 1987
- The last post - morning 13.46
recorded 2 May 1979
- Postscript 02.41
recorded 12 June 1987

Calligraphy by Derek Bailey.

Photo by Roberto Masotti (about 1975).
Layout by Martin Davidson.

Emanem Algorithms, 16 Larra Crescent, North Rocks, NSW 2151, Australia.

1971-73-79-80-87-98, FAIRLY EARLY WITH POSTSCRIPTS, Emanem
4027 (UK) (CD) (released in 1999)

Largely solo tracks over a period of 27 years.

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar, amplified guitar, talk

Anthony Braxton : flute, sopranino saxophone (tracks 3, 4)
Kent Carter : amplified double bass (tracks 9, 10)
John Stevens : percussion (tracks 9, 10)

1- Six fairly early pieces 12.21

recorded 26 July 1971
2- In whose tradition? 00.35
recorded 29 June 1974
3- Rehearsal extract - area 7 03.21
recorded 29 June 1974
4- Rehearsal extract - area 8 06.42
recorded 29 June 1974
5- Tunnel hearing 07.18
recorded 28 May 1980
6- 10% extra free 03.28
recorded 28 May 1980
7- 20% extra free 03.49
recorded 28 May 1980
8- Self-erasing 00.15
recorded February 1987
9- A bit of the crust 02.26
recorded 30 July 1973
10- A bit of the dumps 03.30
recorded 30 July 1973
11- The last post - morning 07.42
recorded 2 May 1979
12- The last post - afternoon 08.22
recorded 2 May 1979
13- Postscript 02.46
recorded 12 June 1987
14- Post postscript 03.49
recorded 20 October 1998

Tracks 1-2, 8, 11-13 originally issued in 1988 on Emanem LP 3404, In Whose Tradition?;
track 3 originally issued in 1980 on Inner City double LP IC 1041; track 4 originally issued
in 1974 on Emanem double LP 601; tracks 9-10 originally issued in 1975 on Emanem LP
304 The crust (Steve Lacy); other tracks previously unissued.

S olo electric guitar improvisations from 1971 (unedited) & 1973-4 concert excerpts
with Kent Carter & John Stevens; 1974 rehearsal extracts with Anthony Braxton; a
1979 cassette letter (edited less); previously unissued 1980 acoustic guitar
improvisations; postscripts from 1987 & 1998. This disc comprises various items, mainly
from Emanem LPs, that have not made it to CD yet. It is not meant to be a comprehensive
portrait -- more a sort of scrapbook showing some of the different instrumental approaches
that Derek Bailey has used over the years. In his early free work, Bailey used a six-string
guitar with pedal-controlled amplification. This allowed him, among other things, to instantly
control the volume of each note sounded, and also to vary the volume during the course of a
sound. Using this technique meant that notes could fade in and/or end abruptly, in direct
opposition to what happens naturally. Around 1972, Bailey added another loudspeaker and
another volume pedal to his guitar, enabling him to throw sounds around stereophonically in
addition to what he was already doing...As an alternative to his stereo set up, Bailey also used
a 19-string (approx) guitar -- perhaps the only modified instrument he has used."

D erek Bailey, acoustic & amplified guitar solos; also with Anthony Braxton, flute &
sopranino sax; Kent Carter, bass; John Stevens, percussion. Recorded July 26, 1971,
July 30, 1973, June 29, 1974, May 2, 1979, February & June 12, 1987 and October
20, 1998. Re-release of Emanem 3404 (tracks not re-issued on CD Emanem 4001), tracks
from Inner City 1041, Emanem 601, 304 and 3 previously unissued tracks. This scrapbook of
Bailey techniques includes examples of pedal-controlled amplification, stereo pedal control,
the 19 string guitar and acoustic playing plus some musical cassette letters.
 his disc comprises various items, mainly from Emanem LPs, that have not made it to

T CD yet. It is not meant to be a comprehensive portrait - more a sort of scrapbook

showing some of the different instrumental approaches that Derek Bailey has used
over the years.

In his early free work, Bailey used a six-string guitar with pedal-controlled amplification. This
allowed him, among other things, to instantly control the volume of each note sounded, and
also to vary the volume during the course of a sound. Using this technique meant that notes
could fade in and/or end abruptly, in direct opposition to what happens naturally. The SIX
FAIRLY EARLY PIECES from 1971 are a fine example of this approach. They are a
complete performance - a set of miniatures that are "highly disciplined examinations of their
material which, had they been composed by Berg or Webern, would be required study" (to
quote Barry Witherden in Wire Magazine). The stereo gives good separation between the
sounds emanating directly from the guitar and those coming from the single speaker. (The
source tape has several problems, and for that reason was originally issued in edited format on
LP. Both Adam Skeaping and myself have recently spent many hours working on it to make it
acceptable in its entirety.)

Around 1972, Bailey added another loudspeaker and another volume pedal to his guitar,
enabling him to throw sounds around stereophonically in addition to what he was already
doing. IN WHOSE TRADITION?, a short example of this modus operandi, is one of those
informal moments when one is glad to have left the tape recorder running.

As an alternative to his stereo set up, Bailey was also using a 19-string (approx) guitar -
perhaps the only modified instrument he has used. This can be heard on the two 1974
REHEARSAL EXTRACTs with Anthony Braxton. As well as having several unconventional
strings, including two that went around his feet, this guitar leant itself well to bowing, as can be
heard. (The following day, Braxton and Bailey played their first duo concert which can be
heard on Emanem 4006.)

An edited extract from 1980 - TUNNEL HEARING - is an excellent example of acoustic

guitar playing, which Bailey concentrated on after giving up stereo amplification around 1975.
There is also an explanation to something which may have been puzzling some listeners. The
two EXTRA FREE extracts are more of the same without any explanation.

SELF-ERASING is a self-evident extract from a 1987 cassette letter which had no direct
music content.

Back to 1973 for the two BITs, which feature a mono recording of the stereo guitar along with
bass and drums played by Kent Carter & John Stevens. These are excerpts from club
performances by a Steve Lacy Quintet that also included Steve Potts. (Three complete quintet
performances from this concert can be heard on Emanem 4024.)

THE LAST POST, an acoustic guitar cassette letter, was sent to my then wife and myself
when we were living in the USA in 1979. It is much too good to be heard by just two people,
so it is included complete on this CD, apart from two cuts to remove some private parts from
the MORNING section. (On the original LP release, I over-cautiously edited more out, so this
version is a couple of minutes of minutes longer.) THE LAST POST, written on the eve of the
Thatcher Winter, was in response to the LP release of DOMESTIC & PUBLIC PIECES
(now available on Emanem 4001). It was also some time after Bailey’s move from Islington to
Hackney, hence the sonic introduction to the kitchen. (Voices other than that of the guitarist
may be heard from time to time - pay no attention to them, they are not worth listening to.)
POSTSCRIPT is all of the musical section of a cassette letter, sent to us when we were living
in Australia in 1987. It was written the day after the commencement of the third devastating
season of the Thatcher Winter, and features a newly purchased Martin guitar which Bailey did
not keep for long as its non-standard width made it uncomfortable for him to play.

After I proposed the above compilation, Bailey decided to add a POST POSTSCRIPT which
brings some things up to date.

Martin Davidson, 1998

A fascinating compendium of pieces by Derek Bailey - some culled from LPs and
others previously unissued - that spans 27 years of his remarkably consistent music,
consistent in its ability to touch on both the sublime and the absurd. The emphasis is
on pieces from the 70s, and the opening piece is an arresting exploration of the sonic
possibilities of amplified guitar, like much of Bailey's work, music that seems to issue from a
musical intelligence so refined it doesn't require a point of view. That thinking is apparent as
well on the acoustic pieces from 1980, and perhaps it's most evident in a series of cassette
letters sent to Martin Davidson through the years, on which Bailey plays guitar as he talks
about various subjects - weather, a tour of a new home, a new guitar, or playing along with
Margaret Thatcher and Edward Heath. Occasionally, Bailey's playing will catch his notice and
take over from the thread of his talking, but they're all of a piece, right up to a lyrical and
almost traditional fragment to conclude the CD. There's enough variety here to make the CD
an excellent introduction to Bailey's work, as well as an intimate portrait of one of improvised
music's essential makers.

Stuart Broomer, Cadence, 1999

f you haven't yet heard the acknowledged father of experimental/freely-improvised guitar

I playing - and if you have - you really should hear this particular collection. Editor Martin
Davidson put together a nicely varied selection of solos and small group performances
that not only are very tasty, but also showcase the variety of techniques, effects and subtle
changes in Bailey's style that have occurred over the last 30 years. Bailey's playing, for all its
atonal angularity and often jagged surface, is engrossing and extremely satisfying to those
with open ears -- and they don't have to be that open, these days. His sound - especially on
acoustic - is big and "physicalist" in a way I'm used to hearing on rural 1920s blues
recordings. Listen to 10% Extra Free, a 1980 (yet timeless) solo, and you'll hear a fascinating
sequence of compelling, strange inventions: leisurely paced, pointillistic harmonics bang and
bounce in the biting timbres of wood and steel, bell-like high notes and pinging grace notes
from behind the bridge punctuate a brief block of harsh, chopped chords that test the limits of
pain (free-improv isn't always pretty, mind you). It's a musical language that sometimes
resembles talking more than singing, but once you're used to it, it makes perfect sense. Of the
many DB releases out right now, this one is a great intro for the new enjoyer, a must for the
fan.

Tony Mostrom, Epulse, 2000

he godfather of avant-garde guitar is here represented by 14 scraps of recorded work

T spanning the period 1971 to 1998. It turns out to be an excellent overview of Bailey’s
art, from the early amplified pieces to improvisations from his middle period when he
renounced the electric guitar and played only acoustic instruments, to 1998’s Post Postscript,
recorded digitally at his home. Bailey’s playing is not for the faint of heart -- it consists
primarily of atonal, scampering chords interspersed with scratches and squeals. On two tracks
he collaborates with the similarly inclined flute and saxophone player Anthony Braxton, and
two others are trio performances with bassist Kent Carter and drummer John Stevens. Best of
all are the excerpts from several 'cassette letters' he sent to Emanem label head Martin
Davidson, on which he spins out his confounding guitar parts while bringing his listener up to
date on local goings-on, at one point improvising over a radio broadcast of Margaret
Thatcher’s voice, all the while muttering vulgar imprecations about the state of British politics.
Wonderful.

Rick Anderson, All-Music Guide, 1999

N ot a long-lost quartet session, mouth-watering though that would be, but a selection
of unissued and long-scarce tracks from almost three decades of Bailey's epoch-
defining career. They run from the early pieces of 1971 to the Post Postscript of
1998, recorded specifically for this release.

Those Six Fairly Early Pieces are from an Emanem LP issued ten years ago and now
unavailable, and it's good to see them back. They have all the hallmarks of Bailey's style, using
on this occasion a single volume pedal separated from the acoustic sound in the stereo field.
Also included is the very short and chaotically funny In Whose Tradition? from three years
later; again, the stereo effects are used to enhance Bailey's palette without becoming
gimmicky. Perhaps not so masterful as some of his subsequent work, these are welcome
documents of his development and still knock most experimental guitar-playing into a cocked
hat.

The Postscripts refer to tape letters which Bailey sent to Martin Davidson (who runs
Emanem) while the latter was in the US at the end of the '70s. They mix guitar playing with
talk from Bailey in an engaging and spontaneous manner, making them rather intimate
portraits of the man which Davidson must have enjoyed enormously. Bailey plays like an
angel -- often drifting into uncharacteristically jazzy areas, for satirical purposes but
revealingly nonetheless -- but his words, taken out of their postcard context, are a little
distracting. However much we might agree with him, his political points are heartfelt but
there's not much news here. Edward Heath is "the old twot"; Thatcher is "the evil bitch"; "they
really are a pathetic lot this time", he mutters. Plenty of vitriol here but not much analysis,
which is perfectly understandable in what he was never expecting to be a public document.

"In Whose Tradition?" was recorded on the same day as Bailey was rehearsing with Braxton,
and two out-takes from their rehearsal tapes show a very different guitarist. The oft-made
criticism of the Braxton/Bailey duo -- that these are two masters from different musical
traditions who have very little to say to one another -- isn't supported by their live recordings,
but these two tracks are certainly dispensible. Bailey scrapes and saws, going for noise rather
than notes, which is surprising when you step outside the rehearsal room and hear them
sparring with harmonic complexities far beyond anything resembling changes playing. The
result is not terribly flattering for either player, although again perhaps the documentary value
of these excerpts justifies their release.

The same can't be said for the previously unissued solo takes from 1980; this is prime Bailey,
and one wonders just how much of this stuff exists given that it's taken nigh-on twenty years
for these to come out. Fifteen minutes of pure magic, followed by two short and exhilarating
trios with Carter and a bombastic Stevens, long unavailable and heartily welcomed back to the
catalogue. Carter is a bit on the quiet side, but overall these are an extremely involving listen.
The "Postscripts" refer to tape letters which Bailey sent to Martin Davidson (who runs
Emanem) while the latter was in the US at the end of the '70s. They mix guitar playing with
talk from Bailey in an engaging and spontaneous manner, making them rather intimate
portraits of the man which Davidson must have enjoyed enormously. Bailey plays like an
angel -- often drifting into uncharacteristically jazzy areas, for satirical purposes but
revealingly nonetheless -- but his words, taken out of their postcard context, are a little
distracting. However much we might agree with him, his political points are heartfelt but
there's not much news here. Edward Heath is "the old twot"; Thatcher is "the evil bitch"; "they
really are a pathetic lot this time", he mutters. Penty of vitriol here but not much analysis,
which is perfectly understandable in what he was never expecting to be a public document.

Added to these are the Postscripts themselves, the second of which begins with the rather on-
point observation that "there must be a limit to how many times we can do this". But these, I
suppose, aren't to be thought of as completely-realised musical performances so much as
spontaneous sketches, highly personal documents, something like a great writer's diary. On
that analogy, then, these are not for the casual listener but will be of great interest to the
completist. The disc as a whole, though, has much to recommend it, and one shouldn't be put
off by the quirkiness of the final twenty minutes.

Richard Cochrane, Musings, 1999

he Six Fairly Early Pieces are one track of twelve minutes, and one hears on different

T channels the acoustic guitar and pedal controlled amplifier. The increased separation
makes for an uncanny feeling of a duo, while the pieces are terse, concentrated
improvisations on material with special attention on attack and decay effects. Fascinating
listening. Tunnel Hearing is acoustic guitar, with wonderful rhythm doubling and phrase
variations - a seven minute demonstration track complete with psychological/pshychoacoustic
explanation of the purpose of talking while playing; two more tracks (without talking)
continue at the same level, with great clarity and purpose.

The Post and Postscripts are true musical letters recorded on cassette (the Davidsons were
living in America and Australia then); topics in the spoken parts intertwined with the playing
include another Emanem release, the weather, Thatcher (speaking from the radio), the sound
and furniture of the new Bailey kitchen, Thatcher again (after the third re-election), the new
guitar. The Post Postscript is a 1998 update in the same style. Irresistible. Music, sound and
production concur to make this an outstanding release that will give you hours of pleasure.
Francesco Martinelli, Avant, 1999

erek Bailey releases records more often than some folks rent movies, so the question

D inevitably faces all save the fanatic fan - what's so special about this record that I
need to get it instead of the other four or eight that came out this year? Likewise the
curious novice will ask him or herself "where the hell do I start?" This generously
proportioned record of material from the 70s and 80s has something to offer both. For the
novice it's a fine survey of Bailey's work; you hear the guitarist alone and with some key
collaborators, playing with stereo amplified and purely acoustic guitar.

Bailey's musical language remains purely his own despite frequent imitation; it's a purely
improvised and technically rigorous vocabulary of hacks, squeaks, scratches, sproings, and
hums deployed using a resolutely non-melodic, non-repetitive syntax whose inexorable yet
non-intuitive organisational logic will put your jaw on the floor and use it for a dustpan. If you
want to know what he's about, this will tell you more directly than most records because it
includes several pieces on which Bailey speaks as well as plays. Those selections are the ones
that longtime fans will most want to hear - no other record collects as much Bailey babble in
one spot. Whether applied to the contents of his kitchen and the left side of his brain, or to the
hapless state of British politics, his speech is as intelligent and ornery as his music.
Bill Meyer, Moe, 2000

erek Bailey is the master of the ungroove, of the sound of the moment without

D reliance on rhythmic or melodic predictability. His guitar music, as well as being

tuneless and arhythmic, is forbidding and full of noise effects.

Consequently, perhaps the only predictable thing on this disc of miscellaneous pieces dating
from 1971 to 1988 is the wry collection of quotations on the cover. Some are on the order of
a 1968 Down Beat article that called Bailey's playing "texturally subtle and varied, with
impressionistic melody and harmony and calm structures to match." On the other side are
ones like this from Midland Bank: "Unless you make a sustained effort to bring your
account into credit we shall have no alternative but to -" Critical accolades, sure. But no
grooves, no coins.

What, then, is Bailey's playing? Well, on this disc it is a collection of crackles and jangles,
usually unaccompanied and unhurried, although Anthony Braxton gets Derek going a bit
toward the frenetic end of Rehearsal Extract - Area 8. John Stevens and Kent Carter do the
same on a couple of electric fragments: A Bit of the Crust and A Bit of the Dumps. And on
the amplified sections, like Six Fairly Early Pieces, there's an occasional indulgence of
feedback.

It is easiest to hear what Bailey does on the comparatively lengthy (seven minutes plus) and
unamplified track Tunnel Hearing, from 1980. Single notes. Small melodic excursions,
usually ending in an unexpected but ringing turn. Unexpected progressions of one note or a
few, rhythmically varied. The sound of his playing is crystalline and pure, and there's a sample
of his wry humour here too. (You'll find more of Derek Bailey the Man Beyond the Legend in
the two parts of The Last Post, actual audio letters he sent to Emanem's Martin Davidson,
including some trenchant political commentary.) He revels in the clear sounds of the notes,
and he carefully and dryly brings them to our attention here. It and the other two pieces from
this time period, 10% Extra Free and 20% Extra Free, are especially brilliant examples of the
peculiarly affecting quality of his playing. 20% Extra Free verges on a flamenco groove, but
our man is too canny to fall in. Yet how captivating are the edges on which he creeps and
mutters! How strange to say that this is great music, but it undeniably is. Derek Bailey has
pulled off a miracle by eschewing all the standard ingredients of great music and making it
anyway, out of his brilliantine shards and fragments. Recommended."

Robert Spencer, All About Jazz, 1999

L es pièces qui traînaient çà et là, éparpillées dans l’agenda informel de Bailey, ont été
regroupées ici en un ensemble très cohérent qui embrasse près de vingt ans d’activité;
diverses configurations guitaristiques s’y retrouvent, ainsi que des collaborations avec
Anthony Braxton, Kent Carter et John Stevens.

Avec ce disque, le vinyle solo intitulé In Whose Tradition (Emanem 3404) et les
enregistrements du duo avec Anthony Braxton se voient entièrement réédités (j’ai pourtant
l’impression qu’il reste des choses à publier). La pièce éponyme d’un des vinyles originaux,
"In Whose Tradition", brève et amusante, est maintenant remise en contexte et l’on peut
entendre le rire caractéristique d’Anthony Braxton se détacher sur les raclements de Bailey.
Une plage de douze minutes reprend les "Six Fairly Early Pieces"; on y entend, sur les
différents canaux, la guitare acoustique et l’ampli contrôlé à la pédale. Cette nette distinction
donne l’étrange impression d’être à l’écoute d’un duo. Laconiques, brusques, ces pièces
improvisées très denses explorent avec beaucoup d’attention le jeu sur les attaques et les
estompages… Une écoute fascinante. "L’impression de duo" est encore augmentée par
l’addition d’un système "pédale / haut-parleur" supplémentaire dans In Whose Tradition ;
ceci crée d’ailleurs un contraste – qui provoquera les réactions de Braxton – entre le jeu
acoustique en accords "raclés" et la vigoureuse distorsion sonore.

Deux brefs extraits de cette même journée sont tirés des répétitions précédant le concert: au
désir de Braxton de jouer quelques compositions, Bailey opposa une fin de non-recevoir…
Un terrain d’entente fut cependant trouvé avec les "Language Areas" qui se rapprochent des
"Solo Language Classes" dont Braxton usait pour ses solos. Bailey y joue de sa "guitare
modifiée" et, pratique qu’il abandonnera par la suite, manie l’archet. Délaissant
l’amplification, il délivre dans la pièce suivante un discours acoustique qui combine variations
de phrasés et superbes redoublements rythmiques; en une plage de sept minutes, la
démonstration est faite – avec explication psychologique et psycho-acoustique à l’appui – de
l’intérêt de parler en jouant. Les deux pièces qui suivent (sans paroles) sont du même niveau,
pleines de clarté et de détermination. En quinze secondes, quelques mots échappés d’une
"lettre-bande" de 1987 complètent le tableau.

Ce qui suit perturbe l’ordre chronologique. Il s’agit d’un extrait du LP intitulé The Crust
(Emanem LP 304), enregistré à Londres en 1973 par un groupe constitué autour de Steve
Lacy et partiellement réédité sur Saxophone Special + (Emanem CD 4024). "A Bit Of The
Dumps", un extrait lui aussi, figurait sur le vinyle original; quant à "The Crust" (dédié à Rex
Stewart), morceau de dix minutes en quintet, on en retrouve ici deux minutes et trente
secondes qui se raccordent, aux environs de la septième minute dans l’original, à l’endroit où
les saxes s’effacent. La distinction entre cette section au dynamisme fascinant et la partie
précédente était assez nette dans le vinyle; contrastant avec le climat plus "composé", ou du
moins plus conventionnellement "jazz", du début du morceau, ce mouvement acquiert une
signification propre. La guitare de Bailey, qui dans les premiers instants apportait sa touche
colorée au flux, émerge et monte en volume pour commenter le solo de Steve Potts. Il faut
noter que la qualité du son est bien meilleure que sur l’original. (Le morceau intitulé "The
Owl", qui figurait sur l’album original, n’a quant à lui toujours pas été réédité en CD.)

Le disque se termine en solo avec un "Post" en deux parties, un "Postscript" et un "Postpost-

script". Véritables "lettres musicales" enregistrées sur cassette (les Davidson – ndtr :
fondateurs d’Ema-nem – vivaient à l’époque en Australie), "Post" et "Postscripts" mêlent
segments parlés et parties musicales; on y retrouve une production d’Emanem (Domestic and
Public Pieces), la météo, Thatcher (captée à la radio), les sons et les meubles de la nouvelle
cuisine de Bailey à son domicile de Downs Road, puis Thatcher de nouveau (après la
troisième réélection), et la nouvelle guitare. Le "Postscript" est, dans le même style, une "mise
à jour" de 1998. Irrésistible.
La pochette, tirée d’une notice des années 70, mélange citations de journalistes et courriers de
la banque… L’ironie de cette mise en rapport confine à l’humour noir. La musique, la qualité
du son et de la production concourent à faire de ce disque une réalisation exceptionnelle qui
vous donnera, comme l’on dit, des heures de plaisir.

Francesco MARTINELLI
Traduction de Guillaume TARCHE

"Post…scriptum" du traducteur : Francesco évoque ci-dessus la récente réédition de

Saxophone Special (Emanem CD 4024 distr. Improjazz) de Steve Lacy; ce document capital
reprend non seulement une partie du LP The Crust (Emanem 304) avec Lacy, Potts, Bailey,
Carter, Stevens, mais aussi l’intégralité (enrichie d’une alternate) du LP Saxophone Special
(Emanem 3310), enregistré en 1974 à Londres, avec Lacy, Potts, T.Watts, E.Parker, Bailey,
Waisvisz. Témoignage de la féconde british connection de Lacy, ce disque recèle aussi ce qui
semble être, dans l’histoire de la musique improvisée, le premier enregistrement d’un quatuor
de sopranos ("Sops")… Les amateurs se souviendront du quatuor de sopranistes réuni pour
la Company Week de 1977 (Lacy, Coxhill, Braxton, Parker, in Company 6 & 7 Incus CD
07). G.T.

F airly Early With Postscripts is meant to be a scrapbook of Derek Bailey 's activities
from 1971 to 1998. Most of the material included on this CD had been previously
released on hard-to-find LPs (mostly on the label Emanem) and features the guitarist
solo. "Six Fairly Early Pieces" (1971), a suite of very sharp performances on amplified guitar
with volume pedal, remains the best and most significant moment of the album. There are a
couple versions of "Rehearsal Extract" with Anthony Braxton, where Bailey plays a mutant
19-string guitar. "Tunnel Hearing" provides a good acoustic solo performance. "A Bit of the
Crust" and "A Bit of the Dumps" feature Kent Carter on bass and John Stevens on drums.
The two "The Last Post" tracks and "Postscript" are excerpts from cassette letters sent to label
owner Martin Davidson and date back to 1979 and 1987. Bailey plays guitar while
commenting on various subjects, including Margaret Thatcher's politics (more personal parts
have been edited out). Before this CD was completed, Bailey went into the studio to record a
short "Post Postscript," the only track from the 1990s, where he brings an update on previous
subjects (this one is very funny). Clearly not an essential item, Fairly Early With Postscripts
will please the collector or longtime lover of Bailey's music and personality.

François Couture, All Music Guide

T he First twelve minutes of this CD are an unedited version of Derek’s early electric
explorations with volume pedal that appeared on an earlier LP and represents some of
the finest electric playing I have heard. I own at least fifty LPs of Derek’s playing so
that is saying something. The two cuts with Anthony Braxton are from a rehearsal that they
did in advance of those legendary 1974 concerts that opened up the world to a new way of
thinking about music altogether. There is something amazing about the way Braxton really
communicates with Bailey that outshines even the long standing duo Evan Parker and Bailey
have and you can see it here. The next three cuts are examples of Derek’s acoustic playing
from 1980 with Derek’s dry wit commenting on the proceedings. The cuts with Kent Carter
and the late, great John Stevens are excerpts from Steve Lacy’s Saxophone Special CD, so
you may have this already but it is nice just to hear these sections on their own. There are
more private audio letters that Martin Davidson shares with us, most of which haven’t been
heard or in one case, overly edited, that now appear in more complete forms. Even though all
but four of these have been previously released, this is a great chance to hear one of the most
profound instrumentalists of the any age. A sound innovator who has transformed the way we
hear and the way we play. This CD offers a great overview of most of those innovations, form
1971 to 1998. Don’t miss it.

Joee Conroy

R ecorded in the early 70s with a couple of tag ends made many years later. Bailey
played through volume pedal(s) & amplified by one or two speakers respectively
during this period, before going acoustic later in the. Liner notes include reamarks to
Bailey from angry collection agents as well as effervescent jazz critics.
1972, ODE, Incus 6-7 (UK) (LP) (released in 1972)

London Jazz Composers' Orchestra :

Barry Guy : bass, composer
Buxton Orr : conductor
Harry Beckett : trumpet
Dave Holdsworth : trumpet
Marc Charig : cornet
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Mike Gibbs : trombone
Paul Nieman : trombone
Dick Hart : tuba
Howard Riley : piano
Derek Bailey : guitar
Trevor Watts : alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Mike Osborne : alto saxophone
Bernhard Living : alto saxophone
Alan Wakeman : soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Bob Downes : flute, tenor saxophone
Karl Jenkins : baritone saxophone, oboe
Jeff Clyne : bass
Chris Laurence : bass
Tony Oxley : percussion
Paul Lytton : percussion
1- Part I: Introduction - The end - Edgar Ende, 1931 08.58
2- Part II: Strophe I - Memory of the future - Oscar Dominguez, 1939 08.56
3- Part III: Antistrophe I - Exact sensibility - Oscar Dominguez, 1935 14.11
4- Part IV: Strophe II - Indefinite indivisibility - Yves Tanguy, 1942 23.44
5- Part V: Antistrophe II - According to the laws of chance - Jean Arp,1917 10.56
6- Part VI: Epôde - Presence of mind- René Magritte, 1958 19.00

Recorded on 22 April 1972 in Oxford Town Hall at the English Bach Festival.

Cover design by Peter Frey.

On the lp release, tracks 4-6 were reordered and renamed as follows: "Arp" was Strophe II
and appeared as track 4; "Magritte" was Antistrophe II and appeared as track 5; and "Tanguy"
was the Coda and appeared as track 6.

LONDON JAZZ COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA

he legendary London Jazz Composers Orchestra has been at the forefront of

T improvised music for over 30 years. The group features top European musicians from
both the jazz and classical field. Highly acclaimed in North America and Europe, the
pioneering orchestra is a Who's Who of virtuoso improvising musicians, exploring the
relationship and tension between composed and improvised music and between new music
and jazz. Director Barry Guy's compositions provide a structure for the musicians' explosive
solo and collective improvisations

LJCO is a band of soloists, and as such everybody's playing for their life. There are no
passengers. The LJCO in concert is as much about physical force of sound as it is about
musical information ? it's a portrait of the future.

Barry Guy

From Intakt CD 041 "ODE"

Texts by Barry Guy, Bert Noglik & John Corbett

Barry Guy

years seems an absurdly long time to keep a band going, but then there have been

25 exceptional attractions in doing so. Two abiding and powerful forces have
promoted this continuity: The constantly evolving creativity of the musicians and
my desire to research an expanded scenario for the large ensemble.

In those early days I was greatly encouraged by my composition professor Buxton Orr. Such
was his interest in my ideas and crucially, his understanding of the impetus behind the
musicians' experiments, he eventually directed the orchestra for several years. Also his work
as composer, conductor and teacher prepared him for many weary hours coaxing the pieces
into life.

"Ode" was my first score written to address the problems of integrating improvised music
within a large tableau of symphonic proportions. The first performances produced glowing
notices: "remarkable and impressive"; "technically awesome creation"; " a work of astonishing
brilliance" and so on. There was also a great deal of adverse criticism ? "lunatic music";
"merciless noise"; "a long way from Satchmo, Benny, Bix and Duke, too long a way". Well
yes, it meant to be a long way from those great pioneers, but some folks always miss the
point!

At the time of writing "Ode", I was very conscious of possible misunderstandings that could
surround such a composition, and in particular I was anxious to make clear that it was not
"Third Stream Music" ? the superimposition of "Jazz" material into a classical ensemble. For
me it was important to stress the language similarities, the symbiotic sound worlds of "Free
Jazz" and contemporary compositional rationalities. I had in mind two solid foundations on
which to build the music ? "Sound as energy" and "Energy's structure".

As a performer and composer, it seemed to me that the way to integrate the original music of
improvising musicians with the composer's idea was to reach into the heart of what each
discipline was setting out to achieve and to recognise specific parameters where a meeting
point could be negotiated. The process was not so much intellectual ? more being guided be
feelings and searching for the source of our collective creative spirits. The performer in me felt
the intense heat and concentrated energy of improvising with colleagues. The process was
spiritually awakening, communicating, inventing, learning, healing with a wide open space
controlled by a wonderful balance of ego, humility and explosive creativity. Here was sound
as energy.

Switching hats to the "composer", the first obvious point is that my body and brain are one
and the same as the improviser. However, the parameters under consideration (naturally) take
a different focus since musical space is being organised and prescribed according to the
hoped for sonic result. "But why bother" is an often heard question ? "improvisation does not
need such regulation". Well of course I agree(d) with that statement, but then a different kind
of music would emerge if there was even a minimal ordering of events. Large free groupings
in particular are prone to "ideas congestion" on the one hand and tentative negotiation on the
other unless of course the ensemble had the luxury of constant rehearsals to understand the
territory being investigated. The chances of coincidental simultaneities and co-ordinated
movements are rare, so what better than a scenario of free and ordered space. In free jazz and
improvised music there have been and no doubt will be, incredible moments where musical
strands coalesce to produce a music that no composer can imagine. That is as it should
be.These moments are unpredictable and surely not repeatable except for the knowledge that
certain chemistries between players can create an energy flow that has always the possibility
of transcending the sum of its parts. My second tenet therefore was to recognise these
possibilities and juxtapose groupings (and solos) to produce an ebb and flow of musical
tension. In other words, the energy suggested structure with the composed music being
directly related to the individual musician's personal expression. After 25 years the prospect of
writing a new piece still excites me with the same adrenaline flow when I think of the
musicians that will join me on the stand to make the music live and breathe.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this short essay, aside from my own pre occupations with
structural aspects of music, the continuity and support of the musicians has been my life line
for holding the ensemble together. Whenever the future looked bleak there was always a
concert that provided the energy to go onwards.
Personnel changes can be expected over so many years, but importantly there has been a solid
core of musicians that have offered their own musical signatures to the orchestra from its
inception which has
essentially given the LJCO its sound.

These are March Charig, Evan Parker, Trevor Watts, Paul Rutherford, Howard Riley and Paul
Lytton. Elton Dean, John Stevens, Tony Oxley and Philipp Wachsmann should also be
mentioned as long term collaborators. The very nature of the lives of the individual musicians
has meant that each performance had to be a special event, and this boiling cauldron of
explosive energy has given me the will to search for new ideas and places to play the music.

This new pressing of "Ode" includes the previously omitted Part VII, so at last the
composition can be heard as a whole. Our recording specialist Peter Pfister has worked on the
technical problems of bringing the original into the general aural picture. Trevor Watts'
passionate solo alone is worth all of the efforts to bring this final part onto disc. Special
thanks are due to Derek Bailey at Incus for allowing us to re-release "Ode". Thanks also to
Patrik Landolt and Rosmarie A. Meier at Intakt for supporting the orchestra consistently,
Maya Homburger our manager for transforming our working opportunities and of course
Fabrikjazz, Rote Fabrik (Zurich) and all the supporters who have ensured our survival.

Bert Noglik
1 - with a different musical rhetoric

After listening to it again: Almost a quarter of a century after it was created, "Ode" resembles a
manifesto. The momentum of something beginning, the strength of something new, the
bursting forth of a vocabulary never before heard in such a form, the onset of a musical
language that goes beyond convention, i.e. beyond the standard pieces of Jazz and New
Music. Twenty-five years ago it must have flamed up with revolutionary fire. Despite the
years that have passed in the meantime, it has lost none of its effect. "Ode" still glows
brightly. The late works of writers and composers have been examined again and again. It is
about time that the magic of early pieces is given some attention ? early testimonies, though
not yet formally perfect, nevertheless anticipating the characteristics of future works in terms
of intention and impetus. This also applies to Barry Guy's "Ode", which was performed by
the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, especially in view of the dialectics of spontaneity and
form, process and structure. To a certain degree "Ode" contains the full range of possibilities,
opening them up without becoming capricious and without paging through a dry catalogue of
ways to play the music. In a note to his work, Barry Guy speaks of the musicians' ability to
play with a "different musical rhetoric". The title ultimately refers to the choral aspect, to the
emphasis, to how the audience is addressed.

2 - only the start of something

"Ode" dates back to the beginning of the London Jazz Composers Orchestra. Movements 1,2
and 7 were recorded for BBC in 1970; Movement 4 was recorded in 1971 and Movement 6
for BBC in 1972. On the initiative of the "Musician's Cooperative" the first complete
performance of "Ode" was held in London at Ronnie Scott's Club in 1971. It was followed by
a presentation at the English Bach Festival in Oxford in 1972. The idea of a composers'
orchestra, a large formation equally defined by the concepts of composition or intervention
and by the improvised creative genius of the participating musicians, developed an amazing
self-impetus through "Ode". It was this energy, which proved to be greater than the arithmetic
sum of the participants, that encouraged Barry Guy and the orchestra to drive idea and practice
even further. At the end of the cassette on which Movement 7 is recorded ? the recording of
the concert on the Incus label from the Town Hall in Oxford from 22 April 1972 only
contains parts 1 to 6 ? I can hear the voice of the announcer commenting on Barry Guy and
his piece "Ode": "It is, he hopes, just the start of something." Later, Barry Guy spoke of the
different phases of the orchestra: of a phase in which the compositions found their origin in
the characteristic playing styles of the members, becoming more and more complicated, of a
subsequent phase in which a rigid conception and the liberty of improvisation were
increasingly balanced etc. "Ode" comes before these phases, marks the hour of birth, the
initial phase, bears the seeds of all of the moments to come.

We were all steering towards something yet unknown

It is not necessary to reconstruct Barry Guy's biographical background here. A brief reminder
should suffice that his path ran from architecture to music, from the study of so-called
"classical" and at the same time "older" and "newer" music in addition to Jazz and free
improvisation on to a language of music that would be unthinkable without the above-
mentioned experiences, but which can no longer be reduced to its sources. John Coltrane left
his traces as well as Anton Webern and Alban Berg. Stravinsky and Penderecki, Stockhausen,
Boulez, Xenakis have all been named as an influence on Barry Guy. In connection with
"Ode" he referred to how fascinated he was by Oliver Messiaen's "Chronochromie", which
inspired him to reflect on the construction principles on antique odes. However the title and
principle of construction bear at best only an associative relation to the dimensions of
Messiaen and certainly only very vaguely to the chorus of Greek tragedies. The music seems
to be equally far from the subtitles, which were named for painters and paintings of the
surrealistic school: Part 1: "The End" ? Edgar Ende, 1931; Part 2: "Memory of the Future" ?
Oscar Dominguez, 1939; Part 3: "Exact Sensibility" ? Oscar Dominguez, 1935; Part 4:
"Indefinite Indivisibility" ? Yves Tanguy, 1942; Part 5: "According to the Laws of Chance" ?
Jean Arp, 1917; Part 6: "Presence of Mind" ? Ren? Magritte, 1958; Part 7: "Melancholy
Departure" ? Georgio de Chirico, 1916. All of this hardly allows an association with concrete
references to pictorialness, but rather indicates contours of a reality not yet seen or heard, at
least not in this form. It corresponded with Barry Guy's adventures in the area of musical
improvisation ? be it with Paul Rutherford, Trevor Watts, John Stevens, Tony Oxley, in
ensembles with Bob Downes, in groups around Evan Parker, in trio formations with Howard
Riley, in the group Iskra 1903 (at first with Barry Guy, PaulRutherford and Derek Bailey) ....
The unknown , Derek Bailey once said, cannot be reached with a compass. The atmosphere of
the late Sixties and early Seventies, the questioning of social structures and the breaking open
of encrusted traditions all seemed to give the musical "Sturm und Drang" processes more
drive. Barry Guy wanted to melt his apparently disparate experiences together orchestrally in
the medium of music, or , as he once explained, to make the paradox of joining together
composition and improvisation productive. There was a further related motive for "Ode":
Barry Guy wanted to point out the variety of musical styles that had developed in the English
improvising music scene and present them, so to speak, under one roof. The different stylistic
onsets proved to be a driving force, at the same time also creating a tension of collective effort
that stretched to the breaking point. In a conversation with Rosmarie A. Meier and Patrik
Landolt, Barry Guy admitted: "We were all steering towards something yet unknown. We
were working towards it together as part of a process. We tried to clarify the details, to tie
together the various musical disciplines. It was also about finding forms of a musical
discourse in order to be able to coexist with the others. Through destroying the conventional
patterns of communication, we wanted to achieve an even more intense communication."

4 .-. to be able to feel free within the structure

In the liner notes accompanying the recording of "Ode" under the Incus label, Barry Guy
complained that the orchestral aspects had remained statistically underdeveloped in relation to
the enormous expansion and differentiation of the musical vocabulary through the
instrumentalists of improvised music. He is not only referring to the Big Bands of Jazz that
were caught in conventional traditions and idioms, but also to the works of New Music.
Although it did pay attention to the structural aspects, New Music had largely left the specific
individuality of the players unconsidered. What is new is char acterised on the one hand by
using the language of music developed by modern Europeans and on the other by the creative
potential of improvisers in the field of tension between concept and spontaneity. This should
not be confused with a third way in the traditional sense of "third stream". Thanks to his
studies in composition, Barry Guy was able to organise and structure what he played with his
improvising colleagues, forming "Ode" into a manifesto. The orchestral dimension literally
cried for a composer if the playing was not to end in endless passages of power or
overflowing surfaces of sound. At the same time, the variety of individual voices proved to be
a kind of palette that challenged creative fantasy. When he writes for an ensemble or an
orchestra with "classical" musicians, Barry Guy once said, he imagines a certain sound that he
wants to achieve. For the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, on the other hand, he sees faces.

Even in this piece, which is far from Jazz, Barry Guy follows the principle of orchestral
thought that was developed during the history of Jazz: Taking into consideration the mentality,
the personality, the stylistic characteristics of the soloists. He lets them inspire him without
reducing his total concept. He challenges the individual, but does not force them to deny their
own characteristics. Ekkehard Jost described the complex working relationship of the
orchestra: "put together from the imagination and competent craftsmanship of the composer
Guy;the notions that he forms of the musical characters of his partners;and the performances
that these then give ? reacting to the events of his imagination." Very clearly Barry Guy and
the participating musicians are no longer interested in provocatively standing out from the
encrusted traditions of Jazz and /or New Music, but are more concerned with a principle of
construction. The analogy to social structures and processes was in the air. Barry Guy speaks
of the composition as a "social framework", for the participating musicians; and he
accentuates that he wants to design the score so freely that all of them can actually "feel free
within the structure". This was not always the case in later phases of the Orchestra. The
solution to the paradox or the insight gained in the process of the dialectic of composition and
improvisation, however, can only be thought about and brought about as a process. "Ode"
made this problem transparent and at the same time held it up so it could be clearly seen: in
the acoustic room, in the cultural landscape, in society.

5 - with the composition "Ode" I found a first solution

In this piece density does not necessarily mean tutti. Barry Guy works with the most diverse
gradations and overlapping of density and degrees. He introduces "solo groups", which to a
certain extent negotiate between the soloist and the orchestra, confronting them with each other
as the concertino and the full orchestra do in the concerto grosso. And he uses all these means
undogmatically, he combines, complicates and untangles, he also allows stylistic varia ? from
reminders of melodic ballad improvisations to a feeling of strict dodecaphonic playing, from
individual and collective bursts of energy to comparatively calm surfaces of sound, from
associations with "classical" music to Jazz gestus. The latter however, only appears very
occasionally. This is certainly connected with the fact that in this phase Barry Guy and most
of the musicians gathered around him were greatly concerned with disassociating themselves
from the image and idiom of Jazz. Only in the final movement, Part 7 which is entitled
"Coda", did Barry Guy attempt a compromise with Jazz's Big Band traditions. Significantly
enough , this part was left out of the Incus production of "Ode". In the liner notes Barry Guy
indicated that he was not satisfied with the result, that he had asked too much of the soloists
who had otherwise worked themselves so well into the language of the other parts and that
several "blunders" had occurred. Nonetheless he regretted, that "Coda", which contained good
solo and ensemble passages and had been a success with the audience, had not been
documented. Ekkehard Jost quoted a critique by Derek Jewell that appeared on 2 May 1971
in the "Sunday Times" where he stated: "This wonderful 'Coda' in Guy's piece, in which
Bernard Living's revolutionary alto saxophone and a blindingly beautiful bass trio stood in the
foreground, was a conclusive plea for the cause of the Jazz avant-garde ....". As Barry Guy
had conceived just this part as a compromise, one cannot help but confirm a misunderstanding
in the reception of it. However, from a different perspective "Coda" can be considered a part
that exactly because of its contradictions does not take a back seat to the others in terms of
brisance. Once the disassociation from Jazz had taken place and did not have to be
emphasised all the time, the exchange of views between the creative means and the means of
expression in Jazz once again became attractive.

Although "Ode" is fascinating, especially because of its tonal dimension which, in lack of a
different or more succinct expression, could be called "European", Barry Guy was concerned
at the same time with the model of structure and with a model of communication: "I was
looking for possibilities of combining the contrary moments of freedom and control with each
other. With the composition of "Ode" I found a first solution". And so "Ode" is still shining a
quarter of a century after its creation ? similar and yet at the same time also different to "Globe
Unity" with the Orchestra around Alexander von Schlippenbach, to "Machine Gun" with Peter
Brotzmann's octet, to "European Echoes" with the ensemble around Manfred Schoof, to the
recordings with the Jazz Composers' Orchestra around Carla Bley and Mike Mantler. Or, to
risk a comparison and carry it further, to John Coltrane's "Ascension" or Ornette Coleman's
"Free Jazz", to the significant works of Anton Webern or Yannis Xenakis. "Ode", in short,
falls in line and out of the frame: a milestone and a manifesto. In the London Jazz Composers
Orchestra the music has freed itself from the subaltern mediator. New productive powers were
kindled by the attempt to resolve the paradox. Thus, the sound of "Ode" is at the same time
highly personal and yet goes beyond the individual, the concrete expression of a phase of
uprise, to a certain degree timeless, characterised by systematic intellect and yet full of
sensuality.

That the London Jazz Composers Orchestra has survived for a quarter of a century despite
unavoidable crises and continues to stride towards the future, that seven of the founding
members (Marc Charig, Paul Rutherford, Trevor Watts, Evan Parker, Howard Riley, Paul
Lytton and of course Barry Guy himself) are still part of it, underlines the forbearance
expressed in the quotation that the whole thing is the start of something.

Translation: Susan Kaufmann-Guyer

John Corbett
"... where the composition could coexist alongside the soloists, both in
concept and the resultant sound"

Barry Guy on LJCO, 1972

When I first heard about the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, the word "composer" stood
out like wings on a pig. With a cast that has included Derek Bailey, Tony Oxley, Peter
Brotzmann and Peter Kowald, Paul Lytton and Evan Parker, it seemed more like and
improvisers' convention than a composers' orchestra. With the benefit of a few years
consideration, I have now realised that the moniker has two meanings:

1. the writing kind of composer (like Guy or any of the other player/composers or just plain-
composers whose music LJCO has embraced) who directs and manipulates the orchestra with
charts;
2. the "instant composer", that is, the free improviser. LJCO is at once a big-band playing a
particular style of music by jazz composers and an orchestra built out of improvisers. Recent
years have seen Guy make good on the first definition; he has written the ensemble a book of
luxuriant scores in an instantly recognisable compositional style, thereby giving the group an
audible identity beyond that of its individual members. But the earlier pieces, like the earliest,
"Ode", utilised more open-ended and less thematic structures and frames, letting the soloists
become the compositions, as much as "coexisting" with them. In its infancy the (now 25-year-
old) band seems to me to have emphasised the latter definition: the instant composer. Blurring
the line between composition, interpretation and extemporisation, LJCO was, and in many
respects still is, a band in which everyone was a composer. Here we have Barry Guy's first
attempt, as he explained at the time, to revitalise the stilted American big-band tradition with
the rich new blood of European free music. But I think of LJCO in relation to an ongoing line
of large ensemble composer-leaders, not as a total break from them. Some other enterprising
soul will have to connect the European compositional dots ? Xenakis, Ligeti, Penderecki,
Takemitsu, Mahler, Monteverdi, Codex, Camerata ? but I'll take a swing at the group's jazz
matrix. Of course, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis thread is hardlycontinued in LJCO, but we can
track back through a lot of jazz history finding points of connection. These are by no means
"influences" ? many aren't even bands or approaches that have especially captured Guy's
interest over the years ? but they constitute a matrix of the very best large-scale creative music
ensembles, a context in which we can situate one line of LJCO's activities. Anthony Braxton
Creative Orchestra Music: The last decade of neo-conservativism has seen Braxton exorcised
from the jazz tradition despite his tireless investigation of his own roots from Bird to Tristano.
Fascinating statement on the state of music a quarter century ago that Guy chose to call his a
"jazz" orchestra, when now Braxton's parallel developments for large group ? integrating
Henry Brant, Fletcher Henderson and John Philip Sousa ? are outside even the "outside" of
jazz. I suppose we'll have to wait for the LJCO Lincoln Centre debut .... Jazz Composer's
Orchestra: Michael Mantler's band is a reference not only because of the name (a direct
appropriation and gesture of esteem), but in its ability to work bold voices like Cecil Taylor's,
Don Cherry's and Roswell Rudd's into his "Communications" without making them lose their
personality. A typographical detail might be worth mentioning: before Barry finally decided to
drop the apostrophe altogether, as he recently has, LJCO placed it outside the "s", suggesting
an inclusive, multiple "composers' orchestra" Mantler retained authorial singularity in his
"composer's orchestra".

Globe Unity Orchestra: Four years before "Ode", Alexander von Schlippenbach's first stabs
at unifying the globe set an obvious context for LJCO's emergence. The original attempt to
bring Europe's free contribution into such massive orchestration, when it started GUO had
more musically in common with the LJCO than it did by the time the two bands met for their
monumental duel, "Double Trouble". Whenever I get a good blast of Globe Unity, it reminds
me of the pure power at the core of LJCO.

Brotherhood Of Breath: Remembered more for their infectious, joy-filled vamp-tunes than
their (quite extensive) movement into denser areas of orchestral abstraction, the Brotherhood
nevertheless seems an appropriate connection in decoding LJCO's existence and significance
in the unfolding of new approaches to big-band. McGregor's cband was capable of the same
mixture of sweetness and sting so masterfully manipulated by LJCO.

The Experimental Band: Muhal Richard Abrams led this never-recorded "rehearsal band" for
a decade in Chicago, exploring possibilities of scoring for large-scale improvising corps.
Indeed, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, AACM, had a
requirement for new members at one time that they had to lead a big group through their own
material. Abram's later orchestra also bears comparison, especially with Guy's more recent
scores.
John Coltrane ? Ascension seems an inescapable citation: 11-piece band, 1965, teasing
borders of thematic composition and expressionistic, explosive improvisations. Trane retained
the jazz-solo format within gargantuan-blow framework, which meant he could incorporate
voices (like Freddie Hubbard's) that might seem incongruous or impossible. LJCO too, uses
this inclusive logic.

Charles Mingus: How to break up the orchestra into smaller subgroups and treat the orchestra
as a space for multiple reconfigurations? Along with his huge impact on Barry as a player,
Baron Mingus's approach to writing for the big-band is decisive, and his long, sectional,
storytelling pieces set another corner of LJCO's stage.

Sun Ra Arkestra: How did Ra manage to keep musicians with such individual voices and
leadership potential as John Gilmore, Marshall Allen and Pat Patrick in Arkestra so long?
Nourishing material, gradually changing compositional strategies, and, for the soloists, lots of
SPACE. Look back at the members of LJCO on "Ode" who are still there today: Paul
Rutherford, Trevor Watts, Evan Parker, Howard Riley, Paul Lytton and Marc Charig. A family
that plays together ....

Duke Ellington: The inevitable, over emphasised, but still somehow true party-line on Duke's
writing for targeted band members is also true of LJCO. It is the unique vocabularies (often
"extended" vocabs, just like the Ellingtonian's were) of the participants in this orchestra that
give it its specific sound and that take it on its charted (and uncharted) course. But to say that
a composer writes music with particular players in mind is a hazy statement at best, in need of
clarification.

Around a table on the day after Nickelsdorf 95, the three-day festival at which LJCO has
played twice, once with guest soloist Marilyn Crispell, I sit in casual conversation with Guy,
Lytton and pianist Georg Gr‰we. Impressed especially by the meeting with Crispell, I
express my amazement at Guy's ability to write music that inspires great soloing and strong
subgroup improvisation. The discussion meanders in to Jungle Band compari usons. Lytton
offers that the idea that Ellington wrote only for certain players is a badly misunderstood
cliché, that Duke composed great music regardless of intended player, inspiring for any
soloist. Barry concurs. Lytton wonders, what will happen later in the year when Guy's most
personalised, detailed depiction of the 17 members of LJCO "Portraits", will be played by a
completely different band in Sweden.

Guy smiles and raises his eyebrows in joint uncertainty. It seems to me that this specific breed
of big-band composer writes with several things in mind: 1) the instrument and instrumental
role (foreseeable and predictable possibilities); 2) the demands of compositional strategy of
the particular piece (specific musical context); 3) the player in question (unstable and often
unpredictable stylist). Guy has, from "Ode" on, used compositional materials to push the
playelrs, to elicit special performances from musicians with special abilities.

A sense of drama, of unfolding or expedition, is integral to Guy's concept and it fits the
members of LJCO like a glove. Guy has adamantly explored the twin dialectics of written vs.
improvised and arrangement vs. solo, and when a player like Rutherford uses a giant
orchestral swell as a diving platform into a solo, anticipating and toying with a string of
punch-chords, and finally settling elegantly into a tide pool of clusters that follows, the
negotiation of the very relationship between soloist and orchestra belongs to the player, not to
the composer whose name is beneath the title. That's a form of radical redistribution of
authority ? freedom, if you want ? that doesn't go out of style because Ellington used it sixty
years ago.
One last thought on writing for improvisers. The way some people talk about Duke's style of
writing for his players goes something like this: He knew what they could do, knew their
special tricks, their technical innovations, their signature licks, and wrote music with places for
them to do their things. A spin through his 1926 version of "East St. Louis Toodle-O" might
confirm this ? Bubber Miley's growling, talking trumpet mutations seem the only possible
answer to Ellington's compositional query. But Ellington made a place for exceptional players
to play exceptionally; he didn't try to think for them, he featured them. In the same manner.
Guy doesn't try to anticipate the extreme liberties that players like Paul Lytton and Alan
Tomlinson, for instance, might take during their LJCO solos: far out, on a limb, they know it's
their charge not to fall off, to somehow come back to the trunk of the tree.

I've heard a few downtown New Yorkers ? Elliott Sharp and John Zorn, specifically ? discuss
writing for musicians who they know so well they can predict what they'll do. In fact, I've
played structured improvisations designed "with me in mind" and found it strangely
constricting. The art of writing for improvisers, in my opinion, lies not in guessing what they'll
do or drawing on their gimmicks, but in composing music that inspires them to do something
you couldn't imagine. This practice thus requires the humility not to know; it means you have
to believe in something unknown, in something as fragile as improvisation. At Nickelsdorf,
listening to Paul Dunmall take an emotionally charged, absolutely jubilant, free jazz tenor solo
over the orchestra, I'm sure that Barry Guy is one of the most gifted ? and humble ?
composers of this variety the world has yet known.
1972, SELECTIONS FROM LIVE PERFORMANCES AT VERITY'S
PLACE, Incus LP 9 (UK) (LP) (released in 1977)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Han Bennink : percussion

1- Call that a balance 02.30

2- Misty 07.30
3- The title 02.00
4- Who is that 04.30
5- The girl with the concrete tongue 04.30
6- Din din teo 09.00
7- On a clear day 04.00
8- Barb 01.30
9- Shake your arse white man 01.30
10- Whiling 02.30
11- When day is done and shadows fall I think of you 04.00

Selections from live performances at Verity's Place recorded 16 and 17 June 1972, by Bob
Woolford.

Cover drawing by Mal Dean. Re-released as organ of Corti 9 in 1995 by Cortical Foundation.
T his selection of live duet performances from 1972 is a wonder to listen to three
decades after the original performances. The guitar's greatest improviser bantering
musically with the Netherlands' greatest drummer is, no doubt, a point of interest for
those interested in the extremes of Western music. Before Bailey had recorded the infamous
and now legendary Incus Taps disc, he had perfected his view of the atonal world (at least up
until that time), undoing it with spiritual guidance from the ghost of Webern at his side. These
two live dates reflect that direction, having been recorded less than a year before. Given that
Bailey is investigating his undoing of the ritual tonal space, Bennink's woolly percussions are
the perfect foil: Who better to stretch the perceptions of guitar music to its limit and beyond
than a man for whom the drums are the only instrument in any band? Thus, the chase is on,
moving from one dynamic range to the next in search of the perfect tonal space where things
completely fall apart, only to be picked up in rather grotesquely fascinating order. This music
asks no questions; it only shouts obscenities while laughing hysterically because it knows
exactly what it's not doing

Thom Jurek, All Music

T wenty-five years after it was recorded, this music still has the power to shock. With
their utter lack of decorum and their unrelenting, even arrogant, defiance of
convention, Bailey and Bennink are decidedly not for the faint hearted or sentimental.
The album, probably the most aggressive of Bailey and Bennink's several recorded duets, is
by turns irritating, cathartic, intricate, stupid, and always, but always, brimming with vitality,
curiosity, and pure nerve. Bennink remains an ongoing source of wonderment; how can one
man have the stamina and technique to create so much perfectly executed and superbly
organized noise?

And Bailey himself, in his stubborn refusal to play even one conventional note and the
oblique, tortured logic of his improvising, is no less admirable and startling.
Between Bennink's animal verve and Bailey's obsidian intellect nothing is stable or certain in
these duets. On 'Call That a Balance' Bennink's tidal wave of percussion drowns Bailey's
brittle plinks and sweeps them away. But Bailey doesn't back down on 'Din Din Teo', a real
clash of titans that transforms confrontational tension into art. They are in fraternal agreement
all through 'The Title', an unnerving tangle of wiry noise in which seeming confusion morphs
into patterns that slip away before you can fully grasp them. 'Who Is That', 'Misty', and 'On a
Clear Day' are all wicked dadaist vaudeville, all the more enjoyable for being impenetrable,
obnoxious, acerbic organized sound make by two virtuosos at the top of their form.

The sound is decidedly lo-fi and even distorts in a couple instances. Still, the
amusing/disturbing original cover art of this former Incus LP is cleanly reproduced and it's
great to have this classic confrontation back in print.

Ed Hazell
1972/1973, SEQUENCES 72 & 73, Emanem 4018 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997)

Paul Rutherford & Iskra 1912 :

Paul Rutherford : conductor (1, 3), trombone (2)
Maggie Nicols : voice (1, 3)
Norma Winstone : voice (1, 3)
Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, flugelhorn (1, 3)
Malcolm Griffiths : trombone (1, 3)
Paul Nieman : trombone (1, 3)
Geoff Perkins : trombone (1, 3)
Dick Hart : tuba (1, 3)
Dave White : bass clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone (1)
contrabass clarinet, soprano saxophone (3)
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone, alto saxophone (1)
Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones (1, 3)
Howard Riley : piano (1, 3)
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar (3)
Barry Guy : double bass (1, 3)
Tony Oxley : live electronics

1- Sequence 72 25.31
2- Non-sequence 04.19
3- Sequence 73 27.15

All recorded in London: track 1 on 20 September 1972; track 2 on 13 May 1974; track 3 on
19 and 26 (guitar part) October 1973.
 reviously unissued recordings from 1972-74. "Two of the finest extended

P compositions for improvisers -- the only published examples of Rutherford's work in

that idiom -- featuring Maggie Nicols & Norma Winstone (vocals), Kenny Wheeler
(tp), Malcolm Griffiths, Paul Nieman & Geoff Perkins (trombones), Dick Hart (tuba), Dave
White (clarinets & saxophones), Evan Parker (saxophones), Howard Riley (p), Barry Guy
(bs), plus in 1972 Trevor Watts (saxophones), and in 1973 Derek Bailey (guitar) & Tony
Oxley (electronics) -- all conducted by the composer."

O n the release, the (solo) performance by Bailey is combined with a performance from
a week earlier by Iskra 1912, an ensemble which was conducted by Rutherford and
included Maggie Nichols, Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Malcolm Griffiths,
Paul Nieman, Geoff Parkins, Dick Hart, Evan Parker, Dave White, Howard Riley, Barry Guy
and Tony Oxley. The total performance runs for 27:15.

here are three pieces on this 57 minute CD of previously unreleased material circa

T early 70s. Two are open form compositions written by trombonist Paul Rutherford
(who does not play in either piece) and perhormed in the studio. These two pieces
sandwich a solo of Rutherford's, performed live, in which he was supposed to play a
composition but ended up
improvising instead.

If anyone tells you that the "first wave" European improvisors are like "fish out of water" in a
compositional setting, you just hand them this CD. That will end the argument right quick.
These masters demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are just as comfortable with
scores as without.

Normally, I like to come off as some sort of saavy reviewer/listener but this just blew me
away. So, all I can say is wow, cool, too much, fantastic, far out. - Glenn Engstrand Martin
Davidso. the improvisor. The International web site on free improvisation

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

aul Rutherford (b. 1940) is best known as an improvising trombonist - the

P improvising trombonist according to many listeners - the one responsible for the
definite solo trombone record, THE GENTLE HARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, now
available on Emanem 4019. He is also well known as the founder and co-ordinator of the
improvising trio Iskra 1903, which originally included Derek Bailey and Barry Guy - after the
mid 1970s, Philipp Wachsmann replaced Bailey.

What is not well known, because it has not been documented hitherto, is that Rutherford is
also a highly talented composer. From time to time, he has organised large ensembles, or
written for other groups such as the London Jazz Composers' Orchestra. The band heard on
this CD, Iskra 1912, only existed in the recording studio on two occasions and never
performed in public - and until now, the unique, magnificent results have not been published.
Some general comments: Although there are three trombones, Rutherford himself is not heard
as a trombonist, but only (only?) as the composer and conductor. The scores were generally
loose frameworks to be interpreted by a group of musicians, who were primarily improvisers,
under the direction of the composer. The intention, very successfully realised, was to create a
sequence of varied textures, some of which featured improvising soloists. Perhaps the most
unique aspect of the ensemble sound results from the use of two (wordless) vocalists and no
percussion. (Tony Oxley, who appears on the 1973 piece, only used live electronics.)

The principal soloists on the 1972 piece are Evan Parker (initially unaccompanied), Kenny
Wheeler (over an almost static backdrop) and Trevor Watts (initially just with Barry Guy).
There is also a quartet section featuring the two vocalists, piano and bass. For some of the
time the three trombones and the tuba act as a fully composed choir-like section, at other times
they are free to improvise. The final climax comes when the tuba enters to bring an all out
collective improvisation to an orderly close.

A year later, the same musicians (apart from Tony Oxley replacing Watts) gathered in the
studio to perform a somewhat different piece, which seems to go through more textures than
previously. Once again one can hear Parker unaccompanied (this time on tenor saxophone)
and Wheeler soaring over the ensemble (in a more active mode). There are also some spots
featuring the then Howard Riley Trio (with Barry Guy and Tony Oxley), while the brass
section functions much as before.
The major difference in the 1973 piece is due to Derek Bailey's stereo amplified guitar being
overdubbed at an additional session a week later. Thus the first two minutes, and a later
interlude feature Bailey unaccompanied, while at other times the guitar interacts with the prior
recorded ensemble. (To be pedantic, this should be called Iskra 1912 Plus One or Iskra
1913!)
About half the musicians involved are stalwarts of the free improvisation scene - and some of
these are also composers as well. The rest are generally to be found in the worlds of jazz
and/or the studio. However, all were adroit enough at both improvising and interpreting to
successfully realise Rutherford's intentions. The compositions were, after all, put together with
these specific musicians in mind.
A Paul Rutherford CD would somehow not be complete without some of his own trombone
playing, so an extract from an unaccompanied concert performance has been added as an
interlude between the two ensemble pieces. This is from the infamous occasion when he was
booked to perform a well known composer's solo trombone composition, but he decided that
the resulting music would be better if he improvised somewhat rather than play the piece
literally. By the latter half of the solo, heard here, there was very little connection with the
original composition, but there was much good music. However, the major revelation of this
CD is that Paul Rutherford is one of the few composers who can write pieces for improvisers
that do not sound contrived or pretentious. It is too bad that it took decades for an example of
this music to be published - but better late than never.
Martin Davidson, 1997

Excerpts from reviews :

utherford composed the music for two lengthy large ensemble pieces, but only

R performs on the solo trombone number sandwiched between them. The big band
works are among the finest examples of free jazz composing for a large group. Of
course, it helps to have virtuoso performers such as saxophonist Evan Parker, trumpeter
Kenny Wheeler, guitarist Derek Bailey, and bassist Barry Guy. Still, the changing textures,
organically developed harmonies, and meticulously composed structures lay a wonderful
framework for the soloists. Highlights include plenty of Derek Bailey's overdubbed amplified
guitar, some splendid piano from H oward Riley, and an outstanding contribution from Evan
Parker. Rutherford is particularly fine at blending the vocals of Maggie Nicols and Norma
Winstone, which adds extra depth. Rutherford's solo piece is short but very much welcomed
as a bonus number.
Steven Loewy, All-Music Guide, 2000

anyone tells you that the 'first wave' European improvisors are like 'fish out of water'

If in a compositional setting, you just hand them this CD. That will end the argument
right quick. These masters demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are just
as comfortable with scores as without. Normally, I like to come off as some sort of savvy
reviewer/listener but this just blew me away. So, all I can say is wow, cool, too much, fantastic,
far out.

Glenn Engstrand, The Improvisor, 1998

T his record demonstrates the talent of Rutherford as a composer and a very good
attempt at structured improvisation. The music unfolds slowly, freely, with anchor
points allowing the musicians to stay on track. A wonderful exercise of control from a
group of big names in British free history.

François Couture, Unheard, 2000

R utherford's compositional input is deliberately minimal, being designed to facilitate the

playing of a large, fairly all-star group rather than to shackle it with formal constraints.
He trusts the players to do what they generally do - play very well. The title,
SEQUENCES, seems exactly right; what you get is a series of solo or small-group
improvisations linked with quite brief but very imaginative passages for part or all of the
ensemble. Because of the non-dictatorial approach the music sounds like a a series of
beginnings, rather than a formalised music event. No harm here of course: beginnings, played
by such a band are pretty engrossing. When the pieces end, it's as if they could have gone on
for a long time: they leave a feeling that a lot remains to be said.

There are solos by Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Kenny Wheeler, Trevor Watts and Tony
Oxley, among many others. There's no percussion here: Oxley plays electronics. There's a
quartet of Howard Riley, Barry Guy and the two singers, Maggie Nicols and Norma
Winstone. It's an unusual sound - even in this context - and works brilliantly. If I describe this
music as predominantly sombre and inconclusive, don't be put off: there is so much going on.
And although no-one gets to solo at great length, they still manage to make strong individual
contributions. Have we really had to wait so long to learn about Rutherford's talent as a
composer for improvisers? The good ones are in short supply, and we can't afford to be so
casual about one of the best.

Richard Leigh, Resonance, 1997

F eaturing a 12-piece of improv pioneers and several versatile modern jazzers who, in
following PR's loosely laid framework, superbly integrate pensive small group
interplay with turbulent tuttis. Sandwiched between the two big band pieces is an
excerpt from a deliciously transgressive Rutherford solo that started out as a Berio piece
before unexpectedly becoming a stunningly inventive improvisation.

Chris Blackford, Rubberneck, 1998

A very fine recording. One look at the personnel should make the reason obvious: the
talent level of the players is tremendous. Nicols and Winstone rival the lamented
Cathy Berberian with their angelic/devilish hoots, hums and hymns, and Parker,
Wheeler and Guy are at the top of their games. White also impresses with his bowel-
threatening (and beautifully recorded) contrabass clarinet work. Bailey's additions, both in
solo and ensemble contexts, are terrific.

Walter Horn, Cadence, 1998

T here are two long (25 minutes +) studio tracks from 1972 and 1973. Each is so
dynamic as to be almost protean, shapeshifting; if it was a vinyl record I'd suggest you
drop the needle anywhere on the groove and it could be a different record every time.
The developments aren't sudden or jarring, but they are totally unexpected; shifts in tone and
appearance of players that are both utterly natural and wonderfully surprising. SEQUENCES
works so well, it seems to almost glow with the warmth of compassion - scarce enough
commodity in any case, and certainly hard to translate into music.

Ed Pinsent, Sound Projector, 1998

ith no drummer, there is no definite pulse and, as so often in Rutherford's music, it

W is the human voice, wordless on this occasion, which provides the unifying
principle. Quite why these extraordinary works have had to wait until now is a
mystery only if one chooses to forget how marginalised this music has been and how little
critical press its creator has had since they were recorded.

RICHARD COOK and/or BRIAN MORTON 'The Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD' 1998

here are three pieces on this 57 minute CD of previously unreleased material circa

T early 70s. Two are open form compositions written by trombonist Paul Rutherford
(who does not play in either piece) and perhormed in the studio. These two pieces
sandwich a solo of Rutherford's, performed live, in which he was supposed to play a
composition but ended up improvising instead.

If anyone tells you that the "first wave" European improvisors are like "fish out of water" in a
compositional setting, you just hand them this CD. That will end the argument right quick.
These masters demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are just as comfortable with
scores as without.

Normally, I like to come off as some sort of saavy reviewer/listener but this just blew me
away. So, all I can say is wow, cool, too much, fantastic, far out.

Glenn Engstrand
1972-74-80, THEN, solo guitar series no. 6 (UK) (Incus CDR)
(released in 2004)

Derek Bailey : stereo electric guitar (track 1); 19-string (approx.) guitar
(track 2); acoustic guitar and voice (track 3).

1. THEN '72 19.25

2. THEN '74 02.50
3. THEN '80 14.45

Solo Guitar Series Number 6

Cover artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry.
As written on the CD-R
1973, DEREK BAILEY & ONE MUSIC ENSEMBLE, Nondo DPLP 002
(UK) (LP) (released in 1976)

Side one : Derek Bailey, guitar. Solo (one side only).

No track markings

1- Nellie

2- Kellie

3- Bellie

4- Gellie

5- Wellie

6- Tellie

Recorded on 3 April 1973 at Wolverhampton Polytechnic .According to Derek Bailey, the

music was recorded from outside the concert room.
Side two: One Music Ensemble (Dave Panton): alto saxophone, piano, etc.

1- So '74

2- Root

3- Sole

4- Home

5- A little sanity/Codabye.

Record sleeve individually produced by Dave Panton: hand drawings and coloured fills done
on stiff red paper folded and glued to produce sleeve; track listings on white rectangles stuck
to back of sleeve; released 1976.
1973, DEREK BAILEY/ONE MUSIC ENSEMBLE, (UK) (reel-to-reel
tape) (released before 1976)

Also released as reel-to-reel tape (tape actually released prior to LP).

Side one : Derek Bailey, guitar. Solo (one side only).

No track markings
1- Nellie
2- Kellie
3- Bellie
4- Gellie
5- Wellie
6- Tellie

Recorded on 3 April 1973 at Wolverhampton Polytechnic. According to Derek Bailey the

music was recorded from outside the concert room.

Side two: One Music Ensemble (Dave Panton): alto saxophone, piano, etc.

1- So '74
2- Root
3- Sole
4- Home
5- A little sanity/Codabye.
1973, FREE IMPROVISATION, Deutsche Grammophon 3LP box set :
2563 298 - 2563 299 - 2563 300 (Germany) (LP) (released in 1974)

Three LP featuring Iskra 1903

New Phonic Art 1973 :

Carlos Roqué Alsina : piano, electric organ
Jean-Pierre Drouet : percussion
Vinko Globokar : trombone, alphorn
Michel Portal : clarinet, saxophone, bandoneon

Record 1 (2563 298):

1- Improvisation nr. 1 03.08
2- Improvisation nr. 2 22.35
3- Improvisation nr. 3 25.45

Iskra 1903 :

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitar,

9 string guitar (should be 19 string guitar) on track 3
Barry Guy : acoustic and amplified bass
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Record 2 (2563 299):

1- Improvisation 5016 05.00

2- Improvisation 5018 09.29
3- Improvisation 5012 (guitar solo) 04.19
4- Improvisation 5010 05.15
5- Improvisation 5020 20.17
6- Improvisation 5021 05.01

Recorded at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, June 21-24 1973.

Wired :

Mike Lewis : Hammond organ

Mike Ranta : percussion
Karl-Heinz Böttner : Conny Plank

Record 3 (2563 300):

1- Wired I 25.45
2- Wired II 28.05

EMANEM England
Iskra 1903 Chapter One 1970-1972
EM-4301-3CD Jazz 5030243430123

R e-issue of this historic trio's early works, includes the contents of the infamous Incus
3/4 double LP from 1972, plus unreleased tracks. "Classic performances by the
innovative trio of Paul Rutherford (trombone & piano), Derek Bailey (guitar) & Barry
Guy (double bass). Re-issue of Incus 3/4, with much additional (previously unissued)
material from the same and other concert & studio sessions. 194 minutes."

Paul Rutherford, trombone, piano; Derek Bailey, guitar; Barry Guy, bass. Re-issues Incus LP
3 recorded September 2, 1970, London (plus 4 previously unreleased tracks from same
session); Incus LP 4, recorded May 3, 1972, London; 3 previously unreleased tracks from
1971, London and three tracks from a tour: October 21, 1972 in Donaueschingen, October 23
or 24 in Berlin and November 1 in Bremen.

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

P aul Rutherford formed Iskra 1903 in 1970 with Derek Bailey and Barry Guy. All
three musicians had worked together in larger groups, starting off with the 1966/7
edition of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble that can be heard on WITHDRAWAL
(Emanem 4020). However, they had a strong desire to work as a percussionless trio. It's not
that they were or are anti-percussion - each of them have subsequently worked in various
settings with numerous percussionists - it’s just that they felt a need for this sort of
instrumentation.

The 1970 ICA concert was one of their earliest performances as a trio. Neither the group nor
its members had quite acquired all the distinctive characteristics that were reached in
subsequent years. However, one could hardly say that this mostly laidback and sublime music
was immature. One unique aspect was Rutherford's extensive use of piano, something he was
experimenting with at the time - he even did some solo gigs as a pianist.

It was originally intended to issue music from this concert on an LP on the Turtle label.
Improvisation 1 and (the recently named) Improvisation 0 were selected for that release.
Unfortunately, Turtle stopped production before this LP came about, so nothing appeared
until late 1972, when Improvisations 1-4 appeared as half of an Incus double LP.

Additional material from this concert recently turned up on a tape labelled "ICA Offcuts".
After all these years it is not possible to ascertain exactly where these extracts were cut off
from - they can just be listened to as three bonuses in their own right at the start of the second
CD.

The first edition of Iskra 1903 arguably reached its peak two years later. In addition to all the
evidence on this CD set, there is a fine 1972 concert that is coming out on Organ of Corti. The
fully fledged 1972 studio session heard here was recorded to make up the other half of the
double Incus LP.

Unfortunately, it has not been possible to locate the tapes for Improvisations 2-11, so these
pieces had to be taken off the Incus LPs. In spite of using some noise reduction, the inherent
limitations of vinyl are noticeable. However, this music is too good and too important not to be
available again.

The accurate dating of the sessions on this CD set is due to Guy's meticulous diary keeping.
Unfortunately, the ink in his 1971 diary has faded, so it has not been possible to pinpoint the
date of the previously unissued Extra studio session that starts the third CD. This recording is
unusual in that all three musicians can be heard both acoustically and amplified. As usual, the
two string players used volume control pedals to alternate between the two modes. Uniquely
on this occasion, the trombone was alternately played into two mikes, one of which went
directly to the mixing desk, the other which went to an amplifier and speaker which was in
turn recorded using another mike. There is acoustic/amplified separation for all the
instruments in the resultant stereo picture.

The final three pieces come from late 1972 when the Musicians’ Co-operative was On Tour in
Germany. As well as the LJCO, several small groups performed at each concert, so each was
allocated about a quarter of an hour. The surviving recordings are not in pristine condition,
but, as before, the excellence of the lively music overcomes that.

This first version of Iskra 1903 lasted about four years, during which time they were rightly
considered to be one of the very finest groups around. It was, perhaps, the last long-term
fixed-personnel group that Bailey worked in. When Rutherford reformed Iskra 1903 in about
1977, it was with Philipp Wachsmann and Barry Guy - a trio that performed sporadically for
about 15 years (hear their eponymous CD on Maya 9502). In recent years, Rutherford has
formed a very different percussionless quartet called RoTToR (hear THE FIRST FULL
TURN on Emanem 4026).

Martin Davidson, 2000

R utherford, Paul & Philipp Wachsmann & Barry Guy Iskra 1903 which was a
landmark in the history of the Russian people is also a landmark trio in the history of
free improvisation. Founded in 1970 by Paul Rutherford and Derek Bailey -- who
has since been replaced by Philipp Wachsmann -- this CD, recorded live in 1992, shows the
power of creation in the second formation of a major group in improvised music.

Excerpts from reviews :

R utherford, Bailey and Guy are one of Britain's earliest free improvisation triumvirates.
Martin Davidson's new compendium of the group's early work on his own Emanem
imprint offers a lavish repast of some of their most seminal and sought-after
recordings for Bailey's own Incus label. Bailey has rarely been one to codify his style, but his
playing on these three discs gives a commendable aural schematic of the iconographic
elements of his approach. The complimentary tactics of Rutherford and Guy are painted in
similar relief and the three regularly come together in a synergetic communion that is
breathtaking. Collectively their locutions are rarely jingoistic, usually favoring quiet tension
and murmur over conspicuous exclamation. There are sporadic points as on Improvisation 7
where Rutherford works like a brass rhinoceros plowing deep splenetic furrows with his horn
and Bailey's volume pedal summons waves of vociferous static, but largely the emphasis
remains on subtle ambiguity under the guise of abstraction.

For a group devoid of a conventional drum presence the three players attest decidedly
percussive methods on their instruments. The cantankerous Improvisation 9 serves as an
excellent example. Over its brief but exuberant course Bailey's arachnoid plucks and scrapes
skip across the acidic string harmonics of Guy whilst Rutherford offers eructative
commentary by way of blurting metallic blasts.

Electric amplification remains a regular brush applied to the sonic easels of both Bailey and
Guy. Even on these early sessions both players make substantial use of volume effects
reveling in the consequent swells and surges of sound. Surprisingly, during some of these
pieces Rutherford also gets in on the act channeling his trombone through an amplifier and
coming up with an exciting range of timbral effects that augment his already startling
repertoire. His piano playing is a different beast altogether - full of tinkling fragmentary
clusters and frequent forays into the innards of the instrument. In deference to his trombone
mastery his command of the keys is a pale comparison; but his infrequent turns at the piano
do deliver a thought-provoking variant on the instrumentation.

In his informative liners which accompany a facsimile of Rutherford's orginal notes Davidson
makes apologetic reference to the sound clarity of portions of the material, some of which was
gleaned directly from vinyl sources in the absence of tape masters. These minor blemishes
should not dissuade anyone from vaulting ears first into this generous feast of free
improvisation concocted by three legendary figures of the idiom.

Derek Taylor, One Final Note, 2000

S ound quality is OK, but not great, but the performance of these three masters is
definitely worth your attention. Collectors of British free will pounce on this one...
and they'll be right. Recommended.

Francois Couture, Delire Actuel Cflx, 2000

1973, SOLO GUITAR 102-103-104-105, Incus Taps (UK) (reel-to-reel
tapes)(released in 1974)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, voice

1- Tap 1a 08.34
2- Tap 1b 02.25
3- Tap 2 a-b 03.49
4- Tap 2c 02.33
5- Tap 2d 03.39
6- Tap 3a 05.17
7- Tap 3b 06.37
8- Tap 4 a-b 04.07
9- Tap 4c 04.38

Recorded Spring 1973, by Bob Woolford and Martin Davidson.

M any if not most of Derek Bailey's fans will be surprised at the existence of these
extremely early solo recordings, originally issued by Incus back in 1973...the
'Taps' represented a unique but very short-lived experiment in marketing. Basically,
Derek decided it would be interesting, cheaper and 'less formal' to issue some of his favorite
recent solo improvisations in a reel-to-reel format, one at a time; custom made so to speak.

Tony Mostrom.

Original releases :

Incus TAP 1 : tracks 1-2

Incus TAP 2 : tracks 3-4-5
Incus TAP 3 : tracks 6-7
Incus TAP 4 : tracks 8-9

Notes:

1. The titles listed in the cd re-issue are actually the original catalog numbers.

2. Martin Davidson: "TAP 3 was issued (?) in a very limited edition - like one copy! Neither
DB not myself (Peter Stubley) are aware of its existence. Peter Riley must have had the only
copy made."

3. The final track is unacknowledged in the CD booklet and is from an unknown recording
date.
1973, SONG FOR SOMEONE, Incus 10 (UK) (LP) (released in 1977)

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, fluegelhorn

Ian Hammer : trumpet
Greg Bowen : trumpet
Dave Hancock : trumpet
Keith Christie : trombone
Bobby Lamb : trombone
Chris Pyne: trombone
David Horler : trombone
Jim Wilson : bass trombone
Malcom Griffiths : bass trombone
Alfie Reece : tuba
Duncan Lamont : tenor saxophone, flute
Mike Osborne : alto saxophone
Alan Branscombe : piano, electric piano
John Taylor : electric piano
Ron Mathewson : bass
Tony Oxley : percussion
Norma Winstone : vocals
Evan Parker : tenor and soproano saxophones on
Causes are events and The good doctor
Derek Bailey : guitar on The good doctor

1- Toot-toot 04.14
2- Ballad two 08.26
3- Song for someone 02.40
4- Causes are events 08.15
5- The good doctor 15:15
6- Nothing changes 04.23
Recorded (with financial assistance from the Arts Council of Great Britain) at Olympic Sound
Studios, London on 10 & 11 January 1973.

T hough Canadian by birth, Wheeler's formative years were spent in mid 60's London,
where he worked with such diverse figures as Johnny Dankworth, Joe Harriott, Tubby
Hayes and the Mike Osborne/John Surman quartet. Equally influenced by Fats
Navarro's bebop pyrotechnics and second generation boppers like Booker Little, he proved
himself an adaptable, thoughtful addition to the British scene.

By 1973 and the time of this record (his second as leader), things had changed. Wheeler had
chanced across John Stevens' free improv sessions at the Little Theatre and had been playing
with both the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and the Globe Unity Orchestra alongside
Stevens, Derek Bailey, and Evan Parker. At the same time he'd been poached by Anthony
Braxton for his quartet (alongside Dave Holland), where his ability to read impenetrable
scores and improvise collectively made him an indispensable part of one of the saxophonist's
best bands.

Wheeler's sleevenotes suggest that he was writing for particular musicians from 'different
areas of jazz', and assembled the band around the compositions. Careful, graceful tunes are
punctured with fiery, intelligent solos and bursts of free improv from a diverse bunch of
players (among them Mike Osborne, Evan Parker, Duncan Lamont, John Taylor and Norma
Winstone). Wheeler's always been keen on big ensembles (there's 18 players in the basic unit
here), with an emphasis on brass (four trumpets, five trombones). Despite that, he gets a
surprisingly intimate, atmospheric sound from the band, even when all their considerable
forces are in effect (as on the opening "Toot-Toot"). This is partly due to the two pianists'
adoption of electric instruments, which give a gentle glow to proceedings

It's on the longer pieces ("Causes are Events" and "The Good Doctor") that things get a bit
more stylistically diffuse. It's quite a thrill to hear Bailey and Parker in such a setting; "The
Good Doctor" opens with the pair in a typically effusive abstract dialogue, joined by hazy
trombone chords and occasional melodic bursts from the leader. Wheeler's lack of belief in
his own abilities as an improviser leads his own contributions to be short (and very sweet), so
he's generous in allotting solos to the more garrulous members of the band and constructing
challenging settings for them. A welcome re-issue which provides a portrait of the fledgling
compositional skills and a snapshot of an impossibly fertile English jazz scene.

Peter Marsh
1973, THE CRUST, Emanem 304 (UK) (LP) (released in 1975)

Steve Lacy: leader, soprano saxophone

Steve Potts: alto, soprano saxophones
Derek Bailey: guitar
Kent Carter: bass
John Stevens: percussion

1- The 10:00
2- 38 13:00
3- The Owl 06:20
4- A Bit Of The Dumps 03:30
5- Flakes 07:40
6- Revolutionary Suicide 03:45

Unfortunately, a well known stomach collided with the well known tape recorder during
Revolutionary Suicide with a somewhat disasterous result. It is hoped that this will not detract
too much from the music.

Recorded live on July 30, 1973 at the 100 Club, London (U.K.) by Martin Davidson.

Producers: Mandy & Martin Davidson.

Cover art: René Guiffrey.

1973-1974, DYNAMICS OF THE IMPROMPTU 1, Entropy Stereo
ESR004 (USA) (CD) (released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric stereo guitar

John Stevens : drums, cornet
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone

1- Impromptu dynamics 1 09.10

2- Impromptu dynamics 2 16.22
3- Impromptu dynamics 3 08.05
4- Impromptu dynamics 4 14.42
5- Impromptu dynamics 5 09.51
6- Impromptu dynamics 6 12.33

All recorded at the Little Theatre Club, London; track 1 on 12 November 1973; tracks 2 and 3
on 18 December 1973; remaining tracks on 17 January 1974.

Cover art by Mike Johnston; photography by Jak Kilby.

I magine three scholars sitting under dim lights at a coffeehouse discussing world politics
or social disorder. Dynamics of the Impromptu may imply such a scenario as three of
the founding fathers of the British Free-Jazz movement coalesced at London’s “Little
Theater Club” in 1973 and 1974. Dynamics of the Impromptu represents previously
unreleased material which signifies a flourishing and historical time for this endearing and
important era of free-improvised jazz.

Bailey, Stevens and Watts perform 6 improvised pieces titled “Impromptu 1-6”. Impromptu
is an elegant word indicating spontaneity or in musical jargon --“improvised”. Here, the three
masters immerse themselves in articulate dialogue through unconventional musical invention.
Watts’ spurious and at times briefly stated activities on soprano sax intersect Bailey’s
uncanny, totally unique chord structures, harmonics and ingenious thematic approach. The late
John Stevens, well known for his cutting edge Spontaneous Music Ensemble is a true
clinician here and proves beyond a doubt that he was one of the early innovators or stylists
within the British Free movement. Stevens, subtle and intricate patterns keep pace through
suggestion or rhythmic intimation, which contrasts textbook style meter and tempo.

These pieces run the gamut from whispery low key musings through enraging or boisterous
call and response. The moods constantly shift and evolve as Watts, Bailey and Stevens purvey
musical structures that defy logic. Emotions flare up as in “Impromptu #6”. Arguments or
debates are imminent. The sensibilities of unity and collaboration resurface as the music
seems to transcend conventional ideology or acceptable agendas.

Dynamics of the Impromptu provides a glistening snapshot of a thriving British music scene,
which had initiated a campaign of renaissance spirit and anarchistic behavior enacted through
music.

Glenn Astarita

B y any other name a Spontaneous Music Ensemble set of this particular expansion -
given that that group was officially Watts and Stevens at this moment - exploring the
same sorts of inter-instrumental interstices as the rest of their (currently) well
documented activity of the same period: here Bailey on acoustic and electric guitars, Watts,
soprano sax, and Stevens, drums and cornet. Three evenings from late 1973 and early '74 are
represented. Six 10- to 15-minute-ish episodes fill the disc.

The tapes appear to have been in Watts's possession, and were made by Martin Davidson.
They fit in right next to the motherlode released via the latter's Emanem catalogue, in sound
quality and generosity, and sequentially closest to the great Quintessence discs (also from the
Little Theatre during these months). This trio combination hits a mode of interaction more like
the larger Quintessence group's than other racier trio groupings, with SME-typical, curiously
concentrated and sustained prodding and tweaking, each voice making predominantly small
gestures - in the order of pokes, dabs, flutters, or strokes - percussion on things that tink and
dup rather than hiss or thoom, and tiny squiggle, peek and weep of guitar, horn and reed. Who
knows quite how much of the time these Little Theatre shows were as perfectly on as the
evidence suggests? Although more towards the quiet and less exhilarated end of the audible
record, these takes do nothing to dim the available impression. Nostalgic notes by Bill Smith
of Coda magazine tell the story of the access to the venue and riff rather vaguely on the
history of this British jazz stream, that was to Acker Bilk what the Deviants were to Billy
Fury.

Jon Bywater
A collection of recordings made in the early seventies at the Little Theatre Club in
Garrick Street in London's Covent Garden long before it became trendy. "...it was
the still, small voice of sanity in a world apparently going mad and rushing like
Gadarene swine into the vortex of Swinging London.

Music Outside by Ian Carr - p.41.

If Joe Harriott was he father of the British avant garde, he was, with few exceptions,
alone in his venture, and the real beginning of an original British improvised music
must belong to Trevor Watts, John Stevens and Paul Rutherford." Bill Smith author
of Coda Magazine from the sleeve notes to the album.
1974, LOT 74, Incus 12 (UK) (LP) (released in 1974)

Derek Bailey : guitar, voice

1- Lot 74 22.00
2- Together 02.15
3- Pain in the chest? 03.00
4- Planks 04.00
5- In joke [take 2] 04.00
6- Improvisation 104[b] 06.00

Recorded Spring 1974, except final track (no details), recorded by Bob Woolford and Martin
Davidson.

Cover design by L.da Vinci.

metropolis » » derek bailey | lot 74: solo improvisations http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/derek-bailey-lot-74-solo-i...

Henry Kuntz 1975

Posted: Friday, May 25th, 2007, 11:40.

LOT 74: SOLO IMPROVISATIONS Incus 12

Derek Bailey / guitar.

Recorded: Spring 1974.

Due to the expressive potential of his instrument and his willingness and ability to exploit it to the fullest, Derek Bailey has
become one of the most complete musicians in the world today: complete in the sense that Bailey as soloist is now on the verge of
creating a music that only a short time back might have been created by several musicians. A comparison of Lot 74 with one of the
first sides of ISKRA 1903 (review to follow) is instructive. The range of sound and timbre is naturally greater on the trio date, but
Bailey comes quite close to singlehandedly simulating its rhythmic/harmonic complexity.

An interesting thought comes to mind: perhaps the guitar, particularly as it is being

explored by Bailey, has assumed a role in this music that was the domain of the piano in
music more directly dependent upon the tempered scale; if so, then the guitar has become
the single instrument most inherently capable of presenting the music in all its
dimensions at once. Bailey, however, is the lone practicioner.

Making use of an extended range, he achieves this “orchestral” sense by playing one
end of the instrument against the other; utilized in conjunction with unusual harmonies,
lengthened tones, and various rhythmic figures and tempos, this works to set up several
seemingly “independent” musical entities. It’s perhaps far removed but not really too
different from what a saxophonist does when, while improvising on a particular melody,
he sets up a honking riff underneath. Bailey, however, sets up multiple reference points
and (as well as overlapping) they are liable to be frequently changing, right out from under you.

Yet while the form of Bailey’s music is different, its content is not without its roots. Some of these
have been touched on by Peter Riley (”Some Considerations of the Playing of Derek Bailey“, SEAT
WORKS TWO, October 1973): “Webern has been studied, but the social context of this music makes
it clear that such study has not been a means to instant contemporaneity, nor a step toward the
high-brow, for much shorter routes to those undesirable ends are available. Nor has it resulted in a
complete abstract - the base layer is a rich resource of part-reference whether conscious or not:
mandolins & Balalaikas strumming in the distance, George Formby’s banjo, Leadbelly’s steel
12-string, koto, lute, classical guitar…. and others quite outside the field of the plucked string.”

Having now heard Derek Bailey on about a dozen different recordings, in contexts ranging from
this solo album to a 16-piece orchestra, and in the company of any number of the most important
improvisors anywhere (including Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennink, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford,
Alexander v. Schlippenbach, John Tchicai, and others), I can likewise attest that Bailey’s music is not as intensely self-contained
as it may appear on first hearing and that it is accessible to anyone willing to open their ears to it. Lot 74 is Bailey’s latest
significant contribution to the field of contemporary music; as well as an interesting extension of his previous work, it might also
serve as a useful introduction into his aesthetic world.

16/08/08 19:01
1974, SAXOPHONE SPECIAL, Emanem 3310 (UK) (LP)
(released in 1975)

Steve Lacy : leader, soprano saxophone and gramophone

Trevor Watts : alto and soprano saxophones
Evan Parker : soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones
Steve Potts : soprano and alto saxophones
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Michel Waisvisz : electronic synthesizer.

1- Staples 09.40
2- Dreams 11.20
3- Swishes 05.45
4- Sops 07.10
5- Snaps 09.20

Recorded live in London at the Wigmore Hall on 19 December 1974 by Martin Davidson.

Sleeve design by Martin Davidson.

Music for four saxophones (Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, Steve Potts & Trevor Watts) with guitar
(Derek Bailey) & synthesizer (Michel Waisvisz). Plus highlights from an earlier London
concert by Lacy, Potts, Bailey, Kent Carter & John Stevens. Improvisations on original
compositions.
1974, FIRST DUO CONCERT (LONDON 1974), Emanem 601.
(UK) (Double LP) (released in 1974)

Anthony Braxton : flute, soprano clarinet, clarinet, contrabass clarinet,

sopranino saxophone, alto saxophone
Derek Bailey : amplified guitars, 19-string (approx) guitar

1- The first set - area 1 08.22

2- The first set - area 2 03.12
3- The first set - area 3 [open] 08.44
4- The first set - area 4 [solo] 02.43
5- The first set - area 5 05.21
6- The first set - area 6 06.08
7- The second set - area 7 06.48
8- The second set - area 8 06.23
9- The second set - area 9 [solo] 05.56
10- The second set - area 10 04.29
11- The second set - area 11 [open] 15.29
12- The second set - area 12 03.57

Recorded by Martin Davidson at the Wigmor Hall in London on 30 June 1974.

Front cover photograph by Val Wilmer, the day before the concert.

Previously released on vinyl as Emanem 601 (double LP), with rehearsal extract, and on Inner
City, with additional rehearsal extract. Also later released by Emanem on two separate Duo
with Anthony Braxton. Their earliest meeting on record -- the complete Wigmore Hall concert
in London, 1974 (re-issue of most of Emanem 601 2LP set). Braxton on his various array of
reeds, Bailey on amplified guitar and "19 string (approx.) guitar". Major historic meeting
between two key free music figureheads.

Excerpts from reviews :

T he most interesting new Braxton release is on the Emanem label featuring Braxton
with guitarist Derek Bailey. It's the relationship between Braxton's busy, constant
creation on six different horns and Bailey's response to it that provides the album's
fascination.

Bailey's playing will turn guitarists around. He shuffles through clipped harp-like harmonics,
totally muffled sounds, and the percussive rattle of slackened strings. He allows Braxton room
to do anything and everything, only to turn around at inconceivable points and match one of
the saxophonist's many splattered 64th notes with a perfectly suitable sound of his own.
Braxton's contributions include some tasteful flute and an absolutely fierce, howling, gurgling
alto solo.

Eugene Chadbourne - The Calgary Herald 1975

would see this record as an attempt by two men - each to an extent different from the

I other musically, but each obviously admiring the other's music very much - to work
together on some common ground. That they succeed to such a remarkable degree in
creating music of the kind of rare beauty which this music is is tribute to the giant-sized
stature of both. In lesser hands, this kind of meeting might have turned into a real disaster,
with both musicians working to considerable cross purpose. But Braxton and Bailey truly
seem to bring out the best in each other.

Henry Kuntz - Bells 1975

(…) first session: first duo concert (first set only)
date: 30th june 1974

http://restructures.net/BraxDisco/braxton_discography.htm#IC1041

Time is limited today so i picked the first, shorter set... actually this was going to be semi-
background music, i wasn't planning to approach it like a strict session, just absorb whatever i
could ... but in the event the music was so rivetting that i couldn't do anything else at all while it
was on. made for each other...

In point of fact this is a continuous set as well, it's just indexed very helpfully into the separate
"areas" of the set - i am not sure who defined these areas, or what parameters were set for them
by the musicians; in some cases a particular idea or set of ideas seems to be under examination
(eg area 2 which begins with forceful, plosive entries from both and continues to explore sudden,
fast attacks) but maybe not in all. in any case b. makes it easy for us by switching instruments
each time, so perhaps that was the parameter, or one of them... for area 4, he lays out altogether
and lets Bailey play solo for a few minutes (the reverse happens in the second set). area 3, which
is designated "open", begins with b. charging out on fully fired-up alto sax, embarking quickly on
what sounds suspiciously like one of his own solo pieces, Bailey having no trouble keeping up
with him but seemingly forced into the role of accompanist for a while; yet this, too, settles down
into a patient co-operation over time, and this co-operation, really, is what characterises the
whole set right from the start, the two musicians reaching out for each other in the soundspace
and connecting frequently. the bell-like euphonies of the first area, the chopping and pecking
attacks of the second... the approaches vary and mutate, but the two (contrary to what some
writers have rather bizarrely suggested) are clearly playing together throughout, one might even
say this is the case while only one is audible (somehow...) - the playful (yet still serious) sixth and
last area perfectly sums this up, Bailey noisily toying with his tuning heads and pushing the
resonances of neighbouring strings in and out of synch, Braxton supplying the reed's own version
of the resulting harmonics, even hinting at feedback.

Posted by centrifuge at 7:06 AM

Recorded live at Wigmore Hall 6/30/74. This is the original double LP British pressing
from the '70's in pristine condition, just right for the high-end audio set-up! LP $75.00

ANTHONY BRAXTON/DEREK BAILEY - Live At Wigmore [aka Anthony

Braxton/Derek Bailey Duo] [2 LP Set] (Inner City 1041; USA) Records: Mint! Gatefold
cover: Mint! Recorded live at Wigmore Hall 6/30/74. This is the original double LP US
pressing from the '70's that contains an extra 3.5 minute rehearsal track not found on the
Emanem original;in pristine condition, just right for the high-end audio set-up! LP $60.00

Info from sellers on Internet :

1974, ROYAL VOLUME 1, Incus 43 (UK) (LP) (released in 1984)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxaphones, B flat and contrabass clarinets

1- Opening ( opening )
2- Opening ( closing )

Supposed to be released on Incus records ( Incus 43 ), volume 2 ( Incus 44 ) unfortunately

was never released but a gap was left in the Incus catalogue. Not available on CD at the
current time.

econd session: royal volume 1

S date: 2nd july 1974

http://restructures.net/BraxDisco/braxton_discography.htm#Incus43

Is it just because there are no handy index markings this time, i find myself noticing more
the (famous) stubbornness of both players? And i remember now why some people don't
hear much communication going on, because they don't hear a great deal of dialogue as
such... some improvisers didn't like working with Bailey, on the grounds that he just did his
thing regardless of whatever else was happening... i am sure that quite the same thing has
been said of Braxton also, this being yet another thing they have in common, then... but
there's the key to it: their similarities, above all their complete commitment, enable them to
play together in parallel as well as in conversation - so that they just sound good together
and hence enjoy playing together, which in turn makes it sound good... etc. once the ear is
open to this sort of music, this is the sort of sound one can live inside, rather than just listen
to - and besides, communication and dialogue are not the same thing anyway, and they do
communicate, they do in fact demonstrate a sensitivity to each other's utterance which is as
subtle as their separate drives are single-minded. if, y'know, that makes any sense.

The first piece (* comments) begins with a perfect illustration of this, because Braxton is
out of the gate very quickly, immediately inspired, and it's hard to believe that he's not
thinking ahead (in that desmond-influenced way) and either playing one of his
precomposed solo structures or at least knocking one up on the spot - it doesn't sound
second-by-second improvised, and of course this leaves Bailey with little to do but fit in
around and behind, his response being simply to keep doing what he does, refusing to be a
mere accompanist here... and again, instead of a clash, What results is somehow
harmonious. well, maybe congruent would be a better word (but maybe not)... anyway,
with 21 mins on the clock a similar pattern has emerged, a Braxton solo taking off (he just
can't help himself) - this time Bailey's response is to force his way in, and b. acknowledges
him, accommodates him. in between, either it wanders at times or it's me, but if it does, it's
not very often, and even when b. starts up with a flurry of tags (16.45ish) - which could
indicate that the two have drifted apart - it actually sparks another burst of conversation.

Bailey makes some wonderful sounds during the course of these two pieces (and b. sounds,
oddly, almost zornesque - before zorn was even on the scene - at the beginning of the
second) and even threatens at one point, about 5.30 into the first piece, to make a melody
out of a series of sparse, clangorous chords (i say chords - two or more notes at a time,
those are chords right?!) - of course he does no such thing. and there's a very exciting fast
section (from about 7.15), and a delightful moment around 11.45 where it seems both
players are simply tossing handfuls of sound into the air; by the end of the second piece i
was flagging a little, i confess (under pressure of severe canine distraction), but basically i
really enjoyed these recordings and would have loved to see the two men play together. Did
i learn anything? maybe not much - apart from the surprising "zorn noises" (shall be
keeping an ear out for recurrences), b. Did little i haven't heard him do before, but the
satisfaction which one imagines must surely have been engendered by these encounters
may yet spill over into what was to come..?

Posted by centrifuge at 7:06 AM 24 comments

M
onday, December 25, 2006
It has been exactly one year... This very day he passed away...

On May 25, 1996 I visited the Downs Road (was it 14?) where Incus Records is at and got
somelps and cds from Bailey. I will not ever forget the moment. There he was standing and
choosing some lps that he is trying to give me. One of these is the one with Braxton, Royal
Volume I. Let's hear from Ben Watson: (...) on July 1974, Bailey and Braxton played
another duo concert, this time in the somewhat less hallowed surroundings of the Royal
Hotel in Lutton. The first part was issued by Incus ten years later as Royal Volume I [Incus
43; the hopeful title has never been consummated by a second volume]. There is no
'compositional' agenda, and the two players dive straight into the knotted tangles that their
agility and high-pitched instruments invite. (...) After grappling like boxers in a huddle,
Braxton and Bailey separate and bob alongside ach other without engaging in explicit note
doublings or discords, but there's some mutual understanding of tempo as the pace never
relents and they recombine without a moment of confusion. As the dialogue deepens and
Bailey's accompaniment starts to sound orchestral, the clarinet/ guitar pairing suddenly
seems classic (...). As Bailey and Braxton reach a mellifluous congruity - though not via
subservience to any known music - it's evident that they'll soon delight in picking it all apart
again. This is music as purest thought; each affirmation is pursued by a denial or question
Like reading Finnegans Wake, it takes a few passages before the mind adjusts an starts
listening in the right way; suddenly there are glimpses of a world where pure intuition could
speak, transcending established vocabulary and grammer. (...) One awaits the release of
Royal Volume 2 with impatience. quoted from Ben Watson's book "Derek Bailey and the
story of free improvisation", first publish, Verso 2004, p.192-193.

Now let's hear what Derek Bailey wrote about Anthony Braxton : Anthony Braxton, who
works, as did many of his great predecessors, to extend his tradition and not merely to
celebrate it, has been at various times a favourite target of the propagandists, attacking him
for: betraying his race (as was Louis Armstrong); being an intellectual (as was Charlie
Parker); and diluting the musical purity of his tradition (as was John Coltrane). In short, he
stands accused of just about all those things which have previously served to enrich and
strengthen jazz. Braxton, recognised by the musicians who work with him as an outstanding
musical figure, is unlikely to be deflected by this sort of stuff but if jazz no longer values
the sort of qualities he represents then it has a pretty arid future.

from Derek Bailey's book, "Improvisation: its nature and practice in music" Da Capo Press,
1993, p.57.

And Anthony Braxton's words:

I invited Derek Bailey to Paris. In fact I wrote a piece for Derek: at the time I didn't realize
hewas totally not interested in notated music. I heard Derek's music the first time I came to
London, with Circle. We stopped over for a couple of days and I played at the 100 Club
with Mike Osborne, that was my first performance in London. Thanks to Dave Holland I'd
already heard Derek's records and later that week I heard him live at the Little Theatre. He
did a solo gig and, boy, his music excited me. I felt I could really play with this man.

Braxton interviewed by Graham Lock. From Graham Lock's wonderful book "Forces in
Motion : The Music and Thoughts of Anthony Braxton", Da Capo Press, 1989, p.129
Well, my first exposure to the British musicians who came around the same time period as
myself was through Dave Holland. Dave played the records of John Stevens and later when
we went to London, I had opportunity to meet these people and I found their music
fascinating. And I try to let them know that I was interested in their music and that I
respected their music. And that I was not coming to visit England as the angry American
who thinks only Americans can play. I'm not interested in that. And after meeting with
Evan Parker and Derek Bailey, I found a natural affinity with these guys and my musical
experiences with them had been very beautiful for me. And so, yes their music was very
different from mine in terms of the melodic nature or non-melodic character. But in fact, the
melodic character of my music is only one aspect of my music. The records speak for itself
now. We have many recordings and I have always felt very, I felt connected to Evan Parker
and to some of the improvisers and able to play with them. And for me, it was always a
positive experience, I've learned a great deal from that experience. But I did not want to only
play improvised music, because myself, for me it would be a limitation, because my interest
is not just in this area of music. I'm interested in totally music. October 15th, 1995,
interview with the blogger, published at restructures - creative music forum

posted by Volkan Terzioglu at 07:44

1974, EIGHTY-FIVE MINUTES PART 1, Emanem 3401 (Australia)
(LP) (released in 1986)

Spontaneous Music Ensemble :

John Stevens : percussion, cornet
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Kent Carter : cello
Derek Bailey : guitars

1- Forty minutes [part 1] 19.30

2- Forty minutes [part 2] 20.30

Recorded live in London at the ICA Theatre on 3 February 1974 by Martin Davidson.

Front cover photograph by Jak Kilby. Re-issued in 1997 as part of Emanem CD 4015.
1974, EIGHTY-FIVE MINUTES PART 2, Emanem 3402 (Australia)
(LP) (released in 1986)

Spontaneous Music Ensemble :

John Stevens : percussion, cornet
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Kent Carter : cello and double bass
Derek Bailey : guitars

1- Thirty-five minutes [part 1] 25.40

2- Thirty-five minutes [part 2] 08.50
3- Ten minutes 10.00

Recorded live in London at the ICA Theatre on 3 February 1974 by Martin Davidson.

Front cover photograph by Jak Kilby. Re-issued in 1997 as part of Emanem CD 4016.
1974, HAMBURG '74 (Globe Unity Orchestra and The Choir Of The
NDR-Broadcast): FMP FMP 0650 (Germany) (LP)
(released in 1979)

Manfred Schoof : trumpet

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet
Gunter Christmann : trombone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Peter Brotzmann : reeds
Rudiger Carl : reeds
Gerd Dudek : reeds
Evan Parker : reeds
Michel Pilz : reeds
Derek Bailey : guitar
Alex Von Schlippenbach : piano
Peter Kowald : bass, tuba
Han Bennink : drums, percussion, clarinet
Paul Lovens : drums, percussion
+ Choir of the NDR-Broadcast conducted by Helmut Franz.

1.Hamburg '74 : Overture (Schlippenbach) 26:29

a.Interlude
b.Ovation
c.Fusion
d.Kollision + Explosion
e.Free Jazz
f.Epistrophen
g.Special Coda
2.Kontraste Und Synthesen (Schoof) 19:11
November 19, 1974; 105th NDR Jazz Workshop, Funkhaus Hamburg
T he collective energies of the Globe Unity Orchestra were at a high-point in the mid
1970s, at which time the group was known both for its earth-shaking power and the
deep thinking of its instigator, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. In 1974, as a
radio project for NDR JazzWorkshop, Schlippenbach composed a piece for his orchestra and
the NDR Choir. Hamburg '74 was, as he has explained subsequently, Schlippenbach's
'contribution to humor in the music'. It is an unusual and beguiling piece, an side-long
encounter between classical voice, improvised music whisper and free jazz yowl... Remastered
from the original tapes, Hamburg '74 is a lesser-known classic of European free music,
available for the first time on CD." 2004 release of 1974 material.
1974, THE MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY, ECM 1005 (USA)
(LP) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Hugh Davies : live electronics
Jamie Muir : percussion
Christine Jeffrey : voice

1- Third Stream Boogaloo

2- Dragon Path
3- Packaged Eel
4- Untitled No.I
5- Untitled No.II
6- Tuck
8- Wolfgang Van Gangbang
9-

Recorded on August 25, 26, 27 1970 at the Merstham Studios, London

1975, THE LONDON CONCERT, Incus 16 (UK) (LP) (released in 1975)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

1- The London concert part 1 14:50

2- The London Concert part 2 03:58
3- The London Concert part 3 11:52
4- The London Concert part 4 06:57

Recorded in London by Martin Davidson on 14 February 1975.

T wo of the British masters of improvised music play a full-length duet in this live
recording from 1975. The one long track spans both sides of the LP, and features
some amazing twists and turns by Parker, and the usual out-of-this world guitar
playing by Bailey. Incus pressing, with the typical blank sleeve with a white label sticker on
the front. (This record comes in a plain black sleeve.)
1975, THE LONDON CONCERT, Incus 16-A (UK) (LP) (released in
1975 (?)) First UK pressing.

Derek Bailey : guitar

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

1- The London concert part 1 14:50

2- The London Concert part 2 03:58
3- The London Concert part 3 11:52
4- The London Concert part 4 06:57

Recorded in London by Martin Davidson on 14 February 1975. Black cardboard sleeve.

1975, THE LONDON CONCERT, Victor VIP 6658 (Japan)(LP)
(released in 1975 ?)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

1- The London concert part 1 14:50

2- The London Concert part 2 03:58
3- The London Concert part 3 11:52
4- The London Concert part 4 06:57

Recorded in London by Martin Davidson on 14 February 1975.

Rare Japan Pressing with OBI.

1975, FIRST DUO CONCERT (LONDON 1974), Emanem 3313.
(USA) (Double LP) (released in 1975)

Anthony Braxton : flute, soprano clarinet, clarinet, contrabass clarinet,

sopranino saxophone, alto saxophone
Derek Bailey : amplified guitars, 19-string (approx) guitar

1- The first set - area 1 08.22

2- The first set - area 2 03.12
3- The first set - area 3 [open] 08.44
4- The first set - area 4 [solo] 02.43
5- The first set - area 5 05.21
6- The first set - area 6 06.08
7- The second set - area 7 06.48
8- The second set - area 8 06.23
9- The second set - area 9 [solo] 05.56
10- The second set - area 10 04.29
11- The second set - area 11 [open] 15.29
12- The second set - area 12 03.57

Recorded by Martin Davidson at the Wigmor Hall in London on 30 June 1974.

Front cover photograph by Val Wilmer, the day before the concert.

Previously released on vinyl as Emanem 601 (double LP), with rehearsal extract, and on Inner
City, with additional rehearsal extract. Also later released by Emanem on two separate Duo
with Anthony Braxton. Their earliest meeting on record -- the complete Wigmore Hall concert
in London, 1974 (re-issue of most of Emanem 601 2LP set). Braxton on his various array of
reeds, Bailey on amplified guitar and "19 string (approx.) guitar". Major historic meeting
between two key free music figureheads.

Excerpts from reviews :

T he most interesting new Braxton release is on the Emanem label featuring Braxton
with guitarist Derek Bailey. It's the relationship between Braxton's busy, constant
creation on six different horns and Bailey's response to it that provides the album's
fascination.

Bailey's playing will turn guitarists around. He shuffles through clipped harp-like harmonics,
totally muffled sounds, and the percussive rattle of slackened strings. He allows Braxton room
to do anything and everything, only to turn around at inconceivable points and match one of
the saxophonist's many splattered 64th notes with a perfectly suitable sound of his own.
Braxton's contributions include some tasteful flute and an absolutely fierce, howling, gurgling
alto solo.

Eugene Chadbourne - The Calgary Herald 1975

would see this record as an attempt by two men - each to an extent different from the

I other musically, but each obviously admiring the other's music very much - to work
together on some common ground. That they succeed to such a remarkable degree in
creating music of the kind of rare beauty which this music is is tribute to the giant-sized
stature of both. In lesser hands, this kind of meeting might have turned into a real disaster,
with both musicians working to considerable cross purpose. But Braxton and Bailey truly
seem to bring out the best in each other.

Henry Kuntz - Bells 1975

1975, IMPROVISATION, Cramps CRSLP 6202. (Italy) LP)
(released in 1975)

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1- M1 01.30
2- M2 02.32
3- M3 04.13
4- M4 03.40
5- M5 02.40
6- M6 02.05
7- M7 01.40
8- M8 02.18
9- M9 04.42
10- M10 02.46
11- M11 02.08
12- M12 04.04
13- M13 04.12
14- M14 03.55

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Art direction by al.sa sas; photographs by Roberto Masotti.

Originally released in 1975 on Cramps' Diverso series: DIVerso n.2.

Also released on CD by Cramps as CRSCD 062.

1975, ENSEMBLE PIECES, Island:Obscure No.2, EG Obscure Obs 2, EG
Records EGED 22 (LP) (released in 1975)

Musicians:

1: The New Music Ensemble of The San

Francisco Conservatory of Music;
John Adams : Conductor

2: Christopher Hobbs : Bells, triangles, toy piano

John White : Reed Organ, Toy Piano,
Triangles, Drums
Gavin Bryars : Reed Organ, triangles, wood ,
cymbals

3: Christopher Hobbs : Bells, triangles, toy piano

Gavin Bryars : Reed Organ

4: Paul Nieman : Trombone

Andy Mackay : Oboe
Stuart Deeks : Violin
Cornelius Cardew : Cello
Christopher Hobbs : Piano
Derek Bailey : Guitar
Gavin Bryars : Bass
Mike Nicholls : Drums
Celia Gollin,
Brian Eno : Vocals
Tracks :

1.- Aran Christopher Hobbs

2.- American Standard John Adams

1- John Philip Sousa
2- Christian Zeal And Activity
3- Sentimentals

3.- McCrimmon Will Never Return

Christopher Hobbs

4.- 1, 2, 1-2-3-4 Gavin Bryars

Author : C. Hobbs, J. Adams, G. Bryars

Categorie:Coll-Production (Obscure)

Cover Art Credits: Artwork by John Bonis of CCS

Eno : Voices and Production

Recording Location info : It was performed live by the New Music Ensemble of the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music at the Museum of Art on March 23rd 1973.
1975, DREAMS, Saravah (France), SH 10058 (LP) (released in 1975 ?)

Steve Lacy: leader, soprano saxophone

Steve Potts: alto, soprano saxophones
Irene Aebi: cello, vocals
Derek Bailey: guitar
Jack Treese (2,5): guitar
Boulou Ferre (2,5): guitar
Kent Carter: bass
Jean-Jacques Avenel: bass
Kenneth Tyler: drums

1- The Uh Uh Uh 07:20
2- Dreams 04:05
3- The Oil 09:10
4- The Wane 10:00
5- Crops 07:00

Recorded at Saravah Studios, Paris on May 12/15, 1975 at Studio Saravah, Paris, France.

Engineer: Christian Gence. Assistant engineer: Larry Martin.

Producer: Pierre Barouh.

Cover painting: Claude Bellegarde. Cover art: Bunny Brissett.

metropolis » » derek bailey | the interview | london 1975 http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/derek-bailey-the-interview-...

derek bailey | the interview | london 1975

Derek Bailey was interviewed by Henry Kaiser on October 21, 1975 at Bailey’s home in London. The interview was transcribed
and edited by Henry Kuntz, with final alterations made by Derek Bailey.

Derek Bailey (Quoting from Edgar Allen Poe): “I found it impossible to comprehend him, even in his moral or physical
relations. Of his family I could obtain no satisfactory account. Whence he came I never ascertained, even about his age - there was
something that perplexed me in no little degree. There were moments when I should have had little trouble imagining him a
hundred years of age. But in no regard was he more peculiar than in his personal appearance. He was singularly tall and thin, he
stooped much. His limbs were exceedingly long and emaciated. His forehead was broad and low. His complexion was absolutely
bloodless. His mouth was large and flexible and his teeth were more roundly uneven, although sound, than I had ever before seen
teeth in a human head. The expression of his smile, however, was by no means unpleasing, as might be supposed, but it had no
variation whatever. It was one of profound melancholy, of a phaseless and unceasing gloom.”
metropolis » » derek bailey | the interview | london 1975 http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/derek-bailey-the-interview-...

Well, this business of playing - to try to put it as briefly as possible: in about 1963-64, I had been a professional musician for
about ten years, and I had played more or less every kind of music you can play in order to earn a living. I’d worked in night clubs,
dance halls, with country singers, rock singers, folk singers; I had played a bit of jazz. At that time I was also working in studios
more than ever. Most of the musics I played were played like any music in the entertainment world. They had quite a lot of
improvisation involved in them, or at least some degree of improvisation anyway.

And at that time (1963) I started working with two musicians, a bass player named Gavin Bryars (now a composer) and a drummer,
Tony Oxley. They were both much younger than me, and they represented two quite different ways of approaching improvisation.
When we played together then, we played sort of a mixture of what was then current jazz. We played as a trio and actually worked
together in a night club for a long time. We used to play Bill Evans and Coltrane tunes from their records, and we were interested a
lot in Dolphy. It was moving toward a free jazz thing. And over that period, ‘63 - ‘65, we gradually moved from that position of
playing these Bill Evans to Coltrane type things to a position of playing completely improvised pieces. And at that point,1965,
early ‘66, I don’t know who we were sounding like. We didn’t record anything, we weren’t even the least bit interested in
recording. (I find this is one of the things that has changed now. Everyone seems to record everything they play.) Anyway, by the
time we’d got to this position of playing completely improvised pieces, I don’t know how you’d identify the music except to say
that it was freely improvised.

The main impetus that had got us to this position was a dissatisfaction with the music we were playing - like conventional jazz,
music in which we were improvising the idiom. Gavin, though, was a straight musician. His background was completely straight,
and later he went to the States and studied with Cage for a while. And it was Gavin’s interest in contemporary composition, which
particularly in the early and middle ’60s was involved in improvisation a lot - aleatoric devices, all that stuff - and Tony’s interest
in free jazz that led us to the music we played. There were those two avenues which I think have been the two main avenues of the
free improvisation situation, and they were in that one group, and that was very useful.
metropolis » » derek bailey | the interview | london 1975 http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/derek-bailey-the-interview-...

Maarten van Regteren Altena | Derek Bailey | Akademie der Künste, Berlin1978, Workshop Freie Musik. Photo: Gérard
Rouy

Now I found as regards the instrument - naturally - that whatever traditional equipment I had on the instrument was no use in these
situations. It was no good coming on like Charlie Christian while somebody was playing a gong and somebody else was sawing
off the end of the bass. While it might now be perfectly acceptable in Holland to do that (reference to musical humor situations
which have become prevalent in Dutch and German improvising -ed) - in fact, it’d bring the house down - there were obvious
musical incongruities about this. So as regards to changing the way I played to suit the musical situation, that was how it started. I
mean, this went on for years, you understand.

After that, I came to London, and again I was lucky because I met Evan Parker and John Stevens. That was the end of ‘66, and we
were playing together through ‘67 and ‘68, and we still play together occasionally. It wasn’t exactly a continuation of the thing
I’d been doing with Gavin and Tony, but it was for a while. Then it went more heavily jazz-wise because of certain inclinations that
were being expressed at that time, mostly from John. But it was still all improvised, the focus was on playing totally improvised
pieces. At least, that’s where I felt the main focus of the music was, regardless of what its affinities might have been whether it was
jazz or non-jazz or trying to sound like Stockhausen, or whatever it was doing. It was still necessary, though, to have some sort of
language to join in this debate with, and so it was a case of carrying on with the earlier process of trying to develop some way of
playing in totally improvised situations.

And after that I was fortunate enough to work with Evan continuously and with a couple of other people who are no longer playing
now - drummer Jamie Muir and vocalist Christine Jeffrey. That again was something quite different, but I could view it, as regards
playing the guitar, as a further extension of working in a freely improvised situation. In fact, I suppose one of the things all of
these stages did was to establish more and more the acceptance of the freely improvised situation and the ways you could work in it
and these were really all quite different values. And that lasted until 1970-71. Since then, I’ve worked mainly solo.
metropolis » » derek bailey | the interview | london 1975 http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/derek-bailey-the-interview-...

Derek Bailey | Maarten van Regteren Altena | Steve Lacy | Akademie der Künste, Berlin1978, Workshop Freie Musik.
Photo: Gérard Rouy

I had been playing solo off and on since 1967, but I found for all sorts of reasons from about 1971 onwards that it was better to
concentrate on solo playing. That had to do with a lot of things. One of them was to do with working out this language thing - of
this way of playing the guitar. I don’t think of it as a way of playing the guitar, though; I think of it as a way of improvising. It
seems to me that whatever I’ve been trying to do on the guitar, for me anyway, it is in order to find a more appropriate way of
playing the instrument in a free improvising situation.

Because if you play the guitar, or any other instrument, the way you learn to play it is probably going to be closely associated
with some style of music. If, for instance, you’re learning the guitar, you’re going to be learning to play as a flamenco player, or
as a jazz player, or you’re going to learn to play finger style. And all the finger style players think that’s the way you play the
guitar, and all the jazz players think that’s the way you play, and the rock players that’s what. And they’re all particular styles
which employ the guitar. They take this bloody thing, this box with strings on it, and they use it in a particular way which suits
their purposes. Well, that’s all I wanted to do. I wanted to take that box with strings and use it in a freely improvised situation. And
it wasn’t any good, as far as I could see, playing it like a rock player, for instance, and so on. And that description makes it sound
quite calculated. But that was a realization that happened over years. In each situation, it wasn’t appropriate to use any of the
inherited language, if you like, or technique. It was of some use, but it didn’t seem to be of much use. So there was all that. I was
trying to use the instrument as I thought in a more appropriate way.

Another thing that led me to playing solo was the problem of volume. I didn’t see how I could really play with anyone else
except maybe another guitar player. It wasn’t that I wanted to work at such a very low volume level, but I wanted to work -
particularly at that time - with a wide dynamic range over a short time space, shooting around a lot, up and down. And that’s got
interesting possibilities within a group context. But I wasn’t at that time working in a group that was accommodating that type of
thing, except possibly “Iskra.” And even in a group like that, where everyone used this fast dynamic fluctuation, there were still
certain contradictions; but I think it did at times work very well in that group.

By 1971, it seemed that groups were settling down to a sort of early middle-age period. Most groups by then had been going
since the early-middle Sixties. I’ve always felt that an improvising group - it’s only a suspicion, I can’t prove it - but my
suspicion is that a lot of improvising groups change quite radically after two to three years. After a couple of years it gets into the
sort of thing I’m less interested in, although it’s the sort of thing I’ve gotten into playing solo, and that is playing as an
identifiable group, playing a music that is identified with the group. So you get these long term things - there’s been a lot of them
in Europe. I think the longest is Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg who have played together about 57 years. Or John Stevens
and Trevor Watts they’ve gone on for a long time and they’ll likely go on forever. Well, that’s fine, and they’ve obviously found
it a satisfactory way of working.

Steve Beresford | Derek Bailey | Uithorn, Holland; 1977 | ICP’s 10th anniversary festival. Photo: Gérard Rouy

Yet it always seems to me that after a certain time most groups like that do get into a different type of playing, and for most of
them that’s the kind of playing they want to get into. The music becomes much more identifiable, identified with them, and
sometimes with a certain idiom - maybe free jazz, funny music, circus-like humor, whatever. They have an identity, and they work
within that. Now that’s what doesn’t interest me about a group. At that point, I lose interest in the group. So at that time I was in
the “Music Improvisation Company” and I was in “Iskra 1903” and also playing occasionally with Tony Oxley and with
the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (S.M.E.); and they all became like that to me, the S.M.E. particularly.
metropolis » » derek bailey | the interview | london 1975 http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/derek-bailey-the-interview-...

HENRY KAISER: DO YOU THINK THAT’S BECAUSE JOHN (STEVENS) HAD THE SAME SORT OF PROBLEM AS YOU, BUT HE
SOLVED IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY BECAUSE HE WAS A LEADER OF A GROUP (THE S.M.E.), SO HE CHANGED THE GROUP TO
FIT HIS NEEDS?

Derek Bailey: Quite possibly. John’s a very special case, you know. He’s a very rare figure in this music. He’s a very good
musical organizer, and you don’t get good band leaders in this sort of music. So John’s a very special case. But, still, I think he
was probably doing the same as most of the regular groups in that he was establishing a music centered around him and Trevor after
a while - although I think that was largely based on music that he and Evan used to play in ‘67. But that’s a long story.

HENRY KAISER: WHY DO YOU THINK AT THAT TIME THAT PEOPLE HERE AND IN GERMANY AND HOLLAND WANTED TO
GO TO THOSE DEGREES OF MUSICAL FREEDOM WHEREAS MUSICIANS IN OTHER AREAS - IN THE U.S., SAY - HAVE NOT
REALLY DONE SO?

Derek Bailey: We didn’t have a music here. We had the great advantage of not having a music, in England particularly. In the
U.S. you have jazz and rock. I mean, we had rock here, but no one had taken it that seriously. Now it’s somewhat different. But
there wasn’t any question of having to play anything, you see. I mean, the fact that you could go out and play nothing was a great
relief. You could go out and play nothing, and someone would say, “What the fuck was all that?” - and that was fantastic.
Because they couldn’t come up and say, “Oh, you sort of play like Jim Hall a bit.” To have someone come up and say,
“What the fuck are you doing there?” was a great relief.

But the whole thing about free improvisation coming up at certain times - I wouldn’t try to sell this idea to anybody, but I believe
it’s always been present to some extent. I think the idea of improvising freely is such a simple, attractive idea that people must
always have tried it. The first band I ever heard doing it was in 1956-57. I played with them a couple of times and hated it. I was too
busy trying to get the instrument together in a certain way. I knew that band for a year or two and they were largely a freely
improvising band, and that was in the middle-Fifties. And I don’t think that’s unique or anything. I think that possibly you could
find somebody who knew of some other free band in another provincial town in England or anywhere else. So I think this is
something that’s always been floating around. It’s such an obvious, logical way of making music for people who don’t have an
axe to grind or a career to pursue.

Now the solo thing - well, there was that thing about groups. It seemed to me that by that time most of the groups had gotten
themselves established. They sounded like a certain thing, and they played in a certain way. They had gotten an identity and
worked within that identity as a unit. And I think most of them are quite aware about that. They use it as a springboard. In a way
that’s how a lot of jazz musicians prefer to work. Familiarity leads to better results, but results in a certain direction. Anyway, I
didn’t find that appealing to me. As soon as I’ve been in a group a couple of years, I usually want to get out of it. The only
exception to that was the “Music Improvisation Company,” but that was an extraordinary group anyway, and it sort of
exploded after three years. It disintegrated. I mean, we were all going in different directions anyway, and - strangely enough - we
drew strength from that. I liked that group very much.

Steve Beresford | Derek Bailey | Uithorn, Holland, 1977. Photo: Gérard Rouy

HENRY KAISER: DO YOU MEAN THAT WHAT YOU LIKED ABOUT IT WAS THAT THERE WERE ALWAYS A LOT OF
SURPRISES?

Derek BaileyIt never had any single identity. We didn’t play very often, and when we played the only thing you could be sure of
was that it wouldn’t sound anything like the last time we played. The thing about that group was it was five-piece for its last two
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years, and it had five leaders. I don’t mean that we competed for leadership, but there were five people who had a completely
different idea of what the group should do. And it seemed that any of those five people could establish their influence over the rest
of the group, because very often the group would behave the way one guy wanted it to behave. Now that might last for three
months and then it would change, but then again it might change from week to week. I’ve never been in a group like that. It was
extraordinary. And the people in it were quite different. I mean, the difference between Jamie Muir and Hugh Davies was complete
in a musical sense. They belonged to two different ends of some musical scale, with Jamie at one end and Hugh at the other. And yet
we worked together within that group OK. I say OK - I mean, there was a lot of friction in that group, but I’ve never known a
successful group without friction.

But after a certain period, I was no longer interested in playing in a group; but I was still interested in playing with other people,
as I am now. And I thought that one of the best advantages of playing solo - and this is one of the things that really advanced the
idea for me - was that I could play with anybody. If I had been working regularly in a group - I mean, there are certain loyalties and
associations. Generally speaking, someone who works in a group just works in a group. They might occasionally play with
another group, but the scope of their playing as regards playing with other people is usually limited to that group and its
immediate associates; while if you’re playing solo you can play with anybody who’ll play with you. And I do play with anybody. I
mean, I’ve heard the accusation that anybody who plays solo leads a sort of self-centered musical existence, and that might be
right, and I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with that. But in my case, it’s not really applicable. Because I’ve played with
more different people since I’ve played solo than before I played solo.

HENRY KAISER: DO YOU FIND PLAYING SOLO, THEN, A BETTER WAY TO DEVELOP YOUR MUSICAL IDEAS?

Derek Bailey: I like working solo - for that reason, and for the reason that I needed to develop some self-reliance in this music.
If you’re going to go make a solo improvisation, you’re in about as isolated a musical situation as you can find, I would have
thought. To play solo is nothing, but to improvise solo is a pretty demanding situation. So there’s a lot of attractions to the
situation, but one of the main ones is that in that situation I can play with other people regularly or occasionally.

Now one of the disadvantages of playing solo, and there are quite a number, is the same as that with the regular groups. I’m going
around playing an identifiable music. I go around and play some sort of strange guitar most of the time. But that is not what I’m
interested in in playing solo. I am not interested in demonstrating the way I play the instrument. But I guess that most of the gigs I
get I get because somebody wants me to come along and demonstrate the way I play the guitar. That side of solo playing doesn’t
interest me at all. I mean, I suppose that’s probably what I do on most gigs. But I consider if I’ve finished playing and I feel I’ve
done only that, then I think I’ve played very badly. And it can happen that way, unfortunately.

Steve Beresford | Derek Bailey | Tristan Honsinger | Akademie der Künste, Berlin1978. Workshop Freie Musik. Photo:
Gérard Rouy

HENRY KAISER: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING?

Derek Bailey:To improvise, whatever that means at that particular time. I mean, it might sound pretty much the same as last
time, but it isn’t.

HENRY KAISER: DO YOU MEAN IMPROVISING TO YOUR SATISFACTION OR SHOWING THE AUDIENCE SOMETHING
ABOUT IMPROVISATION BESIDES SHOWING THEM SOMETHING ABOUT PLAYING THE GUITAR?
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Derek Bailey: I’ve never been sure about audiences. I’ve never understood what the responsibility of a performer is to an
audience. It’s intensely complicated. When people talk about audiences, they usually drool on about communication. Anyone
interested in communication should spend time digging holes for telegraph poles.

There’s much more going on between a performer and an audience than just communication. I don’t know what happens but I think
that the audience’s role in listening to improvising - and I never liked saying anything about audiences because if anyone asks
what I think about an audience, I’m just grateful there is one - but actually I would think that an audience listening to improvisation
has a greater responsibility than any other type of audience because they can affect the musical performance in a direct way, in a
way that no other audience can affect the musical performance. They can affect the creative process in every aspect. Every aspect of
the music, every part of the process can be affected by the audience if it’s improvised music because the whole thing is going on at
the time they’re witnessing it. They’re witnessing the whole process of producing that music. I mean, there’s a lot of work behind
it, and they’re not going to affect that, but they can affect the immediate production of the music, its immediate construction,
which is the crucial time for improvisation.

HENRY KAISER: IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT THEY CAME TO HEAR IF THEY’RE INTERESTED IN IMPROVISED MUSIC?

Derek Bailey: Well, that’s right. But I don’t know how many people are interested in it. I mean, if they’ve come to hear
somebody play the guitar in a certain way, they may not be interested in improvisation at all. But I think of what I do on the
instrument as entirely associated with improvisation, so I would have thought that anybody who’s not interested in improvisation
couldn’t have been very interested in the way I play the instrument anyway. Because I play the instrument in a way that I think is
appropriate to non-idiomatic free improvisation. And that’s the hardest job of all - to keep it open-ended.

That again ties up with the technique of playing the guitar. And the same applies to the music. The two, it seems to me, have to be
complimentary all the time. The technique, the way you play the guitar, all of it should be prepared for some movement or change.
And the same thing applies to the music. And if at some point you no longer move it along, and this applies either to the
instrumental playing or to the music, which are inextricable, completely entwined - if you arrive at some point where it isn’t
moving along, then you’re finished as regards the things we’re talking about. Then maybe you’ll do something else. Maybe then
you’ll just specialize in playing the guitar in an odd way or playing whatever has become identified as the music you play. Then
it’s possible you’ll become so interested in that that that is the end, the end you’re pursuing; it might still be a viable activity, but
you can’t call it, it seems to me, free improvisation.

I mean, I’m not so interested in these labels. They are a nuisance. But it does imply something: free improvisation is an area in
which you can do all sorts of things. You can go in it, find out the music you want to play, bring it out and play it. And that’s what
most people do. That’s what most groups do. They settle down, things start working, then they’re out and they do it, and that’s
that. Then occasionally they dip back in to get another member or something, make one or two changes.

The younger guys in London at the moment - actually, apart from me, most of the older guys are still quite young - have a good
idea, and it’s very frustrating to the older guys. The idea is that you don’t have set groups. You never see them in the same group
twice; or, if you do, in between times, they’ve played in another thirty combinations. It’s just a mix. That’s a free improvising
community, and it works like that.

Now that’s the sort of thing that was happening in the S.M.E. around 1967, but not to the degree that the musicians are doing it
now. Now, to a lot of musicians, I think the majority, that’s not a satisfactory situation. They do want a music they can get hold
of. They want to work on it and go out and play it and show people that it’s good music. And there’s nothing wrong with that at
all. I’m not trying to put that down. But the situation I find interesting is that free one, and I wouldn’t want to work in any other
way. But I can understand somebody either dabbling in it briefly or not wanting anything to do with it. I mean, the freedom in free
improvisation might be just this - that you can take out of it what you want, and you don’t have to stay. But I’m interested in it as a
way of working permanently. For one guy in a basic situation of working on his own with an instrument, I think it’s the only way
to work. Or, to put it differently, free improvisation makes it viable for one guy to work with one instrument on his own.

But the possibilities are so enormous in free improvisation that I think most people would prefer to back off from it. I know a
guitarist, a flamenco player, who’s interested in free improvisation, but he would never play it. He goes and maybe listens to it
occasionally and talks about it, but what he wants to play is flamenco. Or I don’t think you could talk to Sonny Rollins about free
improvisation. Sonny Rollins is interested in free improvisation in so far as it has some use for his purposes as a conventional
black jazz player.

I can understand that absolutely. I mean, he’s a great jazz player. He has a lot of music to play, and he’s going out and playing it
and that’s fine. If he can do that for the next twenty years -he’s already done it for twenty years - then he’s done alright. There’s
nothing wrong with it. However, there is still the whole of this field of free improvisation to work in, and I think the possibilities
are greater there than in any other sort of music.
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Misha Mengelberg | Johnny Dyani | Derek Bailey | Tony Oxley | Leo Smith | Maurice Horsthuis | Terry Day
| Company, London 1978. Photo: Gérard Rouy

HENRY KAISER: HOW DOES PLAYING WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE INTEREST YOU THEN?

Derek Bailey: Well, for different people, it might work differently, but my main interest in playing with other people is their
music. I find I’m very affected by people I play with. There are times when I’m not, but usually that’s when I don’t like the music.
Actually, whether I like it or not, I’m usually very affected by it. I mean, the difference between playing with Han Bennink and
with Anthony Braxton is considerable, and they each take me to musical areas I might not get to on my own. That’s not the only
interest I have, but that’s one of the things.

HENRY KAISER: WELL, THE STEVE LACY ALBUM, CRUSTS (EMANEM 304), SEEMS TO BE A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF
SITUATION FOR YOU BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL PLAYING TUNES, AND YOU SEEM TO BE DOING SOMETHING FAIRLY
DIFFERENT, WEAVING IN AND OUT.

Derek Bailey: Well, I’m interested in that kind of a situation: in going in and being as complimentary as possible. I don’t want
to go in and, in spite of everything, play what I always play. But I’m still not going in there and imitate or take on some other
identity in order to be complimentary. So I’m interested in the way they affect my identity, if that’s not too opposite a way of
putting it.

HENRY KAISER: WHEN LACY ASKED YOU TO COME ALONG, DO YOU THINK HE ASKED YOU EXPECTING YOU TO DO
SOMETHING PARTICULAR, KNOWING WHAT YOU DO? DID YOU DISCUSS A LOT WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO AHEAD OF
TIME?

Derek Bailey: No. I mean, those are quite carefully arranged parts, and they rehearsed them. But I didn’t actually have a part,
because Lacy doesn’t have guitar parts. He has piano parts. So I had the piano part, but I didn’t actually play it. I’ve played his
music, though, in some other situations - in a trio, for example, with Misha Mengelberg, me, and Lacy. I like his music. He’s a
very strong musician. But, in general, that’s all I could say about that. I mean, I don’t mind playing in any situation at all. The
only people I would not want to play with are people who don’t want to play with me, who are afraid I might upset something they
want to do.

But I wouldn’t think that the way anybody plays is any good unless it’s open-ended, unless it allows them to play with almost
anybody. Whether other people feel they could play with me, I don’t know. But I wouldn’t worry if they were playing tunes or
whatever. I’d be very interested in finding a way to make it work. And if I couldn’t find a way, then I’d consider that was something
I had to do something about - because I think any way of playing should be, if not necessarily all inclusive, at least have a certain
openness to playing with other people, particularly other people whose music you enjoy.
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Misha Mengelberg | Johnny Dyani | Derek Bailey | Tony Oxley | Leo Smith | Maurice Horsthuis | Terry Day
| Company, London 1978. Photo: Gérard Rouy

HENRY KAISER: DO YOU OFTEN TALK MUCH ABOUT THE MUSIC BEFOREHAND, IF YOU’RE PLAYING WITH DIFFERENT
PEOPLE? DO YOU THINK, IF YOU DO, THAT THE IMPROVISATIONS ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL?

Derek Bailey: There’s a lot of discussion about that, whether it’s useful or not. I don’t think it’s always necessary.

HENRY KAISER: WHAT ARE THE USUAL POINTS OF DISCUSSION IF YOU TALK ABOUT IT?

Derek Bailey: I don’t know. I think usually you’re just trying to establish some sort of personal relationship or to reassure each
other. I don’t know how useful it is. Then again it could be harmful. I know people that I can play with, but I can’t talk about music
with. We disagree. Han Bennink and I are like that. If we were to discuss any piece of music, I think we’d take diametrically
opposed views. But I think we can play with each other OK. But then if we discuss music, I think we usually find out that we hold
opposite views on almost any aspect of music, or on many aspects of music. So what does that prove? I think it proves that a
discussion of music is only part or is some parallel activity to playing, an activity that might have correspondences with the
business of playing but is actually a totally different thing. It’s just a parallel structure, and occasionally you can shoot lines
across and say that that’s referring to that. But they’re not the same.

HENRY KAISER: I WONDER HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE DUTCH IMPROVISERS? A LOT OF THE STUFF THEY’RE DOING
SEEMS KIND OF STRANGE, THE MUSICAL JOKES AND SUCH.

Derek Bailey: Well, they use a sort of collage. And they’re very influenced by composition. I mean, in my view, it’s sort of
unfortunate. But they are influenced by composition. And one of the fashions in composition in European avant-garde circles in
the last few years is that whatever music you’re into, it will allow you to write these pretty melodies - whether it’s political music,
theatre music, circus music, systems music, whatever. It’s been very prevalent in European avant-garde circles for about five years
now, back to the melody. And in England it takes the form of a sort of cozy Sunday evening Edwardian-type drawing room music.
Like Gavin Bryars’ music, for instance. Or Christopher Hobbs’. They call it experimental music, and it allows them to work with
melody. The Dutch improvisers too are very influenced by composition; partly because Misha Mengelberg and Willem Breuker are
both composers actually. They’re fine improvisers as well. But they are still governed by pre-determined statements and concepts.

HENRY KAISER: DO THEY STILL PLAY FREELY VERY MUCH?

Derek Bailey: Well, they do play freely, I would say. But you have to appreciate these guys from a composition point of view:
they have a number of points, predetermined points, that they’re going to make in a musical performance. There’s that whole
composition view of things.

HENRY KAISER: BUT DON’T YOU HAVE THAT TOO? IF YOU’RE WORKING ON CERTAIN MATERIAL, THEN YOU’RE GOING
TO BE PUSHING CERTAIN THINGS AHEAD.

Derek Bailey: Somebody might take that interpretation. But I don’t have a specific point to make when I go to make a
performance, any more than I have a point to make if I play here at home. And that’s one of the differences between composition
and improvisation, in that each composition usually has a definite, clearly defined, pre-decided point to make. Improvisation is
not much use for making statements or presenting concepts. If you have any philosophical, political, religious or racial messages
to send, use composition or the post office. Improvisation is its own message. But now in Holland there are some newer players:
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Maarten van Regteren Altena, Michel Waiswich, and the cellist Tristan Honsinger who, together with Han, have, I think, brought
a freer approach to playing over there. But there is room for many approaches to improvisation, and I think that what Misha does
is very interesting. And it’s getting more interesting.

Derek Bailey | Leo Smith | Tony Oxley | Johnny Dyani | Company Week, London 1978. Photo: Gérard Rouy

HENRY KAISER: GOING BACK TO SOLO IMPROVISATION, I’VE NOTICED THAT YOUR WORK ON THE FIRST SIDE OF
INCUS 2 IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT ON LOT 74 (INCUS 12). HOW QUICKLY DOES YOUR PLAYING CHANGE?

Derek Bailey: Well, there aren’t any radical jumps. I’m never quite sure what’s happening at the moment. It seemed to me there
was quite a big change that happened to me two or three years ago. But the big changes don’t interest me that much. If they happen
that way, then they happen. I think maybe at the moment there’s been a sort of change. I’m not sure about that, but I’ve started
playing a lot more acoustic. So the electricity’s gone out of it almost entirely, and when I’m playing electric, it’s at a pretty low
volume level. Just high enough to be present in the two speakers. All I use them for is to get rid of that stationary thing which I
don’t like about electric music, any electric music, that beady eye or speaker eye - the point source. And as long as there’s some
kind of mix going out - I don’t know exactly what it is - that’s fine for me. So I just sort of keep things moving around. I mean, I
try a lot of different things. I have sort of exercises for the feet.

HENRY KAISER: A GUITAR PLAYER WITH EXERCISES FOR THE FEET?

Derek Bailey: Well, you can get certain effects. When I say effects, I mean aural effects. Like there’s a way of playing fast
single note things with a slow movement that has a certain type of effect that’s quite strange. It has an effect or it appears to have
an effect on the movement. I mean, playing fast single note things and moving your feet very slowly is not very easy as regards
your limbs. Physically, it’s a bit awkward, it’s difficult; to put it to a finer point, it’s fucking hard! And the opposite is difficult -
that is, playing slowly and moving your feet quickly. As everyone knows, there’s a synchronicity between things. And it
particularly comes out in instrumental playing.

There’s a guy - Curt Sachs - an old German musicologist, dead now, but he’s written some interesting stuff about ethnic music; he’s
written some interesting stuff about everything really. And he locates two centers - he calls them mind centers, but they are two
general centers for producing music. And one he associates with song - the voice, and the other he associates with dance which is
instrumental music. And he makes this point, which I like very much, that instrumental music’s got nothing to do with song at all.
I mean, there’s this big thing you hear about every instrument, like making the piano “sing” and the violin “sing.”

HENRY KAISER: TO TRY TO BE A VOICE.

Derek Bailey: That’s right. And one of the main objectives of a lot of instrumentalists is this voice-like music. And it’s
considered a desirable thing to have this approximation of the voice. But he produces this argument that playing an instrument has
absolutely nothing to do with the voice at all. It doesn’t use the same nerve centers, mind centers, whatever you like. He makes
this point that it’s all associated with physical movement, the dance largely. And I like that very much. And you can hear it in free
improvisation, though he’s talking largely about ethnic music. And he puts in this description about drummers; like most
drummers, the way they play is dictated just by where the drum is. What do the feet do? The feet might not be making any sound at
all, but the feet are going like mad when they’re playing. And possibly, depending on whether the ground is wet or whether it’s dry
effects what they play on the drum. And I can see that entirely. And you can hear it.

In free improvisation, you get this purely physical - and I don’t just mean the sort of heavy German physical strength type thing,
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but like the nervous system taking over. Now, allying that sort of natural instrumental drive which is associated with the dance to
a deliberate control of all four limbs in a particular way is a strange thing to do, you know; to not lose that feeling, that sort of “up
there” feeling for about thirty minutes, the tenseness, committedness, that involvement, whatever it is - and yet still be trying to
do something with absolute control. And I have one or two exercises for that type of thing which has to do with waggling feet and
doing certain things on the instrument.

HENRY KAISER: I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT SOMETHING YOU SAID IN THE LLOYD GARBER INTERVIEW (IN GUITAR
ENERGY, 1972) AROUND THE DISCUSSION OF NON-TONALITY. YOU SAID THAT IDEALLY IF YOU PLAYED TWO NOTES,
THERE WOULDN’T BE ANY POINT OF CONNECTION, EXCEPT IN SO FAR AS THE NOTES FOLLOWED FROM EACH OTHER IN
TIME. WHAT KIND OF INTELLECTUAL WAYS DO YOU TREAT THE GRAMMER OF WHAT YOU DO, THE CONTINUITY OF IT,
THE LINEAR OR LONG MOVEMENT?

Derek Bailey: Well, I don’t think the grammar lies in the pitch.

HENRY KAISER: DOES IT LIE IN MENTAL ASSOCIATIONS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF SOUNDS?

Derek Bailey: It lies in the sort of musician you are. It’s like everything you know about music or would like to know about it,
and what you know about the instrument. I mean, some of it will be in the instrument, some of the structure, if you like.

HENRY KAISER: HOW SO?

Derek Bailey: It’s to do with this instrumental impulse we were talking about, Curt Sachs’ instrumental impulse, that if you’re
playing an instrument in a certain way that’s got a physical side to the playing of it - that is, it’s not just two wires plugged into
your brain, there’s a whole physique about it, you use both feet, both hands - then many times there are going to be occasions
where there are physical continuity things. They’re all variables, of course. But if you play two notes, for example, in very quick
succession, then probably you’re going to play the third note in quick succession; and that’s more than anything a physical thing.
If you played the third note after a gap - if you play a sequence of notes with a very differentiated spatial relationship - then that’s
probably less of an instrumental thing.

Derek Bailey playing the big banjo | Maurice Horsthuis | Company Week, London 1978. Photo: Gérard Rouy

HENRY KAISER: WELL, IF YOU’RE GOING ALONG, AND YOU PLAY A LINE WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF FAST NOTES,
BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU THINK A THOUGHT, AND YOU DECIDE THAT THIS TIME THE NEXT NOTE WON’T BE A FAST
NOTE, THEN I’M WONDERING IF THERE’S SOME KIND OF PARALLEL TRACK RUNNING ALONG WHERE AN APPRECIATION
OF THE MUSIC MAKES YOU DECIDE, “WELL, THIS TIME I WON’T DO THAT,” OR “I’LL DO THIS ABOUT FOUR TIMES?” THIS
IS NOT A PURE MOTIVE THING, BUT I’M WONDERING WHAT KIND OF INTELLECTUAL RELATIONSHIP EXISTS?

Derek Bailey: Does anybody play like that? What you are asking for, I think, is a definition of improvisation. I don’t know
one. Decision making for the improviser comes, I suppose, out of a joint meeting that takes place at the time of performance
between his musician ship, his memory, his intuition, his relationship with the instrument, his intellect, his outellect, his
undellect, and about 1,000,000 other things as well. (Did I mention the pills?)

I find it very difficult to think of a situation where everything you play is decided intellectually, in a conscious way. But it plays
its part. Its influence might melt in all the time. And I would think that when you’re playing badly, it plays a very strong part. It
really surfaces. But you can work on that sort of thing. You can work on those situations where nothing’s happening - employing
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a technique, for example, where you alter the degree of control you have over the technique; introduce an aleatoric element.

A device I use sometimes is to play something quite nothing - sloppy would be a good word - then try to figure out what it was. So
then you slow it down a bit and try to look at what it would have sounded like if you had played it properly. It’s deliberately very
indeterminate. There are also certain things I find very difficult to control, like some of the noisy things. I don’t know exactly
what they’re going to sound like when I play them. A little trick I’ve been working on lately is sliding the pick on the side of the
string, which can produce a high scream. It may not work at all, and the pitch is totally unpredictable. And there are quite a lot of
things like that where you can’t tell exactly what the result is going to be. So you can move into those things. I prefer them to
silence. Anyway, I believe Cage has a copyright on silence.

HENRY KAISER: DO YOU TEND TO TAKE SOME SPECIFIC KIND 0F ALEATORIC TECHNIQUE AND THEN GO INTO
SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

Derek Bailey: No, not specifically. I just think it’s part of the technique. I would expect to have it in the technique, anyway. I
mean, usually I get suspicious of things you can do best. When you can do something really well, that’s when it gets more or less
no good to you. Because you know exactly what’s going to happen the moment you start it. You’re just going to do it. And there
are some things I’ve never gotten the hang of and those are the things I quite like. I’ve been playing them for years, and I’ve never
had complete control. I mean, I know exactly what’s happening. But I couldn’t produce the same thing twice doing these things.
As soon as I can, I’ll stop playing them. But some things, I know what’s going on all the time. They’re patterns really. I may as
well be playing licks. But they’re useful in that they form the basis of the language and you can get some impetus going from
them. You can keep the thing moving along like that. But it’s in other areas where the music can carry on, where you can be in it.
Those are the areas where the work is - unless you’re going to be an improviser in the pure sense and never get the instrument out
of the case except when you go on the gig. I have another guitar I do that with.

HENRY KAISER: DO YOU HAVE CONSCIOUS PLANS TO STAY WITH THE INSTRUMENT AND TO STAY WITH THIS
INDEFINITELY ON INTO THE FUTURE? DO YOU HAVE ANY GOALS YOU’RE WORKING TOWARDS?

Derek Bailey: I don’t have any plans to give up. I retired, though, a long time ago. I used to be a commercial musician - for ten
years. That’s when I retired. I retired out of an interest in music.

Evan Parker | Derek Bailey | Tristan Honsinger | Tony Coe | Lindsay Cooper | London 1980. Photo: Gérard Rouy

Posted: Wednesday, May 30th, 2007, 14:42.

1975(ca), THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, Editions EG, EGED
21 and Obscure 1 (LP) (released in 1975)

Gavin Bryars, conductor

The Cockpit Ensemble :

Derek Bailey : guitar

Michael Nyman : organ
John Nash : violin
John White : tuba
Sandra Hill : double bass

1. Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Bryars)

2. The Sinking of the Titanic

Instrumentation: Indeterminate (possible materials include stereo tapes, string ensemble,

percussion, low brass, brass quartet, bass clarinet, cassette tapes of speech, keyboard, 35 mm
slides, visible sound effects, music box).

Duration: versions of 25', 40', or 1 hour (plus)

First performance: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 1972

Obscure 1 (later Editions EG EGED21)

JESUS BLOOD NEVER FAILED ME YET
1971, when I lived in London, I was working with a friend, Alan Power, on a film

In about people living rough in the area around Elephant and Castle and Waterloo
Station. In the course of being filmed, some people broke into drunken song -
sometimes bits of opera, sometimes sentimental ballads - and one, who in fact did not drink,
sang a religious song "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet". This was not ultimately used in the
film and I was given all the unused sections of tape, including this one.

When I played it at home, I found that his singing was in tune with my piano, and I
improvised a simple accompaniment. I noticed, too, that the first section of the song - 13 bars
in length - formed an effective loop which repeated in a slightly unpredictable way. I took the
tape loop to Leicester, where I was working in the Fine Art Department, and copied the loop
onto a continuous reel of tape, thinking about perhaps adding an orchestrated accompaniment
to this. The door of the recording room opened on to one of the large painting studios and I
left the tape copying, with the door open, while I went to have a cup of coffee. When I came
back I found the normally lively room unnaturally subdued. People were moving about much
more slowly than usual and a few were sitting alone, quietly weeping.

I was puzzled until I realised that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome
by the old man's singing. This convinced me of the emotional power of the music and of the
possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving, orchestral accompaniment
that respected the tramp's nobility and simple faith. Although he died before he could hear
what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as an eloquent, but understated testimony
to his spirit and optimism.

The piece was originally recorded on Brian Eno's Obscure label in 1975 and a substantially
revised and extended version for Point Records in 1993. The version which is played by my
ensemble was specially created in 1993 to coincided with this last recording.

Gavin Bryars.

THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC (1969- )

his piece originated in a sketch written for an exhibition in support of beleaguered art

T students at Portsmouth in 1969. Working as I was in an art college environment I was

interested to see what might be the musical equivalent of a work of conceptual art. It
was not until 1972 that I made a performing version of the piece for part of an evening of my
work at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

During the next three years I performed the piece several times, including an American
performance directed by John Adams in San Francisco, and in 1975 I made a recorded
version for the first of the ten records produced for Brian Eno's Obscure label.

That recording formed the basis for most subsequent performances until I re-recorded the
piece 'live' at the Printemps de Bourges festival in 1990 when the availability of an
extraordinary space - the town's disused water tower dating from the Napoleonic period - and
the rediscovery of the wreck by Dr. Ballard made me think again about the music. In any case
the piece has always been an open one, being based on data about the disaster but taking
account of any new information that came to hand after the initial writing.
All the materials used in the piece are derived from research and speculations about the
sinking of the "unsinkable" luxury liner. On April 14th 1912 the Titanic struck an iceberg at
11.40 PM in the North Atlantic and sank at 2.20 AM on April 15th. Of the 2201 people on
board only 711 were to reach their intended destination, New York. The initial starting point
for the piece was the reported fact of the band having played a hymn tune in the final moments
of the ship's sinking. A number of other features of the disaster which generate musical or
sounding performance material, or which 'take the mind to other regions', are also included.
The final hymn played during those last 5 minutes of the ship's life is identified in an account
by Harold Bride, the junior wireless operator, in an interview for the New York Times of April
19th 1912

"...from aft came the tunes of the band..... The ship was gradually turning on her nose - just
like a duck that goes down for a dive. I had only one thing on my mind - to get away from the
suction. The band was still playing. I guess all of the band went down. They were playing
"Autumn" then. I swam with all my might. I suppose I was 150 feet away when the Titanic, on
her nose, with her afterquarter sticking straight up in the air, began to settle slowly.... The way
the band kept playing was a noble thing. I heard it first while we were still working wireless,
when there was a ragtime tune for us, and the last I saw of the band, when I was floating out in
the sea with my lifebelt on, it was still on deck playing "Autumn". How they ever did it I
cannot imagine."

This Episcopal hymn, then, becomes a basic element of the music and is subject to a variety of
treatments. Bride did not hear the band stop playing and it would appear that the musicians
continued to play even as the water enveloped them. My initial speculations centred, therefore,
on what happens to music as it is played in water. On a purely physical level, of course, it
simply stops since the strings would fail to produce much of a sound (it was a string sextet
that played at the end, since the two pianists with the band had no instruments available on the
Boat Deck).

On a poetic level, however, the music, once generated in water, would continue to reverberate
for long periods of time in the more sound-efficient medium of water and the music would
descend with the ship to the ocean bed and remain there, repeating over and over until the ship
returns to the surface and the sounds re-emerge. The rediscovery of the ship by Taurus
International at 1.04 on September 1st 1985 renders this a possibility. This hymn tune forms
a base over which other material is superimposed. This includes fragments of interviews with
survivors, sequences of Morse signals played on woodblocks, other arrangements of the
hymn, other possible tunes for the hymn on other instruments, references to the different
bagpipe players on the ship (one Irish, one Scottish), miscellaneous sound effects relating to
descriptions given by survivors of the sound of the iceberg's impact, and so on.

In addition, this new recording includes two different ensembles of children: one of girls, the
other of boys (the presence of children on the ship adds greater poignancy to the disaster,
especially when one looks at the statistics relating to survivors). One is a string ensemble
made up of my two daughters, on cellos, with two of their friends on viola and cello, all of
whom have been students of the London Suzuki Group. The other is a fine choir from
Suffolk - the Wenhaston Boys Choir - which I encountered through my bass-maker Michael
Hart and whose son sang with them for many years.

One of the features of the Bourges recording was the extraordinary acoustic space in which
we played. The band were in the basement of the round (disused) water tower, the audience
heard the music through Chris Ekers' sound system on the ground floor, and the empty top
floor was used as an enormous reverberation chamber. The present recording adds the sound
of other ambience spaces to this, including that of the swimming bath in Brussels where the
piece was performed 'live' on a raft in 1990. Although I conceived the piece many years ago I
continue to enjoy finding new ways of looking at the material in it and welcome opportunities
like the present recording to look at it afresh.

Gavin Bryars.

AMG REVIEW:

A holy grail among contemporary music collectors, this release on Brian Eno's
Obscure label, which went out of print almost immediately, features two of the finest
compositions of the late 20th century, both by Gavin Bryars. The title track had since
been recorded again on two occasions, arguably to better effect on Les Disques du
Crepuscule in 1990 and once, more pallidly, on Point in 1994, but this initial production was
an extremely special event. Bryars' idea was to construct an aural picture of the disaster,
complete with songs and hymns supposedly played by the ship's orchestra even as she was
sinking. He combined this with
the acoustical phenomenon of the enhanced ability of sounds to travel great lengths
underwater and produced an eerie and romantic sub-aqueous soundscape of remarkable
subtlety and beauty. Using minimalist techniques, the repetition and overlapping of hymns
like "Autumn" assume a surreal aspect, at once sad and peaceful. His score was designed to
incorporate new discoveries about the shipwreck (or to dispense with elements that proved
false) over time; this performance includes taped reminiscences of one survivor and the
tinklings of a music box salvaged by another. This is one gorgeous, haunting piece of music.
As though one masterpiece wasn't enough, the second composition on the album might be
even greater. Surely one of the most beautiful "concept" works ever created, "Jesus' Blood
Never Failed Me Yet" begins with the faint, faded-in voice of a London tramp singing the old
hymn plaintively but without pathos and more or less in tune. Bryars looped this tape so that it
resolved in non-jarring fashion, then introduced -- ever so softly and gradually with each
iteration of the verse -- instrumental accompaniment: first strings, then guitar and bass, and
eventually the entire chamber orchestra. The lush, sensuous music, entirely sympathetic to the
song, gives it increased strength and humanity as it swells to near-majestic proportions and
then, just as gradually, subsides.

The emotional impact of this 25-minute piece, in its honest and charitable stance toward the
singer, cannot be understated. With this simple idea, limned with precision and beauty, Bryars
was graciously content to achieve a lofty goal one time, to let it stand by itself and move on. A
version recorded for Point in 1995, which included the gratuitous addition of Tom Waits
accompanying the tape, pales in comparison to the original. Long a collector's item on vinyl, a
CD issue was released in England on Virgin U.K. in 1998 but it, too, quickly went out of
print.

Brian Olewnick

rian Eno was the member of Portsmouth Sinfonia founded by Gavin Bryars. Obscure

B series might be the present to Bryars sent by the ex-student who became famous. The
works of Gavin Bryars were featured in 4 of 10 records in this series. Also credited in
no3 and no 10.

When Obscure records were released, most of composers in this series were not famous. But
now they became famous more or less. The obscure contributed a lot in introducing
contemporary music to a wider range of listener. And they might change the attitude of
hearing music. At least, my ears were open by these records to contemporary music, and I
started hear them just like rock music.
This first of the obscure label is the typical work of Gavin Bryars. Typical in use of the
melancholic strings ensemble. Typical in the theme of requiem, sense of declining

Sinking of the Titanic is based on the episode that musicians kept playing music to calm down
people while ship was sinking. What a gorgeous decline to death! What a professional and
respectable spirit musicians had! In this record, the strings ensemble plays the hymn reported
to be played while the ship was sinking slowly, again and again. Sinking of the Titanic was
recorded three times, and this is the first one. I haven't hear the other version. I think this
version is available on CD because the movie Titanic awaken the public interest on the event...

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet was based on the pre-recorded voice of old tramp. He sang
the religious songs of his belief. This repeats the same recorded voice of the song again and
again, gradually with beautiful strings and orchestra. There is another version with Tom Waits
released in 1993. I don't like this second edition. Waits spoiled everything.

So, the sense of declining remains as the main features of Bryars' following works, as titles
suggest: After the Requiem (1991), The Last Days (1996), Farewell to Philosophy (1996),
Cadman Requiem (1999) etc.

June 2002
1975-1976, TRISTAN (DUO), Incus LP20 (UK) (LP) (released in 1976)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, 19-string (approx.) guitar, Waiswich Crackle Box
Tristan Honsinger : cello, voice

1- Massey 1 04.05
2- Massey 2 05.05
3- Massey 3 06.40
4- Massey 4 03.25
5- Massey 5 01.30
6- Massey 6 02.23
7- The visit 03.02
8- Duo (part 1) 04.56
9- Duo (part 2) 11.28
10- Performance 04.12
11- Preparation 06.24
12- The shadow 10.36
13- Exits 03.48

Tracks 1-6 were recorded on 26 October 1975 in Massey, France; other tracks recorded in
London on 6/7 February 1976 (Verity's Place and Tangent Studio) and were previously
released on Incus LP20.

Cover painting by Tony Mostrom

Design and layout by Karen Brookman.

H ere's the story: Tristan Honsinger, born in the States in 1949, headed to Montreal to
escape the Vietnam draft, and then in 1974 wound up in Amsterdam after a friend
introduced him to some of the early documents of the European improv scene ("I
listened to The Topography of the Lungs and I said, 'I think I can play this kind of music..'").
Guitarist Derek Bailey ran into him in 1975 on the streets of Massy, a small town south of
Paris, where the cellist's busking was attracting a crowd of onlookers. Bailey was there to play
at a concert devoted to solo guitar players - "a situation obviously leaving a lot of room for
improvement" - and enlisted Honsinger on the spot for the gig. The previously unissued
Massy concert is paired on Incus CD 53 with a re-issue of their subsequent album Duo
(Incus LP 20, a mixture of studio and live recordings from London in February 1976). The
previously unheard material is nice to have, but it's dimly recorded and Honsinger overdoes it
with the demented vocals; the main attraction here is the original LP, which is vintage Dadaist
farce, at once harrowing and entertaining. Honsinger's bow work is sublimely vehement and
grating; he shouts and jabbers away unpredictably, giving a good impression of someone with
an exotic speech impediment. On "The Visit" his cries startle a dog in the studio: the track is
cut short as it collapses into barking. Bailey hacks away at the improvisations with a similar
ferocity, and on "The Shadow" there's also a welcome showing of his "19 string (approx)
guitar" (he seems to be largely rubbing and scraping the strings) and the Waisvisz Crackle
Box. Derek Bailey is on record as saying that he'd rather record new discs than re-issue old
Incus discs, but I'm glad he took the trouble to bring this one back in print.

ND
1975-1976-1977, DOMESTIC & PUBLIC PIECES, Emanem 4001 (UK)
(CD) (Issued on LP in 1979, onCD in 1995 and re-issued in 2000?)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and prepared guitars, amplified guitar, talk, etc

EIGHT DOMESTIC PIECES :

1- Kew 02.50
2- Unity Theatre 02.57
3- Roots 02.13
4- Queue 07.13
5- Cue 04.36
6- Virginal 05.59
7- Praxis 01.43
8- The Lost Chord 01.43

Recorded in Islington home by D.B., January 1976.

EIGHT PUBLIC PIECES :

9- First 02.29
10- Second 08.45
11- Third 06.12
12- Fourth 01.28
13- Fifth 02.34
14- Sixth 02.22
15- Seventh 02.20
16- Eighth 02.27

Recorded by Martin Davidson at ICA Cinema, London, 22 May 1975.

First, Second, Third, Fourth, Seventh, Kew, Unity Theatre, Roots, Queue, and Cue previously
released as Quark 9999 in US. Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Happy birthday to you previously released
on Emanem Australian LP 3404, In whose tradition?; Virginal, Praxis and The Lost Chord
previously released on Caroline C1518, Guitar solos.

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

I
use the guitar normally. It's tuned normally. I work on, sort of, certain pitch relationships, when
I use pitch. I work from a practical point of view. That is, the music to be acceptable as far as
I'm concerned, has to work in my terms. That is it has to sound right. I don't have any sort of
huge abstract theories into which I try and make the music fit regardless of this other aspect of
playing - if it sounds good when you're performing, then that's the main thing. It's got to be
immediate - that type of thing. That I think is a very conventional way of approaching music for a
performer.
I don't use a lot of conventional techniques on the guitar. But then, I'm not interested to play in the
areas those techniques were developed to serve. It wouldn't be any good for my purposes to do a
sort of imitation of Charlie Christian or something. People can refer to that, say, as conventional
guitar playing. But it isn't. It's conventional jazz guitar playing of a certain period. To certain people,
the only way to play a guitar is in a flamenco style, which I think is quite beautiful, incidentally.
These are taken to be sort of standard conventional techniques - but, actually, they're techniques that
serve certain purposes.

DEREK BAILEY (1972)

1976, DUO, Incus 20 (UK) (LP) (released in 1976)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, 19 string (approx) guitar, Waiswich Crackle box
Tristan Honsinger : cello, voice

1- The Visit 03.20

2- DUO (part 1) 04.56
3- DUO (part 2) 11.28
4- Performance 04.12
5- Preparation 06.24
6- The Shadow 10.36
7- Exits 03.48

Recorded at Verity's Place 7 February 1976, except for tracks 1 and 5 which were recorded at
Tangent Studio on 6 February 1976.

Produced by Evan Parker; engineer Bob Woolford.

Cover painting by Peter Ginkel.

D erek Bailey is a free-improvising guitarist from England. He started out as a more-

or-less straight-ahead jazz guitarist, but in the '60's and '70's, he and several others in
the European jazz scene, including John Stevens, Evan Parker, and others, moved into
totally free, sound-based improvisation. His playing is extremely angular and totally
abandons all standard melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic material. He makes jawdroppingly
virtuosic use of non-standard techniques, including tone clusters, beating tones, percussive
effects, high harmonics, and wide intervals. If you like 20th-century music by people like
Xenakis, Stockhausen, Babbitt, and the like, you'll probably like Derek Bailey. If not, well,
maybe not. His main acoustic guitar is a Martin D-18. One of the finest recordings of his
acoustic playing is the album "DUO," with the cellist Tristan Honsinger.
1976, FOR EXAMPLE, FMP R123 (Germany) (3 LP) (released in 1978)

Solo track on commemorative/compilation 3LP set. Cover design by Brötzm.

LP NR.1 - Soloists:
1- Steve Lacy, soprano saxophone: Bone 07.10
recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 6, 11 to 15 April 1974 at Akademie der
Künste, Berlin
2- Paul Rutherford, trombone: Berl in zil 05.27
recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 7, 27 to 31 March 1975 at Akademie
der Künste, Berlin
3- Hans Reichel, guitar: Mariahilf 03.30
recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 8, 24 to 28 March 1976 at Akademie der
Künste, Berlin
4- Tristan Honsinger, cello: I didn't care 04.35
recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 8, 24 to 28 March 1976 at Akademie der
Künste, Berlin
5- Fred Van Hove, piano: Daar speelt de baiaard weer 04.36
recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 8, 24 to 28 March 1976 at Akademie der
Künste, Berlin
6- Derek Bailey, guitar: Improvisation 27376 07.13
recorded on 3 March 1976 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin
7- Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone: Question at midnight 07.20
recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 9, 7 to 11 April 1977 at Akademie der
Künste, Berlin
8- Johnny Dyani, bass: Soweto-Simbabwe-Mississippie-child-cry 04.46
recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 9, 7 to 11 April 1977 at Akademie der
Künste, Berlin
LP NR.2 - Groups:
1- piano; Paul Lovens, drums, percussion: a. With forks and hope (07.02) b. Then,
silence (04.28); recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 4, 30 March to 3 April
1972 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin
2- Brötzmann/Van Hove/Bennin plus Mangelsdorff [Peter Brötzmann, bass saxophone;
Fred Van Hove, piano; Han Bennink, drums, percussion; Albert Mangelsdorff,
trombone]: Things and stuff (10.34); recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 7,
27 to 31 March 1975 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin
3- Frank Wright Unit [Frank Wright, tenor saxophone; Bobby Few, piano; Alan Silva,
bass; Muhammad Ali, drums]: Chapter ten (14.18); recorded during Workshop Freie
Musik No.7, 27 to 31 March 1975 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin
4- Schweizer-Carl Quartet [Rüdiger Carl, tenor saxophone; Irène Schweizer, piano; Arjen
Gorter, bass; Heinrich Hock, drums]: Konrad Usw (08.04); recorded during
Workshop Freie Musik No. 6, 11 to 15 April 1974 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin

LP NR.3 - Orchestras:

1- Willem Breuker Orchestra [Willem Breuker, saxes; Peter Bennink, saxes, bagpipe;
Herman De Wit, saxes; Rob Dubois, piano, organ; Willem Van Mannen, trombone; Leo
Cuypers, piano, drums; Lodewyk De Boer, viola; Maarten Van Regteren Altena, bass; Michel
Waisvitz, synthesizer].
Biannale :
a. Aufbau 02.01
b. Mächen 02.30
c. Macky messer 01.51
d. Trauermusik 04.43
e. Schlusschoral der Matthäuspassion 02.12

Total time 13.17; recorded during Workshop Freie Musik No. 4, 30 March to 3 April 1972 at
Akademie der Künste, Berlin

2- Globe Unity Orchestra [Manfred Schoof, trumpet; Kenny Wheeler, trumpet; Peter
Bennink, clarinet; Peter Brötzmann, clarinet; Gerd Dudek, clarinet; Evan Parker, clarinet
Michel Pilz, bass clarinet; Günter Christmann, trombone; Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone,
Paul Rutherford, trombone; Alex Schlippenbach, piano; Peter Kowald, bass; Buschi
Niebergall, bass; Paul Lovens, drums]: Thin in the upper crust (06.00); recorded during
Workshop Freie Musik No. 7, 28 March to 1 April 1973 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

3- Vinko Globokar & Brass Group [Vinko Globokar, trombone; Wolfgang König,
trombone; Bernt Laukamp, trombone; Richard Lister, trombone; Peter Sommer, trombone Leo
Verheyen, trombone; Günter Christmann, trombone; Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone, Paul
Rutherford, trombone; Willem Van Manen, trombone; Bernhard Hunnekink, trombone; Jan
Wolff, french horn; Peter Kowald, tuba]: La ronde (12.20); recorded during Workshop Freie
Musik No. 7, 27 to 31 March 1975 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

4. ICP-Tentet [John Tchicai, alto saxophone; Peter Brötzmann, saxes and clarinets; Peter
Bennink, saxes, bagpipes; Gilius Van Bergeyck, saxes; Bert Koppelaar, trombone; Tristan
Honsinger, cello; Michel Waisvisz, synthesizer; Misha Mengelberg, piano; Maarten Van
Regteren Altena, bass; Han Bennink, drums]: Tetterettet (11.05); recorded during Workshop
Freie Musik No. 9, 7 to 11 April 1977 at Akademie der Künste, Berlin
 his special commemorative box was issued in 1978 by FMP to celebrate ten years of

T Workshop Freie Musik in Berlin. It consists of 3 LPs (numbered FMP R1; FMP R2;
FMP R3 though on the individual covers they are numbered 'NR1' etc) and a 138
page LP-size book, all in a slip case. The book contains the programmes of each Workshop;
many photographs; and essays, notes and writings in German and English by: Jost Gebers;
Nele Hertling; R-May Teichmann; Peter Brötzmann; Steve Lacy; Wolfgang Burde; Ekkehard
Jost; Wilhelm Liefland; Tomas Schmit; G. Fritze Margull; Nino Malfatti; Misha Mengelberg.
1976, COMPANY 1, Incus 21 (UK) (LP) (released in 1977)

Maarten van Regteren Altena : bass

Tristan Honsinger : cello
Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- No South
DB/MA/TH

2- No North
TH/EP/MA

3- No East
TH/EP/DB

4- No West
EP/DB/MA

No South produced by Evan Parker

No North produced by Derek Bailey
No East produced by Maarten van Regteren Altena
No West produced by Tristan Honsinger.
Recorded at Riverside Studios London on 9 May 1976.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson

or the first concert COMPANY was Maarten van Regteren Altena, Tristan Honsinger,

F Evan Parker and myself. On the following day the same four musicains taped the
music from which this first COMPANY record was chosen. Altogether we recorded a
number of duo pieces, all the possible trio combinations, and also a quartet. The music on this
record represents the four trio combinations and is the result of each trio taping approximately
twenty-five minutes music out of which one 10 to 12 minute piece was in each case chosen for
the record.
Usually in making a selection from recorded group improvisation the choice of the material to
be used is based on a communally agreed verdict as to which music is 'the best' of that
available. In this case, with the permission of the other players, I was the sole arbiter and made
the four selections without consulting the other three as to their preferences. In my choice I
was guided by one specific criterion; I chose that part of the music by each trio which seemed
to me to be most characteristic of improvisation and which best revealed the qualities which
can be found only im improvisation.'

Derek Bailey

Also released as Victor (Japan) VIP-6621 (LP)

1976, COMPANY 1, Victor VIP-6621 (Japan) (LP) (released in 1977?)

Maarten van Regteren Altena : bass

Tristan Honsinger : cello
Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- No South
DB/MA/TH

2- No North
TH/EP/MA

3- No East
TH/EP/DB

4- No West
EP/DB/MA

No South produced by Evan Parker

No North produced by Derek Bailey
No East produced by Maarten van Regteren Altena
No West produced by Tristan Honsinger.
Recorded at Riverside Studios London on 9 May 1976.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson

or the first concert COMPANY was Maarten van Regteren Altena, Tristan Honsinger,

F Evan Parker and myself. On the following day the same four musicains taped the
music from which this first COMPANY record was chosen. Altogether we recorded a
number of duo pieces, all the possible trio combinations, and also a quartet. The music on this
record represents the four trio combinations and is the result of each trio taping approximately
twenty-five minutes music out of which one 10 to 12 minute piece was in each case chosen for
the record.

Usually in making a selection from recorded group improvisation the choice of the material to
be used is based on a communally agreed verdict as to which music is 'the best' of that
available. In this case, with the permission of the other players, I was the sole arbiter and made
the four selections without consulting the other three as to their preferences. In my choice I
was guided by one specific criterion; I chose that part of the music by each trio which seemed
to me to be most characteristic of improvisation and which best revealed the qualities which
can be found only im improvisation.'

Derek Bailey
1976, COMPANY 2, Incus 23 (UK) (LP) (released in 1977)

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitar
Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxophones, E flat, B flat and contrabass clarinets

1- Za'id 08.20
2- Akhrajat 14.20
3- Al 03.17
4- Mutala 08.10
5- Hiq 10.02

Recorded at Riverside Studios London on 22 August 1976.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson.

1976, COMPANY 2, Victor VIP 6634, Japan (LP) (released in 1977 ?)

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitar
Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxophones, E flat, B flat and contrabass clarinets

1- Za'id 08.20
2- Akhrajat 14.20
3- Al 03.17
4- Mutala 08.10
5- Hiq 10.02

Recorded at Riverside Studios London on 22 August 1976.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson.

1976, COMPANY 3, Incus 25 (UK) (LP) (released in 1977)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Han Bennink : drums, violin, banjo, clarinet, voice and home-made junk

1- In the dead of night I gotta go where you are 11.35

2- The song is ended (medley) 07.05
3- Umberto who? 06.44
4- Tether end 1 01.26
5- A fine mesh 03.47
6- Stanley 04.14
7- Tether end 2 06.38

Recorded at South Hill Park, September 1976, by Douglas Gleave.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson; paragraph from Critique of pure dread by Woody Allen on
back cover.
1976, COMPANY 3, Victor VIP 6644, Japan (LP) (released in 1977 ?)

Victor VIP 6634,

Japan (LP)
(released in
1977 ?)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Han Bennink : drums, violin, banjo, clarinet, voice and home-made junk

1- In the dead of night I gotta go where you are 11.35

2- The song is ended (medley) 07.05
3- Umberto who? 06.44
4- Tether end 1 01.26
5- A fine mesh 03.47
6- Stanley 04.14
7- Tether end 2 06.38

Recorded at South Hill Park, September 1976, by Douglas Gleave.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson; paragraph from Critique of pure dread by Woody Allen on
back cover.
1976, COMPANY 4, Incus 26 (UK) (LP) (released in 1977)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone

1- Once upon a time 12.09

2- Abandoned 1 01.04
3- Abandoned 2 05.16
4- Step 1 03.26
5- Step 2 02.25
6- Happily ever after 12.25

Recorded at Riverside Studios, 11 November 1976, by John Gill.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson.

1976, COMPANY 4, Victor VIP 6657, Japan (LP) (released in 1977 ?)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone

1- Once upon a time 12.09

2- Abandoned 1 01.04
3- Abandoned 2 05.16
4- Step 1 03.26
5- Step 2 02.25
6- Happily ever after 12.25

Recorded at Riverside Studios, 11 November 1976, by John Gill.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson.

1976, Guitar Solos 2 : various artists. Caroline Records (UK), C 1518
(LP) & Caroline (Italy), ORL 8226 (LP) (released in 1976 ?)

This record features solos by :

Fred Frith (1-2)
G.F. Fitzgerald (3)
Hans Reichel (4-6)
Derek Bailey (7-9)

1- Water/Struggle/The North Frith 11:05

2- Only Reflect Frith 04:00
3- Brixton Winter 1976 Fitzgerald 09:40
4- Avantlore Reichel 03:05
5- Vain Yookts Reichel 03:00
6- Donnerkuhle Reichel 05:05
7- Virginal Bailey 06:20
8- Praxis Bailey 04:00
9- The Lost Chord Bailey 01:50

(1,2) recorded at Argonaut Studio, in December 1975 or January 1976.

Recorded in December 1975 or January 1976
1976 - Caroline Records (UK), C 1518 (LP)
1976 - Caroline (Italy), ORL 8226 (LP)

Note: all the Fred Frith's tracks (1,2) have been re-issued on the CD pressing of GUITAR
SOLOS (1974).

Downtown Music Gallery, New York :

FRED FRITH/DEREK BAILEY/HANS REICHEL/G F FITZGERALD] V.A. – Guitar
Solos 2 (Caroline 1518; UK) Record: Mint!; cover: Mint! Classic collection of solo
recordings from four premiere out-improv guitarists (remember G F Fitzgerald's
'Mouseproof'?) with no overdubs! This is an original 1st edition (pre-Virgin two virgins
Caroline label) pressing in pristine condition, just right for the high-end audio set-up!
LP $50.00
1976??, GUITAR SOLOS 2 : VARIOUS ARTISTS. VICTOR (Japan)
VIP- 4056 (LP) (rare japanese re-issue w/OBI)

This record features solos by :

Fred Frith (1-2)
G.F. Fitzgerald (3)
Hans Reichel (4-6)
Derek Bailey (7-9)

1- Water/Struggle/The North Frith 11:05

2- Only Reflect Frith 04:00
3- Brixton Winter 1976 Fitzgerald 09:40
4- Avantlore Reichel
03:05
5- Vain Yookts Reichel
03:00
6- Donnerkuhle Reichel
05:05
7- Virginal Bailey 06:20
8- Praxis Bailey 04:00
9- The Lost Chord Bailey 01:50

(1,2) recorded at Argonaut Studio, in December 1975 or January 1976.

Recorded in December 1975 or January 1976
Also : 1976 - Caroline Records (UK), C 1518 (LP)
1976 - Caroline (Italy), ORL 8226 (LP)
1976, MACHINE MUSIC, Obscure 8 (later Editions EG EGED28) (UK)
(LP) (release 1978)

Derek Bailey, Fred Frith, Brian Eno, Gavin Bryars (4 players, 8 guitars)

Side A

John White :

1. Autumn Countdown Machine

2. Son Of gothic Chord
3. Jew's Harp Machine
4. Drinking And Hooting Machine

Side B

Gavin Bryars :

1.The Squirrel and The Ricketty Racketty Bridge

Produced by Brian Eno

Obscure 8
 achine Music is not like Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music (1975). This is warm

M and humorous music with some antique machine like repetition. John White
describes:

I use the word machine to define a consistent process governing a series of musical actions
with a particular sound world and, by extension, the listener's perception thereof. One might
thus regard the Welsh Rarebit as a Machine in which a process is applied to the conditioning
and perception of the world of bread and cheese.

Do you understand what he means? No, I don't.

Bryars' The Squirrel and The Racketty Rocketty Bridge is incredibly good. This is not like the
other works of Gavin Bryars. This is the ensemble of four guitar players: Derek Bailey, Fred
Frith , Gavin Bryars, and Brian Eno. The impression is close to the solo guitar improvisation
works of Fred Frith and Derek Bailey. But there is a big difference between them. This work
is more structured improvisation. Gavin Bryars used to be a bass player, worked with Derek
Bailey in Avant-garde jazz field. But Bryars lost his interest in this musical approach, and
went to the U.S. to study with John Cage. So, this work is an answer to Derek Bailey.

Brian Eno ( ?) June 2002

1976, STEVE LACY QUINTET – LIVE PARIS FM, broadcast (bootleg)

Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone

Derek Bailey : guitar
Irene Aebi - cello,violin,vocals
Kent Carter - bass,cello,harp
Noel McGhie – drums

1. The Crust (Lacy)

2. Micro Worlds (Lacy)
3. The Throes (Lacy)
4. Flakes (Lacy)

Steve Lacy Quintet recorded October 17, 1971 at Studio 104, Maison De Radio France, Paris,
France
18 comments:

Boromir said...

Link (VBR quality 0)

massmirror.com/b5caef12320c821484e7cf2dc344a50a.html
12 December 2007 9:51:00
Peter said...

Hi Boromir! Thanks for putting up what you don't personally like - not being ironic, I do
actually believe that is even more generous than posting in "proselytising enthusiasm" fashion.

I won't be picking this one up, though. The 70s were my least favourite decade in Lacy's
oeuvre. A bit TOO ascetic, rigorously abstract, squeaky and bumpy. And most of all, I generally
steer clear of Irene Aebi's voice and strings. (Again no offence intended, but it sets my teeth on
edge ...)

I might seem to be agreeing with you. But I do like Steve Lacy - in any other decade. He was
an artist in all things, a musical genius, a strangely pure tone (in view of the instrument) with
varied attack, and a great sense of inventive and risk-taking culture in all he did.

To cut a longer story shortish ... you've mentioned Lacy's Monk (so you do get some of it!).
His Paris concert of 1969 is still the best of all that to me. But School Days (63, with Ros Rudd)
is mighty too. But, if you want to "get where he was coming from" (and a good bit of where he
was trying to go, and going), in his later period, please try "The Window" (Soul Note). Just bass
and drums, two great musicians supporting him and playing in their own right, it is a masterpiece
of semi-abstract music, with all the varied feeling, coloration of moods and modulation and all
the earth as well as the skies, the fiery spark and the life-affirming water of human creativity.
12 December 2007 16:14:00
1009 said...

I second Peter's thanks. I came to Lacy after Bailey, so I couldn't be more thrilled with this.
I've got it on now, and although the mix doesn't show much love for the rhythm section (w/ the
exception of Carter, who's pretty prominent), this is really fascinating improv throughout. I like
the more fractured Lacy; although it's not a 70s album (mid-80s I believe), I was just listening to
his duets with Bailey, titled *Outcome*. That record gets some flak for sounding like they're not
even listening to each other, but I really enjoy it. It's certainly not complementary listening --
maybe it's antagonistic in a curmudgeonly way. Well, in any case, I haven't heard any Bailey I
haven't liked yet.

And Aebi's vocals don't bother me, but then again I really like Jeanne Lee.
12 December 2007 17:13:00
sotise said...
This post has been removed by the author.
13 December 2007 1:24:00
sotise said...

big ups for posting this boromoir..

thank you very much!

its a pleasant surprise and much appreciated by me, i love lacy and the 70's is his greatest
period, though the records peter singles out are great.
I would also single out one of my favourites is the double hat lp capers, rereleased as a single
disc under the name n.y , capers and quirks ,the reissue left off some of the best tracks including
the amazing the crunch.
none the less and despite less than pristine sound ,one of the great records in this area of the
music of its day it features ronny boykins and the awesome dennis charles.. all three now
departed.

for me lacy has laid out one of the most challengingly complex and kaleidoscopic bodies of
work by any american jazzman.
not only a sonic innovator , but a synthesist who sought to meld his interests in visual art,
poetry and language with the diverse array of musical interests.
many people dont like aebi's singing ,but ive grown to love it over time(especially at its most
fulsome).

there is precious little lacy with derek bailey who was a regular from 73 to 76 (on and off) so
its wonderful to have this.

for me monk is ever present even in the most wayward lacy, rythmically and melodicaly.

great art is about much more than merely recreating set pieces or giving credence repeatedly to
the same time worn formulae.
lacy playing monk in the 80's and 90's was of course beautiful, but at his peak in the 70's he
took it else where, recreated it made it more than an act of repertory recreation.
,.
was dissapointed that lacy didnt pursue his all encompassing synthesis of free improv,
contemporary compositional procedure and swing, further after the 70's in fact he all but
abandoned it.

after the mid 50's lacy has little to do with the blues, or funk as typified by hard bop and he
makes us work as listners, his art doesnt have that immediate expressive impact that most african
american jazz has (unless he explicetly wanted it to, for example playing ellington or bechet) .
whats most interesting about lacy for me , is that he is much more like a mid 20th c visual artist
,or writer making a concious and explicit identification at an intellectual level with modernist
concerns about the constant need for formal reinvention, in this respect he is almost unique as a
jazzman who started in the 50’s.
in this respect lacy has more in common with Anthony Braxton and roscoe Mitchell as well as
European free improvisers than he does with beboppers or free jazzers like shepp, ayler and
coleman.
13 December 2007 2:05:00
Boromir said...

Wow, sotise ! That's degree level musical ctiticism. As I understand it, I think you like Lacy -
so do I, but I like the tunes you can whistle and remember. Anyhow, glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks also to Peter and 1009 for their thoughts on this.It seems you either love or loathe
Bailey. My old granny used to say "It wouldn't do for us all to be the same".
13 December 2007 4:02:00
don said...

I believe when it comes to such a high level of creativity in music , time and place of ones first
hearing an artist plays a part in the understanding of it.
My first experience of hearing Steve was a live one, right around the time of this recording.

Though I didn't understand what was going on the feel and sense of that evening still lingers in
the background. It has been a progression , a learned journey. Steve Lacy is pure joy.
13 December 2007 10:36:00
don said...

I believe when it comes to such a high level of creativity in music , time and place of ones first
hearing an artist plays a part in the understanding of it.
My first experience of hearing Steve was a live one, right around the time of this recording.

Though I didn't understand what was going on the feel and sense of that evening still lingers in
the background. It has been a progression , a learned journey. Steve Lacy is pure joy.
13 December 2007 10:36:00
Anonymous said...

I believe when it comes to such a high level of creativity in music , time and place of ones first
hearing an artist plays a part in the understanding of it.
My first experience of hearing Steve was a live one, right around the time of this recording.

Though I didn't understand what was going on the feel and sense of that evening still lingers in
the background. It has been a progression , a learned journey. Steve Lacy is pure joy.
13 December 2007 10:37:00
don said...

Help.

getting this link is proving difficult for me.

Copy and paste is not happening.

any suggestion? don

sorry about the duplication.

13 December 2007 10:43:00
glmlr said...

Despite being a huge Lacy fan for 40-odd years, I agree that the inclusion of his wife's vocals
in his music was the worst musical misjudgement he ever made. What some men do for their
women! So I remedy the situation by re-listening to some of his masterpieces, such as the two
albums of Solo Monk.
13 December 2007 11:47:00
1009 said...

Of course it's possible that Lacy might have had actual respect for his wife's voice...

On another note, there was mention some time back (in the *Wire* post) that Lacy's *Stalks*
would show up here at some point. Is that one still in the pipeline? I've been listening to a bunch
of Motoharu Yoshizawa recently.
13 December 2007 18:00:00
Boromir said...

I never realised that the lady was Steve's wife, perhaps explains why she appears on so many
of his recordings. Has she made recordings without Steve ?
14 December 2007 1:08:00
glmlr said...

Not that I'm aware of, Boromir. But then I'm not aware of everything! They were a pretty solid
couple for decades, I think starting around the late 60's.
15 December 2007 0:37:00
uCi X said...

For me sounds de puta madre.

Every week several gems. Contributors you are
amazing. Thanks for give us all this lost music.

I think most of you know Zebulon Cafe. For those they don't here is a link to download several
concerts. John Tchicai, Adam Lane, Butch Morris, Paul Smoke and more. Belive me, there are
really good concerts, Adam Lane Quartet…

http://www.zebuloncafeconcert.com/archives/blog/archives.html

Enjoy

Thanks again for this great blog

15 December 2007 15:54:00
centrifuge said...

thanks in advance for this boromir, it could be ages before i get round to listening to it properly
but i'll certainly grab it while it's available. you're not the only one who doesn't like bailey, i
know someone who really doesn't dig him at all (funnily enough the same guy doesn't like lacy
much either) - but i love both (and of course braxton did too) so: again, thanks!
16 December 2007 3:56:00
centrifuge said...

ps i'll grit my teeth through the wifely vocals ;-)

16 December 2007 3:58:00
john said...

Another generous, stunning day at Inconstant Sol. I can't thank you enough.
10 March 2008 18:43:00
1977, COMPANY 5, Incus 28. (UK) (LP) (released in 1978)

Leo Smith : trumpet and flute

Maarten van Regteren Altena : bass
Evan Parker : tenor and soprano saxophones
Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone
Tristan Honsinger : cello
Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, flute
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- LS/MR/DB/TH/AB/SL/EP 25.39
2- SL/AB-1 10.02
3- SL/AB-2 04.24
4- EP/TH/AB-1 06.10
5- EP/TH/AB-2 01.42

The titles are derived from the initials of the musicians.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson.

R ecorded at the ICA London by Riverside, Thursday May 26 1977, by Nick Glennie-
Smith, re-issued on CD in 2001. Originally Incus LP 28. This is the fifth in a series
of records made by members of Company, a pool of improvisors from which
different groupings are drawn for different occasions and settings. Although representing
various musical attitudes and tyles, the musicians in Company have in common a preference
for making music by free improvisation."

Incus: CD41

C ompany is the repertory group of improvisors from jazz, contemporary classical,

avant-rock and many other musical, theatrical and dance traditions, periodically
assembled by the guitarist Derek Bailey to - er - see what happens!

Bailey started calling these assemblies of like-minded - and for that matter, unlike-minded -
performers together in London in 1977, for spontaneous partnerships in various permutations
that would usually occupy a venue for a week.

He still stages them in New York, but for funding reasons they sadly haven't happened in this
country in a long time.

Without Bailey and Company though, it's interesting to speculate on how long it would have
taken a maverick like John Zorn, for instance, to ever get invited to Britain as Bailey did on his
behalf in the 1980s.

And though (as with most totally unpremeditated music made between strangers or passing
acquaintances) you might not want to attend with bated breath to every second of every disc,
the latest Company re-issues on CD are often fascinating listening.

They're absorbing for their virtuosity, for their building of musical relationships on the fly,
and for the presence of some of the biggest names in sharp-end jazz in situations where they
have nothing to go on but their experience and their wits.

C ompany Week est un événement annuel organisé à Londres depuis 1977. (En fait, il
dure rarement une semaine, cinq jours, généralement. Il n’a eu lieu ni en 1985 ni en
1986 et il s’est aussi déroulé dans d’autres villes, New York surtout.) L’événement
est organisé par Company lui-même. Plusieurs soirées successives avec, chaque soir, cinq ou
six concerts et un total de neuf à dix musiciens sont le genre d’idée qui fait fuir les
promoteurs – race notoirement frileuse. Ainsi, c’est un petit noyau constitué par moi, des amis
et quelques volontaires qui se charge de la mise en place de ces événements." Derek Bailey, in
L’Improvisation, sa nature et sa pratique dans la musique (Outre Mesure, coll. Contrepoints)

La réédition de cette pièce enregistrée il y a vingt-cinq ans présente un intérêt documentaire

évident et une valeur poétique intacte : cette dernière se dégage du contrepoint vivace et
crépitant que l’audition – l’oreille illustrant la pochette n’est-elle pas explicite ? – révèle (et
qui n’a pas grand chose à voir avec le pointillisme sévère que certains croient déceler dans
l’école anglaise). Les cordes de Derek Bailey (elg, acg), le maître d’œuvre, s’adjoignent celles
de Maarten van Regteren Altena (b) et de Tristan Honsinger (cello) tandis que les vents
reviennent à Leo Smith (tp, fl), Anthony Braxton (cl, fl, as, ss), Steve Lacy (ss) et Evan Parker
(ss, ts). On ne retrouve donc pas ici Han Bennink (dr), Steve Beresford (p) et Lol Coxhill (ss)
qui étaient présents durant cette campagne de fin mai 1977, comme en témoigne le Company 6
& 7 (Incus CD 07).
La première improvisation regroupe les sept musiciens dans une suite de vingt-cinq minutes
surlignée par les larges oblitérations de Smith : le poinçon d’altitude de Braxton s’y active
tandis que Parker déchiquette menu les timbres ; Lacy se faufile dans les interstices de la
trame sciée du violoncelle, des coutures de la contrebasse et de la chaîne houleuse de Bailey.
Les morceaux suivants collectent des improvisations du duo de Lacy avec Braxton (pinceau
dansant du premier, staccatos des rafales de fléchettes du second : la route agile des truites de
la sérénité) et du trio compact et volontiers virulent de Parker / Braxton / Honsinger : une
dramaturgie de l’éclaboussure et de l’engagement.

Un disque historique ? À n’en pas douter ! Un superbe indispensable de votre discothèque ?

Naturellement.

Guillaume TARCHE. Improjazz n° 78, septembre 2001

1977, COMPANY 6, Incus 29 (UK) (LP) (released in 1978)

Leo Smith : trumpet and flute

Maarten van Regteren Altena : bass
Evan Parker : tenor and soprano saxophones
Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone
Tristan Honsinger : cello
Lol Coxhill : soprano saxophone
Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, flute
Steve Beresford : piano, trumpet, etc
Han Bennink : drums, viola, banjo etc
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- LS/TH/AB/SL/MR Part of a longer piece 14.22

2- EP/HB/DB Part of a longer piece 05.30
3- SB/MR/HB/LC Part of one of a number of pieces by this grouping 05.35
4- MR/SL The second of two pieces 05.11
5- HB/AB/DB Part of a longer piece 08.39
6- LC/TH/LS Part of a longer piece 06.50

The titles are derived from the initials of the musicians.

Recorded at the ICA London by Riverside, May 25-27 1977, by Nick Glennie-Smith and
Howard Cross. Tracks 1, 3, 5 and 6 re-released on Incus CD07.

Cover photograph by Roberto Massotti.

1977, COMPANY 7, Incus 30 (UK) (LP) (released in 1978)

Leo Smith : trumpet and flute

Maarten van Regteren Altena : bass
Evan Parker : tenor and soprano saxophones
Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone; Tristan Honsinger, cello
Lol Coxhill : soprano saxophone
Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, flute
Steve Beresford : piano, guitar, etc
Han Bennink : drums, viola, clarinet, banjo etc
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- AB/EP The second of two pieces 08.03

2- TH/MR/SB/HB/DB Part of a longer piece 10.29
3- SL/EP/AB/LC Part of a longer piece 04.27
4- TH/LS The second of two pieces 02.59
5- LC/AB/MR First of three pieces 06.26
6- HB/LC//MR/TH Part of second of two pieces 04.54
7- EP/LS/DB Second of four pieces 04.19

The titles are derived from the initials of the musicians.

Recorded at the ICA London by Riverside, May 25-27 1977, by Nick Glennie-Smith and
Howard Cross.

Cover photograph by Roberto Massotti. All tracks re-released on Incus CD07.

1977, COMPANY WEEK : Book, Incus Records (UK)

RILEY, PETER
Catalog Number: INCUS BK. 56 page paperback book. £9.00

A book of writing about Company Week 1977 (featuring Braxton, Bailey, Coxhill, Parker,
Lacy, etc.), reproducing the original hand-written notes generated by poet Riley while
experiencing the music. For Incus fanatics.

P rinted 1994, first time on these listings. handwritten observations of the 1977
company week, written for it’s own sake as a dummy book of extrapolated notes of
which this is an almost complete facsimilie. the day by day line-ups, and changes
throughout the week are written up through an audience view of the improvisations, distinct
from most music journalism. published in an edition of 350 copies on top quality paper.
metropolis » » company week | a short report http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/company-week-a-shor...

COMPANY WEEK: A short report

Company Week took place 24th to 29th May 1977 in London, at the Institute
of Contemporary Arts (except 29th at The Roundhouse). The musicians taking part were: Maarten van Regteren Altena, Derek Bailey,
Han Bennink, Steve Beresford, Anthony Braxton, Lol Coxhill, Tristan Honsinger, Steve Lacy, Evan Parker and Leo Smith. Altogether
they played 37 sets of improvised music, but only twice was any combination of musicians repeated. So there were 35 groups, which
consisted of: 1 solo, 12 duos, 11 trios, 7 quartets, 2 quintets, 1 sextet and 1 septet.

Company Week was a kind of international conference on improvisation and playing-together. But all the talk was replaced by
improvisation and playing-together. No votes were taken, no resolutions passed, no reports published, and yet it was a week of
discussion, discourse, debate, etc., in which “what was said” was “what happened.”

And what, then, did happen? Every delegate no doubt has his own version of that. But certain things were broadly apparent as the
week ran its course. They arrived and began by declaring what they already knew (they did what they could already do). This lasted
two days. In this a three-way polarisation occurred - three sub-committees were set up: one on fast, high-energy scatter of sound
(string band), one on deep, pool-of-sound meanderings (saxophone special), and one on scratch, crash and fiddle-around contrasts (the
jokers).

But as soon as the conference got off the ground a great deal of shifting around started - confrontations agreements and antagonisms
were set in motion across these polarisations which really taxed resources. Certainly by the third day people were extending their
vocabularies, entering unfamiliar fields of discourse and increasingly sustaining their individual pressures on the group acts. Certain
specialized departmental seminars were insisted on right through, such as a kind of improvised systemics music copyrighted by
soprano saxophone players exclusively, but that didn’t affect the main issues.
metropolis » » company week | a short report http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/company-week-a-shor...

The Roundhouse yesterday…

Although I don’t like singling people out, I could mention as an example of what happened, the way Steve Lacy, who I’d thought
before was only interested in short pieces of controlled improvisation and composition, plunged with his entire musician’s existence
into the free-music context and improvised like a bird right through the week, and also changed, broadened and opened out in
response to the musical situation as it ran its course.

This convocation wasn’t aimed at agreement - there was no final sorting-out of differences and ultimate resolution - that would have
been sheer compromise. The interaction was the reason for it all; these were all musicians who had “got it together” before this started
- they had their own developing vocabularies in improvisation, leaning this way and that or coursing straight down the middle. No
unitary collective consciousness emerged to round it off. (There was an attempt, in the septet which occurred near the end, but that
never really stood a chance.) No - the musicians insisted on their distinctiveness, and it was the very reverberation of these intact
musical existences against one another which maintained the vitality of the music.

Free Improvisation was the central medium of the week, and the only final concurrence was that that medium is valid, is moving,
does make the whole thing possible. And it seemed from what these musicians did/said that “free music” still is not a familiar or
stylised form of music which exists in a number of recognisable “schools” (“black,” “English,” “Continental,” “serious,” “funny,”
etc.) - it seems that the apparent styles of free music represent a regression back to the expressivity of the music’s origins in jazz or
composed music, and that when the musicians, wherever they’re from, really grasp their total resources and move into the arena then
the music they play is simply their own, personal musics. And these musics can then interact in the most creative way.

The Roundhouse today…

But “what,” I hear someone say, “about the music itself - what was that like?” Well, most of it was quite extraordinary, but if you
weren’t there, I’m afraid you missed it. All you’ll ever hear of it lies in what these musicians will do next, now that they’re back
home.

Peter Riley, 1977

music improvisation company | derek bailey – tristan
honsinger company

THE MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY 1968-71 Incus 17

Derek Bailey / guitar, Hugh Davies / live electronics and organ, Jamie Muir / percussion, Evan Parker / soprano saxophone and
amplified autoharp.
Recorded: July 4, 1969; June 18, 1970.
DUO Incus 20

Derek Bailey / electric guitar, 19 string (approx.) guitar, Waiswich crackle box, Tristan Honsinger /cello, voice.
Recorded: February 7, 1976 in concert & two tracks February 6, 1976.

COMPANY 1 Incus 21

Maarten van Regteren Altena / bass, Tristan Honsinger / cello, Evan Parker / soprano and tenor saxophones, Derek Bailey /
acoustic and electric guitars.
Recorded: May 9, 1976.

The Music Improvisation Company 1968-71 is a further documentation of the group (minus vocalist Christine Jeffrey) that first
appeared on ECM 1005 under the same name, and it promises to be the first volume of two or more of previously unreleased material.
For the most part, there’s not too much new to be learned about the group from this record - though it does serve, like the ECM
album, to bring the origins and growth of this music, that based on spontaneous free improvisation, into some perspective.

It is at once a complete music, covering important new ground, yet tentative. The
language is one of inter-action - of phrases, sounds, clusters of sounds - the trying out
of new textures, timbres, linear and rhythmic possibilities, and their combinations. Yet
what makes the music tentative is the underlying assumption that the whole is more
 important than the parts. So the musicians largely only respond to each other - the
established context suggesting the manner of response - rather than they develop truly
independent intersecting lines. This is not to say that this approach doesn’t work, for in
fact - here, as on the ECM album - it works superbly well. It’s only to say that, except
for the high energy passages, there’s a feeling of deliberateness about the proceedings,
a cautious looking around at the possibilities - as if to be positive that everything would
actually work - and an attempt at avoiding the cliches of the times.

The reason for this, of course, is that at this time, this was still mainly a new way of
making music - that is, to improvise totally with no guidelines, compositional
imperatives, or conceptualizations whatsoever, and to work towards developing the
practical (musical) implications of such an approach. One obvious implication was that the music would have to be open enough to
accept anything, yet be beyond idiom; which implies in turn a continual openness to expansion and growth, for the moment that
ceases, all that has been created is a new idiom. But some kind of new language/manner of working did have to be found.

The first attempt at this was made by John Stevens’ Spontaneous Music Ensemble, the earliest free recording of which was Karyobin
(Island ILPS 9079, recorded 1967).* It is from here that much of the aesthetic feel of Music Improvisation Company apparently
comes, for the ideal of the SME was to create a total “group music” as opposed to one simply showcasing soloists. It was, in a sense, a
movement from one extreme to the other. There was a close interaction of fragmented line, but it was a closeness based on an (at least
implied) regularity of feeling or pulse and which, while requiring a basic openness to new textural/timbral/rhythmic possibilities, also
- in its strong contextual awareness - placed a certain limit on these and on an outwardly expressive individual virtuosity. So the
formal openness achieved here (and it is an achievement) - and fairly much continued, extended, and refined by the SME over the
years on recordings such as “So What Do You Think?,” Face to Face, and SME plus equals SMO - was in part a circumscribed one
that needed to really open up in order to re-find itself at another level - the level of independent awareness, of intuitive knowledge and
flow.

The work of the Music Improvisation Company marks a first movement in this direction, though it is still very much influenced by
that awareness. There’s a greater and greater acceptance of sound in its own right and a feeling of genuine experimentation going on
in the music. Just to bring Hugh Davies into it must have been an experiment of some kind: first, in that electronic music is virtually
never performed “live” and, secondly, in that the whole surface/flow of sound would be considerably less predictable. It further
suggests - importantly for the development of this kind of music - the full determination to be free once and for all of any harmonic
necessity.

Also, one hears Derek Bailey’s work beginning to really open up for the first time, embracing more and more electronic sound
possibilities and textures. And Evan Parker’s playing, though still fairly rooted in the Karyobin period, has become harder, more
percussive, and much more sound-conscious. Jamie Muir provides a sensitive, often only suggestive, rhythmic interaction, rolling
disjointedly from top to bottom of his trap set and occasionally hiding his contributions in the sonic maze generated by Hugh Davies.

As regards the development of language, the importance of a record such as Topography of the Lungs (Parker-Bailey-Bennink, Incus
1, recorded 1970) can now be heard as an intuitive first leap in the direction of independent expression, of the players stepping
forward and taking a fully assertive role in the making of the music rather than one of mainly responding to/interacting with the
environment around them. Apparently, if the Music Improvisation Company recordings are any indication, it was a leap still in need
of further practice for its aesthetic justification - this in spite of the fact that the MIC records present a definitely wider, more open
sound span (and, as a result of that, are often more complex rhythmically), which is likely their most important contribution.

On Duo can be heard the extent to which the language of free improvisation has evolved in the ensuing six years - and it stands out all
the more blatantly due to the contrasting approaches of Bailey and Honsinger. The cellist’s work is fast, fluid, and propulsive, whereas
Bailey’s seems to only want to be in any given moment, with each new sound being an extension of that. Both men utilize a wide
range of sound, though Bailey is more interested in timbre and in sound in itself. Also, he more easily sets whole areas of sound apart,
whereas Honsinger swoops gracefully, though at great speed, in and out of them. And compared to Bailey, Honsinger’s technical
approach is almost traditional. His work, in fact (in its own high-pitched way), seems to nearly sing at times - though it is a quick
paced, rhythmically inflected song, covering more ground in a moment’s time than all but the most gifted vocalists could even hope
to.

Virtuosity, then, is never sacrificed for some greater ensemble good - that pretty much takes care of itself - and, for the most part,
either player’s work can stand entirely on its own. To be sure, there’s an awareness by each player of what is happening with the other,
but that acts not as a (limiting) determinant of action, only as an ongoing acknowledgement of possibility, the implicit assumption
being that there are many such possibilities. So Bailey and Honsinger play as much around each other as with each other, though that
is also a way of “being there,” and it is a highly substantive, beautiful, and moving collaboration.

Much the same could be said about the music on Company 1. Company is not actually a group in the sense that Music Improvisation
metropolis » » music improvisation company | derek bailey – tri... http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/music-improvisation...

Company was a group, but is a loosely connected pool of players (including Anthony Braxton and Leo Smith from this country) who
play together regularly, though not continuously, in various groupings to pursue free improvisation.

The first Company album features Bailey, Honsinger, Evan Parker, and Maarten van Regteren Altena playing in each of the four
possible trio combinations. The most remarkable trio is the one featuring the three string instruments - and this must also be
considered the most important from any historic standpoint, as there is virtually no precedent for improvisation involving only string
instruments, and none whatsoever for this particular combination of cello, bass, and guitar.

The piece opens with a near Leroy Jenkins-sounding melodic line by Honsinger; then Bailey introduces some altogether contrary
harmonic/timbral/ percussive elements, changing its sense entirely. Altena comes thumping in after Bailey, striking up a fantastic
interaction between them; then he takes up the challenge set by Honsinger, though from a quite removed harmonic/timbral space.
Bailey (on acoustic guitar) is all over the place throughout the piece, astonishing in the breadth and depth of sound he commands. He
alters the piece’s fluidity, its way of moving, so that it opens onto a stubborn, rough-edged, and craggy expanse as well as onto one
more fleet, ethereal, and floating. Some of this effect is also suggested by Altena, whose work is by far his most wide ranging and
flexible on the record.

On the track with Parker, Altena, and Honsinger, Parker charges in headfirst, winging his way between the strings as if in flight. At
times the whole trio seems about to take off, so intense is the exchange. Parker and Bailey with Honsinger suggest a harder, more
open, and less definite sound area, with Honsinger’s work taking a somewhat more percussive turn than elsewhere. The remaining
track - with Parker, Bailey, and Altena - is slower in tempo and more space-conscious, though it becomes denser and, by virtue of that,
more disjointed as it proceeds.

Throughout the record, the level of virtuosity is outstanding. The pieces/improvisations are less a blend of ideas than their coming
together simultaneously in the same space - the establishment of independent co-procedures that more closely resembles the type of
genuine interaction that occurs in “real” life. They are a dance of sound, the moving together/coming together of energy (ways of
being(one)) rather than of individual subordination to an idea of same. Moreover, they are some of the most far reaching trio
improvisations yet to appear on record.

Henry Kuntz, 1977

* Note: One earlier SME record was made, the long-deleted Challenge on the Eyemark label (recorded 1966), which reflects
Coleman’s innovations as handed down through the New York Art Quartet and combined with something of the orchestral sense of
Archie Shepp - as on Four For Trane (Impulse A-71). The music is good, the stylings original, but the language derivative.

Tristan Honsinger biography:

Tristan Honsinger is a cello player active in free jazz and free improvisation. He is
perhaps best known for his long-running collaboration with free jazz pianist Cecil
Taylor and guitarist Derek Bailey. Honsinger’s energetic style of playing leads to the
necessity to change bows every few minutes.

Born in Vermont in 1949, Honsinger was given music lessons from a very early age
on, as his mother had hopes of creating a chamber orchestra together with his brother
and sister. At the age of 12, Tristan would give concerts on a nearly weekly basis. He
studied classical cello at the prestigious New England Conservatory in Boston before
moving to Montreal in 1969 to avoid the draft. While in Canada, he became interested
in improvisational music. Honsinger moved to Europe in 1978 and was active
throughout the continent. He currently operates from Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Honsinger has a striking appearance, with body language reminiscent of that of a
slapstick actor. His theatrical side surfaces in every combo he has played with.

He has experimented with a combo of three string-

players (violin, cello and double bass) and drums in
1991, under the name Fields in Miniature, and has
worked in other musical fields, including
metropolis » » music improvisation company | derek bailey – tri... http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/music-improvisation...

collaboarations with U.K. post punk band The Pop

Group in 1979, and The Ex during the early 1990s.
More recently, his group This, That and The Other’s
influences from Italian folk music are ever present.

According to Dutch Volkskrant journalist Erik van de

Berg, “Honsinger is someone who hasn’t lost his childhood fantasy entirely. His compositions are like a child’s drawing, or even more
like a story from Winnie The Pooh: awkward and touchingly simple, yet full of deeper meanings for those who want to see them.” In
the same article, Honsinger commented: “Simple things fascinate me, simple stories and simple characters. It’s not that I write for
children in particular, but I think they would understand it very well. I usually get the best reactions from an audience with a good mix
of children and adults. I don’t like to play for one particular age group. It is almost a necessity for me to compose in the form of
stories and texts. It gives me ideas and it does help the musicians in their improvisation if they can think: this story is about a little
man who takes a walk and experiences this, that and the other. It also helps the audience, it gives them something to hold on to.”
1977, FICTIONS, Incus 38 (UK) (LP) (released in 1978)

Company :
Misha Mengleberg : piano, celeste, voice
Lol Coxhill : soprano saxophone, voice
Steve Beresford : piano, toys, voice
Derek Bailey : guitar, voice
Ian Croall : voice

The 1st Hackney Scroll consisting of:

1- Theology 06.37
2- Otology 05.30
3- Speak up, lad 07.18

The 2nd Hackney Scroll consisting of:

4- So few, so many, so so, so what and so long 22.40

All spoken words are from Improvisation: it's nature and practice in music by Derek Bailey.
Recorded London, August 1977.
Cover design by Jamie Muir.
1977, DROPS, Ictus 0003 (Italy) (LP) (released in ?)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitar

Andrea Centazzo : percussion, drum set, kalimba, whistles

1- Drop One
2- Recapitulation, Reiteration And Rabbits
3- How Long Has This Been Going On?
4- Drop Two
5- Tutti Cantabile
6- Drop Three
7- Drop Four
8- Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing
9- Jim Never Seems To Send Me Pretty Flowers

Recorded on 3 and 4 April 1977 at Centazzo Studio, Moruzzo, Italy.

This is considered one of the best performance of the period of the English guitarist for its
explosive clarity, dialogic energy and overflowing imagination.
*
1977, K'PLOENG, Claxon 78.2 (ND) (LP) (released in 1978)

Maarten Van Regteren Altena

Derek Bailey
Terry Day
Tristan Honsinger
Maurice Horsthuis
Michel Waisvisz

1- Marmite 10.48
Maarten Van Regteren Altena : cello, cigar box, bass
Derek Bailey : electric guitar:
Recorded on 17 December 1977 at Stedelijk Museum,
Amsterdam

2- Omelette à la valse 07.39

Maarten Van Regteren Altena : bass
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Terry Day : percussion
Tristan Honsinger : cello
Maurice Horsthuis : viola
Recorded on 16 December 1977 at Waagtheater, Delf
3- Peultjes 03.55
Maarten Van Regteren Altena : bass
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars
Terry Day : mandoline, percussion
Maurice Horsthuis : viola
Recorded on 17 December 1977 in Vlissingen

4- Lady of the prunes 09.56

Terry Day : balloons, toys, percussion;
Michel Waisviszv crackle synthesizer, hawaiszguitar
Recorded on 14 December 1977 at Oosterpoort,
Groningen

5- Met mes en vork 06.42

Maarten Van Regteren Altena : bass
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Terry Day : clarinet
Tristan Honsinger : cello
Maurice Horsthuis : viola
Michel Waisvisz : crackle synth, electric miniharp
Recorded on 17 December 1977 in Vlissingen

6- Banana split 04.00

Maarten Van Regteren Altena : bass
Terry Day : toys, mandoline, percussion
Recorded on 16 December 1977 at Waagtheater, Delf
1977, SOHO SUITES, volume 1, 1977 Incus CD 29-30 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997)

Part of a double CD.

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric stereo guitars (CD 29), electric guitar (CD 30);
Tony Oxley : acoustic and electric percussion, violin (CD 29), acoustic percussion (CD 30)

Soho suites volume 1: (CD 29)

1. Carlisle 22.04
2. Wardour 02.49
3. Berwick 03.15
4. Beak 17.01

Recorded in Soho, London in February 1977.

Soho suites volume 2: (CD 30)

1. Rivington 17.40
2. Kenmare 13.00
3. Lafayette 03.40
4. Grand 03.30
5. Lispenard 15.40
6. Leonard 03.10

Recorded at the Knitting Factory, NYC in September 1995.

Cover photograph by Karen Brookman; design and layout by Robert Clarke.

Two volumes of duos, one from 1977 & the other from 1995. Bailey (electric & acoustic
guitar) and Oxley (acoustic and electric percussion and violin).

D erek Bailey, one of the avatars of free improvisation, is getting nastier as he ages. At
least as a player. Of these two discs of live duets with percussionist Oxley, the '95
recordings from New York City have the most bite. Oxley's no slouch either.
Together they move from sonic landscapes dotted with light flurries of sound to dense,
squalling blizzards of noise 'n' fury. Then back to gentle, probing exploration. This is
improvisation bent on defining its own language, so the music's often free of melodies,
harmonies, or the other amenities listeners usually hang their hats upon. As such, it's not easy
listening.

But it is liberating. Oxley -- who in the '77 recording plays piles of kitchen utensils,
generators, and springs (all amplified) as well as a gargantuan drum kit -- is as daring as
Bailey, trying to keep his playing in a textural rather than a rhythmic vein. Ultimately, it's hard
to decipher what both artists are trying to say. But they certainly seem to mean it. And they're
so very responsive to each other's playing, locked in their deeply personal musical
conversation, that it's unreasonable to dismiss their craftsmanship as artifice. (Write to Incus
Records at 14 Downs Road, London E5 8DS, England)

Ted Drozdowski

T his double-CD collection is meant to show a continuum of sorts in a collaboration that

began in 1963. Guitarist Derek Bailey and drummer Tony Oxley met by chance in
their hometown at that time, and formed a band with Gavin Bryars (a bass player back
in those days) for the purpose of freely improvising music. Bailey and Oxley played together
in various contexts and continue to this day. Featured here is a rehearsal from 1977 on one
disc, along with a live disc recorded in New York in 1995. To play these CDs in sequence is
quite remarkable. For those who have followed the careers of both men over the decades, it
will be astonishing to hear what has been taken for granted in the development not only of
their individual styles and approaches to improvisation, but in the actual evolution of those
methods as they reach deeper into the musical muck for a kind of meaning that can only be
generated in this type of musical pursuit. On the earlier record, there are Bailey's very short
but very quick explosions of notes from all over the fretboard that get interrupted by his going
into the instrument itself. Oxley, a busy drummer, uses percussion instruments while playing
the kit, making sure he misses none of the notes Bailey drops from his guitar like small
bombs. On the later music from 1995, there is a shift in focus. The explorations of tonal
boundaries are much more pronounced, percussive extensions become common, and there is
almost an architecture in the dynamic. Bailey has moved to using more chords of his own
design, while Oxley keeps to the kit more, exploring its wood and metal as a manner of
underscoring these spacious, textured explorations. This is an awesome set, so strong it's
better than 90 percent of what's out there passing for free improvisation. Just get it.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

1977, GLOBE UNITY - IMPROVISATIONS, Japo Records, JAPO 60021
(LP) (released in 1978)

Buschi Niebergall : Bass

Peter Kowald : Bass, Tuba
Tristan Honsinger : Cello
Michel Pilz : Bass Clarinet
Paul Lovens : Drums
Derek Bailey : Guitar
Alexander von Schlippenbach : Piano
Peter Brötzmann : Saxophones : Alto, Tenor, Bass Clarinet
Evan Parker : Saxophones Soprano, Tenor
Gerd Dudek : Saxophones Soprano, Tenor, Flute
Albert Mangelsdorff , Günter Christmann , Paul Rutherford (2) : Trombone
Kenny Wheeler , Manfred Schoof : Trumpet

Producer - Thomas Stöwsand

Engineer: Martin Wieland

Recorded September 1977, Tonstudio, Bauer/Ludwigsburg

1977, COMPANY 3, Incus 25 (UK) (LP) (Signed white cover released in
1977)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Han Bennink : drums, violin, banjo, clarinet, voice and home-made junk

1- In the dead of night I gotta go where you are 11.35

2- The song is ended (medley) 07.05
3- Umberto who? 06.44
4- Tether end 1 01.26
5- A fine mesh 03.47
6- Stanley 04.14
7- Tether end 2 06.38

Recorded at South Hill Park, September 1976, by Douglas Gleave.

 don't seem to have a sleeve note in me but I would like to use this space to express my

I gratitude and appreciation for their help and friendship to Kondo, Takagi, Yoshizawa,
Toshi, Abe, and Akiko, Michiko, Oshizu, Tomita, Myoga, Toshio, Imai, Nakanishi, Suto,
and of course Aquirax Aida. Arigato.

D.B.

OLD SIGHTS, NEW SOUNDS

Derek Bailey in Japan
by Stefan Jaworzyn

SJ: How did you start to play in Japan? How did you build a relationship with the people you
worked with there?

DB: It was entirely due to one man, Aquirax Aida. He turned up here in London one day in
1977. I'd never heard of him previously, but subsequently got to know a lot about him - a
remarkable man. So we had a chat and he suggested I could go over there. At that time the
idea of going to Japan seemed inconceivable to me - I didn't relish the idea of going anywhere,
any more than I've done since. I said, 'Well, it's a long way.' And he said, 'We can arrange for
you to get there.' After he left we corresponded, and subsequently - with a lot of persuasion, I
tried to back out once or twice - he got me over in 1978. I was lucky, because I went in
April/May, which is a fantastic time to be there.

Aida set up this tour, in which I suppose I visited every part of Japan - it lasted six or seven
weeks, and we were playing nearly every night. I never did as comprehensive a tour
subsequently, even though I've spent even longer periods there. We didn't go to Okinawa - in
the '70s even Japanese people needed a passport to get in - but we went just about everywhere
else. For a basically provincial type like myself, it was a revelation which I've never really
recovered from...

(In Japan you could see posters for musicians you thought had retired years ago, and actually
they were just going round and round playing concerts - particularly old jazz musicians, but
also people like old flamenco guitar players - I remember seeing a poster for this guy in
Kyoto I thought had been dead for about twenty years, but he was doing a permanent
Japanese tour...It does seem that music is primarily a live experience there. Elsewhere, except
maybe New York, the whole thing's driven primarily by recording...)

Aida was a kind of Svengali figure - everybody on the Japanese free music scene seemed to
work through him. He created the work, I think he even housed some of the musicians, he
supplied them with whatever they found necessary... The guys I played with I thought of as
Aida's group - they had a name, like CNA or CMM, one of those '60s or '70s things where
everyone had a group name made up of letters. There was (trumpet/horn player Toshinori)
Kondo of course, the percussionist Toshiyuki Tsuchitori, (Moto) Yoshizawa the bass player,
(Mototeru) Takagui the tenor player, (Kaoru) Abe the alto player...I toured with those people;
I played solo and then with them. Aida had the idea that at each concert I'd play solo, do a duo
with each of them and then we'd all play together - I had to put him right about that! Even then
I was somewhat decrepit...But it worked out great. In addition to the musicians, there was Aida
and his entourage, which included a recording engineer, a photographer, a driver, and six or
seven, um, enthusiasts, friends, Aidaites...We went everywhere in this mob - I was at least a
foot taller than anybody else - and at that time most of them didn't speak much, if any, English,
and I had two words of Japanese, so there wasn't a lot of communication other than on a non-
verbal level. There'd always be at least a dozen of us, and Aida would book us into a hotel,
with a single room for me and a suite for the rest of them - occasionally I'd go into the suite
and it was incredible, bodies everywhere...Quite often we stayed in Japanesestyle hotels
(logically enough) but Aida would always insist that I had some kind of western
accomodation which, a couple of times, was the hotel's bridal suite.

I never lifted anything - at this point I was still used to lugging my amplifier up four flights of
stairs and playing to three people - I even had a problem getting them to let me open the guitar
case myself, and the audiences might be anything up to 600 or 700 people. So it was quite a
different experience.

SJ: And presumably very lucrative?

DB: Yeah, I even came back and bought myself a car...It was certainly lucrative, but that side
of it pales against the riches that the country had to offer...

But it's interesting to note some of the changes that have occurred since I first went over. In
earlier visits, outside of Tokyo you never saw anything in writing other than Japanese. You
could be on a train journey - I never took one by myself, fortunately - and you would never
know where the fuck you were, there was no indication - it all looked beautiful, but there was
no information. From the early '80s there seemed to be many changes, including the arrival of
hordes of American musicians all studying the shakuhachi. Later you could meet German
musicians who were there, under all kinds of pretences, via Goethe Institute travel subsidy.
Some of them had temporary wives there, which I think was the ambition of all German
musicians...

Aida was a virtuoso at getting gigs. He could put you into places that not only were not
interested in your music, but were not interested in any music, and had never had music there
in their history. One of these places was in a little fishing village on Hokaido, the most
northern island in Japan. It was the most extraordinary place, built on what appeared to be a
semi-precipice. The village started halfway up this mountainside and then slithered down into
the sea, where there was a harbour - you either ran down every street or toiled your way up.
They had a market, much of which seemed to be given over to selling octopus, and because of
the slope, the market was on a flight of steep steps, and each stall was on a different step, so
you'd step down, looking at these sections of octopus getting bigger and bigger...

And, struggling up and down these streets, I first came across this phenomenon - very
common in Japan - where you get a different blast of music from every shop you pass: each
shop plays music, and they have a speaker hanging outside. And they're small shops, so as
you're trotting down the street the music's changing every three or four paces. It's complete
aural chaos...

I suppose, in a way, my experiences are limited in that everyone I know there is either a
musician or associated with music. So I don't know how far my experiences are representative
of anything...But one of the things I noticed about the Japanese is what I call the giggle factor.
There's always, lurking close to the surface, a giggle. Particularly in music, which has this
dreadful weakness for seriousness...Of course they are serious about their music, but they
don't find it necessary to be, at the same time, portentous. Unlike the European attitude where
Music, when Serious, apart from having to be capitalised appears to find it necessary to
surround itself with all kinds of pompous rigmaroles.

SJ: Imagine giggling German improvisers...

DB: Germany's a strictly giggle-free zone...But there's something, a kind of lightness which
they (the Japanese) can introduce to important subjects which saves them from
portentousness. But then, when they do go into the melodramatic area, they can go so far over
the top that it's already ridiculous...

Aida was also a journalist; he wrote under three different names, which I didn't know at first.
You'd get a music magazine to which he'd contributed maybe 80% of the text...And if he didn't
like something, it was pretty unpleasant - he was rather like you as a critic, kind of a rabid dog
style - but I was lucky in that he liked my stuff, so he was always very nice about it. He died
the following year at the age of 32, possibly of a brain tumour - though he was no stranger to
any kind of excess. For instance, he smoked 60 cigarettes a day...For the people there who
worked with him, it must have been a loss that could never be filled.

Sometime in the '80s I played in his home town, where his mother ran a very posh coffee bar:
classical music was playing constantly in the background - baroque music sawing away, and
the inevitable Mozart, which seems to be the chosen accompaniment to coffee and cakes...We
all went to visit Aida's grave, and lit a cigarette and left it on the stone. So there were about a
dozen, maybe more, cigarettes burning away like candles, fantastic - Aida would have liked it...

SJ: Was the DUO AND TRIO IMPROVISATIONS LP recorded by Aida?

DB: I did two records for Aida, that (now re-issued on CD by DIW) and a solo record (OLD
SIGHTS, NEW SOUNDS, a double LP on the Morgue label, one record live, one record
studio). The solo LP's been out of print for years, and whenever I go over I try to get hold of
the tapes - it's a record I get asked about a lot. The guy who recorded it, who was part of
Aida's entourage, has taken over Morgue - it's now is a recording studio - and whenever I turn
up in Japan, he arrives with a little bundle of these records. And I say 'I thought this is out of
print' and he says 'It is, but I just found these...' We go through this scene every time, and I
say, 'Listen, I'll buy the tapes back from you' and he says 'Ah, okay, good,' then disappears
and I don't see him again until next time, when he turns up with another bundle of records... I
also made a record with Takagui that never came out for some reason, and I recorded a solo
LP for Kondo - no idea what happened to that...

SJ: Did you ever meet (guitarist) Masayuki Takayanagi - he had a unit called New
Directions...

DB: I keep hearing about these guys who were around, but I never saw them.

SJ: It's strange; you'd think someone like that would have made an effort to meet you if you
were over...

DB: Nowadays, wherever you go, you hear about people who have been playing this stuff for
donkey's years. I believe it all. It's always been my assumption that something best described
as free improvisation wasn't started by anybody. It's always been around - usually unsung,
unlistened to. Have I mentioned that occasion in Glasgow in 1952...?

But meeting other guitarists and playing with them has happened more recently. For example,
the last time I was there I did a concert with three other guitarists - one of them plays guitar
and turntables...

SJ: Otomo Yoshihide?

DB: I think so. That was a nice concert. I played another the same night in the same place -
the Pit Inn in Shinjuku, run by this guy Mitsuo Tamura - with a different bunch of guys, and
they got this Korean percussionist who'd come over from Seoul. He was kind of amazing. I
was outside - it's in a back alley, this club - getting my gear in and I see this guy all dressed in
black: black T-shirt, black pants and a kind of trilby. He looked serious, and I thought 'Fuck,
I'd better get out of here.' But he followed me down the stairs and into the club and it turned
out I was playing with him! He only had two drums, set up on stands - he, incidentally plays
the biggest drum in the world, he showed me some photos, he's got it mounted on a truck, he
plays one end and another guy plays the other end, they're separated by something like 30
yards! Anyway, he had these two drums, tilted at an angle, rather as though he might be riding
a horse - and he stands well back from them and launches himself at them and knocks the shit
out of them, I mean he really thrashes these things, the volume he gets is quite extraordinary.
But it's not continuous - he'll approach them, with obvious violence in mind, and take a few
blows, then thunder, then knock off. I found it sort of intriguing - there was no musically
logical progression to the activity - the timing was not subject to musical imperatives. What I
played only had a peripheral effect on what he did - playing with him was quite refreshing, he
had a quite unique way of playing. Years ago I used to work with tapes: I'd make a tape, then
obliterate large sections of it and use it when I played solo - so I never knew when it was
going to come in, the tape was silent most of the time, but at some point you would get
something - totally unpredictable, at least for the first few times I used it. He was a bit like
that...

Mitsuo's always been great with me, but he's got his macabre side. For instance, he put me in a
large, very hip, fashionable restaurant, playing solo. Another time he put me in a small
'intimate' restaurant...His are all highly paid gigs as well - it's kind of a well-heeled crucifixion.

SJ: What's the reaction in these places?

DB: They're very good at ignoring you. You can be playing within ten yards of a table in a
manner which meant they couldn't have heard the fire bell had it gone off, and yet they appear
to be smiling and chatting to each other...

SJ: Do they applaud when you finish?

DB: They look round like they've just noticed that I'm there. They might applaud if it seems
that other people are doing so, but the restaurant gigs were not notable for massive applause...I
wouldn't say they were sensationally successful, other than possibly in a culinary way - I think
people ate and left pretty quickly...Anyway, Mitsuo set me up with the guitarists and the
Korean guy, and he helped to pick people who were in the Company week.

SJ: You've worked with Min Tanaka a lot..

DB: I met Min Tanaka the first time I went over, he came to a concert of mine. Min at that
time didn't speak any English, but his manager did, Kazue Kabata, who is again an amazing
person, an extraordinary person. She travels with Min, she's a high-powered journalist - she
interviews literary characters: Norman Mailer, Susan Sontag, that sort of thing. She also
works as a translator. But anyway, they (Min and Kazue) came to be very important to me and
they still are.

Before I made the second trip to Japan, Min asked me to go to New York with him: again, I'd
never been because I thought it was too far - and why should they want an ageing guitar
player when they've got plenty of guitar players of their own?

SJ: So the first time you actually played with Min was in New York

DB: Yeah. Then he put a tour together in 1981, he put this 'band' together - I suppose you
could call it a band. The name of it was another of these letter things, MMD - that was Min,
Milford (Graves) and me. We subsequently worked together for 15-18 months, all over the
place: a Japanese tour, in the States, all over Europe - we even did a concert in England. That
was Min dancing, with me and Milford playing, although Milford 'playing' incorporates all
kinds of things, including dancing and ranting - whatever he felt like doing. Every (Japanese)
concert was recorded, though you couldn't record this group very well because there were two
of them roaming around the stage most of the time... I ended up staying on after the tour
finished - I didn't have anything better to do. I discovered that I could always work there - at
least in that period, I think it's not quite the same now. It's a golden workplace - you can
always pick work up if you're willing to do certain things. For example, there are these bars
that you can work in...And of course there's this vast difference in living standards; I think of
England as somewhere between the second and third world - Japan's off the scale completely,
so the amount you could earn for quite a normal gig was, compared to what you might earn
here, quite handsome...

SJ: When you say 'bar gig' I presume it's nothing comparable to a pub gig over here?

DB: Well, it might be...The work I did with Aida and Min was playing concerts. With Min, a
concert was a one hour performance and many of them were in dance spaces - he has a large
following over there, in fact he has a large following all over the world - and the audiences
were even bigger. But some of the bars can be very small...The bars often specialise - one
might only play Dixieland, others only play rock 'n' roll, or even country music - and they've
got huge record collections. I was once in a bar that seemed to lean towards the free end of
music and was told to shut up when they were playing a record that I was on! Very politely -
let's face it, you're in Japan - but they let me know that they wanted me to stop talking. I was
talking about the record, I hadn't heard it before...Anyway, the bars are very small - you could
walk into one and think 'Can I even get my gear in here?' and finish up playing to an audience
of 65 people. I remember going into this place that was run by Kunio Nakamura, who was a
great benefactor of many European musicians. He used to organize tours - he's dead now too
- for a lot of English musicians, and people like Han (Bennink) and Brotzmann. He'd organize
a tour around Japan, but you'd also play in his shop in Sendai - he had this record shop (Jazz
and NOW - also a short-lived label). I remember walking down the stairs into this basement -
I'm sure it was with Aida - and the first thing I saw on the wall was a sleeve for a record called
HELLO BRENDA. It turned out to be a Phil Wachsmann record - the first words of English
I'd seen in about a month! Then I got to the room, and I thought it was a cupboard - but it
turned out that not only was it the room, but the week before the Archie Shepp Quartet had
played there. You couldn't imagine where they'd put the piano...The utilisation of space is just
incredible...I once did a benefit for this guy, a musician, who'd been picked up on the street
carrying some dope and who was Korean. To be picked up by the police in Japan and be
Korean is serious shit...They have this strange legal system, which I can't really describe, but
apparently you can't come to trial until you get enough money together to pay for a lawyer. So
they had a benefit in one of these tiny places - the number of people they got in was
unbelievable, they took thousands of dollars - so he had his trial and got out. Of course he'd
already served whatever sentence they could give him, waiting to get the money together!

In Japan they seem to have their concerts quite early, it seems to be a habit to go directly from
work - you can find nightclubs that close at 11. So the concerts were over quite early...

SJ: It sounds great - there's nothing worse than coming out of a stinking pub at 1 am...

DB: It was great. To finish work then go and have a Japanese meal at, like, 8.30, not 11 at
night was terrific...

SJ: As you've gone back over the years, have you ended up playing with basically the same
bunch of musicians?
DB: Well, every time I've been there has been for a different reason...For instance last time I
was on a solo tour, doing a Company week, and concerts with Min, one of which was videoed
- we're putting it out on Incus - available from 14 Downs Rd, London E5 8DS and worth
every penny...Oh we're putting a video out of one of the Company concerts too - shot and
edited by a Japanese guy. The editing's quite intriguing - it just cuts from the middle of one
group to another - it's only about 30 minutes long, and it was a two and a half hour concert. It
just goes bang bang bang through it all...

SJ: That sounds kind of bizarre...

DB: I like it, I think it works - I don't mind the bizarre - that will also be available from 14
Downs Road, London E5 8DS and worth every penny...

SJ: (Referring to a previous conversation.) Going back to Min, you were saying something
about a concert at the top of a mountain where you had a bearer...

DB: That's the one on the video. It's part of an event - as was the Company week - run by Min
and Kazue called Art Camp, I think the next one will be the tenth year. It goes on for about
eight weeks every year, and people come from all over the world to study with Min: studying
with Min is like some strange religion - he gets them to walk backwards for seven hours, then
go digging potatoes, then he talks to them about dance...You get these winsome Californians
all covered in shit, and they do it just to work with Min - it's beautiful...He's got this place out
in Hakushu, in what's described as the Japanese Alps, a low range of mountains about two or
three hours from Tokyo, a really strikingly beautiful area, no cities - it must be one of the few
areas in Japan that's largely unpopulated. He's built a number of stages on which to do
concerts, there's an earth stage, which is just compacted earth raised up - kind of interesting to
play on. I did a concert there - the temperature was in the upper thirties and it was night, pitch
black, and there was this spotlight. I would be playing and I'd see these huge bugs running
past, like the size of a hedgehog - I mean fucking enormous bugs - and these things that
come diving out of the sky. I was covered in bites... Anyway, the place where we did the
concert you're asking about is at the top of one of these mountains - we did that at 10 o'clock
one Sunday morning, and again the temperature was about 36, a beautiful day. People came
from all over - from the road to the stage was about a mile maybe, but there's a track - I have
had roadies before, particularly in Japan, but this time I had a bearer to carry my guitar - I
played acoustic...When you get up there there's this wooden stage that juts out over a drop of
about 150 feet; the audience is up the side of the mountain - you can see it in the video,
available from 14 Down Road London E5 8DS at an unbelievably low price...

SJ: Min's the person who you've worked with consistently since your first trip then...

DB: Yeah, apart from the first trip, I've worked with him every time I've been, and all over the
place outside of Japan. Kazue also ran a club in Tokyo called Plan B, and I played there -
some solo stuff, with Min, and I think with Yoshizawa. That's a little place, a basement - they
built it all themselves.

SJ: You've never been over with English musicians?

DB: No. I've worked with Zorn over there. I can see how Zorn took to Japan - he used to live
there six months a year - because Zorn also has a giggle factor. Meeting the Japanese
experience must have been kind of like coming home for him - I think part of it must have
been the giggle factor...With Zorn, however serious and intense he can be - and he can be very
serious and very intense - at any moment you can immediately get through to an appreciation
of the absurdity of the whole fucking thing - anything - and the Japanese people have
that...I've met Zorn a few times in Japan - we played a few concerts there. The first one was in
'87, I think - he was doing all kinds of things - playing with a Japanese blues band, incredibly
authentic sounding blues - all sorts of stuff...

SJ: Zorn must have been pretty well connected there...

DB: But he never bothered much about working there. He lived there, and he used it as a place
to write. He'd go out, as he always has done, just to play. It doesn't matter with whom, he'll just
go out to play for the night - he's done that as long as I've known him, since the late '70s. So
he'd be out with his saxophone doing something that might be quite unheralded...

SJ: Like playing with an authentic Japanese blues band...

DB: Right, he just went and sat in with them. I think he had a big influence over there - it had
a massive influence on him of course...He loves to talk Japanese. I was once with him and
Japanese woman, and he talked to her in Japanese and she would reply in English. I don't
know what she was trying to say, but it was kind of interesting...

SJ: So Zorn presumably put together the CD with Ruins there...

DB: No, that was in New York...I was working there and so were they, and Zorn says 'Come
to the studio tomorrow, I've got a surprise for you...'

SJ: Have you had any dealings with (guitarist Keiji) Haino?

DB: I met him once - a very pleasant guy, though he's not exactly what you'd call garrulous...
I was playing a concert in Switzerland with Will (Gaines) and he came to see us - he'd played
the night before...It was a great night for Will - there are times when he gets the scent of an
audience (if that's not too unpleasant an implication...) and 'art' audiences love entertainment -
Will has a much easier time playing for art audiences than in working men's clubs, they're a
soft touch for him - and the Swiss people were completely bowled over. He did a solo and
they didn't stop applauding, it was a sensational concert. But perhaps not what Haino had
expected... I'm not sure, but I get the impression the newer guys in Japan work in a very loose
way, which seems quite attractive to me. They all have regular groups, but it seems that they
play the field, which appears to be the most appropriate way to play (free improvised) music if
you're interested in it. I mean, I admire all the regular groups, but it seems to me that they're
'additional' to what's going on - the scene's vitality comes from its mix: not only the fact that
everybody's prepared to play with everybody, but the fact that some aren't prepared to play
with other people, and the fact that they're so different they can't play with each other (or at
least they think they can't). That seems to be something that the Japanese players have always
accepted - they don't bother about compatibility when they play, or they only do to a relatively
small extent. All the Japanese musicians I'm familiar with play the field - they'll do solo work,
maybe have a group and then they'll play with everybody...

SJ: Kondo's got that atrocious band...

DB: Well, maybe Kondo's not quite so central in the Japanese scene any more - he spent a
long time out of it as a male model. You could be on the street with him and people would
come up and ask for his autograph - not because of his trumpet playing but because they
recognised him from TV adverts! I once went to buy a camera - in fact I've bought two
cameras in Japan and both times I went with Kondo because he's fantastic at bargaining: you
almost feel as if it's not worth anything because he's got the price down so far! On this
occasion they gave us a whole bag of accessories just because he was Kondo! This was about
'87/'88 - I think he's gone back more to playing now, but he's always had an eye to more
mainstream activities...
1978, DUO AND TRIO IMPROVISATION, Kitty Music MKF 1034
(Japan) (LP) (released in 1978)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, acoustic guitar

Toshinori Kondo : trumpet, alto Horn
Kaoru Abe : alto sax
Mototeru Takagi : tenor sax, alto sax,
Motoharu Yoshizawa : bass
Toshiyuki Tuchitori : drums, percussion

1- Improvisation 21 09.23
Bailey / Yoshizawa /Tuchitori
2- Improvisation 22 02.28
Bailey / Kondo
3- Improvisation 23 12.04
Bailey / Abe / Takagi
4- Improvisation 24 08.00
Bailey / Tuchitori
5- Improvisation 27 06.16
Bailey / Yoshizawa / Tuchitori

Produced by Hideto Isoda

Recorded at Polydor 1st Studio (Tokyo, Japan), April 19th, 1978
Remixed at Polydor 2nd Studio (Tokyo, Japan), May 3rd, 1978
Recordiing and Remix Engineer : Akio Itoh
Supervised and Artist cordinated by Aquirax Aida
T he oldest recording of Kondo that I own. This is not for the faint of heart! The record
contains a registration of a live concert on Sax, Bass, Trumpet and Guitar. If anything
that I have heart is free improvisational jazz, than it is this recording! Sometimes it
seems as if they really try to completely ignore each other and all play on their own, without
any structure. I guess that it takes some time and energy to learn how to listen to this record,
let alone appreciate it!

Improvised Music from Japan

Leaving the Jazz Cafe
A Personal View Of Japanese Improvised Music in the 1970s
by Otomo Yoshihide

Jazz kissa

F or myself, the most stimulating music in the 1970s was without doubt the Japanese
free music of the time. Of course in Japan, as with the rest of the world, there was
only a small population of listeners to this type of music, and it was in the jazz cafes
of the provincial town of Fukushima, 300 kms north of Tokyo, that I first became acquainted
with it.

I was a high school student living in Fukushima in the mid-70s. Even for a high-schooler
then, the word 'jazz' had an old fashioned ring to it. It was the music that our parents had been
into, and we were mainly of a generation that listened to rock. Still, the 'jazz kissa' (1), a
phenomenon which probably existed only in Japan, was the ideal place to hang out and kill
time when cutting class.

2.5 by 6 metres space. That and a pair of huge JBL or Altec speakers, a couple hundred jazz
records and a bar counter were all that was necessary to open your basic jazz kissa. This was
also a place rich with the youth subculture of the day. Avant-garde jazz, manga, music and
culture magazines, notebooks filled with the opinions of young leftists, concerts every one or
two months, and 8 millimetre film shows. Younger frequenters like myself were after the
manga books. (2) There one could stay for hours to read a week's worth of manga over a
single cup of coffee, then costing about 250 yen (about one US dollar), and besides, it was a
lot more interesting than going to school. Youth subculture revolved around manga.

In the mid-1970s there were many young adults coming into the provincial cities from Tokyo,
disillusioned by their defeat in the college student uprisings. This was part of the reason why,
even in the smallest of such towns, there was always a jazz kissa. For those of us who were
raised in the small towns, the jazz kissa opened a window into the cultural scene in Tokyo.

The jazz kissa would often be run by an arty, interesting man or woman, who would play
records on their system all day long according to their own taste. In Fukushima, which then
had a population of 270 thousand, there were four jazz kissa, two of which were quite hard
core, playing music by Charlie Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, and sometimes Derek
Bailey or Evan Parker. These two were the ones I frequented. In time, I became a hard core
jazz fan in addition to being a hard core rock fan. Of the music that I heard, I was especially
drawn to Abe Kaoru and Takayanagi Masayuki.
Takayanagi "Jojo" Masayuki (3)

One of the representative guitarists of Japan, Takayanagi was the first to pursue non-
commercial forms of improvised jazz. I was especially stimulated by his commentaries which
I read in various jazz media. In his somewhat severe writing style, he would scrutinise jazz or
improvised music always from the vantage point of its relationship with society.

In the jazz boom of the early 1960s, Takayanagi was also the first to start independent, non-
commercialised workshops by musicians themselves (known by names such as the "Gin-
Paris sessions"). From these scenes rose some of the musicians who would later represent the
Japanese free jazz of the 1970s, such as Togashi Masahiko and Yamashita Yohsuke. However,
in the 70s Takayanagi parted ways from that free jazz movement and begin to pursue a style
of noise music improvisation unheard of elsewhere.

Takayanagi, who in the 50s to early 60s was a well-known cool jazz guitarist, by the 70s
became the guitarist who played the loudest volume and noisiest feedback in Japan. I doubt
that he had heard of AMM or Derek Bailey then, and he did not follow any rock style in his
performance. Contrasting with this method - which he himself termed "Mass Direction", he
had another style, called "Gradual Direction". This was a method that sheared off sounds, a
spatial style which was at times performed acoustically. And parallel to this, he had a Tristano-
style four-beat jazz guitar combo, and an orthodox free jazz guitar trio. This variety often
threw his audiences off. Too extreme for jazz fans, and too inconsistent for fans of free music.

Needless to say however, Takayanagi was indeed consistent throughout his life in his
dedication to an independent pursuit of self-expression against the background of society, and
the scrutinising of his own identity through improvisation. Apart from an appearance at the
Moers Jazz Festival in 1980, his performances were solely in small clubs in Tokyo before
small audiences. Up to his death in 1991 at the age of 58, he was a fighter who played the
most extreme music in Japan. His solo album of tape collage and prepared guitar, Action
Direct, echoes like a lone hammer in the midst of the economic thriving of Japan. I was
profoundly influenced by his music and attitude through the 70s and 80s, and his music
continues to be a father figure to me.

Abe Kaoru (4)

An independent film director by the name of Wakamatsu Kohji undertook a film based on the
lives of Abe Kaoru and his wife Suzuki Izumi, a popular writer. The film was released in 1995
and has been drawing much attention from young audiences. Sax player Abe Kaoru, who died
in 1978 of a drug overdose, and left behind many other legends, was a sole charismatic figure
in the world of Japanese free jazz. During his lifetime he released a mere 3 or 4 records, yet
there have been more than ten CDs released of his solo live performances posthumously. All
of these have sold well for free music recordings, and there are at least three books written
about him. Abe Kaoru continues to be a social phenomenon in the underground world after
his death.

The first gig that I ever paid to see was in fact Abe Kaoru, at a jazz kissa in Fukushima. I was
a high school student at the time, and his all-improvised performance on alto and soprano sax
was something beyond my comprehension. But his feedback noise performance using the
electric guitar that I happened to have that day was perhaps one of the things that led to my
starting free music myself. As a teenager watching his performance, I know I must have
thought, "I could do something like this".
This solo performance was recorded on video, and I have since had the opportunity once or
twice to see this private document. Seeing it from my own vantage today, the sax he played
seems to be a certain pure kind of punk, rather than free jazz or free improvisation.

Abe appeared on the scene in the late 60s, at the age of 20. In the 1970s he met Takayanagi
through one of the most aggressive and progressive music critics of that time, Aquilax Aida.
There remains a single document of their performances together, Kaitaiteki Kohkan, of which
only 300 were pressed. The improvisation by the two musicians on this record is much too
noisy and extreme to be called free improvisation.

While Takayanagi's purpose lay in honing his improvisational language upon a groundwork
of noise, born from his cool observations of society, Abe was concerned with the physicality
of the saxophone, and asserting himself as a social phenomenon in the midst of the socio-
political climate of the 1970s. This was, looking back on it now, similar to the charisma of
rock music or punk.

Alongside many opposing sects in the 1970s Tokyo free jazz scene, Abe eventually came to
fall out with Takayanagi, and until his death in 1978 he continued to live a life of solo
performances and habitual drugs. I myself cannot relate to his decadent lifestyle, but I can say
that his music was what planted the seeds of my later interest in punk and noise music.

From free jazz to non-category improvisation (mid-1970s)

What Takayanagi and Abe shared was an almost stoic negation of modern day society, and
their pure approach to improvisation. The other people of the free music scene in the 1970s
more or less shared this same attitude. It also widened the distances between the various sects
of that same scene.

In the mid-70s, which was around the time that I became interested in this movement, a second
generation of Japanese free music was being born, together with new styles of group
improvisation. That first generation - which included Takayanagi, Abe, Yamashita Yohsuke
(piano), Togashi Masahiko (percussion), Toyozumi Yoshisaburo (drums), Yoshizawa
Motoharu (5) (bass), Takagi Mototeru (sax), Oki Itaru (trumpet), Nakamura Tatsuya (drums),
Yamazaki Hiroshi (drums), Sato Masahiko (piano), Midorikawa Keiki (cello), Fujikawa
Yoshiaki (sax) - had deep jazz influences; but the second generation - groups such as Shudan
Sokai, New Jazz Syndicate and Seikatsu Kohjoh Iinkai - headed toward a more non-
categorical direction. From these groups emerged musicians such as Doctor Umezu (sax), and
Kondo Toshinori (trumpet).

From a completely different direction, the alternative rock scene of the late 1960s, which did
not share that free jazz parentage, came musicians such as Haino Keiji, who has built up an
utterly unique style of improvisation with loud guitar and voice. Also those with a background
in pop such as Sakamoto Ryuichi and Chino Shuichi (both keyboards), and Kosugi Takehisa
from the contemporary classical world. There have also been musicians for whom
improvisation itself was the very starting point, such as Takeda Kenichi (taisho-koto), Iijima
Akira (guitar), and Hirose Junji (sax). The input from these musicians helped to enrich the
vocabulary of the 1970s improvised music scene, which had previously relied largely on free
jazz.

By producing a solo album by Abe Kaoru and Yoshizawa Motoharu, organising concerts by
Milford Graves and Derek Bailey, writing about musicians such as Han Bennink and Evan
Parker in many magazines, and realizing the domestic release of Incus Records, the critic
Aquilax Aida worked to bring a wider audience to improvised music. Soejima Teruto, another
music critic, organised the first ever free music festival featuring most of the musicians of that
first generation, titled "Inspiration & Power"; recordings were later released as a double LP.
This critic also travelled across Japan with 8mm film documentation of the Moers Jazz
Festival, doing film shows at jazz kissa all over the country. The poet Shimizu Toshihiko
introduced and wrote criticisms on free music in various different media, in his trademark dry
writing style. His writings from 1960 to today have already been compiled into three books,
and this is the best of guides to free music currently available. (6)
These movements in Tokyo were observed by myself in fragments from various magazines,
8mm film shows, gigs and records in the jazz kissa of Fukushima. Between 1978 and 79, the
year two central figures of the scene, Abe Kaoru and Aquilax Aida died, I decided to move out
to Tokyo to become a musician like Takayanagi Masayuki. I was 19 years old. The age of
politics and subculture came to an end, and Tokyo entered an age of great economic wealth in
which all subculture attempted to flow into the mainstream. Entering the 1980s, the jazz kissa
drastically diminished, and myself, a free jazz youth from the provinces, lost my sense of
direction amidst this change. This sense of loss eventually turned me in a direction toward a
new and different kind of improvisation. I will talk about this some other time.

NOTES :

1. 'Kissa' - cafe in Japanese.

2. 'Manga' - comics. By the late 60s manga were an influential media among youth in Japan,
especially avant-garde manga such as Taro.

3. Takayanagi "Jojo" Masayuki (1932 - 1991). Of noteworthy works, the following are
currently available on CD:
* Takayanagi Masayuki New Direction 1970, Call In Question, PSF Records PFSD
41. Earliest free style live performance.

* Masayuki Takayanagi New Direction Unit, April Is The Cruellest Month, Kojima
Recordings AR1. Studio recording from 1975.

* Masayuki Takayanagi, Lonely Woman. Single-note solo jazz guitar, recorded in

1982, playing tunes from Tristano to Ornette Coleman.

* Angry Waves, 850113 Aketa's Disc. Live performance from 1985. Free jazz concept
guitar trio.

* Masayuki Takayanagi Action Direct, Inanimate Nature, Jinya Disk LMCD 1168. One of
his last recordings (1990) of noise solo live performance on tapes and guitar.

4. Abe Kaoru (1949 - 1978). Currently available:

* Abe Kaoru solo, Mata No Hi No Yume Monogatari, PSF Records PSF 40. Solo
performance from 1972.

* Derek Bailey, Duo And Trio Improvisation, DIW 358. 1978 collaboration with Derek
Bailey. Also with Yoshizawa Motoharu, Kondo Toshinori, Takagi Mototeru, Tsuchitori
Tomoyuki.

* Kaoru Abe, Last Date 8.28.1978, DIW 335. Abe's last solo performance.
5. Yoshizawa's solo bass improvisation record was recently re-released on CD.
* Yoshizawa Motoharu, Wareta Kagami Matawa Kaseki No Tori, PSF 55. Yoshizawa was
the first bass improviser in Japan, and has been active since 1969 alongside Takayanagi's New
Direction, Abe Kaoru, Yamashita Yohsuke, Kosugi Masahiko and Togashi Masahiko. While
many of this first generation have died, or for practical reasons have stopped playing free
music, or have sought protection within the small shelter of jazz, Yoshizawa is one of the few
figures who continues to openly collaborate in free improvisation with various musicians to
this day. He is 63 years old.

6. Other recordings of early free improvisation in Japan currently available on CD:

* Oki Itaru Trio, Satsujin Kyoshitsu, Mobys 0013. Produced by Soejima Teruto in
1969, one of the first albums of Japanese free jazz. Oki Itaru (tp), Midorikawa Keiki (b, p),
Tanaka Nozomi (dr, perc).

* Fushitsusha, Tamashi No Jyunai, Purple Trap 001-4. An important documentaion of

Haino Keiji's home recordings from 1969-72, and live performances from 1971 and 73.

* Yamashita Yohsuke Trio, Dancing Kojiki, Teirenkessha DANC 3. Earliest of the

Yamashita Trio. Document of a 1969 performance taking place inside the barricades of a
student demonstration.
Resonance, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1995: Special Japanese Issue
English Translation by Ito Haruna
Last updated: June 11, 2003

l guitarrista británico Derek Bailey cumplió hace poco tiempo los 73 años. Edad

E técnicamente suficiente para dedicarse al jardín, a la lectura y a los nietos. Pero para
Bailey no existe mejor pasatiempo que la internación en los laberintos de la libre
exploración musical. Un paseo que puede tener consecuencias dramáticas y desenlaces sin
vuelta atrás.

Duo & Trio improvisations + 4 es una obra fechada en este extraño 2003 y editada con
soporte japonés. El septuagenario solista aún sigue siendo el patriarca en la deconstrucción de
los estándares de aproximación a la guitarra. En otras palabras: Bailey mantiene su título de
principal figura histórica en la improvisación libre y el free jazz con respecto a este
instrumento, maestro y padre de Keith Rowe, Fred Frith y todos los demás. Así queda
expuesto en estas sesiones improvisativas y liberadas, donde Bailey, magullado por la
acumulación de tendinitis y un cuerpo algo cansado, mantiene el espíritu en alto como en sus
años mozos.

Dentro de la exploración sonora, Duo & Trio Improvisations + 4, presenta una serie de
convencionalismos muy precisos. De seguro si Bailey hubiera tenido la libertad de dejar en
blanco la cubierta del álbum y eximirse de indicaciones, lo hubiera hecho. Para él la música no
convencional habla por sí sola. Por eso el título de esta placa describe lo que ocurre dentro:
improvisaciones a dúo (con el trompetista Toshinori Kondo y luego con el baterista Toshi
Tsuchitori), a trío (intercalando ensambles con Kondo, Tsuchitori, y los saxofonistas Kaoru
Abe y Motoharu Yoshizawa), y finalmente hecatombes colectivas con todos estos solistas
japoneses involucrados. Los títulos de las piezas llevan simplemente el nombre de
‘Improvisation’, seguido de un número correspondiente al catálogo interno Bailey.

Por Íñigo Díaz

1978, AIDA'S CALL, STAR 09. Starlight Furniture (USA) (CD)
(released in 1999)

Kaoru Abe : alto saxophone

Motoharu Yoshizawa : bass
Toshinori Kondo : trumpet
Derek Bailey :electric guitar

1- Administratio 23.41
2- The man from S.L.A.P.P.Y. 09.47
3- Spear-core 06.27

Recorded live at Michada-Kavalinka on 3 May 1978.

Starlight Furniture Company discs distributed by Revolver USA, 2525 16th Street Third
Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.

Date: 1/18/99 ***Very limited CD from free music's premier asskicker Bailey, who is joined
by three of Japan's most enigmatic and respected improvisationists. Recorded in 1978.

R ecorded live in 1978: Kaoru Abe (sax), Motoharu Yoshizawa (bass), Toshinoro
Kondo (trumpet) & Derek Bailey (guitar). "In the late 70s, Bailey met Aquirax Aida,
"a kind of svengali figure,' through whom almost 'everybody on the Japanese free
music scene seemed to work...he even house some of the musicians and supplied them with
whatever they found necessary.' Through Aida, Bailey toured and recorded in Japan in 1978
with various EEU sessions, permutations and extensions with these and other Japanese free
musicians."
T he same year Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks hit the charts with "Whenever I Call
You Friend," Derek Bailey, already an established force on the improvised-music
scene, brought his sprawling free-form guitar playing to Japan. There he hooked up
with three of that country's finer free-music advocates: saxophonist Kaoru Abe, bassist
Motoharu Yoshizawa and trumpet player Toshinori Kondo. Aida's Call, an unedited live
performance released just this year, finally reveals the beauty of this great collaboration.
Bailey's droning, non-linear electric-guitar sound shimmers as if underwater and weaves
between the more organic free jazz of his Japanese accompanists. The ensemble plays with a
great deal of thoughtful restraint, using quick, skittish, non-melodic motifs. When the
musicians finally give in to their improvisational urges and go for the spastic and visceral
explosion, the result is overwhelming.

Fast forward to 1999. Kenny Loggins hasn't had a significant hit since "Danger Zone."
Bailey, on the other hand, is still an active force in the world of free music, as his many solo
records have made clear. But the peculiar Playbacks clearly testifies to Bailey's continuing
ability to function as a part of a group project. It's a collection of long-distance collaborations
between Bailey and 12 contributors; Henry Kaiser, Bundy K. Brown, John Oswald and others
submitted "rhythm" tracks for Bailey to play guitar over. His sputtering guitar wails in
miraculous tandem with tracks that range from electronica-based jungle beats (Darryl Moore's
submission) to spacious, pulsed guitar (that of Loren MazzaCane Connors). Though
overdubbing onto prerecorded submissions may not be the standard mode of ensemble
playing, Bailey's inspired approach to the project turned out a set of musical interactions that
sound just as focused and inspired as Aida's Call, the live performance of more than two
decades ago.

Jeff Fuccillo

T he oldest recording of Kondo that I own. This is not for the faint of heart! The record
contains a registration of a live concert on Sax, Bass, Trumpet and Guitar. If anything
that I have heart is free improvisational jazz, than it is this recording! Sometimes it
seems as if they really try to completely ignore each other and all play on their own, without
any structure. I guess that it takes some time and energy to learn how to listen to this record,
let alone appreciate it!
 hile any spit, scrap or belch-on-cassette from Derek Bailey's 1978 Japanese tour is

W more than welcome around these parts - at the very worst at least I can sleep tight
knowing my 'archives' are as pathetically full as possible - it's gotta be said that
this scrappy recording is a dud. Released by Starlight Furniture Co. with zero information in a
gross, blurry purple sleeve, it looks and sounds worse than a bootleg. Toshinori Kondo, never
the most subtle of players, dominates the ensemble playing, rasping, running and breathing
into every silent crack while Abe himself seems completely at a loss as to where to go next -
too often falling back on some pretty uninspiring upper register squeals. Bailey and
Yoshizawa sound good together and at points the fidelity actually works to their advantage
with the bottom-end muddied enough to occasionally morph their movements into one.
Bailey's playing is pretty remarkable when he's given space - more robust chords and string-
picking than usual - but his arcing feedback, playing off Abe's meanderings, just sounds lazy.
All four are fantastic, idiosyncratic voices on their own instruments but none of them (except
perhaps Yoshizawa) are great team players - here they just sound self-conscious and
awkward. -David Keenan
1978, DEREK BAILEY 78 5 3 Live At Machida Kalavinka (Japan)
(cassette)

Kaoru Abe : alto saxophone

Motoharu Yoshizawa : bass
Toshinori Kondo : trumpet
Derek Bailey :electric guitar

Derek Bailey: 78 5 3 Live At Machida Kalavinka cassette.

This is a very rare, independently released cassette only release by legendary avant garde guitar
player, the UK's Derek Bailey. Here he is accompanied by three Japanese underground jazz
musicians, recording this inspired set on March 5, 1978. Derek was selling this cassette at his
shows in the early '90s. High quality chrome TDK cassette with a nice j-card. A must for Bailey
heads!

Is it March 5 or May 3 as it seems to be for Aida’s Call ?

1978, SOLO GUITAR VOLUME 1, Incus 2R (UK) (LP) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : solo electric and acoustic guitar, VCS3 synth

1- Improvisation 3 02.41
2- Improvisation 8 04.19
3- Improvisation 9 01.52
4- Improvisation 10 03.04
5- Improvisation 11 02.16
6- Improvisation 12 03.46
7- Where is the police ? [Misha Mengelberg] 08.25
8- Christiani Eddy [Willem Breuker] 05.50
9- The squirrel and the ricketty-racketty bridge [Gavin Bryars] 06.31

Derek Bailey plays electric guitar plus VCS3 synthesizer on Where is the police?; on
Christiani Eddy he plays electric guitar unamplified and on The squirrel and the ricketty-
racketty bridge he plays two acoustic guitars at the same time (not double-tracked). The
improvisations are on electric guitar.

Recorded February 1971; equipment and recording Hugh Davies and Bob Woolford.

Front cover photograph by Christine Jeffrey.

Incus 2 sleevenotes :

M aking a record is an anomalous action for somebody interested in improvisation as

I am... There are two reasons which perhaps justify it - it is a sort of example of
what you are up to and maybe it facilitates getting a few gigs... As long as it is
fairly representative of what you're concerned with, wheter it is a strikingly succesful
improvisation or not doesn't seem to me that important... I have these two interests - the
instrument and improvisation - and the aim is to make them as complimentary as possible... I
couldn't see any point in presenting more than 20 minutes of improvisation and, because this
record is largely a try at getting down some sort of view of the guitar, it seemed a good idea to
get some other views of the guitar for the other side... I thought it would be interesting to ask
three people to write pieces for me to play and to see what they would do... If I had been
writing for the guitar, I wouldn't have written anything like these three... The pieces largely
dictate how the music is going to sound... My contribution is just how well or badly I play
them.

Derek Bailey, 1971.

Incus 2R sleevenote

T he above note, which appeared with the 1971 issue of this record, still applies, I think.
Some of the music, however, has been changed. The improvisations on side one of
that issue (4, 5, 6 and 7) are replaced now by other improvisations recorded at the
same time (3, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12). Side two is unchanged. As everyone knows, compositions
are forever.

Derek Bailey, 1978.

1978?, SOLO GUITAR VOLUME 1, Victor VIP-6590 (Japan) (LP)
(revised)

Derek Bailey : solo electric and acoustic guitars, VCS3 synth

1- Improvisation 4 02.02
2- Improvisation 5 07.43
3- Improvisation 6 05.29
4- Improvisation 7 03.10
5- Where is the police ? [Misha Mengelberg] 08.25
6- Christiani Eddy [Willem Breuker] 05.50
7- The squirrel and the ricketty-racketty bridge [Gavin Bryars] 06.31

Derek Bailey plays electric guitar plus VCS3 synthesizer on Where is the police?; on
Christiani Eddy he plays electric guitar unamplified and on The squirrel and the ricketty-
racketty bridge he plays two acoustic guitars at the same time (not double-tracked). The
improvisations are on electric guitar.

Recorded February 1971; equipment and recording Hugh Davies and Bob Woolford.

Improvisations 4, 5, 6, and 7 and the three compositions were previously released on Incus LP
2 in 1971. In 1978 the record was re-released as Incus 2R with the improvisations replaced by
Improvisations 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Incus CD10 brings all the material from the two LPs
together.

Front cover photograph by Christine Jeffrey.

1978, The Musicians The Instruments, Peter Riley. Poem sequence. 36 pp.

A sequence that reflects this poet’s longstanding interest in improvised or ‘free’ music. The
starting point was ‘Company Week’, a week of musical events at the ICA in 1977. But while
the music, and the musicians, are a source to the book, it is not to be thought of solely as a
book ‘about’ music.

April 2006-04-07

Available from :

Nate Dorward
109 Hounslow Ave.
Willowdale, ON
M2N 2B1
Canada

As :

Six Poets: Views & Interviews (The Gig Documents #2). 64pp, 8.5" x 11", staplebound. 0-
9685294-1-0.

$10 Cdn / $8 US (includes airmail within North America)

£6 / €9 (includes airmail overseas)
Six Poets: Views & Interviews 11/12/06 10:05

Home | Music Reviews | The Gig/Poet

Gig/Poetry | Nate
ate’s
s Blog | Contact

SIX POETS:
VIEWS & INTERVIEWS
(The Gig Documents 2)
This is the second volume of The Gig’s poetics series. This
volume contains a reprint of the only substantial published
interview with Barry MacSweeney, talks by Trevor Joyce and
Richard Caddel , interviews with Ralph Hawkins and Lissa
Wolsak, and the complete, revised text of Peter Riley’s The
Musicians, The Instruments, a poetic response to Derek Bailey’s
Company Week, 1977. The Gig 18 (May 2005)
The Gig 17 (October 2004)
Allen Fisher, Entanglement
The Fly on the Page
Onsets: A Breviary (Synopticon?)
CONTENTS of Poems 13 Lines or Under
Peter Larkin, three chapbooks
Barry MacSweeney Interviewed by Eric
Mottram
Ian Davidson Ralph Hawkins: An The Gig 1 / 2 / 3
Introduction The Poetry of Peter Riley (The
Gig 4/5)
Ralph Hawkins Interviewed by Ian The Gig 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 1 0 / 1 1 /
Davidson 12
Selected Removed for Further Study: The
publications Poetry of Tom Raworth (The Gig
13/14)
Selected recent The Gig 15 / 1 6 / 1 7 / 1 8
writing Maggie O’Sullivan, Palace of
Reptiles
Lissa Wolsak Interviewed by Pete Six Poets: Views & Interviews
Smith
Richard Caddel Writing Rigmaroles
Rigmarole: The
Dogs of Vilnius J. H. Prynne Checklist
Reviews and articles
Trevor Joyce The Point of
Innovation in Poetry
Peter Riley The Musicians, The
Instruments

PRICES

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$10 Cdn / $8 US (includes airmail within North America)

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All site contents © Nate Dorward 1998-2004, unless otherwise stated.

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the site is available here.
1979, TIME, Incus 34 (UK) (CD) (released in 1979)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Tony Coe : clarinet in C

1- Kuru 02.23
2- Sugu 01.25
3- Itsu 03.01
4- Koko 02.18
5- Ima 02.04
6- Sarinu 02.13
7- Omoidasu 06.04
8- Chiku 04.03
9- Taku 04.33
10- Toki 13.20

Recorded at Riverside Studios London on 23-24 April 1979.

Cover design by Nicolette Amette.

C hristmas Day was a little sadder this year as it marked the passing of legendary
British guitarist Derek Bailey. To call him an innovator seems like faint praise; just
as Charlie Christian adapted and defined traditional jazz music for the guitar, so did Bailey
with avant-garde improvisation, creating a language that thwarted cliche and expectation at
every turn. Bailey once remarked that he wished to avoid playing in the key of C major at
all costs, and most of his music avoids any traditional Western tonality whatsoever. In his
hands, the guitar became more of a percussion instrument (which is really what it has
always been... only by striking the strings can a sound be produced); his music was full of
arhythmic slashes, biting clusters, and searing harmonics, and, as with most freely
improvised music, it seemed to ask more questions than it answered.

Time was released on the British improv label Incus and features ten duets with British
hornman Tony Coe (ironically enough, listed in the credits as playing "Clarinet in C"). I
was amazed to find this in a box at Loyalist City Coin & Collectibles right here in Saint
John for something like four or five dollars; Incus albums are rare enough in Britain, let
alone Canada. Sonically, the pieces have more in common with twelve-tone serialism or
Oriental music than with most people's idea of jazz, yet the music swings in its own way.
Coe's clarinet soars in and around Bailey's acoustic guitar like a fly pestering a cranky tiger,
with Bailey swatting back with choppy chord clusters and skittering single-note lines.

Bailey was not a big fan of recording; he believed that improvisation depended on the
moment in which it was produced, and that to make a document of it to be listened to later
was somewhat foolish and contradictory to the nature of "free" music. Luckily, he left
behind a massive discography for those of us who were not lucky enough to hear him
perform live (myself included). If you've never heard him, go here to listen to a three-hour
tribute to Bailey's legacy (courtesy of John Allen at WFMU) and introduce yourself to a
truly original artist.

posted by Peter MacDonald January 1, 2006. 12:43 AM

1979, IDYLLE UND KATASTROPHEN, Po Torch Records PTR/JWD 6
(Germany) (LP) (released in 1980 only on LP)

Sven-Åke Johansson & Alexander von Schlippenbach

Sven-Åke Johansson : voice, accordion, percussion
Alexander von Schlippenbach : piano, drahtklavier, celeste
Maarten Altena : double bass, cello
Derek Bailey : guitar, voice
Günter Christmann : trombone
Wolfgang Fuchs : sopranino saxophone, bass clarinet
Paul Lovens : percussion, singing saw, zither
Candace Natvig : violin, voice

1- a) Der schornsteinfeger; b) Im taubenschlag; c) Entfernungen 11.35

2- Paul solo 01.35
3- Bonbonbäcker asturiet 02.53
4- Ensemble I 02.25
5- Maarten solo 01.15
6- Fichtengrün und tannengrün 06.33
7- Zum teil mit filz 04.15
8- Der westwind 02.38
9- Derek solo 02.10
10- Das lied von der äffin 03.05
11- Candace solo 01.12
12- Derek + Paul 02.04
13- Günter solo 01.35
14- Ensemble II 03.28
15- Trio [DB/S-ÅJ/CN] 02.30
16- Bugsierschiff 03.00

Recorded on 26 November 1979 at Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hamburg.

Cover drawing by Marina Kern.
1979, THE CRUST, Victor, VIP 6635 (Japan) (LP) (re-issue)

Steve Lacy: leader, soprano saxophone

Steve Potts: alto, soprano saxophones
Derek Bailey: guitar
Kent Carter: bass
John Stevens: percussion

1- The 10:00
2- 38 13:00
3- The Owl 06:20
4- A Bit Of The Dumps 03:30
5- Flakes 07:40
6- Revolutionary Suicide 03:45

Recorded live on July 30, 1973 at the 100 Club, London (U.K.) by Martin Davidson.

Producers: Mandy & Martin Davidson.

Cover art: René Guiffrey.

1979, DOMESTIC AND PUBLIC PIECES: SOLO GUITAR
IMPROVISATIONS 1975-76, Quark 9999 (LP) (US)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and prepared guitars, amplified guitar

PUBLIC PIECES :
1- First 02.29
2- Second 08.45
3- Third 06.12
4- Fourth 01.28
5- Seventh 02.20

Recorded by Martin Davidson at ICA Cinema,

London, 22 May 1975.

DOMESTIC PIECES :
6- Kew 02.50
7- Unity Theatre 02.57
8- Roots 02.13
9- Queue 07.13
10- Cue 04.36

Recorded in Islington home by D.B., January 1976.

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

I use the guitar normally. It's tuned normally. I work on, sort of, certain pitch relationships,
when I use pitch. I work from a practical point of view. That is, the music to be acceptable as
far as I'm concerned, has to work in my terms. That is it has to sound right. I don't have any
sort of huge abstract theories into which I try and make the music fit regardless of this other
aspect of playing - if it sounds good when you're performing, then that's the main thing. It's got to
be immediate - that type of thing. That I think is a very conventional way of approaching music
for a performer. I don't use a lot of conventional techniques on the guitar.
But then, I'm not interested to play in the areas those techniques were developed to serve. It
wouldn't be any good for my purposes to do a sort of imitation of Charlie Christian or something.
People can refer to that, say, as conventional guitar playing. But it isn't. It's conventional jazz
guitar playing of a certain period. To certain people, the only way to play a guitar is in a flamenco
style, which I think is quite beautiful, incidentally. These are taken to be sort of standard
conventional techniques - but, actually, they're techniques that serve certain purposes.

DEREK BAILEY (1972)

1979, Music Gallery Toronto POSTER for International Festival of
Improvising Musicians.

V/A - Music Gallery Toronto POSTER for International Festival of Improvising Musicians -
CCMC / Derek Bailey / Maarten Altena / Glass Orchestra / Al Neil / Peter Cusack / Vincent
Dionne / Trans / Jemeel Moondoc Quartet / N.A.M.E. with Gunter Christmann (11"x17"
poster, Cdn promo) 1979 Music Gallery condition: VG++ to M- (ticket price only $4.00!
NOTE ON CONDITION: one light crease at center)
1979, MUSICWORKS, Issue #9, Fall 1979

Articles :

R. Murray Schafer on Ten Centuries Concerts: a recollection

Lou Harrison, an extensive interview

Ingemar von Heigne of the World Soundscape Project

Memories for Larry Dubin., by John Oughton

Music, and Things… by Don Druick

Wavemakers by Michael Brook

Derek Bailey in interview

Interview with Al Neil, by Howard Broomfield

The New Music Co-op, a Brief History

David Keane Tours Europe

Photo Essay by Vid Ingelevics

Reviews :

Quoi de Neuf, by Ted Dawson

Derek Bailey in Toronto

1980, VIEWS FROM 6 WINDOWS, Metalanguage ML 114 (UK) (LP)
(released in 1981)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar, ukelele

Christine Jeffrey : voice

1- Here today
2- One old one
3- Nothing lasts like the makeshift
4- One young one
5- Two part pier
6- For a day or a stay
7- Adrienne
8- What now?

Recorded in January and February 1980 in London.

Jacket design by Mary Frank.

Original Metalanguage Records insert with other artists' releases included.

View From Six Windows '82 on Metalanguage was nominated for a Grammy.
S uper rare release from experimental British guitarist Derek Bailey. You won't find
another guitarist who plays like this and you'll not find this Berkeley-based
Metalanguage Records LP for sale anytime soon. Vinyl is flawless and in shiny like-
new condition without a mark. Cover has some light markings but is solid with no creases or
bends.

VIEWS FROM 6 WINDOWS, Metalanguage ML 114

Derek Bailey & The Isolation Effect

Patrick Buzby
2002-12-22

D erek Bailey, a British guitarist, is a intriguing case. I have been delving into his work
recently both because I own a few of his recording and because he wrote a book
about the history and practice of improvisation, an insightful, short work featuring (in
the second edition, released around 1993 and stubbornly elusive to me at this time) Jerry
Garcia as one of its interview subjects.

One of the recordings I own is The Sign Of Four (Knitting Factory Works), a 3-CD set of
live and studio improvisations teaming Bailey with fellow guitarist Pat Metheny and
drummers Paul Wertico and Gregg Bendian. Although not the sort of thing I (or most others)
would put on while unwinding after a day at the office, these CDs got my attention particularly
for the contrast between Metheny and Bailey. Metheny, though using a much shriller tone
than his usual, still seems to be dealing in melodies and musical phrases while Bailey seems to
be offering primarily *sounds*. This isn't meant as a negative criticism of either of them, but
it did point to an approach of Bailey's worth examining further.

Reading Bailey's book and a few interviews, I got some sense of his story. His progress in
music (which he began circa the 50's) has led him to reject both notated music and, apparently,
most of the instincts of conventional musicmaking. However, one thing he encourages is
collaboration - the idea of putting his approach with, or against, those of other artists to
determine the results. He is part of the field of what us music writers call European free
improvisation, a school which tends to harken back to modern classical (if to anything at all)
rather than the blues, the source of most jazz and rock.

Armed with this information, I dug up one 1981 LP of his, Views From Six Windows
(Metalanguage), a collaboration with vocalist Christine Jeffrey, at the downtown Chicago
library. Unlike Sign Of Four, this set features Bailey on *acoustic* guitar, not a common
instrument for avant music. Shortly after getting this record, it started to seem like a good
candidate for the isolation effect, something I have attempted to pursue for the benefit of my
listening abilities (and this column) recently with occasional success.

A bit about the isolation effect: for the bootleg collectors out there, remember getting your first
set of tapes or CDs? If you were like me, you listened intently to each, and didn't consider the
possibility that the Dead played five better versions of China/Rider than at Chapel Hill '93, and
that everyone else has that show as a SBD, anyway. I tried listening to this Bailey/Jeffrey set
with that same intensity, playing almost nothing else for two or three nights, as I have with
some other strange stuff.

To be honest, listening to Bailey can be a bit like tuning your radio somewhere in between
stations and trying to enjoy it, but that's not as negative as it may seem. One may just get
static, or uncover alien frequencies with their own interest. Views From Six Windows consist
mostly of Bailey plucking and scraping while Jeffrey (somewhat more pattern-oriented and
reactive than her partner, but not by much) makes high-pitched vocal coos and moans, and it's
all very quiet, with enough silence that I needed to look at the LP to determine where the cuts
(five on side one, three on side two) began and ended.

And yet, oddly enough, some order did begin to emerge as I reached side two. On the second
cut, "Adrienne," Jeffrey actually does offer a repeating motive, a series of high notes both
girlish and ominous. And on the extended finale, Bailey somehow manages to produce
sustained drones from the acoustic guitar over which Jeffrey laments, absorbingly enough that
I was actually jolted when the side ended. The cover of this set shows a set of windows, and
listening to it feels a bit like eavesdropping on a couple, observing their strange personal
rituals and realizing that one's own practices may be equally odd to an outside observer.

To my knowledge, Views From Six Windows is not on CD and may not be easy to find. (I
believe Metalanguage issued a few similar LPs around that time before its owners retired to
Florida with the profits.) However, if interested, choose your own candidate for the isolation
effect, with Bailey or someone else with equal depth. I would enjoy knowing of the results,
and may try the experiment again myself when my schedule permits.
1980, FABLES, Incus 36 (UK) (LP) (released in 1981 ?)

Company :
Dave Holland : bass
George Lewis : trombone
Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones
Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

1- ATG 4 05.00
2- ATG 6 06.43
3- ATG 3 09.32
4- ATG 13 07.48
5- ATG 2 05.10
6- ATG 9 10.00

Recorded at the Art Workers Guild, London, on 17 and 18 May 1980; recording engineer
Adam Skeeping.

Cover design by Jamie Muir.

1980, MUSIC AND DANCE, no label, (Cassette) (released in 1980)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar

Min Tanaka : dance

1- Rain dance 27.35

2- Saturday dance 26.12

Recorded live at La Forge, Paris; first track on 4 July 1980; second track on 6 July 1980.

This was originally recorded on July 4th and 6th 1980 at LaForgue, Paris, France.

It was originally released on a privately issued cassette in a limited edition of 200 pieces.

The tape was cleaned up using the best TripleDAT system, which was no easy task since the
closest we could get to the master was an original cassette!

Photographs by Arnold Gröshel; design by Jeff Hunt.

R ain Dance is the work of a remarkable ensemble: Bailey's ringing tones, Tanaka's
percussive movements, rumbling thunder, a downpour, and the patter of rain dripping
from a leaky roof. "Saturday Dance" chimes and burns; a concentrated assault
equaling the incendiary "Incus Taps."
L egendary guitarist Derek Bailey has plied his wholly original brand of free
improvisation for over three decades. these live recordings of Bailey's 1980
'accompaniment' to japanese dancer Min Tanaka, previously available only on a
privately-released cassette, amply document Bailey's command of a highly individualized
atonal language. "rain dance" is the work of a remarkable ensemble: Bailey's ringing tones,
Tanaka's percussive movements, rumbling thunder, a downpour, and the patter of rain dripping
from a leaky roof. "Saturday Dance" chimes and burns; a concentrated assault equaling the
incendiary "Incus Taps."

Min Tanaka

B orn in 1945, Min Tanaka grew up in suburban Tokyo, where he studied modern
dance and performed in several productions. In the early 1970s, he began to create
original dance works exploring the meaning of the body and movement through
improvisation. In an attempt to free the body from functionalism and conventional aesthetics,
his dances were often nude, taking place in urban as well as natural settings. In 1985, Tanaka
founded Body Weather Farm, a cooperative environment for dancers and artists who raise
crops and animals, exploring the origins of dance through farming life. As Kazue Kobata
wrote, "Becoming alert, sensitised, and transmigrating through the history of life as a whole in
this very existence is what [Tanaka] tries to achieve through dance." His "lifetime contract"
offers the opportunity to witness the constantly evolving forms and emotions in his dance over
time.

Between 1982 and 1986, he worked closely with Tatsumi Hijikata, founder and powerful
guiding spirit of Butoh, the contemporary dance tradition which originated in post-WWII
Japan. Butoh derives its power from the individual dancer in a mental and physical sense,
relying not on a set choreography, but rather on individual improvisation and on the directing
of energy from his surroundings to the audience. Tanaka continues to be active in
collaborating with visual artists, musicians, opera companies, theatre and dance troupes in
Japan and internationally.
1980, PISA 1980: IMPROVISORS' SYMPOSIUM, Incus 37 (UK) (LP)
(released in 1981)

Evan Parker, George Lewis, Derek Bailey, Maarten Altena, Barry Guy, Paul Lovens, Paul
Lytton, Paul Rutherford, Phil Wachsmann, Giancarlo Schiaffini

1- Pisa wind duet 1 05.32

Evan Parker : tenor saxophone

George Lewis : trombone

2- Pisa wind duet 2 09.40

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone

George Lewis : trombone

3- Pisa string duet 10.18

Derek Bailey : guitar

Maarten Altena : double bass

All above tracks recorded in the Giardino Scotto open-air theatre, 26, 27, 28 June 1980.
4- San Zeno Quintet 12.04

Barry Guy : double bass

Paul Lovens : percussion
Paul Lytton : percussion and live electronics
Evan Parker : saxophones
Phil Wachsmann : violin and electronics

5- Pisa Quintet 11.27

Maarten Altena : double bass

Barry Guy : double bass
George Lewis : trombone
Paul Rutherford : tromboneGiancarlo Schiaffini, trombone

Above tracks recorded in San Zeno Abbey, 26, 27, 28 June 1980.

Cover photographs by Roberto Masotti, Gerard Rouy.

T his record collects a selection of the tapes recorded during the Improvisors'
Symposium project directed by Evan Parker for the 5 Rassegna Internazionale del
Jazz di Pisa. The Rassegna Internazionale del Jazz di Pisa is organized yearly in Pisa
by the Center for Research into Improvised Music (CRIM). The record production was made
possible by the financial assistance of the Town Council of Pisa.
1980, AIDA, Incus 40A (UK) (LP) (released in 1982)

Derek Bailey : solo acoustic guitar

1- Paris 19.00
2- Niigata snow 06.00
3- An echo in another's mind 14.00

Track 1 recorded at 'Dunois' Paris on 4 July 1980 by Jean-Marc Foussat.

Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at the ICA London on 3 August 1980 by Adam Skeaping.
Dedicated to the memory of Aida Akira 1946-1978.
Published first as a regular LP on Incus and also available in an autographed white cardboard
sleeve from Incus. Issued as a CD on Dexter's Cigar - DEX 05 in 1994 and re-issued in 2004
on Dexter’s Cigar.

I n terms of most desirable Incus back catalogue that I don’t / didn’t think I will / would
ever get the chance to hear, this is / was right up there with Royal Volume 1, Iskra 1903
and Solo Improvisations - Lot 74 for salivatory anticipation. Performed / recorded July-
August 1980, this captures Derek at incredible true peak sleight-of-hand form over three
vertiginous pieces, two long and one short: ‘An Echo In Another’s Mind’ and ‘Niigata
Snow’ proffer teaser melodies before twisting away into wild flight and harsh fits of violent,
splenetic hacking, and ‘Paris’ displays this titan’s crisp, articulate finger-rake and air-slicing,
spine-curling, blood-drawing digit-scratch in all its elusive brilliance - when its end is
prematurely brought on by the bleeping alarm of an audience member’s digital watch, it’s
enough to make you want to ban time.
Nick
 magine a music free of the constraints of time. Locked in the endless present, it has no

I recollection of its past or premonitions of its future. With no allegiance to the weight of
history, the sounds freeze and fold on themselves in a ceaseless exploration of the
instant. Freedom from the future renders the music unwaveringly bold and separate from the
fear of consequence. The need to establish artificial structures or carve narrative from acoustic
phenomena crumbles under the calculation of the moment’s countless fluctuations. Sound
becomes both fearless and fragile, as strident and organic as it is fleeting and impermanent.

For more than thirty years, Derek Bailey and his guitar have pursued a new language that
would realize the possibilities of such a liberated music. His efforts to erase the boundaries of
musical history have resulted in an alien sound completely unlike his predecessors and wholly
his own – a tapestry of shattered glass harmonics, string snaps, feedback whistle, and crab-like
arpeggiations. In a group context, Bailey’s splinters and abrasions serve to disrupt any
tendency for repetition or stasis and to act as a catalyst for true spontaneity. When left to his
own devices as a soloist, Bailey revels in the liberties suggested by his idealized vision of
music. These solo performances trace tangents unbounded by the will of the group and face
no limitations but Bailey’s seemingly endless imagination and invention. Recorded in 1980
and re-issued by Dexter’s Cigar in 1996, Aida represents some of the finest solo
performances in the Derek Bailey catalog and in free improvisation in general. Its sound-
world is as uncompromising, confrontational, and consistently beautiful as the principles on
which it was founded.

To describe the tracks in a narrative sense is futile and doomed by the music’s very
definitions. Instead, the listener is flooded with a stream of impressions and half-memories.
Opening track “Paris” pits leaping motives against dissonant harmonic flourishes and
scratched chords. The acoustic guitar becomes an orchestra of disconnected instruments
fluttering through every imaginable pitch range with a paradoxical mix of effortless technique
and reckless abandon.

Complex rhythmic stutters coalesce into a logic all their own, forming a delicate balance of
gentle and jarring interactions atop a shifting foundation of micro-pulses. At times, the music
is sparse and almost unbearably tense, as if it could disintegrate at the slightest touch or
dissolve into the thinnest air. At others, it is a scramble of impossibly high scratches and
thudding percussive rumbles as dense and impenetrable as the softer moments are transparent.
No reason but the non-reason of spontaneity dictates the inclusion of the gentle or the harsh;
every sound hangs in the air as its own entity, unhindered by time and untouched by pressures
of context and development.

At once delicate and sturdy as the thinnest silver wire, “Niigata Snow” stretches seven
minutes into a still eternity. A cloud of harmonics breaks the opening silence to evoke the
snow suggested by the title – only each tiny snowflake is graced with razor-sharp metal edges.
A counterpoint of stratospheric bell tones and the koto-like ring of prepared strings threatens
to unravel at any instant, only to save itself from dissolution at the last possible instant every
time. The improvisation is punctuated with the aching silences that follow each decaying note
and heighten the listener’s attention for even the slightest vibrations in each space. “An Echo
in Another’s Mind” takes the language of “Niigata Snow” and dirties it with harsh string
scrapes and pulsing half-step harmonies to create a more active landscape. Bristling with
visceral impact and an internal restlessness, “An Echo” shivers beneath icy scratching before
exploding into a frenzy of rapid-fire strum and loose-string buzzes. The temporal
manipulations here are created through sheer nervous tension, through the constant
unknowing of the next gesture and in the almost-tangible anxiety of the unpredictable.
Whereas “Niigata Snow” stretches to a chasm the space between notes, “An Echo in
Another’s Mind” crowds the air with active gestures and silences of surprise instead of
stillness.
So what can be made of this music, a music crystallized in the very moment of its creation?
The distortions of time found in such music are difficult to capture in words, but invariably
captivating to hear in the fractured language of Bailey’s music. Seconds stretch to eternities
and eternities compress into the minutest details. A complete suspension of time becomes rule
over all and presses the music into a permanent foreground of infinite detail. Or as Bailey
himself, always with the greatest of wit and wisdom, once said of his music:

“The ticks turn into tocks and the tocks turn into ticks.”

The essence of guitar innovation, July 10, 1999

I f you've never heard Derek and you buy AIDA you will be changed forever by what you
hear. Most guitarists can have an entire electric effects-rack and still not come up with the
multitude of new and inventive sounds that Derek gets just by sitting on a stool and
holding an acoustic guitar. I don't know how he does it. Derek is one of the founding father's
of Free-Improvisation, and AIDA is one of his very best works. If you are a fan of music that
display's pure and unadulterated creativity then you are a Derek Bailey fan in-the-making. I
can't say enough about this cd. It WILL make you rethink everything you thought the acoustic
guitar was capable of.

Zenobios@aol.com from U.S.

r. Bailey is my favorite guitarist. Perhaps the most original and innovative master of

M the instrument in this century. Derek had a couple of new recordings release this
year: Guitar, Drums 'n' Bass (Avant) and Arcana-The Last Wave (DIW). However
neither of these can begin to compare with the excellence of this 1980 solo acoustic guitar
recording re-issued here on CD. This is Bailey at his most virtuoso and also playing more
emotionally and spiritually deep than is usual in any sort of guitar music. The perfect CD to
begin to explore his music. This is the out-of-print LP that I have used for many years to
seduce skeptics into Bailey's magical universe of free improvisation.

ida, consisting of two (sic) live recordings from 1980, captures Derek Bailey on the

A cusp between his early-career thorny and more drastic explorations of the outer
limits of guitar playing and the subtler, softer (though no less idiosyncratic)
approaches he would often employ later on. Throughout his career, Bailey has championed
what he calls "non-idiomatic improvisation," an attempt to improvise without reference to any
pre-existing musical styles. While perhaps impossible to achieve 100 percent, he has certainly
made it difficult to describe his work with the normal allusions and comparisons to that of
others. The first track on Aida, "Paris," is a gorgeous and relatively smooth excursion in
Bailey's sound-world. One imagines that if England had a tradition of koto accompaniment
for Noh plays, it might sound something like this. Not that there is an overt Asian influence,
but the sparseness and careful choice of notes gives one a slight sense of both Eastern
asceticism and luxury within that asceticism.

Though he has professed to not particularly enjoying solo playing, that circumstance is often
the easiest introduction to Bailey's work. Aida is a remarkably beautiful entry to one of the
world's masterful musicians. Indeed, he sounds like no one else.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

 ariously provoking delight, amazement, embarrassment or rage, this, the finest of

V Bailey's solo recordings, serves as a test of one's entrenchment in tradition. The

guitarist plays his instrument like a found object, treating it as though it lacked any
previous history and had simply descended from the sky. With all the intensity of a child
playing or an expert tinkering, these three pieces reveal a relentless exploration of the
instrument's possibilities. To the listener straining for points of reference, slices of Japanese
koto, punk rock, Country blues, flamenco, and folk guitar might seem to surface momentarily
only to dissolve again, as Bailey draws his lines of escape from all habit, cliche, and
resolution.

Christoph Cox

aybe a good place to start to check out Mr. bailey..., May 31, 1999

M ...at least that's what i assume the ex-gastr guys who chose this as their
representation of the man would say...if you wanna hear guitar touch-harmonics
and rootsy plucking, scraping, etc. made into its own language, then this is the place,
methinks...oh, and when derek's watch beeps at the end of one of the pieces, hopefully you'll
chuckle along with everyone who got to witness that classic moment...

Craig Dunsmuir (cdunsmui@acs.ryerson.ca) from Toronto, Canada

1980, ARCH DUO, Rastascan BRD 045 (USA) (CD) (released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

1- One 12.23
2- Two 11.46
3- Three 16.51
4- Four 16.02
5- Five 13.23

Recorded live at 1750 Arch Street, Berkeley, California on October 17, 1980 by Robert
Shumaker. Mastered by Myles Boisen/Headless Buddha Labs. Photo by Mark Weber (from
the Los Angeles concert of the same tour). CD design and layout by Steve Norton/Red
Notebook, with type by Michael Cina.

Design and layout by Steve Norton/Red Notebook.

T his long-awaited release contains their entire 70+ minute 1980 duo performance at the
legendary 1750 Arch Street in Berkeley, California. Bailey plays both electric and
acoustic (and breaks a string mid-performance; see if you can tell where!) and Parker
plays both soprano and tenor saxophones. This is their first duo release since 1985, and their
first release by an American label. An important and historic recording

The concert is heard in its entirety. The index numbers have been added for convenience only.
 rch Duo is a significant release for several reasons, the most glaringly obvious being

A the current state of the relations between its two protagonists: at around the time the
early '80s segued into the mid-'80s, over exactly what no one knows (or will admit to
knowing), Bailey and Parker irrevocably fell out. London legend has it that not a word has
passed between them since, and in the last 15 years the two have, quite literally, not been seen
in the same room. Given such weight of history, there's a certain frisson (guilty and mild, but
distinct nonetheless) to be gained from speculating about the state of relations between the two
at the time Arch Duo - the first document of this duo since '85's Compatibles LP [Incus], a
70-minute performance in Berkeley, October 1980 (towards the end of a 6-week US tour, to
boot) - was recorded. Both participants display enough of their - by this point - characteristic
individual stylings to give proceedings the familiar sound of a fairly standard chattily free-
flowing Derek 'n' Evan set, but the guitarist seems to subtly spice proceedings with a couple of
sardonic vocal interjections, and passages of detectably pugilistic tactics. Parker, however,
remains unflappable, and contents himself with just playing very well. And certainly, the
improvising is as exemplary as one would expect, moving with the natural momentum of two
musicians who know each other's playing inside out, yet who are dedicated to an ongoing re-
definition of their long-running musical relationship. No one's ever gonna know exactly how
far it had disintegrated by the time of this concert, and it's this air of mysterywhich has
retrospectively accumulated that clouds Arch Duo with a hazy and enticing fog. Long-term
fans may well idly wonder as to whether tapes of richer sessions of this duo exist, but for
newcomers this is a real treat, and surely no one can in good conscience dispute that Arch
Duo is a welcome document of one of the all-time great improv duos.
OTHER PROPOSALS :
Two different sets of artwork were prepared for the Arch Duo CD. One version was used (the
cover of which can be seen here), but we thought folks might like a look at the version that
wasn't used. Sculptures, drawings, and cover lettering are all by Anthony Mostrom; layout and
design was done by Steve Norton/Red Notebook.

The front cover booklet (outside):

[The alternate cover booklet (outside)]
AND SOME MORE:

The compact disc:

[The alternate compact disc]

The back tray card:

[The alternate tray card]
1980, Metalanguage Festival of Improvised Music, vol.2 : The Science Set
Beak Doctor (US) 6 (LP) (released in 1980)
Metalanguage (US) ML 117 (LP) (released in 1980)

Derek Bailey: acoustic guitar, Incus catalogs on track 8

Greg Goodman: piano, percussion
Toshinori Kondo: trumpet
Larry Ochs: sopranino, tenor saxes
Evan Parker: soprano, tenor saxes
Jon Raskin: baritone, alto saxes, clarinet
Andrew Voigt: alto, sopranino saxes

1- Cumulus Kaiser/Voight 04:32

2- Gabbro Scoops Bailey/Ochs/Kondo 05:20
3- Lexeme Parker/Goodman/Raskin/Ochs) 07:08
4- Xenon Kondo/Parker 07:41
5- Realgar Bailey/Raskin 04:47
6- Carpus Kondo/Kaiser/Goodman 07:45
7- Basalt Parker 07:54
8- Applied Ions Ensemble 06:42

Metalanguage (USA) 117/Beak Doctor (USA) 6 (LP)

Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, October 21, 1980
1980-1997, HET APOLLOHUIS 1980-1997: an anthology of new music
concepts. Apollo Records ACD 090217/090218, Apollo and
Marsyas (CD) (Released in 2003)

All tracks (with three exceptions) recorded during concerts and performances organised by
Paul Panhuysen and that took place at Het Apollohuis, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Front cover The gates of Pythagoras, ACAC Aomori, Japan by Paul Panhuysen, 2002.

CD1:
1- Derek Bailey, guitar; Ernst Reijseger, cello: Untitled 02.43
recorded 25 December 1983
2- Johnson, voice, bells: Counting Languages; Seven bells 02.25
recorded 13 May 1984
3- David Gibson, cello: Johns Brook 03.56
recorded 1 June 1984
4- Group 180/Tibor Szemzö: The spider's death and Epitaph 03.35
recorded 15 October 1984
5- Rolf Juiius, buzzers: Untitled 03.48
recorded 23 November 1984
6- Ned Rothenberg, alto saxophone: Untitled 06.33
recorded 25 May 1985
7- Elliott Sharp, guitar: Untitled 03.45
recorded 4 October 1985
8- Vevenza, servomechanims: Untitled 02.45
recorded 13 October 1985
9- Paulin Oliveros, accordion: Untitled 04.29
recorded 15 June 1986
10- Arnold Dreyblatt/Orchestra of Excited Strings: Bowing 04.12
recorded 31 May 1986
11- Carl Stone, computer: Untitled 03.55
recorded 23 November 1986
12- Carles Santos, piano, voice: Untitled 04.28
recorded 15 March 1987
13- Joe Jones, solar automata: Small orchestra 03.02
recorded 1-2 May 1987
14- Takehisa Kosugi, violin, voice, electronics: Untitled 04.20
recorded17 May 1987
15- Terry Fox, long strings: Untitled 02.55
recorded 23-24 May 1987
16- Walter Fähndrich, viola: Viola II 04.18
recorded 6 June 1987
17- Fast Forward, metal percussion: Stix, part 1 04.03
recorded 26 September 1987
18- Alvin Lucier, electronics: Sferics 03.45
recorded 1 November 1987

CD 2:
1- Alvin Curran, piano, voice, synthesizer:
Songs on one, two, three or more notes 03.18
recorded 28 November 1987
2- Richard Lerman, electronics: Human interference fast force 02.34
recorded 20 April 1988
3- Jerry Hunt, acoustic instruments, electronics: Untitled 06.28
recorded 23 April 1988
4- Shelley Hirsch, voice; David Weinstein, keyboard, electronics: Parade 04.11
recorded 4 June 1988
5- Elaine Radigue, electronics: Jetsun Mila 03.50
recorded 2 April 1989
6- The Hub, computers: Untitled 03.14
recorded 7 March 1992
7- Teodoro Anzelotti, accordion: Untitled 04.01
recorded 14 March 1992
8- Pierre Berthet, Brigida Romano, percussion instruments: Untitled 03.11
recorded 10 April 1992
8- Warren Burt, interactive computer system:
9- excerpt from Some kind of seasoning 03.00
recorded 9 May 1992
10- S.E.M. ensemble, fifes, drums: Waterloo 2 03.33
recorded 23 May 1992
11- Jim O'Rourke, electric guitar: Untitled 03.29
recorded 5 March 1993
12- Borbetomagus, saxophones, guitar: Untitled 02.51
recorded 15 May 1993
13 - John Butcher, saxophone; Phil Minton, voice; Erhart Hirt, guitar:
Untitled 02.58
recorded 26 November 1993
14- Iva Bittova, violin, voice: Untitled 05.32
recorded 18 February 1994
13 - John Butcher, saxophone; Phil Minton, voice; Erhart Hirt, guitar:
Untitled 02.58
recorded 26 November 1993
14- Iva Bittova, violin, voice: Untitled 05.32
recorded 18 February 1994
15- Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer, piano: Stubborn riffs 05.06
recorded 27 February 1994
16- Rafael Toral, electric guitar, electronics: Wave field two 02.50
recorded 25 September 1994
17- David First, keyboard: Zen guilt/Zen blame 03.10
recorded 26 October 1995
18- Reinier Van Houdt, piano: Ka 03.38
recorded 23 February 1996
19- Kaffe Matthews, computer, violin: Magic violin music 03.30
recorded 28 March 1996
20- Matt Rogalsky, electronics: Tudor loops 02.37
recorded 16 January1997

T his double CD-set is the companion to the final book reporting on the activities of Het
Apollohuis. The recordings on these Cds give an idea of the music and the sound art
presented in concerts at Het Appolohuis in the perios from 1980 through 1997. Out
of a total of 500 performances I chose 38, from which excerpts of varying length have been
included in this anthology. These have been arranged in chronological order. The diversity of
the selected pieces is characteristic of the programme of Het Apollohuis. Only a limited
number of the composers and musicians who performed at Het Apollohuis can be heard in
brief fragments on these discs." Artists include: Derek Bailey, Ernst Reijseger; Tom Johnson;
David Gibson; Group 180; Rolf Julius; Ned Rothenberg; Elliott Sharp; Vivenza; Pauline
Oliveros; Arnold Dreyblatt; Carl Stone; Carles Santos; Joe Jones; Takehisa Kosugi; Terry
Fox; Walter Fähndrich; Fast Forward; Alvin Lucifer; Alvin Curran; Richard Lerman; Jerry
Hunt; Shelley Hirsch, David Weinstein; Eliane Radigue; The Hub; Teodoro Anzelotti; Pierre
Berthet, Brigida Romano; Warren Burt; S.E.M. Ensemble; Jim O'Rourke; Borbetomagus;
Butcher, Minton, Hirt; Iva Bittová; Stefan Kovacs Tickmayer; Rafaël Toral; David First;
Reinier van Houdt; Kaffe Matthews; and Matt Rogalsky.

A pollo and Marsyas is a double CD-set with accompanying book which documents
some of the concerts which took place at Het Apollohuis in Eindhoven, NL during
1980-1997. The two discs with thirty-eight excerpts are arranged in chronological
order and give a truthful and appealing view of the width, the depth and the diversity of the
concert programme of Het Apollohuis. The CDs feature Derek Bailey / Ernst Reijseger, Tom
Johnson, David Gibson, Group 180, Rolf Julius, Ned Rothenberg, Elliot Sharp, Vivenza,
Arnold Dreyblatt, Pauline Oliveros, Carl Stone, Carles Santos, Joe Jones, Takehisa Kosugi,
Terry Fox, Walter Fähndrich, Fast Forward, Alvin Lucier, Alvin Curran, Richard Lerman,
Jerry Hunt, Shelley Hirsch / David Weinstein, Eliane Radigue, The Hub, Teodoro Anzelotti,
Pierre Berthet / Brigida Romano, Warren Burt, SEM Ensemble, Jim O'Rourke,
Borbetomagus, Butcher / Minton / Hirt, Iva Bittova, Stefan Kovacs Tickmayer, Rafael Toral,
David First, Reinier van Houdt, Kaffe Matthews, and Matt Rogalsky. Het Apollohuis
(Netherlands) ACD 090218

http://anomalousrecords.com.
1980, DEREK BAILEY & EVAN PARKER, Montgomery Theatre, San
Jose, Ca. October 16 (private recording). TaW's Covers Vault.

Derek Bailey : guitar

Evan Parker : saxophones

1- part 1 19:18
2- part 2 10:58
3- part 3 02:23
4- part 4 11:24
5- part 5 08:33

(date could be 10/01/1980)

1981, DART DRUG, Incus LP 41 (UK) (LP) (released in 1982)

Jamie Muir : percussion

Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Carminative 08.48
2- I soon learned to know this flower better 07.14
3- Jara 07.49
4- Dart drug 25.50

Recorded at Crane Grove, London in August 1981. Cover photograph by Jamie Muir.
The lp label gives the record title as "Dark Drug" rather than "Dart Drug". The LP jacket has
"Dart Drug" as the record title. Note by Peter Stubley.

F or the uninitiated, Jamie Muir was percussionist for King Crimson during its Larks'
Tongues in Aspic period. Since that time, he has concentrated on playing in the free
improv arena, and has interacted with just about everybody on the British side of
things. This date with guitarist Derek Bailey is in many ways quite remarkable. In these four
improvisations, Bailey himself attempts to become a nearly lyrical player, sensitively looking
for timbral elements within his already sonant tones, and Muir moves to underline that aspect
of his playing. This is not to say that dynamics and violence are not found here -- quite the
contrary, they're just more closely observed. The title track, clocking in just shy of half an
hour, is for practical matters the hinge piece of the album, though it comes last in sequence.
From random plinks and plonks, where Bailey accompanies Muir as a percussionist in the
way he uses his strings and Muir dances all over the mix, a kind of pattern develops where
dynamic threads are woven and carried forth into others, always leaving the fully articulated
one as the process begets the creation of another. This systematic approach is different for
both men, and results in a kind of ideational clarity that lesser players would love to emulate.
The result is as open as silence itself, albeit a more playful gazer into its open mouth by this
pair of yobs who are winking and laughing.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

1981, BACK ON 52ND STREET, DIW 406 (Japan) (CD) (released in
1997)

Duo with George Lewis. Various musicians :

1- Improvisation 1 08.35
2- Improvisation 2 07.30
Ed Blackwell, drums
Dewey Redman : saxophone, shenai
Recorded 28 June 1980.

3- Angel eyes 08.22

4- Improvisation 3 08.11
Marion Brown : alto saxophone
Recorded 23 April 1981.

5- Improvisation 4 11.53
Derek Bailey : guitar
George Lewis : trombone
Recorded 25 September 1981.

6- Improvisation 5 07.05
7- Improvisation 6 12.33
Dennis Charles : drums
Huss Charles : congas
Recorded 1 March 1980.

All recorded at Soundscape, 52nd Street, NYC.

Cover design by Arai Yasunori and Iizumi Etsuko; photography by Gary Schoicket.
1981, IMPROVISED MUSIC NEW YORK 1981, Muworks Records,
MU W 1007 (USA) (CD) (released in 1991)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Fred Frith : guitar
Sonny Sharrock : guitar
John Zorn : horns
Bill Laswell : bass
Charles K. Noyes : percussion

1- Track 1 Laswell, Sharrock, Zorn, Bailey ,Frith, Noyes 01.21

2- Track 2 Laswell, Sharrock, Zorn, Bailey, Frith, Noyes 05.04
3- Track 3 Laswell, Sharrock, Zorn , Bailey, Frith, Noyes 04.33
4- Track 4 Laswell, Sharrock, Zorn , Bailey, Frith, Noyes 05.50
5- Track 5 Laswell, Sharrock, Zorn , Bailey, Frith, Noyes 06.42
6- Track 6 Laswell, Sharrock, Zorn , Bailey, Frith, Noyes 05.46
7- Track 7 Laswell, Sharrock, Zorn , Bailey, Frith, Noyes 03.48

No further details provided on CD.

Recorded live at The Kitchen, New York City, 18 September 1981. Taken from the tapes of
Materials 18 Sept 1981 performance at the Kitchen, NY edited by Robert Musso.
Artwork production by Thi-Linh-Le.
Bill Laswell Discography http://www.silent-watcher.net/billlaswell/discography/laswell/improv...

LASWELL/SHARROCK/ZORN/FRITH/
BAILEY/NOYES

IMPROVISED MUSIC NEW YORK 1981

1/ no title (Laswell,SS,Zorn,DB,Frith,CN) 1.21
2/ no title (BL,SS,Zorn,Bailey,FF,Noyes) 5.03
3/ no title (BL,Sharrock,JZ,DB,Frith,CN) 4.32
4/ no title (Laswell,SS,Zorn,DB,Frith,CN) 5.48
5/ no title (BL,SS,Zorn,Bailey,FF,Noyes) 6.40
6/ no title (BL,Sharrock,JZ,DB,Frith,CN) 5.44
7/ no title (Laswell,SS,Zorn,DB,Frith,CN) 3.48

Recorded live at the Kitchen, September 18, 1981

Recorded by Martin Bisi

Derek Bailey : guitar; Fred Frith : guitar; Sonny Sharrock : guitar; John Zorn : horns; Bill Laswell :
bass; Charles K. Noyes : percussion.
1991 - Muworks Records (USA), MU W 1007 (CD)
19?? - MuWorks Records/Tokuma Japan Communications Ltd. (Japan), TKCB-30574 (CD)

Note : This album was intended to be released as a Material album, but couldn't due to contractual
obligations.

REVIEWS :

This is a live recording of a performance by the New York avant-garde group Material. Due
to legal complications, the name "Material" was not allowed to be used on this release, as
well as there being no song titles. It's an early performance (Sep. 18, 1981) only for the
most open-minded listeners, for the group sticks to aggressive experimental noise which
follows no musical conventions at all. Sometimes the group creates some fascinating
moments (especially on track 2), but otherwise this is largely enerving, though occasionally
amusing (Noyes' percussion intro on track 7). This features interesting abstract cover art by
Thi-Linh Le.

Chris Genzel (courtesy of the All Music Guide via the Get Music website)

1 sur 2 24/08/08 16:52

1982, EPIPHANIES, Incus LP 46-47 (UK) (2 LP) (released in 1985)

Company :
Ursula Oppens : piano
Fred Frith : electric guitar, live electronics, percussion
George Lewis : trombone
Anne Le Baron : harp
Akio Suzuki : glass harmonica, analopos, spring gong, kikkokikiriki
Julie Tippetts : acoustic guitar, voice, flute
Moto Yoshizawa : bass
Keith Tippett : piano
Phil Wachsmann : violin, electronics
Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

Incus 46: Epiphany, a continuous piece on which all the musicians play :

1- Part 1 20.20

2- Part 2 27.50
Incus 47: Ephiphanies, shorter pieces played by smaller groupings of the same
musicians:

1- First (duo) 15.12

Ursula Oppens, Moto Yoshizawa

2- Second (trio) 08.05

Julie Tippetts, Phil Wachsmann, Derek Bailey

3- Third (quintet) 10.45

Fred Frith, George Lewis, Akio Suzuki, Moto Yoshizawa, Derek Bailey

4- Fourth (sextet) 08.50

Anne Le Baron, Keith Tippett, Phil Wachsmann, MotoYoshizawa,
Akio Suzuki, Ursula Oppens

5- Fifth (septet) 06.20

Phil Wachsmann, Keith Tippett, George Lewis, Anne Le Baron,
Ursula Oppens, Akio Suzuki, Julie Tippetts

6- Sixth (trio) 18.26

Moto Yoshizawa, Akio Suzuki, Derek Bailey

Recorded at the ICA, London between June 29 and July 3 1982.

Production by Derek Bailey and Evan Parker.

Cover design and typography by Karen Brookman.

1982, CYRO, Incus CD01 (UK) (CD) (released in 1988)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Cyro Baptista : percussion

1- Toca Joga 05.25

2- Quanto Tempo 03.47
3- Polvo 04.47
4- Rio Branco 05.15
5- Joga Toca 03.22
6- Que Horas 04.56
7- Tonto 06.54
8- Batida 04.33

Recorded by Martin Bisi, New York City, October 1982.

Photographs by Eleonora Alberto and Karen Brookman.

S ince leaving Rio, Cyro has been accepted as one of the world's leading Brazilian
percussionists, recording with Paquita de Rivera, Ruben Blades, Astrud Gilberto and
lots of people like that. We met in New York while I was living there in the winter of
1982 and first played together at the Ear Inn on Spring St. In the following months we played
at all kinds of places, occasions which figured prominently among the many musical pleasures
I enjoyed during that period. One such occasion, thanks to Bill Laswell, was this recording.
Derek Bailey.
 ncus is the premier UK improvisational label, dauntlessly documenting the new-language

I sound of Derek Bailey (who has pretty much invented a whole sphere of free guitar
playing) and his pals over the last 20 years. Baptista commands some real odd Brazilian
percussion; Bailey is in startling acoustic form here, a great one.

T he first recording by Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista finds him paired with
English avant-guitarist Derek Bailey in a brisk set of oddball, disjointedly angular free
jazz/difficult listening improvisations. This kind of exploratory wanking around
doesn't do much for me, personally, but in the moments where they actually slide into intuitive
grooves, their musicality comes more to the fore, and there are some impressive passages.

Bailey is kind of a rhythmic, physical player, so the match-up with a percussionist such as
Baptista -- who comes from a country where drumming takes on a melodic hue -- is
somewhat inspired. Avantniks will probably like this more than Brazilianites, but it's still
worth checking out of you're a Baptista fan.

T he pairing of Brazilian percussion god Cyro Baptista and vanguard British improv
guitarist Derek Bailey may seem an unlikely one in concept, but never was there a
more natural and rewarding collaboration in reality. Recorded in 1982 by Martin Bisi
in New York, Bailey is unusually affable in his reaching out to Baptista, whose abilities are so
great he only needs one welcoming gesture before he's off and running. There is no call and
response in this collaboration. Dynamics, drama, and tonal explorations are the linguistic keys
employed by both men -- who had had numerous opportunities to play together in live
settings in New York previous to this outing -- in their search for each other. Nothing in this
set seeks to reach beyond the platform of instrumental interplay and percussive
communication that exists between these two men. Bailey sticks with a six-string acoustic
guitar for the entire proceeding, while Baptista employs a large host of Brazilian and South
American small instruments. One can hear, in the early going especially, the temptation to
pander to exotica in tracks like "Quanto Tempo," "Polvo," and "Toca Joga." But it is resisted
and maneuvered around in such a way that exotica does the pandering and is left in the hut
behind deep tonal chasms, timbral expositions, and rhythmic dissertations -- Bailey is as great
a percussionist as he is a guitarist. The solid line circling the players becomes a jump-off
point in "Tonto" and a thing to be subverted in "Batida," which closes the album. If ever there
was a Derek Bailey record that sings with joy and unfettered experimental glee, this is it.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Orang Aural: Derek Bailey & Cyro Baptista "CYRO" (1982) http://orangaural.blogspot.com/2006/10/derek-bailey-cyro-baptis...

1 .1 0. 06

Derek Bailey & Cyro Baptista "CYRO" (1982)

k Bailey, guitar

Baptista, percussion

Toca Joga
Quanto Tempo
Polvo
Rio Branco
Joga Toca
Que Horas
Tonto
Batida

ce leaving Rio, Cyro has been accepted as one of the world's leading Brazilian
ussionists, recording with Paquita d'Rivera, Ruben Blades, Astrud Gilberto
lots of people like that. We met in New York while I was living there in the
er of 1982 and first played together at the Ear Inn on Spring St. In the
wing months we played at all kinds of places, occasions which figured
minently among the many musical pleasures I enjoyed during that period. One
occasion, thanks to Bill Laswell, was this recording." DB

orded by Martin Bisi, New York City, October, 1982

1 of 2 10/30/06 3:45 PM
1982, AIDA, Incus 40 (UK) (LP) (white signed album released in 1982)

Derek Bailey : solo acoustic guitar

1- Paris 19.00
2- Niigata snow 06.00
3- An echo in another's mind 14.00

Track 1 recorded at Dunois in Paris on 4 July 1980 by Jean-Marc Foussat.

Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at the ICA London on 3 August 1980 by Adam Skeaping.
Dedicated to the memory of Aida Akira 1946-1978.
Published as an autograph LP exclusively available at Incus.

I n terms of most desirable Incus back catalogue that I don’t / didn’t think I will / would
ever get the chance to hear, this is / was right up there with Royal Volume 1, Iskra 1903
and Solo Improvisations - Lot 74 for salivatory anticipation. Performed / recorded July-
August 1980, this captures Derek at incredible true peak sleight-of-hand form over three
vertiginous pieces, two long and one short: ‘An Echo In Another’s Mind’ and ‘Niigata
Snow’ proffer teaser melodies before twisting away into wild flight and harsh fits of violent,
splenetic hacking, and ‘Paris’ displays this titan’s crisp, articulate finger-rake and air-slicing,
spine-curling, blood-drawing digit-scratch in all its elusive brilliance - when its end is
prematurely brought on by the bleeping alarm of an audience member’s digital watch, it’s
enough to make you want to ban time.
Nick
1982-2002, THE WIRE 20 YEARS 1982-2002: Audio Issue. Cd-Box Set

A triple CD box set specially compiled to mark The Wire's 20th anniversary. Contains 42
tracks drawn from the magazine's wayward orbit.

CD1

1- Steve Lacy The Wire

2- Ennio Morricone (with Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza) Seguita
3- Coil Wrong Eye
4- Hands To Egress (excerpt)
5- David Toop & Max Eastley Buried Dreams
6- Vivian Jackson & King Tubby Tubby's Vengeance
7- Fennesz Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
8- Derek Bailey M 5
9- Traditional Musicians, Bali Cockfight -Trance In Paksabali And Kesiman - Gamelan
Beleganjur
10- Einstürzende Neubauten Pygmäen
11- AMM After Rapidly Circling The Plaza (excerpt)
12- Mars 11,000 Volts
13- Cabaret Voltaire Breathe Deep
14- Tony Conrad with Faust The Death Of The Composer Was In 1962
15- Designer Vandal
16- Torture Soaking Bodies In Dub
17- Fela Kuti Shenshema
CD2

1- The Art Ensemble Of Chicago Illistrum

2- Sonic Youth Expressway To Yr Skull
3- Spring Heel Jack/The Blue Series Continuum Salt
4- This Heat Paper Hats
5- Stereolab & Nurse With Wound Simple Headphone Mind
6- Jac Berrocal Rock 'N' Roll Station
7- Sun Ra & His Solar-Myth Arkestra Ancient Ethiopia
8- Christian Marclay Jukebox Capriccio
9- John Cage Williams Mix
10- Yoshihide Otomo Cathode #4: Soundcheck Version
11- Björk Headphones
12- Pauline Oliveros I (excerpt)

CD3

1 Keith Hudson Satan Side

2 Terry Riley Music For The Gift Part 1
3 William S Burroughs (with Ian Sommerville) Silver Smoke Of Dreams
4 Suicide Rocket USA
5 Supersilent 4.2
6 Pan Sonic Vaihe (Fön)
7 Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft Kebabträume
8 Larry Young Khalid Of Space Part 2 - Welcome
9 David Behrman (with Gordon Mumma) Players With Circuits
10- Fushitsusha The Caution Appears Part 5
11- John Coltrane (with Alice Coltrane) Living Space
12- John Fahey Some Summer Day
13- Diamanda Galás 25 Minutes To Go

The Wire 20 1982-2002: Audio Issue. Released: 18 November 2002

(Mute 3 CD) £19.99

Subscribers to The Wire can get an exclusive discount and pre-order the box set for just
15.99 GBP (or 13.61 non EU) plus p&p by going to Mute Bank NB To qualify for the
discount you must quote your Wire subscription number in the comments box on the order
form.

The 10 best box sets of 2002. Chosen by Andy Gill

27 December 2002

ost box sets focus in detail on a single artist, but this one makes a virtue of its

M musical and geographical diversity. It's been compiled to commemorate the 20th
anniversary of The Wire, the jazz and avant-garde music magazine with a self-
imposed brief to "illuminate the material reality of all manner of musical activity that is united,
not by generic or idiomatic signifiers or tropes, but by its urge to communicate something,
anything, beyond the commodification of the marketplace", as the accompanying booklet here
puts it. Behind that rather pompous rhetoric, however, lurks the kind of full-blooded
engagement with sound that shames most music disciplines, and certainly most commentary
on the subject. And as this set demonstrates, weird doesn't necessarily mean unlistenable.
Quite the opposite: although Audio Issue features the usual suspects of the avant-garde
constellation – John Cage, Terry Riley, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Sonic Youth, Derek Bailey, etc
– it also reaches out in all manner of other directions, including dub, hardcore electronica, hip
hop, techno-pop, avant-rock, glitch, garage-punk, folk guitar, Björk, and even one of Fela
Kuti's more "open" pieces. The territory covered ranges from the melodramatic to the
quotidian, from the spiritual to the bathetic, navigated with a sensitivity that illuminates the
material and makes for a satisfying listening experience. The perfect present for the
adventurous music fan who's heard everything, or thinks that they have.
kdombrowski :: tradelist https://www.ylayali.net/~kenneth/tradelist/index.php?show_id=85&...

1982-12-16 Derek Bailey & Company

city New York City venue

source/lineage Aud>Sony TCS-310>cass>Peak>Xact>shn

received punkjazz format SHN length

Derek Bailey & Company

Roulette
New York City
December 16,17 1982

Aud>Sony TCS-310>cass>Peak>Xact>shn

Here are a few sets(All I have) from 1982's Company week in NYC. These
were recorded by me on a Sony TCS-310 about 12 feet from the musicians, so
the sound is clear, if not exactly hi-fi.

This was my first exposure to most of these players, and I was totally
blown away. The fire-breathing duo of Brotzmann and Maslak is a
performance I will NEVER forget. I only wish I had video so you could all
see Maslak rolling around on the floor still maniaclly blowing his horn,
while off to the side, John Zorn was crouched, grinning from ear to ear.

Derek Bailey, Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, Joelle Leandre, Peter Brotzmann,
Keshavan Maslak, John Zorn, and Cyro Baptiste were the participants during
this Company week, and during the nights I was there, Bailey called mostly
smaller groupings. I did these personnel line-ups partly from listening to
the recordings, and partly from memory, They may not be totally accurate

Disc 1 Track 1 recorded on 12/16, the rest were recorded on 12/17

Disc 1 Track 1
Bill Laswell Electric Bass
John Zorn Reeds, Game Calls
Derek Bailey Guitar

Disc 1 Track 2
Joelle Leandre Contrabass, Vocals
Fred Frith Homemade Instruments

Disc 1 Track 3
Keshaven Maslak Reeds
Peter Brotzmann Reeds

Disc 1 Track 4
Derek Bailey Guitar
Bill Laswell Electric Bass
John Zorn Reeds, Game Calls

Disc 2 Track 1 (A few seconds missing at begining)

Joelle Leandre Contrabass
Derek Bailey Guitar
Keshavan Maslak Reeds
Cyro Baptiste Percussion
kdombrowski :: tradelist https://www.ylayali.net/~kenneth/tradelist/index.php?show_id=85&...

John Zorn Reeds Game Calls

Disc 2 Track 2 (cut at the end where tape ran out)

Derek Bailey Guitar
Bill Laswell Electric Bass
John Zorn Reeds, Game Calls
Peter Brotzman Reeds
Fred Frith Homemade Instruments

Company1982-12-17d1track1.flac:
206560b501d8c4745d052e89291da32a
Company1982-12-17d1track2.flac:
4e5ef41692f395a4eac0c2df1aa59533
Company1982-12-17d1track3.flac:
72977897c88a2f7ab6c693f23db47736
Company1982-12-17d1track4.flac:
acae64d953a6f7088c9a2bd52a21fe59
Company1982-12-17d2track1.flac:
40f07284944adcc5251474e4f13e3054
Company1982-12-17d2track2.flac:
1444f5a3674e4f2e105038a640f5cb17
1983, OUTCOME, Potlatch P299 (France) (CD) (released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone

1- Input # 1 16.49
2- Input # 2 13.36
3- Input # 3 08.04
4- Input # 4 15.58
5- Input # 5 05.28

Recorded live at 28 rue Dunios, Paris on 25 June 1983 by Jean-Marc Foussat.

Cover design original silk screen printing by Rancillac.
C 'est la première fois que l'on peut entendre sur une durée respectable la confrontation
de ces deux géants de l'improvisation. Mues par une irrépressible envie cinétique, les
asymptotes de Derek Bailey et de Steve Lacy dessinent des trajectoires finalement (à
l'infini) compatibles et paradoxalement sécantes. En épissures inouïes s'entremêlent les
échafaudages de bambou du guitariste, lignes hérissées ou estompées, salves sobres ou
crénelées, raclements batailleurs, textures fouaillées, avec les roulades, flèches et figures
transposées du saxophoniste, architecture souple dont les confins résonnent de growls secs.
Guillaume Tarche

I f any two musicians can be said to be the "fathers" of the European free jazz/improv, then
the two represented on this thought-provoking session could claim the title(s).

In actuality British guitarist Bailey and American saxophonist Lacy would likely opt for the
inclusion of a gang of other Continental and British improvisers, but it's they who set the
standard for non-idiomatic playing and have more-or-less stayed true to it ever since. Lacy,
jazz's first modern soprano saxist had already been a valuable addition to the ensembles of
leaders as individualist as Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor before a more
sympathetic climate drew him to Europe in the mid-1960s. Since then, from his Paris base he
has mixed and matched his talents with improvisers of every stripe, country and temperament,
while never losing sight of his jazz roots. Along with such quirky experiments as creating
settings for poetics and perfecting the solo saxophone recital, he's still managed to put out
discs celebrating such giants as Monk, Ellington and Herbie Nichols.

Bailey, a former dance band and studio guitarist found his salvation first in so-called free jazz,
then very quickly contributed to the gestalt that birthed the British branch of Euroimprov. An
organizer of the Company, improv free-for-alls, Bailey will play with nearly any musician who
walks through the door. And since the late 1960s that has included everyone from traditional
American jazzers and "serious" composers to interpretive dancers and metallic noise bands.

Yet no matter what goes on around him, the playing of Bailey --who insists that every musical
moment be improvised -- remains unequivocally the same. The non-idiomatic plinks plunks
and single-note scratches he gets from his instrument aren't compromised whether his partner
is Pat Metheny or DJ Soulslinger.

That's what makes this 1983 Paris session so valuable. For among the hundreds of discs
Bailey and Lacy have collectively recorded, very few have been in one another's company. Be
warned, though, this isn't a standard duet. Instead it's the creation of two simultaneous soloists
whose conception is so convincing that the adventurous listener's ear can follow one or the
other without disorientation. Overall, the five listed tracks dissolve one into another. During
Outcome's more than the more than 60 minutes, Lacy can be thorny, squeaky and sour for a
time, then dulcet and breathy. Meanwhile Bailey's notes resonate as he alternately strums,
picks and slides. Sometimes one or the other drops out for a section.

If bare bones improv is your passion, search high and low for this session. If you're less sure
of that taste, but be would like to experience the work of uncompromising modern masters
first hand give this CD a try as well. The outcome may be different from what you imagine.

ell, here's Bailey again in the company of a free jazzer; Derek Bailey who, despite

W an early background in jazz, was always the Boy Most Likely to do Something
Else. His duets with Braxton are widely disliked, and while the session released on
Victo as Moments Precieux does indeed have some nice moments, the nay-sayers are
basically right, and the thing seems to make precious little sense.

Jon C Morgan is quite right to remind us, in his sleeve notes, that duets don't have to be done
on entirely agreed common ground. If it's important for musicians to bring their own voices to
the table, then it must surely be okay for those voices to be distinctive, even quite disparate.
This is certainly a disparate pairing, and it does, in a manner of speaking, work.

Lacy spends all of his time getting hold of a melodic line and refusing to let go of it. He plays
like a man obsessed, as if trying to blot out the osund around him using only his horn and his
legendarily bottomless imagination. The sound around him is, of course, Bailey himself, and
Bailey is never anyone but himself, as an unbending and stubborn a player as British
improvised music has ever produced.

Needless to say, Bailey doesn't give Lacy any of the chords that the reedsman would perhaps
like to have under him. Nor does he approximate a jazzy kind of rhythmic approach, seeking
to punctuate Lacy's lines or drop bombs between his notes. Nope, Bailey just goes ahead and
plays, almost as if he were playing a solo gig and had accidentally left open a communicating
door. His choices of what to play where can sound perverse, although they also seem to make
sense, at least within the world of this CD, just as Mock Turtle Soup makes sense in the
looking-glass world.

Outcome is an alternative way of doing duet albums. It throws all of the rules out of the
window or, to be more accurate, it looks at them in the mirror and acts on what it reads there.
And of course, in the background, one knows perfectly well that Lacy and Bailey are listening
hard and doing what they do for reasons which may well lie beyond this listener's competence
to assess. Whyever they're doing it, the results are splendidly strange.

Richard Cochrane

M y opnion on this record? A good album, that's for sure, but not a superb record. I
heard duo recording of these two before (Lacy recordings on Emanem, and I
believe on FMP, not so sure about the last one since I don't have my records here
with me), but I am not so convinced about this one. Reason: the two of them have very
distinctive styles, ways of playing notes.... And yes, sometimes it works and sometimes it
doesn't. In my opinion, this album has more moments when Bailey and Lacy just go their
own way. Yes, the album has some moments where Bailey plays more melodic, and moments
when Lacy goes beyond but not as often as one would hope. Conclusion: if you are a big fan,
go for it, but this album is not suited for those who occasionally buy records by Bailey.

O n June 25th 1983 I was playing video games in a pub in Rochdale, Lancashire,
listening to the Eurythmics’ “Love is a Stranger” and sighing audibly a) because I
was about to turn twenty, and b) because I would have preferred to be back drinking
warm Martinis in my Cambridge room with my then girlfriend. The horrors of the Falklands
Task Force and the hideous yuppie pop of New Romanticism (can’t decide which was worse)
were receding into the background, Thatcher was elected again and life was generally boring
and miserable.

O n June 25th 1983, Derek Bailey and Steve Lacy played a little club at 28 rue Dunois
tucked away in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. The gig was recorded, as have been
so many over the years, by Jean-Marc Foussat, and here it is, sixteen and a half years
later. (One day, someone ought to raid the Foussat archives, as this affably genial sound
engineer has single-handedly amassed a treasure trove of amazing free jazz / improv
recordings... have a look at Jimmy Lyons’ “Riffs” (1980), Fred Frith’s classic Massacre
album “Killing Time” (1981), Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron’s magnificent “Let’s Call
This” (1981), and you’ll find it was Foussat behind the desk. Many of the recent memorable
events in Parisian free music, from William Parker and Joëlle Léandre’s bass duet set at Sons
d’Hiver a couple of years ago, to Noël Akchoté and Evan Parker’s mind-blowing
electroacoustic set at the Instants Chavirés (both on Leo) were also captured by Jean-Marc.
His characteristic floppy hat was also spotted at Saint-Denis last year for one of the most
seismically shattering gigs ever played by the European Cecil Taylor outfit... dare we hope
that, one day...?) Sixteen years have drifted by, Thatcher and Reagan have both gone (mad),
and 1983’s beatbox experiments have grown into the bloated ugly dinosaur of dance culture
now known as HipHop, while grunge, Acid House and Acid Jazz have all come and gone...
And this set by Bailey and Lacy sounds as if it was recorded yesterday.

The only one of Derek Bailey’s recordings that you can accurately pinpoint regarding its date
is “Guitar Drums’n’ Bass” (Avant 1996), not because of Bailey but rather DJ Ninj’s
already-dated (even back then) techstep programming. Bailey’s playing is not only utterly
original (an oft-stated cliché, I know, but...), it’s ahistorical, existing out of time, so perfectly
concentrated on the moment of its creation that it seems (gloriously) oblivious of whatever is
going on around it. But though Bailey is no way oblivious to what is going on around him
here, namely the liquid crystal linear perfection of Steve Lacy, his guitar work still makes no
concessions to standard duo “conversational give and take” orthodoxy. Each of these master
musicians continues along his own way with characteristic determination (stubbornness, even),
and from time to time the paths cross, forcing them along other avenues of exploration. (If I
have one reservation, it’s that Bailey seems to be somewhat in the background in the mix -
inevitable, perhaps, given the recording circumstances?- and his customary extraordinary use
of harmonics is at times hard to hear. For Baileyphiles, the clearest sound on record is still on
his 70s solo sets, “Lot 74” on Incus 12 and “Improvisation” (1975) on the Italian label
Cramps... newly re-issued I see on 180g vinyl too!) As one might expect, listening requires
concentration. This is not music to stick on in the background while you’re having dinner
with friends, but something to be savored - and it will still be so sixteen years from now (and
sixteen years from then), when the Puff Daddies and Daft Punks are as far behind us as 1983
seems to me today. As Jon C.

Morgan’s excellent liner notes remind us, this is, amazingly, and regrettably, only the second
time Bailey and Lacy have recorded as a duo (their other album being the long-deleted
“Company 4” (1976)). Or is it? Maybe Jean-Marc Foussat has other buried treasure from
these twomasters... in which case, do I really have wait another sixteen years?

ess laudable is Outcome, another rarely-heard Bailey-and-sax duo. An hour's worth of

L live Paris June '83 action, it's only the second ever Bailey/Lacy release. The first - the
Company 4 LP [Incus] - came out in 1976, and though I can't say I've personally
experienced a keen sense of absence at the lack of a follow-up, undoubtedly more than a few
listeners will regard Outcome as long overdue. It's principally notable for the chance it offers
to hear the usually coolly phlegmatic Lacy getting totally psyched out - from the outset
seemingly unnerved and needled by his counterpart, he's jumpy and overactive, blowing in a
relatively exuberant and at times even scattershot style. Though retaining his signature
tendencies - incessant rearticulation of a given melodic line, worrying ("boring") a theme to
death - he's teased and prodded by Bailey into different angles and tacks, and frustrated into
constant changes of direction.

On this level the interplay is fascinating to take in, but the inherent power balance is
problematic, and is not helped by the fact that the mix favours the saxophonist slightly. Lacy's
contributions are generally too heavily voiced and often tend towards the overwrought and
needlessly vigorous - he really just goes on a bit, and during more than one of his prolix runs
one is moved to wish that he would kinda, like, well, y'know, shut the fuck up. My prejudice
perhaps, but for me it's Bailey who shines here - cleverly and subtly directing proceedings,
he's never less than a delight, and the two 5-minute solos he's allowed are exquisite exercises
in pitch and tone manipulation. Regardless, there's something of interest here for fans of both
players, as well as for anyone who enjoys feeling simultaneously intrigued and annoyed.

Nick Cain

S teve Lacy doesn't have the most austere voice on the straight horn; that accolade goes
to Michel Doneda, who has also featured on one of the six CDs released by the
French label Potlatch. Lacy is joined on Outcome by Derek Bailey, already making
his second outing on the label. It is a previously unreleased recording of a Paris concert from
1983. Neither is a stranger to each other's work, though only one duet of the two has surfaced
before now. Lacy, as may be expected, has more of an interest in melodic morsels than Bailey;
these momentarily surface before getting sucked into conversational dialogue with Bailey's
less overtly thematic discourse. Lacy seems to be slightly more dominant in the mix, as a
result Bailey appears to be providing waves of textural accompaniment in the background, but
he is allowed some long strumatomic and plucktastic electric guitar solos. On his return, Lacy
bleats with revived gumption.

U K guitarist Derek Bailey and US soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy are old musical
sparring partners, having recorded together before for various labels, including
Bailey's Incus imprint. Both are seasoned improvisers who have enough new tricks
up their collective sleeves to cause those who have slumped into thinking improvisation is now
formulaic to prick up their ears. The five exercises that make up Outcome (recorded live in
concert at Dunois, Paris, on 25 June 1983) is no idle improvised conversation between old
friends. Instead both Bailey and Lacy force themselves to dig deeper into each other's musical
attitude and personality to allow the combined artistic souls of both players to leak into the
recording. Beyond the usual jumbled entanglement of ripped chords and tortured melody that
improvised music sometimes invites, Outcome is a supreme example of how it should sound
when performed properly.

Edwin Pouncey

T his is only the second recorded collaboration between guitarist Derek Bailey and
soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy , and while the rarity of the event adds to the thrill,
there is little question of the outstanding results produced on this particular occasion.
As critic Jon Morgan points out in the liner notes, Lacy and Bailey embrace different
concepts of improvisation, yet neither sacrifices any of his individuality to meet the other on
common ground. There is little of the conversational quality so often found when musical
giants play in tandem. Instead, the five pieces reflect two performers in peak form, each of
whom displays his abilities to the fullest. Lacy has rarely sounded better, taking full advantage
of the freedom of Bailey's electric guitar. While you are not likely to hear an ounce of
familiarity in Bailey's contribution (he always seems sui generis), the guitarist continues to
amaze with his independence and originality. Anyone even modestly interested in either Lacy
or Bailey will wish to hear this one

Steven Loewy, All Music Guide

O utcome is an exceptional new release brought to us from the fine Paris, France based
label, Potlatch and features modern day innovators, soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy
and guitarist Derek Bailey performing a series of duets culled from a live concert in
Paris, 1983. Historically, these two giants of modern music have seldom performed as a duo,
which might seem a bit unusual when considering their numerous collaborations within
various ensembles over the years. However, we can only treasure the bright moments when
they occur, as this outing should delight many fans while the better than expected recording
quality strengthens or enhances the overall experience!

With Input #1, Steve Lacy’s acute lyricism and brilliant integration of melody along with his
heralded if not infamous delivery is perpetuated by Derek Bailey’s seemingly uncanny sense
of rhythm especially when considering how he coalesces with the soprano saxophonist’s fluid
lines and shifty thematic inventions. […] True improvisation of the highest order continues on
Input #2, as Bailey implements his mastery of volume control techniques on the electric guitar
while slicing and dicing through harmonics and dissonant chord progressions. Once again
Lacy and Bailey work from within, sans any predefined or conspicuous endpoint(s) as the
numerous movements and intuitive interaction emits a sense of timelessness or perhaps
cosmic bliss. […] Lucid imagery and spurts of humor prevail while the musicians flirt with a
loosely based blues/swing motif on Input #5 thanks to Lacy’s sweet overtones and Bailey’s
fragmented lines as this remarkable encounter approaches its conclusion!

Outcome could also be titled, “The Art Of Improvising” or “How To Create Your Own
Musical Language”! Here we are treated to a didactic discourse from two proven masters who
explore territories previously inhabited by only a select few! — Essential —

Glenn Astarita, All about Jazz, 04/2000

L a déchirure en guise de trait d'union, le suraigu comme caresse, l'imprévu pour

cohérence, la surprise telle une certitude et l'aléa devenu loi. Ou l'aventure quasi
mathématique et la rigueur du délire. Et tout se passe comme si le mélodique,
l'harmonieux, le contrapuntique, le swingant, le lyrique avaient été transposés, simplement
déplacés à un niveau autre que l'habituel, pour offrir l'un des plus doux et constrastés, l'un des
plus vifs et sereins (cool) duos.

Philippe Carles, Jazz Magazine, 04/2000

ssue ou aboutissement ? Confrontation ou ajustement ? Tout simplement un résultat.

I L'expression d'un respect mutuel, dans un jeu de rôles attribués d'avance. Oubli de
l'histoire, rattrapage indispensable. Honnêteté intellectuelle et morale sauve. Discours
partagé, continu pour l'un, au souffle toujours sur le fil du rasoir (the wire), haché menu,
démonté, reconstruit puis détruit immédiatement par l'autre. Jouet cassé mais avec amour,
mélodie brisée avant de ne simplement naître, libertinage (c'est-à-dire hors du cadre, toujours),
musique du corps et de l'esprit. Antinomie ? Non, plutôt mélange subtil, de salive et de chair,
jusqu'au bout des ongles. Pour les deux. Jonction, donc. Bien évidemment. Impossible de se
rater, et rareté… Sinon, à quoi cela servirait-il ? Sûrement à l'aboutissement (bis) d'un disque,
avec cinq « Inputs », parce qu'il faut bien fixer des repères, et que la limitation est liée au
professionnalisme. Parce que, dès le départ, ces gens savent où ils veulent aller, même s'ils ne
savent pas de quelle manière, quel chemin emprunter (et non pas voler). Et là résident leur
force et leur pouvoir. Pour la beauté du geste, Outcome est devenu nécessaire fatalement,
unique certainement, indispensable vraisemblablement.

Philippe Renaud, Improjazz 63, mars 2000

C omme le rappelle Jon C. Morgan dans les notes de pochette d'Outcome, Derek Bailey
et Steve Lacy se sont rarement rencontrés sur un disque : un duo en 1976 pour la
firme Incus; trois thèmes de Lacy avec sa propre formation et Bailey en invité.
Enregistré par Jean-Marc Foussat à Dunois — celui du 28 de la rue Dunois, à Paris —, le 25
juin 1983, ce duo est un de ces petits bonheurs que génèrent les musiques de l'évidence,
lorsque l'improvisation libre de tous présupposés survient entre deux musiciens dans le plus
naturel des gestes. Pour pleinement goûter le soprano de Lacy (qui glisse des citations de jazz
à l'occasion) et les traits de Bailey à la guitare (il y a en lui comme une transcription sonore du
dripping de Pollock), il faut écarter les codes de la dialectique tension/détente, duel/osmose,
exploration/découverte, se rendre disponible au propos de deux musiciens qui ne cherchent
pas à constituer une entité, mais qui œuvrant côte à côte parviennent à se comprendre. On n'ira
pas jusqu'à dire que ces «pouet pouetteurs bouleziens » swinguent (pour reprendre
l'expression discutable de Philippe Adler dans le courrier des lecteurs de notre numéro de
février 2000), mais Outcome relève bien de cet art de l'improvisation collective né voici un
siècle à La Nouvelle-Orléans.

Sylvain Siclier, Jazzman 56, 03/2000

S ans préparation ni prévision, sans preuves ni provisions, sac vide au dos, cheminer
librement, improviser. Foncièrement gratuite, joyeusement désintéressée
(improductive, diront certains), la pratique de l’écoute partagée et de l’improvisation
recèle d’étranges forces de résistance et de subversion. Elle requiert aussi de ceux qui s’y
vouent une porosité active et réactive doublée d’une capacité à ne pas s’oublier. L’articulation
de cette présence à soi et de la nécessaire présence à l’autre induit disponibilité et disposition à
" l’insécurité ; le poète n’a que des satisfactions adoptives. Cendre toujours inachevée ". On
pourrait craindre que, dans le crucial contexte du duo, les univers autarciques de Lacy et
Bailey, trompeusement étanches, n’arrivent à s’aboucher ; il n’en est rien.

Dans ces années 80 où l’effectif du sextet lacyen se constitue et se stabilise, où

l’interprétation d’art songs (avec Gysin ou Creeley) prend quelque peu le pas sur la stricte
improvisation, le sopraniste n’en oublie pas pour autant la très fructueuse british connection
des premières années 70 ; de Company en Dreams , des invitations réciproques… et rares.
Mues par une irrépressible envie cinétique, les asymptotes de Derek Bailey et de Steve Lacy
dessinent des trajectoires finalement (à l’infini) compatibles et paradoxalement sécantes. En
épissures inouïes s’entremêlent les échafaudages de bambou du guitariste, lignes hérissées ou
estompées, salves sobres ou crénelées, raclements batailleurs, textures fouaillées, avec les
roulades, flèches et figures transposées du saxophoniste, architecture souple dont les confins
résonnent de growls secs. " Le poème est ascension furieuse ; la poésie, le jeu des berges
arides. " A bout d’idiome, hors d’eux-mêmes, il leur faut prendre cette langue commune qui
s’invente en se faisant : " Parole, orage, glace et sang finiront par former un givre commun ".

Sans forme a priori, ce langage neuf se conçoit dans les opérations qui le réalisent : outre-
manche, Bailey inventorie et exténue le vocabulaire (depuis 1960), tandis que Lacy (auquel on
doit l’éclaircissement de la voix du saxophone soprano dans les années 50) tâche d’épuiser,
outre-anche, la syntaxe. Le rôle de l’auditeur et de sa mémoire, réflexive et non linéaire,
s’avère naturellement vital ici ; c’est lui qui complète l’oeuvre en la rendant présente en toutes
ses parties. Ils n’écriront " pas de poème d’acquiescement ", et la musique de ce recueil,
furieusement mystérieuse et inespérée, sans début ni fin, reste un défi à l’industrie moderne
du sommeil, la marque d’un " amour réalisé du désir demeuré désir ".

Guillaume Tarche. Les citations sont extraites d’œuvres de René Char.

 requently, when discussing duo recordings, writers and listeners alike get caught up in

F the concept of conversational dialogue, implying either a most rudimental give and
take, or perhaps an encounter where two players run each other through an endurance
test of will while putting their own manifesto across. Other schools assert tales of
microsecond adjustments, where deft, seemingly telepathic communication takes place, as one
player anticipates the other’s next move. Not surprisingly, the duo of guitarist Derek Bailey
and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy fails to fit comfortably within any of these preconceived
boxes.

Perhaps the best analogy in (non-musical terms) for this unique musical arrangement, is a
partnership between significant others. Consider if you will, a first time duo, which can, like a
young romance, be full of awkward politeness, and sheepish fumbling, while trying not to say
(or in this case play) the wrong thing. Bailey and Lacy, despite relatively infrequent
collaborations, are more akin to a well-seasoned courtship: one that permits the space for
autonomy, interjection and debate, and selective inattention. Above all, in this instance, both of
the involved parties retain their own distinct identity while relishing in, and learning from,
characteristics.

That both Bailey and Lacy are compatible impro-visers who coexist artistically while
sacrificing none of their own personality should surprise no one. Strangely, this recording
marks only the second time their collaboration as a tandem has been documented. The other
from 1976 was released as Company 4 on Incus records and has yet to be re-issued, while
three other recordings from the early to mid-seventies (The Crust, Saxophone Special, and
Dreams) find Bailey working within larger Lacy ensembles. Why these two have worked
together so infrequently is a bit of a mystery, for when two of the music’s true visionaries
share the stage, it is bound to be at the very least intriguing. On this Paris night, from the
summer of 1983, there was no shortage of magic at the Dunois club.

Lacy is a compulsively analytical melodicist, extracting all he can from a line before moving
on to the next musical kernel. The saxophonist obsesses over his phrases, reworking,
reshaping and re-conceptualizing his angle until there is simply nothing left. Bailey, on the
other hand, is a wily improviser who seems to operate under the premise that the most logical
path is the one to leave out. His convoluted arpeggios and humming volume pedal swells
focus more on pitch and context than they do a conventionally understood meter or melody.

What seems on the surface, two potentially disparate voices, on this night found an interesting
neutral zone, a no man’s land where each player’s voice overlapped into some vital
developments. While Bailey is clearly listening, his attack and sense of pacing is quite
different from Lacy’s deeply involved, meandering excursions. Rather than merely
accompanying him, Bailey antagonizes with a barrage of textural tension, which frequently
sends the saxophonist reeling with some of his most jagged and vigorous playing committed
to record in some time.
This duo works precisely because it does not rely on a conversational-like improvised
dialogue. Instead, each player brings his own attitude and dogma to the table and forces the
other into breaking from the tried and true comfort zone, and therefore eggs him into getting
involved. Both players come away knowing more about themselves as musicians, and likely as
human beings. Isn’t that the whole point of playing music with other people?

Jon C. Morgan

S teve Lacy and Derek Bailey have radically different approaches to improvisation.
Bailey deals primarily with pure sound, and it often seems that the only reason for
notes as such to occur in tris music is because of the basic nature of the guitar, which
gives you six tones as a starting place. By using harmonics and open strings as frequently as
he does, Bailey tacitly agrees to accept the neutral feeling of the standard guitar tuning as a
harmonie reference, albeit one that he just about never acknowledges except by a series of
wellconceived devices that turn that reference on its head (using major sevenths or minor
seconds with the harmonics, for instance). But there is no conventional progression to the
music anyway; things move by textuel and rhythmic rather than melodic or harmonic steps.

Lacy, in contrast, is almost obsessed with intervallic relationships; most of his improvisations
consist of brilliantly controlled expositions of just the melodic-harmonic information that
Bailey generally ignores. But there is a great deal of flexibility in each man's approach, and
they find thousands of ways of bridging the gap during this striking series of improvised
duos recorded live in Paris, June 29, 1983. Certainly they use the fundamental tension
brilliantly, with Lacy weaving his melodic tapestries almost in spite of the beyond-abstract
interpolations of tris counterpart. But the saxophonist opens up more in this context than
anywhere else, and just when he's completely committed to the kind of textuel development
that Bailey usually employs, the guitarist can turn the tables with the drollest of harmonie
associations. Both men are pushing things and clearly inspiring one another throughout this
excellent recording, which is a must for fans of either player or of free improvised music in
general.

Duck Baker, JazzTimes, August 2000

O utcome is a duo concert recorded in Paris in 1983, work that's concentrated in the
frequency range of Steve Lacy's soprano saxophone and Bailey's trebly electric
guitar (...). From the outset, it's about two strong personalities who shape musical
space in very different ways. Lacy is insistently linear, whether tris concentration is on
puckishly reshaping a kernel of melody or freely stringing together long arpeggiated fines.
Bailey uses harmonics for great stretches here, in ways that suggest metallic percussion and
African and SouthEast Asian sources. It may be that every great improvising duo involves
four musicians, two who are listening to each other and two who aren't, or two remembering
and two forgetting. Thus there are moments here of startling concord that will arise with
unpredictable suddenness and from which the two will develop quite independent patins. The
music is in part shaped by Lacy and Bailey's contrasting relationships to the formal and
historical (rhythmic and harmonie) shapes of jazz. Lacy's fines and allusions are directly
informed by that continuum, while Bailey's are oblique or tangentiel. At the beginning of "
Input #2 " Lacy directly invokes the jazz of the twenties, specifically Sidney Bechet. It's
another dimension to some fascinating music in which Bailey's listening can be so close that
his sound seems to be born within Lacy's.

Stuart Broomer, Signal to Noise, July 200

C lever album title, as each of the five tracks, recorded live at Dunois, is called "Input."
The outcome of this, sadly, is lesser than the sum of the players. Lacy plays
trademark repetitive figures, but to no particular ends, and Bailey plinks away with
spirit, but the pieces just don’t cohere. The liner notes claim that indeed, the two players are
not trying to do any interrelated playing, in itself no crime, but the "antagonism" of styles
praised here shows no clash or tension. This is the first Potlatch duo I’ve encountered that
wasn’t an instant classic. Instead, try their Denman Maroney/Hans Tammen, Joelle Léandre/ ,
and the Parker/Rowe below.
1983, CONCERT IN MILWAUKEE, DBC2, private issue (cassette)

Derek Bailey : guitar solo

1- 8E
2- 21A
3- 15E
4- 9A

Recorded 31 March 1983 at Woodland Pattern, Milwaukee, Winsconsin, USA.

T his is a more than rare private issue, not officially released on Incus or any other label.
However, it is a 'semi-official' cassette, made available under the following
circumstances. In 1983 Derek Bailey was due to visit Japan for a concert tour and
decided to take with him, for sale at the concerts, a cassette recorded live in Milwaukee.
Approximately 500 cassettes were prepared and dispatched to the promoter in Japan but, in
the event, the tour fell through and the cassettes were returned to England. On arriving to
collect the two boxes containing the cassettes from the Post Office Derek found that they were
badly damaged and, having to pay to re-gain them, decided to collect only one of the parcels.
The salvagable cassettes - number not known, but probably around 150 - were subsequently
sold at other live dates. All are produced on a light-grey plastic cassette body with
'CONCERT IN MILWAUKEE, DEREK BAILEY' plus date of concert, printed in light-blue
directly on the cassette body. The cassette insert is as presented above, with the number DBC2
(no number on cassette itself).
1983, TRIOS, Incus 51 (UK) (LP) (released in 1986)

Company :
Vinko Globokar : trombone, voice, flute
Joelle Leandre : bass, voice
Hugh Davies : live electronics
J.D.Parran : basset horn & piccolo
Peter Brötzmann : tenor & baritone saxophones
Jamie Muir : percussion
Ernst Reijseger : cello & electric cello
Evan Parker : tenor & soprano saxophones
John Corbett : trumpet & flugelhorn
Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

1- Trio - one Globokar/Leandre/Davies 13.27

2- Trio - two Paran/Bailey/Leandre 14.39
3- Trio - three Parker/Reijseger/Bailey 02.02
4- Trio - four Muir/Globokar/Parran 09.00
5- Trio - five Leandre/Davies/Parker 05.20
6- Trio - minus one Reijseger/Baily 07.50
7- Trio - trio [all players except Leandre] 11.03

Recorded during Company Week 1983 at the ICA, London, 24-28 May 1983, by Adam
Skeaping.
Production by Derek Bailey and Adam Skeaping.
Cover design and typography by Karen Brookman.
1983, LES DOUZE SONS, nato 82 (France) (LP) (released in 1984)

Joëlle Léandre, double bass, voice, with :

1- Annick Nozati, voice; Irène Schweizer, piano

Pavane 00.59
2- Barre Phillips, bass
Basses profondes 02.42
3- Annick Nozati, voice; Irène Schweizer, piano
Pierrot 00.42
4- Barre Phillips, bass; George Lewis, trombone
Ballade de chien 04.43
5- Annick Nozati, voice; Irène Schweizer, piano
Cadenza rare 00.07
6- Derek Bailey, guitar; Ernst Reijseger, cello
Trio en forme de bagatelle 05.25
7- Barre Phillips, bass
Grand duo concertant 03.55
8- Annick Nozati, voice; Irène Schweizer, piano
Les trois dames 09.05
9- Barre Phillips, bass; George Lewis, trombone
Instant opus 3 01.20
10- Irène Schweizer, piano
Sonate brève échapée 06.42
11- Barre Phillips, bass; George Lewis, trombone
Seriozo (pour cordes et trombone) 06.49
12- Annick Nozati, voice
Soupir 00.03

All recorded at Théâtre Dunois, Paris on 9-12 June 1983. Cover graphic by Pierre Cornuel.
Joëlle Léandre 10/97 http://www.491.fr/Archives%2097/Leandre.html

ARCHIVES
1997
OCTOBRE N°20

Joëlle Léandre

Le 7 octobre Joëlle Léandre sera en solo au Théâtre de la Renaissance. «

Beauty is a rare thing » : rare, un solo de contrebasse, rare une musicienne
qui intègre avec autant de bonheur composition et improvisation, rare ce jeu
qui mêle naturellement la voix à l’instrument, sans hiérarchie. Peu de disques
résistent au temps comme « Urban Bass » son disque solo, peut-être
justement parce qu’il y est question de temps, pour une fois, et de cordes qui
vibrent, de cris, de mots, de soupirs, de mélodies envoûtantes dont on perd le
début ou la fin. En mai aux Instants Chavirés à Paris Joëlle Léandre
improvisait avec le guitariste anglais Derek Bailey. Je ne m’en suis toujours
pas remis et ce concert à venir ne devrait rien arranger. Joëlle Léandre donne
beaucoup et laisse des traces, des émotions, longtemps. Elle parle aussi de
son instrument, de sa vie, avec passion.

Parlons du solo, est-ce qu’on y retrouvera des choses de Urban Bass»

Non pas du tout, c’est un solo, je dirais à 80 % spontané. Avec évidemment des
concepts, des cuisines personnelles, des morceaux mais qui sont sans arrêt en
mouvance. La musique c’est du mouvement, ça ne se fixe pas. Il y aura peut-être
une composition...
Pour les fans de «Taxi»
Peut-être « Taxi » ou « Piece for dog » la pièce pour chien, mais c’est quand même
assez basé sur l’improvisation.
Tu composes et tu improvises. De quel côté penche plus facilement la balance
? Il y a un combat entre les deux ?
Il y a d’une part un combat entre les deux mais je suis avant tout une musicienne
donc je suis plus sur les plateaux à m’exprimer, je suis une dame de « stage »... ce
n’est pas incompatible mais c’est très différent. Porter une pièce, une composition,
une écriture pendant parfois quatre, cinq mois pour une durée d’à peine un quart
d’heure et donner la même chose dans un temps réel. La composition c’est du
temps différé, l’improvisation c’est du réel dans le temps qui s’écoule, le moment où
tu joues c’est le temps de la vie. La composition c’est une remise en pratique, c’est
un temps différé : tu peux penser une pièce et la monter, l’écrire pour l’année
d’après, tu y reviens, tu as des esquisses. Mais ce n’est pas incompatible je croix et
comme je suis toujours polémiste je pourrais dire que la matière de l’improvisation
devrait il me semble beaucoup plus intéresser certains compositeurs qui ont
totalement fuit et refusé cette matière compositionnelle.
Je n’aime pas du tout la formule «composition instantannée» souvent
employée...
Moi non plus, mais je ne t’ai pas dit ça, je t’ai bien dit les différences de ces deux
soeurs jumelles qui s’attirent, qui se détestent peut-être, mais je crois qu’on
Joëlle Léandre 10/97 http://www.491.fr/Archives%2097/Leandre.html

pourrait parler de plein de sens de musiques européennes, Occident, black, blanc...

Ce sont deux familles qui ne pourraient que s’attirer et s’organiser dans les
musiques dites actuelles, d’aujourd’hui, d’écriture, de pensée, de choses
contemporaines, (je n’aime pas cette appellation), ce n’est pas assez clair cette
donnée. C’est plus clair ailleurs, par exemple dans le jazz, les musiciens ne se sont
jamais posés la question, c’est pourquoi je suis très attirée depuis plusieurs années,
je pourrais presque dire que je suis une jazz-woman, tout au moins dans l’esprit de
ces gens-là parce qu’ils sont musiciens avant tout, improvisateurs et compositeurs.
D’où viens-tu ?
Du classique, j’ai commencé la basse à neuf ans, sur un tabouret...
Je me suis toujours demandé comment c’était possible, la contrebasse pour
un enfant... ?
Sur un tabouret, j’avais le bras tendu comme une pauvre misérable, je pleurais
pendant deux ans, je chialais « J’veux plus le faire » et plus le professeur, la famille...
Tu n’es pas passée par le violoncelle ?
Non jamais, en même temps j’ai commencé le piano, cinq, six ans.
Et le chant ?
Ce n’est pas le chant, c’est la voix. La voix est une mat ière, c’est tellement simple,
tout le monde chante. Regarde les musiques orales, indiennes, chinoises,
évidemment africaines. C’est ici dans notre Occident où il semble qu’il faut faire des
études de chant pour devenir chanteuse... non ! La vo ix fait partie intégrante du
musicien, tant mieux si j’ai une belle voix peut-être que j’ose. Je croix que tout
musicien chante en jouant à l’intérieur, c’est naturel !
Quand dans une improvisation tu te mets à chanter, c’est un prolongement de
l’instrument ?
Oui, c’est que j’ai une chose à dire avec émotion, avec révolte, furieuse ou drôle... ça
peut être comme un conte. Moi je suis provençale, on parle des fameux conteurs
provençaux, va savoir si je n’ai pas des racines... Je crois que oui, j’aime bien dire des
choses, c’est une matière sonore vocale, vocable. Le chant est autre chose, je
travaille beaucoup avec des chanteuses.
Tu ne te considères pas comme chanteuse... vocaliste ?
Voilà oui, ou clameuse, ou crieuse, j’aime bien ce mot. Je suis une crieuse, c’est joli
non ?
Et les mots arrivent de temps en temps , tu écrits ?
J’ai écrit un livre de poésie. J’écris beaucoup, prose et poésie. Quand j’étais à Berlin
j’ai fait une « Ode à Berlin », tu ne peux pas savoir ce que tu peux faire avec les mots
« Ode à Berlin ». L’année dernière j’ai écrit un texte en hommage à Satie «
Satie-mental Journey » avec l’octet, des musiques écrites et improvisées. Mais je n’ai
pas la prétention de dire que je sui écrivain. Je viens de finir une pièce qui fera
peut-être une trilogie « Taxi » - « Piece for dog » et « Cat studies », les études du
chat... (les gens vont se rouler sur le siège et se dire « elle est toquée en prenant de
l’âge...», c’est tragiquement basé sur la solitude, un individu en fait qui n’a que ses
chats. Mais ça je le mets en musique, c’est aussi le quotidien, la vie. Moi je ne peux
pas parler de musique, après ce sont les institutions, les marketings, les looks : là ça
danse, là c’est ça. Ça c’est vendable, on vend plus, là c’est pour écouter plus, là c’est
touchant... sinon on ne peut pas en parler de la musique, c’est la société qui crée les
clivages, pas le musicien.
Dans «Taxi» tu parles de l’incompréhension que rencontre une femme qui
joue de la contrebasse ?
Non, je dis avec beaucoup de raillerie les réflexions auth entiques des taxis. Ce n’est
pas une rage d’être femme, c’est sur la normalité et l’anormalité : si tu es trop gros,
grand, petit, la basse c’est comme un corps tu es emmerdé, on te regarde « Ah bon
ce n’est pas une flûte ! »... Si tu transposes ça chez l’être humain, un gars qui fait
deux mètres cinq, un nain, j’ai voulu dire ça, pas plus homme que femme. J’ai fait la
relation avec cet objet qui fait partie de ma vie : ça fait 36 ans que je joue de la
basse. J’ai vu combien parfois j’avais mal de jouer un objet assez immense, quand tu
vois un ou une bassiste tu te dis « Mais qu’est-ce qu’il fait avec cette demi-armoire ?
». C’est assez monumental comme objet. C’est un objet qui devait dans l’histoire et
l’instrumentation rester au fond, dans l’orchestre, les graves sont au fond, il faut
Joëlle Léandre 10/97 http://www.491.fr/Archives%2097/Leandre.html

tendre l’oreille, on a l’habitude d’une certaine tessiture d’écoute. C’est très rare une
basse devant, même dans le jazz et ça m’a toujours trotté dans la tête. J’ai fait
douze ans d’orchestre symphonique ou de chambre, on est au fond : Tu fais « pom
pom » tu comptes trois heures « pom pom pom » puis deux heures et demi « poup
» puis tu comptes 50 mesures 53, 54 « papapapam » et puis 12... à un moment
quand même tu te dis que tu ne vas pas faire ça toute ta vie. Donc tu as envie
d’éclaircir, de bouleverser tout ça. D’une certaine manière j’ai été ou je continue
d’être une forme de pionnier de la basse. J’ai poussé tout ça.
Quels sont tes projets ?
Une résidence d’un an à Metz après des vrais composit eurs, assez académiques, la
musique contemporaine où moi je suis un peu bâtardisée. Ça me touche qu’on
commence peut-être à reconnaître mon travail, de cette complexité, fragilité de ne
pas choisir et dire « ça y est j’ai trouvé ». On me donne quand même un truc très
institutionnel et je vais parler totalement de l’improvisation, de l’écriture, du jazz, de
l’oralité. Mais on me donne une année pour synthétiser ma pensée, inviter des potes,
des gens free. Faire jouer mon octet, donner un récital de musique contemporaine
puisque je joue aussi encore quelques fois cette musique. Je suis assez contente, je
le dis avec simplicité, je viens de recevoir une bourse pour quatre mois au Japon
aussi autour de cette thématique. J’ai beaucoup de tournées en duo, trio, tout ce
que je mène depuis pas loin de 25 ans, avec toujours des rencontres, le côté
voyageuse je dirais.
Et le duo avec Derek Bailey ?
Le concert des Instants va sortir très bientôt sur le tout nouveau lavel que
Jean-Marc Foussat veut faire. Derek m’a encore appelée hier, on est enchanté.
Ça fait longtemps que tu joues avec lui ?
Derek je l’ai rencontré dans les années 80-81 à New York. J’avais joué à un festival à
Londres avec Maggie Nicols et Irène Schweizer déjà, on était tellement toquées
toutes les trois que George Lewis est venu « You have to meet Derek Bailey ! », je
devais aller à New York et j’ai tapé à sa porte... comme je suis d’abord aussi allée
taper à la porte de John Cage. Tu te jettes dans je ne sais quel bateau et tu y crois, il
y a un côté guerrier en moi sûrement. Ce fut une magnifique rencontre et pendant
trois jours on n’a pas arrêté de jouer ensemble. Mais je pourrais aussi te parler de la
rencontre avec Anthony Braxton, j’avais un solo au Canada et on me dit que Braxton
n’a pas son bassiste qu’il veut à tout prix que ce soit moi... j’ai tremblé, j’ai fait de
l’huile, les cheveux sont tombés, les dents devenaient rondes, j’ai serré la main à
Braxton et il m’a filé quatre kilos de partitions. J’ai rencontré Xenakis, Bério, c’est un
longs parcours. Chaque époque, temps, rencontre, partition, bout de papier,
graphisme de Erb Brown, John Cage, Morton Feldman, ou d’avoir été sous la
baguette de Bernstein, Lorin Maazel, ou d’avoir travaillé Scelsi sont les mêmes
valeurs que si je rencontre Lazro, Lewis, Bailey et Annick Nozati... ou d’avoir travaillé
pendant 15 ans avec des poètes, la beat generation, John, Giorno, tous ces gens qui
font une lecture et veulent un musicien. C’est cette alerte, cette vibration de ce qui
se fait crucialement dans ton époque. Je suis tellement dans mon époque mais
consciente du passé, j’ai joué Bach ! Quand tu es au Conservatoire de Paris tu te
tapes les suites de Bach, transcrites pour contrebasse évidemment. Tout ça tu le
vis, tu le nettoies, tu élagues. Te dire où je vais, je ne sais pas, et tant mieux. Je
prétends que l’improvisation est une écriture quotidienne. Regarde les nuages il n’y a
pas un instant où rien ne bouge. C’est une chose qui m’alerte presque émotivement
tu ne peux pas le cerner. Le son tu ne peux pas le cerner, l’arrêter. La musique ce
n’est que l’univers des sons, sans hiérarchie, Cage disait : « Surtout pas de
hiérarchie ! Tous les sons sont beaux », même une porte qui claque. Ce sont les
autres après qui figurent et décident : ça c’est bien, ça c’est moins bien, ça ça
touche, ça c’est beau, ça on doit le faire, ça c’est inécoutable, ça on ne peut pas le
juxtaposer, ça ça s’écrit, non mais ça ça doit pas s’écrire, parce que ça si c’est pas ça
ce ça ça se scrr... Moi je suis là-dedans, cette presque douleur d’être quelque chose
et de devenir quelqu’un. C’est la société d’être grand, beau, sublime ; numéro un,
tac, truc, boum, paf, tout ça c’est ennuyeux pour moi.
Je pense être profondément anarchiste. Profondément et de plus en plus.

3 sur 4 23/08/08 15:28

1983, ISKRA 1903, Incus 3-4 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

One LP featuring Iskra 1903.

Derek Bailey : acoustic and amplified guitar
Barry Guy : acoustic and amplified bass
Paul Rutherford : trombone and piano

1- Improvisation 5 05.57
2- Improvisation 6 10.37
3- Improvisation 7 04.29
4- Improvisation 8 06.22
5- Improvisation 9 03.38
6- Improvisation 10 03.10
7- Improvisation 11 07.35

Recorded in London, 3 May 1972 (precise date provided by Martin Davidson).

1983, YANKEES, Celluloid OAO, CELD 5006 (UK) (LP)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

George Lewis : trombone
John Zorn : alto and soprano saxophones, clarinets, game calls

1- City city city 08:22

2- The legend Of Enos Slaughter 09:17
3- Who's on first 02:56
4- On Golden Pond 18:00
5- The warning track 05:28

Recorded at OAO Studio, Brooklyn New York. Artwork production by Thi-Linh-Le.

(…)

N o introductions are necessary here, suffice to say that this is free improvisation of the
highest quality. It's incredible to hear these three in unison, working impossible
sounds from their instruments yet always in touch with each other. Whether they are
taking a games- or rules-based approach to the improvisation or not (Zorn has often employed
such techniques), the level of empathy between the performers is what makes this music
sound so 'together'. (...) Though with very different outcomes, both trios place a considerable
emphasis on the sounds their approach, instrumentation and format allows. Here, we get an
ever-playful John Zorn pushing the range of his saxophones and clarinets into ultrasonics,
often singing or jabbering "game calls" through the reed, or producing shrieking upper-
register squawls. George Lewis works his trombone in much the same way, burbling and
breathing through his mouthpiece. Yet for me, Derek Bailey really stands out, effortlessly
justifiying his legendary status. For what is essentially an acoustic sound, Bailey squeezes
incredible characterisations from his guitar, matching Zorn's violin impersonations or
surrounding Lewis' growls with delicate piano-like harmonics. At other times, he slashes out
violent percussive chops and yet ends the disk with a minute-long warm hum of feedback. A
quite breathtaking display of control which would grace any 'ambient' release.

A n earlier improv session... Derek Bailey, George Lewis (the trombonist, not the New
Orleans clarinettist – although – that would have been an interesting session...) and
John Zorn. 'On Golden Pond.' Not sure what Hank Fonda would have made of
this... Unlike some in the world of free improv, the late-lamented Bailey (who died round
Christmas last year) had a mordant sense of humour. The 1983 album that this track is taken
from – 'Yankees' is apparently devoted to sound pictures and improvisations on sports themes.
Zorn's duck calls here set the scene over bubbling watery sounds, occasional rising and falling
trombone lines that are the only reference point to 'jazz' and the astringency of Bailey's guitar.
So far now from the broad idiom of 'jazz.' Yet music from three players with strong jazz roots
– which Zorn is still exploring. Bailey famously turned his back on jazz to further his
experiments in non-idiomatic guitar improvisations, (declaring that 'jazz' had died with Charlie
Parker). George Lewis, a superb trombone player, second generation member of AACM and
composer has also been very active in multi-media and electronic developments – writing the
software for the Voyager interactive music program, for example. Yet all of them are linked by
the improvisation ethic that came mainly out of twentieth century jazz - here used to explore
sounds/noise in a wide open space, a far from serious yet fascinating excursion...
kdombrowski :: tradelist https://www.ylayali.net/~kenneth/tradelist/index.php?show_id=718&...

1983-10-06 Derek Bailey - Toshinoro Kondo - Johnny Dyani

Wuppertal,
city venue Festival Grenzüberschreitungen 1983
Germany
source/lineage aud > cd on trade > flac

received dime format FLAC length 37:02

Derek Bailey - Toshinoro Kondo - Johnny Dyani - Trio

1983-October-06
Wuppertal, Börse, Festival Grenzüberschreitungen 1983

Toshinoro Kondo,tp Derek Bailey,g Johnny Dyani,b

1 Improvisation (interrupted by end of tape 21:30) 37:03

Total Time: 37:02

Lineage: aud > cd on trade > flac > dime

Sound Rating: Sound Rating: AUDIENCE RECORDING A-/B+

Remark: Grenzüberschreitung means in english ?Cross-Border?. This was a

music festival over two days in 1983 in Wuppertal, Germany.
1985, ASSOCIATES, Musica Jazz Felmay FF 1001 (Italy) (CD)

Steve Lacy Soprano saxophone duets with :

1- Masahiko Togashi, percussion: Haze 11.33

recorded in Hiroshima, September 1983.
2- Steve Potts, alto and soprano saxophones: Free point 09.31
recorded in London on 7 December 1985.
3- Mal Waldron, piano: Epistrophy 07.56
recorded in Sicily, March 1994.
4- Irène Aebi, voice: Train going by 03.37
recorded in Vancouver on 31 December 1993.
5- Roswell Rudd, trombone: Pannonica 06.58
6- Bobby Few, piano: The rent 09.34
recorded in Istambul on 9 March 1992.
7- Derek Bailey, guitar: Untitled 05.24
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 1 February 1985.
8- George Lewis, trombone: The whammies 05.19
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 30 December 1982.
9- Ulli Gumpert, piano: The crust 07.13
recorded Burghausen, 8 March 1985.
10- Muhammed Ali, drums: Clichés 10.53
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 28 December 1982.

CD free with Musica Jazz (Italy), no 10, 1996 which included a special feature on Steve Lacy.

Producer: Felmay. Compiled by Steve Lacy, Renzo Pognant & Claudio Sessa.

Cover photo: Roberto Masotti. Cover art: Fuoco Fisso.

Liner Notes

his disc was conceived as a kind of sound support for an article about Steve Lacy and

T written for the Italian magazine Musica Jazz [Felmay FF 1001 (Musica Jazz CD) ].
Its variety makes it a unique document of one of the subtlest arts of this great
saxophone player: the duet-dialogues with other musicians. It is an itinerary through Lacy's
artistic strategies and it goes way beyond his instrumental formula.

When I began to play with the idea of "assembling" a disc of Lacy's unreleased work, I
contacted Renzo Pognant and, naturally, Lacy himself, who was exquisitely helpful. Lacy,
Renzo and I spent a luminous and intense weekend in Paris, rummaging through Lacy's
inexhaustible reserves of recordings and selecting a huge amount of sound material in view of
a project that turned out to be entirely different from what we had planned. All of this just to
point out that Associates was a true labour of love, for me and I believe for the other two
"obstetricians" (one of whom is the natural father as well). The idea of a series of duets took
form slowly yet inexorably, ever since we realized that, in spite of Lacy's colossal disc
production, something of this sort was missing. After subsequent adjustments, for the most
part made upon suggestions by the sax player, we arrived at a disc with a distinct personality
that can be interpreted on various levels.

Claudio Sessa (excerpt from liner notes - 1997)

S teve Lacy is adaptable. We know that; over his career he has been a Dixielander, a
Monk sideman and his foremost interpreter (several tribute albums, including the very
first), and an avant-garde visionary. This album highlights his chameleon stature: ten
duets, made over a decade (1982-1994), with ten different partners. Lacy changes his tone,
changes his approach, changes everything – depending on who he plays with and what they
play. It’s a tour de force, and we get more surprises from a man full of them. The are live
performances from Lacy’s own collection; they literally span the globe. Sound quality varies
wildly, depending on the venue and the tape machine (a portable, it seems, in some cases.) In
some ways the sound adds atmosphere, a feeling that you are there. In the first case, “there”
is Hiroshima; Lacy starts pensive, stating the mournful theme over mumbling drums. He
walks high like an oboe, making some dog yelps. The drums gather steam, and Lacy makes
like an old horn: Ah-oo-gah! Drums get closer; Lacy climbs higher. It is an airy thing,
peaceful – and ominous. The angry squawks return, the drummer goes soft (while staying
intense), and Lacy is again calm. Masahiko Togashi directs the moods, and Lacy drives them
home. A memorable partnership – and there are more to come.

Another continent, another sound. In London, Lacy plays Simon Says with Steve Potts,
trading phrases, and then single notes. The two Steves get aggressive, fast, and very loud – and
it never becomes empty wailing. Even at this volume, each listens very closer to the other. The
rapport is so close they appear to play rounds, and later, in unison. At the end, the sopranos
get in clarinet range, and twitter beautifully as they dart from branch to branch. As this is Lacy,
there are also Monk covers. “Epistrophy” has great sour piano from Mal Waldron (he
doesn’t copy Monk, but he is plenty dissonant.) Lacy’s tone is low and dirty, with an alto
sound. Waldron makes this track, with the same insistent figure he used on “Fire Waltz”
from the Eric Dolphy date at the Five Spot. “Pannonica” offers old-time trombone from
Roswell Rudd, abd the horns linger on the lady’s splendor. Rudd drawls and works that
plunger; Lacy runs some high patterns, makes like a flute, and finished the tune as an oboe.
Unexpected? It’s Monk; what did you expect? On some tracks, Lacy takes the back seat.
“Train Going By” is a song; Irene Aebi takes it in a full classical voice. She does not
improvise; Lacy’s solo is high, pure, and hyperbolic; he also does a mean train whistle! The
tune is the star on “The Rent”, an active line pushjed by Bobby Few’s active piano. Few is
thick and blue; he holds his own whether Lacy dances or screams.

And Derek Bailey takes over “Untitled” with his everywhere-at-once guitar. Not much
interaction here: Lacy plays a stacatto line similar to “Evidence” as Bailey blangs and jangles
like crazy. At last Lacy puts his foot down; he gets hyperactive and furious, and Bailey has to
catch up with him! Bailey then makes some slow twangs echoed by Lacy – peace at last.

“The Whammies” is funny: Lacy trades high figures with George Lewis, who talks into the
trombone at one point. This and “Untitled” are the most experimental takes here, but this is
better to listen to. Hear Lacy’s guttural moments – and Lewis’ oinking! “The Crust” suffers
from bad sound but benefits from muscular piano. Ulli Gumpert’s part is part Cecil Taylor,
part dissonant classical music – which is nearly the same thing. Again, there isn’t much
listening, and it becomes Gumpert’s track. And “Clichés” pairs Lacy with the propulsive
drummer Muhammad Ali. While Togashi’s piece was led by the drummer, this one is Lacy’s;
Ali feeds him Elvin Jones patterns and he goes to town in a performance filled with fire,
fervor, and screams. It’s a great performance, and a strong finish. Some of the partners are
famous; many are not. They all have different ways of reacting to Lacy, and most result in fine
music. It’s a fascinating display of personal skill and instant teamwork, and it’s worth a listen.

Rating: *** *. Deduct a star if you don’t get into free improvisation; deduct half a star if
you’re a stickler over sound quality. If you like Steve Lacy, this is probably a must.

O riginalité de cet enregistrement, c'est pour accompagner la Revue italienne Musica

Jazz, qu'il a été commandé à Steve Lacy. C'est un joli présent que le saxophoniste
soprano nous offre puisqu'il nous livre quelques-uns de ses meilleurs morceaux
joués en duo. Steve Lacy affectionne tout particulièrement l'exercice du duo qu'il assimile
volontiers à un tango (voir son interview).

Parmi les duos marquants, signalons, tout d'abord, celui avec Irene Aebi, sa compagne. Steve
Lacy aime mêler écriture, paroles et musique ; c'est pour lui un moyen de faire vivre dans notre
mémoire des moments qui, sinon, seraient oubliés, définitivement perdus. La voix d'Irene
rencontre le langage du sax pour produire une pièce désormais gravée dans nos esprits. Steve
Lacy a également choisi un duo avec Mal Waldron, son fidèle complice, avec qui il
expérimente cet exercice depuis 20 ans. L'impression générale laissée par cet album c'est
beaucoup de plaisir et d'enthousiasme. Les duos sont uniques, particuliers. Un grand moment.

S. Moig, Jazzosphère 5, 06/1998

S teve Lacy a beau être un stakhanoviste de l'enregistrement - et ce depuis de

nombreuses années -, quand on examine attentivement sa discographie
impressionnante, on n'y relève quasiment aucun déchet.

Nouvelle pierre à l'édifice, cette compilation de dix duos recouvrant la période 1982 - 1994.
Une compilation singulière, parce que de haute qualité, et, surtout, constituée de plages
inédites, choisies personnellement par l'intéressé.

Serge Loupien, Libération, 4-5/10/97

1985, NOTES, Incus 48 (UK) (LP) (released in 1986 ?)

Derek Bailey : solo guitar

1- K 05.05
2- Scaling 02.28
3- At fives & sixes 02.56
4- Notable 03.10
5- Noting 05.38

All above recorded in London in April 1985.

6- Speculations, old style 04.14

7- 83, an update on 38 12.40
8- Titular exhaustion 06.06

All above recorded in London in July 1985.

Cover design by Karen Brookman.

On the reverse of the cover: 'I put an E with a B and a G with a D and an A and an F. And a B
with C and a G and an E and an F and an A. And a ...... J.(S) Durante from: I'm the guy who
found the lost chord.'

Track 2, Scaling, was also released on the compilation CD Legends of guitar vol. 1: jazz.
1985, SCALING, Rhino R2 70717 (USA) (CD)

Track taken from Incus 48 on compilation CD.

Various musicians
1. Frankie Trumbauer & his orchestra [Eddie Lang]: I'm coming, Virginia 03.12
2. The Kansas City Six [Eddie Durham & Freddie Green]: Countless blues 03.01
3. Jack Teagarden & his orchestra [Allan Reuss]: Pickin' for Patsy 02.45
4. George Barnes Quartet: I'm forever blowing bubbles 02.58
5. Charlie Christian: Up on Teddy's hill 06.10
6. The Cats & the Fiddle [Tiny Grimes]: Stomp stomp (fox trot) 02.57
7. Charlie Parker All Stars [Barney Kessel]: Relaxin' at Camarillo 03.09
8. Lennie Tristano & his sextette [Billy Bauer]: Intuition 02.30
9. Laurindo Almeida Quartet: Blue baiao 03.21
10. Tal Farlow: Gibson boy 02.45
11. Howard Roberts: Serenata burlesca 03.09
12. Wes, Buddy & Monk Montgomery: Montgomery funk 04.19
13. Lenny Breau: Mercy mercy mercy 05.27
14. Larry Corryell: Spaces (infinite) 09.21
15. John Scofield: Shinola 02.38
16. Derek Bailey: Scaling 02.30

Recorded April 1985; London. This track was taken from the Incus LP Notes.
G UITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE is sponsoring this on-going series of anthologies
that feature some of the historical greats of guitar. The first five releases are jazz,
country, electric blues, 50's rock and 60's rock. All of the better-known guitar
masters are featured with well-chosen tasty selections. Folks like B.B. King, Charlie Christian,
Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Ry Cooder and Wes Montgomery get to show off
their classic licks. But one of the great features of these anthologies is that you get a chance to
hear many forgotten and lesser known but equally influential creative geniuses of the
instrument such as: Billy Bauer, Derek Bailey, Allan Reuss, Grady Martin, Harvey Mandel,
Wayne Bennett, Floyd Murphy and Dick Dale. This is a great way to educate yourself about
guitar. A great gift for young guitarists. Many more releases are planned in this series for next
year.

his superb collection runs the gamut of jazz guitar styles from Eddie Lang (I'm

T Coming, Virginia with Bix Beiderbecke) through pioneer electric jazzman Eddie
Durham and Count Basie rhythm guitar legend Freddie Green (Countless Blues) and
the underrated Allan Reuss (on the incredibly rare 1939 acoustic guitar showcase Pickin' For
Patsy done with Jack Teagarden's band. Charlie Christian's Up On Teddy's Hill from his
1941 jam sessions at Minton's in Harlem chronicles proto-bebop guitar while Barney Kessel's
outstanding work with Charlie Parker on Relaxin' At Camarillo shows the more developed
bop guitar form. Tiny Grimes is featured on Stomp Stomp with scatmasters The Cats & the
Fiddle. Lennie Tristano's Intuition features longtime associate, guitarist Billy Bauer. Blue
Baiao by Laurindo Almeida is a pioneering Brazilian jazz fusion from 1954. More modern
players are also heard, including Tal Farlow (Gibson Boy), Wes Montgomery
(Montgomeryland Funk), Lenny Breau (Mercy Mercy Mercy from one of his out of print
RCA albums) and to complete things (though certainly not to my taste) three tracks by fusion
players Larry Coryell, John Scofield and Derek Bailey. Packaging is superb, with complete
discographical data. (AK)

Down Beat, August 1994, pg 58

by Josef Woodard

4. DEREK BAILEY. SCALING (from LEGENDS OF THE GUITAR - JAZZ, VOLUME 1,

Rhino).

This guy should take his guitar to a luthier and have him work on it for a week. If it's not
prepared guitar, his instrument needs an overhaul. This piece is pretty meaningless to me.
Contemporary music has a tendency to deform tonality as we know it. So very little appeals to
me unless it's by someone like Julian Bream, who plays a beautiful instrument with a beautiful
tone. Who is this? I know Derek. He's a charming guy. He's been doing this spontaneous,
free improvisation all his life. But this doesn't say anything to me. There's no meaning, no
rhythm, no tone, no melody, no swing. So what's left? Emptiness? Chaos? I'm not against
chaos. I think the chaotic principle is very important in life because it has a lot to do with the
unpredictible. But this piece is predictable right to the end. I'm sure he's playing with strong
intention, but unfortunately it doesn't reach its mark in me. 1 star.

Blindfold Test: John Mclaughlin

1985, COMPATIBLES, Incus 50 (UK) (LP) (released in 1986)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

1- Incus: the bones of contention 26.49

2- Vein forms: Peter Riley 07.50
3- In memorium: Laurent Goddet 05.15
4- NYC: E & K 05.26

Track 1 recorded at the Arts Theatre London during the Incus Festival 22 April 1985; tracks 2
to 4 recorded at the Bethnal Green Music Library, London on 27 July 1985.

Digital recordings using coincident microphone technique; recording engineers Adam

Skeeping (22.4.85) and Chris Green (27.7.85).

Photographs by Caroline Forbes.

1985(ca ?), WELCOME TO THE DOLPHINS [Drunken Dolphins]:
Calypso Now

Derek Bailey : guitar

Martin Schori : guitar

1- Cue 03:21

Welcome To The Dolphins [Drunken Dolphins]: Calypso Now (cassette) 1985

It seems like Martin Schori was the singer and guitarist of the group Swimming Mannequins.

( ?)
HenryHi
lls
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1
1986, HAN, Incus CD02 (UK) (CD) (released in 1988)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Han Bennink : percussion, soprano saxophone

1- Melancholy babes, part 1 25.26

2- Melancholy babes, part 2 30.25

Cover drawing by Anthony Mostrom.

D uring March 1986, Han Bennink, the Dutch master drummer, and I played a short
tour of England - eight concerts in seven days. Of the many times we have played
together over the past twenty years or so, this was probably my favourite bout. Four
of the concerts were recorded and this disc is a compilation of five excerpts from these
concerts. There is no attempt to disguise the edits but the music is presented as two
continuous pieces - the way we usually play a concert.

Derek Bailey.

he two-part "Melancholy Babes" presented here is an edited series of duet concerts

T between Han Bennink and Derek Bailey recorded over a week in March 1986. Over
the week four concerts were recorded, and from these Bailey edited together five
excerpts as a representation of what transpired. The first part is compiled from a series of
audience recordings, and the second from a more conventional source. According to the liner
notes, no attempt was made to disguise the editing, though each selection flows uninterrupted
as the music would be presented in a live setting. That admission aside, the hallmark of these
concerts was their stunning clarity of vision, their razor-sharp wit and repartee, and the fluency
of language between the two musicians. Bailey is of his nut most of the time here, digging
deeper and deeper into Bennink's glorious assault. The chord voicings and elongated single-
string lines he plays here are far from typical for Bailey, even in a live setting; they surround
the rhythms that are literally propelled forth incessantly in varying dynamics and tempos. But
Bailey doesn't just hang in with Bennink's inexhaustible energy -- he soars with it, coming to
grips with a kind of power he knows he possesses but doesn't always have access to. No one
does. When the music grows almost intolerably tense, Bennink will let loose with a howl or a
yelp to bring the level back to merely superhuman. This is one of the finest recordings of free
improvisation to be released in the latter half of the 20th century.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

D uring March 1986, Han Bennink, the Dutch master drummer, and I played a short
tour of England - eight concerts in seven days. Of the many times we have played
together over the past twenty years or so, this was probably my favourite bout.

Liner notes by Derek Bailey.

PGJ ***(*)

Han Bennink
Han Bennink (born April 17, 1942) is a Dutch jazz drummer, percussionist and multi-
instrumentalist. Bennink was born in Zaandam, the son of a classical percussionist. He played the
drums and the clarinet during his teens. Through the 1960s he drummed with a number of
American musicians visiting the Netherlands, including Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and Eric
Dolphy (he can be heard on Dolphy's final studio recording, Last Date (1964)). He subsequently
became a central figure in the emerging European free improvisation scene. In 1963 he formed a
quartet with pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Piet Noordijk which had a number of
different bassists and which played at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival, and in 1967 he was a co-
founder of the Instant Composers Pool with Mengelberg and Willem Breuker, which sponsored
Dutch avant garde performances. From the late 1960s he played in a trio with saxophonist Peter
Brötzmann and Belgian pianist Fred Van Hove, which became a duo after Van Hove's departure
in 1976.

Through much of the 1990s he played in Clusone 3 (also known as the Clusone Trio), a trio with
saxophonist and clarinetist Michael Moore and cellist Ernst Reijseger. He has often played duos
with Mengelberg and collaborated with him alongside other musicians. As well as playing with
these long-standing groups, Bennink has performed and recorded solo (Tempo Comodo (1982)
being among his solo recordings) and played with many free improvisation and free jazz
luminaries including Derek Bailey, Conny Bauer, Don Cherry and Alexander von Schlippenbach,
as well as more conventional jazz musicians like Lee Konitz. Bennink's style is wide-ranging,
running from conventional jazz drumming to highly unconventional free improvisation, for
which he often uses whatever objects happen to be onstage (chairs, music stands, instrument
cases), his own body (a favourite device involves putting a drumstick in his mouth and striking it
with the other stick), and the entire performance space -- the floor, doors, and walls.

He makes frequent use of birdcalls and whatever else strikes his fancy (one particularly madcap
performance in Toronto in the 1990s involved a deafening fire alarm bell placed on the floor). He
is also a talented multi-instrumentalist, and on occasion his recordings have featured his playing
on clarinet, violin, banjo and piano. Han is the brother of the saxophonist Peter Bennink.

From wikipedia
 Derek Bailey & Han Bennink by Tony Mostrom

Unpublished, alternate version of the cover of 'HAN' CD (Incus Records, London) by the
famous guitar/percussion free-improvisation duo. (13" square)
The British Library Sound Archive Catalogue 15/10/06 01:23

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HD DBQ 88000 9 P
1986, DARN IT!, American Clave AMCL 1014/18 (USA) (2 CD)
(released 1993)

Derek Bailey : voice, guitar

A double CD compilation of Paul Haines pieces containing two Bailey

tracks :

1- Art In Heaven (Haines-Bailey) 02:34

2- Route Doubt (Haines-Bailey) 01:07

An anthology of poetry by Paul Haines returned to its natural acoustical setting. Date of
Release 1994

THE MUSICIANS :
Jack Bruce - Bass
Alex Chilton - Guitar, Vocals
Robert Wyatt - Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
John Oswald - Sax (Alto), Engineer
Derek Bailey - Guitar, Vocals
Paul Bley - Piano
Andrew Cyrille - Drums
Evan Parker - Sax (Soprano)
Don Pullen - Piano
Roswell Rudd - Trombone, Vocals
Steve Swallow - Organ, Bass, Piano
Carlos Ward - Sax (Alto)
Carmen Lundy - Vocals
Gary Lucas - Dobro, Guitar
Smith - Drums
Robert Ameen – Drums
Derek Baynes - Piano
Xavier Berbudeau - Engineer
Ignacio Berroa - Drums
Borneo Drummers
George Cartwright - Sax (Tenor)
Michel Contat - Vocals, Engineer
Silvana Deluigi - Vocals
Paul Dutton - Vocals
D.K. Dyson - Vocals
Yale Evelev - Engineer
Jon Fausty - Engineer
Daniel Freiberg - Piano
Melvin Gibbs - Bass
Marque Gilmore - Drums
Andy Gonzalez - Bass
Avery Haines - Vocals
Paul Haines - Vocals, Engineer
Tim Haines - Vocals
Richard Harrington - Drums
Jesse Henry
Paul Hodge - Engineer
Dave Hofstra - Bass
Wayne Hurvitz - Piano
D.D. Jackson - Piano
John Kamevaar - Keyboards
Mike Krowiak - Engineer
J.T. Lewis - Drums
Mary Anne Lifchek - Accordion, Drums
Al Mattes - Bass
Ben Nitze - Percussion
Leo Nocentelli - Guitar
Bobby Previte - Drums
Alva Rogers - Vocals
David Sanchez - Sax (Tenor)
Fernando Saunders - Bass, Bass (Electric), Vocals
Peter Scherer - Piano, Keyboards
Michael Snow - Piano, Engineer
David Stone - Engineer
Jay Stringer - Bass
John Tchicai - Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Henry Threadgill - Sax (Alto)
Mike Veal - Saxophone
Jack Vorvis - Drums
Pierre-Antoine Watteau - Engineer
Tim Wright - Bass, Guitar
Mary Margaret O'Hara – Vocals
THE TRACKS :

1. Threats That Matter (Bley)

2. Curtsy (Haines/Wyatt)
3. What This Was Going to Suppose to Mean (Haines/Parker)
4. Funnybird Song (Bley)
5. Outside the City (Gibbs/Haines)
6. Art in Heaven (Bailey/Haines)
7. Rawalpindi Blues (Bley/Haines)
8. Sticks in the Mud (Haines/Tate)
9. There Aren't These Things Questionable All (Tchicai)
10. Les Paramedicaux Erotiques (Haines/Hanrahan/Scherer)
11. Jubilee (Contat/Haines)
12. On the Way to Elsewhere and Here (Haines/OHara)
13. Inexplicably (Borneo Drummers/Haines/Tchicai)
14. Poem for Gretchen Ruth (Cartwright/Haines)
15. Just When I Thought (Haines)
16. This Dedication (Haines/Tchicai)
17. Threats That Count (Bley)
18. What This Was Going to Suppose to Mean (Haines/Parker)
19. Breakfast (Haines/Swallow)
20. Those Sweet Blue Olives of Bombay (Haines/Tchicai)
21. Hello (Burmese/Haines)
22. Mrs. Dressup (Gibbs/Haines)
23. Third World Two Medley: She Was Showing Me... (Haines/Lucas)
24. Breakfast (Late) (Cartwright/Haines)
25. The Please Fasten Your Seatbelt Sign (Dutton/Haines/Kamevaar/Mat)
26. Testing Testing (Haines/Wright)
27. Darn It! Reprise (Down in Back!) (Haines/Hanrahan/Rudd)
28. Threats That Can't Read (Bley)
29. C'Etait Dans la Nuit (Haines/Rudd)
30. Snow Variations on Darn It! (Haines/Hanrahan)
31. Route Doubt (Bailey/Haines)
32. Ask Me If You Know (Haines/Tchicai)

A
follow up to Haines' brilliant and acclaimed collaborations with Carla Bley
(Escalator Over The Hill) and Curlew (A Beautiful Western Saddle), this ambitious
project was recorded between August 1986 and November 1992. 'In mating his
words to these different musics, Haines has collaborated in creating textures that have not
happened before.

Stuart Broomer, Coda

1986, MOMENT PRÉCIEUX.. Victo 002 (Canada) (LP)
(released in 1987)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Anthony Braxton : alto & sopranino saxophones

1- The Victoria and Albertville Suite Part I 23.31

2- The Victoria and Albertville Suite Part II 24.35

Recorded live on October 4, 1986 by Yves Lepage and Jean-Pierre Loiselle @ 4th `Festival
International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville´, Quebec, Canada

Editing: René Lussier

Layout: François Bienvenue

Produced by Michel Levasseur

© Les Disques Victo / Les Éditions VICTORIAVILLE (Canada)

T his one is a real treat: two giants of improvisation in pursuit of that enigmatic
'something' on a Canadian stage in 1986. Braxton, clearly derived from the jazz
tradition; Bailey, restless occupant of a self-constructed world of non-idiomatic
guitar. "Moment Precieux" was an instant improv classic upon its release twelve years ago
and is a welcome re-issue to CD format. Two long improvisations provide an illuminating
view of these mercurial musicians. Bailey's spiky tones, chordal shards and strange
harmonics are a source of constant wonder as Braxton's acidulous horn careers forth,
spinning wildly into liquid motion and timbral extremes. "Spontaneity, attention, urgency",
to quote Art Lange's accompanying notes, are the treasures available to us. Emotion and
tranquility are also here. Emptying one's mind of preconceived notions of what true
creativity should sound like is the key to experiencing the many delights of this great
concert in full.
Programmation — 4e Festival International de Musique Actuell... http://www.fimav.qc.ca/fr/1986/

Édition 2008 Le festival L’organisme Archives Contact English

Billetterie Présentation Les 24 éditions Adresse
15 au 19 mai Infos touristiques Distinctions Liste d’envoi
Nouvelles Salle de presse Disques Victo Discussion
Bilan Bénévoles
Photos
Partenaires
e Archives
4 Festival International de Musique
FIMAV 1986
Actuelle de Victoriaville
Édition 1986
1 au 5 octobre 1986

Programmation
DENIS HÉBERT GRAND ENSEMBLE
Québec

MARCELLE DESCHÊNES «Lux»

Québec
ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET
États-Unis
A LITTLE WESTBROOK MUSIC
Angleterre

THE SEMANTICS
États-Unis

DAVID MOSS DENSE BAND

États-Unis

ANTHONY BRAXTON / DEREK BAILEY

États-Unis

JOHNNY DYANI QUINTET

États-Unis
CASSIBER
Allemagne, Angleterre

THE LAST POETS

États-Unis

FRED FRITH / RENÉ LUSSIER

Angleterre, Québec

MARIE CHOUINARD
Québec

RANDY RAINE-REUSCH
Canada

JEAN VALLIÈRES / PETER MCCUTCHEON

Québec ROBERT MARCEL LEPAGE / BERNARD GAGNON
Québec
NEXUS
Canada YVES CHARUEST / MICHEL RATTÉ
Québec
RALPH TOWNER / GARY BURTON
États-Unis DON DRUICK
Canada
BERNARD POIRIER / CLAUDE ST-JEAN
Québec MADAME
Québec
DAVID MOSS / CHRISTIAN MARCLAY
États-Unis

ANDRÉ DUCHESNE
Québec, Angleterre «Les 4 Guitaristes de l’Apocalypso Bar»
1986-1987, DROP ME OFF AT 96TH, Scatter 02 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1995)

Derek Bailey : 1936 Epiphone Triumph guitar (London)

: Martin D18 guitar (Berne)

1- Drop me off at 96th 10.51

2- Listening to JR 09.33
3- Bunn fight 05.27

Recorded in London on 12 May 1986.

4- Mart of time part 1 09.56

5- Interlude 06.02
6- Mart of time part 2 04.31
7- Mart of time part 3 06.14

Recorded in Berne, 3 June 1987.

Material from 1986/87, all acoustic guitar instrumental (with a little vocal blurb for his private
record company). Some recorded in the UK, some a live radio broadcast from Switzerland.

W
elcome aboard Scatter, a new improv label based in Glasgow. Drop Me Off is two
sessions from 1986-87 of solo Derek Bailey - as charming, eccentric and
idiosyncratically 'lyrical' as Solo Guitar Volume 2 (Incus). Essential for Bailey
buffs; newcomers will marvel at the maturity of this unique guitar vocabulary.
Chris Blackford
 and Derek Bailey a superior quality acoustic guitar, turn on the tape recorder, and can

H anything go wrong? The cynically practical Mr. Bailey would no doubt have a long
list, but those familiar with his many brilliant recorded works would probably not be
interested in hearing about it. One could be buried under an avalanche of well-recorded and
produced Bailey solo efforts of this sort, and probably still be interested in hearing yet
another. The guitarist has a supreme gift for detail and development within a piece. His love
for the art of improvising is well-evident on every track, whether it builds slowly and surely or
kicks off frantically.

During an amusing spoken interlude here, Bailey picks and plonks while hawking the wares
of his self-owned recording company. This release is not one of them, by the way; it is a
Scottish imprint. For the first half of the CD, Bailey is heard on an Epiphone from the '30s, a
great-sounding guitar if there ever was one, with behind-the-bridge tones ringing out as if a
small cathedral had been folded up and crammed into one of the f-holes. Then he switches to
a Martin, with its unmistakably folky sound, bringing his music a little closer to the sound of
fellow guitar picker John Fahey -- although not that close.

Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide

S
catter also does a Derek Bailey release, Drop me off at 96th, Scatter 02 CD, some
vintage 1986 and 1987 solo recordings on his Epiphone Triumph and Martin D18
guitars. If you like Bailey you need this one for your collection
He Didn’t Care What Time (It) Was http://destination-out.com/?p=163#more-163

He Didn’t Care What Time (It) Was

January 14th, 2008 · 3 Comments · Derek Bailey

DROP ME OFF AT 96TH

Derek Bailey
Drop Me Off at 96th
Scatter : 1995
DB, acoustic guitar.

Of all the major avant jazz figures, perhaps no other looms as a more initially forbidding presence than the king of free improv/avant guitar racket,
Mr. Derek Bailey. His approach to the guitar sounds almost literally like shredding but superficially owes nothing to either rock or jazz traditions. On
early solo concerts like Aida, he plays the instrument as if it was a piece of driftwood found on a beach with some strings nailed across its length, and
he’s blindly trying to discover which way is up. The effect is invigorating but also disorienting in the extreme. Recently we’ve been spinning Ballads,
Bailey’s exceptional recital of standards, to better tune our ear to the master’s frequency. In Born in Flames, Howard Hampton describes the album
thus: “This is sentimentality transfigured into breathtakingly direct ruminations, a wedding of melody and dissonance worthy of Thelonious Himself or a
Django from another planet.”

Another excellent introduction to Bailey is the title track of this 1986 solo recital. There’s his trademark ability to separate runs of notes from any
predictable sequence, but he also shows off a sense of go-for-broke abandon, generating the sort of giddy velocity usually associated with rock.
There’s also a fluid rhythmic underpinning, the ghost of funkiness, that hints at what’s to come on his collaboration with Calvin Weston and
Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Mirakle). Those listeners new to Bailey but familiar with Marc Ribot might hear some similarities, particularly to Ribot’s
thornier solo work; both have an uncanny ability to put notes where you’d least expect them, and make it sound right. There is wit in this, and also a
deep confidence.

()()()

Bailey Wire:
–Get bent: One string-bender on another, as Mr. Chadbourne reviews this disc at AMG. You can also listen to a Bailey interview by Henry Kaiser
here.
–Get booked: Peruse Bailey’s own Improvisation (Da Capo, 1993); you might also be interested in Ben Watson’s polemical biography of the guitarist.
See also some video from a series of TV programs on free improv that developed out of Bailey’s book. (Please also feel free to suggest some Bailey
YouTube hits.)
–Get happy: Wallow in the extensive Bailey offerings at the estimable Euro Free Improv pages.
–Get this record, perhaps.

For the comments:

What’s your favorite Bailey album/performance?

Tags:
He Didn’t Care What Time (It) Was http://destination-out.com/?p=163#more-163

3 responses so far ↓

1 Joel // Jan 14, 2008 at 1:36 pm

“To me it was like Paul Rutherford ringing up and saying, ‘Deutsche Grammophon are putting out a triple box record of Free Improvisations and
we’ve gotta go to Berlin and record some music for it.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s amazing.’ But I didn’t assume there was a career going to blossom
out of that, no. If I thought anything other than ‘What a nice gig,’ I assumed they’d made some kind of mistake.”

2 Jeoff // Jan 14, 2008 at 9:28 pm

WFMU posted a Bailey YouTube link once (at least I think it was them) which I recall enjoying very much. He plays outdoors with Min Tanaka,
a Butoh dancer, one verdant Japanese day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5dz_1meBjY). Just typing “Derek Bailey” in produces several
fine hits–many more than there were just months ago. Thanks for the impetus to return to his strange stillness.

3 Brian Olewnick // Jan 15, 2008 at 9:49 am

One of my favorite Bailey records. The “sales pitch” track is an absolute classic. I can still recall my thrilled shock, long before “Ballads” and
such, when Bailey strummed out a few beautiful chords from “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was”.
Derek Bailey (III) http://former.imdb.com/name/nm1792992/

Derek Bailey (III)

Overview
Date of Birth: 29 January 1930,
Sheffield, England,
UK more

Date of Death: 25 December 2005,

London, England,
UK more

Filmography
Jump to filmography as: Composer, Self

Composer:
1. Somewhere in Between (2004)

Self:
1. "Chasing Rainbows - A Nation and Its Music" .... Himself (1 episode, 1986)
- Wait Till the Work Comes Round: Music, Work & Leisure (1986) TV episode
.... Himself

Additional Details
Genres: Documentary more

STARmeter: 62% since last week why?

Message Boards
Discuss this name with other users on IMDb message board for Derek Bailey (III)

Find where Derek Bailey is credited alongside another name

1987, FIGURING, Incus CD05 (UK) (CD) (released in 1990)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Barre Phillips : bass

1- Who's there to know that you passed 'em around 16.01

2- You'll find my theory is logically sound 16.23
3- Don't save 10.02
4- 100 years from today 14.48

Tracks 1 and 2 were recorded at the Arts Theatre, London on 12 May 1987 by Michael
Gerzon; 3 and 4 were recorded at Hawth Centre, Crawley on 4 September 1988 by Michael
Gerzon.

Cover drawing by Tony Mostrom.

1987, ONCE, Incus CD04 (UK) (CD) (released in 1989)

Company :

1- Sextet 12.11

Lee Konitz : alto saxophone

Richard Teitelbaum : keyboards
Carlos Zingaro : violin
Tristan Honsinger : cello
Barre Phillips : bass
Derek Bailey : electric guitar

2- Duo 13.16

Steve Noble : percussion, bugle, etc.

Barre Phillips : bass

3- Trio I 10.43

Tristan Honsinger : cello

Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Lee Konitz : alto saxophone & drums
4- Trio II 11.11

Tristan Honsinger : cello

Carlos Zingaro : violin
Steve Noble : percussion, saw, etc.

5- Quartet 22.10

Richard Teitelbaum : keyboards

Lee Konitz : alto and soprano saxophones
Steve Noble : percussion, etc.
Barre Phillips : bass

Recorded by Chris Clark, Paul Wilson and Michael Gerzon, 12 to 17 May 1987 at the Arts
Theatre London.
1987, VIOLIN MUSIC FOR RESTAURANTS, RER BJRCD (UK) (CD)
(released in 1991)

Jon Rose, violin, cello, sampling, voice, midi interface, synthesizer, with:

1- Table 1 04.14
Miroslav Stepan, bass; Niki Ceausescu, piano; Fred Bolsoi, drums
2- Table 2 02.21
Derek Bailey, guitar and voice
3- Table 3 04.02
4- Table 4 03.08
Luc Houtkamp, sampling and sequencing
5- Table 5 03.30
6- Table 6 03.20
7- Table 7 02.46
Joëlle Léandre, voice
8- Table 8 04.37
Misha Mengelberg, piano
9- Table 9 03.49
10- Table 10 02.01
11- Children's table 01.02
12- Table 12 02.36
Barre Phillips, bass
13- Table 13 03.33
Alvin Curran, electronic organ
14- Table 14 01.30
15- The last table 03.04
Eugene Chadbourne, voice
Extra tables

16- Costa del Barcarole 01.36

17- Peanut polka 02.16
18- Do you know the one that goes like 02.17
19- Lost in M.O.R. 02.13
20- The Paradise Club 03.43

Plus, from Space violins:

21- Flying lessons 09.01

Jon Rose, 'featuring the legendary Jo "Doc" Rosenberg'. 55.00

Violin music for restaurants (tracks 1-15) by Jon Rose, 1987 in CD booklet, therefore
assumed to be recorded this year; tracks 16-20 recorded at STEIM, Amsterdam, 14 May
1990; track 21 recorded at STEIM on 7 March 1989.

Booklet and layout by Dirk Vallons.

A violinist goes from table to table in a restaurant. Each table exists in a separate time
and space and consequently demands a different kind of violin music for each
situation. Others sharing their restaurant experiences on this recording are Derek
Bailey, Misha Mengelberg, Barre Phillips, Joelle Leandre, Eugene Chadbourne, and Luc
Houtkamp. Imagine the historical and practical ramifications if, instead of wine and bread, the
Last Supper had consisted of Dutch Stew?

In the largely unsuccessful career of former restaurant violinist Jon Rose, this recording
(available in CD version) has been something of a hit.
1987, LIVE IN OKAYAMA 1987, CD002 (Japan) (CD) (released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Peter Brötzmann : tenor & alto saxophones, tarogato
Yoshisaburo Toyozumi : drums, percussion

1- PB + YT 21.45
2- DB 22.25
3- DB + PB + YT 27.29

From another source( ?) Tracks: PB+YT (21:23) / DB (19:18) / DB+PB+YT (27:08)

Recorded live in Okayama, Japan, on 16 November 1987.

Cover art etching and silkscreen by Keisuke Akahoshi; special edition of cover art, with gold
leaf infill, also issued (see below).

eleased in an extremely restricted pressing on Kouichi Oishima's Improvised

R Company imprint (a label designed incidentally with the primary purpose of issuing
unreleased Brötzmann recordings - how's that for an admirable mission?) this disc is
a rare collectible from square one. The reality that the music contained on its silvery surface is
of such high quality almost seems like a bonus. Two pieces preface the highly anticipated
main event meeting between the three: a full-tilt duo explosion between Sabu and Brötzmann
and a maddening solo conflagration by Bailey.

The first piece is in much the same vein as it's predecessor captured on Improvised
Company's first release, a paint-peeling, rafter-splintering blowout that finds Herr Brötzmann
exploding out of the starting gate with Sabu's incendiary traps licking at his boot heels. A
percussive flood envelops the saxophonist carrying him along on a crashing rhythmic wall of
fire, his own horn scorching a charred path out front. This is ecstatic free jazz at its most
relentlessly volatile, the monochromatic nature of the recording contributing to the coarsely
militant discord. Nine minutes into the maelstrom, the German drops out and Sabu bangs out
a bombastic rush of clatter tinged by unexpected Blakeyesque press rolls. Brötzmann's
keening tarogato surfaces, wailing an Eastern line over Sabu's volatile cadences before the
duo locks briefly into an oddly syncopated groove. Eventually the energy reverts back to
ecstatic release as Brötzmann lets fly with a flood of overblown yawps.

Throughout his solo piece Bailey strangely recalls John Fahey with weirdly strummed,
almost chordal progressions speckling his improvisations. High on his frets sometimes
creating almost harpsichord-like sonorities from his sparsely amplified strings. He also
makes judicious use of his patented volume pedal effects, stretching tones and chopping them
short in equal measure with an alien logic even the most erudite of improvisers would be
hard pressed to fathom. Toward the middle of the piece he seems to alter his proximity to the
recording equipment and his sound flattens, but these lapses are usually only momentary.

Echinous slabs of dissonance from Bailey lacerate the boiling phalanx of Sabu's cymbal
vortex. Brötzmann unsheathes his horn and commences hacking with constricted high
register saxophone howls. The three collide in a raging liquid cacophony and are dragged
kicking and screaming by gravity's rainbow down a bottomless funnel of dissonant sound.
Later the velocity subsides and the dynamics of the trio open up as Brötzmann moves once
again to tartly rendered tarogato. Considering the high-volume sound expenditures and the
primitive nature of the recording configuration the three voices retain a remarkable degree of
independence and clarity.

This disc is limited to a run of 500 copies. Given the finite longevity of its availability any
interested parties are strongly advised to scoop it up before the supply is depleted completely.

review by Derek Taylor

issue #5
winter 2000 / 2001
1987, LIVE IN OKAYAMA 1987, CD002 (Japan) (CD) (released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Peter Brötzmann : tenor & alto saxophones, tarogato
Yoshisaburo Toyozumi : drums, percussion

1- PB + YT 21.45
2- DB 22.25
3- DB + PB + YT 27.29

From another source( ?) Tracks: PB+YT (21:23) / DB (19:18) / DB+PB+YT (27:08)

Completely previous unissued material !! Derek Bailey, Peter Brötzmann and Sabu Toyozumi
play strongly one night at Okayama, Japan on 16th of November, 1987. Matching of these
three Musicians' play is never heard before. Contents of this CD has 1 duo(Sabu &
Brötzmann),

1 solo(Bailey) and trio. I am convinced that you will appreciate it!

Limited 480 copies

price: $27/Yen 3000

1987, LIVE IN OKAYAMA 1987, CD002 (Japan) (CD) (released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Peter Brötzmann : tenor & alto saxophones, tarogato
Yoshisaburo Toyozumi : drums, percussion

1- PB + YT 21.45
2- DB 22.25
3- DB + PB + YT 27.29

From another source( ?) Tracks: PB+YT (21:23) / DB (19:18) / DB+PB+YT (27:08)

previously unissued

Special Edition

This time we made special editon for collectors.

Also original hand-printed edition as regulars. However this special edition is four color
handprint silkscreen with golden leafe.

Limited 70 copies/(sold out)

price: $44/Yen 4500

1987, DEREK BAILEY INTERVIEW BY HENRY KAISER

Derek Bailey Interviewed by Henry Kaiser

KPFA February 7, 1987

Posted by Kenny G on September 25, 2005 at 10:05 AM in Kenny G's Posts, MP3s :

http://ubu.wfmu.org/sound/bailey_derek/Derek-Bailey-Interview-by-Henry-Kaiser_KPFA_2-
7-87.mp3
kdombrowski :: tradelist https://www.ylayali.net/~kenneth/tradelist/index.php?show_id=9&v...

1987-10-04 DEREK BAILEY, TOM CORA, STEVE BERESFORD, GERRY HEMINGWAY

Victoriaville,
city venue cinquième International Festival Musique Actuelle
Quebec
fm(CBOF)> TDK-SA(Master)cassette> (rec)Pioneer p-1000> (pb)Technics RS-T73>
source/lineage RealtekAC'97 soundcard> Polderbits sound recorder> Polderbits sound editor> wav>
flac(7)(asb)
received Nocturnal_n format FLAC length 57:20

5e FIMAV
du 30 septembre au 4 octobre 1987

"Company Special Victo"

DEREK BAILEY /TOM CORA /STEVE BERESFORD/ GERRY HEMINGWAY

cinquième International Festival Musique Actuelle,
Victoriaville, Quebec
October'87

Musicians:
Derek Bailey - electric guitar
Tom Cora - cello
Steve Beresford - trumpet/piano
Gerry Hemingway - drums

Setlist: n/a
1. announcer 00:27
2. ? 06:13
3. ? 11:31
4. ? 10:05
5. ? 08:43
6. announcer 00:14
7. ? 07:30
8. ? 10:51
9. ? (outro) 01:42

Total time: 57:20

354 MB flac

Broadcast on CBC-CBOF-Radio Canada FM - "Jazz Sur le Vif"('88)

Sound Quality A+(MASTER)

Lineage/source:
fm(CBOF)>TDK-SA(Master)cassette> (rec)Pioneer p-1000> (pb)Technics RS-T73>
RealtekAC'97 soundcard> Polderbits sound recorder> Polderbits sound editor>
wav> flac(7)(asb)

ffp
DBailey87-01.flac:8dfcc0b3670f9297a73cf279d6346433
DBailey87-02.flac:eda703e4ab06206047474737e02b6da6
DBailey87-03.flac:bb1ded25e5c687a401696b208e51bb11
DBailey87-04.flac:cbc6c294d5bfcc3db20abb474f60ce5f
DBailey87-05.flac:c6616d422f43356cca48e616351eaac7
DBailey87-06.flac:25cd1ce7e37e05296283675762354b0b
kdombrowski :: tradelist https://www.ylayali.net/~kenneth/tradelist/index.php?show_id=9&v...

DBailey87-07.flac:a92bb7e36caea039e1aebf23850fea7c
DBailey87-08.flac:0425cd4ecb8dbbf7dc57ce4ac59fff3f
DBailey87-09.flac:1f581b0318d12dbe2e3f5378aebbe30c

md5
9b95d65a075b67f944de45e576ce54be *DBailey87-01.flac
28f89501aa28f24cdd2b21c7c285f333 *DBailey87-02.flac
a0498c7dd2219194c7160ceb005db60c *DBailey87-03.flac
65709a49b3471bad1dbdfa16056646d9 *DBailey87-04.flac
aa435bc1a518805ee41647b1ecceac57 *DBailey87-05.flac
6f9701110082fa2f86ff5bb63f903a52 *DBailey87-06.flac
7e939de710d603d53fa9d49218d4eb23 *DBailey87-07.flac
cd0ed22a3bb8713eb371af8e5c5c1ebf *DBailey87-08.flac
da84f18367522e45b353817d169681f2 *DBailey87-09.flac

enjoy!
Nocturnal_n productions© 11:33 PM 01/05/2005
Programmation — 5e Festival International de Musique Actuell... http://www.fimav.qc.ca/fr/1987/
Page archives@ générée par litk 0.550 le vendredi 13 juin 2008. Conception et mise à jour: DIM

Édition 2008 Le festival L’organisme Archives Contact English

Billetterie Présentation Les 24 éditions Adresse
15 au 19 mai Infos touristiques Distinctions Liste d’envoi
Nouvelles Salle de presse Disques Victo Discussion
Bilan Bénévoles
Photos
Partenaires
e Archives
5 Festival International de Musique
FIMAV 1987
Actuelle de Victoriaville
Édition 1987
30 septembre au 4 octobre 1987

Programmation
PAULINE OLIVEROS
États-Unis

JEAN DEROME «Confiture de Gagaku»

Québec
RICHARD TEITELBAUM / CARLOS
ZINGARO
États-Unis, Portugal

CECIL TAYLOR
États-Unis

UN DRAME MUSICAL INSTANTANÉ

France

HEINER GOEBBELS / ALFRED 23 HARTH

Allemagne

LAST EXIT
États-Unis, Allemagne

DEREK BAILEY / TOM CORA / STEVE

BERESFORD / GERRY HEMINGWAY
Angleterre, États-Unis

SUN RA ARKESTRA
États-Unis
EUGENE CHADBOURNE / JON ROSE
États-Unis, Australie
HEINER GOEBBELS «Man in the Elevator»
Allemagne, États-Unis, Québec, Angleterre

THE ORDINAIRES
États-Unis
STEVE BERESFORD
THE GLASS ORCHESTRA Angleterre
Canada
LES POULES
JOHN SURMAN Québec
Angleterre
VANCOUVER ART TRIO
GORDON MONAHAN Canada
Canada
TUYO
MARILYN CRISPELL Québec
États-Unis
ZAR
Belgique
PIERRE FOURNIER / JACQUES RÉMUS «Double Quatuor Robotisé»
1 Québec, France

RODRIGUE TREMBLAY «Le concert du Trio Déconcertant»

Québec
1987-2001, CHATS, Incus CDR (UK) (CDR) (released in 2002)

Thirteen pieces from different periods :

1- explanation
2- Eugene
3- Henry
4- Fred
5- Barcelona
6- Shanghai
7- The Old Country
8- Anecdote
9- Richard Leigh and the Meaning of Life
10- Steve Beresford, Gossip and Poetry
11- Ole Audrey
12- The Ballad of Big Bad Ben
13- more explanation

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry. Must be ordered directly from Incus.

You send £10 or $15 U.S. we burn your CD-R and send it to you. We pay postage

No recording information provided; the following are suppositions (according to Peter

Stubley)... arrived at after some discussion with Derek Bailey. It is assumed that all (except
track 5 - at an obvious location - and track 6 at a Chinese restaurant, East London) were
recorded at Derek Bailey's home in London.
These recordings, which in quality range from appalling to passable and derive from cassettes,
were made at various times, usually as a form of communication and sometimes just for the
sake of it. A couple of pieces - 3 and 8 - have appeared elsewhere but have long been out of
print, I think.

Derek Bailey

1. Recorded by a film-maker working on a (never transmitted) video of DB; same period as

Gig, 1992.

2. Assume early 2000; it was definitely recorded after The guitar lesson, released on Victo in
1999 and DB makes reference (included samples) to his CaVanoCoNNoR samplers group
whose first appearance was at the 2:13 Club in London on 3 January 1998.

3. Previously released on The Aerial #5 as In my studio; no recording date on that release

either but down as 1990.

4. Lots of rain (2001 floods?), style of playing from last few years, say 2001.

5. Very (conventionally) beautiful and untypical Bailey guitar playing, no voice; January 1998,
Barcelona.

6. Conversation in restaurant; no way of working out; last couple of years? say 2000.

7. Approximately 1995
As written on the CD-R
1988, PLEISTOZAEN MIT WASSER, FMP CD 16 (Germany) (CD)
(released in 1989)

Cecil Taylor : piano, voice

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

1. First part Acoustic guitar 28.59

2. Second part Electric guitar 33.02

All music by Cecil Taylor and Derek Bailey

Recorded live by Eberhard Bingel and Jost Gebers on July 9, 1988 during ´Improvised Music
II/88´ at the ´Kongresshalle´ Berlin.
Produced by Jost Gebers
Layout: Manfred Kussatz and Jost Gebers
Photos: Dagmar Gebers
Liner notes: Steve Lake

First published in October 1989

A nother recording from the monumental 1988 German sessions, this pairs two of the
most distinctive stylists in improvised music. Whenever such meetings of giants
occur, there is always the danger that it will turn into a battle of egos (Cecil Taylor vs.
Derek Bailey). With this recording however, the result is sheer magic. Taylor and Bailey both
manage to claim their own turf, yet they each transcend their own vocabulary under each
other's influence. There are two long tracks, the first pairs Bailey's acoustic guitar with
Taylor's vocals and playing inside the piano. The second pairs Bailey's electric guitar with
Taylor at the piano keyboard. Both are brilliant. A must-have, absolutely essential.
C ECIL TAYLOR IN BERLIN '88 An 11-CD boxed set from Germany's Free Music
Productions. Most of the CDs are also available individually, but the box (available
originally through Cadence for $200, reportedly much higher in stores and now most
likely out-of-print) also includes an extensive discography of ALL of the participants, and a
spectacular 186-page 12x12 book including terrific photos, extensive essays on Taylor's
work, transcriptions and analyses of the music. Recorded in Berlin, July 1988, during a
MONTH-LONG festival of improvised music dedicated to Taylor, featuring a long list of
Europe's most prominent 'free' improvisors, including Han Bennink, Tony Oxley, Paul
Lovens, Evan Parker, Gunter Hampel, Derek Bailey, etc. etc. Five of the CDs are duets with
different drummers - the aforementioned Oxley, Lovens and Bennink (FMP CD 6, 3, 5), the
East German Gunter Sommer (2) and South African Louis Moholo (4). Also, a duet with
guitarist Bailey (16), a trio with Evan Parker (tenor) and cellist Tristan Honsinger (11), a solo
concert (18), a 'workshop ensemble' (0) on which Taylor directs but doesn't play, and an
exhausting but exhilarating 2-CD performance by the 'European Orchestra' (8/9). Obviously
(and, unfortunately) such a project could only have taken place in Europe. Excepting the large
ensembles, all of these performances are 'spontaneous'; indeed, Taylor had never performed
with many of the players before the concerts. There are some lulls during the sets, to be sure,
but there are highlights on every disc. I'm particularly fond of the Orchestra sets (though
you'll wind up a bit limp after 2 hours), the solo concert (as always), and the duets with
Lovens, Oxley, and particularly Bailey, who compels to 'bend his approach' more than the
others, who generally find ways to 'fit into' the pianist's direction, or, in the case of the trio,
'ignore' it to a certain extent. Needless to say, a set designed for total converts only, but it's the
best $200 _I've_ ever spent! (and financed by a tortuous weekend with a cocktail pianist - boy,
if he ever knew what I spent that money on....)

Excerpt from the booklet:

July 9th, 1988

O f the six duet concerts that TAYLOR played in Berlin in the summer of ´88, this
meeting with DEREK BAILEY was the riskiest proposition. With the various
drummers he´d partnered in the concert series, TAYLOR was all but guaranteed a
measure of common ground: at the very least, one could assume the combinations would find
congruence on the rhythmic plane, given the pianist´s percussive abilities. But what attributes
did this emotionally intense player share with BAILEY, that dry, droll Yorkshireman, instigator
of the ´abstract´, ´free´ guitar ´style´? (...)

The concert was CECIL TAYLOR´s idea. "I´d seen DEREK BAILEY playing," he was to
reflect the day after the event, sounding still intrigued by the results, "and I knew there was
something in there that I could work with." (…)

This is improvisation of a very pure stripe, luminously vulnerable. (...) The final sequence
turns out to be among the new music´s loveliest with guitar overtones bursting inside the
piano´s arpeggiated ripple (so crisp a sound, like hailstones striking bells). (...)

Steve Lake

I n July 1988, Cecil Taylor recorded ten (!) albums while performing live at a festival
celebrating his music in Berlin. The discs, including the classics "Spots, Circles And
Fantasy" with Han Bennink, "Remembrance" with Louis Moholo, "Leaf Palm Hand"
with Tony Oxley, and this one, "Pleistozaen Mit Wasser" with Derek Bailey, are only
available as imports on the FMP label. They may be a bit expensive, but for fans of avant-
garde jazz and European improvised music, they are must purchases. Unlike the piano/drum
duos listed above, "Pleistozaen Mit Wasser" is a piano/guitar duo, with Bailey playing
acoustic guitar on the first track and electric on the second. The result is music that is less
structured and rhythmic than the drummer duos, and more free-flowing and challenging, not
only for Taylor and Bailey to play, but for us to listen to. It is clearly not for everyone, but
those willing to give themselves over to Taylor's music will find pure joy.

Michael B Richman from Washington, DC United States

Customer Reviews
An Amazing Achievement, September 16, 2000

WITH THEIR WITS ABOUT THEM

JULY 9th, '88

"We're like birds, I think. Everybody really sings

his song, no matter in what medium, he's always
singing the same song somehow."
Paul Bowles

ecil Taylor, who knows his song with a greater certainty than most of us has begun, in

C the last few years, to put it to the test, a spirit of curiosity prompting him to seek out
new contexts, to see how he might survive and thrive in them, what he might learn.

Of the six duet concerts that Taylor played in Berlin in the summer of '88, this meeting with
Derek Bailey was the riskiest proposition. With the various drummers he'd partnered in the
concert series, Taylor was all but guaranteed a measure of common ground: at the very least,
one could assume the combinations would find congruence on the rhythmic plane, given the
pianist's percussive abilities. But what attributes did this emotionally intense player share with
Bailey, that dry, droll Yorkshire man, instigator of the "abstract," "free" guitar "style?".
Stubbornness? Yes - Bailey knows his song, too - but this did not initially seem like sufficient
basis for musical understanding. Nonetheless, the concert was Cecil Taylor's idea. "I'd seen
Derek Bailey playing," he was to reflect the day after the event, sounding still intrigued by the
results, "and I knew there was something in there that I could work with."

The opening moments of the recording find Bailey playing some uncommonly pretty figures,
letting the notes ring, letting harmonics sing together in the air. Taylor responds with a
growling vocal drone and strangulated gurgles. A considerable period of time will elapse
before he goes anywhere near the piano. Seated, cross legged at the side of the stage, he
spreads poetic texts around him in a semi circle and reads a few fragments, almost to himself,
as if verifying them from the perspective of various character voices. His tone is, by turns,
querulous, exasperated, indignant, mockpompous, surprised. He has one little shaky voice that
sounds like Ezra Pound at Spoleto, another one that sounds like (but l' m sure isn't intended to
be) a parody of John Cage performing "Empty Words". He croodles, gobbles, chirrups,
hums, bleats and buzzes. To all of which Bailey remains supremely indifferent. The guitarist
seems to go further into his own musical language, that string-tangled world, inscrutable after
all these years, as if there were enough problems to be resolved without involving oneself in
"theatre." (This is my, possibly erroneous, impression.) Taylor's onomatopoeic noises -
onmatopoetic either Spencer A. Richards or a printing error calls them in the "Live In Vienna"
liner notes - contagiously inspire an outbreak of coughing amongst the audience, and Bailey
takes a walk around the stage - reflecting the sound of his acoustic guitar off the back walls,
trying different attacks, hammering hard, backing off, playing clusters of choked notes. He
runs his pick down the length of the strings a few times, a sound that slowly draws Taylor to
his feet. Cecil moves to the piano and grabs for its innards, plucking and scraping...
It's here, really, that the duet begins in earnest, with Taylor's decision to enter Bailey's territory.
He takes the role of accompanist upon himself, rather amazingly. The improvisation becomes
an extended piece for guitars (Bailey switching to electric en route) augmented by piano
interior. At first, Taylor's effects suggest various outposts of world folklore, some flamenco-
like thrumming (which Bailey will later extend), some piquant twangs like the koto he must
have heard during his recent Japanese sojourn. With great precision, Taylor plays some very
fast right hand trills while dampening each note with his left hand on the strings, thereby
tossing some "clavichord" colours into the music for a few seconds. After a while, the pianist,
still plucking fervently, begins to approximate the fractured rhythms of Bailey's guitar, finally
getting so close that differentiation becomes difficult; he gets right into the web and tissue of
it. (It seems a long time since anyone has played with Bailey as persuasively as this: one
might have to go back to the day when Evan Parker's soprano was the frequent adjunct of his
feedback lines...)

As--Bailey settles into the electric guitar - the hum of his amplifier reminding us that there's
no such thing as silence, not even in the new, improved, pristine CD world - Taylor goes back
to the song he knows best, energy gathering force as he returns to the keyboard. It occurs to
me here that the "something" that Cecil Taylor heard in Derek Bailey's playing might have
been a connection felt between the guitarist's way of displacing rhythmic accents and his own
relationship to Monk's music and its rug-pulling rhythmic shifts. Maybe that's far-fetched,
but, as the music braces itself for the home stretch, Taylor plays some beautiful, wry melodies,
very Monkish in their jaunty step, and Bailey's accompaniment (roles alternate from here on
in) of staggered staccato discords fits perfectly.

The closing moments hover around a rainbow of possibility. This is improvisation of a very
pure stripe, luminously vulnerable. The musicians, listening furiously, tilt it this way and that,
its sense of flux tipping toward swift squalls, toward pellucid calms. To the very end, we don't
know how this music will be resolved.

The final sequence turns out to be among the new music's loveliest with guitar overtones
bursting inside the piano's arpeggiated ripple (so crisp a sound, like hail stones striking bells).

Yet it seems fitting hat the music closes with a final rasp of a plectrum on steel strings, Bailey
scraping his way down the fret-board. There's a raw beauty in that sound, too. One that only
an improviser could reveal to us.
1988, FOUND BITS, FMP 1260 (Germany) (CD) (released in 1991)

Peter Kowald, bass; duo with :

1- Floros Floridis, clarinet: Maria's black 04.14

recorded 1 February 1989 in Athens.
2- Derek Bailey, guitar: Found bits 02.31
recorded 10 July 1988 in Berlin.
3- Peter Brötzmann, tenor saxophone: Trollymog 02.30
recorded 29 June 1986 in Berlin.
4- Marilyn Mazur, percussion: Wind travel suite 05.33
recorded 29 September 1988 in Copenhagen.
5- Joëlle Léandre, bass & voice: Frerebet soeurboise 04.59
recorded 14 December 1986 in Berlin.
6- Evan Parker, soprano saxophone: Straight angle suite II 04.45
recorded 16 August 1987 in Berlin.
7- Irène Schweizer, piano: Wundenkönigin und Fühlebär 04.47
recorded 14 December 1986 in Berlin.
8- Han Bennink, drums: Olie en water 04.19
recorded 9 July 1988 in Berlin.
9- Conrad Bauer, trombone: Stein auf bein 03.53
recorded 12 August 1989 in Berlin.
10- Fred Frith, guitar: Without the fat of sacrifice 03.00
recorded 30 March 1986 in New York.

Cover artwork ) by A. R. Penk; layout by Kowald and Jost Gebers.

This LP release partly overlaps with the tracks on the CD release: FMP CD21.
1988, LOST LOTS, FMP CD21 (Germany) (CD) (released in 1991)

Peter Kowald, double bass, in duos with :

1- Joëlle Léandre, bass, voice: Soeurbet frereboise 03.51

recorded 14 December 1986 in Berlin.
2- Seizan Matsuda, shakuhachi: Wind arms 04.39
recorded 11 December 1986 in Tokyo.
3- Evan Parker, soprano saxophone: Straight angles suite 03.19
recorded 16 August 1987 in Berlin.
4- Diamanda Galas, voice: Throat I 04.45
recorded 12 March 1986 in Berlin.
5- Conrad Bauer, trombone: Bein auf stein 04.04
recorded 12 August 1989 in Berlin.
6- Tom Cora, cello: Growing crazy 02.19
recorded 30 March 1986 in New York.
7- Andrew Cyrille, drums, voice: Serious fun I 05.23
recorded 30 March 1986 in New York.
8- Irène Schweizer, piano: Wundenkönigin und Fühlebär 04.49
recorded 14 December 1986 in Berlin.
9- Akira Sakata, alto saxophone: Birth of signs 03.13
recorded 11 December 1986 in Tokyo.
10- Masahiko Kono, trombone: Genmai 03.24
recorded 31 March 1986 in Brooklyn, New York.
11- Peter Brötzmann, tenor saxophone: Trollymog 02.31
recorded 29 June 1986 in Berlin.
12- Tadao Sawai, koto: The further float 04.19
recorded 23 October 1986 in Tokyo.
13- Derek Bailey, guitar: Lost lots 02.58
recorded 10 July 1988 in Berlin.
14- Floros Floridis, clarinet: Giorgos' red 04.19
recorded 1 February 1989 in Athens.
15- Han Bennink, drums: Diepe Spoeren 03.14
recorded 9 July 1988 in Berlin.
16- Jeanne Lee, voice: In these last days 03.48
recorded 19 April 1988 in New York.
17- Keiki Midorikawa, cello: Grüner mori 04.08
recorded 7 October 1986 in Tokyo.
18- Junko Handa, biwa, voice: Power without power II 05.59
recorded 23 October 1986 in Tokyo.
19- Danny Davis, alto saxophone: Riff raff go on 01.57
recorded 23 October 1986 in Tokyo.

This is a CD version of FMP LPs 1260, 1270 and 1280 with some tracks different, some the
same.

Total time: 73:24

All music by the named musicians

Produced by Jost Gebers
Layout: Peter Kowald and Jost Gebers
Photos: Dagmar Gebers u.a.

FMP FREE MUSIC PRODUCTION Distribution & Communication

Markgraf-Albrecht-Str. 14, 10711 Berlin | Tel. +49 30 3237526 | Fax +49 30 3249431

Liner notes by Peter Kowald

First published in November 1991

Excerpt from the booklet :

I got the idea for DUOS in 1986 after a year in New York. I had made so many new
musical acquaintances and friends that I wanted to see/hear some of them on record. (...)
I decided on duo pieces of four to five minutes length. (...)
It seemed natural to involve my year-long work with European friends. I had only made
recordings with some of them before, but never in duo formation. And during my four visits
to Japan I had not only met free Jazz musicians, but also those who played traditional
Japanese music. In this way the project grew to become what it is now: DUOS EUROPE -
AMERICA-JAPAN. (...)

The recordings have different origins. The first (with KOSUGI in 1984 before the DUOS
had even been thought of) and the last (with JULIUS HEMPHILL in 1990) are excerpts of
live concerts in the Berlin ´Akademie der Künste´. The pieces with IRÈNE and JOËLLE in
the FMP-studio are also live recordings. All other pieces were planned for this project and
recorded in studios without an audience.

Peter Kowald. Translation by Margaret Neuendorf

(…)

a gem of both performance and programming. Nineteen tracks … show the bassist in
duet with nineteen very experimental improvisers… Variety of instrumentation (as
well as radically different approaches to improvisation) make for never a dull moment
hereon. Also interesting is hearing certain improvisers back to back in such sparse format -
e.g. vocalists JEANNE LEE, DIAMANDA GALAS, and JOËLLE LÉANDRE cast each other
in strange, new light.
Coda Magazine (Canada), No. 253, January/February1994
1989, LACE, Emanem 4013 (UK) (CD) (released in 1996)

Derek Bailey : 1936 Epiphone Triumph acoustic guitar

1- Let's hope we're all in the right place 29.50

2- We could be here for a few hours 17.56
3- Which bit would you like again 04.38

Recorded Previously unissued solo guitar improvistations, recorded in LA on 12/15/89 at Los

Angeles (L.A.C.E) on 15 December 1989.

Drawing on front cover by Anthony Mostrom.

D erek Bailey has played in Los Angeles - that unlikeliest of cities - four times so far:
first in 1980 playing duos with Evan Parker at the Century City Playhouse (where I
finally met him after a four year correspondence), followed by solo concerts in 1983,
then in 1988 and the next year at LACE - L.A. Contemporary Exhibitions - located
incongruously in the remote, abandoned-warehouse fringes of downtown L.A. Despite the
city's well-earned reputation as one ignorant of / indifferent / immune to improvised music,
Derek's concerts were all well attended - stuffed to the rafters, in fact. For the LACE concert,
Derek played his 1936 Epiphone Triumph acoustic, using a cello pickup strapped to the belly
of the instrument for some added body-resonance, the amplifying of which he controlled with
a volume pedal. The recording quality is excellent, thanks to engineer Jim Lloyd, and guitarist
Rod Poole's placing the two microphones close to the guitar, one picking up the string sound
and the other pointed toward the loudspeaker. It was a great privilege to attend this concert,
for as you'll hear, this is Derek in peak form - the music is brimming with invention, including
some compelling thematic passages that themselves contain playing techniques I haven't heard
Derek use before or since - like those chunky, walking-rhythm sequences, with exquisite bell-
like high notes ping-ponging off exploratory, mid-range single-note themes, both seeming to
gradually approach then mesh into each other - all propelled by a forceful momentum
resulting in great moments of musical drama. (That some people can still detect no musical
emotion in DB's playing is amazing to me.)

Truly an impressive example of Derek Bailey's seemingly inexhaustible creativity.

Anthony Mostrom, 1996

s time goes on, what seemed hardcore and challenging becomes classic and - in this

A case, at least - hugely enjoyable. This is lyrical solo guitar with a mathematical rigour
that recalls both Bach and Monk. There is an astonishing variety of string attacks;
fleet harmonic arguments are concertina'd between shimmering openings-out into suggestive
silence and astral twinkle. Bailey waltzes crabwise across the scales, each interval so
persistently surprising you suspect he must have developed a seven-fingered hand.
Procedures familiar from scored music - retrogrades, reversals, symmetries are piled into the
expressionist gestures of a bluesman. Intricately weird clusters sit on top of streamlined
escalations.

Ben Watson, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, 1997

ow! This recording is one of the most impressive Derek Bailey performances I've

W heard. While the first piece is extremely dynamic and intense, it finds no complete
conclusion until after a half hour has passed. But that's fine because one really
needs to listen all the way through a session like this to truly appreciate the sublime brilliance
of Derek Bailey's guitar playing. On LACE, Bailey winds in and around patterns and sub-
patterns, themes and sub-themes on a seemingly boundless whirling and curling path until
suddenly the threads come together and explode into a beautiful sonic bouquet. The quality
and depth of this recording on a purely dynamic level is extraordinary. It gives further insight
into why Derek Bailey is so revered by the avant garde internationally.

Shawn Mediaclast, Sonarmap, 1997

T he set two long pieces and a short encore offers the full sweep of Bailey, ringing
chords, koto-like snaps, and a full-on harmony lesson for the late 20th century.
Although he has used electric instruments for concerts in the past, his touch here on
the 1936 Epiphone Triumph archtop would shake the rafters, a pure acoustic sound with
electronic reinforcement. Emanem presents Bailey in the clearest terms.

Steve Vickery, Coda, 1997

s with a good amount of his documented work over the last decade plus, so-called

A traditional reference points can be easily discerned. This is especially true here on
Lace, where overtly melodic and, at times, downright sing-songy phrases and lines,
near contemporary folk flourishes, a not-quite waltz, and riffs subversively ingratiate
themselves into Bailey's so-called non-idiomatic fabric. Bordered by atypical dodecaphonic-
flavoured intervals and lines, heartily underscored by ringing harmonics, roughly at times
casually, strummed clusters, crunching percussive gambits; and unself-conscious vocal
humming and groans, Bailey's weavings are propelled by fluctuations between more deliberate
metric pacing and that of an organic, fluxing nature, and often simultaneous surges of density
and volume. Often dismissed as exclusive, this performance clearly showcases the wide,
fluctuating expanse of Bailey's universe.

Milo Fine, Cadence, 1997

B ailey’s playing is more rhythmically balanced and resonantly spacious on the opening
Let’s hope we’re all in the right place than I’m accustomed to hearing from the man.
Towards the last five minutes of this half hour suite Bailey chops and slices his way
through the ether like a chef at Benihana butterflies garlic shrimp. Notes and chords are
flying left and right in blurry succession, yet somehow they all end up settling exactly where
they’re supposed to. He proffers a similar governed-build-up-to-head-shaking-climax on We
could be here for a few hours that rivals his most accomplished fret dancing - and believe me,
that’s saying something. Some of Bailey’s passages sound so complex that you’d swear he’s
playing a Nancarrow composition. LACE closes with a short, flamenco-esque tinkler Which
bit would you like again? that tells the entire story of the Moor’s invasion of Spain in a mere
four and a half minutes.

Mike Trouchon, Opprobrium, 1997

or someone who still seems to entertain profound doubts about the validity of solo

F improvising, Bailey is sure as hell good at it. To my ears, his solo work is his most
compelling, the context in which he's at his most resourceful, where his important and
idiosyncratic contribution to guitar music history becomes fully apparent. The two long
pieces on LACE are captivating examples of patient, thoughtful development; passing through
delightfully tangled, dissonant clusters, and shuffling bluesy 'rhythms', to periods of
introspective lyricism.

Chris Blackford, Rubberneck, 1998

1989 Los Angeles concert by Bailey is an excellent display of his dry wit and his

A dry solo playing. The overpowering logic of his playing is clear from the outset, as
he works over, under, around, and through his trademark motifs - an approach he
slyly pastiches in naming the third track here "Which Bit Would You Like Again?", after a
question he actually asks the audience here. For his playing, like that of his old mate Evan
Parker's, is highly motivic, and thrives on the precise placement, replacement, and
displacement of those motifs, either in interplay with other lines coming from other
musicians, or - as here - in relation only to themselves. This is quiet music that presents with
crystalline clarity the "sound of surprise" that is at the heart of the best improvised music. For
a second he plumbs the Renaissance. At another moment he echoes the heaviest of heavy
metal clanging. For long stretches he muses with bell-like clarity and singularity of tone. Lace
is a peerless master at work.

erek Bailey's solo work is so unusual that each recording is cause for celebration.

D This one is no different, as the improvisations comprising this CD are exquisite

testimony to the boundless creative energy unleashed by this master of free music.
Recorded digitally from a concert in Los Angeles, Bailey plays his 1936 Epiphone Triumph
acoustic guitar with a cello pickup for three numbers lasting nearly an hour. The results are
exhilarating, as the guitarist sounds surprisingly accessible and at times almost melodic. Never
lapsing into cliché, and eschewing predetermined patterns, this performance bears close
analysis and concentration, although it can be enjoyed casually as well. Enigmatically of the
moment and timeless, Lace has the feel of artistic invention, the momentum building, a canvas
of delicacy melding into intense streams of sound.

Steve Loewy, All Music Guide

S ir Bailey appears handily positioned to play the guitar well into his seventh decade of
life and that's more than fine with me. As far as I'm concerned, this master of the free
steel string guitar can rattle his ax till the ice caps melt. While we're waiting for
Bailey's septuagenarian charge to begin, I'm pleased as can be that various archival recordings
are hitting the bins with promising regularity.

Speaking of such things, a benevolent Martin Davidson has recently taken it upon himself to
resurrect the seminal Emanem imprint to once again issue brilliant sonic artifacts from a host
of Britain's improvising elite, including Derek Bailey. Lace features the guitarist extending all
ten of his lithe fingers in peerless fashion during a solo performance at Los Angeles
Contemporary Exhibitions in December 1989. Bailey's playing is more rhythmically balanced
and resonantly spacious on the opening 'Let's Hope We're All In The Right Place' than I'm
accustomed to hearing from the man, and by gum if he just doesn't sound like the fuckin' end-
all.

Towards the last five minutes of this half hour suite Derek chops and slices his way through
the ether like a chef at Benihana butterflies garlic scampi. Notes and chords are flying left and
right in blurry succession, yet somehow they all end up settling exactly where they're
supposed to. He proffers a similar governed-build-up-to-head-shaking-climax on 'We Could
Be Here For A Few Hours' that rivals his most accomplished fret dancing - and believe me,
that's saying something. Some of Bailey's passages sound so complex that you'd swear he's
playing a Nancarrow composition. Lace closes with a short, flamenco-esque tinkler ('What Bit
Would You Like Again?') that tells the entire story of the Moor's invasion of Spain in a mere
four and one-half minutes. At some point not so long ago, I remember losing my head with
the Dexter's issue of Aida, and sure enough, Lace has me back down on my hands and knees
searching the floor again.

Mike Trouchon

erek Bailey's music has by this point in his career become almost impossibly

D unpredictable in its variety of forms: a recent batch of CDs I got, for instance,
includes an encounter with a jazz-funk band (_Mirakle_), a duet with the free-jazz
percussionist Susie Ibarra (_Daedal_), & an album consisting entirely of feedback (_String
Theory_). Nonetheless, there's a basic rule with Bailey: think small. His favourite & often
most effective formats are the duo (his label Incus puts out two different series of duet discs,
for instance--guitar/wind instrument & guitar/percussion) & the solo recital. Lace is one of
the first places to go for Bailey's solo music--if you've never heard him play before, try this
disc. It's an all-acoustic concert, recorded in LA--two long tracks & a short encore. Track one
is (as usual with Bailey of this period--cf. _Aida_) whimsically ended when an alarm clock
goes off.

Bailey's music is as always spare but detailed--his approach is to keep musical gestures very
distinct & very clear. Rather than the smooth streams of notes that typify conventional guitar
playing, he likes to use combinations of very different events--consecutive notes may come
from an open string, a fretted string, a harmonic, or some nonstandard sound (e.g. rubbing the
pick over the string or producing a percussive unpitched slap from the strings). Such an
approach sounds rather willful, but this disc is rather beguiling in its way, in part because of
the nice resonant sound Bailey gets out of his instrument. Throughout the music convinces
because of its absolute integrity & concentration; comparisons with Thelonious Monk's solo
discs aren't entirely absurd. A fine disc; fans of it will also want to track down the slightly
earlier Drop Me Off at 96th on Scatter label, which is equally fine.

Reviewer: Nate Dorward from Toronto, ON

Absolute concentration, January 31, 2001

T he whole of a hugely successful solo Los Angeles concert, featuring two extended
guitar improvisations, an encore, some chat and applause. Nothing is edited out. The
acoustic guitar was used with some amplification - the close digital recording makes it
sound almost acoustic. 57 minutes - previously unissued.

PGJ ***(*)

Derek Bailey LACE cover artby Tony Mostrom

THIS IS IT!! India Ink drawing on illo board for the 1997 solo guitar CD (Emanem Records,
UK) by the late great cult genius.
1989, DEREK BAILEY & JIN HI KIM, San Jose, CA, December 20,
(private recording). TaW's Covers Vault.

Derek Bailey : guitar

Jin Hi Kim : komungo

1- 18:29
2- 14:47
3- 09:57
4- 17:56
5- 18:05

total 79:17
1991, VILLAGE LIFE, Incus CD09 (UK) (CD) (released in 1992)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Louis Moholo : drums, percussion and voice
Thebe Lipere : percussion and voice

1- Village life 11.33

2- Moropa 11.53
3- Tune it 18.05
4- Beanery 06.52
5- Leeto 07.25
6- Hamba Gahli 02.25

Recorded at the Vortex, London on 25 September 1991 by Matt Saunders from a table near
the band.

Design by Karen Brookman.

H ere are six improvised selections by this trio from 1991 at a bar in London. Bailey
plays electric guitar, and Moholo and Lipere play percussion and use their voices.
While the temptation top think of this session as a skronk-fest, it is, in essence,
anything but. For the first five minutes you can hear the punters in the pub yucking it up with
each other seemingly oblivious to what is happening on the stage -- such is Village Life --
which blends effortlessly with its meandering drums and percussion instruments under and
through Bailey's haltingly tender playing. "Moropa" begins much the same way, with restraint
showing its veins all over the place until the nine-minute mark, where spatial considerations
and timbral terrains give way to a kind of faltering beat consciousness. The most beautiful
pieces on the record are the 18-minute "Tune It," which is an exercise in restrained textured
ambiance via microtones and shimmering timbres that would give Eno a run for his wallet, and
"Beanery," which is a continuously revolving piece with Bailey turning his phrases over and
over into the percussionists who are circling round each other. This is a wonderful -- if quiet -
- gig, and it offers a different view on all three players, especially Moholo and Bailey.

Thom Jurek, All That Jazz

T his CD is a document of a concert encounter between Derek Bailey & two

percussionists of African origin--the great Louis Moholo and the less-known Thebe
Lipere. The music is much less mercurial than usual for Bailey, a series of gently
rhythmic, almost tranced improvisations; despite the double percussion, the music is mostly
quite quiet. I like the disk very much, but have to issue a serious caveat: the recording is one of
Incus's less satisfactory jobs, with the guitar disappearing for long stretches into near-
inaudibility. Bailey has always avoided conventional structures of "soloist" and
"accompaniment" (while he can often be abrasive & disruptive, he can just as often take a role
like that of swing-era guitarists Freddie Green or Teddy Bunn, patiently filling in the
background texture), but this recording's poor balance makes it hard to tell what's going on.

Reviewer: Nate Dorward from Toronto, ON

An intriguing encounter, September 8, 2000

B ailey has generally preferred to work with percussionists, and a quick comparison of
this CD and others on Incus with Cyro Baptista, Han Bennink, Jamie Muir, and John
Stevens demonstrates how thoughtfully contextualised all his work is. PGJ ***(*)
1991, SOLO GUITAR VOLUME 2, Incus CD11 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1992)

Derek Bailey : solo acoustic guitar

1- Ten 10 17.08
2- Ten 28 06.33
3- Two 50 06.28
4- Two 57 03.25
5- Three 04.04
6- Three 05 02.44
7- Three 08 01.21

Recorded on 22 June 1991 at approximately the times indicated.

Front cover photograph by C.R. Appleyard.

Newer stuff that touches a few mesmerizing peaks to say the least.

D erek Bailey is both an inspirational advocate of total improvisation and one of

experimental guitar's most distinctive voices. His Solo Guitar Volume 1 influenced a
generation of free- improv spirits; now, 20 years later, he's released the beautiful
Volume 2, seven spontaneous compositions guided by Bailey's shockingly original melodic,
rhythmic, and timbral sensibilities. Both volumes are available from Incus.

Joe Gore, Guitar Player Magazine, December 1992

I n his liner notes to this disc, extracted from his book on improvisation, British guitarist
Derek Bailey writes, "...maintaining solo playing which remains meaningful as
improvisation is an elusive business, not least because the easier it becomes to perform
solo the harder it becomes to improvise solo...." Bailey 's insistence on "non-idiomatic
improvisation" requires not only that he not fall into patterns derived from other musical
forms, but that he also not be trapped in his own habits or ruts -- a tall order indeed.
Guitarist/composer Jim O'Rourke has noted that even high-level free improvisation tends to
generate its own recognizable sound-world so that one might, say, immediately identify a Evan
Parker piece and predict, to some extent, its structure and anticipate its musical elements.
While Bailey 's style is easily recognized, he has shown a remarkable ability to wring not only
altogether new sounds from the guitar, but to invent entirely new approaches to individual
improvisations.

Solo Guitar, Vol. 2 is one of Bailey 's most successful recordings and a shining example of
his extraordinary imagination and integrity. The pieces, titled only for the clock time at which
they were recorded, are utterly assured even while venturing into territory that no one else has
explored. Bailey seems incapable of not having a wealth of ideas at his fingertips. Think of it
as being in the company of a master conversationalist, telling stories the likes of which you've
never heard before. This is Derek Bailey, one of the finest storytellers around.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

C ertainly the most impressive guitarist I've heard in my life is Derek Bailey. This 62-
year-old Englishman has, over the course of about 100 albums and CDs, completely
redefined the state of the art of modern guitar playing. Bailey has the most technique
and the most advanced and expressive improvisational capabilities of any guitarist on the
planet. Since his recordings are nearly impossible to find in the U.S., I suggest you write to
Incus Records, 14 Downs Road, London E5 8DS, England and order a copy of his most
recent solo recording: Solo Guitar Volume 2 . The first track, "Ten 10," is one of the most
phenomenal things that I've ever heard. I'm astounded by the fact that one man could come up
with so many unprecedented technical and musical ideas on the instrument. In a word:
inspirational.

Henry Kaiser

B ailey's music defies exact description and evaluation. He plays intensely and
abstractly... Bailey's solo performances give the clearest impression of his pitchless,
metreless playing but this is extremely forbidding music.

PGJ ***(*)
1991, COMPANY 91 VOLUME 1, Incus CD 16 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1994)

Company :
Pat Thomas : piano & electronics
Paul Lovens : percussion
Paul Rogers : bass
Buckethead : guitar
Yves Robert : trombone
Vanessa Mackness : voice
John Zorn : alto saxophone
Alexander Balanescu : violin
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- AB/VM 05.42
2- YR/AB/DB 10.01
3- VM/PL/PR 05.19
4- PL/PR/DB/YR/AB/VM 11.14
5- PT/DB 10.16
6- JZ/BK 10.55
7- DB/BK/JZ/PT 10.46

All tracks derived from the initials of the musicians

Recorded by Paul Wilson and Matt Saunders, during Company Week 1991 at the Place
Theatre, London; taken from the first two days: Tuesday and Wednesday.
Artwork and design by Karen Brookman.
C ompany Week is one of those annual events (now defunct) that boggles the
imagination of the free-improv world, as organized by Derek Bailey. In 1991, John
Zorn (alto sax), Alexander Balanescu (violin), Vanessa Mackness (voice), Yves
Robert (trombone), Buckethead (guitar), Paul Lovens (percussion), Bailey (guitar), Paul
Rogers (bass), and Pat Thomas (electronics/keyboards) met up for 5 days of improvising. All
musicians appear on all 3 discs (in various combinations). Of special note is a 12-minute
feedback duel between Mr. Bailey & Mr. Buckethead at the end of disc 3.

About Company 91, Volume 1 (Incus CD16), Volume 2 (Incus CD17),

Volume 3 (Incus CD18)

D erek Bailey's description of Company Week as a "building site" where "we get
together and make something that wasn't there before," seems an appropriate
metaphor for these three volumes of selections from Company Week 1991 in
London. To my knowledge they represent the most extreme recorded evidence of Bailey's
interest in setting up challenging improvising contexts that include musicians from widely
differing musical backgrounds, and with significantly differing experience of each other and
improvisation itself: thus we have experienced improvisors Bailey, Paul Lovens, John Zorn,
Paul Rogers, Pat Thomas and Yves Robert playing in various combinations with vocalist
Vanessa Mackness (a relative newcomer at this stage), the classical violinist Alexander
Balanescu and the American heavy metal/thrash guitarist Buckethead.

Mackness sets out her vocal 'repertoire' in the memorable opening duet with Balanescu
(Volume 1) including some haunting folk-like flights and swoops, but thereafter seems not yet
to have developed a sufficiently varied vocabulary to make a distinctive mark on the Week's
proceedings. A year later, however, at the first LMC Festival with Barry Guy, her voice was
sounding a whole lot sturdier and inventive at this level.

Buckethead's approach to improvisation divided the audience, and I was in the camp that
found his generally strident, in-yer-face, sod-you-if-you-can't-hear-anyone-else-play
mentality, a pain in the arse. I don't know whether somebody's been twiddling knobs to
balance out the sound, or maybe examples of his brashness have simply been omitted, but
here he sounds in remarkably tolerant and considerate mood. Even his video-game barrage in
the explosive duet (Volume 1) with Zorn at full tilt is carefully deployed; he's arguably at his
flexible best in the excellent trio with Balanescu and Rogers (Volume 2), where the latter's
solid bass lines anchor the lacerating, and sometimes temperate, exchanges between guitar and
violin.

Balanescu is nothing short of a revelation. This was his first high-profile improvising event
and he was keen to be open-minded in his approach (see Rubberneck 9 for interviews with
most of Company 91) by not excluding any influence that came to him during the
performances. Moreover, he was not afraid to play melodically in the company of musicians
who had moved further into abstraction, and avoided any possible temptation to dabble in
extended instrumental techniques. His wealth of experience in contemporary composition, and
even East European folk musics, surfaces in many of his contributions which bear the
hallmark of a versatile virtuoso. I have no doubt that if he were to concentrate more fully on
improvisation he would establish himself among the first class of violinists in this field.

The two duets between Yves Robert and John Zorn (Volume 3) are something special. The
only thing missing from their incredibly integrated playing is the visual humour which was
always allied to the music and not some kind of sideshow attraction. Zorn's adventurous alto
playing is a sparkling break from all that mixed-genre juxtaposition stuff he's overmined. His
natural ebullience is the perfect companion for the French trombonist's nonchalant
resourcefulness. The transitions from quiet intricacy to high velocity multiphonics are
executed with ease and never sound forced or meretricious. More from this duo would be
much appreciated. So too, from the Thomas/Rogers/Lovens trio whose 15-minute piece opens
Volume 2. And, of course, nobody who was there will forget the earsplitting, hilariously
theatrical finale by Buckethead and Bailey (Volume 3). Hard hats on everybody - this is the
cutting edge of improv!

Chris Blackford
1991, COMPANY 91 VOLUME 2, Incus CD 17 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1994)

Company :
Pat Thomas : piano & electronics
Paul Lovens : percussion
Paul Rogers : bass
Buckethead : guitar
Yves Robert : trombone
Vanessa Mackness : voice
John Zorn : alto saxophone
Alexander Balanescu : violin
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- PT/PR/PL 15.20
2- BK/YR/VM 14.18
3- VM/JZ/PT 07.56
4- AB/DB 04.56
5- JZ/BK/PT 05.56
6- YR/AB/VM 08.27
7- PL/DB/PT 04.25
8- PR/AB/BK 09.05

All tracks derived from the initials of the musicians

Recorded by Paul Wilson and Matt Saunders, during Company Week 1991 at the Place
Theatre, London; taken from the 'middle period' of the week: part Wednesday, Thursday, part
Friday.

Artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

W hen one thinks of free jazz and free improvisation, the names of Ornette Coleman,
Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor, all black Americans, leap to mind. In England and
on the Continent, however, there ha been a long- standing tradition of free
improvisation. The English faction has been represented by artists such as Derek Bailey, Evan
Parker, Tony Oxley, Keith Tippett, AMM and private record labels such as Incus and Bead.
Company is the brainchild of guitarist Derek Bailey and is manifested in Company Week, an
annual (or nearly annual) music festival of freely improvised music, established in 1976. As
might be deduced from the title of this set, Vols. 1-3 capture performances from the 1991
Company Week and include performances by Bailey, John Zorn, Alexander Balanescu,
Vanessa Mackness, Yves Robert, Paul Lovens, Paul Rogers, Pat Thomas and Buckethead, who
performed in various combinations over the course of five days. There's a wealth of noise,
color, instrumental, percussive and vocal sounds, soft and loud, fast and slow, intimate and
bombastic, covering the complete spectrum of emotions and ideas. It's difficult listening to be
sure, but for those who understand the language, there's an abundance of challenging music to
be explored.

Dean Suzuki. From Option Sept/Oct 1994 p.97

T hree hours of live, freely improvised music recorded over three consecutive nights in
London by a cast of nine in 21 different combinations assembled by veteran
improvising guitarist Derek Bailey, all on three separate CDs.

Bailey does not compose, and eschews the development of form, band or repertoire, factors
every other genre of music relies upon. He helps shape the music of Company by creating
conditions under which its members meet; throwing together people on stage who have often
hardly met or heard of each other before, let alone played together. This is not the only way to
improvise--in fact it's a bloody funny way and suffers inevitable losses--but it can have
extraordinary benefits. It's fascinating, for example, to hear champion squawker John Zorn
struggling to keep up with upstart guitarist Buckethead one day, then stealing the show a
couple of days later with some of his most fantastically imaginative saxophone playing. The
instant rapport that Buckethead's receptive mutant metal guitar builds up with vocalist Vaness
Mackness, and virtually every player here, is remarkable. Though he's the least experienced
(40 years Bailey's junior), he sounds the most confidently assured player throughout. Bailey
seems almost shy by comparison, though he does create one of my favourite pivotal moments,
where he brings in the most exquisite plinky consonances for his trio with trombonist Yves
Robert and violinist Alexander Balanescu, creating the ground for some of the most focused
explorations in the whole set.

The three CDs are full of unique, wonderful moments and unrepeatable textures that no other
individuals engaged in any other form of music making could ever have come up with. Taken
as a whole, the set is a little long and personally I wouldn't have included some of the more
aimless performances, but otherwise this is engrossing and very entertaining music, which
surely achieves everything Bailey wants it to. Some of the best Improv to appear on CD for
ages.

Richard Scott from The Wire issue #123 May 1994 p. 57

T his second part of the Company Week document is from the middle part of a five-day jam
session/workshop/drunken riot that took place in England and featured musicians from
the U.S.A., Britain, and Europe -- well, Germany and France anyway. The titles of the
pieces are simply the initials of whoever took part in the improvisations. The standout pieces here
are the long opening mood piece by pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Paul Rogers, and percussionist
Paul Lovens. It ranges in drama from a whisper to a scream and back, and never fails to keep the
listener engaged. On the other hand, a nearly as long trio number with Buckethead, trombonist
Yves Robert, and singer Vanessa Mackness is a snore and becomes irritatingly grating five
minutes in. But the finest piece on the record is actually two: a screeching humor fest from John
Zorn, Buckethead, and Pat Thomas, and an intricate, droll bit of iconoclastic balladry from Derek
Bailey, Paul Lovens, and Thomas again. It seemed, at least mid-week, that wherever Thomas
was, fine music was being made. This is not as strong as volume one, but it is worth the price for
the Bailey piece and the opener alone.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

1991, COMPANY 91 VOLUME 3, Incus CD 18 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1994)

Company :
Pat Thomas : piano & electronics
Paul Lovens : percussion
Paul Rogers : bass
Buckethead : guitar
Yves Robert : trombone
Vanessa Mackness : voice
John Zorn : alto saxophone
Alexander Balanescu : violin
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- JZ/YR part 1 08.32

2- JZ/YR part 2 05.50
3- VM/AB/PL/PT 09.25
4- DB/AB/YR/JZ/VM part 1 06.02
5- DB/AB/YR/JZ/VM part 2 02.09
6- DB/AB/YR/JZ/VM part 3 06.28
7- PL/YR/PR/JZ 10.57
8- BK/DB 12.28

All tracks derived from the initials of the musicians

Recorded by Paul Wilson and Matt Saunders, during Company Week 1991 at the
Place Theatre, London; taken from the final two days: Friday and Saturday.

Artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

Company 91, Volume 1 (Incus CD16), Volume 2 (Incus CD17), Volume 3

(Incus CD18)

D erek Bailey's description of Company Week as a "building site" where "we get
together and make something that wasn't there before," seems an appropriate
metaphor for these three volumes of selections from Company Week 1991 in
London. To my knowledge they represent the most extreme recorded evidence of Bailey's
interest in setting up challenging improvising contexts that include musicians from widely
differing musical backgrounds, and
with significantly differing experience of each other and improvisation itself: thus we have
experienced improvisors Bailey, Paul Lovens, John Zorn, Paul Rogers, Pat Thomas and Yves
Robert playing in various combinations with vocalist Vanessa Mackness (a relative newcomer
at this stage), the classical violinist Alexander Balanescu and the American heavy metal/thrash
guitarist Buckethead.

Mackness sets out her vocal 'repertoire' in the memorable opening duet with Balanescu
(Volume 1) including some haunting folk-like flights and swoops, but thereafter seems not yet
to have developed a sufficiently varied vocabulary to make a distinctive mark on the Week's
proceedings. A year later, however, at the first LMC Festival with Barry Guy, her voice was
sounding a whole lot sturdier and inventive at this level.

Buckethead's approach to improvisation divided the audience, and I was in the camp that
found his generally strident, in-yer-face, sod-you-if-you-can't-hear-anyone-else-play
mentality, a pain in the arse. I don't know whether somebody's been twiddling knobs to
balance out the sound, or maybe examples of his brashness have simply been omitted, but
here he sounds in remarkably tolerant and considerate mood. Even his video-game barrage in
the explosive duet (Volume 1) with Zorn at full tilt is carefully deployed; he's arguably at his
flexible best in the excellent trio with Balanescu and Rogers (Volume 2), where the latter's
solid bass lines anchor the lacerating, and sometimes temperate, exchanges between guitar and
violin.

Balanescu is nothing short of a revelation. This was his first high-profile improvising event
and he was keen to be open-minded in his approach (see Rubberneck 9 for interviews with
most of Company 91) by not excluding any influence that came to him during the
performances. Moreover, he was not afraid to play melodically in the company of musicians
who had moved further into abstraction, and avoided any possible temptation to dabble in
extended instrumental techniques. His wealth of experience in contemporary composition, and
even East European folk musics, surfaces in many of his contributions which bear the
hallmark of a versatile virtuoso. I have no doubt that if he were to concentrate more fully on
improvisation he would establish himself among the first class of violinists in this field.

The two duets between Yves Robert and John Zorn (Volume 3) are something special. The
only thing missing from their incredibly integrated playing is the visual humour which was
always allied to the music and not some kind of sideshow attraction. Zorn's adventurous alto
playing is a sparkling break from all that mixed-genre juxtaposition stuff he's overmined. His
natural ebullience is the perfect companion for the French trombonist's nonchalant
resourcefulness. The transitions from quiet intricacy to high velocity multiphonics are
executed with ease and never sound forced or meretricious. More from this duo would be
much appreciated. So too, from the Thomas/Rogers/Lovens trio whose 15-minute piece opens
Volume 2. And, of course, nobody who was there will forget the earsplitting, hilariously
theatrical finale by Buckethead and Bailey (Volume 3). Hard hats on everybody - this is the
cutting edge of improv!

Chris Blackford
1991, RUBBERNECK #9, Company (booklet) (UK)

Company :
Vanessa Mackness : voice
Paul Lovens : percussion
Pat Thomas : turn tables and electronics
Alexander Balanescu : violin
Yves Robert : trombone
Derek Bailey : guitar

Rubberneck, # 9 : Company : 6" x 8" booklet. UK. 1991, ISSN: 0952-6609.

COMPANY 1991. British booklet style publication. 25 pages featuring free music group.

Includes a four page interview with Derek Bailey.

1992, PLAYING, Incus CD14 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1993)

John Stevens : drums & mini trumpet

Derek Bailey : electric & acoustic guitars

1- Sometimes dust coup 07.06

2- After ending 01.51
3- Reflectors 05.25
4- Ping pong 05.25
5- D baby 02.50
6- Wallop 00.44
7- 360 degrees 02.51
8- The instance 02.42
9- Playing 15.42

Recorded at Watershed Studios London, on August 14 1992 by Richie Stevens.

Front cover drawing 'UIIU' by John Stevens.

P laying is the first duo album by pioneer improvisors Derek Bailey and John Stevens
in their 25 years or so association. Fiercely non-idiomatic, it's also one of the most
demanding albums I've heard this year. Bailey on electric and acoustic guitars, John
Stevens, a restricted drum kit of two small high-hats, children's snare and a few cymbals, plus
mini trumpet. Nine tracks teeming with complex, seamless transitions – the choppy,
abbreviated phrasing of Bailey's guitar set against Stevens' rapid-fire snare rolls and shuffling,
scuffed-up cymbal sounds. Only 'Reflecters' and 'D Baby' indulge in anything remotely like
regular pulse and then only fleetingly. The interplay is concise and to the point; ideas are
stated, then nipped back as new shoots spring up. After a few hearings one becomes attuned
to the percussive and rhythmic nuances of the guitar playing and how they interact with the
more conventional percussive sounds. 'The Instance' is that mini trumpet blown shrill, ragged
and finally delicately, underpinned by the slenderest of electric guitar tones. A benchmark
recording in duo improvising.
Chris Blackford

T his is one of the clearest, most accessible and musically inspiring recordings of pure
free music improvisation to come along in years. Guitarist Bailey and drummer
Stevens are two of the founding fathers of of this musical genre. Steven's drumming
on his minimal, miniature kit is, like Bailey's revolutionary guitarwork, absolutely original and
fresh. Try writing to Incus Records for their catalog: Incus, 14 Downs Road, London E5 8DS,
England.

T his lovely duet between avant guitar kingpin Derek Bailey and drummer/trumpet
player John Stevens is a fine example of what Bailey was up to in the early '90s,
before he discovered drum'n'bass and Bill Laswell , among other things. While the
date is, as usual, completely improvised, relying more on nuance, texture, and timing than
tonality, subtle timbral studies are evident, particularly in the middle of the recording on "Ping
Pong" (where Bailey forgoes the electric guitar entirely and concentrates instead on the
refracted timbres of an acoustic, and Stevens mutes his trumpet and plays percussion with his
other hand in the exact center of spaces Bailey vacates. Also, "360," which starts out on
electric, screaming and plunking so that the dials record in the red, shifts mid-track to an
acoustic as the center of Stevens' percussion moves entirely away from drums to small
instruments and then back to the auditory overload of the electric. Unlike a lot of Bailey's
recordings before and after, Playing is also recorded very well in a space that allows every
vibration to be heard plainly, creating for the listener an awesome dynamic expanse. Droll,
funny, and good-natured, Playing is just what the doc ordered for the "need some improv"
blues. This may be just your run-of-the-mill Derek Bailey album, it's true, but think about
what that says. How many of the current crop of young whips would give their fingers to
record one album as fine as "a typical Derek Bailey record
Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

espite a long association between Bailey and Stevens there was almost no duo

D material until Playing was recorded. Concentrated and flowing, it offers an ideal
opportunity...to examine at close quarters how this music works. PGJ ***(*)

T he following is taken from a radio show I did with Brian Weiss in spring of this year
when I was at the peak of my interest in Bailey.

Will: KDVS. That was Derek Bailey on guitar and John Stevens on drums ...

Brian: Percussion

Will: . . . from a collaboration CD called Playing released on Derek Bailey's own Incus label.
Brian: It was. Um, would you call it percussion or drums if the guy is banging around on
little . . . teapots.

Will: He was actually banging around on little drums.

Brian: Oh. Okay, that‚s still percussion though.

Will: (quiet) It's still drums too.

Brian: Okay, prior to that music from an Italian soundtrack called, oh geez here goes my
Italian, Le Dooey . . .

[backwrap, Brian tries to banter but I‚m unresponsive]

. . .Brian: We need to start F‚ing the S up.

Will: Okay. Uh, the thing about what I last played, that Derek Bailey track, is a lot of people
think it‚s like some weird intellectual thing where . . .

Brian: I think that.

Will: (pause) I don‚t think it‚s just this weird intellectual thing.

Brian: I think he is going for the weird intellectual thing.

Will: I don‚t think he‚s going for that.

Brian: I think he is.

Will: Okay well the point is I think there‚s a lot more human feeling in it than a lot of stuff.

Brian: Uh, maybe more human feeling than say a computer program.

Will: (laughter) Okay, well this . . . this is good. So I‚m going to play something by Taku
Sugimoto from Japan. . .

Brian: Is this intellectual or is this human feeling?

Will: I think it has human feeling. What do you think?

Brian: I believe intellectual stuff can have human feeling in it but... in general I don‚t see the
two meeting.

Will: Okay, well let‚s see about this. And you can call down here at 752-2777 and argue with
us. . .

Brian: Oh I love having people argue with me.

Will: I do too. That‚s the point of this set. I’m going to try and get people to see that there's
more human feeling in Derek Bailey than they think now.

Brian: Okay, let’s hear it.

[2 minute quiet clean sparse melancholic solo guitar plays. I think it's more accessible than
most Derek Bailey]
Will: KDVS. Okay, so what did you think about that. Was that human feeling?

Brian : Uh, you know I totally missed the human feeling because I was so busy trying to
figure out how to answer the telephone.

Will: Okay but you heard the song right.

Brian: Yeah. It seemed pretty mellow. Does mellow equal human feeling?

W: It wasn‚t cause it was mellow. You didn‚t hear anything that represented human feeling, it
was just like this big intellectual Œlet's experiment with how notes and tension work together?

B: I heard notes and I heard tension. I believe that‚s my definition of intellectual.

W: That‚s my definition too but you didn‚t hear melancholy or anything?

B: It was melancholic intellectual. Sort of one of those brooding guys in the library that you
think has a gun.

W: That guy‚s probably a . . .

B: That guy‚s probably a DJ down here.

W: That guy probably has a lot of human feeling.

B: So you find emotion out of these very minimal pieces.

W: Yeah. And you don‚t hear it?

B: Mmm, to a certain extent I do.

W: Okay, well this is some traditional Japanese Koto music. . .

[8 minute long solo koto piece]

W: KDVS Davis. What‚d you think of that?

B: Uh, that music was good.

W: Reiko Kimura with music for Koto. This is new. So is there human feeling in that?

B: Yes, I got deep down and emotional and I touched parts of my heart that I never knew
existed. It made me want to just take off my clothes and jump off a cliff into a bath of acid.

W: Less sarcasm. But seriously, what was the difference between that and the first piece?

B: Actually this last piece started out very similar to the piece before it with that very deliberate
pause between the notes that makes me want to go, come on, let‚s spit it out buddy. But then
he picked it up and it was just flashing out of him. It was just intuitive. Long notes kind of
make me go, Oh, I want to go take a nap.
1992, TONY OXLEY QUARTET, Incus CD15 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1993)

The Tony Oxley Quartet :

Tony Oxley : percussion
Matt Wand : drum machines & tape switchboard
Pat Thomas : electronics & keyboard
Derek Bailey : electric guitar

1- Quartet 1 16.00
2- Duo MP 05.03
3- Duo TD 13.06
4- Quartet 2 04.49
5- Duo TM 08.41
6- Duo TP 04.49
7- Trio PMD 10.14
8- Quartet 3 05.40

Recording by WDR Cologne, 8 April 1992.

Cover painting The singer by Tony Oxley, photographed by Max Lautenschlager.

P
erhaps it's the collision of styles: the finely-tuned non-idiomatic understanding
between Oxley and Derek Bailey - their deft empathy in creating space or fragile
textures - that seems at odds with the electronics and tape switchboard cut-up world
of Pat Thomas (more of his piano playing, please!) and Matt Wand. The opening 'Quartet 1'
has its moments, but unfortunately the thrown-in TV and film fragments sound clumsy and
clichéd (too much unfocused, hyperactive noodling, not enough interesting textural
surfaces/environments here). The gritty, angular 'Duo TD' by Oxley and Bailey is
undoubtedly the summit, interspersed with passages of icy calm, and marred only by a
fade-out 'conclusion'.

Chris Blackford

R
ecorded in 1992 in Cologne, this edition of the Tony Oxley Quartet includes Derek
Bailey on electric guitar, Matt Wand on drum machine and tape switchboard, and
Pat Thomas on keyboards and electronics, with Oxley holding down the trap kit and
sundry acoustic percussion instruments. The album is comprised of eight selections: three
quartets, four duos, and one trio. Oxley is absent from one of the duos and the trio piece.
The music here is experimental not only in the improvisational sense of the word, but in the
actual practice of putting sounds together, pairing instruments and pulling them together in
the context of a group setting. For instance, on the first quartet there are only a few
moments out of 16 minutes in which the band is playing together as a whole. The rest is
made up of one or two people making sounds across one another's tonal palette. The duos
work far better in that they allow each musician to engage the other in a direct way, without
the waiting period for voices to develop together. This is especially true of the
Oxley/Bailey duet which rages across the entire 13 minutes and is by far the most
successful piece on the disc. Elsewhere, the other two quartets drag the proceedings down
to a plodding, noodling waffle between the desire to aggressively jump in and the hesitation
of waiting to see what develops. For such a powerhouse band, this is a disappointing
outing.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

1992, ONE TIME, Incus CD22 (UK) (CD) (released in 1995)

John Stevens : drums and mini trumpet

Kent Carter : bass
Derek Bailey : electric guitar

1- One time 11.56

2- U Kent & I 14.15
3- Without warning 14.43
4- Along the coast 10.00
5- Not a dry glass in the house 06.24
6- Cheers/tears 03.29

Recorded in Leicester, England in November 1992.

Cover art : 'Self portrait' by John Stevens

CD booklet design by Karen Brookman.

T he only recording of this trio, live in the UK, 11/92. Stevens : drums, mini trumpet,
Bailey : electric guitar, Carter : bass. A fairly definitive document of their self-
described "insect music." Great liner notes by Derek.
A beautiful recording by this, as the title says, "One Time" gathering of Stevens,
Carter, and Bailey. The emphasis here is on small, detailed, intricate sounds, what
Bailey jokingly calls in his excellent liner notes "insect music". Stevens seems to be
playing a kit consisting of small cymbals and drums, while Carter's bass seems to have some
kind of electronic attachment. Bailey is his usual self. A mostly quiet, intimate, after-hours
kind of free improvisation.

J ohn Stevens once coined the phrase "insect music" for the kind of free improvisation
that his group, SME (the Spontaneous Music Ensemble), specialized in. The
saxophonist John Butcher was a member of the last incarnation of SME before Stevens'
untimely demise, a trio which also featured the fine guitarist Roger Smith. This disc, an
encounter between Butcher, Derek Bailey & the tuba player Oren Marshall, might indeed be
called "insect music": the volume is usually quite low, the playing concentrating on texture &
interplay rather than melody. The key player here is John Butcher, an utterly astonishing
saxophonist who has obviously listened closely to Evan Parker but whose use of extended
techniques is unlike anyone else's. On soprano he has a light, mobile sound that bobs above
the ensemble's sound; on tenor, he often favours buzzing sustained notes that split &
recombine polymorphously. He rarely plays very quickly: his playing is entirely averse to
conventional soloing.

One of the pleasures of this kind of music, with all three players using nonstandard
("extended") techniques on their instruments, is that the familiar sound-qualities of their
instruments can be subverted, so that it becomes hard to tell reeds apart from strings, or one
imagines a ghost percussionist or bass player. There are some astonishing passages where the
players despite their instrumental disparities work in near-unison, as in passages towards the
end of "Out of the Deep". Another pleasure of this type of music is the feeling that a
particular combination of sounds is exactly right...& that you're unlikely ever to hear it again.

Fine stuff. One of the finest of Bailey's recent group recordings, along with the marvelous
One Time, a trio with John Stevens & Kent Carter. This disc is far closer to the ethos of
classic UK free improv than much of Bailey's recent work (e.g. Daedal or Mirakle): it's almost
a posthumous tribute to John Stevens.

Reviewer: Nate Dorward from Toronto ON Canada

Quiet interplay, August 15, 2001

H ere's a story from Derek's liner notes to 'One Time,' with John Stevens on drums and
mini trumpet, Kent Carter on bass and Bailey on electric guitar. He doesn't give a
date for the event described.

John Stevens, Kent Carter and I first played together in one of Steve Lacy's bands in, I think,
1973. After that our paths crossed and re-crossed at various times and places, primarily in
different incarnations of John's Spontaneous Music Ensemble.

One of these SME's had a concert in Spain... We played what Kent used to call insect music.
He was probably referring to combination of ceaseless activity and virtual inaudibility which
characterised some of the stuff we played.

The gig was prestigious and the setting bucolic: a big festival in San Sebastien, an open-air
amphitheater, a warm moonlit evening and an audience of some 4,000 people. (Or People, as
they were referred to in those days.)
The outfit on before us was a gospel group called The Stars of Faith. They were a sensation.
The People loved them and cheered and shouted and stomped until they got a string of
encores....

Unlike The Stars of Faith, we didn't use the PA...

We had been playing for maybe 3 or 4 minutes -- quite intense, fast playing -- when the
People seemed to detect that something was happening. How much they could actually hear of
what we were playing wasn't clear but it was enough to convince them that they didn't like it.
They let us know they didn't like it.

I don't know if you have ever experienced the synchronized hatred and derision of 4,000
people. It can be a considerable distraction. Slow hand claps, boos, shouts, jeers, hoots,
screams - we were treated to the complete vocabulary of hysterical rejection.

Although still playing -- by now at a terrific rate -- we, the SME, had become, of course,
completely inaudible within the general tumult and this seemed somehow to infuriate the
People even more. But, it wasn't until I produced a rubber fish from the sound hole of the
guitar and dangled it on the end of a guitar string in front of the noses of the front row that
they, The People, went completely beserk.

Suddenly we were engulfed -- 'joined on stage', as they say -- by what appeared to be a bunch
of assorted psychos. We carried on playing -- faster if anything. A particularly murderous-
looking psycho grabbed one of John's drum sticks and threatened him with it. John --
beautiful John -- carefully selected his trumpet, put it to his lips and delivered a terrific blast
right into psycho's face. Psycho fell back, appalled, John carried on blasting -- now you could
certainly hear HIM -- and we carried on scratching and squeaking and plinking and
plonking.....

(and the Spanish police moved onto the stage)

1992, HELLO GOODBYE, EMANEM 4065 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2001)

Frode Gjerstad : saxophone

John Stevens : drums
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Hello 02:58
2- Three Two Three Two One 21:34
3- Three By Three 24:20
4- Two Three Two Three 12:26
5- Penultimatum 05:33
6- Goodbye 06:04

Total time 73:22

Digital concert recording by Frode Gjerstad, Stavanger (Folken). 1992 October

A trio that just performed three gigs on three consecutive days -- the music on this CD
coming from the third one. Stevens (percussion &mini-trumpet) had often worked
with the other two in duos and larger groups,but this tour was the only time that
guitarist Bailey and saxophonist Gjerstad worked together, and work together they do -- very
well in fact. All the pieces are trio improvisations, but the three duos do appear from time to
time. Stevens played a (borrowed) standard drum kit, but played it with all the sensibility of
his small SME one. 73 minutes, previously unissued."
Excerpts from sleeve notes:

ohn and I had several projects over the years alongside our trio, Detail. We did several

J duos and sometimes extended groups.

The trio with Derek happened because there was a festival in Trondheim inviting me to do
something. I had been in contact with Derek several times, but up until then, nothing had come
out of it. But we were hoping something would come up. And John was very clear about
playing a regular drum kit, which he didn't usually do when playing with Derek - he normally
used his small SME set. This was a very compact week-end with a few laughs and some
incredible stories. Besides the gig in Trondheim, which was on a Friday, we also played Oslo
and my hometown, Stavanger over a period of three days. The gig in Trondheim was, as I
remember, not so good. John had been given a rock drum set with a big bass drum, and was
not too happy with it. I was very nervous, because I had just met Derek 10 minutes before we
started. I had just got a portable little DAT recorder, and I asked Derek and John if it was OK
to record the gig in Stavanger, which I did. So, here we are. Another document with John
Stevens. It certainly brings back some good memories from the time we spent together which
I guess was one long workshop lasting almost 13 years! These were incredibly important
years for me, both from a personal as well as musical point of view. John left a vast catalogue
of recordings behind when he died in 1994, and recordings of his vary varied music have been
released after his death. So we have a clear picture of his musical contribution, which was
great. He did several recordings with Derek from the early days right up until his death. I was
very privileged to have had the opportunity to play with these two gentlemen - at the same
time.

Frode Gjerstad, 2001

Excerpts from reviews:

T he set is brilliant, filled with energy and that particular kind of listening level,
interaction and camaraderie you get between Bailey and Stevens on a good evening.
Stevens plays a regular drum kit instead of the small kit he usually performed with in
the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. It gives him a wider sound as he indulges in more frantic
playing. Bailey delivers another of his inspired performances and has yet a few more
surprises up his sleeve, like in the conclusion of the great THREE TWO THREE TWO ONE:
left alone, he solos delicately for a few minutes before ending on a single feedback note,
exquisitely sustained just a bit longer than necessary. One should not forget Gjerstad, a
suitable player in this context. His saxophone brings both fire and ice to the performance.

François Couture, All-Music Guide, 2001

amiliar notions of melody and structured rhythmic foundations get brushed aside

F throughout this splendid outing recorded two years prior to drummer, John Stevens'
untimely passing. Fortunately, the music presented here, is pristinely resurrected,
much to our delight.

One of the overriding attributes of this production resides within Gjerstad's rustling and
somewhat elusive lines atop Stevens' odd-metered - slap, tap, brush and roll permutations.
Guitar great, Derek Bailey anchors, prods and maintains an abstract sense of equilibrium via
his amplified chop chords, undulating harmonics, and timely interjections. The trio's often-
curvaceous rendering of motifs atop unrestrained harmonic developments present just one
level of a multi-tiered program - where the artists encircle rhythm while utilising space for
manoeuvrability.

They intersect various planes and angles, thanks to Bailey's extended note attacks, Stevens'
polyrhythmic assaults and Gjerstad's applications of sublimely executed mini-themes. On
Three By Three, the trio raises the bar some, as they pursue edgy, frenetic interplay and
venture off into dissimilar yet abstractly tuneful paths. Thus, HELLO GOODBYE signifies a
mystifying quality of enchantment and reigns as one of the finer recordings of this ilk for
2001. Strongly recommended.

Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, 2001

T his already numbers among my contenders for the year end top ten list. The playing
here is so fresh and of the moment that it is timeless. The only comparative weakness
is the brevity of Hello and Penultimatum as the prime strength of this unit lies in the
unfolding process of their creative interaction (although the elegiac ritual Goodbye
demonstrates an ability to reign in technique to sustain an inspired ensemble dynamic). It is in
three extended performances that the players demonstrate their mastery of minimalism and
exquisite sonic detail. The innovative rapport of Bailey and Stevens is justly celebrated, as
evidenced by their wonderful duo interludes during Three Two Three Two One and Two
Three Two Three. Yet it is Gjerstad who truly comes into his own after tentative beginnings.
He and Bailey create a duet of intensifying space during the splendid of Three Two Three
Two One, while in the final third of Three by Three Gjerstad's loosely inventive counterpoint
evolves into inspired and unfettered playing that showcases him at his most dynamic and
inventive. HELLO GOODBYE is an exciting, essential document.

David Lewis, Cadence, 2002

H ELLO GOODBYE is a concert recording from 1992 that finds alto saxophonist
Frode Gjerstad, Derek Bailey, and the late John Stevens on top form. From the get
go the trio sounds as if it has been together for years and not just one weekend.
Gjerstad's playing is reminiscent of the focused, minimalist squirts and squawks of Trevor
Watts' work with Stevens in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. The latter plays regular drums
instead of his small SME kit and it gives his little flicks and thwacks more presence.
Gradually Gjerstad occupies a wider terrain content to blow around the edges of a tune as
Stevens' busy, jittery, stop-start stickwork nudges him along - meanwhile Bailey's electric
guitar only ever gets gently noisy. Despite the intricacy of their entwined individual lines the
music has a fluidic floating quality. Half way into Three Two Three Two One Gjerstad repeats
a melodic fragment and the general busyness is replaced by a passage of collective hush that
Bailey eventually polishes off with some sustained feedback. Toots from Stevens' mini-
trumpet on Three By Three provoke another change of direction: elongated fragile cries
accompanied by some of Bailey's prettiest playing. Highly enjoyable.

Mark Greenaway, Rubberneck, 2002

F amiliar notions of melody and structured rhythmic foundations get brushed aside
throughout this splendid outing recorded two years prior to drummer, John Stevens'
untimely passing. Fortunately, the music presented here, is pristinely resurrected,
much to our delight. One of the overriding attributes of this production resides within
Gjerstad's rustling and somewhat elusive lines atop Stevens' odd-metered - slap, tap, brush and
roll permutations. Guitar great, Derek Bailey anchors, prods and maintains an abstract sense
of equilibrium via his amplified chop chords, undulating harmonics, and timely interjections.
The trio's often-curvaceous rendering of motifs atop unrestrained harmonic developments
present just one level of a multi-tiered program - where the artists encircle rhythm while
utilising space for manoeuvrability.

They intersect various planes and angles, thanks to Bailey's extended note attacks, Stevens'
polyrhythmic assaults and Gjerstad's applications of sublimely executed mini-themes. On
Three By Three, the trio raises the bar some, as they pursue edgy, frenetic interplay and
venture off into dissimilar yet abstractly tuneful paths. Thus, HELLO GOODBYE signifies a
mystifying quality of enchantment and reigns as one of the finer recordings of this ilk for
2001. Strongly recommended.

Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, 2001

A lthough Stevens plays, for once, a full-size kit rather than the small version he often
used when working with Bailey, the music still has the scuttling animation of intense
chamber music. Gjerstad and Stevens work lightly and quickly, never upsetting any
balance, while Bailey seems the most aggressive of the three: he ends Three Two Three Two
One with one of the longest notes on record. An excellent survival.

RICHARD COOK and/or BRIAN MORTON, 'The Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD' 2002

B ailey is on particularly engaging form throughout. He makes much telling use of

crescendo and diminuendo effects. Frequently he acts as a catalyst in the strict sense,
provoking reactions and transforming material that comes into contact with him, but
continuing apparently unaffected and unchanged himself. On this session he plays a pivotal,
organic role. He and Stevens were old cronies from the early days of the Spontaneous Music
Ensemble, and they are each thoroughly familiar with the other's improvisatory territory, but
you'd not expect either of them to lapse into cosy routine. Stevens played a regular kit, not his
usual practice in this type of context. There are no overt rhythmic statements, of course, but he
drives the music along with a potent sense of momentum, abetted by DB's chattering staccato
figures. Gjerstad, stitching often ethereal and etiolated lines into the fabric of each piece,
examining saxophonic textures from many angles, worrying at fragments of melody, is a more
than worthy partner to them both. Some improv you listen to because it's good for your soul,
but this CD is a real pleasure.

Barry Witherden, Jazzreview, 2002

T he tapes for this recording were thankfully discovered by Frode Gjerstad in 2000,
eight years after the performance, and brought to disk by producer Martin Davidson.
What a find they are! This early documentation of the Norwegian saxophonist with
John Stevens and Derek Bailey provides more than an hour of outstanding free improvisation.
At this stage in his career, Gjerstad was heavily influenced by Evan Parker, but he was
nonetheless more than beginning to develop his own sound. He was engaging somewhat in
extended techniques, and he kept a focused perspective. Derek Bailey is stunning on amplified
guitar, his voice powerful and confident. John Stevens, too, is in good form, with his mini-
trumpet a particular delight. The end of THREE TWO THREE TWO ONE sounds
annoyingly like extended feedback, but otherwise, the whole has a very serious, British feel,
with an emphasis on little sounds, lowered volumes, and playful interaction. In retrospect,
while there is little new here, there is an exciting quality to the live performance that is captured
in surprisingly high fidelity. Gjerstad was clearly appreciated by Stevens and Bailey, both of
whom recognised his talent and style. A good example of the ability of music to cross
geographical and cultural lines, this recording deserves a wide circulation, and it should add to
the reputation of one of Norway's finest performers.

Steven Loewy, All-Music Guide, 2001

S tevens in particular seems, from the first moment on, to be on an absolute high of
gung-ho, choppy percussive inventiveness, playing constantly shifting sequences of
arrhythmic attacks that change more or less every few seconds, constantly dosed with
splashing small-cymbal attacks that colour and sweeten his 'all-over' rhythmic approach - one
that propels things forward but in an especially gratifying way that's musically 'vertical' as
much as 'horizontal' to the ears. For me what's great about these six pieces is the drummer's
staggering intertwinings with Bailey's chopped, blunt chords, scales, harmonic sequences,
barbed-wire clusters of dissonance and multi-timbred figures. It's a full-course meal of
endlessly intricate details for the attentive ear, and Bailey's arsenal of atonal tricks and attacks -
decades in the making - is on full display, which incidentally makes this a good CD for
British-free-improv newcomers to hear as well (hear in the middle of THREE BY THREE a
strange, fascinating sequence of weird cigarbox-banjo-timbred, scumbly double-note
sequences that Bailey pulls off then discards - how does he instantly change the timbre like
that?). Gjerstad is a sympathetic saxist with a clean, warm tone reminiscent of Ornette
Coleman (especially on Two Three Two Three), and throughout the proceedings he rips up,
squeaks n' growls with the best of 'em, giving the Norwegians their money's worth and
contributing virtually all of the overtly jazzy flavour that this music contains.

Tony Mostrom, Epulse, 2002

B ailey and Stevens often played together, of course, but the concert recording HELLO
GOODBYE is of a later vintage than most, dating as it does from 1992. They always
shared a common language, with a snap in their playing which makes it tough to
access on a first listen. Both demand your close attention, and enjoy tiny, compressed details
which are never repeated. Both are utterly idiosyncratic and, although much-imitated, they
remain instantly identifiable, yet they seemed to reach the same general conception of how
their very different instruments should be approached.

Stevens used a full-size kit for this concert in place of the smaller one with which he is usually
associated. The sounds are fuller and, moist strikingly, they have far more sustain. Tom-toms
ring, cymbals sizzle, and we are superficially transported out of Stevens's usual, dry-as-a-bone
style and into something far more familiar. There's no question of Stevens compromising his
style here - he plays just as he would on the smaller kit. Instead, something much more
interesting happens. The more conventional kit throws fresh light on his approaches; phrases
which usually sound punchy and aggressive suddenly expose their roots as jazzy hi-hat
rudiments, ride cymbal paradiddles, hemiolas and the like.

Bailey plays amplified acoustic throughout. The sound is raw and slightly distorted, and if
Stevens is that little bit more approachable here than is usual, then Bailey certainly is not. He's
one of the most unyielding of players, sticking to his own path regardless of what goes on
around him. It sounds like a criticism, but it would only be a problem if he was not such a
good listener. And Derek Bailey is the listening person's good listener, and pretty much
always makes things work.
Frode Gjerstad, who organised this once-only trio, is of course far less well-known. Its during
the down-tempo, more spacious segments that his rather melodic conception shines through,
and although he sometimes sounds like a straight man to Stevens and Bailey's avant garde
double-act he never really is out of place. He's jazzy but so, on this occasion, is Stevens;
considering Stevens's own harsh vocabulary, Gjerstad acquits himself remarkably well.
Having re-engineered the apparently poor quality recording, Gjerstad can claim responsibility
for a very fine record indeed.

Richard Cochrane, Musings, 2002

nother wonderful set of improvisations from EMANEM. Music like this can't be

A played effectively unless the players are totally in tune with the freedom! Frode's
reeds, Bailey's amplified guitar & John's crisp percussives mesh together flawlessly,
in a dance of free fantasy that will open the listener's mind up to possibilities never before
imagined. Obviously, this is totally unfettered music, which will make some listeners squirm a
bit... but if you've even a cell or two of adventure in your earlobes... you'll hear why we declare
it MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! GREAT improv!

Rotcod Zzaj Aka Dick Metcalf, Zzaj Productions, 2002

A t first, Gjerstad's sax adds a (relatively) more focused path to a fine, but 'traditional',
free improv session with his more famous peers. The twenty-five minute Three By
Three gets frisky, each playing angularly off the other, then leading to a large
ensemble sound, then truly riveting solos, especially by Bailey, Stevens adding little wah-wah
to the texture with his mini-trumpet. The rhythmic exchange that develops toward the end in a
guitar-percussion duo is breath-taking, and ends with bell-like notes, eventually bent, by
Bailey. The final shorter pieces of this complete concert made me exclaim aloud.

Steve Koenig, La Folia Music Review, 2002

T he late John Stevens may have been the most intrepid of British improvisers, first into
the gap as leader of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and with a tremendous
dedication to the absence of forethought. Part of the interest of his work is his
insistent minimalism, the naked communication of his sparse drum kit and the solitary
bleakness of his occasional cornet forays. This CD demonstrates the musical empathy he
could develop with close associates.

Stevens was a long-time partner of both the other musicians, but it was the first weekend
Gerstad and Bailey had played together. It's a marvellous performance. Gerstad is one of the
subtlest of alto saxophonists, a genuine improviser whose thoughtful lines bear some
resemblance to the late Jimmy Lyons, but who has his own highly nuanced responses to the
shifting fabric of the musical situation. The interplay is at an extraordinary level and there's a
clarity in the space of the trio - whether crisp Nordic air is an electric musical intelligence -
that's very bracing.

Stuart Broomer, Coda, 2002

mprovised music exists as a breeding ground of constant and kinetic change. Collectives

I and collaborations are birthed and expire as regularly as the tides. The music mandates a
high level of individual proficiency, but also commands a core communal philosophy for
its successful implementation into group form. It’s what works as a magnet for listeners with
open ears. Such components were working in near perfect confluence on the date the music
on this disc was committed to tape. Norway’s principal purveyor of free improvisation, Frode
Gjerstad organized a serendipitous short string of gigs with British delegates Derek Bailey
and John Stevens and fortunately had the fortitude to record the results. The trials of a
misplaced tape surmounted the events of the date in Gjerstad’s hometown of Stavanger, but
thankfully the session is now available for widespread consumption.

Stevens and Bailey were longtime associates, so too were Gjerstad and Stevens in the trio
known as Detail. But rather than act as bridge for his then newly acquainted partners, Stevens
meets them on equal footings of abstraction and the trio acts as a surprisingly integrated unit
from the onset. Gjerstad’s tone is feathery, but highly focused, curiously reminiscent of Lee
Konitz’s chirruping cough. Stevens sounds skeptical of the full kit at his disposal (though
Gjerstad’s liners suggest otherwise) still preferencing regional sections of its topography with
his sticks in lieu of the Gestalt whole. Bailey attacks his frets with gnarled talons and it’s
often as if he’s sliced open the belly of his instrument loosing a torrent of steaming sonic
entrails into the expectant laps of the audience. Other times his near clandestine scratchings
create the semblance of whispered voices speaking in eldritch tongues.

Realizing every combination within reach duets give way to brief solo locutions and full-
bodied forays from the trio as whole. On a section two thirds through “Three Two Three Two
One” Gjerstad seems to be flirting with fragmentary variations on the melody to
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as Bailey’s volume swells and arachnid string scribblings
scuttle beneath. Appending the piece with a single, sustained tentacle of feedback the guitarist
once again thumbs his nose at any semblance of convention. “Three By Three” debuts
Steven’s muted mini-trumpet as it winds a circumspect path between the spaces of Bailey’s
spectral pseudo-chording and Gjerstad’s fluttering tones. There are passages, particularly on
the lengthier cuts, where the high-level of communal listening seems to lapse under the advent
of individual ostentation, but by and large a startling level of collective concentration is
sustained. True to the unwritten tenets of free improvisation this trio only survived for a
handful of gigs, but in its short life span it left a lasting mark, the record of which ranks as a
substantial entry in each man’s oeuvre.

Derek Taylor

B arry Witherden wrote about this recording, "Some improv you listen to because it's
good for your soul, but this CD is a real pleasure." One of the best places to jump in
and discover these three wonderful musicians. The music is a unique blend of
inspiration, accessible, and challenging.

Gjerstad worked with Stevens over a 13-year period and Stevens and Bailey had numerous
groups dating back to their Spontaneous Music Ensemble days, but this is the first recording
of all three together.

Comes with our highest recommendation.

uring the long period in the 1970s and 1980s when he was metaphorically alone in

D the wilderness, as practically the only advanced improviser in Norway, alto

saxophonist Frode Gjerstad developed an extended playing relationship with British
drummer John Stevens. However this recently discovered almost 731/2-minute document is
the only time the two worked in tandem with guitarist Derek Bailey.
Bailey, who is often as theoretical as Stevens was spontaneous, was along with the drummer
an early BritImprov creator and worked with Stevens many times as a sort of "fellow traveler"
to the drummer's Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME). But this disc preserves the only
meeting -- so far -- between the guitarist and the alto saxophonist. Recorded by Gjerstad on a
portable DAT machine during a 1992 concert in his hometown of Stavanger, and computer-
corrected in 2000, it's an instructive example of how three originals can interact without giving
up any of their individuality. Most of the tunes flow one into another, with the only real break
occurring about 20 minutes after the three begin.

Throughout, Gjerstad casts out a long fishing line of tiny accented notes, while Bailey ranges
up and down the strings, plinking and plucking resonating, sharply metallic phrases. At the
same time, the ever-busy Stevens moves between cymbals and snare, placing accents with the
accuracy of a pastry chef decorating a multi-layer cake. Sometimes, though, as in the middle
of "Three Two Three One," when Stevens lays out things get a little too weightless, with the
feathery sax lines and string silences threatening to float away. Strangely enough that track
ends with about two minutes of amplifier hum, which seems to be an enigmatic Bailey
statement rather than a technical fault.

Perhaps to counter that, "Three by Three" -- the longest track --is much more aggressive, with
Stevens occasionally spewing out a stream of off-key mini trumpet blats, Gjerstad elongating
his alto lines, sometimes in counterpoint with the trumpet, and Bailey constructing some
picked and strummed rhythmic backing. With the guitarist producing an improv version of
power chording, Stevens is moved to ratchet up the backbeat while Gjerstad slides out some
shards of pitch variations that more resemble the energy music of the 1960s than more
restrained EuroImprov. That moods seem to stay intact during "Two Three Two Three" with a
saxophonist-indicated head of long-lined slurs that almost sounds South American. Immersed
in his kit, Stevens keeps the rhythm jumping from snares, toms and cymbals and back again,
while, as if reacting to the challenge, the guitarist matches both of them with a busy barrage of
single notes. Here and elsewhere, using his amp's and pedal's capacity and creative feedback,
Bailey proves that the booklet description of him playing an amplified guitar is no misnomer.

All in all, Hello, Goodbye is much more than the historical souvenir of a unprecedented one-
off meeting. Although reminiscent in part of some of SME sessions with the same line-up
and a few of Bailey's saxophone face-offs, the creations are given a fresh twist from Gjerstad's
ingenuity. Thus the disc becomes triply valuable. It's another report on the talents of a highly
inventive drummer; a supplementary CD of the underrecorded Gjerstad's work; and as a
reminder that no matter how many sessions he plays, when faced with improvisations --and
improvisers -- at his level Bailey will pilot his work up to yet another level.

Ken Waxman

A t first, Gjerstad's soprano sax adds a (relatively) more focused path to a fine, but
'traditional,'free-improv session with his more famous peers. Stevens uses a full
drum kit. The 25-minute "Three By Three" gets frisky, each playing angularly off
the other, then leading to a large ensemble sound, then truly riveting solos (especially by
Bailey), Stevens adding little wah-wahs to the texture with his mini-trumpet. The rhythmic
exchange that develops toward the end in a guitar-percussion duo is breathtaking, and ends
with bell-like notes, eventually bent, by Bailey. "Three Two Three Two One" ends with a two-
minute spectacular sustained, seemingly electronic, sax note. The final shorter pieces of this
complete concert made me exclaim aloud. Thanks are due again to producer Martin Davidson
for getting this gem released. It was a private tape made by Gjerstad on his then-brand-new
DAT back in '92, and all the sound comes through just fine. Now, already having dozens of
Baileys, and scads of Stevens, I'm going to seek out more of Gjerstad's work.
1992, DUO AND TRIO IMPROVISATION. Re-issued CD : DIW 358.
(Japan) (released in 1992)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, acoustic guitar

Toshinori Kondo : trumpet, alto Horn
Kaoru Abe : alto sax
Mototeru Takagi : tenor sax, alto sax,
Motoharu Yoshizawa : bass
Toshiyuki Tuchitori : drums, percussion

1- Improvisation 21 09.23
Bailey / Yoshizawa /Tuchitori
2- Improvisation 22 02.28
Bailey / Kondo
3- Improvisation 23 12.04
Bailey / Abe / Takagi
4- Improvisation 24 08.00
Bailey / Tuchitori
5- Improvisation 25 01.59
Kondo / Takagi
6- Improvisation 26 05.41
Kondo / Takagi
7- Improvisation 27 06.16
Bailey / Yoshizawa / Tuchitori
Produced by Hideto Isoda
Recorded at Polydor 1st Studio (Tokyo, Japan), April 19th, 1978
Remixed at Polydor 2nd Studio (Tokyo, Japan), May 3rd, 1978
Recordiing and Remix Engineer : Akio Itoh
Supervised and Artist cordinated by Aquirax Aida

A lthough this came out in 1992, it has never imported in the US to any visible degree,
and has been amazingly difficult to find. In 1978 Derek Bailey went to Tokyo and
recorded this session with all the Japanese free music heavy weights of the time:
Toshinoro Kondo (tp, alto horn), Kaoru Abe (alto sax), Mototeru Takagi (tenor, alto saxes),
Moto Yoshizawa (bass), Toshi Tsuchitoro (drums). All of these guys are much better known
today in the West, due to expansive documentation on the PSF label. Essential item.
1992, GIG, Incus VD04 (UK) (video) (released in 1996)

Derek Bailey : ES-175 Gibson electric guitar

John Stevens : small drum kit, mini-trumpet

Video of a pub gig duo with John Stevens

Live recording from a 1992 "pub" gig, with Bailey on electric guitar, Stevens on drums and
mini trumpet (51 minutes).

T he pub gig has been a staple of British musician lowlife for as long as anyone can
remember. It figures pretty low on any list of preferred playing situations for me, but
for John Stevens, I think it might have been his favorite playing context, one in which
he could combine his commitment to music and to, let's say, conviviality...The lighting is poor,
there is the occasional unexplained lacuna and the cameraman doesn't always seem to have the
best seat in the house, but, after all, this is a pub gig.

Derek Bailey
1992, ON THE EDGE. 4 films

A series of four 55 minute films shown on Channel 4 TV in the UK in early 1992. To say this
was the best and most intelligent analysis of improvisation to be screened on UK television is
probably unnecessary: it has in all likelihood been the only televised programme on this form
of music-making. Written and narrated by Derek Bailey, produced and directed by Jeremy
Marr, it developed out of the first edition of Bailey's book on improvisation (the broadcast
almost coinciding with the publication of the second edition) and attempted to provide a
world-view of the subject, not being bound by country, musical genre or preconception. The
four programmes were:

1- Passing it on

Broadcast 2 February 1992 this programme featured: Douglas Ewart at Haynes School in
Chinatown, Chicago; improvisation in Mozart with Robert Levin, piano and the Acadamy of
Ancient Music with Christopher Hogwood; John Zorn and Cobra; improvisation in religious
and devotional music and communities with: Naji Hakim - organ improvisations in Paris;
Gaelic psalm singing on the Scottish Isles of Harris and Lewis; and Indian singing with
Pundit Hanuman Misra.

2- Movements in time

Broadcast 9 February 1992, tracing the effects of migration on improvising links across
continents and the production of new styles from the combinations: qawwali from the Sufis in
New Delhi, Northern India; Hindu music of Rajistan with Ram Narayan; early medieval music
performed in Andalucia by Symphony (Stevie Wishart, Mark Loopuy, Jim Denley);
improvisation in dance with: Mario Maya, flamenco; Indian kathak mime and movement; and
Egyptian gypsy music; the mixture of Cuban music and jazz with Eddie Palmieri.

3- A liberating thing

Broadcast 16 February 1992, concentrating on jazz based and free improvisation. With Max
Roach at the Harlam School of the Arts; Butch Morris conducting (with, among others,
Shelley Hirsch); Sang-Won Park and Korean music; Max Eastley's sound sculptures; Derek
Bailey (solo and fleetingly with Phil Wachsmann, Steve Noble and Alex Ward); Steve Noble
and Alex Ward duo; Nashville musicians including Buddy Emmons; Eugene Chadbourne.

4- Nothing premeditated

Broadcast 23 February 1992, with Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead; Buddy Guy; George
Lewis and computers (and in quartet with Douglas Ewart and sound and video generation);
mbira music from Zimbabwe; music of the Tonga people; concluding with a house party on
the Lower East side.
On the Edge - Derek Bailey « >dmtls Merzbau http://dmtlsmerzbau.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/on-the-edge-derek-ba...

>dmtls Merzbau
Monday, 17 March, 2008
On the Edge - Derek Bailey

— dmtls @ 9 :18 pm

A series of four 55 minute films shown on Channel 4 TV in the UK in early 1992. To say this was the best and most
intelligent analysis of improvisation to be screened on UK television is probably unnecessary: it has in all likelihood been
the only televised programme on this form of music-making. Written and narrated by Derek Bailey, produced and directed
by Jeremy Marr, it developed out of the first edition of Bailey’s book on improvisation (the broadcast almost coinciding
with the publication of the second edition) and attempted to provide a world-view of the subject, not being bound by
country, musical genre or preconception.The four programmes were:

* 1: Passing it on
Broadcast 2 February 1992 this programme featured: Douglas Ewart at Haynes School in Chinatown, Chicago;
improvisation in Mozart with Robert Levin, piano and the Acadamy of Ancient Music with Christopher Hogwood; John
Zorn and Cobra; improvisation in religious and devotional music and communities with: Naji Hakim - organ
improvisations in Paris; Gaelic psalm singing on the Scottish Isles of Harris and Lewis; and Indian singing with Pundit
Hanuman Misra.

* 2: Movements in time
Broadcast 9 February 1992, tracing the effects of migration on improvising links across continents and the production of
new styles from the combinations: qawwali from the Sufis in New Delhi, Northern India; Hindu music of Rajistan with
Ram Narayan; early medieval music performed in Andalucia by Symphony (Stevie Wishart, Mark Loopuy, Jim Denley);
improvisation in dance with: Mario Maya, flamenco; Indian kathak mime and movement; and Egyptian gypsy music; the
mixture of Cuban music and jazz with Eddie Palmieri.
On the Edge - Derek Bailey « >dmtls Merzbau http://dmtlsmerzbau.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/on-the-edge-derek-ba...

* 3: A liberating thing
Broadcast 16 February 1992, concentrating on jazz based and free improvisation. With Max Roach at the Harlam School of
the Arts; Butch Morris conducting (with, among others, Shelley Hirsch); Sang-Won Park and Korean music; Max
Eastley’s sound sculptures; Derek Bailey (solo and fleetingly with Phil Wachsmann, Steve Noble and Alex Ward); Steve
Noble and Alex Ward duo; Nashville musicians including Buddy Emmons; Eugene Chadbourne.

* 4: Nothin premeditated
Broadcast 23 February 1992, with Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead; Buddy Guy; George Lewis and computers (and in
quartet with Douglas Ewart and sound and video generation); mbira music from Zimbabwe; music of the Tonga people;
concluding with a house party on the Lower East side.

See Part 1 and 3 @ the treasure-trove called UBUWEB

If anyone has the rest, dmtls would be very happy to hear from him/her.

*Edit:* Part 2 available @ dailymotion.com . Thank you very much kji!

1.

The COBRA stuff in Part 1 is amazing. Great documantary.

Part 2&4 I have not seen til now too

Greetings!

Comment by HolgerregloH — Tuesday, 18 March, 2008 @ 9 :09 pm

2.

Indeed
Good to see you once more around here Holger!

BTW I need your precious help and advice my German friend,

I am planning a trip to Berlin and I would like to hear any suggestions you might have.
Thank you in advance.
all the best until we talk again

cheers

Comment by dmtls — Wednesday, 19 March, 2008 @ 2 :15 am

3.

Nice to see John Zorn in the first part! This is a great documentary, thanx!

Comment by losfeld — Wednesday, 19 March, 2008 @ 11 :30 am

On the Edge - Derek Bailey « >dmtls Merzbau http://dmtlsmerzbau.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/on-the-edge-derek-ba...

4.

The first part on ubuweb seems corrupt !

I have found the second part in low resolution on daily motion:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1195a_on-the-edge-improvisation-2_music

Comment by kji — Saturday, 22 March, 2008 @ 12 :50 am

5.

kji, first part seems to be working fine, I don’t know what would be a possible reason for the problem you are
facing.
Oh and once more thank you very much for the link!

Comment by dmtls — Saturday, 22 March, 2008 @ 2 :11 am

6.

On download the first movie is corrupted (i get only 228 MB) - but you have right the display online works fine !

Comment by kji — Saturday, 22 March, 2008 @ 3 :11 am

7.

what a wonderful documentary

this really should be released on dvd

Comment by edward gibbs — Saturday, 22 March, 2008 @ 3 :19 am

1992, SOLO GUITAR VOLUME 1, Incus CD10 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : solo electric and acoustic guitars, VCS3 synthesizer

1- Improvisation 4 02.02
2- Improvisation 5 07.43
3- Improvisation 6 05.29
4- Improvisation 7 03.10
5- Where is the police ? (Misha Mengelberg) 08.25
6- Christiani Eddy (Willem Breuker) 05.50
7- The squirrel and the ricketty-racketty bridge (Gavin Bryars) 06.31
8- Improvisation 3 02.41
9- Improvisation 8 04.19
10- Improvisation 9 01.52
11- Improvisation 10 03.04
12- Improvisation 11 02.16
13- Improvisation 12 03.46

Derek Bailey plays electric guitar plus VCS3 synthesiser on Where is the police?; on
Christiani Eddy he plays electric guitar unamplified and on The squirrel and the ricketty-
racketty bridge he plays two acoustic guitars at the same time (not double-tracked). The
improvisations are on electric guitar.

Recorded February 1971; equipment and recording Hugh Davies and Bob Woolford.
Improvisations 4, 5, 6, and 7 and the three compositions were previously released on Incus LP
2 in 1971. In 1978 the record was re-released as Incus 2R with the improvisations replaced by
Improvisations 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Incus CD10 brings all the material from the two LPs
together.

Front cover photograph by Christine Jeffrey.

Incus 2 sleevenote

aking a record is an anomalous action for somebody interested in improvisation as

M I am... There are two reasons which perhaps justify it - it is a sort of example of
what you are up to and maybe it facilitates getting a few gigs... As long as it is
fairly representative of what you're concerned with, wheter it is a strikingly succesful
improvisation or not doesn't seem to me that important... I have these two interests - the
instrument and improvisation - and the aim is to make them as complimentary as possible... I
couldn't see any point in presenting more than 20 minutes of improvisation and, because this
record is largely a try at getting down some sort of view of the guitar, it seemed a good idea to
get some other views of the guitar for the other side... I thought it would be interesting to ask
three people to write pieces for me to play and to see what they would do... If I had been
writing for the guitar, I wouldn't have written anything like these three... The pieces largely
dictate how the music is going to sound... My contribution is just how well or badly I play
them.

Derek Bailey, 1971.

Incus 2R sleevenote

T he above note, which appeared with the 1971 issue of this record, still applies, I think.
Some of the music, however, has been changed. The improvisations on side one of
that issue (4, 5, 6 and 7) are replaced now by other improvisations recorded at the
same time (3, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12). Side two is unchanged. As everyone knows, compositions
are forever.

Derek Bailey, 1978.

CD10 sleevenote

T his CD brings together all the music previously put out as described above. There
seems little to add at this point except that the stimulus for the present re-issue came
from Kunio Nakamura, a continuing source of help and encouragement. My own
preference was to make a new solo record. That is issued as Volume 2 on Incus CD 11.

Derek Bailey, 1992.

 oth that CD (Incus Taps) and this one are stuffed full of solo electric guitar playing,

B Bailey sitting in a chair while the big hollow-bodied stringed thing in his lap hums
and glows with a life of its own, coughing and spitting as our bespectacled
experimenter whacks and whittles away at its strings, working a volume pedal all the while to
create a now-you-hear-it-now-you-don't instability. I personally think that these early-70's
electric guitar improvs are the best thing Bailey has done solo (preferable to -- believe it --
much-acclaimed all-acoustic works like Aida). There's something primitive, psychedelic, and
even warm-and-caressing about the way his amplified sounds float, buzz, and hover that really
tucks me in, big-blanket style.

S ubstance abounds in Derek Bailey 's Solo Guitar Volume I. This re-issue consolidates
material on two Incus LPs. His linear conception is given weight and counter-
balanced by unusual intervallic concerns linking the guitarist to the Viennese 12-tone
school (an encounter with Franz Koglmann seems inevitable) as well as Thelonious Monk .
The regular utilization of harmonic overtones, all manner of overdubbing, chopping and
scraping of chordal clusters and, on electric, feedback and volume pedal phasing are
supportively interwoven with grace and finesse. Compared to later a cappella documents,
Volume 1 is attractively austere, purposefully ragged and, on the first four cuts, effectively
random in approach. Also of interest here is the hardcore improvising guitarist's meeting with
three compositions; Misha Mengelberg's shuffling "Police" augmented by synthesizer
enhancement, the fretboard tapping of Gavin Bryars' "Squirrel" and the intricate linearisms of
Willem Breuker 's "Eddy", where the struggle between score and interpreter IS the piece, and
hilariously so.

Milo Fine, Cadence, All Music Guide

B ailey's music defies exact description and evaluation. He plays intensely and
abstractly... Bailey's solo performances give the clearest impression of his pitchless,
metreless playing but this is extremely forbidding music.

PGJ ***
1992, YANKEES, Celluloid OAO, CELD 5006 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

George Lewis : trombone
John Zorn : alto and soprano saxophones, clarinets, game calls

1- City city city 08:22

2- The legend Of Enos Slaughter 09:17
3- Who's on first 02:56
4- On Golden Pond 18:00
5- The warning track 05:28

Recorded at OAO Studio, Brooklyn New York. Artwork production by Thi-Linh-Le.

Y ankees is a re-issue of a 1983 recording made by three real heavyhitters of the

contemporary improv scene, Derek Bailey, George Lewis, and John Zorn. No
introductions are necessary here, suffice to say that this is free improvisation of the
highest quality. It's incredible to hear these three in unison, working impossible sounds from
their instruments yet always in touch with each other. Whether they are taking a games- or
rules-based approach to the improvisation or not (Zorn has often employed such techniques),
the level of empathy between the performers is what makes this music sound so 'together'. It's
interesting to compare this with the Brahem/Holland/Surman record released this month.
Though with very different outcomes, both trios place a considerable emphasis on the sounds
their approach, instrumentation and format allows. Here, we get an ever-playful John Zorn
pushing the range of his saxophones and clarinets into ultrasonics, often singing or jabbering
"game calls" through the reed, or producing shrieking upper-register squawls. George Lewis
works his trombone in much the same way, burbling and breathing through his mouthpiece.
Yet for me, Derek Bailey really stands out, effortlessly justifiying his legendary status. For
what is essentially an acoustic sound, Bailey squeezes incredible characterisations from his
guitar, matching Zorn's violin impersonations or surrounding Lewis' growls with delicate
piano-like harmonics. At other times, he slashes out violent percussive chops and yet ends the
disk with a minute-long warm hum of feedback. A quite breathtaking display of control which
would grace any 'ambient' release.
1992, YANKEES, Celluloid, (UK) (Cassette) (Imported, released 1993)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

George Lewis : trombone
John Zorn : alto and soprano saxophones, clarinets, game calls

1- City city city 08:22

2- The legend Of Enos Slaughter 09:17
3- Who's on first 02:56
4- On Golden Pond 18:00
5- The warning track 05:28

Recorded at OAO Studio, Brooklyn New York. Artwork production by Thi-Linh-Le.

1992, KOMUNGUITAR : JIN HI KIM, Nonsequitur-What Next?
WN0012 (US) (CD) (released in 1993 – 1994 ?)

Duets with guitarists Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne, David First, Henry Kaiser,
Hans Reichel and Elliott Sharp

1- Point : komungo, bass guitar and saxophone with Elliot Sharp 7:49
2- Company : komungo and guitar with Derek Bailey 8:56
3- Yongary meets Big Foot : komungo and electric guitar with Henry Kaiser 4:31
4- Naby : komungo 4:32
5- Howdy Partner : komungo and banjo with Eugene Chadbourne 5:36
6- Yellow Seed : komungo 7:49
7- Gut Morgen : komungo and electric guitar with Hans Reichel 3:34
8- Slow view picnic, for electric komungo & electric guitar with David First 5:29

The recording date for Derek Bailey’s duet is Summer 1992 in London.

Produced by Jin Hi Kim & Steve Peters. Digital Editing by Elliott Sharp & Kevin Cambell

CD Design by James McCaffry. Liner Notes by Alex Varty

im plays the komungo, a traditional Korean six-string zither similar to the Japanese

K koto. "She [Kim] joins forces with some of the music scene's most singular
guitarists for a festival of clever, cruel and witty duets: Elliott Sharp's monster
overtones, Derek Bailey's caustic minimalism, Henry Kaiser's brooding electric, Eugene
Chadbourne's bluegrass-for-moderns banjo, and David First's whining, whiny slide ( matched
by her electric komungo ). There are also two inspired solo improvs for solo komungo that
exhibit Jin Hi Kim's amazing depth and range." CMJ New Music Report

JIN HI KIM

composer and Korean komungo virtuoso, Kim is a rarity: a musician fully trained in

A the complexities of Korean traditional music who has been able to integrate her Asain
skill and sensibilities with the demands of the Western avant-garde. After she
completed her study of Korean traditional music at National High School of Traditional
Music and Seoul National University, she came to America for further study and received an
M.F.A. degree in electronic music/composition at Mills college. Her music retains the timbral
and microtonal subtleties of her Korean heritage while incorporating the similar concerns of
experimental music. Whether she is working with electronics or with western or Korean
instruments, she strikes a balance of delicacy and power that is unique and evocative.
Increasingly well-regarded on the international new music circuit, her music has been
performed worldwide, most prominently by Kronos Quartet and by leading chamber music
ensembles such as Relache, the Fidelio Trio, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and
the California E.A.R. Unit, as well as by outstanding solo performers.
1992, BAD ALCHEMY, N° 19, fanzine and cassette, (Germany)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Pat Thomas : turntable, electronics

A1 Il Ha Pe-Duo - Improvisation 1 3:03

A2 Derek Bailey / Pat Thomas - Ohne Titel 10:19
A3 King Ubu Orchestra - Ohne Titel 10:14
B1 Günter Christmann / Torsten Müller Duo - Ohne Titel 6:12
B2 John Lloyd / Dave Fowler / Gus Garside - Shellfish 5:20
B3 John Lloyd / Dave Fowler / Gus Garside - As We Draw Closer 5:40
B4 No Quartet Tet - Mielah Sus part 5 3:20
B5 Il Ha Pe-Duo - Improvisation 2 2:36

H ad Alchemy exists as an audio-magazin since 1984. It took most of its inspiration from
Chris Cutler's 'F independent ideals. The good (or not so good) days of socalled
Recommended networking are long gone. BA tried to make open-mindedness its only
agenda. Since 1996 (after 10 years with compilation cassettes) it includes a 7" EP by artists of
diverse styles, similar to the stuff covered in the magazine.
1992-5, THE AERIAL #5. A JOURNAL IN SOUND, What Next
Recordings, NS-AERIAL#5-CD also cassette C75, Dolby B.

Aerial #5 (single CD and cassette with a 20-page booklet) includes :

1- Willem DeRidder & Hafler Trio's 'Report' (creepy mind control experiment) 07:01

2- Helen Thorington's 'In the Dark' (sensory deprived synesthesia) 06:36

3- Gustavo Matamoros' 'Portrait: Bob Gregory' (poet under the microscope) 10:00

4- Sarah Peebles' 'Kai' (natural rythms Asian influences) 11:49

5- Sydney Davis' 'Star Axis' (sounded sculpture) 04:50

6- Philip Corner's 'Gong/Ear' (Korean cymbals frolic in the desert) 11:48

7- Richard Klein & Mark Hosler's 'Wildman' (like, ugga-bugga dude) 03:39

8- The Machine for Making Sense's 'Changing the Subject' (all-star

Aussie line-up in tightly improvised splutterings), 09:53

9- Derek Bailey's 'In My Studio' (droll guitar legend reads

Henry Kaiser interview from 1990) 06:10

T his very popular sound journal has once again put out an intriguing selection of
material from both well-known and deserve-to-be-known composers and performers,
with an emphasis on text-based or text-related works. Included are Willem de
Ridder/Hafler Trio, Helen Thorington, Gustavo Matamoros, Sarah Peebles, Sydney Davis,
Philip Corner, Richard Klein & Mark Hosler, The Machine for Making Sense, and Derek
Bailey. The Aerial is a great place to find new composers from whom you'll want to hear
more, as well as a place to discover little gems by people with whom you are already familiar.
T he Aerial #5 contient neuf compositions d'autant de compositeurs. Le livret
d'accompagnement est intéressant, détaillé, audacieux. Une première audition m'a
convaincu qu'il s'agissait de «new-age» de qualité supérieure mais les auditions
ultérieures m'ont amené à remarquer les utilisations très particulières de la voix humaine tant
que son. La beauté du texte écrit et récité par Bob Gregory sur la musique de Matamoros m'a
frappé. Trop de contenu pour du «new-age», il me semble! De même, d'une voix «sur-
travaillée», distorsionnée, tordue pour personnifier le «wildman» de Klein et Hosler est
brillante: la nature de l'homme étant sa culture, pourquoi ne pas la retourner sur elle-même
afin d'exemplifier la sauvagerie? S'agit-il uniquement de la voix comme son ou bien d'une
glorification de la voix comparable à celle des lieders allemands? Et l'usage réflexif du
discours dans l'oeuvre de Derek Bailey semble être l'ultime (et sur ce DC, dernière)
expression du projet qui sous-tend ce disque: un journal, c'est-à-dire le retour sur soi de la
réflexivité. Y a-t-il autre chose sur ce DC? Est-il besoin d'autre chose?

Luc Gauthier

he Aerial #5 is a collection of nine compositions from as many composers,

T accompanied by a very interesting and detailed booklet. The first listening convinced
me that I was hearing first-rate new age, but additional listenings made me realize that
the specific uses of the human voice moved this CD away from new age: the beautiful text that
Bob Gregory wrote and recites for Gustavo Matamoros has too much content for regular new
age, the over- worked, distorted, twisted 'wild man' voice of Klein and Hosler is an extremely
brilliant idea, man's nature being his culture, (but why not return the latter in on itself to
exemplify wildness?), and the reflexive use of discourse in Derek Bailey's composition, which
might be seen as the ultimate expression of what this CD intends to be-a journal. Just another
group of sounds? A glorification of human voice like that achieved through German lieders?
This CD is a reflexive attempt to face oneself. Is there anything else needed?

Luc Gauthier

erial #5 (single CD with a 20-page booklet) includes Willem DeRidder & Hafler

A Trio's 'Report' (creepy mind control experiment), Helen Thorington's 'In the Dark'
(sensory deprived synesthesia), Gustavo Matamoros' 'Portrait: Bob Gregory' (poet
under the microscope), Sarah Peebles' 'Kai' (natural rythms and Asian influences), Sydney
Davis' 'Star Axis' (sounded sculpture), Philip Corner's 'Gong/Ear' (Korean cymbals frolic in
the desert), Richard Klein & Mark Hosler's 'Wildman' (like, ugga-bugga dude), The Machine
for Making Sense's 'Changing the Subject' (all-star Aussie line-up in tightly improvised
splutterings), and Derek Bailey's 'In My Studio' (droll guitar legend reads Henry Kaiser
interview).
1992/93, FREEWAY VOL. 2, NO. 4 WINTER REVIEW OF SHOW

p 10 Derek Bailey & Greg Goodman Duets Woody Woodman's Finger Palace, September 6,
1992

"Nice Day," says Derek Bailey. Enthusiastic nods from the audience. "Better than saying
nothing," he reflects. Through the window I see wind rippling trees. Birds chirp. Sunlit and
shadowlit leaves dance. Nice. In the Finger Palace, Greg Goodman and Derek Bailey play
together, Bailey taking a leisurely lead with Goodman ambling close by, inside the piano. The
first piece ends with a falling minor third. The counterpoint has been very close, the tow voices
nearly merged. Derek looks up and comments, "Strange thing to be doing on a Sunday
afternoon." Putting aside the questions of : when would such music not be strange? And :
what does he usually do on Sundays?

I have to say that the music I have just heard is not the least bit strange. No stranger than the
bright sunlight, or that the number of listeners at this free concert is 13 (two having just left
after the first piece). Bailey then starts a busy solo, but everyone's talking softly and looking
for a bathroom, so I guess it's not the second piece ; it must be that doodling that guitarists do
between pieces, when everyone's a Derek Bailey and you wish they would forget about the
next tune and just keep going, with the audience quietly moving in and out of the kitchen for
no reason. But the concert starts again, which later all turns out to be completely agreeable too.
You know : Greg gets louder, thicker, more repetitive ... into a dense rhythmic chorus ... Derek
rubs and squeaks over an E(?)7+9 chord; Greg plays spinningly, uses a mallet on all kinds of
plates in the piano, like a steel drum ... and Derek gets real loud ... then both are soft, and
Greg's mallets on low strings are like a pig grunting. Perhaps it is this sound which queues on
of the 13 listeners to begin to snore quietly. A woman laughs gently, and I notice guiltily that I
too was on the verge of dropping off. When I look up, there are small cows on the piano.
During the next piece they will have turned to face the opposite direction ... Greg and Derek
play an entire phrase in unison, pause, play a single note in unison, pause, then separate ...

It was a Sunday afternoon and pleasant, with moments in which magic happened almost
imperceptibly; the best kind of magic for the time of year

Daniel Plonsey, copyright selections

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record 78 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

[Untitled improvisation: 4'05"]

Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Item title: [Untitled improvisation: 4'05"]
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(percussion/mini-trumpet)
Recording date: 1992.5.24
Live rec. indicator: live
Recording location: Conway Hall (London)
Performance occasion: London Musicians' Collective Festival
of Experimental Music
Item notes: Duo improvisation, duration approx.
4'05".
FIND FORMAT: B9227
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record 81 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Cheers/Tears/Stevens
Stevens, John, 1940-1994 (drums,mini trumpet)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Cheers/Tears/Stevens
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Performer: Carter, Kent, 1939- (double bass)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.11
Recording location: Leicester,England,UK
Recording notes: 1995 Original recording (P) date
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record 89 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

360 Degrees/Bailey
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
FIND WORK DETAILS: 360 Degrees/Bailey
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.08.14
Recording location: Watershed Studios,London,UK
Recording notes: 1993 Original recording (P) date
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record 90 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Wallop/Bailey
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Wallop/Bailey
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.08.14
Recording location: Watershed Studios,London,UK
Recording notes: 1993 Original recording (P) date
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record 87 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Playing/Bailey
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Playing/Bailey
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.08.14
Recording location: Watershed Studios,London,UK
Recording notes: 1993 Original recording (P) date
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record 88 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Instance/Bailey
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Instance/Bailey
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.08.14
Recording location: Watershed Studios,London,UK
Recording notes: 1993 Original recording (P) date
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record 86 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

One Time/Stevens
Stevens, John, 1940-1994 (drums,mini trumpet)
FIND WORK DETAILS: One Time/Stevens
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Performer: Carter, Kent, 1939- (double bass)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.11
Recording location: Leicester,England,UK
Recording notes: 1995 Original recording (P) date
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record 79 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

[Untitled improvisation: 4'30"]

Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Item title: [Untitled improvisation: 4'30"]
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(percussion/mini-trumpet)
Recording date: 1992.5.24
Live rec. indicator: live
Recording location: Conway Hall (London)
Performance occasion: London Musicians' Collective Festival
of Experimental Music
Item notes: Duo improvisation, duration approx.
4'30".
FIND FORMAT: B9227
FIND FORMAT: H7224
FIND FORMAT: C229/93

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record 80 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

[Untitled improvisation: 13'50"]

Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Item title: [Untitled improvisation: 13'50"]
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(percussion/mini-trumpet)
Recording date: 1992.5.24
Live rec. indicator: live
Recording location: Conway Hall (London)
Performance occasion: London Musicians' Collective Festival
of Experimental Music
Item notes: Duo improvisation, duration approx.
13'50".
FIND FORMAT: B9227
FIND FORMAT: C229/93
FIND FORMAT: H7224

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record 82 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Not A Dry Glass In The House/Stevens

Stevens, John, 1940-1994 (drums,mini trumpet)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Not A Dry Glass In The
House/Stevens
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Performer: Carter, Kent, 1939- (double bass)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.11
Recording location: Leicester,England,UK
Recording notes: 1995 Original recording (P) date
FIND FORMAT: 1CD0097200

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record 83 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Along The Coast/Stevens

Stevens, John, 1940-1994 (drums,mini trumpet)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Along The Coast/Stevens
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Performer: Carter, Kent, 1939- (double bass)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.11
Recording location: Leicester,England,UK
Recording notes: 1995 Original recording (P) date
FIND FORMAT: 1CD0097200

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record 84 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Without Warning/Stevens
Stevens, John, 1940-1994 (drums,mini trumpet)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Without Warning/Stevens
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Performer: Carter, Kent, 1939- (double bass)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.11
Recording location: Leicester,England,UK
Recording notes: 1995 Original recording (P) date
FIND FORMAT: 1CD0097200

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record 85 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

U Kent And I/Stevens

Stevens, John, 1940-1994 (drums,mini trumpet)
FIND WORK DETAILS: U Kent And I/Stevens
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Performer: Carter, Kent, 1939- (double bass)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.11
Recording location: Leicester,England,UK
Recording notes: 1995 Original recording (P) date
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record 91 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

D Baby/Bailey
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
FIND WORK DETAILS: D Baby/Bailey
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.08.14
Recording location: Watershed Studios,London,UK
Recording notes: 1993 Original recording (P) date
FIND FORMAT: 1CD0097191

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record 92 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Ping Pong/Bailey
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Ping Pong/Bailey
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitars)
Performer: Stevens, John, 1940-1994
(drums,mini trumpet)
Recording date: 1992
Recording date: 1992.08.14
Recording location: Watershed Studios,London,UK
Recording notes: 1993 Original recording (P) date
FIND FORMAT: 1CD0097191

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1993, II (of) XXVIII, Rectangle BA (France) (7" single) (released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : guitar, voice

Ben Watson : words

1- 1/28 Silverfish Macronix 2.43

2- 28/28 Silverfish Macronix 1.32

Derek Bailey performs two poems from Out to Lunch's by Ben Watson's.
One on each side of this 7" vinyl single. Timing : 4 minutes 20 seconds.
Recorded in England, January 1993.
Cover Art by Noël Akchoté.
Manufactured in Germany by Eldorado. First released in 1999.
Ben Watson: 28 SILVERFISH MACRONIX, OUT TO LUNCH

wenty-eight poems of varying lengths, including drawings and graphics. The poems

T move in a kind of intense paranoic surrealism, with a sarcastic slant in the word-play
they delight in. This is lively work, and I hope to see more from Watson: "...the
fishnets/ stop at the white flesh, and it sure looks good on you. toblerone faucet/ by the
nursery chaperone, belted/ kids breaking wind like a cat bush" (from "2").

John M. Bennett
Equipage, c/o Rod Mengham, Jesus College, Cambridge, ENGLAND, CB5 8BL
This review originally appeared in TapRoot Reviews #4, copyright Burning Press 1994, 1995.

Contact the editor, luigi-bob drake, at Burning Press

‘THE FORMAL NOVEL / WILLIAM SIDDLE’ BY SAM SIM... http://homepage ntlworld.com/fenland_hi-brow/THE%20FOR...

‘THE FORMAL NOVEL / WILLIAM SIDDLE’ BY SAM SIMON / MAKIM CIRCE FH-B (002
CASS) APR 2000 -- SYNOPSIS – CASSETTE SINGLE IN REPLY TO RECTANGLE
RECORDS’ DEREK BAILEY / OUT TO LUNCH COLLAB. 2 SONNETS, NO WAITING, MILD
HYSTERIA OF CREATION DISSOLVES PUERILE ‘RESPONSIBILITY’ OF FREEDOM-IMP
MORALISM. “…A PECULIAR CHARM RISES MOIST AND HORIZONTAL LIKE FENLAND
MIST.” (HI-FI NEWS, APRIL 2000) DESCRIBED BY MR BAILEY, OFF THE RECORD, AS
‘AMUSING.’

HOMING

PRODUCT INVENTORY

1 sur 1 3/29/06 1:13 PM

1993, WIREFORKS, Shanachie 5011 (USA) (CD) (released in 1995)

Derek Bailey : Monteleone Eclipse acoustic guitar, Gibson ES-175 electric guitar
Henry Kaiser : lots of different guitars

1- Quick match 05.55

2- Flights 04.48
3- Red flash 03.23
4- Silver tails 08.50
5- Chrysanthemums 06.56
6- Hanabi 07.26
7- Flair 04.09
8- Flare 02.29
9- Ring starmines 06.35
10- Dark fire 05.02
11- Snake in the grass 07.40
12- Battle in the clouds 07.01
13- Safe and sane 02.52

Recorded October or November 1993 in the chapel of St John the Divine, Santa Barbara,
California; produced by Henry Kaiser.

Art direction by Joan Pelosi.

 own Beat (10/95, p.51) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "...Gorgeously recorded, it's chock

D full of the kind of brilliant timbral investigations that Bailey has been picking at for
the last three decades: combinations of ringing harmonics, scrapes, open strings and
machete clusters..."

Q Magazine (9/95, p.111) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Every speck of sound is thrown into
stark relief, until they reach the last ditch with Safe and Sane, whacking volume up and
laying waste to all previous tender scrabbling..."

ption (9-10/95, p.93) - "...pervasively dissonant, angular, arrhythmic and undeniably

O bizarre....These two guitarists engage in a kind of call-and-response with one

musician presenting an idea and the other developing..."

irty Linen (2-3/96. p.79) - "This album of improvised duo pieces from two of the

D most diverse guitar talents around is sure to provoke extreme reactions....Bailey and
Kaiser's electro-acoustic antics are full of jagged edges, arrythmic picking and
cantankerous chordwork..."

D erek Bailey is the British elder statesman of guitar improvisation. Guitarists from Jim
O'Rourke to Fred Frith would not play as they do if Bailey hadn't been working his
explorations over the past forty-plus years. Teamed up here with another of his
disciples, the multifaceted Henry Kaiser, the two pluck, scrape, coax, tickle, rub and slam all
manner of sound out of their instruments. Theirs is the architecture of pure evocative sound.
The thirteen improvised pieces cover the gamut of emotions--by turns sly, sassy, scary, and
spiritual. Their skills as improvisers also include the ability to listen and empathize. These are
truly duets, in the fullest sense of the word, as these two men play off each other with an
immediacy borne of their supreme talent as both players and listeners.

D erek Bailey's music was the original reason Henry Kaiser picked up the guitar, so
one can imagine how pleased Kaiser was when Bailey agreed to record a duo
performance with him, his first with another guitarist. Kaiser's own output had been
wildly inconsistent both in genres covered (everything from Grateful Dead tunes to
Vietnamese music to free improv) and in quality, so the listener may have approached this
project with misgivings on one of two accounts: 1) Kaiser's tendency toward a slick, rockish
sound might not mesh well with Bailey 's or 2) Conversely, Kaiser might suffer the fate of
other collaborators and overly defer to one of the reigning demigods of contemporary
improvised music. Happily, neither occurs.

Throughout the album, the playing is nuanced and sensitive, with each player clearly listening
to one another. While each guitarist is instantly recognizable (Kaiser somewhat more melodic
and "traditional," Bailey, of course, sounding only like Bailey ), both play off of each other's
leads, neither being deferential nor domineering. The disc progresses from very soft, delicate
opening pieces to somewhat denser, more angular constructions as more live electronic
processing is introduced. At the beginning of the final track, one can hear Kaiser alerting the
engineer that the ensuing piece is "going to be loud. Watch out." The duo then lets loose with
a mini-maelstrom of raging electronics, screeching guitar feedback, and stuttering clicks,
bringing the proceedings to a rich, satisfying conclusion.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

 ere is a cd that shows that there are still new realms to be explored within the context

H of guitar improvisation. The album has both acoustic and electric tracks and if you
are already a fan of either Henry or Derek then you won't be disappointed. If this cd
will be your first exposure to either of these 2 musicians then it is fantastic because it will
open you up to both men, both of whom play these instruments in a manner that I guarantee
you have never heard before. Like I told Henry about one of this cd's tracks on his
website..."Silver Tails puts me in the mindset of what it must be like to do LSD in a big room
filled with windchimes and fine crystal".

The science of Spontaneous Organization, July 26, 1999

Reviewer: A music fan from U.S.

he reason Henry Kaiser ever decided to play guitar was because in his early years he

T heard and was inspired by the playing of Derek Bailey. On "Wireforks" Kaiser gets
the chance to play with his early idol. This is a magnificent improv collaboration with
the two playing mainly acoustic but occasionally electric guitars. And it was recorded in the
chapel of St. John the Divine in Santa Barbara and it really justifies ensconcing yourself
between the pads of a really fine pair of headphones to fully suck in the atmosphere.

Earl Grey, KFJC new album review May 24, 1995

1993, MOUNTAIN STAGE, Incus VD02 (UK) (video) (released in 1996)

Derek Bailey : Epiphone archtop guitar

Min Tanaka : Butoh dancing

Video of an outdoor duo concert in Japan with Min Tanaka.

Recorded in Japan in 1993, in broad daylight on an small outdoor wooden stage on the side of
a mountain in Hakushu. Derek "massages" his Epiphone acoustic guitar into a low hum, the
crickets and cicadas start to roar in response and Tanaka starts his minimal, utterly fascinating
Butoh-inspired dance. An incredible document.

rom Company at Hakushu Artcamp by Roger Parry. Sunday (29), and the final day.

F Up at 6.20am. I used my map to construct an essentially circular route and collected

ARTCAMP artworks on my way, official as well as found. At 9.30am we are driven
over to the trail leading to the "Mountain Stage" which we ascend in single file, like some
safari team. Our friend Hiro leading the way bearing the acoustic guitar, followed by another
friend, Risa, then Derek – under his recently acquired farmer's hat, Karen and myself. It is
now 10.07am. Derek's acoustic guitar is 'humming' in response to his 'massage', and in
response, the insect musicians of Japan become his accompaniment; Min makes minimal
movements, developing into more noticable 'dance'. Cameras clack interminably, birds sing,
kids make sounds; two solos simultaniously in the same place with a degree of occasional
interaction. "Sounds he ejects fly like butterflies, without pre-determined destination"

Min Tanaka
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TH EM E

Min Tanaka’s Butoh

By Jiae Kim, Translated by Kazue Kobata | Issue 7, Fall 2006 Performance

TAG S : Art, Dance

Photos by Annie Leibovitz

The following is a translated excerpt. On the evening of August 4th

2006, dancer Min Tanaka was kind enough to answer Theme’s
questions in front of some 50 young people gathered at the Body
Weather Farm in Hakushu, Yamanashi-ken, Japan.

The crowd was gathered at the farm in preparation for the annual multi-art festival Dance
Hakushu, which Tanaka started in 1988 with a dozen fellow artists, architects, and producers.
The audience also included about 25 students of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts
and Music who attended Tanaka’s intensive workshop for creative body practice.

THEME: What was your first memory of what it felt like to dance?
Min Tanaka: I don’t remember. I was told perhaps when I was about five or six years old that I
had danced around three years of age, but I don’t remember for it was before I had conscious
memory. The other day I saw a picture of me, two and a half years old, and I had a bandage
on my leg. Then I recalled the experience of being injured. But as for dancing, it is beyond
memory.

You started dancing Bon-Odori when

“When I dance, it is an act of you were eight. What was it about this

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shooting an arrow to myself in dance that got you excited about

dancing? Can you describe this dance?
the stage following the dance, in
Bon-Odori is what we dance in mid-summer
the everyday life awaiting me
when, in Buddhism, we believe ourancestors
after that act. I dance because I come back to earth. We dance with them. In
believe I can furnish something Nishimonai District of Akita they have a

for my time in the next stage.” typical formation for their Bon-Odori. They
dance in a circle and they say there is always a
-Min Tanaka
spirit between dancers. It is the prototype. As
for me, I think I was going to Bon-Odori long
before age eight, I was told, though I don’t remember myself. What made me excited? That is
exactly what I want to know. That is why I am still dancing now. You know the restless feeling,
the sizzling, when you fall in love, or when you are enchanted by something. We say in
Japanese, chi ga sawagu, my blood is boiling…You hear the festival music, drums and flutes,
and you can stay still…I went there alone. Luckily, the neighborhood kids were bullying me
then. So I escaped them and ran. I took back alleys so that nobody could stop me. Later,
Tatsumi Hijikata told me that he, as a child, would also go to Bon-Odori dashing on the
footpath through rice paddies. He ran in a low posture, bent forward, so that long rice plants
would make him invisible. At the Bon-Odori site I didn’t meet any kids or friends. In those
days it was for grownups while nowadays many kids join.

What did you parents think of you dancing? Your father was a great
Kendoist. Didn’t he want you to do kendo instead?
My father was seldom at home. He was not a Kendoist. He was a policeman and good at
shooting. I remember going once to a shooting competition at the police academy where he
was a contestant. He was the champion. My mother would go to Bon-Odori so they knew I
would go dancing there. But they didn’t say anything about it. My father never told me to take
up Kendo or any martial art. He was not so good at Kendo. He would intimidate his
opponents, in Kendo, but was not strong.

First you started with modern European dance, then ballet, and then moved
onto butoh. How are they different?
I think it is wrong to make such a distinction as modern dance, classical ballet AND butoh.
Butoh goes beyond that dimension. You know what modern European dance is and what
classical ballet is. Do you know why he regarded what he tried to do as butoh? He
fundamentally wanted to declare that what he was pursuing was completely different from
other kinds of dance. Conventionally, the Japanese word Buyo or Nihon Buyo referred to the
traditional Japanese dance, and the Western dance, after it was introduced to Japan, was
labeled as Western Dance, Seiyo Buyo. Butoh was none of them and he wanted to call it
differently. At that time he did not show a model for Butoh. He didn’t label such and such a
movement, gesture or style as butoh. The main point was to declare “We ARE different,” not

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“What we DO is different.” This is what he said about the appellation.

Many of our readers will be unfamiliar with butoh. Could you explain what
butoh is in the simplest terms?
I don’t think you have to know. In early 20th Century, Western dance came to Japan very
rapidly. About two decades later, Hijikata wondered about its aesthetics, and questioned if
movement is the essence of butoh. He was skeptical about the then prevailing concept of
dance, and that is why he sought another name. I think the best way to describe butoh is that
it is a name for an activity, not dance itself. So Hijikata’s butoh is a result of a new way of
thinking, new kinds of activities. He would often say something is butoh-teki, butoh-like.
“Look, isn’t he butoh-teki? ” he would say or, looking at a dog, “You see, this dog is butoh!” He
would find essence of butoh even in non-human creatures including plants. Movement,
technique, and kata (form) are merely parts of dance but not all. I prefer using the term
dance (even in Japanese), and for dance I think movement and other such elements account
for only a half of it. There has to be the other half, accompanying them. One may call it
“dance substance” and that sizzling, restless feeling I had as a child is an essential part of the
other half. Endless speculations can be made on it. Shinobu Origuchi, an ethnologist, says
Odori (dance) could be Otoko-dori (getting a man) or Oto-dori (getting sound). Physical
movement is essential also in sports, and these days some athletes are quite conscious of
aesthetics. Then what is the unique element of dance? What distinguishes dance as dance,
aside from physical movement and gestures? It is invisible. Dance consists of things invisible
as well as visible. When you see several dancers engaged in the same movement, you know
easily which one is better or the best. What is the yardstick for distinction? You find a
particular smell, taste, aura, or ethos in one dancer but not in another. You may say he or she
has odori-gokoro (dance ethos), but it is not visible. One can grasp it. So the audience
matters. A bad audience can corrupt dance. Dancers know the importance of this element, of
aura or kokoro (ethos). But it is not something you can develop or nurture in the studio
without an audience. Then how can one let it evolve? Most dancers have given up looking for
a way to do it.

You had a weak body as a child, no?

I was born as a premature child. Very small, about 1000 grams, and able to be held on my
father’s palm, I was told. I was born too early because my mother was shocked by the US air
raid on Tokyo on March 10, 1945—my birthday. I was the smallest in class until age 14.

Do you think overcoming your physical weakness was a motivation in your

dancing?
No. I had started sports activities, such as basketball, before going into dance. Rather, after
starting dancing, I did like it that my body was athletically trained and robust. So it was in my
late teens, after going through sports, that I decided to plunge into art.

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Coincidentally, many butoh dances depict movements that represent people

with physical handicaps. Why do you think this is?
I think there is a grave misunderstanding behind this question. Initially, Hijikata observed
and collected all kinds of human gesture, actual movement and form of human bodies. First,
a lot of them came from workers and craftsmen. Carpenters, their hand movements…Then
came old people, farmers, and all kinds of people at work. He would say if you are using the
same tool all the time, you can’t do certain things. You cannot stretch your fingers like a ballet
dancer, for example. To define the hand expression of a ballet dancer as aesthetic and that of
a worker as ugly—this is just too arbitrary, he would say. Adopting handicaps into
choreography…at least when he was active, he did not do that, and that was not his formula.
But for those who take butoh as a style or a school of dance, those elements that do not fit
widely accepted aesthetics may be perceived as resembling handicaps or as something out of
norms. As long as you perceive butoh just as another category of dance, then one may find
that aspect as something adopted from handicapped people. A handicap is a natural
phenomenon. Hijikata once talked about something very important: old people’s
hand-dementia, te-boke. An old man stretches his hand forward, for a certain purpose or to
do something. But a second later he forgets the purpose. His hand, initially stretched towards
a glass, loses its purpose. It may come backward or move about ambiguously. That is old
man’s hand-dementia. Hijikata said it may be pure dance. It does not embody a purpose. It
comes on the way to reaching the purpose, or in the process, leading to it. It may repeat itself,
may be trapped in sideways one after the other…and there one may find a secret of dance.

Is art and life connected? Butoh

started in 1960s, some say as a
response to the colonization of Japan
by the West and as a reaction to the
frustration of living in post World
War II Japan. Thoughts?
Do you mean they may not be connected?
Impossible. When I dance, it is an act of
shooting an arrow to myself in the stage
following the dance, in the everyday life
awaiting me after that act. I dance because I believe I can furnish something for my time in
the next stage. In this sense, dancing is purely art. All too often, dancers say, it is done, I feel
refreshed…but then isn’t it like sports? You move to the utmost, you sweat, and say, I feel
good! But it is only one aspect of dancing. If that’s what dance is about, silly! As for the second
part of the question, in Hijikata’s case, it was not frustration but perhaps desperation over the
fact that inherent elements of the people around him—their physicality above all—were
being extinguished rapidly. The West or USA was something he could not reconcile with
until the end. He would not apply for a passport, not go abroad, although when I invited him
to go to the US with me, he fancied dancing with the black guys in Harlem, New York. Maybe

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he did not really mean it. But it was not out of nationalism. It had more to do with his
generation or the period he was born and grew up in. His situation. He had something to do,
and was doing it intact. It was not necessary to look around. In his own work and activities, he
was inspired by Turner, Francis Bacon, Blaque, and by numerous poets from the West. He
adapted their inspiration in his work. No one else in the same generation was so learned and
had such deep insight in Western art. Antonin Artaud, in particular, was a big influence. You
know the society has set a demarcation between sanity and insanity of the human psyche. It is
dictated by the present capacity and status of the given society. If the capacity of a given
society changes, the dividing line will also move. The public image of what is sane and what is
insane vacillates. But in this regard, Hijikata on many occasions confirmed with me, “You
would not go to the other side, would you?” “Min, would you go? No, you will remain on this
side.” He also used to say, “Human beings chose to be flesh-based, instead of bone-based.” A
very important perception. He copied many parts of Artaud’s texts by hand, like people used
to copy Buddhist sutras. Not only Artaud but also Jean Genet was quite important.

You were thrown out of the Modern Dance Association. Tell us why? Describe
the performance that got your thrown out.
I danced naked. It was around 1972 and I was still a member of a modern dance company.

You’ve said in the past that you consider Tatsumi Hijikata to be the father of
butoh. How has Hijikata influenced you? Describe his dance for us.
So far in this interview, when I answer your questions, I often imagine first how Hijikata
would reply. So I am under his influence to that extent. I am not sure if he is a father. But, if
anything, he is crucial with respect to dance at large, not just butoh. He was not an easy
person as company or to get along with socially. But his thorough commitment to dance, his
attitude to face it with overwhelming power, is beyond respect and admiration. I first saw his
dance work “Revolt of Flesh” (1969?) and I was merely in my early 20’s. I was utterly
inspired, I marveled, and admired him. But I did not go to him to study. I knew he would
swallow me completely. To study dance with him? To learn something from him? I wondered
if that was what I wanted to do. No. I admired him and his dance, and wondered what could
make one so strong a being in dancing. Even if I danced in the same way, I would not be such
a strong being. It was clear. So learning how to dance was not the point. It is the same, for
example, as a painter. Learning how to paint like Van Gogh is not the answer. His paintings
may move you, but you don’t wish to paint like he did. It is the same in dance. But many
dancers go to a great dancer to learn how to dance in the same way as he/she. Seeing a
dancer, one can often tell who is his/her teacher. That is wrong. Does a true master teach his
disciple how to dance like himself? I wanted to learn from Hijikata how I could be as
marvelous a being as him in dancing. It was not a question of do this or that to become great.
So I did not go to him. I knew it was not the answer.

Why are you attracted to butoh?

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I hope I have been speaking about it all the way through.

Would you agree with this statement: Butoh is the interplay between light
and dark, of the yin and the yang of life?
In general, we say “in a spot light,” or “I have been underground,” or “ I am depressed.” As
such, it is not just in butoh that the two are involved in all forms of being and living. We just
paraphrase the coexistence. We are each sources of light as well. So we are not just passively
receiving or not receiving light. I am not interested in this simple question. In Indonesia,
they say a day starts in the evening. Sleep is something that they go through at mid-day, while
for us it come at the end of the day in preparation for a new day. A big difference.

You spent many years researching and studying dance in order to form your
own dance. Have you found this dance? What does it look like?
To be honest, I don’t need “my own dance.” Is there anything as such? I can live without it or I
can remain a dancer without it. But this body is me, and dancing is what this body and mind
do, so I say “my dance.” But it is not “my dance” as a proprietary property. One may just say
“the dance of such and such a date.” What I would like in the future is to be anonymous.
Instead of saying “my dance,” I am dreaming of becoming Mr. Nobody. I am trying to change
the style of my activities so that it will be unnecessary to declare I am Min Tanaka, a dancer. If
your point is about how original I am as a dancer, compared to such predecessors as Nijinsky,
Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, I don’t care. As long as I can dance, even if what I do is
not genuinely true dance, I am satisfied. When I dance, do I expect to inspire someone in the
audience to dance? Not necessarily. He or she may sing, paint…and dance for me is
something like that. It may be something like a physical matter. A substance. Otherwise, we
will just see more and more people start dancing. That is not what dance is aiming at!
Economically, an increase in disciples, dancers, and audience members may be deemed
good and we tend to think in terms of homogeneous increase in volume. But what I want to
see happen is quite the opposite. Since last year, I have tried to stay away from the theater or a
venue dedicated to performance, and to dance anywhere and any time I feel like dancing. No
date and time fixed, no posters nor flyers. I am interested in knowing if one can dance
whenever one wants to.

What is the inspiration for your dance? Does it start with an idea, a song, a
movement, an image?
That’s not enough. There are a whole lot more elements—something someone says, certain
incidents, human and non-human elements.

Describe some of your favorite performances in the past. Does your audience
sit quiet and observe or do they participate?
It depends and there are great differences depending on the place, occasion and time. There
have been too many variations to explain. For instance, prior to the Velvet Revolution in

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Prague, hiding from the secret police, I was dancing in front of people who ventured to come.
The relationship between the audience and myself then, can you imagine it? A variety of
such clandestine experience. Or in a theater in Tokyo, where money can buy you a chance,
you gossip around in the foyer…Big difference. A clandestine performance in Moscow in the
last days of Gorbachev’s regime, the theater is crumbling and the people are shivering. If you
know my activities well enough, this question sounds rather slippery. Regarding the latter
half of the questions. To be blunt, I think I can change the audience’s state of mind through
the way I dance. But I don’t want do so with a predetermined scheme. I would rather see their
spontaneous change. It is hard to encounter a truly independent, autonomous audience.
They too are influenced by what is in fashion. They look around, cling to preconceived
criteria, or intake what is supposed to be hip. Audience behavior and their responsibility
make up an important theme, one worth a delving search.

How much of your dance is choreographed and how much is

improvisational?
Assuming you are asking about solo dance, nothing is choreographed. No concrete
movement is predetermined or composed. The progression of the dance is not preconceived
either. It is more interesting a challenge when, before starting, my mind is completely blank.
Ideally, as I am now, a tabula rassa. After the dance, if I don’t remember what I did, that’s
ideal. But it is different from being in a trance. I am talking about a solo performance in a
theater situation. But there are other cases. When I dance in a particular place, with a certain
genius loci, like the Memorial Flower Garden designed by Kenji Miyazawa (a Japanese
poet/writer of early 20th Century), where I will dance in a month, I will fill myself with as
much information and feeling about him as possible. Then let myself do what I can. But it is
not choreography. What sort of a person do I want to be when I dance there? That is the
essential question.

You started a farm in Hakushu, in the Yamanashi prefecture in 1985 and

recently bought another farm in Indonesia. Do you use the farm to train
yourself and other dancers? Or is it just a farm?
A critical misinformation. I have not bought a farm in Indonesia. It is a huge rain forest in
equatorial Indonesia and it will be leased to us by the Indonesian government for a
movement or project of perpetual conservation. As for the farm here, Hakushu in central
Japan, we own nothing. We are borrowing the houses and land. If the landlords demand we
return them, we must do so the next day. It is an important prerequisite that we don’t possess.
We don’t want to. It is a kind of social movement. Here, as in many other rural regions, people
are aging and more and more land is abandoned and not cultivated. So we first tried to gain
their trust and then asked them to let us work on their land. Why did I choose to start a farm to
begin with? I was working with many young dancers. They were working for money also in
construction, part-time jobs…we got together for dance activities at odd times, but they were
exhausted and some people were always missing because of jobs. So we thought if we started

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a farm together, we could work, practice, and live together. Farming is hard work, people say,
so it must be good for the body. If we could supply enough food to feed ourselves, we could be
self-sufficient to an extent.

Is farming related to dance?

The center is everywhere. It is to Conceptually, yes. In almost every culture
make something between a and civilization, dance was born out of
person and another. “I am….” agricultural life. I don’t know how dance was
does not always come first. conceived and nurtured prior to the agrarian
period. How was it triggered, engendered,
and imagined? But in terms of art history, yes, agriculture is at the basis of dance, I believe,
in Africa, Asia, the Americas….and yes, we wanted to stand at the original point. Farm work,
in a creative sense, is closely connected with dance. That our body is exposed to the outside
environment, to wind, light, heat…is in itself a creative factor. It is clearly different from farm
work as a means of rational production. But initially on the ancient earth, human bodies were
exposed to natural conditions that were geologically and meteorologically affected, and even
subterranean magma was felt. Then human body was in touch with those conditions much
more intensely…some hundreds or thousands of times more perhaps…So as farmers we
thought our body would vibrate with or be shocked by such phenomena, or be in rapport with
them deep inside ourselves. Dance came about through such relations, we imagined. A place
like this is, in this sense, an archetypal landscape for dancers. So there was an economical
and pragmatic merit, but also a creative value in being exposed to and a part of the natural
process of reproduction. The whole process may be called dance.

What do the residents of the small community of Hakushu think about your
presence?
I recommend you come to Hakushu and interview people.

What is Body Weather Farm?

I wish no part of these long answers to be deleted. Let’s confirm it. Simply put, Body Weather
is a notion of omni-centrality. Contingency as well. “I” is not the center. The center is
everywhere. It is to make something between a person and another. “I am….” does not always
come first. It can be, it is a viable notion. But it may drift around and be identified with
someone else or some other thing. This is true about human relations, meteorological
phenomena, the sun, animals, and almost everything around us. A weather-like contingent
and ever-changing relationship. We brought forth this concept in 1977, founded the Body
Weather Laboratory in 1978, and when we opened the farm here we named it Body Weather
Farm.

How do you transition between your performance world and your

non-performance world? Is it easy?

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I hope you know the history of performance—performance as an announced deliberate act in

a theater. Theater is a fairly recent invention in human history, and what is presented there,
in terms of dance per say, is merely 1% or less of all dance practiced by humanity. So I am not
interested in answering this stifle question.

How do you feel before you perform and after you perform?
I answered this already. To dance, for me, is to shoot an arrow to myself in the stage coming
right after the dance. How I can affect myself in the next moment…

And what are you thinking while you perform? Do you see the audience?
I like my state of being best while dancing. I think I am most alert and smart when I am
dancing. That is why I want to continue dancing. One may say it is an ecstatic state. I can
think about many things at once—what I am doing, what the people in the audience are
doing, their state of mind…and more over, I can add my thoughts and intentions to all such
elements. It is far from a trance.

What would you do if you couldn’t dance anymore? Say you were in an
accident, how would you transform the energy that motivates you to dance?
Come and interview me when it happens. I find this question rather impolite. How can you
measure or appraise someone else’s conviction and courage? What criteria do you use?

I’ve seen a picture from one of your performances in which you danced
naked except for a wrapped penis. What was your intent behind this
costume?
Wow, it is a funny description where the penis is occupying an exaggerated space! I wrapped
my penis because I was ashamed of showing it. First, I wanted the audience to see the
structure of my body. If you wear a costume, the body is always covered, but if you are naked,
you can show the movements much more closely. Each body is different and unique—how
the hair is grown, the color of the skin, etc. My body blushes easily and such changes give rise
often to preconceived ideas not necessarily relevant to the dance. So in a way I tried to
neutralize my body. The penis—the most private part of my body—was wrapped because it
was not important for the dance as I sought it. I applied different hues of brown color to my
skin.

Do you ever create a dance for shock value?

Never.

Do you still do this performance?

Yes.

What would you say to someone who might find this distasteful?

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I would say it may be, if you think so.

Most butoh dancers paint their body white as a sign of erasing one’s ego, to
make a tabula rassa. There is also the symbolic reference to the spirit world
in this color. You paint your body brown. Why?
I wonder why the color of our skin and the color of land are so similar. A friend of mine, an
editor and writer, Seigow Matsuoka, used to say that our body has all the colors found in the
natural world. Indeed…all the colors, inside and outside our body. The skin, more or less, has
the color akin to the earth. So I chose to erase my private being by applying the color of the
earth to my skin. I use different hues of earth color. Sometimes lighter and other times
darker.

A butoh performance is not for every audience, in the same way that not
everyone “gets” modern dance. What kind of person is generally receptive to
watching and enjoying butoh? Do you see a wide range of people in your
performances? Or are they generally artists who tend to be attracted to the
avant-garde?
It is not a prerequisite for me to have people buying the tickets and coming to the theater to
see dance. That is why, by necessity, my theater performances are attended by the least
number of dancers. There has never been a period when I danced only in theaters. I always
danced in other kinds of places and open-air spaces, and from now on I will dance almost
entirely in non-theater spaces and environments. That is, from now on, I will not choose my
audience, nor will people who see me dance witness it by choice. They will see it by
coincidence. I may dance in the street, unannounced, and most of those who happen to be
there may reject seeing it and go away. I am determined to still dance. You may be asking this
question about dance as a theater-based performance art. But my audience goes beyond
that. I dance to an anonymous audience that include even dead people. I don’t think that I
would ever be concerned about the type or sort of people in the audience, and be influenced
by that information as to what I do or how I dance. For instance, if I say I will dance and if
there are ten people watching, will that dance be tailor-made for those ten? No. Even when
dancing in a theater, my consciousness breaks through its walls and extends throughout the
world’s space and time. Or it permeates throughout the widest span of space and time as I can
imagine. It is not entertainment. It is not meant to serve a narrow given group of people. I
sometimes dance for somebody who died in the near past—a tribute. Then the notion of the
particular person comes into the scene. The way I dance now, sometimes my mother comes
inside my body, or in a foreign country, the posture or gesture of an old lady waiting at a
traffic light comes in…it happens often. It is a manner of letting others pass through my body,
something like what shamans do. I think it is a rather important element of dance. Then, is it
me who is dancing? To what extent is it me? In regards to painting the body white, it has to do
with our yearning to become someone or something else. Metamorphosis. In the early days of
butoh, dancers put plaster or flour mixed with water on their faces and bodies. It gets dried

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and cracks or peels off in a bizarre manner. It may look grotesque or bizarre. In traditional
theater or dance, make-up was used for the actor to become the role. So you know what you
should become, usually a person, the role you play. But in this manner of heavy make-up,
you become something other than your private self. Neither you nor the audience knows what
you have become. So the white make-up of butoh was originally a manifestation of your will to
become something else—metamorphosis of no clear destination. It was rough, coarse, and
pieces of plaster or flour would peel off. But now, even butoh make-up is finely done in white.
No different from Kabuki. I find no particular significance in it any more. Finally, I hope that
you editors see dance in a more multi-strata way and from complex heterogeneous vantage
points, rather than being confined in a rigid nomenclature such as butoh and so forth.
Beware that dance as art, performance art in the theater, is a minute fragment of dance in the
true sense of the word.

TAG S :

03/08/08 08:06
1993, COMPANY IN JAPAN, Incus VD03 UK) (video) (released in 1996)

Motoharu Yoshizawa, Wataru Okuma, Shonosuki Okura, Kazue Sawai, Koichi Makigami,
Derek Bailey, Sachiko Nagata, Yukihiro Isso, Kenichi Takeda, Keizo Inoue

Video of excerpts from Company Week in Hakushu, August 1993.

From Haksushu Artcamp program : Free music improvisation in Hakushu : What is

Company Week? Running time: 27 minutes.

n the Japanese language improvisation is "Sokkyo", literally meaning "let rise here and

I now".Company Week is a candid and thorough endeavour to do this, through collective

dynamism, being tested, bombarded and helped through the relationships between the
self and the other, the individual and the group. Derek Bailey has been going through this
attempt for close to 30 years as an organiser and a player. This is the very first fully-fledged
Company Week in Japan in terms of the size of the group and time duration. He will play
with nine players living in Japan with most of whom it is the first time he will meet. Serious,
exciting, demanding, indeed. The members were picked out by Bailey, who considered
instrument combination and other ingredients for the Company. Bailey says, "I am working
on the assumption that the performers do not know each other or, at the very least, do not
usually play together. In which case my requirement is simple: a combination of goodwill,
practical ability, generosity, curiosity and an absence of preconceptions"A film by Mitsuo
Tamura of performances during the final two concerts of Company Week Hakushu, August
1993.
1993, FILMED, Solo guitar series, numero 4 (UK) (Incus CDR)
(released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

1- Take 1 03.16
2- Take 2 06.02
3- Take 3 05.04
4- Take 4 14.25
5- Take 5 10.31

Audio track for Anthony Howell’s video magazine Grey Suit, recorded in Cardiff,
September 1993.
Photographs by Carmen Llussa Fernandez

G rey suit 4, published in Winter 1993, featured a 5 minute video on Derek Bailey, 'the
renowned guitarist, pioneer of free improvisation', concentrating on close up hand
movements of, alternately, right and left hands. Filmed outdoors. Derek Bailey's
music is also featured over the closing credits of the whole of this issue of Grey suit.
Grey suit is a video arts magazine issued quarterly, edited on highband and distributed on
VHS in all standard international broadcast systems (PAL, NTSC, SECAM). It features
writers, artists, film-makers and performers as well as work by artists and composers;
contributions can be in any language.

Twelve issues of Grey suit were published up to the end of1995; there is currently a hiatus but
most back copies are available from 21 Augusta Street, Adamstown, Cardiff CF2 1EN, Wales;
tel and fax: +44 (0) 122 248 9565. Subscription rate £60 pa; individual copies £21.

As written on the CD-R

1993, KARYOBIN, Chronoscope CPE2001-2, (LP)
(re-issue of ILPS 9079)

SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE :

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, flugelhorn
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Dave Holland : bass
John Stevens : drums

- Karyobin parts 1-6 Total time : 49.04

Recorded by Eddie Kramer at Olympic Sound Studios, 18 February 1968; remastered at

Town House Studios, 1993.

Original sleeve design by David Chaston; painting of Karyobin by Robert Macauley.

Re-issue of Island (UK) ILPS 9079 (LP).

K aryobin is a gem from 1968. Look at the line-up. The impeccable Evan Parker
(saxes), already showing the trademarks of his emerging virtuosity and split second
reflexes. Derek Bailey (guitar) beginning to carve a new language from the
vocabulary of the jazz and function musician of only a few years previous. Kenny Wheeler
(trumpet), the most conventional player here yet with a fluidity of invention that does full
justice to the company he keeps. Dave Holland, shortly to leave for the States and Miles
Davis, underpinning the proceedings with his quicksilver lyrical bass. And, of course, the
group's convenor the late great John Stevens (drums), who committed himself to the pursuit of
freedom and beauty in the darkest corners. This is jazz on the cusp of free improvisation, and
it is the spirit of collectivity and the ascendance of spontaneity over tradition that makes it such
a landmark.

Gus Garside

S PONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE Karyobin CD [Chronoscope] Quite why this

came up for review, I don’t know. Up there with The Crypt and Machine Gun as a
benchmark of what was at the edge of the bench in Europe by the late 60s, Karyobin
(1968) is so great an exercise in free playing that the Penguin Jazz Guide clearly recommends
it. This site is, apart from all else, an unmissable early appearance of Evan Parker, one of the
most interesting players of anything of the last few decades. Rather than sound beyond the
usually musical or hard and hairy fury, this is unhitched instrumentalist interplay of the most
paradisiacal splendour. Gentle and quick, like birds, the linear flurries of sax and guitar weave
feather after feather into the jewelled whole, a miracle of selfless happiness. Every deft stroke
is dauntingly clear: no overblowing, no scratching, no scraping; just pure old fashioned notes
and beats. Here we witness a musical Eden beyond envy or jealousy, where the musicians
roam naked and are not ashamed.

Jon

K aryobin was originally released by Island Records! It is one of the seminal

recordings of freely improvised music, made in 1968 by British pioneers
Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Personnel: Kenny Wheeler, Evan Parker, Derek
Bailey, Dave Holland and John Stevens. Also, Parker and Bailey's first record. An
accomplished group outing it was, too. Wheeler and Parker provide the most assertive
dialectical exchanges: the former still with a Cool ear for jazz heritage, the latter sculpting a
new, non-idiomatic soprano sound, bristling with lightning flourishes. Bailey's textural
smudges and icy chords are glimpsed above the restless, understated groundswell of Stevens'
cymbalplay. Holland, though freed from rhythm section constraints, opts for a fairly
conventional tonal role. Karyobin also makes a fascinating comparison with the following
year's more abstract Music Improvisation Company release (Incus CD 12).

Chris Blackford

ME had already been going for a couple of years when Karyobin was recorded in

S 1968. Drummer John Stevens has pushed the group from the from the freedom of
jazz into the wider challenge of collective free improvisation. The awareness and
openness this demanded on the part of the musicians can be heard throughout this pioneering
album. Compared to the magnificent raging bark of Peter Brotzmann's Machine Gun
(recorded a couple of months later), the music on Karyobin distances itself from the energy
and impassioned self-expression of free jazz. Evan Parker and Kenny Wheeler play with
extraordinary closeness, between and beneath them Derek Bailey had already taken the guitar
into unheard-of territory. The rhythmic flexibility of John Steven's gentle work provides the
space for it all to happen. Like the best of the improvised music that has followed in the
ensuing 30 years, it touched on a special kind of intensified awareness, an in-the-moment
saying and listening that is enthralling to hear unfold. WM
1993, MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY, Incus CD12 (UK) (CD)
(re-issue)

The Music Improvisation Company :

Jamie Muir : percussion
Hugh Davies : live electronics & organ
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone & amplified auto-harp
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Pointing 07.10
2- Untitled 3 06.32
3- Untitled 4 04.10
4- Bedrest 07.38
5- Its tongue trapped to the rock by a limpet,
the water rat succumbed to the incoming tide 08.55
6- In the victim's absence 10.35

Tracks 1 to 4 recorded in mono in the BBC studios in London on 4 July 1969; tracks 5 & 6
recorded in stereo in London on 18 June 1970. CD is a re-issue of this long-time classic of
Incus LP 17 which is no longer available.

Cover painting by Jamie Muir.

On the broadcast (July 23, 1969) the group is announced as "The London Instrumental And
Electronic Improvising Group". Three tracks were included, the last incomplete, of which only
one was released on the Incus record.
1993, YANKEES, JIMCO Records, JICK-89289 (USA) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

George Lewis : trombone
John Zorn : alto and soprano saxophones, clarinets, game calls

1- City city city 08:22

2- The legend Of Enos Slaughter 09:17
3- Who's on first 02:56
4- On Golden Pond 18:00
5- The warning track 05:28

Recorded at OAO Studio, Brooklyn New York. Artwork production by Thi-Linh-Le.

Y ankees is a re-issue of a 1983 recording made by three real heavyhitters of the

contemporary improv scene, Derek Bailey, George Lewis, and John Zorn. No
introductions are necessary here, suffice to say that this is free improvisation of the
highest quality. It's incredible to hear these three in unison, working impossible sounds from
their instruments yet always in touch with each other. Whether they are taking a games- or
rules-based approach to the improvisation or not (Zorn has often employed such techniques),
the level of empathy between the performers is what makes this music sound so 'together'.

It's interesting to compare this with the Brahem/Holland/Surman record released this month.
Though with very different outcomes, both trios place a considerable emphasis on the sounds
their approach, instrumentation and format allows. Here, we get an ever-playful John Zorn
pushing the range of his saxophones and clarinets into ultrasonics, often singing or jabbering
"game calls" through the reed, or producing shrieking upper-register squawls. George Lewis
works his trombone in much the same way, burbling and breathing through his mouthpiece.
Yet for me, Derek Bailey really stands out, effortlessly justifiying his legendary status. For
what is essentially an acoustic sound, Bailey squeezes incredible characterisations from his
guitar, matching Zorn's violin impersonations or surrounding Lewis' growls with delicate
piano-like harmonics. At other times, he slashes out violent percussive chops and yet ends the
disk with a minute-long warm hum of feedback. A quite breathtaking display of control which
would grace any 'ambient' release.
1993, MOMENT PRÉCIEUX. Victo CD02 (Canada) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Anthony Braxton : alto & sopranino saxes

1- The Victoria and Albertville Suite Part I 23.31

2- The Victoria and Albertville Suite Part II 24.35

Recorded live on October 4, 1986 by Yves Lepage and Jean-Pierre Loiselle @ 4th `Festival
International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville´, Quebec, Canada. First release date: 1993.

Editing: René Lussier

Layout: François Bienvenue

Produced by Michel Levasseur

© Les Disques Victo / Les Éditions VICTORIAVILLE (Canada)

Contact: Productions Plateforme Inc., CP 460, Victoriaville, Quebec, G6P 6T3, Canada

T his one is a real treat: two giants of improvisation in pursuit of that enigmatic
'something' on a Canadian stage in 1986. Braxton, clearly derived from the jazz
tradition; Bailey, restless occupant of a self-constructed world of non-idiomatic guitar.
"Moment Precieux" was an instant improv classic upon its release twelve years ago and is a
welcome re-issue to CD format. Two long improvisations provide an illuminating view of
these mercurial musicians. Bailey's spiky tones, chordal shards and strange harmonics are a
source of constant wonder as Braxton's acidulous horn careers forth, spinning wildly into
liquid motion and timbral extremes. "Spontaneity, attention, urgency", to quote Art Lange's
accompanying notes, are the treasures available to us. Emotion and tranquility are also here.
Emptying one's mind of preconceived notions of what true creativity should sound like is the
key to experiencing the many delights of this great concert in full.

Of Intellect and Accident

L ooking at them, and knowing anything about at all about their respective backgrounds,
it´s doubtful that two musicians could be more dissimilar. But that´s precisely the
point. The music they make together, an unlikely harmony of intuition and abstraction,
revels in exquisite serendipity. Intimate and open, it acknowledges the primacy of the
(immediate) moment - spontaneity, attention, urgency - without denying its (eventual)
opposition - sustained emotion, elasticity, tranquillity. Like life, it can border on the cruel, find
zones of comfort, confront illusion, seek the truth.

Here, the guitar becomes a percussive agent, agile and inquisitive; detached gestures and terse
phrasing emphasize texture, projection. Tactile events - shards of splintered chords and
ringing notes, resonating chunks - negotiate a new eloquence of melody. Blown reeds outline
melismatic contours, suggest prismatic colors, but when provoked shift from conscientious
narrative into ´purer´ expression, sheer timbre. Liquid motion defines lyrical states of being,
all various and alert. Together, they realize a duo of dynamics in human proportions. Nothing
is constructed or certain, nothing is deliberate or denied. Form, an area of agreement however
tacit, is once again the extension of content. In consort, point equals counterpoint. The key is
that they need not adjust. There is no room for reconciliation; each event creates its own
identity, its own space. Activity invents understanding, meaning: clear, dry polyphony is a
transparent argument - vibrant, messy, serene - in an environment of tolerance and trust.
Everything is melody. Everything is in order.

Art Lange, October

1993, 20-24 July Live Reviews from EST #5. Company Week.

O rganised annually, this year by Derek Bailey and Nick Couldry, Company Week is a
paradox, an institution yet also an enormous risk. Nobody knows if the often
unrelated improvisors thrown together with no pre-performance preparation will
produce good or bad results. The hope is always that the rewards will justify the risks. When
people as diverse as speed-guitarist Buckethead or classical violinist Alexander Balanescu are
involved, anything could (and does) happen.

For the first time, this year's Company Week featured three established British improvising
groups to open three of the five performances. Wednesday's trio, Hession / Wilkinson / Fell,
suggested that it would be a good idea, as their practiced energy provided a useful mark for
the later groups to try and match. They opened with a travelogue taking us from macro to
micro and back again: drones developing into pointillistic fibres into more obvious improv
scratch'n'sniff skitters. Alan Wilkinson's sax tends to be the obvious focal point of a trio that
somehow manages to sound like a compressed big band aeroplane, rumbles of vibrant texture
overlain with emotive, colourful streaks of brass. The cliche that's used in describing them is
the invented genre of "punkjazz", but on this night there were few traces of either, the music
instead taking an interest in noise field interstices, textural congruences and incongruences.

Next up were the all-electronic duo of Nick Couldry and Ikue Mori. Company Week is all
about taking risks, seeing what does and doesn't work, and this pairing didn't work. Mori's
drum machines created dogged and unidentifiable pattern-blurs, which didn't sit at all well with
Couldry's more violent keyboard stabs. Chalk it down to experience and pass straight on to
the old guard: Derek Bailey and Phil Minton. Bailey was cheerily content to play the polite
straight man to Minton's scratch acid Mel Blanc impersonations. Cartoon expressionism
works well against dry, wry plucking: Minton's upfront sense of humour was one of the
continuing highlights of the week. Paired next with Couldry, it's easy to imagine him as an
Ubu-esque puppet controlled by electrical keyboard impulses which make him jump and
shout. Just when I began to wish he'd sing a little melody for variety, he whistles a tune and it
ends.

The night's four performers teamed up for three final improvisations, which although less
successful than some of the earlier moments highlight the effect of group size on the
improvised sound. The simpler, more conversational interactions tended to disappear, and the
more dynamic musicians were forced to adopt a more consistent sound by the need to interact
with three rather than one other. The music that resulted is dramatic but nervous, full of
contrast but rather tentative. Only on the third piece do things gel, with greater restraint and
purpose combining. From a cod-Ligeti opening, trills and trickles of sound grow into a
cacophony of shrieking, before collapsing into near-silence, nighttime noises, kissing, and
tinny Casio-tone.

All ten performers were present on the Friday night, and the numbers ensured more of a party
atmosphere than before. By this stage of the week, the musicians were obviously relaxing
more and understanding each other's needs better. The opening quartet, featuring Mori,
Couldry, Martin Klapper and Alan Wilkinson, was better than any of Wednesday's
improvisations. Beginning and ending with careful ambiences, the improvisation progressed
through a variety of moods, including some particularly lyrical stretches courtesy mainly of
Wilkinson's sax but also helped by Couldry's transfer to a proper piano. Despite the very
different musical elements, this piece seemed more cooperative and as a result consistent than
anything that had gone before.

The trio of Minton, Bailey and Robyn Shulkowsky that came next was considerably less
interesting: I'm not a lover of the squitchy-squeak school of improvisation, and Phil Minton's
vocal gymnastics were by now beginning to seem limited. The quartet that followed
(Wilkinson, Thierry Madiot, Andy Diagram and Mori) were much more impressive, with the
drum machine providing great support to the intertwining noise and melody of the three brass-
blowers. The three different approaches to similar-sounding instruments proved particularly
listenable together.

Andy Diagram stayed on for the final quartet before the interval, abandoning the melody for
cut-up music using live sampling and effects pedals to tag along with Don Byron, Klapper
and Minton. Klapper's squeaky toys steal some of Minton's opportunities.

After the interval it's time for a couple of duets. Nick Couldry and Andy Diagram give a game
of two halves, the first sounding suspiciously like jazz, the second all atonal abstraction. Then
Klapper and Minton get to compare notes, a brief haiku for table, chair and groaning. The
amplified objects seem at first like a Hanna Barbera Cartridge Music, expanding tiny sounds
while Minton simultaneously takes language and reduces it to component sounds and
syllables.

There's another quartet next, Byron, Wilkinson and Shulkowsky rejoining Minton on stage.
The percussionist shows she's not afraid of rhythm and it's her energetic drumming that keeps
things flowing smoothly between cerebral scat and honk-frenzy noise stretches. Byron and
Wilkinson join Minton for an unexpected sing-along and the audience remembers why they
came along.

The final performance grows from a planned quintet to seven and eventually all ten musicians.
Of the latecomers, Don Byron is the most amusing, walking on from the back, shouting like a
man from the Noise Abatement Society. It exemplified Company at its best, a surprisingly
successful blend of very varied elements, where the result isn't always successful, but is
occasionally astounding. According to Derek Bailey, this year's event (25th to 30th July) may
well be the last in its present form, so watch The Wire for details, and don't miss it.
1993, REVUE & CORRIGEE. (France) Magazine.

Improvisation, quoi de neuf?

Premier hors série (1993) du magazine Revue & Corrigée, consacré à l'improvisation. Avec le
témoignage de nombreux musiciens, des interviews, des articles, une discographie, de
nombreuses photos. Avec, entre autres, AMM, Lê Quan Ninh, Derek Bailey, The Molecules,
Chris Cutler, Nicolas Collins, Jim O'Rourke, Christian Marclay, Pierre Hébert.
The British Library Sound Archive Catalogue http://cadensa.bl.uk/uhtbin/cgisirsi/PPnvTUGShO/66840009/9

record 70 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [55'55'-1.06'00']
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [55'55'-1.06'00']
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Minton, Phil, 1940- (singer)
Recording date: 1993.07.21
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
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record 71 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1'15'-25'40']
Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (saxophones)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1'15'-25'40']
Performer: Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (saxophones)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Diagram, Andy (trumpet, electronics,
vocal)
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.20
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
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record 72 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1.26'50'-1.33'20']
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.26'50'-1.33'20']
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.20
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/115

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record 73 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1.10'45'-1.26'20']
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.10'45'-1.26'20']
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.20
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
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record 65 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [15'00'-23'30']
Madiot, Thierry (trombone)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [15'00'-23'30']
Performer: Madiot, Thierry (trombone)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (baritone
saxophone)
Recording date: 1993.07.22
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/118

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record 66 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1'25'-14'30']
Madiot, Thierry (trombone)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1'25'-14'30']
Performer: Madiot, Thierry (trombone)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (alto
saxophone)
Recording date: 1993.07.22
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
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record 61 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [19'20'-31'15']
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (acoustic guitar)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [19'20'-31'15']
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (acoustic
guitar)
Performer: Minton, Phil, 1940- (singer)
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.23
Live rec. indicator: live
Recording location: Place Theatre (London)
Performance occasion: Company Week
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record 62 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1.48'50'-2.00'25']
Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.48'50'-2.00'25']
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (soprano
saxophone)
Performer: Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
Recording date: 1993.07.22
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
This recording is incomplete, the
performance continuing for a further
6 seconds after the tape ended.
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record 67 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1.38'50'-1.45'40']
Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.38'50'-1.45'40']
Performer: Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Minton, Phil, 1940- (singer)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.21
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/117

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record 68 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1.33'40'-1.38'39']
Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.33'40'-1.38'39']
Performer: Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Minton, Phil, 1940- (singer)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.21
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/117

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record 69 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1.19'38'-1.33'15']
Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.19'38'-1.33'15']
Performer: Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Minton, Phil, 1940- (singer)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.21
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
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record 57 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [55'35'-1.00'45']
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric guitar)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [55'35'-1.00'45']
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric
guitar)
Performer: Byron, Don, 1958- (clarinets)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.24
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/121

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record 58 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [49'50'-55'28']
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric guitar)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [49'50'-55'28']
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric
guitar)
Performer: Byron, Don, 1958- (clarinets)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.24
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/121

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record 59 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [45'15'-49'30']
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric guitar)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [45'15'-49'30']
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric
guitar)
Performer: Byron, Don, 1958- (clarinet, bass
clarinet)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Recording date: 1993.07.24
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/121

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record 60 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1'48'-29'15']
Byron, Don, 1958- (clarinet)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1'48'-29'15']
Performer: Byron, Don, 1958- (clarinet)
Performer: Klapper, Martin, 1963- (amplified
toys, electronics)
Performer: Diagram, Andy (trumpet,
electronics)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric
guitar)
Performer: Madiot, Thierry (trombone)
Performer: Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (alto
saxophone)
Performer: Couldry, Nick (piano)
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Performer: Minton, Phil, 1940- (singer, male)
Recording date: 1993.07.23
Live rec. indicator: live
Recording location: London
Performance occasion: Company Week
FIND FORMAT: C229/120

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record 56 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [2'35'-14'45']
Diagram, Andy (trumpet, electronics)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [2'35'-14'45']
Performer: Diagram, Andy (trumpet, electronics)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric
guitar)
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Performer: Mori, Ikué (electronic percussion)
Performer: Madiot, Thierry (trombone)
Recording date: 1993.07.24
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/122

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 Outside In Festival
Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Thomas, Pat, 1960- (electronics)
Performer: Wand, Matt (electronics)
Performer: Oxley, Tony, 1938- (drums)
Recording date: 1993
Live rec. indicator: live
Recording location: Hawth Centre (Crawley)
Performance occasion: Outside In Festival
Item notes: Quartet improvisation.
Recordist: BBC
FIND FORMAT: H2510/3

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record 63 of 641 for search any words or numbers "derek bailey"

Improvisation [1.13'15'-1.48'15']
Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.13'15'-1.48'15']
Performer: Schulkowsky, Robyn (percussion)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (guitar)
Performer: Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (alto
saxophone)
Performer: Couldry, Nick (keys, electronics)
Recording date: 1993.07.22
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/118

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 Improvisation [1.01'30'-1.20'30']
Klapper, Martin, 1963- (amplified toys, electronics etc)
FIND WORK DETAILS: Improvisation [1.01'30'-1.20'30']
Performer: Klapper, Martin, 1963- (amplified
toys, electronics etc)
Performer: Madiot, Thierry (trombone)
Performer: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (electric
guitar)
Performer: Byron, Don, 1958- (clarinets)
Performer: Wilkinson, Alan, 1955- (saxophones)
Performer: Couldry, Nick (piano)
Recording date: 1993.07.22
Recording notes: Recorded on Sony PCM-2000 DAT
recorder with AKG D224E mics
Recording notes: Recorded at Company Week 1993.
FIND FORMAT: C229/118

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1994, NEW YEAR MESSAGES, Table of the Elements Guitar Series
Volume 2 TOE-SS-11 - Sodium (EP) (US) (released in 1994)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar and voice

1- New Year Message 1

2- New Year Message 2
3- New Year Message 3
4- New Year Message 4

January 1, 1994; London

Serie design and direction : Jon Malic.

Limited edition of less than 1000 on vinyl 7".

 TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS GUITAR SERIES
GUITAR SERIES VOL. I

TOE-SS-5 Keith Rowe City Music for Electric Guitar. 1993

TOE-SS-6 Davey Williams Firing Up the Old Sikorsky b/w
Requiem for Bosnia. 1993
TOE-SS-7 Jim O’Rourke Muni b/w Michel Piccoli. 1993
TOE-SS-8 Hans Reichel Variations on Jay. 1993
TOE-SS-9 KK Null Cryonics/Winter Solstice b/w
Memes. 1993
TOE-SS-10 Henry Kaiser Delirium b / w Homesickness. 1993

GUITAR SERIES VOL. II

TOE-SS-11 Derek Bailey New Year Messages 1-4. 1994

TOE-SS-12 Keiji Haino Guitar Works I-VIII. 1994
TOE-SS-13 Paul Panhuysen The Galvanos 7. 1994
TOE-SS-14 Lee Ranaldo Smoke Ring #5 b/w Travis 4,5. 1994
TOE-SS-15 Loren Mazzacane Connors Five Points. 1994
TOE-SS-16 Thurston Moore Starfield Wild b/w Earth/Amp. 1994

As auspicious cultural moments go, this one was a little sneaky. No one really knew
it was coming. Now, it looks suspiciously like something that had to happen a
cool idea, and like all cool ideas, a little ahead of its time, yet very much of its
time, if you were given to wearing the right kind of wristwatch. The year was 1993, a lifetime
ago in pop terms, still the very early Clinton Era, plenty of dreams yet to unwind, and the final
commodification of Alternative Nation waving from the near distance and an independent
record label had just set up shop in Atlanta, Georgia. Not exactly the grand locus of avant-
garde activity, but still Dixie enough to nourish a little ruckus-raising. And that, from the get-
go, was the purpose of Table of the Elements, a fact announced with its very first releases, a
collection of 7-inch singles which featured twelve masters of the electric guitar. Not
noodlesome masters, or Southern boogie masters, or jazz-wank masters, or new-folk revival
masters or any of that. This was more imaginative, more dangerous, more weird, more fun.
Here, guitars were not merely played. They were also abused, cheated, lied to, exalted,
obliterated, teased, tricked up, toyed with impetuously, trained to jump through flaming hoops,
obliged to sit up and behave, targeted for death, elected President, taken for a reckless betting
spree at the dog track, used in ways and for purposes few could possibly have imagined. It
was like something out of De Sade or D.W. Griffith. If either of them had an affinity for
stringed instruments, amplifiers and the act of lunging sun-drunk into the wild thickets of
bliss and blister that constitute the realm of free improvised music. No one would easily have
predicted that this was a harbinger of so much to come, a quiet revolution in noisy music (or
music about noise, or noise as music, or rock-based minimalism, or post-rock, or anti-guitar,
or sine waves from Planet X).

Table of the Elements was the first of its kind on the block, the first American label of its era,
to really root itself in a deliberate (yet playfully vague) aesthetic that embraced
avant/outsider/iconoclast/overlooked genius musical stirrings while also conjuring a slyly self-
conscious philosophical identity that was clearly and cleverly expressed in the way its discs
were designed and packaged. There was a whiff of conspiracy about them, a mystique of
sorts, that implied a Dispatch from Someplace Else. Itπs the type of record label that Thomas
Pynchon or Don DeLillo might dream up, as a way to give face to the fact that the world we
think we know, the histories they tell us we should accept, is only parallel to many other
worlds, each containing other histories. That which appears to be a recondite hymn in one
could easily be the populist anthem in another, and Table of the Elements arose on the premise
of flipping that script. But with a fine degree of subtlety, elegance even. These releases were
curatorial. Like individual pieces of a larger-scale art project, one whose fuller, lasting image
would reflect variations on the notion of what music should do (after Cage or after Hendrix or
after Ayler), particularly in the hands of performers so peculiarly individualistic that itπs hard
to imagine all of them fitting comfortably under any umbrella, let alone sharing one.

The Guitar Series was the square root of what has become one of the most impressive and
daring catalogs going. Itπs a road map, in a sense, not only towards the labels subsequent
triumphs and gambits, but also of much that would come to greater prominence in the nearly
10 years since its first releases. At the time, the notion of inviting a perversely eclectic array of
improvising guitar heroes (some legendary, some unknown) to record for 7-inch vinyl, a
genuine, jukebox-friendly single and not make a full-length CD, was offbeat. Capricious,
even. On one hand, there was yet no Vinyl Renaissance in effect. On the other, how
subversively tweaky indeed was any gesture that consigned such frequently gnarly, square-
peg eruptions to the ultimate in disposably round-hole pop formats, the 45 rpm (or,
occasionally here, 33 rpm) record. Was this the arcana, to paraphrase Claes Oldenberg, that
helped budding hipsters get across the street? It proved to be a great dinner party, one whose
guest list sparked with unexpected chemistry. Like the Algonquin Round Table, argued with
Orange amplifiers.

Volume One boasted British table-top guitar pioneer Keith Rowe (of AMM fame), the very
model of the postmodern-day avant-garde heavyweight, and Henry Kaiser, a slide-guitar
master adept at recreations of Pacific island musics whose travels far and wide had made him
a true cult figure; from Japan, the monstrous noise icon Kaziyuki K. Null, making an
extremely rare appearance on a U.S. label, and from Alabama, the unjustifiably obscure
improviser Davey Williams, a marvelously wicked player who has done much to strip away
pretense from the fa?e of the scene with his irreverent Southern sensibility. Germanyπs Hans
Reichel weighs in, a radical innovator from the early 70sπ First Wave of free improvisation;
and here, also, is Jim OπRourke, truly a household name these days thanks to his prolific
work as a producer, peripatetic collaborator and singer-songwriter, although the Guitar Series
single was then only his second solo U.S. release pre- Gastr del Sol, pre- Sonic Youth, pre-
Wilco, pre- Ubiquity, pre- Et Cetera. Quite a prescient call.

Volume Two of the series (assembled at the same time as Volume One and released a few
months later, April 23, 1994, to be precise, at the labels near-mythic Manganese Festival) was
equally visionary. Derek Bailey, another legend whose pathbreaking procedures
utterly reinvented guitar language, shows up in a surprisingly whimsical mood,
putting the lie to the cliché that all improv must be dry and high-falutin.

Sonic Youthπs Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore also make their presence felt, lending their
downtown NYC seal of approval to the project-at-large, and indulging in the kind of
mischievous clamor theyπve made an enduring stock-in-trade. Another New Yorker,
melancholic mood-scaper Loren Mazzacane (later known by the appended surname Connors)
offers his distinctively low-key sonic imprint, one that would come to wider appreciation in the
years to come. Paul Panhuysen, interpreter of long string instumental installations, forecast his
future full-length ToTE release. And, in one of those artistic coups that can justify such an
exhaustive effort on its own terms alone, the magnificent Keiji Haino makes his U.S.
recording debut, certifying for neophytes and addicts alike the vengeful grace of extremely
amplified guitar, one roaring with the mystery of a man who fell to Earth, only to hijack its
strangest frequencies. Taken individually, these recordings offer fascinating asides and
insights into the creative process of some of the most original musical thinkers of the 20th
century, post-Elvis division.
Each performance is like a phrase of audible graffiti, an instance of working-out that can either
be heard as a response to a novel proposal record a single or the seizure of a moment in which
radical style is given imperious free rein: an E-ticket ride in the Six Flags of Sound. That, in
and of itself, is remarkable. But heard as a cumulative shockwave of amplified ingenuity, these
short pieces suggest something more, well, elemental. Beneath the surface noise of
contemporary culture, the lockstep groove of technology and advertising, the jittery pulse of
global anxiety and the new world disorder, there is something unabashedly liberating about
cranking the volume behind some deviant fretnoise. Electric guitar, as someone once said, is
the enemy of the state.

Long live the revolution.

Steve Dollar New York City, 2002

1994, BANTER, OO discs 20 (UK) (CD) (released in 1995)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Greg Bendian : percussion

1- Scansion 07.41
2- Enmeshed 09.54
3- Banter 08.35
4- Select the bean 04.43
5- Here, say 05.37
6- Porous 04.37
7- Taut 06.54
8- The chatter wasn't 06.20
9- Crane grove and dark 05.19

Recorded 12 September 1994 at Tedesco Studios, Paramus, New Jersey.

Design and image processing by Rick Griffith Design; photographs by Peter Gravina.

ovely guitar/percussion duets. Bendian, best known for his Cecil Taylor affiliation,

L plays dumbeg, bongos, log drum, vibraphone, bowed cymbals, chains, glockenspiel
etc.
 O #20,Banter, features pioneering guitarist Derek Bailey and percussionist Gregg

O Bendian in a lively game of musical ping pong. WEBSTER's defines "banter" as a

way of "speaking in a witty teasing manner, a verbal rally," but on this release, Derek
Bailey and Gregg Bendian push the geometric limits of improvised musical exchange. They've
toyed with linear rhythm, they've rearranged the white space, and gone on to redefine and
reorganize the shape of melodic dimension and sonic possibilities. Gregg Bendian puts it this
way, "I don't want to create imaginary sound worlds... I want to create sounds you can taste.
Sounds you can walk into." Banter does this and more. It startles and plays with sound
images that are so alive they walk into the room and announce themselves. They don't take off
their hats. They don't bother to sit down. They just appear--with an attitude.

Derek Bailey. For years now, guitarist Derek Bailey has been a prominent figure in the
European free music scene. As the inventor of a new investigation into sound texture and
layers through electronic guitar variation, Bailey's exploration with free improvisation has led
to the establishment of Company, an international pool of free musicians, who play together
without forming a permanent group. This is where Bailey hooked up with Bendian, a
relationship that has culminated in OO #20, Banter.

Born in Sheffield, England in 1930, Derek Bailey began his career, playing wherever he
could--in dance halls, pit orchestras, backing almost anyone who sang--from Gracie Fields to
The Supremes, even playing in radio comedy and T.V. shows. Bailey was nominated for a
Grammy in 1982 for his recording View from 6 Windows: Metalanguage. Bailey has
recorded over 70 albums on different labels, including a large number on Incus. Today, he
lives in London and plays in solo concerts around the world. Mark Dery of GUITAR
PLAYER MAGAZINE said the following about Bailey: "All along the way, he's broken the
rules of melody, harmony, time and tonality. Skittering note clusters, clots of fragmented
chords and ever-mutating constrictions come from decades of experimenting with volume,
picking technique and the sonic potential of an untreated amp and guitar. Bailey has spent
nearly three decades perfecting what has come to be called 'extended technique' an eclectic bag
of tricks that includes right-hand effects ranging from flutter-picking to string scrubbing to
behind-the-bridge cluster chords, beating tones, chromatic passages, octave and unison
voicing, tritonic bursts, and more. He's extended the range of the guitar farther than anybody
I've ever heard."

Gregg Bendian. Percussionist Gregg Bendian's strong background and training in

classical music, combined with a quick-witted and sure-footed improvisational style that
brings weight and substance to the most protean music, has made him one of the most highly
sought after collaborators in new music. THE CHICAGO READER wrote about Bendian,
"He has a lot going on in his head, and this translates to the abundance of sonic information in
his playing. He can certainly swing with the best of them, but he can also shift to a
wonderfully multidimensional manner of sculpting noise that invites us to really taste the
sound of sticks hitting things..." Bendian first formed his unique new music/chamber/jazz
group, The Gregg Bendian Project, in the early eighties, and since he's continued to compose
and perform his own work, collaborating with such improvisational giants as John Zorn, Peter
Brotzmann and Evan Parker. In 1989 he performed worldwide with the Cecil Taylor Unit and
recorded on Taylor's InFlorescent for A&M Records. PULSE has said, "Banter is another
duet disc, certain to maintain Bailey's reputation as the Chet Atkins of the avant garde: a living
legend whose seemingly simple expression is a conduit from deep communication, musical
and otherwise." Together, Bailey and Bendian bring improvised jazz to new level, where the
only thing that is predictable is the unpredictable. This is heady music, and not for the faint-
hearted. Contents copyright 1996 O.O. Discs * DEREK BAILEY/GREGG BENDIAN:
Banter (Go Discs #20 CD)
G regg couldn't believe i had missed this one (seesh! i feel like i'm missing practically
everything these days), so he laid it on me only recently (i think it's been out for 5
years or so). Gregg loved this sesh, and i can see why: the monolithically influential
and prolific Mr. Bailey sounds really comfy and inventive in a manner which delights me to
hear. From duets with vibraphone/drums to ones with just a hand drum (!), the give-and-take
here is quite enjoyable -- more so by far for me than hearing the more cranked-out Derek
albs of late. In fact, Mr. Bailey's volume pedal only rarely brings the amp into the fray, and the
balance of acoustic/electric is near perfect. Well, maybe i'm not wholly objective, but i think all
of you Derek-Bailey-is-God-Euro-improv-rules folks better check this one out!

gain Bailey and a percussionist happily engage the task of constructing that Complex

A system of values, feelings, colors and concepts that eliminates the Need for
accompaniment and sez so much. His vocabulary of clicks, crashes, Wavers,
squarrgles (I can think of no other word), whines and harmonic Introversions constantly
grows and impresses. For Bailey, sound seems to be In part an entity unto itself. The
capabilities of any given instrument Should not limit ones goals; the guitar is just the
particular vehicle he has Chosen to go as far as possible. Certainly the structure of the guitar
does Not prevent him from tackling arabic/oriental tonalities, pianoish Resonations, or plucked
violin sensations. Naturally the percussion is a Wonderful concoction of layerings wiht bells
sticks wires chimes snares Cymbals all used in totally weird exciting ways. The idea of just
hitting the Object must be anathema to brendian, he'd rather breathe on it. Beyond Essential.

Gram White, KFJC new album review September 13, 1995

G uitarist Derek Bailey has long been prominent in the European free music scene and
in this CD he teams up with percussionist Gregg Bendian to push the limits. They
toy with linear rhythm, they redefine and reorganize the shape of melody and sound.
As Bendian says, "I don't want to create imaginary sound worlds . . . I want to create sounds
you can taste. Sounds you can walk into."
1994, SAISORO, Tzadik TZ 7205 (USA) (CD) (released in 1995)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

and the Ruins :
Yoshida Tatsuya : drums, voice
Masuda Ryuichi : bass

1- Yaginbo 05.59
2- Shivareyanco 05.58
3- Quinka matta 05.02
4- Odangdoh 05.34
5- Zomvobischem 05.46
6- Manugan melpp 05.37
7- Dhamzhai/Sytnniwa 21.58

Recorded September 1994 at Greenpoint Studio.

Design by Ikue Mori; design consultant Tomoyo T.L.; Cover photograph by Yamamoto
Hiromi.

peculiar thought: pairing the always-improvising British guitarist with the pre-

A determined craziness of the Japanese trio, Ruins. Surprisingly, this turned into one of
the finest collaborations of recent times, a unique, burning, rock sound. * Saisoro is
a rare meeting of the British guitarist Derek Bailey, one of the world's foremost improvisers,
and the amazing Japanese rock band Ruins, who have never before improvised on album.
Bailey and Ruins drag each other kicking and screaming into never-before-explored musical
territory.

One of the most important musical innovators of the '60s. Derek Bailey's original
improvisational style and unorthodox guitar technique has had a profound influence on new
music, particularly guitarists such as Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser. He has recorded over one
hundred albums and was a member of the Music Improvisations Company and the
Spontaneous Music Ensemble. As leader/organizer of Company, a revolving door
improvisational group, he has played with hundreds of improvisers ranging from Anthony
Braxton to Lee Konitz, from Cecil Taylor to Buckethead. Bailey has recorded for his own
Incus (UK) label as well as Shanachie, FMP, ECM, RCA, CBS, Island, Deutsche
Grammophone, Celluloid and many others. Along with the Boredoms, Naked City and very
few others, Ruins are masters of quick-change, stop/start tempos, time-signatures and textures.
Hardcore, psych, heavy metal, art rock, funk and lots more - if Ruins have heard it, they are
likely to incorporate it into their music. Yoshida cites Magma, This Heat, Debussy and
Webern as influences. Masuda's favorites are Fred Frith and James Brown.

O kay, so it's a strange teamup: Derek Bailey , the grizzled veteran of free-improv
guitar, and the Ruins, a Japanese bass-drums duo who usually play rock & roll and
had never improvised in the studio before this meeting. It may have been lunacy, but
it was lunacy of the inspired kind; Yoshida Tatsuya's frenetic-but-solid drumming and creepy,
otherworldly vocals give Bailey a lot to react to, and bassist Masuda Ryuishi runs along next
to him with infectious glee, frequently playing in the upper registers and sounding like a twin
guitar. The disc opens with the rocking "Yagimbo" and then moves into a more
impressionistic, almost pointillistic mode, with Tatsuya muttering, yammering and crooning
while Bailey makes his guitar sound like a robot being drawn and quartered. Excellent. Then
it gets better. "Odangdoh" is fractured and jerky in a surprisingly cool way, while "Manugan
Melpp" (were the titles improvised, too?) is beautiful in a surprisingly fractured and jerky
way. In fact, the key adjectives for the album as a whole may be "surprising," "beautiful,"
"fractured" and "jerky." Highly recommended, as long as you don't have a headache or a cat.

Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

T his disc is credited to "Derek and the Ruins"; it is the first of two CDs recorded by
Derek Bailey with the Ruins, a Japanese bass and drums combo (though the bassist is
different between _Saisoro_ & the 2nd album, _Tohjinbo_); the drummer also adds in
some energetic vocals at a few points. The Ruins play mostly using pre-set structures, while
Bailey improvises on top. It's an interesting album, which at its most energetic--the opening
track & much of the long last track--is quite absorbing, but it's something of a byway in the
Bailey oeuvre. I much prefer the more recent disc _Mirakle_, with Tacuma & Weston.

Two notes on the album's production. (1) The absolutely stunning cover-art is by the
drummer Ikue Mori--wonderful stuff. (2) There seems to be a peculiar running joke or
something in connection with Derek Bailey albums in which John Zorn participates as
producer or performer: most of them contain a large swatch of dead silence in the longest
track. (The most annoying instance of this is on _Harras_; there's another instance, mercifully
brief, on _Mirakle_.) This one is no exception, alas. Knock it off, John.

Reviewer: Nate Dorward from Toronto, ON Canada

Interesting., January 6, 2002
 ailey's stuff tends to be those twittery clicky marvels, but a thrilling, improbable

B alchemy results on this CD. A confident vengeful BEAST emerges. The phenomenon
of bailey ROCKING OUT is incredible. Major sections of completely ungovernable
territory thrive on this CD, big stretches of sonic lawlessness where you live by the howling,
bent note, and die by the growling, disfigured chord. Derek really does very little in the normal
way, it all gets a weird pick angle, or a improbable mute. It all goes tearing off in a rage of mad
strumming, flurries and power slides and reclines into twitters of the most sensitive delicacy
according to its own internal clock. The ruins bass is the ideal accomplice; as bailey goes over
the edge the bass destroys the bridge back. Forget the idea of bass, this is a stringed
instrument; weird feedback wails, detonal chord fingerings, screams of pain. The drums are
definitely a totally represented lead instrument, pounding out audio sports type funk or crazy
post-Boredoms/Hanatarash craziness wiht the ability to acknowledge what else is going on
and yet stomp all over it. Very serious music for 48 hour party people who need something
with "extra".

Gram White, KFJC new album review, September 13, 1995

ESSAY
Here’s a piece on Derek Bailey : The Aristocrats for WIRE magazine,
in the shops now

EPIPHANIES – DEREK BAILEY AND RUINS

A t the Royal Festival Hall in 1997, Derek Bailey played a double header with the
Japanese duo Ruins. I seem to recall a moment where septuagenarian genius, lost in
concentration, actually bumped into the back wall of the stage, his guitar making a
resonating clang. Looking down, he appeared to consider what had happened, and then
playfully bashed the instrument into the wall a second time. I laughed, and despite the wealth
of different responses Bailey’s music had already offered me, I never though it would
provoke laughter. But something great music shares with great comedy is the capacity to
surprise, to take us out of ourselves and engender a joyous, and not necessarily mean spirited
or cynical, laughter. I’ve subsequently learned Bailey once played in the pit band for
Morecambe and Wise, when they toured theatres before their 60’s and 70’s TV success.
Banging your guitar into a wall by accident, and then doing it again on purpose in a spirit of
clownish curiosity, seems to me like a classic Eric Morecambe move.

There’s a great documentary about stand-up comedy currently winning awards all over the
international film festival circuit. The Aristocrats, directed by Paul Provenza and Penn
Gillette*, shows sixty or so stand-ups telling a shaggy dog story enjoyed privately by
American comics, but never inflicted on the public. In essence, The Aristocrats, as the gag is
known, goes like this, and includes a central section which can be infinitely expanded and
altered. A talent scout visits a Broadway booker to sell him a new vaudeville act he has seen. It
involves a husband and wife, usually depicted dressed in formal finery, performing acts of
escalating obscene sexual violence on each other, and then on their children, and perhaps on
any animals, or birds, in the vicinity, to the accompaniment of sophisticated classical music, or
cabaret show tunes, or light opera, or whatever. At the end of this description, which Gilbert
Godfried is seen spinning out for over an hour, the baffled and sickened booker says, “That
sounds appalling. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to see that. What is this act
called?”, to which the talent scout replies, with a smile, or a wink, or an attitude of profound
regret, or a showbiz snap of the fingers and thumbs, “The Aristocrats.” It’s hilarious. But
perhaps you have to be there.
I’ve never subscribed to the idea that stand-up is, along with jazz and comic books, one of
America’s great 20th century art forms. This seems a blinkered and isolationist observation.
But The Aristocrats started to swing me. Halfway through, soon after one of the comics has
gone off on a tangent involving the father repeatedly slamming his penis in a draw for the
audience’s edification, somebody makes a case for stand-up’s relationship with jazz. The
distinct variations different performers can extrapolate from The Aristocrats tells us that stand-
up is about ‘the singer not the song’. Just as John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things is different
to the Julie Andrews version, so George Carlin’s Aristocrats, told with a world-weariness that
suggests he has been compelled against his will to relate this horrible event, differs vastly from
Billy Connolly’s, which is delivered with typically infectious relish.

Carlin, a Fifties Catskills hack, turned Sixties radical, turned elder statesman of American
stand-up, wisely draws the distinction between ‘shock’, a term that comes with pejorative
overtones, and ‘surprise’, which has no obvious moral dimension. Though the endless
variations in different versions of The Aristocrats mainly involve stacking up increasing levels
of scatological or sexual symbols, what’s really making us laugh is the pleasure of surprise,
of things being simply unexpected and wrong, of reversing the usual order of things. Surprise
is the reason a one year old child laughs if you put a shoe on your head. Shoes are for feet,
not heads. Even a baby has a sense of inappropriate behaviour. Respectable looking families
shouldn’t smash their genitals into draws on stage in the name of entertainment. And guitars
shouldn’t be banged into walls by elderly musicians, and then banged again. But how exciting
it is to not know what’s going to happen next? Sometimes Derek Bailey’s music makes me
feel like a kid on a roller-coaster. And Carlin, like some Native American shaman-clown,
makes the need to subvert expectation, to continually surprise, sound like an artist’s Holy
Obligation.

It seems to me there are two broadly different approaches to stand-up, and by association to
all art, each with their own strengths. At commercial British comedy chains like Jongleurs or
The Comedy Store, performers tell you about your life, and things that always happen to you,
and you may feel comforted by this. Go beyond the usual venues and you may see acts
advance ideas that would not normally have occurred to you. In his book, Improvisation,
Derek Bailey assumes a position in opposition to the very act of musical composition itself.
But there’s a kind of social need both for songs we can all sing, and for jokes about buses
always being late, and men being different to women, and dogs being different to cats. Only
the most extreme Wire subscriber would deny the potential of all-embracing, utilitarian art. It
just that all-embracing, utilitarian art tends to be a bit shit. When millions wept for their own
mortality after the death of Princess Diana, all they were offered was an Elton John song with
the words changed a bit.

Great art, whether it’s laboriously crafted or spontaneously generated, tends towards the
surprise factor that Carlin describes, and Bailey embodies. Derek Bailey is bold enough to
refuse to gloss his work with emotional signifiers, just as George Carlin doesn’t tell jokes as
if they’re supposed to be funny. Both make us do the work, and we get the reward of
appearing to surprise ourselves. But the breakthrough moment, for me, of seeing Bailey bash
his guitar into the back wall of the RFH, was realising that I could be made to laugh, against
my will, in an atmosphere of high seriousness, in the temple of culture, by the simple childlike
joy of surprise. Derek Bailey, it seemed, was giving me permission to laugh.

STEWART LEE
1994, HARRAS, Avant, AVAN 056 (Japan) (CD) (released in 1995)

Derek Bailey : guitar

John Zorn : alto saxophone
William Parker : double bass

1- Morning harras 10.18

2- Noon harras 08.59
3- Evening harras 36.00

Recorded September 1994 at Knitting Factory, NYC.

Design by Ikue Mori.

H
ere are three master improvisers cutting loose, going for the jugular. Derek Bailey,
one of the father figures of free improvisation, the ubiquitous and indefatigable
bassist William Parker and iconoclastic composer/saxophonist John Zorn met one
night in 1993 and fortunately a digital tape recorder was present. This was the result. A text
book of improvisational interaction or a no-holes-barred assault -- you decide. An essential
document of free improvisation at its best.

J
ohn Zorn's squawking, post-bop invective brings out Derek Bailey's rowdier side in
thispopular Knitting Factory date from 1995. "Morning Harras" begins with a reflective
prelude, its solemnity underscored by the Mingus-like gravity of Parker's double bass
and by Bailey's plangent plucks and stabs. Once Zorn's blowing picks up to full gale-force
strength, Bailey seems to be all but mashing his way across the fretboard in response to the
saxophonist's hyperbolically articulated lines. "Morning" has broken, and HARRAS rarely
lets up from there. "Noon Harras" builds from a soft bustle of trio activity to a hectic climax.
Zorn's darting and provoking cries circle higher, like an inquisitive gull surveying a hotel
demolition, crumbling Bailey's composure, ruffling Parker, and precipitating avalanches of
concrete-gray dust and rubble. Vertiginous bass turns offset Bailey's tingling harmonics as
"Evening Harras" opens. Zorn is at first a barely felt presence, but his spiraling bop
exultations soon leap from the improvisatory clatter. His playing is energetic, fluid, and
euphonious--an excellent musical foil for Bailey's terse and somewhat obstinate phrasing. The
resulting 23-minute romp achieves a wonderful atmosphere of open interchange. Don't miss
the hidden track, a brilliant solo Bailey benediction.

m not really a fan of John Zorn. His hairpin mood shifts that characterize the Naked

I' City stuff and the screeching torture music of Painkiller both put me off. On the other
hand I adore Derek Bailey and William Parker is a spectacular bassist. You should
here some of his work in the Die Like a Dog trio with Peter Brotzmann and Hamid Drake.
Thus, I thought it was worth the risk of enduring Zorn's horn. I was pleasantly surprised to
find that when stripped of his compositional interests in pain and cartoons Zorn is a very
astute and lyrical improvisor. Don't make any mistake here. This is free improvization and
hence bound to sound like noise to anyone not familiar with its conventions, but Zorn
manages to sound not only palatable to me but pleasant and I intend to look into more of his
albums to see if there is more work like this. Bailey's playing fits in between perfectly and this
group works together. He does have a solo section at the end of the first track, which is the
best part of the album. This is probably the best work of a group this size I have heard him in,
much better than "Arcana: The Last Wave" for example, not to mention "Sign of 4". I heartily
recommend this.

Reviewer: fdl1 from Buffalo, NY United States

Good Stuff, May 5, 2001

T owards the end of the Zorn/Bailey/Parker CD "Harras," the track "Evening Harras"
has about 10 minutes of silence, followed by a section of what seems to be Bailey
solo. Is this a mistake?

The final track consists of 23 minutes of trio (cut off abruptly, followed by 5 minutes of
silence, followed by 8 minutes of solo guitar. Peter Stubley.
"According to Derek Bailey, the abrupt cutoff was planned. Derek wanted to end it "on a
high". The Bailey solo material appended after the silence was apparently Zorn's idea."

Thanks to Peter Stubley and Lynn Rardin.

A stellar trio of free improvisers, each respective kings of the avant-garde jazz scene in
different capacities. British improvisation legend Derek Bailey has played with
practically every musician of note in the European improvised music community
from the early '60s through to the end of the century and is arguably one of the single most
important practitioners in the genre. John Zorn is similarly an extraordinarily influential figure
in the American avant-garde music scene and William Parker is a leading solo performer and
bandleader who carried free jazz through the late half of the century into new dimensions. It's
a wonder that it took until 1993 for this improvisation dream-team to unite as a trio. Evidently
the candid session that took place on a night in New York resulted in a chaotic collision of
ideas. With the performers being such strong voices individually, the abundant ideas fly in
and out of the picture with no apparent regard to form; the session evolves from tepid
beginnings into a no-holds-barred, rapid-fire assault on the senses. Fans of ultra-high-energy
free improvisation will find it a delight to hear these three masters sparring on this one-off
collaboration, making Harras a vital historical document which requires the gumption of a
hardened avant-garde music fan to take the whole recording in one listen.

Skip Jansen, All Music Guide

1994, RAPPIN & TAPPIN, Incus CD 55 (UK) (CD) (released in 2003)

Will Gaines : tap dancing, voice

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

1. Solo 06.50
2. Go way back 03.15
3. Basically 03.19
4. Making money 06.05
5. Applause, applause, applause 03.32
6. Duo 09.21
7. Glidin 06.36
8. Rappin 06.29
9. Tappin 10.07

Recorded at Oostrum Church, Holland, 1994.

Layout and design by Karen Brookman.

B ritish-resident American tapdancer Will Gaines, a legendary Harlem hoofer from the
swing era, celebrated his 75th birthday recently, in the company of musicians from all
over the jazz spectrum.

Most bizarrely, the extraordinary Gaines loves working with the free-improvising guitar
pioneer Derek Bailey, and this 1994 live recording in Holland catches the dancer's quicksilver
footwork, percussive variety, uncanny ability to suggest familiar tunes, and strange symbiosis
with Bailey.
Gaines taps while chattering animatedly on about Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and the 1940s
entertainment business for the first half of the set, and duets with Bailey's abstract metallic
snaps, stealthy strummings and sliding dissonances for the second.

As if hypnotised by Gaines's inventiveness, Bailey sounds more conventionally swinging than

usual, though maybe it's the dancer's ability to turn every sound he hears into swing. Gaines is
also startlingly atmospheric in minimalist, slow-moving settings such as Glidin', quickly
intensifying them with his airy energy. Bizarrely irresistible.

John Fordham, Friday September 12, 2003, The Guardian

C réé en 1970 par Tony Oxley, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey et aujourd’hui uniquement
géré par ce dernier, entièrement dévolu à l’improvisation libre (à quelques exceptions
près), Incus a édité 52 albums vinyle (tous plus ou moins devenus des pièces de
collection) et son catalogue compte aujourd’hui 57 CD, 8 CD-R et 5 vidéos.

(...)

L’autre duo de cette série, formé depuis plusieurs années avec le danseur à claquettes africain-
américain Will Gaines, peut d’une certaine manière être lui aussi considéré comme un duo
guitare-percussion. Né à Baltimore en 1928, Gaines a joué au sein du Cab Calloway Cotton
Club Show, ainsi qu’avec Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr etc., avant
de s’installer en Grande-Bretagne dans les années 60. La première moitié de “Rappin’ &
Tappin’” est un solo de claquettes qui s’apparente en effet à un solo de batterie de jazz
(disons, de caisse claire avec des sonorités de rimshots) basé sur le tempo, le swing et le
groove, agrémenté de changements de rythme, de figures, d’intensité et de couleurs. Parfois,
Gaines parle tout en dansant — des réflexions sur les techniques des claquettes, sur l’ancien
temps, sur Bill Robinson, Basie, Blakey etc. — (le Britannique a lui aussi réalisé des
enregistrements, comme le merveilleux “Domestic & Public Pieces” sur Emanem, où il joue
tout en parlant). Quand il le rejoint à la guitare électrique, on sent Bailey poussé à adopter un
jeu “rythmique” (à sa manière) et à relancer Gaines avec une frénésie réjouissante sur son
propre terrain.

(...)

A 74 ans, Derek Bailey demeure un trublion inamovible des musiques vivantes.

Gérard Rouy

ncus's formal CD catalogue grew at a modest pace in 2003, with the addition of these

I two, very different but equally offbeat discs (though this is only part of the story: many
of the label's releases nowadays are CD-Rs that are only available direct from Derek
Bailey). Rappin and Tappin features Bailey and the American tap dancer Will Gaines, a
veteran of the swing era who has been resident in Britain for many years. Their musical
relationship has been documented several times before, on the video Will (an English concert
from 1995) and on the CD Company in Marseille (from 1999); Rappin and Tappin is actually
earlier than either of these, being drawn from a 1994 concert in Holland. The first part features
Gaines alone, reminiscing about his life and about great tap dancers from Bill Robinson to
Baby Laurence while his feet put on a furious, non-stop show. On occasion he breaks into
demonstrations of the stylistic changes in tap dance's history or shows off his uncanny ability
to convey a tune with just his footwork; more often, though, he works in his own intricate,
scatterbomb style, which is sometimes almost beyond the ear's capacity to follow. Gaines'
voice should have been miked more precisely - it shoots back and forth between the speakers
and snaps in and out of focus - but this is a small quibble about a beguiling, ultimately rather
moving performance. Bailey enters for the second set, playing electric guitar. His rhythmic
precision is brought to the fore in this situation: his sense of placement is so exact that it can
give you the illusion of hearing off-beats even in free-time. All the familiar Bailey devices are
present - the mouth-puckering chords that twist suspended in the air or sink in like a stain, the
use of the swell pedal to elude rather than come after the listener, the curtly chopped chords,
the busily detailed picking kept at the edge of clear audibility by a drop in amplification -
while, as always, subtly recast in response to the unusual musical context. This is one of
Bailey's most purely sympathetic partnerships on record in recent years (it feels odd to say
that of a man who's recorded some memorably cussed duet albums), and it's an album
emphatically not to be dismissed as a curiosity.

John Fordham, September 12, 2003. The Guardian.

G od knows how I got from Number Of The Beast to a recording of tap-dancing in

barely 20 years but fuggit, here I am. Rappin & Tappin is actually an inspired and
rewarding set, joining the dots between two improvising talents who manoeuvred
their way to freedom from the heart of dancebands (Gaines was a member of Cab Calloway’s
Cotton Club Revue and opened for people like Eartha Kitt, Nat ‘King’ Cole and Sammy
Davis Jr) and further expanding Bailey’s radical concept of totally free improvisation by way
of his sonic responses to the unlikely raw material of Gaines’s percussive codes. The first few
tracks feature Gaines alone, moving from bombastic two-foot build-ups that almost sound
progressive to beating out trap patterns straight out of Art Blakey’s songbook. Alongside the
tapping, Gaines reminisces about his time working with various jazz musicians in clubs and
the combination of rhythm demonstrations and oral testimony means this part of the disc lines
up nicely with Baby Dodds’ Talking And Drum Solos set.

However, it’s the second half of this live recording that’s the real gravy, with Bailey playing
an amplified acoustic with a pedal, accompanying Gaines’ dancing with warped metal wows,
ramping chords and delicate – almost swinging – patterns. It’s always weirdly illuminating to
hear Bailey working with a percussionist who plays time, and there are points here where
Gaines’ footsteps sounds like Han Bennink’s floor work, while at others it sounds most like
the rain on Bailey and Min Tanaka’s great Music And Dance recording. Either way, this is a
consistent dazzler.

© 2003 - 2005 bagatellen

ArtCal - East Village / Lower East Side - Sloan Fine Art - Stefa... http://www.artcal.net/event/view/6/7688

Stefan Saffer, Derek Bailey

And Will Gaines, One
Guitar, Two Shoes And
Countless Holes
Sloan Fine Art
East Village / Lower East Side
128 R v ngton Street, 212-477-1140
September 17 - October 11, 2008
Open ng: Wednesday, September 17, 7 -
9PM
Web Site

Conditions d'utilisation

Image
Courtesy of Sloan Fine Art

“I think of this exhibition as a jam session between an artist, a musician and a tap dancer. You can join in with
whatever you bring.”

Stefan Saffer had the pleasure of seeing Derek Bailey perform live on three occasions before the jazz musician’s
untimely death in 2006. Each show was a completely unique and pure experience, inspiring the artist to strive to
recreate in his own work the intense momentum of thought, experience, knowledge and wisdom he felt watching
Bailey. This initial inspiration led to the eventual “collaboration” one guitar, two shoes and countless holes.

For this exhibition, Saffer creates and arranges his intricate cut out and folded works on paper around a video
performance of Derek Bailey and legendary tap dancer Will Gaines. The installation, dynamic as a whole, is
comprised of individual works, each with its own momentum and mood, an improvisation inspired by, and in
homage to the experience of losing oneself in ones art while inviting others to lose themselves in the final
creation.

Stefan Saffer’s work has been exhibited worldwide at galleries including Kate MacGarry in London, Andrea
Rosen in New York and Villa Grisebach Gallery in Berlin. He earned his MFA from Goldsmiths, London and has
received several prestigious grants and awards including Art for Architecture Award from the Royal Society of
Architecture UK and the Whitney ISP Program. Currently, Saffer lives and works in Berlin.

Running concurrently with one guitar, two shoes and countless holes, new paintings by Jill Simonsen will be on
view in the gallery’s project room. Simonsen travels extensively throughout the United States photographing the
architectural landscape. She then breaks the images down to their purest forms to create her bold, flat acrylic on
canvas interpretations. Simonsen earned her BFA from Penn State University. She now lives and works blocks
from the gallery in New York City's Lower East Side.

(c) 2004 2008 Tristan Media LLC All images and content provided by galleries and artists remain © the gallery and/or the individual artist

3 sur 3 03/09/08 11:07

1994-2001, IN CHURCH, Solo Guitar Series, No.1, (UK) (Incus CDR)
(released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : solo guitar

1- Oostrumchurch, Holland in 1994

2- St Michael and All Angels, London in 2001

Different times, different places, all previously un-issued.

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.
Strictly cottage industry. You send £10 or $15 U.S. we burn your CD-R and send it to you.
We pay postage

ncus records is historically one of the very first improvised music labels in England.

I Originally created by Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Tony Oxley and a fourth person
bringing some money upfront it later became Bailey and Karen Brookman’s affair. It
would be more than one reason for us to listen and study some of their releases and
particularly their vinyl editions in the 70’s which for few of us had reached some sort of
perfection in both content and format.

Back to CD and actual activities of the label here are some more records. Another Incus line
recently started consisting of CDRs, the serie’s called »From the store« and for about 15
Euros (post included) you’ll get directly a signed copy of pretty amazing unreleased tapes.
Three guitar solos in our case, # 1 »In Church« (1994 and 2001), # 2 »South« (1999) and # 3
»Different guitars« (70’s to 92). The thing is that I honestly don’t know any bad Derek
Bailey record. Each improvisation, due to its own nature and process of playing actually,
contains the same sort of integrity, acquity, sharp and fast thinking. I could even go further
and state that for me this unique, and that no other great free players ever reached something
like that. That also means that once you entered the process it’s hard not hear it all.

(…) Noël Akchoté. Mon 22. Dec. 2003

As written on the CD-R

1994-2002, VISITORS BOOK, The Sideline Series (UK) (Incus CDR)
(released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : guitar with other musicians as indicated in the track titles

Domestic recordings :

1- 2002 with Antoine Berthiaume, electric guitar 08.00

2- 2000 with Ingar Zach, percussion 11.09
3- 1999 with Tony Bevan, bass saxophone 16.59
4- 1994 with Will Gaines, tap dance 04.03
5- 1995 with Oren Marshall, tuba and John Butcher, tenor saxophone 08.44
6- 2002 with Sonic Pleasure, bricks, THF Drenching, dictaphone
and Alex Ward, clarinet 11.39

Cover artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

Post Production : Toby Hrycek Robinson

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry. You send £10 or $15 U.S. we burn your CD-R and send it to you.
We pay postage

No recording information; however, the following have been provided by Derek Bailey:
‘VISITORS' BOOK’ BY DEREK BAILEY AND VARIOUS AR... http://homepage ntlworld.com/fenland_hi-brow/VISITORS'%20...

‘VISTORS' BOOK’ BY DEREK BAILEY AND VARIOUS ARTISTS (CD-R) 2002-- SYNOPSIS
– REMARKABLE SETS RELEASED AS PART OF BAILEY'S 10.00 BURN-ON-DEMAND "A
SIDELINE FROM THE STORE" SERIES. INCLUDING AN 11-MINUTE PIECE RECORDED AT
THE INCUS H.Q. AS WAS IN HACKNEY BY BAILEY, T.H.F. DRENCHING, SONIC PLEASURE
AND ALEX WARD: A CLEAR PREMONTION OF THE LIMESCALE TO FOLLOW, AND WELL
WORTH A LITTLE PEEK TO THOSE WHO LIKE THAT KIND OF THING.

DIVERT TO INCUS RECORDS FOR DETAILS ON HOW YOU TOO CAN OWN THIS SPLENDID
AND WORTHWHILE COMMODITY

HOMING

1 sur 1 3/23/06 9:34 PM

Sleeve notes : "One of my playing pleasures is provided by the visitors who turn up at my
home to play. This has been going on for years and most occasions are not recorded. Some
are; this is a selection of those. My thanks to everyone involved."

Derek Bailey

As written on the CD-R

1994, EXTENDED PLAY: Sounding Off from John Cage to Dr.
Funkenstein by John Corbett, Duke University Press. Book.

25 authors, artists and critics

including

Derek Bailey : Free Retirement Plan, pages 228 to

246

360 pages
25 b&w photographs

ISBN 0-8223-1456-8
[ISBN13 978-0-8223-1456-1]

ISBN 0-8223-1473-8
[ISBN13 978-0-8223-1473-8]

In Extended Play, one of the country's most innovative music writers conducts a wide-ranging
tour through the outer limits of contemporary music. Over the course of more than twenty-five
portraits, interviews, and essays, John Corbett engages artists from lands as distant as Sweden,
Siberia, and Saturn. With a special emphasis on African American and European improvisers, the
book explores the famous and the little known, from John Cage and George Clinton to Anthony
Braxton and Sun Ra. Employing approaches as diverse as the music he celebrates, Corbett
illuminates the sound and theory of funk and rap, blues and jazz, contemporary classical, free
improvisation, rock, and reggae.

Using cultural critique and textual theory, Corbett addresses a broad spectrum of issues, such as
the status of recorded music in postmodern culture, the politics of self-censorship,
experimentation, and alternativism in the music industry, and the use of metaphors of space and
madness in the work of African American musicians. He follows these more theoretically
oriented essays with a series of extensive profiles and in-depth interviews that offer contrasting
and complementary perspectives on some of the world’s most creative musicians and their work.
Included here are more than twenty original photographs as well as a meticulously annotated
discography. The result is one of the most thoughtful, and most entertaining, investigations of
contemporary music available today.
 "One of the most important aspects of Corbett’s trawl along the musical fringe is that it denies
the genre definitions that usually constrain music books—this is not a book about jazz or rock or
art music but about all of them. It is precisely this which enables him to address the broad
questions about the effect of technology, globalization, etc. on our sense of what it is to make and
listen to music. An outstanding work—lucidly written, well organized, engaged, and intelligent.
It is certainly one of the most stimulating books on music I've read in the last couple of years."—
Simon Frith, author of Sound Effects and Music for Pleasure

"Fascinating and at times brilliant, Extended Play addresses a number of issues that circle
around ‘music’ in ways that are new and stimulating, and explores them with wit, intelligence,
and sophistication. Corbett is an important thinker, as well as a good journalist—a rare
combination."—John Szwed, John Musser Professor of African and Afro-American studies,
American studies, Music, and Anthropology, Yale University

"Yes, contemporary musical creativity is alive and well and well-celebrated in this valuable
book. Great music that often has audiences of three people is here discussed along with great
music that has audiences of thousands."—Michael Snow, film, sound, and visual artist, and editor
of a collection of essays, Music/Sound

John Corbett is a a regular contributor to such magazines as Down Beat, Option, The Wire, and
New Art Examiner, and his scholarly work has appeared in October, Stanford Humanities
Review, and Semiotext(e). He teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and hosts two
weekly radio programs.

Reviews

“Extended Play is a poststructural tour de force.”

Steve Sweeney-Turner, The Musical Times

“Corbett has honed in on some of the most intriguing music happening today and his discussion
is never less than lively, intelligent, and politically concerned.”
Ben Watson, The Wire
CCCP 4 Poetry Archive http://www.cccp-online.org/archive/cccp04/page_02.html

Contents
Peter Hughes : Ode On Hearing Simon Fell Play

Fanny Howe : "Inked-in"

Pierre Alferi : "Non-lieu carrelé blanc ouvert la nuit de plain-pied sur la rue"

Grace Lake : The Brown & Mace Noterace Brain Shrinkage & Expanded Consciousness

R.F. Langley : No Great Shakes

Peter Riley : XXVI. LXXIV.

Olivier Cadiot : 29.

Iain Sinclair : At Yeats' Tower

Derek Bailey : Touché Tony

Simon H. Fell : Improvisation Op 29

Ben Watson : Sun Ra In Zurich

D.S. Marriot : The Binding

Michael Haslam : Magic Pudding

Barbara Guest : Is Not Your Property

David Chaloner : "A daub's smudge catches a garment's hem."

Jacques Roubaud : Ce Que Disait Le Poème

© the authors, 1994

published by

Cambridge Conference of Contemporary Poetry

to accompany a weekend of readings and performance at Kings's College (Keynes Hall &
Chetwynd Room), Cambridge

22-24 April 1994

front page next: Peter Hughes

1 of 1 10/15/06 12:18 PM
CCCP 4 Poetry Archive http://www.cccp-online.org/archive/cccp04/page_11.html

Derek Bailey
Touché Tony

The Y-lactones (171) and (172) were identified by spectroscopic means; the absence of signals
due to a methyl ester or SEM group in the 1H n.m.r. spectrum and the appearence of an
absorption at 1762 cm-1 in the infrared spectrum signified the formation of the -y-lactone ring.
The E geometry of the 10,11-double bond was deduced from the chemical shift and coupling
pattern of the 10-H proton which was deshielded by the coplanar lactone carbonyl (87.50) and
which appeared as a doublet of doublets with /10,9 = 12 Hz and /10.11 = 16 Hz. In addition,
the 11-H proton also appeared as a doublet of doublets with /11,10 = 16 Hz and /11,12 = 7 Hz.
from: The Synthesis of Complex Macrocyclic Molecules.
Simon Bailey (1993)
communicated by Derek Bailey
contents previous: Iain Sinclair next:Simon H. Fell

1 of 1 10/15/06 12:17 PM
1995, INCUS TAPS, organ of Corti 10 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, voice

1- Tap 1a 08.34
2- Tap 1b 02.25
3- Tap 2 a-b 03.49
4- Tap 2c 02.33
5- Tap 2d 03.39
6- Tap 3a 05.17
7- Tap 3b 06.37
8- Tap 4 a-b 04.07
9- Tap 4c 04.38
voice track ; unacknowledged in CD booklet 08.34

Recorded Spring 1973, except final track (no details), recorded by Bob Woolford and Martin
Davidson.
Improvisation 102, Improvisation 103 and Improvisation 105 were originally released
separately on reel-to-reel tapes, in individual boxes by Incus; the origin of Improvisation 104
as a reel-to -reel tape is less sure and, in fact Improvisation 104b has appeared on Lot 74.
Re-release in 1995 as CD of some early Incus reel-to-reel tapes and in 2001 as 220 Gram
Vinyl. DMM Quality Pressing. Limited Edition. Corti 10 LP.
M any if not most of Derek Bailey's fans will be surprised at the existence of these
extremely early solo recordings, originally issued by Incus back in 1973...the
'Taps' represented a unique but very short-lived experiment in marketing. Basically,
Derek decided it would be interesting, cheaper and 'less formal' to issue some of his favorite
recent solo improvisations in a reel-to-reel format, one at a time; custom made so to speak.
Tony Mostrom.

T his CD rescues some of those lost reel to reel tracks and is an absolutely fantastic
archival issue of some forgotten genius.

M any if not most of Derek Bailey's fans (I was going to write "hardcore fans," but
aren't we all?) will be surprised at the existence of these extremely early solo
recordings, originally issued by Incus back in 1973. Even for a label as unorthodox
as Incus, the TAPS represented a unique but very short-lived experiment in "marketing";
basically, Derek decided that it would be interesting, cheaper, and "less formal" to issue some
of his favorite recent solo improvisations in a reel-to-reel format, one at a time; custom made,
so to speak: "just copy them if somebody wanted to buy one". Each copy was made on 1/4"
tape on a 3" reel, and came in its own 3-1/2" square box. (Needless to say, these limited
edition originals are virtually unobtainable today.)

This long-overdue re-issue of the Incus TAPS onto CD fills a major hole in the recorded
catalogue of Derek's work and captures (now forever) a sadly under documented early period
in the development of one of the most original, total reinventions of a major musical
instrument of this century. The TAPS represent an early highpoint of Derek's solo guitar
music, a flowering of innovation that followed a period (1970-71) of concentration on
"building up an atonal language", as he put it to Melody Maker in 1973 (as, as he summed it
up in his 1980/92 book Improvisation: It's nature and Practice in Music: "I wanted to know if
the language I was using was complete, if it could supply everything I wanted in a musical
performance. The ideal way of doing this... was through a period of solo playing".

Indeed, it is quite a leap from the small, pointillistic "miniatures" heard on Derek's first solo
record, Incus 2 (1971), (revolutionary as that record was and is), to the full-throttle tours de
force of continuous invention unleashed here, two years later. The unprecedented, shocking
newness of Bailey's arsenal of rattling discourse had some writers for the local music press
grasping for words to convey what was happening under the noses of glitter-rock obsessed
London: "Derek Bailey is without doubt the most original guitarist I've ever heard... his
playing is such a giant step forward that it's almost impossible to detect any early influences at
all" (Ken Hyder, 1973). Or this: "There are just a handful of sounds in the world which
appear as prophecies for the distant future of music. Some of these are Nico's 'Marble Index'
album, Terry Riley's 'In C', and practically everything played by Derek Bailey" (Richard
Williams, 1971). "Bailey is as close to a musical genius as any I know" (Michael Walters).

Early descriptions of him as a "post-Webern improvisor" correctly cited one of Derek's

acknowledged influences as well as the real parallels between the two men's largely self-
created musical languages - radical atonality and extreme compression of musical statement,
tone clusters and mixed extremes of timbre - in a foreign word, Klangfarbenmelodie - though
in reality, of course, they don't sound like each other (in fact, of the two, I'd rather listen to
Derek's percussive, gut-level barrel of sounds any day).
Maybe it's fitting that, like all of Webern, these early improvisations are short; you might
laugh, but as someone who has hummed his favorite Bailey passages for years, I find an
almost song-like, or at least compositional quality in some of these pieces (TAP 1 comes to
mind first). Naturally, the climactic second half of TAP 3-a brings to mind a similar unified
passage that occurs halfway through his solo record of the following year, Lot 74 (though the
music on that album, at least the first side, sounds literally soft-pedalled almost from start to
finish), but has a breathtaking dramatic intensity, foreshadowing the equally mind-blowing
single-note concentrations/assaults on that other extreme Bailey rarity, the privately issued
cassette Music and Dance (1980).

TAPS 4 are among Derek's earliest solo pieces of the loosen-up-the-bass-strings variety, and
are better than food. I guess you could say I like this music. Praise to the Cortical Foundation
for reviving TAPS and making them permanent. I think they'll outlast TV, quite frankly.

Tony Mostrom Los Angeles August 1995

J ust when you thought you had no interest in yet another randomly-plucked note from
the fingers & mind of Derek Bailey, along comes this re-issue, which is as essential as
anything else this Limey improv genius/goofball has ever sent down the pike.

Organ of Corti has done a rather nice service in burning this music onto CD, as it was
originally released by Incus not on ultra-rare limited-edition vinyl, but in an ultra-rarer and
more-limited edition of reel-to-reel tapes, back in 1973. The casually entertaining liner notes
go on about how early this is for documentation of Bailey solo, and it is, but I have an Incus
CD called Derek Bailey Solo Guitar Volume I that was recorded in 1971, and even features,
among several form-destroying (natch) improvisations, Bailey trying his hand at compositions
(!) by colleagues like Misha Mengelberg, Willem Breuker, and Gavin Bryars.

Both that CD and this one (Solo Guitar Volume I) are stuffed full of solo electric guitar
playing, Bailey sitting in a chair while the big hollow-bodied stringed thing in his lap hums
and glows with a life of its own, coughing and spitting as our bespectacled experimenter
whacks and whittles away at its strings, working a volume pedal all the while to create a now-
you-hear-it-now-you-don't instability. I personally think that these early-70's electric guitar
improvs are the best thing Bailey has done solo (preferable to -- believe it -- much-acclaimed
all-acoustic works like Aida). There's something primitive, psychedelic, and even warm-and-
caressing about the way his amplified sounds float, buzz, and hover that really tucks me in,
big-blanket style.

This CD even features a "bonus track" -- an absolutely bizarre thing that features Bailey
talking, apparently trying to create an English-language oratorical equivalent to his guitar
playing. Thus, he uses identifiable words (just as his music uses mostly identifiable guitar-
notes), but whenever it sounds like he's going to complete a phrase he cuts himself off,
doubles back, or slightly changes the subject, so that after 8 minutes of talking he's spoken a
lot of words and near-phrases, all without completing a single extended familiar statement.
(Sample transcription: "Nothing could give me ... any greater pleasure ... than ... um ... it's not
often ... that I feel that it's necessary to uh ... [big inhale] ... I mean occasionally one does want
... to uh ... to express something ... but it's not, I mean apart from the fact that the opportunity
doesn't always ... offer itself ... well ... that's not uh ... let's not beat about the bush, sometimes
you can't think of what to say ... ah ... but there are ... there are occasions ... when it's not as
difficult as other times and ... the flow of words ... and this I feel, is an opportunity that I
would like to ... well ... let me express myself in ... I don't see why it should be a lengthy ... a
lengthy or ... verbose ... uh ... explanation ... I think I mean if I could just ... come to the point
... exactly what I--PRECISELY ..."). And so on. As this is going on, Bailey even plays back a
recording of what he had just said and talks over that (shades of Alvin Lucier sitting in a
room). This little spoken-word chestnut creates a valuable context for Bailey's demanding
music -- that of a mildly cranky and very British sense of a humor.

By M. William Silcock

T his CD re-issue of Derek Bailey's original reel-to-reel recordings --they were made by
Bailey as an early attempt at D.I.Y. marketing, in that they were made and sold
individually on quarter-inch tape on three-inch reels and sold in three-and-a-half-inch
boxes -- is a wonder. While it's true that Bailey had made earlier records of his experimenting
with his atonal language, these pieces (all of them brief, all called "Taps," and all numbered
from 1 a to 4 c) represent his first fully developed microcosmos of his reinvention of the
guitar, particularly the electric guitar as an instrument for improvisation. Like Anton Webern
before him, Bailey approached the construction of his language with two things in mind: a
radical, compressed atonality that would literally squeeze the power from music onto the
grooves of a record or into the performance space, and mixed, relentless extremes of timbre
and dynamics. The "Taps" are all articulations of Bailey's newfound linguistic power on the
instrument, and offer no explanation for their outrageous departure from his earlier work
(1971's Incus 2) in their aggressive approach to the underlying structure of dissonance and
attack. For the uninitiated, a few selections might be enough at one sitting -- so completely
alien is this music to anything like it before or since. But for the Bailey fan, these recordings
will come as a welcome addition to the library and a wonderful representation of a criminally
under-recorded period in Bailey's development.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

T his CD re-issues some of Derek's earliest solo recordings, originally released in now
completely unobtainable format in 1973 onto numerous 1/4" reels. Each contained up
to 10 minutes of music and came in its own 3 1/2" square box. Until now this has
been a sparsely documented period in the career of the bloke who quietly reinvented in his
spare time the way the world approaches the playing of the guitar. Comprised of nine short
experimental pieces for electric guitar, Incus Taps is a wonderful insight into exactly how far
ahead of the rest of humanity Bailey was at this point in time. Remember 1973? I remember
Marc Bolan on Top of the Pops. This is the CD to play at your next 1970s party. Surely were
evolved enough by now.

Andrew Moon
NewMusicBox http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=1

Matter - Analysis

Off the Record! A Hyper-History of American Independent New

Music Record Labels
Organ of Corti
Published: June 1, 1999

Gary Todd's Los Angeles-based label Organ of Corti, part of his larger Cortical
Foundation, has so far presented the music of only a handful of artists: Terry Riley,
Hermann Nitsch, Derek Bailey and the Los Angeles Free Music Society. But each of
these projects has presented some of the most unique and iconoclastic music to be
heard today, and in the case of Riley, the work done by Cortical has been of
unparalleled importance in filling in critical gaps and lost works in the composer's
body of work.

"The formation of Cortical Foundation hinges on experimental music of the 20th

century with a particular emphasis on the artists that emerged in the 1960s," says
Todd. "Cortical Foundation was founded on the premise to restore recordings by
catalytic artists of the '60s such as Riley, Cardew and Bailey. Recordings that were
never available or relatively unknown characterize most of the efforts."

So far the output of the recording arm of the Cortical Foundation, Organ of Corti,
has stuck a balance between composed music and improvisation. But this holds true
to the label's emphasis on the revolutionary music of the '60s, in which distinctions
between the composer's intent and that of the performer were often routinely
blurred.

A staunch non-idiomatic free improviser, British guitarist Derek Bailey has

nonetheless created a consistent and instantly recognizable ouevre through his
many recordings. Organ of Corti initiated its activities by releasing two CDs of
Bailey's music, one of which, Incus Taps (CD 10), contains the guitarist's rarest
recordings of all: a series of four open-reel tapes made to order in a short-lived
subscription series originally released on Bailey's Incus label. Todd made his first
new recording of Bailey in December of 1998, with a historical reunion in the studio
of the trio Joseph Holbrooke, one of the most important early free improvisation
units in the U.K., comprised of Bailey, percussionist Tony Oxley, and bassist (now
composer) Gavin Bryars, soon to be released on Corti.

Likewise, the music of the Los Angeles Free Music Society took no heed of any
genre or category. Influenced by Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa's Mothers of
Invention, and the newly arrived San Francisco group The Residents, the
constituents of the LAFMS matched new music technique to punk rock attitude in
the otherwise complacent L.A. music scene of the early '70s. Such units as
Smegma, Le Forte Four, the Doo-Dooettes, and Airway gleefully ushered in a
musical apocalypse, garnering precious little attention at home or elsewhere, but
now lionized by a subsequent generation. "The unearthing of the LAFMS recordings
is experimental rock history at its most historical and hysterical -- a completely
bizarro and further-out counterpart to the L.A. punk scene," stated Sonic Youth's
Thurston Moore, a leading expert in the history of art-damaged rock music
offshoots. Matching the recklessness of the scene itself, Organ of Corti originally
issued the music of the LAFMS in The Lowest Form of Music, a 10-CD box set and
an 11-CD signed and numbered edition, later issuing a single CD sampler,
Unboxed.

16/08/08 12:36
NewMusicBox http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=146

It is for the work done on behalf of Terry Riley, however, that Organ of Corti has
gained its most widespread recognition. Todd has spent a period of years restoring
the Riley tape archives and tracking down tapes long missing and presumed lost
forever. From these activities has emerged a series of recordings granting
exceptional insights into the early years of a composer only recently and gradually
accepted into the pantheon of great American composers. The early work reveals
how much Riley's muse was beholden to jazz, psychedelic rock and tape
manipulation, in addition to the widely-reported influence of Indian raga. It is one
thing to read about such early influences, but another thing entirely to be able to
actually hear, at long last, the development of one of America's most important
contemporary voices. Three discs of Riley's early music have now been released
(CDs 2, 3 & 4), with two more due soon and at least one further volume in the
planning stages.

One further artist currently represented in the remarkably idiosyncratic Corti catalog
is the German composer/philospher Hermann Nitsch. His Island Sinfonie of 1980 is
currently available in a 4CD boxed set that won raves from reviewers late last
year. Outstripping the scope of that piece, however, is a subsequent work, Nitsch's
magnum opus, the Orgies Mysterian Theater, a "happening" that takes place over
the course of a full six days, recorded in August of last year for future release. The
work incorporates some of the most compelling myths and parables of antiquity, as
well as a hefty and terrifying component of graphic ritual (including the slaughter
and disembowelment of three bulls). "The work is intended to arouse all of the
senses," says Todd. "And the music serves a vitally important role in creating a
hypnotic mindset for the rest of the ritual to take place."

From Off the Record! A Hyper-History of American Independent New Music Record Labels
by Steve Smith
© 1999 NewMusicBox

NewMusicBox © 1998-2008

1
1995, BOOGIE WITH THE HOOK, Leo LR 242 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1996)

Design by Eugene Chadbourne.

Eugene Chadbourne in duets with :

1- Whisky and women, duet for giant bass autoharp and Communist banjo 08.15
2- Han Bennink and Eugene Chadbourne 05.13
Han Bennink : pizza box, giant bass autoharp,drum set
Eugene Chadbourne : National dobro, Communist 5 string banjo
Recorded in various Dutch locations, 1990.
3- In search of Carl LaFong 08.05
4- Raking a chance on love 01.47
Derek Bailey : guitar and comments
Eugene Chadbourne : Deering 5 string banjo and electric rake
Recorded in Den Haag, 1995.
5- In between comme C and come saw 13.18
Charles Tyler : baritone saxophone, Bb clarinet
Eugene Chadbourne : guitar
Recorded in New York City, 1977.
6- The banjo duet 14.37
Volcmar Verkerk and Eugene Chadbourne : Deering 5 string and
long neck banjos, Korean banjo
Recorded in Amsterdam, 1996.
7- Red lightning part 1 17.16
John Zorn : alto and soprano saxophones, Bb clarinet, game calls
Eugene Chadbourne : guitars and personal effects
Recorded in New York City, 1980
Eugene Chadbourne
1995, THE THUNDERCLAPS CD, nr. 1, X-OR FR3 (CD) (released in
1996)

Various musicians in duo with Eugene Chadbourne :

1- Instant discoveries nr. 1 02.52

Derek Bailey, guitar, voice; Eugene Chadbourne, voice, banjo, rake

Recorded on 13 January 1995. This track later released on Rectangle L.

2- Safari, from 'Where is the green parot?' 04.55

Peter Cusack, bouzouki, tapes, live electronics.

Recorded 26 April 1996

3- Charles Ives Study no. 20, Even durations - unevenly divided [1908] 07.33
played by John Snijders, piano.

Recorded 17 Febrary 1995

4- Instant discoveries nr. 2 11.53

Sludge 2000 [Stephan Wittwer, guitar; Marino Pliakas, bass;
Lucas Niggli, drums

Recorded on 29 March 1996

5- Joanna Stepalska Valse macabre [1995] for tape and double bass 03.00
played by André Dienske, double bass

Recorded 17 Febrary 1995.

6- Huib Emmer, live electronics: The twist [1994].

Recorded 13 January 1995.

7- Sainkho Namtchylak, voice: Slow morning 03.01

Recorded on 17 February 1995.

8- Instant discoveries nr. 3 16.58

Luc Houtkamp, tenor saxophone, Misha Mengelberg, piano;
Gert-Jan Prins, percussion

Recorded on 26 April 1996.

9- Only a mother
Frank Pahl, banjo, vocals; Marco Novachcoff, cello;
Bobbi Benson, bass, Doug Gourlay, percussion

Recorded 26 April 1996.

Artwork by Henry van Kleeff.

The Thunderclaps CD : recorded live at the Den Haag Korzo Theatre.

I mprovised music recorded 1995 – 1996 by a variety of performers. These include Derek
Bailey (guitar, voice) & Eugene Chadbourne (voice, banjo, rake): 'Introduction, Instant
Discoveries nr. 1'; Peter Cusack (bouzouki, tapes, live electronics): 'Safari, from Where is
the green Parrot?'; John Snijders (piano): 'Charles Ives, Study no.20, Even durations -
unevenly divided, 198'; Sludge 2000 (Stephan Wittwer, guitar, Marino Pilakas, bass, Lucas
Niggli, drums): 'Instant Discoveries nr. 2'; Joanna Stepalska (Andre Dienske, double bass):
'Valse Macabre' for tape and double bass; Huib Emmer (live electronics): 'The Twist'; Sainkho
Namtchylak: 'Slow Morning'; Luc Houtkamp (tenor saxophone), Misha Mengelberg (piano),
Gert Jan Prins (Percussion): 'Instant Discoveries nr. 3'; Only a Mother (Frank Pahl, banjo,
vocals; Marco Novachcoff, 'cello; Bobbi Benson, bass; Doug Gourlay, percussion): 'A Little
Blackout'. Limited edition of 500 CDs.
1995, TOUT FOR TEA!, Rectangle L (France) (10") (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Eugene Chadbourne : banjo, rake, guitar

1- Never go round
2- Concerto
3- When he sings
4- Promo interview

Sleeve says recorded on 2 January 1995, no location. However, The first part of 'Promo
interview' is identical to Instant discoveries nr. 1 on X-OR FR3 which was recorded at the Den
Haag Korzo Theatre where the date is given as January 13, 1995. And later in 'Promo
interview' Chadbourne refers to Friday the thirteenth, 1995.

Released as a 10" vinyl LP.

D eux disques 33 tours, au format 25 centimètres, viennent rappeler l'activité du label

Rectangle. Deux duos de guitaristes, enregistrés comme à la maison ou en concert,
sous pochette cartonnée, un bon poids de vinyle, une conception rapide de la
production, une durée idéale, autour de la demi-heure, pour ce type de musique. Deux disques
en forme d'objets vivants, qui traduisent par ailleurs une certaine forme d'urgence dans leur
conception artistique.

Dans 'Tout for Tea !', du Britanique Derek Bailey et de l'Américain Eugène Chadbourne, c'est
une dialogue ludique, une peu branque, plus acoustique sur la face 1, plus électrique sur la
face 2, que les guitaristes entament. Chadbourne qui mène le jeu, chantonne, balance des notes
dans tous les sens, tandis que Bailey, très intuitif, avance en parallèle. On s'y amuse, tout en
gardant la tête plongée vers ce fameux inconnu sans lequel la musique devient un art fixé et
figé.

Dans 'Réel' un autre Britannique, Fred Frith, et le Français Noël Akchoté façonnent un
univers plus diversifié de cordes frottées, de boucles rythmiques, de guitares 'préparées', avec
des éclats, parfois des moments d'absence, témoignage d'un concert à la Maison du livre, de
l'image et du son de Villeurbanne, qui depuis quelques années reçoit les musiques non
consensuelles. C'est abstrait, raisonné par endroit, construit par à-coups. Dans les deux cas il
s'agit de musiques improvisées, pas de solos léchés, pas de swing marqué, pas de vélocité à
l'épate. Les amateurs de guitare au premier degré peuvent passer leur chemin. Ici la recherche,
l'exploration des timbres, de l'échange sont mises en jeu pour atteindre la capacité à s'oublier
au profit du collectif - ramené à deux. En ce sens le jazz n'est pas loin.

Sylvain Siclier, Jazzman n° 35, Avril 1998

ifficile de ne pas trouver attachant un joueur de banjo punk, âgé d'un peu plus de

D quarante ans. Eugene Chadbourne a toujours été de toute façon un peu à côté de ses
pompes. Du genre à porter des T-shirts Simpsons dans des festivals de musique
sérieuses, à faire monter sur scène ses deux adorables fillettes pour pousser la chansonnette, à
faire des solos de râteau en remettant en place sa coiffure de bargeot. Jusqu'alors habitué à
distiller une country dégkinguée que ne renierait pas Jello Biaffra, il est aujourd'hui à
l'honneur sur le label de Quentin Rollet (saxo de Prohibition) en compagnie du guitariste
Derek Bailey. Ce drôle de duo iconoclaste fout la rouste aux virtuoses des six cordes,
distillant dans un foutoir la country 2000, noise et suave.

Marie-Pierre Bonniol, Rocksound , mars 98

nregistré sur une période d'environ 18 mois, ces trois duos réunissent des

E protagonistes connus pour certains parce qu'ils font des musiques quasiment
inaudibles pour un jazzfan moyen ; pour d'autres (dont je fais bien évidemment partie)
ces musiciens incarnent la plus absolue jouissance que peut donner ce bizarre instrument
appelé guitare et ses dérivés cousins (banjo, cordier...), à partir du moment où elle n'assure pas
un rôle rythmique ou mélodique pur. Ce qui ne veut pas dire qu'il n'y a point ici de mélodies,
elles sont simplement plus suggérées que littéralement affirmées. A défaut d'unité dans ces
trois disques mais aussi à l'intérieur de chaque disque, une grande variété de 'climats' nous est
donnée à entendre. Sur les LPs Rectangle, on est saisi d'entrée par l'aspect Workshop de la
démarche. Après avoir joué Never Go Around de façon très mélodique Derek et "Blue Jean"
Chadbourne bluegrassent sur Concerto et When He Sings mais évidemment ce n'est pas du
Bill Monroe, ça dérappe assez vite, quant à Promo Interview, c'est la grande déconnade, un
Derek apparemment très sérieux dans son discours voit "Blue Jean" lui répondre à la Laurel,
petite voix nasillarde. Ce disque ayant été enregistré un 2 janvier, peut-être les deux compères
étaient-ils encore sous le coup des copieuses libations ?

10" vinyl is rarely used for improv. Work issued on this format is naturally
shorter than on CD, requiring a different approach from the musicians. It also
means that the music can be more flippant or thtowaway - after all 7" and 10"
vinyl are the classic disposable pop / rock' n' roll formats - and there is certainly plenty of
jokey humour on display here. Akchoté (one of the label's owners) want to encourage the
burgeoning improv / fringe-rock scene. The choice of musical combinations reflects this, both
10"s featuring rock / improv guitarist pairings that work (un)surprisingly well. Chadbourne
and Bailey hit it off imediately, not only in their relaxed banter (the like of which is rarely
heard on improv CDs) but in their playing, which is so well combined that it's often
impossible to tell who's playing what, a sign of great improvisation if ever there was one.

Jim Barker, Rubberneck n° 27, July 1998

F or the last few years, my old buddy Eugene has been on a roll. Less comedy &
politics, more legendary free-jazz guitar prowess. Both gigs & releases are getting
better. His duo tour/cd with Paul Lovens, reunion gig with Zorn, and his Insect &
Western free/bluegrass unit all show him to be the master he really is. This duo w/ Bailey is
another fine release. Commencing with mostly acoustic guitars, there is a nice balance of free
& playful episodes, with Eugene occasionally breaking into a line or two of vocals. There are
excursions of free-form guitar freak-outs, as well. Funny speech by Derek closes this ep.
Good vinyl & simple b & w cover. $12. for French import.
1995, WILL, Incus VD01 (UK) (video) (released in 1996)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Will Gaines : tap dancing

1- Pedal extremities 17.43

2- TTTTTTTTTTTTT 03.42
3- For Edward Wood Jnr 04.27
4- Will aloft 02.30

Video of duo with Will Gaines. Recorded 10 and 11 May 1995 at the Montage Gallery,
Derby (10 at a concert; 11 private filming).
Video production by Tom Harvey and Russ Slack; sound recording by Paul Tyson.
Covers of first videos were individual; design by Karen Brookman.

T his new Incus video features unusual duets between Derek and renowned dance
virtuosos. Gaines is a tap dancer, and really elevates Bailey into some aggressive
territory (on electric guitar). (…) professionally shot and recorded, and if you've never
been able to see Bailey live, probably the next best thing for insight into his physical
approach.
1995, THE LAST WAVE, DIW 903 (Japan) (CD) (released in 1996)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Bill Laswell : electric 8 string bass
Tony Williams : drums

1- Broken circle 11.03

2- Cold blast 08.16
3- The rattle of bones 07.56
4- Pearls and transformation 16.25
5- Tears of astral rain 08.06
6- Transplant wasteland 08.32

Recorded at Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn NY, April 1995.

Design by Arai Yasunori.

D own Beat (8/96, p.52) - 3 stars - Good - "... follows the formula he (Bill Laswell)
used with Ronald Shannon Jackson and Peter Brotzmann in Last Exit... juxtapose
rock-friendly African-American drumming and European free
improvising...Williams lays down steady rock beats in place... Bailey throws out extreme
noise terror over the top on electric guitar..."
O ption (1-2/97, p.76) - "...all expectations about this meeting of the gods have
beensatisfied....Together, these three make instantaneous sense out of some of the
least likely combinations of sound ever..."

J azzTimes (3/97, p.101) - "...raucous, unique music that sounds like it's presented in the
order recorded, and one hears, or imagines to hear, the musicians getting a handle on
things asthey progress....an extraordinarily successful set, one of Derek's best, but really
a significant group improvisation."

A magnificent POWER trio.

by milkbaby
Jul 05 '00 (Updated Jul 10 '00)

Pros: Brilliant drumming by Tony Williams! Super loud and raucous music from highly
skilled and individual musicians.

Cons: This is the only album by this lineup of musicians.

Recommended: Yes

A rcana is one of those Bill Laswell supergroup collaborations -- like Material and
Praxis -- where the lineup from album to album varies, and the only constant is
usually the presence and guiding touch of Laswell as producer. The Last Wave sees
bassist/producer Bill Laswell teamed up with two legends: Tony Williams who made his mark
as a young virtuoso jazz drummer in the 1960's and Derek Bailey who is an idiosyncratic
free-improvising guitar player.

Tony Williams was one of the most radical percussionists in the new wave of jazz that dawned
in the 60's. He played on a number of the greatest jazz albums from that decade including Eric
Dolphy's Out to Lunch, Andrew Hill's Point of Departure, Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage ,
and a whole bunch of Miles Davis albums as a member of Davis's fabled 'second quintet'. He
was one of the progenitors of jazz fusion when he founded the band Lifetime which included
John McLaughlin, Larry Young, and Jack Bruce.

Derek Bailey played guitar in seminal free-improv groups such as Joseph Holbrooke (with
Tony Oxley and Gavin Bryars) and Spontaneous Music Ensemble (with John Stevens, Evan
Parker, et al.). With Evan Parker and Tony Oxley, Bailey founded the Incus record label
dedicated to free improvisation recordings. He also organized a series of yearly concerts
called 'Company Week' at which a number of musicians would improvise together. Bailey
describes himself as a 'non-idiomatic' improviser -- he does not consciously draw upon pre-
existing musical traditions such as classical, country, jazz, or rock guitar but prefers to play
what comes to his mind at the moment. This can lead to a lot of 'out' music as Bailey plays
atonally with no regular rhythm and without any standard harmonic basis. To the uninitiated,
free-improv can sometimes devolve into what is derisively termed 'plink-plonk' music/noise.

These two genuinely talented musicians alone would be an explosive mix. To add Bill Laswell
would seem to be adding fuel to the fire, and that is exactly what you get on The Last Wave.
This is essentially Tony Williams's return to the jazz-rock aggression he developed with
Lifetime, whereas for Derek Bailey it's a rare foray into a rock-influenced atmosphere. Bailey
is not influenced by rock, but he responds in a more aggressive manner and is just plain loud -
- he has to be loud to be heard over Williams's explosive drumming.
On the opening track, "Broken Circle", Bailey's intro is an atonal swipe at the guitar strings
which is quickly followed by Williams's patented cymbal attack, thudding bass drum, and
snare rolls. Laswell enters with sustained bass tones providing atmosphere but later reacts to
Williams by mimicking the snare roll on his electric bass. While Williams and Bailey run
amok playing free time, Laswell tries to provide a harmonic backdrop to hold it all together.
The tension keeps building and building without resolution.

"Cold Blast" features Bailey letting his chords decay slowly so you can hear the ringing
harmonics. He almost sounds like a super-slow motion early-period Edge (guitarist of U2).
Williams plays low on the kit avoiding his usual cymbalistic shows of skill. He swings it
more heavily on the bass drum and toms.

Williams and Laswell aren't afraid of locking into a heavy funk beat as they demonstrate on
"The Rattle of Bones". In what seems to be a concession to Bailey, we finally hear some of
his patented 'plink-plonk' guitar on "Tears of Astral Rain". Williams mirrors Bailey's every
movement as Laswell plays intermittent fuzz bass buzzes in the background.

Some listeners might argue that Laswell's bass is the glue at the center, but I feel that he's
more of a moderating force. Williams and Bailey are wild and free but Laswell keeps them
from getting too self-centered. At times on other albums, it seems like Bailey is either not
listening or too strongly personal, but here his improvisations are placed in the overwhelming
musical settings provided by Williams and Laswell which seem to mold Bailey's contributions
into the context of the music. Bailey hasn't undergone a radical revision of his methods; it's
just that he has to play louder and more aggressively to keep up his end of this lively
conversation. Derek Bailey manages to remain Derek Bailey here -- all his idiosyncrasies
remain intact yet this manages to be one of his most energized performances in recent
memory. Tony Williams, rest his soul, shows that he was just as powerful as ever. Even
though he was one of the most skilled and forward-looking drummers around, his drumming
here remains a pure elemental force. Bill Laswell exhibits his talent for synthesizing, being
original only by dint of bringing together different methods, genres, and viewpoints.

The follow-up 'Arcana' album, Arc of the Testimony, did not include Derek Bailey but
substituted a number of other musicians like saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Byard
Lancaster, cornetist Graham Haynes, and guitarists Nicky Skopelitis and Buckethead.
Unfortunately it was Tony Williams's last hurrah as he died before production on the album
was completed. Although his drumming is a powerful force on the record, the heavy-handed
production of Laswell mars this second album, drowning it in too much of Laswell's
obsession with the drone and langorous atmospheres. Plus, it sorely misses the chaotic
influence of Derek Bailey's guitar playing.

The Last Wave is not easily pigeonholed as a typical jazz, rock, or free-improv album. It
manages to roll aspects of all three into its thunderous soundscape. There's no regular song
structure here -- but logic is derived from the communal mind of three improvisors playing
together in real-time. This is a rare improv record that headbangers will enjoy. (I would
definitely recommend this album to any Sonic Youth fan.)
Around 1995 or 1997, BILL LASWELL. 3 DVD set. ???? Released ???
1995, GUITAR, DRUMS 'N' BASS, Avant AVAN060 (Japan) (CD)
(released in 1996)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

D.J. Ninj : drum programming

1- N/JZ/BM [re-mix] 03.33

2- RE-RE-RE [up-mix] 01.35

3- DNJBB [cake-mix] 13.46

4- CONCRETE [cement-mix] 07.02

5- NINJ [de-mix] 11.29

6- PIE [amatosis-mix] 01.38

The 'jungle' CD. Bass and drums recorded spring 1995 in Birmingham, England; guitar
recorded September 1995 at Bill Laswell's studio, NYC.

Cover design by Arai Yasunori.

The full story of the (non)recording of this CD can be read in an interview between Derek
Bailey and Stefan Jaworzyn.
B ailey on guitar in tandem with UK Junglist DJ Ninj who provides the drum
programming (he's performed in similar capacity for recent albums with Buckethead
and Laswell). Ninj's drum and bass framework is fairly rudimentary for the genre, but
Bailey is in a pretty flailing mode, dropping some of his heaviest sheets of sound, and if it
doesn't always particularly "work" it's not like anyone is gonna care anyway! The press
release from Japan probably best sums it up: 'flashing groove beat you down!!!'"

O ne of the founding fathers of the British "Free Jazz" movement along with luminaries
Evan Parker and Lol Coxhill, Derek Bailey continues to explore new and somewhat
unchartered territory. This recent release on the Avant label teams Bailey up with
longtime Bill Laswell associate, "The Ninj." "The Ninj," (one assumes it's a nickname)
handles the drum and bass samples. While not a "true" trio format by any means (and unlike
Bailey's "Arcana," which featured Laswell and the late Tony Williams), this release primarily
focuses on Bailey's grinding, crunching guitar with electronic drums and bass serving as the
underlying rhythm. It works to an extent.

Bailey is in classic form here. His trademark harmonically rich chord structures are evident
along with his keen sense of improvisation. The first cut "N/JZ/BM" is explosive! Bailey
turns up the volume and grinds his guitar into submission. The freedom and space Bailey
creates is quite remarkable. The Ninj uses drum samples quite effectively, twisting turning,
altering the tempo and keeping pace. Cuts two through six are virtually the same in format and
context.
Here lies the problem. I was anticipating variations of themes, tempos and general craftiness.
The approach remains consistent and seems monolithic. This vehicle could have expanded
into something more diverse. The constant drum machines and nondescript bass lines do not
fluctuate and tend to indicate stagnation. The drum samples / machines create an air of
sterility.

Frankly, by cut three I was getting bored. Needless to say, Bailey's terrific articulation saves
this CD from total disaster. The Ninj has appeared on several recent Laswell ambient / dub
projects. His sense of rhythm is in dispute; owever, the sounds he creates never seem to
waiver. There's a certain sameness which may suffice for "the background" but doesn't fare
well for a project of this nature. In an intimate setting / trio format, there is generally nowhere
to hide. All in all, Bailey shines throughout despite the repetitive nature of the compositions /
improvisation. I would recommend this CD to the devout Bailey fan, but those who are
curious but not familiar with this great musician may want to check out Bailey's recent CD
with guitarist Henry Kaiser for starters instead (It cost more than $20 at a major retail chain
outlet). Reviewed by:

Glenn Astarita

o one could accuse veteran improvisational guitarist Derek Bailey of being out of

N step with the times. 1996's GUITAR, DRUMS 'N' BASS finds him embracing the
flavor of the day by wrapping his electrified string-rakings around a barrage of
programmed bass and breakbeats. Bill Laswell associate DJ Ninj provides the standard-issue
drum-and-bass, his rolling beats and basslines taking a back seat to Bailey's skittish fretboard
fireworks. "Ninj (De-Mix)" and "Re-Re-Re (Up-Mix)" see Bailey challenging the physical
impracticality of playing along with the barreling, breathless rhythms of jungle. He deftly
keeps time with chunky chords and agile arpeggios on the former and with stuttered
harmonics on the latter. Elsewhere, Bailey's honed intuition leads him to ignore Ninj's
contrivances and venture out upon sure-footed improvisational legs. "N/JZ/BM" buries the
DJ's cumbersome breakbeats under a heap of Bailey's bristly, distorted scribblings. The
composite "DNJBB (Cake-Mix)" moves in and out of phase with Ninj, more often
subscribing to Bailey's distinctive free-meter template. GUITAR, DRUM 'N' BASS, while one
of the most ambitious mutations of its ilk, is far more rewarding as a Bailey album than it is as
a slice of de rigueur jungle.

D erek Bailey , who was in his mid-60s when this disc was released in 1996, is
generally recognized as the elder statesman of avant-garde guitar; his former students
include the hugely influential Fred Frith, and he has made particularly notable
records with Evan Parker, Steve Lacy and John Zorn . He mostly records on his own Incus
label, but for this album on Avant he teamed up with DJ Ninj, a well-regarded drum'n'bass
artist, to create what may be the first program of guitar/breakbeat duets. It's a brilliant idea, and
one that should have worked much better. As it turns out, the problems are as much technical
as musical: Ninj's beats are thin-sounding and mixed too far back, giving the percussion
sound a certain off-hand flavor. Bailey plays with his usual ferocity, skirling out ideas at such
a rate that it's hard to keep up -- at times, he even plays in tempo with DJ Ninj's double-speed
breakbeats, a feat that is impressive physically, not to say musically. But in other places he
sounds hesitant, as if baffled by the clattering torrent of rhythm. The programming itself is a
little perverse: "DNJBB" is a long, episodic piece with frequent silences that make it sound as
if four or five consecutive tracks had all been written on the same breakbeat. There are many
valuable and exhilarating moments here, but it's frustrating to think how much better this disc
could have been if more care had been taken with it.

Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

B ack in stock and at a much more reasonable price thanks to the new domestic
distribution of Zorn's Japanese Avant label... Again, this is the critically-disputed love-
it-or-hate-it record featuring British guitar improv legend Bailey "dueting" with DJ
Ninj (who some might recall contributed the beats to Buckethead's jungle disc). Probably --
heck, definitely -- a record that will appeal much more to Bailey fans than jungle buffs.

A n interesting idea that sounds as good as it sounds. Taking the heady, freeform
improv guitar of Derek Bailey and splicing it to the skittering jungle of DJ Ninj
makes quite a pairing; one that simultaneously contrasts and compliments. Bailey
playfully fucks with time signatures and "notes" (moreso, sound) as Ninj lays down the
lowdown bass throb and epileptic drum pitters with grid-like precision. A nutritious aural feast
for the mind and body. You can blank out and shake it to the beat, or stay tuned for quite a
cerebral treat.

DK (Web)

I f you've never heard of Derek Bailey - and the chances are you have, or you wouldn't be
reading this - then you ought to know that not only is he the most inventive and
imaginative guitar player on the surface of the planet, he's also one of the finest
musicians working in any kind of music today.

Which is not to say that he provides happy bedtime listening, although you could play some
of his more reflective acoustic stuff as a prelude to putting the head on the pillow. Bailey
pretty much reinvented the guitar during the late Sixties, devising an improvising technique
that relies neither on pretty tunes nor a lulling backbeat. Every note counts. His music is a
constantly shifting, twanging, pinging, humming texture of sound, which those who've had
their ears tutored by a little exposure to 20th century classical music won't find utterly alien,
but which fans of what is laughably still referred to as "jazz" may be disconcerted by. Mr.
Bailey is now 70 years old and as creative as ever (as I can personally confirm, having heard
him in concert last night), and his determination to play whatever he wants as long as it sounds
good has seldom been so startlingly confirmed as on this album.

A few years ago he apparently started to play along with local drum'n'bass stations on FM
radio, because he happened to find the energy invigorating, or something. John Zorn heard
about it and put Bailey together with a young English DJ named DJ Ninj, the idea being that
Ninj would programme some backing tracks and Bailey would improvise over them. The
result was released by Zorn's Hip's Road label as this album, a manic, crackling clatter of
repetitive rhythm and utterly non-repetitive improvisation. It spits energy out of the speakers
and is the snarling, evil shadow of the kind of somnolent noodling that contemporary jazz
guitar fans have learned to be indifferent to. (Hats off here to Pat Metheny, the only quasi-
mainstream jazz figure who's had the guts to play with Bailey.) A thoroughly unlikely record,
but a brilliant one.

A musician always on the move, June 17, 2000

Reviewer: lexo-2 from Dublin, Ireland

M aybe I just take such things as MELODY or HARMONY for granted, but, well,
this music (if it can be called that) is really just prefabricated drum 'n' bass beats
with noisy and completely dissonant chords on top. Well, kudos to you, Derek
Bailey, for making chords SO dissonant, that there were no inklings of true harmony
interwoven within (I probably heard a fifth in there somewhere... though my telephone can
make better music). Each song title has, in parentheses, completely meaningless phrases like
"cake mix" (the only song I have an inkling of liking on this cd). Most artists only use the
word "mix" when making a remix of a song. Not this artist! He is SO AVANT-GARDE that
he uses words differently than normal humans! Talk about artistic!

Alright, maybe I am a little biased. I have not found a good drum 'n' bass album yet (I am
looking!), though I realize the potential of such a style. I also have a dislike for avant-garde
music. I will say it right here: if you like conventional music, you will be so horrifically angry
at this album you will probably torch it. If you like jazz (I think it sounds a little like jazz, and
yes, I like and listen to a lot of jazz) then you might like this album. It is... artistic.

So painfully avant-garde that... well..., June 2, 2001

Reviewer: bjfamily_medievaltheorist from Northern, CA United States

G uitarist Derek Bailey's career path is as perverse as his music is influential. Between
the late '40s and mid '60s, he was a journeyman who played in dance bands and
polite jazz combos all around England. Then he broke with his past to become a key
exponent of free improvisation, developing a complex, harmonically rich vocabulary that is as
important to modern guitar playing as Jimi Hendrix's work. Ever restless for new challenges,
in the early '90s he began practicing along with jungle broadcasts on pirate radio, but Guitar,
Drums 'n' Bass is his first recorded take on the style. The unlikely confrontation between
Bailey's spiky abstractions and DJ Ninj's unstoppable beats might confound fans of both
improvisational and electronic dance music, but it's a blast to hear. The guitarist splashes
dense torrents of bent notes, delicate skeins of harmonics, and absolutely alien chord
progressions over Ninj's stuttering beats and sparse bass figures

Bill Meyer
T his albumn represents Mr. Bailey in top form. His guitar is jarringly strangled over
the background of DJ ninj's headlong drum 'n' bass, this drives you forward even as
Mr. Bailey moves into nightmare territory, a place you just don't want to be. If you
want to hear challenging music with the ability to strike the fear of the night into you, look no
further. Mr. Bailey, in his seventies, has the ability to disconcert you in a way that the likes of
Maralyn Manson can only dream. Play it Loud.

A nightmarish collection for the Urban noir, 15 August, 2001

Reviewer: A music fan from London

DEREK BAILEY, Sunday Times, January 19, 1997

rum’n’bass, the clubland hybrid of recycled reggae bass parts, dance-music

D technology and impossibly fast beats, that three years ago was just an unwelcome
and unfathomable pirate-radio intrusion into the FM waveband, has crossed over into
the mainstream. Its big names, Goldie and A Guy Called Gerald, have made critically
acclaimed albums, the clatter of jungle percussion rattles through every commercial break, and
it has been absorbed into recent releases by long-established acts. Last year, Everything but
the Girl resuscitated their career via an infusion of jungle drum patterns, and tomorrow David
Bowie releases Little Wonder, the first single off his new, jungle-and drum'n'bass-influenced
album, Earthling.

The pretentious television documentary, An Earthling at 50, opened with a series of vox pops
of Bowie-literate punters. "A jungle album? David Bowie? That's ridiculous!" gasped a
startled woman; "Sounds like he's just trying to cater for the latest pop phenomenon," averred
a fat man. A passer-by didn't know what jungle was. "Let's hope David Bowie does," added
the interviewer. In a scene that's already fragmented into a series of incomprehensible subsets
- jungle, ambient jungle, drum'n' bass, intelligent drum'n'bass - confusion is understandable. A
rock drummer offered that the difference between jungle and drum' n'bass was "about 40
beats per minute", while a drunk Euro-clubber on the Piccadilly Line said she could explain
perfectly, but only in German.

But there's no need to feel ashamed. With his recent album, Guitar, Drums'n'Bass (Avant
Records), the veteran British improviser Derek Bailey, who is 67 years old this week, made
perhaps the most abrasive retake on the drum'n'bass formulas to date, and still maintains a
degree of ignorance.

In a neat, if spartan, flat in Hackney, London, piled high with stock for the experimental-music
record label he set up, Incus, Bailey comes over like a cross between Clegg from Last of the
Summer Wine and a harsh-but-fair science teacher. And like those dream mechanics who
aren't offended by a customer's ignorance of the basic principles of internal combustion,
Bailey can illuminate the Genesis myths of improvised music without being remotely
patronising.

The Sheffield-born guitarist Bailey was part of a triumvirate of musicians, along with bassist
Gavin Bryars (now better known as a composer) and drummer Tony Oxley, who virtually
invented free improvisation in the mid-1960s. He has collaborated with talents as diverse as
the New York saxophonist, John Zorn, the Japanese noise-rock duo Ruins, and the jazz fusion
and elevator-music special-ist Pat Metheney, whom Warner Brothers has allowed to record
with Bailey on the understanding that he won't tell anyone about it.
Bailey's involvement with drum'n'bass, "peripheral at best" he admits, came about via a string
of coincidences, wholly in keeping with the studied randomness of improvised music. "I first
came across it on local pirate radio, about two or three years ago," he explains. "I like
practising to percussion, so this stuff struck me. But for a long time I didn't know what it
was." The image of a Hackney pensioner struggling to put a name to a music that was in the
ether all around him is both endearing and inspiring. A six-year-old boy in the local
newsagents, whose personal stereo reverberated with the sound that fascinated Bailey, proved
uncommunicative, but an article in The Times solved his problem. "This sounds like the sort
of thing," he thought, "drum'n'bass."

A further random element was introduced into Bailey's experiments via the broken cassette
player he used to tape pirate-radio broadcasts. "I thought, 'This sounds great', and then I
realised it was playing back faster than it was originally." When Zorn approached Bailey to
record a trio of albums with different rhythm sections, including Ruins, and the dub bassist
Bill Laswell and the former Miles Davis drummer Tony Williams, Bailey's accelerated radio
bootlegs seemed to offer amazing possibilities. Zorn tracked down the 22-year-old
Birmingham drum'n'bass DJ, D J Ninj, and Bailey set about working with a tape he supplied.

"I took Ninj's tape to Laswell's studio in New York," he recalls. "But there were passages of
electric piano that I wasn't interested in and I couldn't stand the bloody stuff. I gather that that
is a recent development. But I thought the drums and bass were real nice. So we took all that
out and left spaces. Then we played the whole tape and I just played with it, one take."

In stripping away Ninj's embellishments, Bailey re-created the original, simpler drum'n'bass
model, but he is worried he may have offended Ninj's musical ambitions. Tellingly, perhaps,
the young DJ hasn't been in touch since the project. The fusion of Bailey's ceaselessly
inventive guitar playing, from sheets of distortion to clear ringing chimes, and thudding
drum'n'bass at its most mini-mal, is a difficult, demanding but ultimately thrilling and utterly
unique experience.

For Bailey, the attraction of drum'n'bass was its rawness - "the general bustle, it doesn't hang
about, it moves. But they're smoothing it out something terrible now" - and its non-musical
qualities. "It's most common to get eight bars and then repeat it, but that isn't the case in
drum'n'bass as I heard it. There were structures, but not logical structures. For me, that was
one of its attractions, it wasn't music. I also liked its ambiguities about the time. If you had a
drummer like that, he would never play with a bass player like that. It's a really fantastic feel.
When Ninj did these tracks I tried to relate to them in different ways as regards the time.
Sometimes I played with it, sometimes I played against it, sometimes I played nothing to do
with it, and other times I was in and out of the time. But you can do that with this stuff and
you're not gonna put anybody off."

Bailey was also sensitive enough to have certain cultural anxieties about his appropriation of a
black music, which one doubts would have struck other artists. "I have to be very careful about
how I get into it because you can look very patronising. I'd be quite happy not to do anymore
of this if the people I was working with weren't happy with it. It depends on their attitude."

Bowie's new single, Little Wonder, which pitches the familiar cockney whine over a furious
rhythm track, is the most exciting and invigorating record he's made for years. His capacity
for reinvention over the decades has been staggering, from Thin White Duke to sniffy Panto-
Nazi, but will the role of 50-Year-Old Jungle Pioneer, perhaps Bowie's craziest character yet,
have the lasting appeal of Aladdin Sane and the Martian arachnophile Ziggy Stardust? In
contrast, Bailey's use of drum'n'bass could never be suspected of cashing in on a fad.
"Other people are using it as a backing tape," he says, "but I'm trying to play in the music,
trying to be part of the drums and bass. I'm not so interested in trying to use it as just
something to play over."

his is a record of Bailey playing super-fast amplified guitar solos over a 'backing

T track' of genuine drum n bass sounds provided specially for the occasion by DJ Ninj,
a Junglist from Birmingham...a simple and effective combination and a bloody
excellent racket. Bailey finds rhythms that are barely perceivable, asserts his unique
personality without a shred of arrogance, and in effect is defying the unyielding backing track
to keep time with him. This record induces a painful hyper-awareness of the passing of every
single second, simply because Bailey (the fourth dimensional traveller) is so intent on
exploring the possibilities of each musical collision as it emerges and dies.

To me its origins appeared to have sprung out of a severe loneliness, the awfulness of being
an improvisor and needing to practice or play alone. For a long time Bailey made practice
tapes (of himself or other pieces of music, I think) to play along with at home. Sometimes
sections of these tapes would be arbitrarily wiped and drop out at unexpected moments,
forcing the player to keep alert at all times. One night he started listening to Jungle pirate
stations, responding as much to the relentless music as to the chattering of the DJs - sending
out a message to their crew, advertising gigs or ordering a takeaway pizza on the air. 'The
music's constant, but with interruptions', observes Bailey. From this I sense a reaching out to
some succour from the airwaves and somehow finding it in the Jungle stations. What
appealed most to Bailey was not exclusively the music, but the liveliness and chaos of the
station. A tape found its way into the hands of John Zorn, who prioritised it on the massive
waiting list of Avant projects. An abortive attempt was made to record it in Birmingham with
Mick Harris, who not only couldn't provide a chair for Bailey to sit down while playing, he
seemed unable to mix a live instrument with the backing tape which Ninj had prepared. (See
The Crackling Ether section for more Harris debacles). Finally it was recorded in Brooklyn
by Bill Laswell. I am well aware this CD was given a warm reception in one area of the music
press, as though it somehow 'brought together' two apparently incompatible types of music,
and vindicated both. Rather, one should say it vindicated the 'good taste' of the journalists who
are so proud of their catholic tastes in music.

There is a kind of post-modern mayhem which been afoot in music since the mid 1980s, at
least. The 'putting together' aspect is what Eugene Chadbourne practically based his career on,
melding Country and Western, jazz and rockabilly with improvised music. Another
manifestation of that sickness was Henry Kaiser, who offered to teach anyone to play 'in the
Derek Bailey style' via a practice video. I have no idea what this means. Bailey is more than a
style. It seems we simply pick things up like rags from the street, nothing is lived, learned or
felt through the heart.

There was a live set promoting Guitar Drums N Bass at The Garage. This was excellent and
much better because it used a loud backing tape of Jungle music belted out through a portable
ghetto-blaster, complete with droupouts and silent sections (as I say, deliberatety kept in for
the unpredictability element, so Bailey stays on his toes). It gave thus the impression of total
spontaneity in a way the CD didn't quite manage. When this event was still in the planning
stages, Stefan Jaworzyn observed 'I find this idea most appealing, and it strikes me as closer to
Bailey's aesthetics than producing a CD with specially composed jungle'. Bailey has won his
spurs ten times over for consummate musicianship, and this project - along with other
collaborations with Japanese players Keiji Haino, The Ruins and Altered States - are probably
chiefly to keep his own interest going, rather than trying to 'prove' anything about improv,
compatability with other players, music, his own abilities or anything else.
 Who's afraid of the big bad junglists?
Interview between Derek Bailey and Stefan Jaworzyn

T his interview with Derek Bailey was undertaken by Stefan Jaworzyn (of Shock records)
in mid-1995. It originally appeared in the magazine Music from the empty quarter (an
irregular publication), no. 12, 1995. It is reproduced here with the permission of Stefan
Jaworzyn and Derek Bailey.

The CD under discussion was released in August 1996 under the title Guitar, drums 'n' bass

Jungle, eh? Breathes there a sentient human bean with an IQ into double figures who would
admit to liking jungle? Kodwo Eshun's gobbledegook rhapsodising over jungle's 'attributes'
(assuming one can begin to comprehend what he's talking about...) clearly illustrates some of
the many seemingly inconsistent, incongruous & irreconcilable approaches to jungle - do you
write about it, dance to it, listen to it on your stereo at home? Is jungle's metamorphosis from
white label obscurity, blasted out at maximum volume in clubs and on pirate radio stations, to
packaged and more easily marketed CDs a sell-out, a dilution of its musical integrity, a
redundant & morally questionable music business scam? Was this stuff ever meant to be
'consumed', especially by middle class pseudo-intellectuals? Fucked if I know. As art it's as
culturally relevant to me as '70s Munich disco. As music it has a certain unpleasant fascination
(the old traffic accident principle) but it wears off faster than a drag on the old crack pipe...

Well, perhaps there are other perspectives... A few months ago while Derek Bailey was
showing me a short cut to Hackney Downs BR station I picked up on a comment he'd made
earlier about how boring it was playing solo these days, and asked him if he still did any
recording at home. The response was not what I expected... 'You're probably going to think
this is absurd, but I've been playing along with jungle on the radio'. He explained in more
detail what appealed to him about it, and a week or so later he sent a cassette... there can be
fewer bizarre concepts than that of combining Bailey's guitar and jungle, but the tape sounded
great. On a trip to New York he left a tape for John Zorn - and once Zorn got his hands on it
events began to take their course... And at some point or other in the nebulous future we
should be treated to a CD of Bailey improvising to jungle music prepared by Ninj, a
Birmingham junglist...

Who's actually funding this? Who's it for?

It's for DIW or one of Zorn's labels - I suggested it to him. I've been playing along with
jungle (taped from all-night pirate radio stations) for about two years now and I sent him a
tape and suggested I could do a record. I think he was touring with Pain Killer at the time -
him, Laswell and Mick. They must have listened to it then. Zorn phoned me up and he goes
(imitates hyper American) 'Yeah, yeah, great, beautiful'... He said it would be a very quick
project to record and release...

So Zorn set up the deal with Ninj and Mick Harris?

Yes. I was just the guy who went up there and couldn't find a seat...

How did you get into jungle though?

(DB plays with radio for a while - horrible noise drowns out our voices on the tape) The
station's not there now - usually they've started by 5.30... They've no announcements - when
they go off it just stops, when they come on it just blasts in... It's enormously loud - I get it
accidentally sometimes when I'm just fucking about. So I've been listening to it, and I really
like the way they do it on the radio - I have to say that in recent times it seems to have got
softer, a lot less abrasive in some ways. There are more vocal samples, for example... But what
I like about the radio is the live quality - although the stuff is records, they don't leave them
alone - they'll talk over them, advertise gigs, order a pizza - the music's constant but with
interruptions. It's very live - and with that sustained pace, which of course is inhuman... And
it's nice to play long with, particularly as opposed to free jazz situations where the pace is
often very slow. I've found it fantastic to practice with. So for a long time I've been doing
that...

I've always liked the parts where the music stops and drifts along - you get some ridiculous
string orchestra, then it just slips a bit, the pitch goes or they slow it down or something. Then
the drums come back - it's completely meaningless! I like that... What is a pain and can
sometimes dilute it is the repetitive - looped or sampled - vocals...

The funny thing is, I've never heard a jungle record, all I've heard has been off the radio - the
only piece of recorded jungle I've heard is by Ninj! It obviously operates at a different level...

So when's the CD coming out?

Well at this point it doesn't exist. The project exists - I should have recorded it by now. I was
due to record it in June in Birmingham... But it turned out they don't have chairs there, so I
couldn't record it. Well, I did some recording... The jungle music's by Ninj - a beautiful piece,
about 50 minutes - in fact it's five pieces I think. He does mainly studio work I believe - an
interesting character. So he'd done his thing... I got to the studio - all this had been arranged
from New York by Zorn and Laswell - the day before we were supposed to tape it. The studio
was run by Mick Harris, a nice little place... I set up and tried a few things, then said to him,
"Have you got a chair because I sit down to play.' And he said, 'No'(!) then, 'Well, there's one
in there' but it was no good because it had arms. So he didn't have any chairs - but there was
his drum stool. So I said, 'Well, I'll try the drum stool' but the drum stool was broken and it
kind of weaved around. It spun round, but not only did it spin round but it conducted a circle
in which it would spin - it would spin round in a circle, if you see what I mean - the upright
was not upright...

It swooped...

Yep. So it was a fairly skilful business just keeping upright on it. (I should have asked Zorn
for a chair. I realise now that when I got to Birmingham I should have phoned him and said
'There's no fucking chair here John - get a chair!'). We got talking about the way to record,
and he played me a bit of the jungle stuff and I said, 'Don't play it just now.' Then I went back
to the hotel, and I remembered about the chair, so I rang him up and said, 'Tomorrow, get a
chair'. And he said, 'It's impossible.' So I left it with him anyway... I turned up the following
day and there's no chair! I used the drum stool. It turned out that the drum stool wasn't really a
problem. What was a problem was that Mick didn't seem capable of mixing a DAT and a live
instrument. There were also some things that went on that were somewhat in the chair vein -
like I played with the first piece then said, 'I'll just have a listen to that'. he replied, 'I didn't
record it.' and I said 'What the fuck do you think I was doing?' and he said 'I thought you
were just getting used to it.' So we started again. Anyway, we finished after about 40 minutes -
by which time I'd been into the control box a few times. And by, let's say the third take, it was
possible to detect that there was a guitar player. Now I was playing comparatively loud, but
that doesn't mean anything if you're mixing - you're at the desk with a DAT and a live
instrument - but there was nothing there (on the DAT). Eventually, as time wore on, I could
hear some plinking and plonking behind this very nice jungle stuff - a bit like rain falling on a
roof, very softly. I said, 'Just turn the fucking thing up Mick, don't worry about what it sounds
like.' but we never made it onto the tape; after about 40 minutes my spirits started to sag...
Uh...(Longish pause) So...

(Laughs) Ninj was there - I have to say his enthusiasm was the only thing that was sustaining
me - he seemed knocked out by what was going on. It's just that none of what was going on
was making it onto tape! So I finally said, 'We're going to stop this now.' And Mick - it
seemed with some relief - said, 'Yeah. Maybe you could record it at Laswell's studio.' I bet I
could. And they've probably got chairs too... So the two lads helped me down with my
equipment and I got a taxi back to the station and that was the end of that session... It just
completely baffled me - he seemed so relieved when I said 'Let's pack this up'... It was getting
louder, but I was getting exhausted - when it finally got to the point where it was starting to
register on tape I thought it should have been over!

Anyway, I've got the Ninj DAT and the aborted DAT, so I'll probably take it over to New York
with me in September. I've talked to Zorn about it and the arrangement is that we'll do it with
Laswell.

So it's not as imminent as I'd originally thought...

Oh well, these things... Zorn's releases are backed up to the turn of the century...

So Laswell will engineer it?

No, it'll probably be Bob Musso - he's very good. Plus I can borrow his amp - he's got a
fantastic old amplifier...

Bailey says that what he'd really like to do most is play a concert with 'live' jungle (ie: with a
couple of DJs and several turntables for an uninterrupted flow of music), but there are
obviously many attendant problems - not least the (presumable...) incompatibility of jungle
and improvised music audiences, not to mention the difficulty of finding a suitable venue. I
find this idea most appealing, and it strikes me as closer to Bailey's aesthetics than producing
a CD with specially composed jungle. Well, I guess it now just remains to be seen what
actually emerges from all the apparent chaos...
1995, GUITARS ON MARS, OCEAN OF SOUND, Vol. 4, Virgin AMBT
24 (UK) (CD) (released in 1997)

Two jungle tracks on compilation CD. Various musicians

Disc 1

1- Travis Wammack: It's karate time 02.29

from That scratchy guitar from Memphis
2- Ennio Morricone: Come una sentenza 01.22
from Once upon a time in the west
3- Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band: Flavor bud living 00.50
from Doc at the radar station
4- A small good thing: Gulch 05.16
from Slim westerns
5- Holger Czukay: Ode to perfume 05.43
from Cannibalism III
6- King Sunny Adé & His African Beats: Ja funmi (Waka version) 06.56
7- Spiritualized: Symphony space 05.40
from Lazer guided melodies
8- Derek Bailey: Upper Clapton Nocturne 05.04
previously unreleased probably recorded early 1995
9- Joe Meek & the Blue Men: Magnetic field 02.55
from I hear a new world]
10- Monty Norman: Audio bongo 01.27
from Dr No soundtrack
11- Lee Renaldo: New groove loop 02.47
from East Jesus
12- Ray Russell: Stained angel morning 06.59
from Secret Asylum
13- The John Barry 7 and Orchestra: The human jungle 02.20
from The EMI years volume 3
14- Mike Cooper: Sleepwalk 03.42
15- Jet Harris & Tony Mehan: Man from nowhere 02.26
from Diamonds and other gems
16- The Ventures: The bat 02.07
from The Ventures in space
17- MC5: Starship 07.58
from Kick out the jams
18- Jimi Hendrix: Smashing of the amps 03.03

Disc 2

1- Link Wray: Rumble 02.28

2- Davie Allan and the Arrows: Missing link 07.16
from Loud, loose and savage
3- The Grateful Dead: Foldback time 01.28
from Greyfolded
4- Frank Zappa: Nine types of industrial pollution 05.59
from Uncle Meat
5- Derek Bailey: Lower Clapton Nocturne 02.39
previously unreleased; probably recorded early 1995]
6- Love Cry Want: Angels wing 04.37
from Love cry want
7- Neill Maccoll & David Toop: I hear voices too 06.59
8- Brian Eno: Sombre reptiles 02.17
from Another green world
9- The Beach Boys: Pet sounds 02.18
from Pet Sounds
10- Death cube: Terror by night 06.57
from Dreamatorium
11- John Lee Hooker: Misbelieving baby 02.27
from Don't turn me from your door

12- Little Axe: Dayton 06.08

from The Wolf That House Built

13- Koh Tao: The munk 05.12

from Soundsite compilation

14- BJ Cole: Sandpaper blues 06.24

15- Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band: Evening bell 01.59
from Ice cream for crow

16- Merzbow: Eat beat eat #2 04.43

Compilation prepared by David Toop.

Cover paintings by Yoshihiro Furukawa.
Mastering - Simon Heyworth at Chop 'Em Out
Artwork, layout - Hills Archer Studio
Ocean of Sound Volume 4.
Initial release : 1997
Virgin AMBT 24 7243 8 44799 2 3
Double CD compilation that includes one track taken from Grateful Dead/John Oswald
construction Greyfolded.

C ompiled by David Toop, this is considered volume 4 of his Ocean of Sound series. A
very interesting mix of sound/combination points, as originally illustrated in his
Ocean of Sound book. Features: Travis Wammack, Ennio Morricone, Capt. Beefheart
& The Magic Band, A Small Good Thing, Holger Czuka, King Sunny Adé, Spiritulized,
Derek Bailey, Joe Meek & The Blue Men, Monty Norman, Lee Ranaldo, Ray Russell, The
John Barry 7 & Orchestra, Mike Cooper, Jet Harris & Tony Meehan, The Ventures, MC5,
Jimi Hendrix, Link Wray, Davie Allan and the Arrows, The Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Love
Cry Want, Neil Maccoll & David Toop, Brian Eno, The Beach Boys, Death Cube, John Lee
Hooker, Little Axe, Koh Tao, BJ Cole and Merzbow.

G uitars on Mars is the latest installment of the Ocean of Sound series put together by
guitarist extraordinaire David Toop. And what an intense collection! It moves from
time zone to time zone with genres, like dirty underwear, tossed everywhere.

The collection starts off with the twang-bang guitar set, which is the most organized and fluent
part of the collection. Beginning is Travis Womack (1967 era) with "It's Karate Time". A
slam-twang of a song suddenly disappears into Ennio Morricone's "Come Una Sentenza",
which leads you into the dark deserts of the good ole' boys and the land of "Blondie" (circa
'69). Then out of the blue Captain Beefheart jumps in and gives you a whiff of some psycho-
flamenco ('80). Hence, Holger Czukay of Can fame brings in the cerebral, "I think I'm in a
desert, but these radio transmissions in my head--oh!", throws it all up, and falls into a neat
little trip. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. So many guitars! Lining up Link Wray,
Spiritualized, and King Sunny Ade isn't such an easy doing, yet Mr. Toop does it quite
successfully, especially considering this consists of two CDs at 70 minutes a piece.

The nice thing also about this compilation is that there are no "usual suspects." These are
musicians who give innovation and imagination a new meaning. Anyone who loves guitar
music will love this. It contains everything you don't, but should, know about Guitar Music. It
also has rarities that are hard to find or very expensive, such as the British (need I say it?)
guitarist Derek Bailey, who deserves recognition and better distribution. Along with Jimi
Hendrix's "Smashing of the Amps", which I've never heard. The concept of the album as well
is intriguing, matching people up in genres you'd never think possible. For instance, the Brian
Eno-to-Beach Boys programming of the second CD is brilliant; some will look at both
differently as a result, and that's a good thing. In a world where finger-licking chops are
widely accepted and abused, Ocean of Sound 4, Guitars on Mars is a welcome breath of some
old and fresh air

Leo Schwamm
1995, TRIO PLAYING, Incus CD28 (UK) (CD) (released in 1997)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

John Butcher : soprano and tenor saxophones
Oren Marshall : tuba

1- Abode to 07.32
2- Out of the deep 09.24
3- Room for breath 07.03
4- Breaking off 02.05
5- I'd love a key 14.08
6- Domestic melodies 03.38
7- Spane 05.25

Recorded November 30,1994 and summer 1995 at UPS Studio, London. Cover by Karen
Brookman. 48 mins.

(...)
hese are all relatively short pieces, seven expansive and almost jazz-like trios that

T recall... Jimmy Giuffre's early groups with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow... there is the
same lightness of touch and something of Giuffre's folksy abstraction. Marshall has
established himself as a very considerable improviser on an improbable instrument, and
Butcher is now quite simply one of the most effective free players in Europe: exact, unfussy
and full of ideas. The studio sound is very good, but one can't help wanting to see this group
in a live setting as well.

PGJ ****
T he word "playing" is operative in this title, because here this trio has no intention of
doing anything but. While there are seven selections noted here, all but one could have
been from the same take. This is Bailey at his most playful, which means at his most
out. This music is marginal even for him. His engagement of the acoustic guitar primarily as a
percussion instruments ("I'd Love a Key" and "Abode To") is only offset by his absolute
delight in becoming a tonal foil for Butcher, who tries fewer and fewer notes to extract longer
and longer tones almost across the board. Marshall's tuba, on the other hand, seems to have
free rein of the lower register of the playing field here; it plays rhythms, it bleats notes in
quick succession or in drawn out breath exercises, and always flows toward Bailey's guitar.
The middle section of "Out of the Deep" is almost a conventional jazz tune as a result, and
would be if Butcher didn't freak out and try to play too many notes in the interval. Bailey
moves into a scalar study of Amaj, and collapses the whole thing, to Marshall's delight, as he
becomes a kind of singer above the din. Playing a series of melodies that stand at sharp odds
with Butcher's bleating saxophones lines. No one ever said playing was competitive. This is a
trio playing, with each other, and playing tricks on each other. Great fun.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

S peaking as someone turned on to the man by Aida and his duets with Braxton (which,
as anyone knows, profess passion and singularity like nothing else in the audible
sphere), congeniality in Bailey's improvisation seems far gone, and this work is a
demonstration of the further fracturing of his already highly abstract approach. The rawness
of this recording adds a beautifully voyeuristic dimension, and captures a lack of inhibition
from the three performers involved. Leaping and fiery harmonics swell and dart about each
other ad nauseam, with the conglomeration of Marshall's tuba and Butcher's soprano (and
later tenor) lasting a good few minutes until Derek's volume pedal releases the smoky burnt-
out electric tone that's been stifled inside the dusty volume pot for too many releases, erupting
in a breathy cloud which lays a hazy skyline of feedback over the whole session. As far as
improvisations with obscure makeup go, you could do a lot worse (like a 2CD of bagpipe
duets), though I'd have to say the candidness of it all makes it one for enthusiasts. This
judgement begs the question - what is the definitive document of Bailey's approach? I'd have
to say all of his recordings rather than just one. Further evidence that his realisations are in a
constant flux that is quite stunning to behold.

Dean Roberts
1995, SOHO SUITES VOLUME 2, Incus CD 29-30 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric stereo guitars (CD 29), electric guitar (CD 30)
Tony Oxley : acoustic and electric percussion, violin (CD 29), acoustic percussion (CD 30)

Soho suites volume 1: (CD 29)

1- Carlisle 22.04
2- Wardour 02.49
3- Berwick 03.15
4- Beak 17.01

Recorded in Soho, London in February 1977.

Soho suites volume 2: (CD 30)

1- Rivington 17.40
2- Kenmare 13.00
3- Lafayette 03.40
4- Grand 03.30
5- Lispenard 15.40
6- Leonard 03.10

Recorded at the Knitting Factory, NYC in September 1995.

Cover photograph by Karen Brookman; design and layout by Robert Clarke.
T wo volumes of duos, one from 1977 & the other from 1995. Bailey (electric &
acoustic guitar) and Oxley (acoustic and electric percussion and violin).

Derek Bailey, one of the avatars of free improvisation, is getting nastier as he ages. At least as
a player. Of these two discs of live duets with percussionist Oxley, the '95 recordings from
New York City have the most bite. Oxley's no slouch either. Together they move from sonic
landscapes dotted with light flurries of sound to dense, squalling blizzards of noise 'n' fury.
Then back to gentle, probing exploration. This is improvisation bent on defining its own
language, so the music's often free of melodies, harmonies, or the other amenities listeners
usually hang their hats upon. As such, it's not easy listening.

But it is liberating. Oxley -- who in the '77 recording plays piles of kitchen utensils,
generators, and springs (all amplified) as well as a gargantuan drum kit -- is as daring as
Bailey, trying to keep his playing in a textural rather than a rhythmic vein. Ultimately, it's hard
to decipher what both artists are trying to say. But they certainly seem to mean it. And they're
so very responsive to each other's playing, locked in their deeply personal musical
conversation, that it's unreasonable to dismiss their craftsmanship as artifice. (Write to Incus
Records at 14 Downs Road, London E5 8DS, England)

Ted Drozdowski

B ailey and Oxley have played and worked together intermittently since 1963. These
recordings, a London studio recording made in 1977, and a concert recorded in New
York in 1995, are testament to the remarkable richness and sustained variety of their
musical relationship. - liner notes by Simon Kelly

ailey's contribution to Tony Oxley's 1960s work was definitive, clangorous guitar

B chords which echoed the amplified strings and metal percussion the drummer added
to his kit in those days. Letter-day Oxley is still unmistakable and these extraordinary
sides roll back the years like nobody's business. Bailey always sounds relaxed, almost
conversational in the company of his old friend, and these two discs seem to pass by in
moments, when in fact they are among the most substantial performances from either man in
recent years. The sound could be better, but the quality of the playing and the sense of mutual
involvement are beguiling enough to overcome that.

PGJ ****

uitarist Derek Bailey has been wandering far afield these days. Recent releases such

G as the Last Wave power trio recording with Bill Laswell and Tony Williams (a major
disappointment, too retro-sounding) and his duet with junglist DJ Ninji, Guitar,
Drums 'N' Bass (an exceptional document pointing to new avenues) have put his improviser's
style into unexpected contexts. So, it's comforting to see he's released Soho Suites, a 2CD set
of duets with old compatriot, drummer/percussionist Tony Oxley. The first CD is from 1977
from Soho in London and the second is from 1995 from Soho in New York City.

Bailey and Oxley have been playing together since 1963 and since 1966, their playing
situations have almost exclusively been in the context of free music. The duets from 1977
have Oxley playing his adapted drumkit which is augmented not only by small percussion and
various odds and ends but also is amplified. If alien landscapes are your thing then look no
further that this set of duets. Bailey's mesh of discontinuous lines and phrases punctuated by
Oxley's pinging electronic sounds and clattering percussion is quite unlike anything else in
modern improvised music. The music proceeds at its own deliberate pace which seems to be
based on some arcane Archimedian formula wherein an object set in motion by a series of
lurching fits and starts will continue its movements until

Fast forward 18 years later and it doesn't sound quite so alien and that's not due only to the
fact that Oxley is no longer using his electronic drum kit. There's an almost classical grace to
these later duets. Oxley clangs and rumbles almost in tandem to Bailey's complex of
scrapings and knotted lines. I'm not quite sure why these two sets sound so different when the
means of production, apart from the electronics, is almost identical. Perhaps what it boils
down to is two musicians who are masters of their respective styles. Or perhaps after 35 years,
it's about two friends who can still engage in meaningful conversation. Much like Monk
whose style was fully developed by the mid-'50s but still made vital music (when inspired) for
twenty more years, Bailey invented and defined a style that he is still mining for a rich vein
thirty years on.

Robert Iannapollo
1995, SELECTIONS FROM LIVE PERFORMANCES AT VERITY'S
PLACE, Organ of Corti (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Han Bennink : percussion

1- Call that a balance 02.30

2- Misty 07.30
3- The title 02.00
4- Who is that 04.30
5- The girl with the concrete tongue 04.30
10- Din din teo 09.00
11- On a clear day 04.00
8- Barb 01.30
9- Shake your arse white man 01.30
10- Whiling 02.30
11- When day is done and shadows fall I think of you 04.00

Selections from live performances at Verity's Place recorded 16 and 17 June 1972, by Bob
Woolford.

Cover drawing by Mal Dean. Re-released as organ of Corti 9 in 1995 by Cortical Foundation.
T his selection of live duet performances from 1972 is a wonder to listen to three
decades after the original performances. The guitar's greatest improviser bantering
musically with the Netherlands' greatest drummer is, no doubt, a point of interest for
those interested in the extremes of Western music. Before Bailey had recorded the infamous
and now legendary Incus Taps disc, he had perfected his view of the atonal world (at least up
until that time), undoing it with spiritual guidance from the ghost of Webern at his side. These
two live dates reflect that direction, having been recorded less than a year before. Given that
Bailey is investigating his undoing of the ritual tonal space, Bennink's woolly percussions are
the perfect foil: Who better to stretch the perceptions of guitar music to its limit and beyond
than a man for whom the drums are the only instrument in any band? Thus, the chase is on,
moving from one dynamic range to the next in search of the perfect tonal space where things
completely fall apart, only to be picked up in rather grotesquely fascinating order. This music
asks no questions; it only shouts obscenities while laughing hysterically because it knows
exactly what it's not doing

Thom Jurek, All Music

T wenty-five years after it was recorded, this music still has the power to shock. With
their utter lack of decorum and their unrelenting, even arrogant, defiance of
convention, Bailey and Bennink are decidedly not for the faint hearted or sentimental.
The album, probably the most aggressive of Bailey and Bennink's several recorded duets, is
by turns irritating, cathartic, intricate, stupid, and always, but always, brimming with vitality,
curiosity, and pure nerve. Bennink remains an ongoing source of wonderment; how can one
man have the stamina and technique to create so much perfectly executed and superbly
organized noise?

And Bailey himself, in his stubborn refusal to play even one conventional note and the
oblique, tortured logic of his improvising, is no less admirable and startling.
Between Bennink's animal verve and Bailey's obsidian intellect nothing is stable or certain in
these duets. On 'Call That a Balance' Bennink's tidal wave of percussion drowns Bailey's
brittle plinks and sweeps them away. But Bailey doesn't back down on 'Din Din Teo', a real
clash of titans that transforms confrontational tension into art. They are in fraternal agreement
all through 'The Title', an unnerving tangle of wiry noise in which seeming confusion morphs
into patterns that slip away before you can fully grasp them. 'Who Is That', 'Misty', and 'On a
Clear Day' are all wicked dadaist vaudeville, all the more enjoyable for being impenetrable,
obnoxious, acerbic organized sound make by two virtuosos at the top of their form.

The sound is decidedly lo-fi and even distorts in a couple instances. Still, the
amusing/disturbing original cover art of this former Incus LP is cleanly reproduced and it's
great to have this classic confrontation back in print.

Ed Hazell
1995, DOMESTIC & PUBLIC PIECES, Emanem 4001 (UK)
(CD) (Issued on LP in 1976 and re-issued in 2000( ?) on CD)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and prepared guitars, amplified guitar, talk, etc
.

EIGHT DOMESTIC PIECES :

1- Kew 02.50
2- Unity Theatre 02.57
3- Roots 02.13
4- Queue 07.13
5- Cue 04.36
6- Virginal 05.59
7- Praxis 01.43
8- The Lost Chord 01.43
Recorded in Islington home by D.B., January 1976.

EIGHT PUBLIC PIECES :

9- First 02.29
10- Second 08.45
11- Third 06.12
12- Fourth 01.28
13- Fifth 02.34
14- Sixth 02.22
15- Seventh 02.20
16- Eighth 02.27

Recorded by Martin Davidson at ICA Cinema, London, 22 May 1975.

ANOTHER DOMESTIC PIECE :
17- Happy birthday to you 05.31

Text by Simone de Beauvoir.

Recorded at Islington home by D.B., March 1977.

First, Second, Third, Fourth, Seventh, Kew, Unity Theatre, Roots, Queue, and Cue previously
released as Quark 9999 in US. Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Happy birthday to you previously
released on Emanem Australian LP 3404, In whose tradition?; Virginal, Praxis and The Lost
Chord previously released on Caroline C1518, Guitar solos.

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

use the guitar normally. It's tuned normally. I work on, sort of, certain pitch

I relationships, when I use pitch. I work from a practical point of view. That is, the music
to be acceptable as far as I'm concerned, has to work in my terms. That is it has to sound
right. I don't have any sort of huge abstract theories into which I try and make the music fit
regardless of this other aspect of playing - if it sounds good when you're performing, then
that's the main thing. It's got to be immediate - that type of thing. That I think is a very
conventional way of approaching music for a performer.

I don't use a lot of conventional techniques on the guitar. But then, I'm not interested to play in
the areas those techniques were developed to serve. It wouldn't be any good for my purposes
to do a sort of imitation of Charlie Christian or something. People can refer to that, say, as
conventional guitar playing. But it isn't. It's conventional jazz guitar playing of a certain
period. To certain people, the only way to play a guitar is in a flamenco style, which I think is
quite beautiful, incidentally. These are taken to be sort of standard conventional techniques -
but, actually, they're techniques that serve certain purposes.

DEREK BAILEY (1972)

erek Bailey (b. 1930) spent over a decade playing in dance bands before deciding to

D concentrate on free improvisation in the mid-1960s. He had thus acquired a

comprehensive ability in "conventional" guitar playing, to which he added all the
"unconventional" techniques which he subsequently discovered. Between the two, he probably
knows more about the guitar, and can get more out of it, than anyone else. More Important,
though, is the fact that he is one of the finest improvisers around, both in solo and group
contexts. He is one of very few musicians who seems to have an endless supply of new ideas
which enable him to be continually inventive, as can be heard here and elsewhere.

This disc documents some of the different instrumental approaches that he has used. In his
early free work, he used a six-string guitar with pedal-controlled amplification. This allowed
him, among other things, to instantly control the volume of each note sounded, and also to
vary the volume during the course of a sound. One use of this technique meant that notes
could fade in and/or end abruptly, in direct opposition to what happens naturally.

In 1972, Bailey added another loudspeaker and another volume pedal to his guitar, enabling
him to throw sounds around stereophonically. This was the principal instrument used in the
concert from which the EIGHT PUBLIC PIECES were extracted. He performed two
extended improvisations using this stereo set-up - FIRST and SECOND are extracted from
the first, and FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH and EIGHTH come from the second. In order to
break up the concert, there was a section between the two main pieces featuring his then
"other" guitar. This had started life off as a twelve-string, but, thanks to Bailey's
enhancements, had grown to carrying approximately nineteen strings. It can be heard played
through a practice amplifier on THIRD and FOURTH. Also heard on these two tracks are a
Waisvisz Crackle Box played by members of the audience, an amplified thundersheet, and a
tape recorder that suddenly came to life.

Shortly after this concert, Bailey decided to stop using two-pedal-controlled stereo
amplification, mainly because so many other people (not just guitarists) had followed his lead
in this direction. He was also somewhat fed up with having to lug so much equipment around.
He therefore decided to concentrate on what he was unbeatable at, namely, playing the guitar.
Another reason for largely dropping electricity was his acquisition of a couple of 1930s six-
string guitars that are remarkably loud, having been designed to be used in dance bands before
the advent of amplification. Most of the DOMESTIC PIECES feature one or other of these
guitars, although some feature the previously heard six-string without amplification.

Martin Davidson, 1995

Excerpts from reviews :

D erek Bailey is no longer a jazz musician, though he is an improviser - if

improvisation is considered to be spontaneously defining one's own area of activity.
After a long career as a studio, commercial, and dance band guitarist, in the 1960s he
began developing a personal technique and aesthetic, creating a unique instrumental sound and
logic. Listeners comfortable with the extreme instrumental sonorities in music be Xenakis, say,
or early cut-up experiments of musique concrète, may not be shocked by Bailey's music, and
in fact close listening reveals techniques resembling those in the stark, abrupt, resonant string
music of the Japanese koto, the Chinese ch'in, and the Korean kayagum. But Bailey's music is
usually more abstract than those. The sound of his guitar, amplified or acoustic, is inevitably
percussive; notes are struck and muted, chords plucked and allowed to decay or are splintered
into oblivion. Taking an early concern with unorthodox intervals from an interest in Webern,
Bailey has added a textural component rich in chiaroscuro and impasto effects. Microtones
collide, phrases unravel and fray. The air around the music blisters. The chiming, scratching,
and twanging - full of gristle and friction, or the cool whisper of tenderness - is brought out in
greater relief on DOMESTIC & PUBLIC PIECES, a re-issue of solo recordings from 1975-
7.

The music, and its presentation, seem consciously theatrical, and a few ironic readings of text,
along with some environmental soundplay, make Bailey seem like a British eccentric - which
he may be. However, as disturbingly fragmented and haphazard as the sounds may appear (at
first hearing anyway), they are not random or thoughtless, though accidents (or rather
incidental occurrences) happen. There is an undeniable intelligence in evidence, a careful
plotting of choices, and eventually the music grows intensely meditative even at its most
aggressive.
Art Lange, Fanfare, 1995
B ailey's acoustic variations are primarily swirling, as dodecaphonic-flavoured lines and
striking intervallic designs are awash in clusters, chords and sounds. Switching to
electric guitar and two volume pedals these concerns are underscored by layered
phasing and ringing effects. There's also a bit of random, noisy interplay for a nineteen string
guitar, an amplified thunder sheet, a tape recorder and a small home-made synthesizer, and
several pithy (and delightful) recitations. If not comprehensive, this set is certainly an evocative
overview of Bailey's mid-'70s work.
Milo Fine, Cadence, 1995

ailey's purposeful attack rings every ounce of harmonic density of the guitar on this

B release. Despite first impressions that this is a very cerebral music, the sheer physical
dexterity required to pull this much out of a guitar belies the idea. Bailey also
connects with other influences in his solo format: hear the shimmering gamelan effect on the
haunting Queue. Surprisingly, this is a very danceable free music, Bailey creating a rhythmic
calliope that swings along invitingly. In other places the music gets very free indeed, pushing
the edges of a listener's ability to comprehend pitch relationships. This is a strong sample of
Bailey's mid-seventies style."

Steve Vickery, Coda, 1996

P articularly interesting are the four rather wonderful voice/guitar pieces; a neglected and
still underrated sub-genre within the Bailey canon. DB's deadpan voice-overs,
juxtaposed by the ornate complexity of his strange harmonies, unexpected cadences
and bluesy note-bending, produce hilarious results.

Chris Blackford, Rubberneck, 1995

ince its inception the Emanem label has served as conduit for, in the words of

S producer/owner Martin Davidson, "unadulterated new music for people who like new
music unadulterated." This Derek Bailey collection, which was sadly out of circulation
for a spell, fits that aforementioned delineation perfectly.

The guitarist himself recorded the first eight tracks at home, the 'domestic' pieces of the disc's
title. The easiest distinctions to draw between each are based on comparative duration. In
regards to content the particulars become more problematic. Bailey's technique is so divorced
from conventional referents that even such sweeping terms as 'abstractionist' and 'pointillistic'
become hopelessly inadequate in encapsulating his methodology. In Bailey's hands the guitar
is a patient under the knife. The fat and gristle of harmony and melody are excised cleanly in
equal measure leaving a raw skeletal surface of tensile bone beneath. Though the surgeon
behind the scalpel is arguably among the most proficient at his profession his means to an end
is still often brutal both in terms of execution and ultimate outcome. His technique often
pokes and prods at the ears leaving a wake of both bruises and gratification.

From the start of this collection onward descending tangles of prickly strummed shapes vie
with glistening glass-like shards and droplets as Bailey gouges purposely into his instrument
worrying the strings with ferrous fingers and a bent logic. On "Unity Theatre" he cuts and
pastes a recitation from the narrative of a newspaper clipping detailing the demise of a favorite
venue for British improvisers. His deadpan delivery of the facts surrounding the aftermath of
the debacle, which bring to my mind the laconic musings of William S. Burroughs as recited
by Michael Caine for some reason, is perforated with more stringent strumming. The lyrics to
"Roots," though cloaked in the guise of homage, serve a derisive jibe at the supposed
supremacy of American origins in improvising music. Bailey's exaggerated sighs between
fractured phrasings point like signposts to his true feelings on the subject.

The next eight pieces are gleaned from an ICA concert recording from the earlier year. With
the addition of a second volume pedal and loudspeaker Bailey was able to volley sounds back
and forth between speakers and increasing both the range and reach of his instrument. The
jagged barbs harvested by Bailey with the acoustic instruments of the earlier domestic pieces
are replaced with lubricious streaks and smears. "Third" and "Fourth" signal another shift in
instrumentation with Bailey putting a personally modified 19-string guitar through a series of
rigorous paces. Other elements in the ensuing improvisation include a contraption called a
Waisvisz Crackle Box, an amplified thundersheet (presumably a thin piece of flexible metal,
shaken, not stirred) and an unassuming tape recorder. Curiously on both of these pieces
Bailey's fretwork is at its the most accessible, despite the sporadic intrusion of ear-excoriating
feedback. On the "Third" Bailey strums vitriolically at his thicket of strings and, in the
woollier moments, sounds as if he will spring them from their housings. Toward the close of
"Fourth" Bailey can be heard muttering 'perhaps I should explain what's happening here."
Attendant laughter from the audience targets the absurdity of such a pursuit and it feels as if
any explanation would prove as inadequate as the adjectives I'm attempting to attach to the
music. The concluding "Happy Birthday To You" appropriates excerpts from a Simone de
Beauvior treatise on the entropy of the human body and is a weirdly perfect capstone. This
was Emanem's initial CD release and it's wonderful to have it back in print and widely
available once again.

Derek Taylor

T his CD, the first released by the British free improv label Emanem upon its
resuscitation in 1995, collects solo guitar pieces by Derek Bailey from three LPs
released between 1976 and 1988. The music itself was recorded privately in January
1976 (the first eight tracks) and March 1977 (the last one, "Happy Birthday to You"), and
publicly in May 1975 (the eight tracks titled "First," "Second," etc.).

The domestic pieces feature mostly his work on six-string acoustic guitar. They are delicate
examples of his unique technique and aesthetics. On three of them he talks while playing,
commenting on the demise of "Unity Theatre," where the London Musicians' Collective used
to produce concerts, or narrating strange stories about "The Lost Chord."

The sound quality falls down a notch on the public pieces. Here, Bailey works mostly with
his amplified guitar with dual volume pedals. The way he throws notes around, fades them in,
and cuts them out adds to his alienating vision, and illustrates the level of virtuosity he had
reached. "Third" and "Fourth" represent a break in that night's performance, featuring his 19-
string guitar along with amplified thundersheet and a crackle box (Michael Waisvisz' hand-
held electronic device) passed around in the audience. "Third" is particularly painful:
Controlled and uncontrolled feedback marred the performance. A tape recorder suddenly
starts playing from out of nowhere, prompting Bailey to play (you won't believe this) chords!
This one is horribly recorded but turns out quite funny. Domestic & Public Pieces is a good
document of the guitarist's solo activity in the 1970s, and it makes a nice companion to Fairly
Early With Postscripts

François Couture, All Music Guide

E manem is a long standing British improv label (once residing in Australia), now with a
burgeoning line of CDs documenting this scene. Domestic... is a collection of solo
guitar improvisations from 1975-77, originally issued on LP on the Quark label (as
well as the Caroline Guitar sampler and Emanem 3404). Good liner notes (and short
interview) by Martin Davidson included.

ailey does "Stella by Starlight". No kidding. The track listings don't reveal it, but one

B of the live tracks is actually a version of the Victor Young standard, played against the
unpredictable rumbling & howling of a "crackle box", whatever that is. (Yes, Bailey
plays jazz. Try catching his 1930s-style picking on "Bunn Fights" on the recent album _Drop
Me off at 96th_. Maybe he'll start doing duets with Marty Grosz or Howard Alden some
day...)

And if that wasn't enough....Bailey does "The Lost Chord". Actually, he just speaks the lyrics
over his typically spiky accompaniment. It's a hoot, as is the final "Happy Birthday" track--a
reading of a passage about the effects of aging on the human body from de Beauvoir. There's
also a terrific "Unity Theatre", a reading of a newspaper clipping describing the burning down
of a theatre which used to be a frequent locus of free-improv activities in the 1970s. What
more can I say....the recording is gritty & unglamorous; the guitar playing is ferocious &
intense, even though it's mostly quiet; this about as uncommercial & contrary a recording you
can get, yet it's oddly engaging & involving. Don't miss it.

Amazon: Customer Reviews

Reviewer: Nate Dorward
Derek Contrary musicmaking, June 20, 2000

olo acoustic guitar improvisations at home, some with telling spoken commentaries,

S plus solo stereo electric guitar improvisations (with two volume pedals and two
speakers) in concert. A classic collection. Re-issue of Quark 9999, with additional
material from the same sessions that appeared on Caroline C1518 and Emanem 3404.

PGJ ****

Some Classic early 70s recordings

I have the softest possible spot for Derek Bailey's Domestic and Public Pieces 1975-77
(EMANEM 4001 CD) as it was the very first piece of improvised music I heard. Parts of
this CD were originally issued on vinyl as Quark 9999; a copy from the Coventry record
library kept me company for a few long Autumn nights in a lonely bedsit. The music seemed
lonely too - one guitar, one musician. Certainly an intimate experience, but shot through with
an inner desolation. I grew to love the second side of Public Pieces in particular, later
appreciating that it was electric and amplified (the first side was all acoustic). It was so
unfamiliar and strange that I got lost in it; seizing on the few recorded moments that it was
possible to 'remember' and using them as map reference points in this alien domain. Many
times I have sought to recapture that sense of lostness; few records have ever had such a
profound effect.

This record has humour as well as sadness. Bailey makes an elaborate joke about 'Playing
The Blues', the full significance of which eluded me for a long time. Desperate to black up and
play like a minstrel, he yawps 'Hurry up with the burnt cork!' over a super-fast solo which
slides into a parody of twelve-bar. Then there's 'Unity', a straight reading of a news item about
Unity Theatre being destroyed by fire, only the recitative is chopped up to fit in with the
unpredictable cadences of his guitar playing. No stranger to introducing 'foreign effects' to
this very day, Bailey rarely used his own voice again, apart from another joke also on this CD
(originally on Guitar Solos 2 Caroline) - the guy who found the lost chord.

I also regret the passing of this brief electric period. Bailey used the volume pedal on the
electric guitar, enabling him total control over the volume of each note, as it emerged from the
strings - he could even vary that note's volume while it was sounding. The utter eeriness of
this noise is something most musicians would die for; you could be clinical and say it was
something to do with making an instrument behave uncoventionally, part of the modernist
deconstruction of music. But who can fail to be overcome by the sheer emotion in those
volume-pedalled wails? A cliche, but he really made his guitar gently weep. By 1972 he had
started using a second amplifier and a second volume pedal. But Bailey found the
practicalities of carrying so much heavy equipment to gigs was too much of a strain. More
importantly, other people were beginning to copy him. With a severity of focus and discipline,
he concentrated on wringing what sounds he could from his faithful Gibson acoustic guitar.
Get this CD for the amazing sounds of volume controlled electric guitar, with 19-string guitar,
Waisvisz crackle box and other spontaneous events live at the ICA in 1975. For some 1976
recordings using the same electric devices, try and find a rare LP - Bailey playing Duo with
Tristan Honsinger, INCUS 20 (1976).

I made myself a tape of Domestic and Public Pieces and without really knowing why,
obsessively copied out all the copy on the back cover. Remember when records came out with
messages to the retailer 'FILE UNDER: POPULAR (Pop Groups)' printed on the back
sleeve? Quark 9999 made a joke out of it... there was a long list of categories headed FILE
UNDER...including POPULAR (EVENTUALLY) and VERY GOOD. The stark typography
was worrisome, as basic as a Richard Long catalogue. I had not seen an LP sleeve like
this...something must have tipped off my subconcious that I might not see it again.
1995, INCUS WEEK, Chattanooga, TN, The Hunter Museum of
American Art

Concert ticket for the 3-day music improv festival known as INCUS week, which occurred in
summer 1995 in Chattanooga, TN, at the Hunter Museum of American Art.

Shows featured Derek Bailey, John Zorn, Shaking Ray Levi Duo (Dennis Palmer and Bob
Stagner), Fred Frith and Tony Oxley in a variety of incredible, completely improvised
ensembles.

This piece of music history is extremely rare as capacity was only around 150 people for this
event. Ticket measures 2.25” x 4.25”
1996, CLOSE TO THE KITCHEN, Rectangle F (France) (LP)
(released in 1997)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Noël Akchoté : guitar

1- Pas la montagne! 05.45

2- Dans distribution il y a distribuer 07.50
3- Ankara-Boulogne 10.00
4- Impossible n'est pas Français 16.00
5- ça s'aime, (society of authors and...) 04.00
6- Toi et moi 03.30

Recorded on 29 August 1996 at Falconer Studios, London.

I mprovised guitar duets, recorded in a London studio 8/29/96. Vears between lush
ambiance and loud, distorted electric freakouts.

E n tout état de cause, une bizarrerie dans la déjà longue discographie de Bailey. Noël
Akchoté aime bien jouer et rendre hommage aux grands anciens, son duo avec Derek
à qui le lie une longue amitié est emprunt du grand respect que se portent les deux
guitaristes. Atmosphère sombre et pensive, faisant place à des passages bruitistes, c'est tout le
spectre de la guitare actuelle qui est visité avec parfois un certain formalisme. (...)
 drian Sherwood's Invisible Jukebox in The Wire magazine Derek Bailey & Noël

A Akchoté "Toi et Moi" from Close to the Kitchen (Rectangle) Steve Beresford again
? (Laughs) No. I'm being sarcastic. It's one of those improvised evenings is it ? Do
you go to those concerts ? Yes, I love it. Who is it ? Derek Bailey with a French guitar
player. I can't imagine a time when I'd choose willingly to put this on. (Laughs) Who decides
when it finishes ? When they've broken every string and fallen off stage ? I keep expecting
somebody to belch and say, 'Thank you and goodnight'. That's lovely, that's lovely. (Looks at
the cover) It's quite interesting, I must admit, I was not expecting something like that to be
dropped on me. I prefer this record to a shit cover version because the musicians made a
record that they wanted to make. It's in a white sleeve, hand-crafted - total respect ! I think it's
brilliant. It's not the kind of thing I'd sit at home and put on, but having said that, it's
independent. They're putting out a bit of madness for themselves, rather than something
calculated they think there's a market for. That's the point I was making earlier. The best
records I've made have been made to please ourselves, not trying to double-guess somebody.
Hopefully Derek's very proud of his record there...but maybe he should cut the middle eight
again ! The Wire #161, July 97

S tudio recordings. Serious improv, both guitarists constantly on target! From quiet
acoustic sounds to double burning squeal/scree/skronk explosions. Noel seems
younger, with his Beefheart & more post-punk sounds. Strong stuff, a must for
Bailey fans. $12. also for 48 minute full length french import lp.
1996, LEGEND OF THE BLOOD YETI, Infinite Chug 5 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997)

XIII Ghosts with Derek Bailey and Thurston Moore :

Alex Ward : clarinet, alto saxophone, puny amp, Switch, power electronics,
Hammon B-3 ring modulation, audio-diffraction.
Derek Bailey : guitar (Book one).
Thurston Moore : electric guitar, double bass (Book two).
Andre Clare : electric guitar (Book two).

Book one
1- Spiral bracts 02.58
2- The dwarf willow 00.33
3- Fascicles - resin canals - the nutlike seed 07.23
4- Blinter rust 01.02
5- Qanît/aput: capped columns - spiral dendrites 06.36
6- Pediculus portentosus - pediculo desperandum est 06.27
7- The unnameable 03.02

Book two
1- The body of desire - the fluid animal thing - pulpous concord - the tongueless mound
30.05
2- Despair - flight to blackout 15.50
Recorded in London, 1996. (Infinite Chug, 14 Worcester Close, Langdon Hills, Essex, SS16
6TW, England)

er fortuna ci si rianima con il trio con i 13 Ghosts (il fiatista Alex Ward e il tastierista

P Benjamin Hervé, alias Switch): 28 minuti di scambi strumentali mozzafiato in cui la

tensione non cade per un attimo: Hervé produce sibili elettronici, ritmi di drum
machine registrata a bassa fedeltà, sprazzi rumoristici a cui Bailey risponde con feedback e
corde maltrattate; le grida roche del sax di Ward ricordano i duck calls di Zorn, e a volte
vengono rimandate distorte dalle macchine di Switch. Solo negli ultimi tre minuti la tensione si
acquieta, con note tenute di clarinetto e chitarra sul fruscìo di un vecchio disco. Nella seconda
metà del cd è invece ospite Thurston Moore, che al contrario dei continui cambiamenti di
Bailey si occupa di fornire un costante tappeto rumoristico ai partner, con Hervé che si scatena
con nastri mandati in avanti veloce e un secondo chitarrista, Andrew Clare, che aggiunge sul
canale sinistro altro caos al risultato finale. Nella lunga Pulpous Concord l'atmosfera si fa
invece inquietante, con le tortuose screziature di Moore che si abbinano a citazioni
"plagiariste" (anche un frammento di canto simil-gregoriano) piuttosto estese di Hervé. Un
Moore molto baileyano si può invece sentire nella prima parte di Despair in cui torna il
clarinetto di Ward che era in sottotono su Pulpous Concord, e caratterizzata anche da suoni
genere vecchia fantascienza di Hervé, mentre nella seconda metà del brano ancora una volta il
clima si fa più calmo (con un improvviso organo-Doctor Phibes di Hervé) prima del frenetico
finale, troncato bruscamente nel cd.

music club website

I heard a rumour the other day that Geffen Records had applied for a patent on Thurston
Moore's genetic code. It seems that they had just cloned another three from the original
allowing him (for an exorbitant fee) to appear simultaneously in such diverse locations as
The Simpsons or David Bowie's 50th birthday bash. The story goes that the marketing
department aware that the astronomical cost of this technology would prevent smaller players
cashing in on the Moore phenomenon, decided that Thurston Moore branding could fill the
gap in the market and boost product sales. So for a negotiable fee "your product too" can bear
the Thurston Moore name. These guys really went to town outlaying the big bucks to have the
red upper case SONIC YOUTH moniker emblazoned no less than four times on the back
cover. That said, this is a truly delightful co-ordination of sound. Don't be a wallflower and
miss your chance to tango with the blood yeti. Dismemberment never felt so good.

Nathan Thompson, Oppobrium #4

T HE THIRTEEN GHOSTS WITH DEREK BAILEY AND THURSTON MOORE'

was the harder of the pair to swallow. The Ghosts are a noise duo featuring horns and
electronic effects. Bailey's first side contributions (yeah, this was vinyl) never really fit
-- the whole affair is filled with a frenetic energy that never gels. Even my music-loving cat
turned into a skittish monster upon listening to it, something that hasn't happened since that
'Dog Pound Found Sound' disc a few months back. Moore's contributions make more sense.
Just as up-front as Bailey, he adds a much needed sonic backdrop for the Ghosts' noise.
1996, DRAWING CLOSE, ATTUNING - THE RESPECTIVE SIGNS OF
ORDER AND CHAOS, Tokuma TKCF-77017. (Japan) (CD)
(released in 1997)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Keiji Haino : guitar

1- 01:18
2- 02:14
3- 01:47
4- 03:57
5- 09:40
6- 26:01
7- 30:27

All tracks untitled

Recorded November 1996 at Moat Studio, London.

Cover drawing by Keiji Haino.

A highly anticipated series of guitar duets, studio recordings made in London in Nov. 1996.

olume several in Haino's ongoing quest to record and collaborate with anyone he's

V ever heard and liked. After the Haino/Brotzmann CD, I pretty much expected this to
compare to the Bailey/Taylor Eighth disc that I haven't listened to in about three
years. But Haino sticks to guitar, and Derek - if I may call him Derek - doesn't sing, making
for a pairing of wrists, which can roughly be divided into two halves.

The first, acoustic, in the grand tradition of duo recordings, though fascinating to hear, sounds
like two people playing separate solo records, with Haino displaying some impressively
nimble fingering, and Bailey dispersing intermittent clusters of scampering plunks, but still
seeming somewhat disinterested and at points even trailing off altogether. By the time the
second, electric, half has rolled around, he has apparently warmed up a little and actively vies
for position with Haino in a couple of extended feedback trade-off duels which, I'm confident
I can assert, will satisfy the expectations of most, if not all, potential listeners.

The opportunity to hear Bailey simply play loud has recently been proffered too seldomly
(apart from the quartet with fucking Pat Metheny, I suppose), and this is a chance to catch
him, not to mention Haino, in abstractly delineated volumic flight. Even at the astronomical
going price, it should be capitalised upon. Postscriptively, it's ironic to note that Haino's
albums are even harder to find and 50% more expensive now that he's signed to a Japanese
major label.

Nick Cain
1996, SONGS, Incus CD 40 (UK) (CD) (released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Keiji Haino : voice

1- Yume ga ichiban muchi 02.19

2- 25 no seimeitai 02.43
3- Aru kanashika no juni 04.41
4- 2 to mugen no torihiki 00.52
5- Zen'i no yokubo 01.14
6- Boka ga nejirekireru to ai 02.10
7- Zureteyuku no ha watashi, soretomo ima 01.57
8- Ten to tomo ni ishoni itagaru shugo 00.54
9- Etatai kanashimi o te ni ireta 01.25
10- Chotto burusu ni aisatsu 01.11
11- Kotaer arenai hazu na no ni 04.09
12- Ichi o tashik amete kara... 04.10
13- Fukuzatsu to iu zurusa 04.19
14- Tsumasaki kara no keikoku 02.17
15- Kikiakasarerarenaikoto 02.27
16- Massugu tte kore de ii no? 05.22

Recorded at Moat Studios, London in November 1996.

Cover painting by Keiji Haino.

Design and layout by Karen Brookman.

T he last release from Incus I’ve heard, "Songs," is a collaboration between Bailey and
guitarist/singer Keiji Haino of the Japanese noise band Fushitsusha. Haino doesn’t
play his usual noisy brutal guitar on it but the disc is pretty rough anyway. They’re
not going for prettiness on it at all.
Will Sherwin
1996, THE SIGN OF 4, Knitting Factory Works KFW 197 (USA) (3CD)
(released in 1997)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

Pat Metheny : guitars
Gregg Bendian : percussion
Paul Wertico : percussion

CD1: Statement of the case:

1. A study in scarlet 62:51

CD2: The science of deduction:

1- Evidently 07:45
2- Untidy habits 06:21
3- The rule of three 02:37
4- Strange story 04:05
5- The aurora 03:38
6- Tracks 05:37
7- A break in the chain 08:35
8- One object 06:12
9- Euclid 06:31
10- Fortune 09:53
CD3: The balance of probability:

1- Poisoned arrows 14:59

2- Trichinopoly 07:18
3- Ransom 19:02
4- Antecedents 07:26
5- In quest of a solution 19:24

A three CD set : CD1 and CD3 recorded live at The Knitting Factory, NYC on 13 and 14
December 1996; CD2 recorded at Sound on Sound Studios, NYC on 12 and 15 December
1996.

Design by Greenberg Kingsley.

ritish avant-guitarist Derek Bailey hooks up with Pat Metheny and drummers Paul

B Wertico and Gregg Bendian, who lend percussive thunder. It's all about he aesthetics
of extremes; atonal, improvised caterwauling recorded live and in the studio. A
headbanging delight. A-

Entertainment Weekly

A n exciting, even historic, display of extemporaneous music making.

Billboard

D on't worry about Derek Bailey going mainstream. He hasn't abandoned his doggedly
individual, uncompromising approach to the guitar in search of mass-market
acceptance. These provacative, somewhat crazed encounters with Pat Metheny occur
on Bailey's turf, drawing the younger guitarist further into the wilds of improvised music. For
Bailey, these live and studio sessions expose his spikey, unpredictable logic to legions of
Metheny fans as yet unfamiliar with the spontaneous combustion of collective improvisation.
For Metheny, The Sign Of 4 completes the outward-bound trajectory that started with Song X
and continued with the industrial-strength Zero Tolerance For Silence, recalling the turbulence
and frenzy of both projects. Most tracks feature electric guitars, and Metheny proves to be a
good foil for Bailey, supplying a linear approach and a piercing wail to complement Bailey's
clipped phrases and overheated squalls. Metheny's serious commitment to free playing is
immediately evident, starting with the howling, punishing solo that occupies much of the hour-
long "A Study In Scarlet." Bailey responds to Metheny's assault with churning, distorted
waves of noise, while the drummers Gregg Bendian and Paul Wertico attack their instruments
without respite, playing anything and everything but a steady groove.

The remaining sessions are more varied, ranging from spacious, calm interludes to raging
exchanges among drummers and guitarists, with the most ambitious improvisations, including
"Fortune," "Tracks" and "In The Quest Of A Solution," embracing both extremes. The
studio session, titled "The Science Of Deduction," is best of all, with acoustic tracks such as
"Strange Story" and "The Aurora" making use of Bendian's vibes and ethnic percussion to
shape the quietly mysterious interactions of Bailey and Metheny. Most of the improvisations
succeed in drawing the listener into the vortex of the activity and communicating a sense of
group motion and common purpose. The three-CD set is inexpensive, priced to encourage
risk-takers and thrill-seekers. New facets and inter-relationships are sure to emerge after
repeated listenings. Four Stars!

Downbeat

T he music is a big, ugly blood clot." The Boston Phoenix * "Only a few of the
thousands of CDs hyped and raved about each year in jazz magazines are truly
provocative, in that they undermine the often ossified consensus about an artist's work
or the locked-step party line on a style or genre of music. The 3-CD The Sign Of 4 is such
an album." Jazz Times * "...alien harmonic schemes, outbreaks of convulsive, distortion-laden
violence and surprising passages of low-gravity, tonal serenity...

Rolling Stone

ity the pop-jazz Metheny fan who drops dinero on this exceptionally cacophanous

P outing. This stuff is so far out that many of those who lauded Song X, the guitarist's
album with Ornette Coleman, will be rushing it down to the used CD stores after
hearing only the first of the three discs. Bailey is one of the patriarchs of avant garde guitar
playing, and Metheny does well in matching his abrasiveness fret for fret. Bendian and
Wertico (the latter is the Metheny group's regular drummer) supply the rest of the assault. It's
wonderfully aggressive stuff that both introduces Bailey to a larger audience and further
proves Metheny's uncanny ability to excel at playing just about any style. If you categorized
your CD collection from smooth to sandpaper rather than from A to Z, this would go in that
slot where Zappa and zydeco music used to be. If you're inclined to write it off as mere noise,
you're overlooking the intensity and cohesion these guys display.
The Tucson Weekly

t's been a decade since Metheny surprised the world -- or at least real jazz fans -- by

I collaborating with Ornette Coleman, especially since he certainly held his own in such
company. And though he did pressure Geffen into releasing an album of noisy guitar
pieces a few years back, the mere idea of Metheny playing with free improv guitarist Derek
Bailey seemed like a joke of some kind. It wasn't. The quartet, filled out with percussionists
Bendian and Wertico, got together last December for a couple of live dates and some studio
recording, which is now available on this three-CD set (priced less than most two-CD sets).
Though it's certainly not the revelation that Metheny's Ornette album was and though Bailey
has made better records, The Sign of Four has plenty of worthwhile moments. The studio
tracks are by far the strongest. Not only are they shorter and more focused but the addition of
acoustic guitars alongside marimbas, cowbells and less familiar percussion provides welcome
contrasts.
The musicians seem intent on surprising each other without grandstanding. The two discs of
live material are less consistent. Metheny hasn't entirely grasped the idea behind free improv;
he seems to think it's mainly about creating as much racket as possible. Admittedly there are
some free musicians with the same misunderstanding but Metheny has a tendency to charge
through the music with loud roars and chattering riffs. Bailey and the percussionists are
experienced enough to deal with this freewheeling approach and can provide a rough context
on the spur of the moment, which is what free playing is all about. When Metheny calms
down enough to listen to the others, the entire quartet conjures up music of invention and
surprise. The Sign of Four isn't quite the unpredictable blend of musical approaches that the
situation may have promised but it's strong enough, with a real sense of adventure. For Bailey,
it's yet another installment in a career that's run from Brazillian percussionists to tap dancers
to drum 'n' bass. We can only hope that Metheny keeps challenging himself with such
uncommercial projects.
Creative Loafing Online - Atlanta

nitting Factory Works is proud to present one of the most unusual and remarkable

K musical meetings in recent years with the release of The Sign of Four. This specially
priced three CD set contains more than three hours of intense collaborative
improvisation between two of the most popular and successful musicians on the contemporary
jazz scene, guitarist Pat Metheny and drummer Paul Wertico, and two of the foremost artists
in the field of free improvisation and avant garde jazz, guitarist Derek Bailey and percussionist
Gregg Bendian.

The project, an idea conceived by the participants more than a year ago, pairs guitarists who
might seem to be polar opposites at first. But Metheny, famous worldwide for his trademark
brand of heartland melodicism, is no stranger to risk-taking and avant garde sounds: his
album Song X, recorded with Ornette Coleman, brought him major accolades and the respect
of even the most outward-leaning critics and listeners. More recently the solo album Zero
Tolerance for Silence pushed the envelope even further, winning Metheny numerous fans in
the alternative rock and noise music audiences. Derek Bailey, on the other hand, is the
foremost avant garde guitarist of the 20th century and a longtime leader in the European free
music scene. Virtually every major modern guitarist, from Henry Kaiser and Jim O'Rourke to
Thurston Moore and Marc Ribot, considers Bailey to be a seminal influence. A prolific
recording artist and a regular collaborator with unexpected partners, recent years have seen
Bailey working and recording with the Japanese artcore duo Ruins, with bassist Bill Laswell
and the late Tony Williams in the trio Arcana, and with jungle turntable manipulator DJ Ninj.

(...)

etheny is one of the rare musicians who has managed to gain popularity while

M continually challenging himself and his audience with some significant musical
departures. The guitarist stepped outside the Pat Metheny Group to work with
avant-garde guitarist Derek Bailey and drummers Paul Wertico and Greg Bendian on a 1996
three-CD set, The Sign of 4. He also startled listeners with the 1994 CD Zero Tolerance for
Silence, a solo record that explored a ragged, noisy and often jarring style of playing. That
disc drew praise from an unlikely source, Thurston Moore of the post-punk noise rock band
Sonic Youth, who called it the "most radical recording of the decade." (…)

he Bailey-Metheny Qt. 3cd set is astounding on many levels. Recorded only 5

T months ago, the packaging, production & over 3 hours of cosmic improv included are
solid throughout. Disc one is an hour long noise storm, molten & focused, with mind
frying guitars. Disc two is all studio improv & disc three, much different live improv sets that
unfold slowly showing softer & more precious sounds. A steal at $20!!

Downtown Music Gallery

T his three-CD set is not something to be taken lightly. Derek Bailey is a preeminent
experimental guitarist and theoretician. To this project he brings impeccable
credentials, chops and percussionist Gregg Bendian. Pat Metheny needs no
introduction; in recent years, he has proven that he's capable of moving beyond the bubble
gum fusion that your parents enjoyed in the '80s. "The Sign Of 4" was recorded over a
frenzied four-day period in which the group spent two nights in the studio and two nights in
the main space of the Knitting Factory. Such magnitude could provoke a lengthy explanation,
since even playing it beginning to end would take half an afternoon. The first CD is a 62-
minute avalanche in which guitars scream and percussion erupts. Though it contains some
intense moments, the second CD is more user-friendly, with the guitarists taking a more subtle
direction in their conversation. Similarly, the percussionists also explore a quieter side, yet
they are also responsible for one of the disc's highlights: the freight train-like "Tracks." Disc
three picks up where the first one left off, and builds to an amazing conclusion. "The Sign Of
4" explores the loud and the quiet with the restless hunger of four adventurers in musical
conversation without a net.

CMJ New Music Report

erek Bailey has been turning up in some surprising company lately, but this triple

D CD with Pat Metheny, usually such a purveyor of the sweetly undemanding, is both
one of the oddest and yet the most fruitful. The Sherlock Holmes quote on the cover
from the novel which gives the album its title pretty much sums it up: "When you have
eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Well, this certainly is improbable, and likely to disconcert followers of either guitarist - there
can't be too many who are followers of both! Metheny has shown occasional hints of wanting
to try something different - a fondness for Ornette Coleman tunes (even an album with
Coleman) and a brave but not entirely successful noise album a couple of years ago, Zero
Tolerance For Silence. Nothing like this, though. But it will probably come as just as much of
a surprise to Derek Bailey fans. I've always thought of him as a rather quiet player. Derek And
The Ruins had him opening up a bit, but that was mellow compared to this.
Of the the three CDs, the first and third were recorded live on two nights at the Knitting
Factory. Sandwiched between them is a CD of studio recordings. The first is a single
performance aptly entitled 'A Study In Scarlet', a 62-minute wall of noise that's among the
loudest things I've ever heard, both guitarists at full throttle throughout. Even Borbetomagus
ought to be impressed. Things calm down a little for the second studio CD. There's more
variety of texture, even a few acoustic sections, and a couple of tracks that are firmly within
Derek's normal mode. Elsewhere there are some stranger moments: 'Tracks', which veers for a
few minutes into a sort of space-rock, and 'A Break In The Chain', where they get almost
lyrical.

It's back to noise for the third CD. Not as relentless as the first, there's an occasional pause for
breath, even some delicate and beautiful passages, but with a final blast - 'In Search Of A
Solution' - that's as ferocious as anything in the set. I've hardly mentioned the drummers -
they give able support and create wonderfully varied textures, but it's really the guitarists who
dominate. I've always loved Bailey's music, but I never expected to be thrilled by Metheny.
This is an astonishing three hours of music - I hope there will be more to come from this
unlikely quartet.

Dave Ramsden

hen you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable,

W must be the truth." Sherlock Holmes, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of
Four.
L' engagement de Pat Metheny ["l'une des rares 'pop star' du jazz" selon Libération]
fait que ce CD n'échappe pratiquement à aucun chroniqueur spécialisé. L' article de
Libération passe d'ailleurs beaucoup de temps à célébrer, l'aptitude de Metheny à
brouiller les pistes" dès qu'il est "livré à lui-méme" [Metheny a déjà plus d'une fois surpris ses
fans, en changeant de registre: Song X, Zero Tolerance for silence,...]. II le fait du moins assez
régulièrement pour que ça signifie un réel besoin intermittent de sortir de sa musique faite
pour "remplir les stades". De là à conclure qu'il adresse un "bras d'honneur au système" [Jazz
Magazine], c'est peut-être vite jouer de la dialectique dans/hors du système. En mettant l'accent
sur le courage de Metheny qui consiste à rompre des habitudes, à descendre dans l'aréna de
l'expérimentation, lui qui n'a plus grand chose à prouver, on ne dit rien de fondamentalement
erroné, mais on fausse la réalité: si Metheny peut "sortir" du système, déjouer son image de
"suppôt des grandes compagnies phonographiques", c'est que des musiciens [comme Derek
Bailey] travaillent en permanence "hors" du système, entretiennent et le champ libre de
l'aventure sonore et la présence d'un public intéressé par cette aventure continue. Quant à la
musique qui remplit ces trois CD, pour Libération elle est "excessive, effervescente, fait penser
à un brasier". Il y a de ça, mais avouons que cette caractérisation est un peu globalisante.
Beaucoup de nuances sont passées sous silence, une complexité des risques tentés par les
musiciens n'est absolument pas prise en compte et surtout pas exposée pour indiquer à
l'auditeur potentiel des raisons d'investir dans l'écoute approfondie de cette musique.

La chronique de Jazz Magazine donne mieux l'impression que les 3 CD ont été écoutés [!], en
donnant quelques appréciations "objectives" quant aux diversités de tons repérables sur
chacun des CD, avec ce verdict final en forme de dérobade: "... cette rencontre de poids lourds
est comme la vie: parfois terriblement ennuyeuse, parfois terriblement excitante".

La chronique de Jazzman s'empare de la position inhabituelle de Metheny pour discréditer

complètement l'entreprise: "Arnaque de premiére!... Périodiquement, comme d'autres vont
faire leur cure de thalasso et perdre leur surcharge pondérale, Pat Metheny se donne un
frisson de marginalité expérimentale:' Pour Jazzman il n'y aurait donc rien de crédible dans
cette démarche d'un musicien commercial se plongeant dans une expérience "non
commerciale", cela ne concerne pas l'expression mais les "conseillers en communication"!
Malheureusement, l'argumentation est faible, qui pourrait étayer cette approche, bien plus, elle
se résume en quelques formules à l'emporte pièces, du genre " Il y a aujourd'hui mille fois
plus de créativité dans la scéne trash et hardcore...", formule qui peut, selon l'humeur et la
circonstance, se retourner et rester tout aussi péremptoire.

Peut-être que 3 CD d'une telle nature controversante et sujette à controverse mériteraient plus
d'attention, plus d'écoute, plus de place. Une fois de plus on s'attache à émettre un jugement
sur un produit final et donc, une fois de plus, à rendre plausible, et facilement compréhensible,
une consigne de consommation. Il n'y a peut-être pas de "produit fini" dans un cas semblable
et par conséquent, adopter une consigne de consommation doit être très malaisé. Il s'agit de
quelque chose d'ouvert, comme en train de se faire, et il faudrait en parler en conséquence. Le
terrain est clairement délimité par les trois chroniqueurs: celui de l'expérimentation, du non-
commercial... Je ne pense pas, personnellement, que Pat Metheny soit téléguidé uniquement
par des "conseillers en communication".

Mais il est trés intéressant d'examiner comment il se comporte sur un terrain qui lui est, tout
de même, un peu étranger, quelle approche, lui la "pop-star" du jazz, développe de cette liberté
sonore. Et il me semble qu'il importe dans le monde "expérimental", en les exploitant dans une
sorte d'excès défoulant, pas mal de traits forgés, de codes au service du système. Comme si,
même dans l'excès, sa nature la plus courante parlait toujours [par "nature" je pense à toutes
sortes de réflexes, de conditionnements qui doivent lui venir de jouer principalement dans un
rôle de "pop-star" où il intégre toutes les attentes que le marché et les publics investissent dans
ce genre de musicien-vedette]. Je pense par exemple à un côté beaucoup plus démonstratif,
une surenchère sonore plus "chic", un étalage technique plus voyant, une virtuosité plus
"sensationnelle" que Derek Bailey. Comme s'il accentuait l'esthétique "prise de risque" qu'il
est en train de pratiquer, ce qui correspond à la recherche du "frisson expérimental", mais à
mon avis il faut considérer cet aspect sans lui ajouter de valeurs péjoratives, il y a des
"enseignements" à en tirer, qui concernent le fonctionnement des codes expressifs, et qui ne
peuvent l'être que parce que Metheny accepte de jouer de cette manière: sa part de risques est
importante. Metheny se démène pour se défaire de tous les codes d'autorité, ceux du
commerce, qui lui collent à la peau. A tel point qu'il reste beaucoup plus "autoritaire". Il me
semble qu'il joue toujours avec une arrière-pensée de rivalité, comme s'il était engagé dans une
joute où il convient d'instaurer un "leadership" de l'occupation sonore, de la trouvaille
technique, de la "pratique de la surprise" [dans le sens où il chercherait à surprendre l'autre].
Même ici, finalement, il est "dans" le système. Expliquer pourquoi ce devrait le rôle des
spécialistes et je n'en suis pas un serait plus enrichissant que le condamner de "sortir de son
rang".

D'autre part, il me paraît exagéré de dire que Derek Bailey ne se sent " pas concerné"!
Pourquoi il serait là? C'est sans doute autre chose qui se passe qui n'a pas grand chose à voir
avec la qualité que l'on pourrait attribuer à la prestation de Derek Bailey par rapport à quelques
précédents. Ce qui compte n'est pas d'évaluer l'excellence d'un musicien au regard de ce qu'il a
déjà fait [sa capacité à reproduire ses meilleurs moments?], de jauger la restitution de sa
technicité, son degré d'inspiration: ce qui peut se passer dans une prestation musicale peut être
sans liaisons évidentes avec tout ça.

Ce qui est sûr, c'est qu'il y a contraste avec Metheny: Derek Bailey joue terriblement à
l'économie, très sobre, presque lapidaire, laconique, très sec, circonspect. Et plus Metheny "en
jette", plus il est "assez terne", sans aucune autorité [je donne quelques caractéristiques qui me
semblent dominantes: il y a des instants qui les contredisent]. Et c'est la confrontation de ces
deux manières qui est fascinante: une même volonté d'expérience, d'autonomiser sa musique,
et deux manières de procéder, une manière de faire qui vient du commerce [et qui joue le jeu
honnêtement; en disant qu'elle vient du commerce, je vise le fait qu'indirectement, Pat Metheny
étant immergé dans le monde jazz du commerce, il reproduit ici toutes sortes de paramètres de
cet habitus commercial] et une autre qui n'a jamais quitté le terrain de l'expérimentation. En
fait, Metheny veut démontrer que l'on peut être dans le système et être capable, parfois,
d'autonomie, et Derek Bailey a construit toute sa carrière dans l'autonomie...

D'une certaine manière, dans ce genre d'exercice, il y a toutes sortes de choses dont il s'est déjà
défait, qu'il n'a plus besoin de formuler, c'est pourquoi il est dépourvu de redondance, va
directement à l'essentiel, alors que Metheny a besoin de redondances pour faire passer les
risques qu'il prend. Si les deux guitaristes de cette confrontation à quatre et l'on peut sans
doute retrouver les mêmes clivages entre les deux percussionistes semblent presque toujours
décalés, c'est qu'il y a comme un facteur "temps" qui les sépare: il y a longtemps que Derek
Bailey construit un langage, une stratégie de langage contre la commercialisation des
expressions, il est immergé dans ce temps-langage contre la rentabilité des musiques.
Metheny, lui, même s'il s'immerge profondément dans le présent de cette expérience, n'y passe
pas le plus clair de son temps, il n'y fait que des passages éclairs. Sa pensée ne s'investit pas
en continu dans ce type de stratégie. Et s'il paraît occuper le devant de la scène, prendre le pas
sur Bailey, être plus fulgurant, plus démonsratif, c'est qu'il court après le temps de Bailey, il
essaye de rattraper ce dépouillement "aride"...

C'est rechercher pourquoi cette confrontation-ci se déroule en ces termes là l'étalage, une
"spectacularisation" en dépit de tout, ici le retrait, le sabordage froid, rageur et presque
désintéressé qui fait de l'écoute de ce CD quelque chose d'absolument essentiel dans l'examen
de l'actualité du jazz. Pourquoi ces deux musiciens, qui acceptent de se confronter durant
plusieurs heures, sur scène et en studio, ne parviennent pas vraiment à s'entendre, à jouer
ensemble [ce que touche du doigt le chroniqueur qui évoque combien Derek Bailey peut
s'enflammer autrement avec d'autres partenaires plus de "son monde"], est trés révélateur de la
manière trés enracinée dont les codes peuvent séparer des agents d'expression, de manière
quasi irrémédiable, même quand ils tentent de se rapprocher... Une musique à écouter, un CD
à acheter, tous publics!

Pierre Hemptinne
1996, VIPER, Avant AVAN 050 (Japan) (CD) (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar

Min Xiao-Fen : pipa

1- Bai Hua She/Viper 02:57

2- Huang Qin/Skullcap 03:46
3- Zhu Ye/Various species 12:18
4- Ba Qing Ye/Woad 04:38
5- Wan Er Wan/The jig is up 02:01
6- Xiang Qing Qing/Grains of paradise 04:07
7- Sha Fen/Gardens of paradise 06:00
8- Zhu Shu/Cinnabar 18:35

Recorded on 16 December 1996 (not 1997 as stated) at Clinton, NYC.

Cover design by Ikue Mori.

D erek Bailey, one of the founding fathers of the European improvising scene and Min
Xiao-Fen, one of China's greatest pipa (Chinese lute) virtuosos met for the first time
in front of these sensitive microphones to record this document of free
improvisations at its best and most adventurous. The young Min Xiao-Fen has recorded two
stunningly beautiful albums of traditional and modern works for pipa and was featured on
John Zorn's Filmworks 8. Two of the world's most exciting string players cross boundaries
head-to-head in creating a musical meeting of East and West unlike anything you've ever
heard before.
 in Xiao-Fen, a virtuoso performer on the four-stringed Chinese lute-like pipa, is

M reviewed elsewhere in motion for her solo album of contemporary classical music
With Six Composers. As we said there, she is an astonishingly virtuosic player of
an instrument which allegedly has over 70 different playing techniques. Derek Bailey, of
course, remains one of contemporary music's most influential figures: a virtual god to fans of
extreme or experimental guitar playing and an essential figure in any history of Free Improv
for over thirty years' worth of championing its cause - as player, as festival organizer, as
record label owner. He is, crucially, no stranger to unexpected collaborations. Indeed, his
Company festivals specifically sought to bring together improvisers from wildly eclectic
backgrounds. His collaborators of late have included figures as far-flung as Japanese neo-
prog group Ruins, jazz fusion superstar Pat Metheny and sundry jungle DJs. Bailey was
already on record as saying that Min was one of the most extraordinary musicians he'd come
across for a long time, and was no doubt impressed by her own willingness to collaborate with
a wide variety of musicians, from ambient composer Carl Stone to such jazz players as
Wadada Leo Smith and John Zorn. So Viper, this collaboration released on Avant, is not
necessarily a surprising occurence. It is, however, quite brilliant. Bailey restricts himself to
acoustic guitar, and Min's presence obviously challenges him: the full range of his extended
playing techniques seems to be run through here. The two communicate with each other
sublimely, each change of mood and pace almost telepathically followed through. No-one
should expect any easy ride here of course: this is tense, unpredicatable stuff which rarely lets
go of its edginess. But examples of how cross-cultural experiments rarely come finer than
this.

hese are good times for Derek Bailey fans. The last few years have seen an

T unprecedented number of releases by the founding father of avant-garde/improvised

guitar playing: solo and group recordings in "traditional" free-improv contexts, re-
releases of historic vintage goodness from the '70s and '80s and, most surprisingly, some odd
pairings of Bailey with people from other, unlikely genres. To his "right," jazzmen like Tony
Williams, Pat Metheny and Lee Konitz; to his "left," say, the drum'n'bass DJ Ninj and
Japanese pop-noise star Keiji Heino. 'Viper' is the fourth Bailey collaborative album from the
Japanese Avant label, and represents the latest evidence of his affinity with string players from
the Far East. Here he's playing duos with Shanghai native Min Xiao-Fen, a virtuoso of the
tiny, ancient, four-stringed pipa. Despite the strong Eastern color this instrument gives the
music, 'Viper' is a pretty typical example of the traditional give-and-take style of European free
improvising. While it's not the first record I'd recommend to Bailey virgins (there are some
moments of overly aggressive, frenzied violence that even turn me into a reactionary), 'Viper' is
still chock-full of musical textures (or, should I say, means of attack), and it's a great display
of the musical language Bailey has created and perfected over the last 30 years. The opening
"bars" will hook you: Bailey chops out strong acoustic chords flecked with his signature
pinging grace notes, bell-like two- and three-note harmonics of rapidly changing timbres (I'll
always be mystified as to how he does that), as Min's hummingbird-quick trills on the pipa
spin into Derek's orbit and soon we're into a spiky, percussive conversation; Min's atonal
banging reaches peaks of frenzy, while Derek keeps up with a grab-bag from the arsenal:
splintery single-note attacks, trilled, almost classical-sounding chords and metallic
punctuations from behind-the-bridge--and that's just the first three minutes! One track in
particular is a must-have standout: The aptly titled "Various Species" runs the "textural"
gamut from a clobbering percussiveness to a relaxed, atonal serenity (how strangely
interesting that the language of free improvisation can produce this, and by now, sounds so
natural doing it). Speaking again of timbres, there are a few choice (and, in a sense, funny)
moments on this track where Bailey plucks out a delicious, pointillistic ping-pong of high-
and-low notes that I'd swear are in imitation of Min's instrument; the strings rattle!

Tony Mostrom
 in Xiao-Fen is a master player of the pipa, a four-stringed Chinese lute. In addition

M to recordings of traditional material (for example, the stunning Spring, River,

Flower, Moon, Night, a solo recital issued on Asphodel), during the 1990s Min
increasingly played with improvising musicians, including Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis,
and John Zorn. Here, she teams with the reigning master of improvised guitar, Derek Bailey ,
and the results, while intriguing, fail to live up to expectations. There are a couple of problems
facing anyone intrepid enough to go one on one with Bailey: first, a tendency toward "me-too-
ism," of merely echoing his sounds; and second, being overly deferential, content to follow
Bailey 's lead and not provoke him with one's own ideas. It's a bit like finding oneself in
conversation with a gifted thinker and simply replying "yeah" and "uh-huh," or paraphrasing
previously stated arguments. While not quite so drastic, these appear to be symptomatic of the
problems on this recording. Instead of relying on her beautiful, traditional strengths, Min tries
to apply Bailey-esque extended techniques to the pipa and lets him chart the course rather than
exerting control herself. For his part, Bailey appears to go to great lengths in accommodating
her, eliciting pipa-like sounds from his guitar as if urging her to take them and run, but only a
small amount of gripping music emerges. There is certainly a good deal of delicacy in the
playing, and both musicians are clearly listening to one another, but the line between delicacy
and timidity is crossed a bit too often. Had Min been more resolute in creating independent
structures that might have forced Bailey, consequently, to explore other more rewarding areas
(as has occurred, for example, in his duets with percussionist Susie Ibarra ), the music might
have fulfilled its great potential. As is, the result is not unrewarding in some aspects, but is
ultimately a frustrating affair.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

Min Xiao-Fen, pipa

ight tracks of collabortive improvisation between legendary free jazz/improv guitarist

E Derek Bailey and pipa player Min Xiao-Fen. Produced by John Zorn and recorded in
New York Dec 1997, the sound qualit y of these recordings is stellar. The recording
captures both musicians clearly with the mix being even, alowing the listener to hear both
musicians and the interplay of the performances. The music builds and weaves intracate,
cascading, clusters and streams of picking. Featuring art works designed by Ikue Morithat
represents and eastern aesthetic.

hat's an Indiana boy doing listening to a Chinese woman and a British guy? Min

W Xiao-Fen is a Chinese master musician and she plays the pipa (Chinese lute).
Derek Bailey (playing acoustic guitar here) is one of the fathers of free-
improvisation. These two musicians are from different cultures, different genders, and
different generations, but the improvisations contained on this cd are played by two minds that
are always fully locked on to every nuance of what the other is playing.

This is one of the best free-improvisation cd's I have ever heard. Period. As much as I love
Min in her other musical settings (and I do love her!) I keep hoping she will venture into the
world of free-improvisation more often because she is such a force of nature in this wide open
context. And as far as Derek's playing on this cd is concerned, I rank this cd up there with
AIDA and WIREFORKS without hesitation!

Want a few favorite tracks? Well I'm not going to name any because this cd is consistently
great, and to name my favorites would be too tough for me.

This viper will strike!, January 13, 2000

Reviewer: Pharoah S. from Indiana, USA.

T his is a good time for Derek Bailey fans. In the last few years there's been a gratifying
glut of Bailey releases - solo, group, archival/historical. And some of his recent
recorded collaborations represent a kind of branching out and genre-crossing that's
still comparatively scarce in, say, pop music. Their unusualness falls into two categories:
playing with the relatively conservative - Pat Metheny, Tony Williams, Lee Konitz - and
surprising-to-odd genre-pairing with people like drum 'n' bass DJ Ninj, dancer Min Tanaka
(hear Music and Dance on Revenant, an absolute, permanent classic), poppish Japanese
guitarist Keiji Haino (which was probably inevitable; Haino's played and recorded with
practically everybody else) and Japanese rock band Ruins, to name a few.

Which leads me to Viper. Listening to this new record, a string duo pairing Derek with the
Shanghai-born Min Xiao-Fen on the pipa - a very small, very ancient four-stringed
Chinese instrument - reminds me of a comment once made by a critic to the effect that it was
no surprise how quickly and enthusiastically Bailey's idiosyncratic, "non-idiomatic" guitar
playing had been taken up by Eastern audiences. The guitar language he created, with its
strong emphasis on pure "string sound," high-note pointillism and rhythmic elasticity, not to
mention his fondness for extreme varieties of timbre and attack - in a word, his "physicalist"
approach to his instrument - does, to my Western ears, bear a conceptual and musical
resemblance to some Asian string music.Viper also provides interesting examples of the
fascinating language ( or languages, or perhaps dialects ) of free improvisation. There's a tasty
but short sequence midway through "Zhu Ye" ("Various Species") where Bailey plays a
walking-rhythm pingpong of high and middle notes that sounds like a cross between a koto
and the cigar-box-banjo sound of Min's instrument. Min's playing on the pipa ranges from
rapid, virtuosic trills and scalar arpeggios to a dull scraping-cardboard sound that at times runs
the risk of reducing the music to percussive materialism - a pitfall of free improvisation
avoided, fortunately, through Viper's momentum and inventiveness. This is a record that will
reward repeated - and concentrated - listening.

Tony Mostrom
1996, FIRST DUO CONCERT (London 1974), Emanem 4006 (UK) (CD)
(re-issue)

Anthony Braxton : flute, soprano clarinet, clarinet, contrabass clarinet,

sopranino saxophone, alto saxophone
Derek Bailey : amplified guitars, 19-string (approx) guitar

1- The first set - area 1 08.22

2- The first set - area 2 03.12
3- The first set - area 3 [open] 08.44
4- The first set - area 4 [solo] 02.43
5- The first set - area 5 05.21
6- The first set - area 6 06.08
7- The second set - area 7 06.48
8- The second set - area 8 06.23
9- The second set - area 9 [solo] 05.56
10- The second set - area 10 04.29
11- The second set - area 11 [open] 15.29
12- The second set - area 12 03.57

Recorded by Martin Davidson at the Wigmore Hall in London on 30 June 1974.

Front cover photograph by Val Wilmer, the day before the concert.

Previously released on vinyl as Emanem 601 (double LP), with rehearsal extract, and on Inner
City, with additional rehearsal extract. Also later released by Emanem on two separate Duo
with Anthony Braxton. Their earliest meeting on record -- the complete Wigmore Hall concert
in London, 1974 (re-issue of most of Emanem 601 2LP set). Braxton on his various array of
reeds, Bailey on amplified guitar and "19 string (approx.) guitar". Major historic meeting
between two key free music figureheads.

Excerpts from sleeve notes:

uring the middle 1960s, several centres creating highly original new music appeared

D independently - unknown to each other and to the rest of the world at first. Two of
the most important of these centres were Chicago and London. Both were strongly
influenced by the New York City based free jazz scene, yet both reacted against certain aspects
of it. For instance they both used a lot of space, often involving extended quiet passages that
ventured near and even included silence, and they put greater emphasis on improvising as a
group, rather than as soloists with accompaniment. Both were also strongly influenced by
contemporary composed music, and by several genres of traditional music from around the
world. There were major differences, however. The Chicagoans nearly always used pre-
composed material (often quite complex) in their performances, whilst the most radical
Londoners generally dropped written material very early on in their explorations. Also, the
improvisational language of the Chicagoans tended to sound like (free) jazz, whereas the more
adventurous Londoners sounded more like certain areas of modern composed music -
although it should be pointed out that both ventured into previously unheard sound worlds.
(Needless to say, all of the above is a generalisation with innumerable exceptions, rather than
the whole picture.)

Two of the leading exponents of these two centres were Anthony Braxton (b. 1945) and
Derek Bailey (b. 1930). The former grew up in Chicago, whereas the latter did not move to
London until the mid 1960s, having grown up in Sheffield. The two first came into direct
contact when Braxton spent some time in London in 1971. They first worked together at a
1973 Braxton quartet concert in Paris that began with a duo piece. The concert preserved on
this CD was their second public performance together, and was the first time that Braxton had
officially performed in Britain. It was also one of the first concerts of improvised music to
take place in the Wigmore Hall. The first part of the rehearsal held the previous day
established what the musicians did not want to do - Bailey did not want to play notated
compositions in unison, while Braxton did not want to improvise totally. A compromise was
reached. Each half or set of the concert was to consist of a (different) sequence of six
predetermined areas to improvise in. Thus, for example, Area 2 is around staccato sounds,
Area 6 about sustained sounds, Area 10 about repeated motifs, etc. One section of each set,
however, was left open (unpredetermined) to allow for the inclusion of other ideas that might
arise during the concert. (These are Area 3 and Area 11). Also one section of the First Set was
designated a guitar solo (Area 4), and one of the Second an alto saxophone solo (Area 9).
Each of the two sets was played without a break. Note that for most of the concert, Bailey
played a normal electro-acoustic six-string guitar augmented by stereo amplification, with the
sound coming out of the two speakers controlled by two volume pedals. In Area 7 and Area 8,
he used his then other guitar, which had about nineteen strings, enhanced by a small practice
amplifier. Two of these strings were "contra-bass" ones which went around his feet.
Unfortunately, there is not enough room on this CD for the rehearsal extracts that were
previously issued on LPs, and these do not add enough material to make up two decently
filled CDs. These are now available on Emanem 4027.

Martin Davidson, 1996

 hat stands out about the best parts of this disc is that Braxton and Bailey are

W listening to each other. We get to hear as each musician changes his playing to
match what the other is doing. We also hear how these two musicians'
backgrounds meld. Braxton brings a blues-based aesthetic to his playing, while Bailey's guitar
sounds like it's straight out of the tradition of late Twentieth Century European music. These
two traditions merge well in the playing of these two musicians.

Eric Saidel, Cadence 1996

etween them, Anthony Braxton and Derek Bailey must have released hundreds of

B discs, yet this duet is thrilling. Braxton hovers like an angry wasp, Bailey is mind-
bendingly on form.

Ben Watson, Hi-Fi News & Record Review 1997

hese twelve duets between African-American avant-gardist Anthony Braxton and Brit

T Derek Bailey are remarkable for several reasons, not the least of which is that this is
the first recording of these two seminal figures performing in tandem. Coming from
entirely different traditions of free music, Braxton emits a more melodic, tonal approach, while
Bailey exemplifies an atonal, abstract concept. The results are hugely successful, with the two
meeting halfway. The duo recorded here is surprisingly accessible, and contrasts two
complementary approaches within the free music genre.

Steven Loewy - All-Music Guide 2000

1996, ODE, Incus 6-7/Intakt 041 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

London Jazz Composers' Orchestra :

Barry Guy : bass, composer
Buxton Orr : conductor
Harry Beckett : trumpet
Dave Holdsworth : trumpet
Marc Charig : cornet
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Mike Gibbs : trombone
Paul Nieman : trombone
Dick Hart : tuba
Howard Riley : piano
Derek Bailey : guitar
Trevor Watts : alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Mike Osborne : alto saxophone
Bernhard Living : alto saxophone
Alan Wakeman : soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Bob Downes : flute, tenor saxophone
Karl Jenkins : baritone saxophone, oboe
Jeff Clyne : bass
Chris Laurence : bass
Tony Oxley : percussion
Paul Lytton : percussion
1- Part I: Introduction - The end - Edgar Ende, 1931 08.58

2- Part II: Strophe I - Memory of the future - Oscar Dominguez, 1939 08.56

3- Part III: Antistrophe I - Exact sensibility - Oscar Dominguez, 1935 14.11

4- Part IV: Strophe II - Indefinite indivisibility - Yves Tanguy, 1942 23.44

5- Part V: Antistrophe II - According to the laws of chance - Jean Arp,1917 10.56

6- Part VI: Epôde - Presence of mind- René Magritte, 1958 19.00

7- Part VII: Coda - Melancholy departure - Georgio de Chirico, 1916 11.48

Recorded on 22 April 1972 in Oxford Town Hall at the English Bach Festival.

Cover design by Peter Frey.

Previously released as Incus 6-7. For this release, there has been a return to the order as
composed in 1970 and Part VII, missing from the Incus 2LP set has been restored.
1996, AIDA, Dexter’s Cigar, DEX 05 (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : solo acoustic guitar

1- Paris 19.00
2- Niigata snow 06.00
3- An echo in another's mind 14.00

Track 1 recorded at 'Dunois' Paris on 4 July 1980 by Jean-Marc Foussat.

Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at the ICA London on 3 August 1980 by Adam Skeaping.
'Dedicated to the memory of Aida Akira 1946-1978'.

Published first as a regular LP on Incus and also available in an autographed white cardboard
sleeve from Incus. Issued as a CD on Dexter's Cigar - DEX 05 in 1996 (some sources said
1994) and re-issued in 2004 on Dexter’s Cigar.

I n terms of most desirable Incus back catalogue that I don’t / didn’t think I will / would
ever get the chance to hear, this is / was right up there with Royal Volume 1, Iskra 1903
and Solo Improvisations - Lot 74 for salivatory anticipation. Performed / recorded July-
August 1980, this captures Derek at incredible true peak sleight-of-hand form over three
vertiginous pieces, two long and one short: ‘An Echo In Another’s Mind’ and ‘Niigata
Snow’ proffer teaser melodies before twisting away into wild flight and harsh fits of violent,
splenetic hacking, and ‘Paris’ displays this titan’s crisp, articulate finger-rake and air-slicing,
spine-curling, blood-drawing digit-scratch in all its elusive brilliance - when its end is
prematurely brought on by the bleeping alarm of an audience member’s digital watch, it’s
enough to make you want to ban time.

Nick
I magine a music free of the constraints of time. Locked in the endless present, it has no
recollection of its past or premonitions of its future. With no allegiance to the weight of
history, the sounds freeze and fold on themselves in a ceaseless exploration of the
instant. Freedom from the future renders the music unwaveringly bold and separate from the
fear of consequence. The need to establish artificial structures or carve narrative from acoustic
phenomena crumbles under the calculation of the moment’s countless fluctuations. Sound
becomes both fearless and fragile, as strident and organic as it is fleeting and impermanent.

For more than thirty years, Derek Bailey and his guitar have pursued a new language that
would realize the possibilities of such a liberated music. His efforts to erase the boundaries of
musical history have resulted in an alien sound completely unlike his predecessors and wholly
his own – a tapestry of shattered glass harmonics, string snaps, feedback whistle, and crab-like
arpeggiations. In a group context, Bailey’s splinters and abrasions serve to disrupt any
tendency for repetition or stasis and to act as a catalyst for true spontaneity. When left to his
own devices as a soloist, Bailey revels in the liberties suggested by his idealized vision of
music. These solo performances trace tangents unbounded by the will of the group and face
no limitations but Bailey’s seemingly endless imagination and invention. Recorded in 1980
and re-issued by Dexter’s Cigar in 1996, Aida represents some of the finest solo
performances in the Derek Bailey catalog and in free improvisation in general. Its sound-
world is as uncompromising, confrontational, and consistently beautiful as the principles on
which it was founded.

To describe the tracks in a narrative sense is futile and doomed by the music’s very
definitions. Instead, the listener is flooded with a stream of impressions and half-memories.
Opening track “Paris” pits leaping motives against dissonant harmonic flourishes and
scratched chords. The acoustic guitar becomes an orchestra of disconnected instruments
fluttering through every imaginable pitch range with a paradoxical mix of effortless technique
and reckless abandon.

Complex rhythmic stutters coalesce into a logic all their own, forming a delicate balance of
gentle and jarring interactions atop a shifting foundation of micro-pulses. At times, the music
is sparse and almost unbearably tense, as if it could disintegrate at the slightest touch or
dissolve into the thinnest air. At others, it is a scramble of impossibly high scratches and
thudding percussive rumbles as dense and impenetrable as the softer moments are transparent.
No reason but the non-reason of spontaneity dictates the inclusion of the gentle or the harsh;
every sound hangs in the air as its own entity, unhindered by time and untouched by pressures
of context and development.

At once delicate and sturdy as the thinnest silver wire, “Niigata Snow” stretches seven
minutes into a still eternity. A cloud of harmonics breaks the opening silence to evoke the
snow suggested by the title – only each tiny snowflake is graced with razor-sharp metal edges.
A counterpoint of stratospheric bell tones and the koto-like ring of prepared strings threatens
to unravel at any instant, only to save itself from dissolution at the last possible instant every
time. The improvisation is punctuated with the aching silences that follow each decaying note
and heighten the listener’s attention for even the slightest vibrations in each space. “An Echo
in Another’s Mind” takes the language of “Niigata Snow” and dirties it with harsh string
scrapes and pulsing half-step harmonies to create a more active landscape. Bristling with
visceral impact and an internal restlessness, “An Echo” shivers beneath icy scratching before
exploding into a frenzy of rapid-fire strum and loose-string buzzes. The temporal
manipulations here are created through sheer nervous tension, through the constant
unknowing of the next gesture and in the almost-tangible anxiety of the unpredictable.
Whereas “Niigata Snow” stretches to a chasm the space between notes, “An Echo in
Another’s Mind” crowds the air with active gestures and silences of surprise instead of
stillness.
So what can be made of this music, a music crystallized in the very moment of its creation?
The distortions of time found in such music are difficult to capture in words, but invariably
captivating to hear in the fractured language of Bailey’s music. Seconds stretch to eternities
and eternities compress into the minutest details. A complete suspension of time becomes rule
over all and presses the music into a permanent foreground of infinite detail. Or as Bailey
himself, always with the greatest of wit and wisdom, once said of his music:

“The ticks turn into tocks and the tocks turn into ticks.”

If you've never heard Derek and you buy AIDA you will be changed forever by what
you hear. Most guitarists can have an entire electric effects-rack and still not come up
with the multitude of new and inventive sounds that Derek gets just by sitting on a
stool and holding an acoustic guitar. I don't know how he does it. Derek is one of the
founding father's of Free-Improvisation, and AIDA is one of his very best works. If you are a
fan of music that display's pure and unadulterated creativity then you are a Derek Bailey fan
in-the-making. I can't say enough about this cd. It WILL make you rethink everything you
thought the acoustic guitar was capable of.

Zenobios@aol.com from U.S. The essence of guitar innovation, July 10, 1999

ariously provoking delight, amazement, embarrassment or rage, this, the finest of

V Bailey's solo recordings, serves as a test of one's entrenchment in tradition. The

guitarist plays his instrument like a found object, treating it as though it lacked any
previous history and had simply descended from the sky. With all the intensity of a child
playing or an expert tinkering, these three pieces reveal a relentless exploration of the
instrument's possibilities. To the listener straining for points of reference, slices of Japanese
koto, punk rock, Country blues, flamenco, and folk guitar might seem to surface momentarily
only to dissolve again, as Bailey draws his lines of escape from all habit, cliche, and
resolution.

Christoph Cox

RELIGHTING DEXTER’S CIGAR

It’s a wide, wide, wide, wide world of music out there — and it’s only getting wider, people.
This is a simple fact that’s allowed Drag City to survive — nay, flourish over the years with
works that on first glance seemed incomprehensible, only to become favorites — nay, anthems
in future days. The same is true in spades for our mini-army of distributed labels. Like, take
the label that started it all — dexter’s cigar! This label was started by Jim O’Rourke and
David Grubbs during their Gastr del Sol heyday in order to cast the light their own stardom
afforded (ha! ha!) onto reissues of lesser-known, but equally classic titles. From 1995-1998,
this process brought records from Circle X, Voice Crack, Derek Bailey, Merzbow, Loren
Mazzacane-Connors, Henry Kaiser, Folke Rabe, Rafael Toral and Arnold Dreyblatt back from
the limbo that an un-ready world had banished them into in their original day. The gay 90s
was a much more informed — nay, enlightened time, after all. Or was it? After a thousand or
so had sold through, the sales trickled away and making more CDs seemed to be an unwise
idea — speaking strictly monetarily, that is. A half-decade later, we feel that we’re dealing with
a much more enlightened time all over again! What better to do that fill that extant print and
drop it on a somewhat-better-prepared retail market? So we did — and for perhaps a limited
time only, the tangled string-work of Derek Bailey’s Aida, the smooth yet piercing guitar
drones of Rafael Toral’s Wave Field and the orchestra of excited strings found within Arnold
Dreyblatt's Nodal Excitation are yours for the taking! If you're feeling up to a musical
challenge, have a cigar! They're still fresh after all these years.
1996, ASSOCIATES, Musica Jazz Felmay FF 1001 (Italy) (CD) (re-issue)

Steve Lacy Soprano saxophone duets with :

1- Masahiko Togashi, percussion: Haze 11.33

recorded in Hiroshima, September 1983.
2- Steve Potts, alto and soprano saxophones: Free point 09.31
recorded in London on 7 December 1985.
3- Mal Waldron, piano: Epistrophy 07.56
recorded in Sicily, March 1994.
4- Irène Aebi, voice: Train going by 03.37
recorded in Vancouver on 31 December 1993.
5- Roswell Rudd, trombone: Pannonica 06.58
6- Bobby Few, piano: The rent 09.34
recorded in Istambul on 9 March 1992.
7- Derek Bailey, guitar: Untitled 05.24
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 1 February 1985.
8- George Lewis, trombone: The whammies 05.19
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 30 December 1982.
9- Ulli Gumpert, piano: The crust 07.13
recorded Burghausen, 8 March 1985.
10- Muhammed Ali, drums: Clichés 10.53
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 28 December 1982.

CD free with Musica Jazz (Italy), no 10, 1996 which included a special feature on Steve Lacy.
1997, TOHJINBO, Paractactile PLE1101-2 (UK) (CD) (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : guitar

and the Ruins :
Yoshida Tatsuya : drums, voice
Sasaki Hisashi : bass

1- Irakhioschukk 02.51
2- Kishnatass 06.43
3- Nibbimco 05.28
4- Ssuirakka 05.26
5- Naffrott 04.43
6- Vannachitta 01.56
7- Emmavorukk 04.55
8- Hyokkojick 05.40
9- Rakiosch 07.44
10- Menvortta 07.08
11- Bishumtshull 04.20
12- Tohjinbo 03.19

Recorded 4 April 1997 at Moat Studios, London.

Artwork by Yoshida Tatsuya.

O ppressive new recordings by the now familiar pairing of Brit-Free legend Bailey and
Japanese power-prog duo Ruins. Some of Derek's most caustic lurch yet, mixed with
Yoshida's dada-throat render/percussive Vander-isms and Sasaki's low-end-theory.
Hardcore pummel vs 'polite' jazz. Believe it. Some of the more entertainingly heavy free
improv, pushing forward through ground gained on their previous Tzadik pairing, Saisoro.
Fierce.

Hrvatski

D erek and the Ruins, just for the record, are British improvising guitarist Derek Bailey
and Japanese neo-prog duo Ruins. As far as this writer knows (and, please, as ever,
put us right if you know better) they've recorded together once before as D&TR, on
the rather wonderful Saisoro. This album was recorded last year in London, while they were
here to play a gig at the Purcell Rooms. That gig was an extraordinary night. Ruins - drummer
and singer Yoshida Tatsuya and (at the time, though has changed since, apparently) bassist
Sasaki Hisashi - played a set on their own, the highlight of which was an hilarious, inspired
three-minute prog rock medley. The set they performed with Bailey, however, went for the
jugular, with Bailey on ferocious (and loud!) form; one sad individual walked out after two
songs, yelling abuse at the stage! So Tohjinbo is as ballsy as you's expect. On their own,
Ruins already make their own world, a world fashioned by virtuosically-inclined Japanese
King Crimson and Magma fans, a world (like Magma's) with its own language and of
heartstopping weirdo rhythms and white noise psych-outs. When Bailey joins them, they
defer to the older man, dropping their more rhythmic, riffing style for something altogether
more fractured, more elastic: energy music, through and through.

It
would be difficult to name another musical operation that could stimulate the same
level of primal, unbridled, virgin-esque force than what I'm listening to here. Bailey's
playing is certainly an acquired taste; continually developing new techniques for the
guitar that have never been considered. On this particular collaboration with Japanese free
drum/bass combo the Ruins, the trio calculates something, by mistake, which generates a
rowdy lightning storm of grumbling bass, exploitative harmonics (as always, with Bailey) and
a rhythmic chorus that is unmatchable. When you typically think of 'free' type arrangements,
the music can most definitely come across as general hi-brow wankering, replete with ice-cold
shrieks and atonal shraks, that may have been fun to play, but are unnecessarily dull and
unnerving to listen to. This music is rich, rich, rich with depth and rhythm. It shrieks and
screams, and Yoshida Tatsuya runs through a hundred different rhythms per song, while
Sasaki Hisashi makes the bass growl and attack like a wounded dog. And Bailey ? His
playing is similar on each release, but each context he reveals himself to sprouts a new
improvisational attack plan. On this particular outing, the Ruins give him an almost punk
based, thrash text to work with at certain points, and he naturally takes queue, sending a
Blitzkrieg note storm over the whole shrieking process. This is my favorite record of 1998, so
far.

Davis Ford

(...)

T his is a seething, volcanic session in which Yoshida's restless drumming and Sasaki's
anarchic bass treatments cascade and roar beneath the rippling sheets of noise let
loose from Bailey's guitar. The trio's forward momentum is as irresistible as an
advancing lava stream. In this session, it's not so much a matter of testing the firmness of the
ground beneath your feet as it is about dancing on molten brimstone. You have to do it every
now and again, just to prove to yourself that you're still alive..."

Ken Hollings The Wire

T he legendary British free guitarist Derek Bailey playing with the Japanese avant-core
duo the Ruins? Yes, it happened, and, moreover, it has been documented on Tohjinbo .
Recorded in the studio on April 4th, 1997, this CD puts together a driving force of
creative music, a man who seems to be able to constantly reinvent himself, and the crunching
dynamo that is the group consisting of Yoshida Tatsuya (drums, occasional vociferations)
and Sasaki Hisashi (bass). The major issue arisen by this encounter is rhythm: When
improvising, the Ruins tend to settle on a beat, while Bailey plays free improv, not free-form
rock. For this session, both stayed in their respective camp, and tracks like "Ssuirakka" and
"Vannachitta" have moments of unbridled steadiness with the guitarist moving in and out of
synchronization. More important is the energy and enthusiasm displayed. The Ruins are
clearly enjoying themselves and their fans will not feel lost here, while more serious (and
probably older) followers of Bailey may find this release too violent and lacking subtlety. The
Ruins ' zeuhl-inspired rhythmic playing, grunts, and track titles sounding like they come out
of H.P. Lovecraft?s demonology have little in common with the abstract British free
improvisation scene. The album is billed as Derek and the Ruins but it really should be the
other way around: The Ruins definitely lead this game. Sometimes, subtlety can take a hike:
just do a lot of noise and do it well. Recommended.

François Couture, All Music Guide

T ohjinbo documents Bailey's most recent encounter with the Ruins duo, Tatsuya
Yoshida and Hisashi Sasaki. This is a seething, volcanic session in which Yoshida's
restless drumming and Sasaki's anarchic bass treatments cascade and roar beneath the
rippling sheets of noise let loose from Bailey's guitar. The trio's forward momentum is as
irresistible as an advancing lava stream. In this session, it's not so much a matter of testing the
firmness of the ground beneath your feet as it is about dancing on molten brimstone. You
have to do it every now and again, just to prove to yourself that you're still alive. The Derek
playing here with The Ruins is not a man withdrawn at all, but one strangely at peace with
himself amid the noise and flying metal.

Ken Hollings, The Wire

1997, NO WAITING, Potlatch P198 (France) (CD) (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Joëlle Léandre : bass

1- No waiting, one 16.59

2- No waiting, two 06.37
3- No waiting, three 09.06
4- No waiting, four 10.13
5- No waiting, five 06.37

Recorded live at Les Instants Chavirés on 9 May 1997.

Cover design by Morgan Jezequel; cover art by Marie-Jo Pillet.

ebut release on a new label. A live recording of Derek Bailey (electric guitar) and

D Joelle Leandre (bass) made in Paris in May 1997. "Bailey's sound is out there,
endlessly redefining its musical structure, continually recycling tiny exquisite pitch
constellations with Webernian finesse. ...What's more, in Joëlle Léandre, Bailey has found a
uniquely sensitive sparring partner. ...Listen carefully now - this is not music for the faint
hearted. ...a great gig by two extraordinary musicians."

Dan Warburton.

T he first time that these two great improvisers appear together on a whole CD. “ S o
what kind of music is that exactly? You may be tempted to ask this question after No
Waiting. But whether you call it non-idiomatic improvisation, free improvisation, free
music or whatever other term you fancy, you will, given time, grow to love this music simply
for what it is, a crystal-clear snapshot of a memorable evening at Les Instants Chavirés, a great
gig by two extraordinary musicians. No point shouting it from the rooftops -your neighbours
are too busy listening to Oasis-, just let's quietly treasure this rare gem. Shhh... It'll be our
secret...”

Dan Warburton

nregistré le 9 mai 1997 aux Instants Chavirés (Montreuil) par Jean-Marc Foussat.

E Derek Bailey (guitare électrique), Joëlle Léandre (contrebasse)

C'est la première fois que ces deux grands improvisateurs apparaissent ensemble sur un CD.
Confronté aux épaisses phrases en ligne de Joëlle Léandre, le jeu expressionniste de Derek
Bailey fait merveille, et quand l'archet s'affole et s'accélère, une troublante frénésie rythmique
s'instaure au cœur de la superbe articulation de leurs empoignades crues et de la magie
télépathique de leurs dix cordes épanouies et comblées.
Gérard Rouy

have been recommending an earlier bass/guitar duo record of Bailey's for years:

I "Figuring" (Incus CD 05) with Barre Phillips. In addition to the unsurpassed music
skills of the players on that earlier work, I found that the warm, rich combinations of the
bass and Bailey's (mostly) unprocessed guitar sounds would be appreciated even by virgin
improv listeners. Hence, I was thrilled to learn that this new CD had at least the instrumental
and personnel credentials to contend for favorite-list status.

Pressing the play button, mirabile dictu, fulfilled those expectations. However, I was quite
surprised at how much this album differs from "Figuring," despite the contextual similarities.
"No Waiting"(Potlatch 198) stands beside it as a favorite, but hardly a duplicate. At bottom,
"No Waiting" is a more experimental, searching document, even within that most experimental
"genre" called Free Improvisation.

The title, if I am right, is ironic: the five pieces here are jointly marked by constituting a
developmental structure, and the listener waits for the payoff. The earlier pieces here are more
chatty as the players survey the landscape of sound that they simultaneously create. The final
pieces, by contrast, shimmer with the heat of the sharpest focus. Bailey and Leandre, have
discovered their voice as a duo, by tracks 4 and 5, and the results defy adequate description.

The CD was recorded live (May 9, 1997, Montreal (?)), and so if the CD's track-ordering
matches that of the show's, this might explain the arc of the ideas found on "No Waiting." Let
me add, however, that I do intend to suggest that tracks 1-3 are lacking in brilliance. Not at all:
only once I had heard 4 and 5 did I discover that the first tracks were merely the preamble.
Perhaps, then, I have given away the plot? Hardly. The story told on the CD is one of sound,
emotion, interaction, and pure intelligence, not something that can be accurately mapped in
words.

Now, for a few musical details. To those who have not heard a record, it is always fairly
tedious and unsuccessful to find a review containing an extended attempt to describe the
music, partly for the reason noted above. Instead, I simply want to suggest some high points
to listen for, and convey a sense of some of the surprises to be found here.
The first track is the widest in its scope of ideas and techniques, and the longest (16+)
Leandre sets the tone at the beginning. She coaxes zither-like phrases from the bass, with
respiratory rhythm: a very Korean opening. This initial duetting is punctuated, around the six-
minute mark, by Bailey's unaccompanied guitar. This short solo is a gem. It begins with a tiny,
Webernesque 5 note phrase, which Derek repeats a few times: a bit unusual for a player who
tends to move to the next idea as soon as the first is spoken.

Finally, of the first piece I'll mention the most fascinating sequence. Around the 12 minute
mark, Leandre is accompanying Bailey's sustained pings with purely percussive bass
manipulation. The contrast is startling. Then, somehow this strange vignette begins to evolve
into an extended sequence in which both instruments sound hauntingly like human voices.
Contrast has resolved into cohesion. Very effective.

Track two is the most "musical" of any here. Leandre works the closer intervals, 3rds and
4ths, lots of glissando, and some double-stops. The effect is insistent, perhaps overly so. For a
moment we are reminded how different duos featuring line-players are from those with a more
harmonic or percussive approach. Bailey's guitar, here, is crunchier, more jagged and distorted
sounding. Again, contrast seems to be at the fore. The way the second piece ends is the most
fun. The players finally converge on a purely nontonal sonic palette. Then, the popping,
thumping and pinging seems to collapse in on itself, as if the piece had somehow imploded.

Three, most notably, begins with a Bailey solo. Fans of his extensive solo work should
definitely take note, at this point. Perhaps it is the direction that Leandre has taken him by
now; perhaps it is the sense of his inviting her to join him that pervades the solo---whatever
the case, the sounds Bailey coaxes from the guitar here are unlike much of what he has done
on his solo records. One wonders if there is an unmined area for improvisors here: solos
under-the-influence of other players. If the work here is any indication, this approach might be
a rewarding method of expanding one's approaches to soloing.

I will leave the last tracks to the reader's discovery: just listen to them. As a final note here, and
a recommendation: the music here eminently affords repeated listening. Each piece has several
discrete sections, yet somehow they defy the predictability that one often finds in musical
transitions. The listener seems to suddenly realize that she is within a new section, without a
sense of its having been inevitable, which a very exciting experience.

Wyman Brantley the improvisor. The International web site on free improvisation

In the sport of Boxing they often say that styles make fights. Two superb boxers in
the same ring can either lull you to sleep or provide fierce competition. Analogies
of this nature bring to mind the new CD by the duo of double bassist Joelle
Leandre and free-jazz pioneer Derek Bailey. “No Waiting” is a new release and features 5
jointly composed pieces all baring the same title.

Leandre and Bailey are gifted musicians. Their legacies are well documented and
indisputable; however, the interaction throughout this recording at times conveys a sense of
stagnancy and sterility.

Technically they are in rare form but the emotional and communicative components seem
somewhat stale by comparison. Leandre frequently attacks the double bass displaying
ferocious technique and wit while Bailey performs skillfully as one would expect. One of the
drawbacks may be the extensive similarities of execution between the two performers. Instead
of counterbalancing one another the feeling is that of emulating each other’s motifs,
statements and articulations. Skillful yes, but at times uninteresting and tedious. This
recording is a testament to technical virtuosity but seems remiss in the “cooperative
deliberation department”.

There are several moments of alluring dialogue; however, the sum of the parts radiate
sentiments of uncertainty or perhaps lack of clear concepts or goals. Overall, the
performances are crafty and Bailey utilizes his extensive arsenal but this recording doesn’t
hold up against his recent collaborations with the likes of Henry Kaiser, The Ruins and “The
Ninj” for innovation and/or interest. Otherwise, “No Waiting” holds its own for marvelous
improvising and sheer technical accomplishment. A less than perfect outing by musicians of
this caliber is still miles ahead of what others are doing in modern music.

By Glenn Astarita

B ailey has placed his brittle, elusive guitar playing in some unexpected contexts lately
(including Japanese punk rockers the Ruins and a quartet with Pat Metheny), but
here he's in a more familiar setting, one-on-one in concert with another European free
improviser, in this case, contemporary classical French bassist Joëlle Léandre. A veteran of
several of Bailey's Company free-improv get-togethers, Léandre brings a fine ear for sonic
and rhythmic nuance, a highly developed sense of structure, and a large repertoire of extended
techniques. She's an uncommonly lyrical free-improviser, with an almost song-like quality and
focus to even her most abstract moments. She and Bailey are sympathetic partners with
independent concerns but enough in common to give the music intriguing creative tension.
The warmth of her playing makes a nice foil for Bailey's prickliness, and their search for new
sounds and unexpected juxtapositions is full of shocks and surprises.

Ed Hazell

aving long considered Figuring (Bailey's outstanding collaboration with Barre

H Phillips) to be the guitarist's definitive duo recording, this release was highly
anticipated, and suggests Bailey may have an affinity for bassists. Like Phillips,
Leandre is a formidable presence on the bass, a keen foil with an exceptional ear, and a tireless
rudder in the course of the music, but above all, one of the few improvisers demonstrative
enough to engage Bailey head-on. While Bailey can be a wily, curmudgeonly sparring partner
to some and downright errant to others, with Leandre there seems to be a conspicuous lure
that draws the guitarist into a spirited exchange, as opposed to sounding as if playing together
while stationed in different rooms. On this night, live at Les Instants Chavires, the energy
between the two was crackling, with Bailey sounding off with buzzing volume swells, ringing
and resonating harmonics and knotty chords that sound like a strummed bicycle spoke, to go
along with Leandre's slashing arco, sawed long tones and rumbling, rattling pizzicato. This
recording mostly teeters on the sparser side with occasional outbreaks of hyperactivity, for a
sometimes ambient, consistently rich meeting between ten strings.

PGJ ****

D erek Bailey has recorded many LPs and CDs, yet his style never fails to invigorate.
This one is no exception. These five totally improvised duos between Bailey and
string bassist Joëlle Leandre, live in concert at Les Instants Chavirés in Montreuil,
France, are some of the most interesting examples of the free music genre. Bailey 's electric
guitar reverberates ever so spasmodically next to Leandre's scratchy, then hyper-technical
bass. Leandre can play with such virtuosity and intensity, but Bailey can counter with space
and atmospherics before concentrating on little sounds. Call it a symphony of tiny, sometimes
busy, sounds, and you get the idea. The entire album is a lesson in interaction: Leandre and
Bailey duel, but only peripherally; they blend not as one, but as a two-headed dragon. In all, a
cause for celebration.

Steve Loewy, All Music Guide

L e plus souvent dans les extrêmes, voire au seuil de douleur auditive, loin des sonorités
pastel, du “moiré” et des “doux duos” alanguis. Plutôt dans le zigzag et la zébrure,
dans les déchirures et lapidages de silence. Le goût du son, très fort, au point que
l'allitération est irrésistible : du goût du sang, d'une chair de la musique... Ici l'on tranche dans
la matière sonore. Musique au couteau, par brusques à-plats et jets de couleurs, jusqu'à
saturation et mélange suraigu. Ou dans le cristallin et l'extinction distendue confrontes aux
frottements et fouettages. Avec toujours dans les phases de dialogue une manière de
halètement rythmique, une crispation que menacerait une complète tétanie... De fait, ni attente,
ni préméditation autre que celle des retrouvailles, mais une suite de plongeons à quatre mains,
d’échanges à la dialectique quasi rituelle (en trois mouvernents-moments d'intensité), qui
prend évidemment valeur de manifeste pour le catalogue ainsi inauguré. “No waiting ” certes,
mais on attend le prochain potlatch.

Philippe Carles
PS - Faut-il préciser que les instrumentistes ici réunis (pour la première fois en duo sur tout
un cd) s’imposent comme deux incontournables de l’histoire de l’improvisation ?

JazzMag, avril 1998

abituellement, dans tout type de musique, un duo guitare-contrebasse adopterait les

H fonctions de soliste et d’accompagnateur. Ici, dans le monde de l’improvisation libre

(ou « non idiomatique »), détaché de toute contrainte de méthode et débarrassé d’un
fatras de règles, hiérarchies et autres usages, les deux musiciens se font face — avec le public
des Instants Chavirés pour témoin —, ayant pour seul bagage leur vocabulaire instrumental
(leurs habitudes, diront les grincheux), leur mémoire et une propension à toute épreuve à être «
à l’écoute ». Jouer comme si c’était la dernière fois.

Au cours de ces dernières années, Derek Bailey et Joëlle Léandre n’ont jamais autant
enregistré, non pas pour une grande compagnie mais pour une multitude de labels
indépendants disséminés sur toute la planète. Ils se sont maintes fois croisés et retrouvés, avec
les partenaires les plus divers, sur les scènes du village global des musiques librement
improvisées, mais c’est la première fois qu’ils enregistraient en duo. Plus qu’une succession
de premiers ou seconds plans (ou jeu en « ping-pong »), leur conversation prend des allures
de promenade, riche en découvertes et surprises, où chacun s’efforce de se mettre à la
disposition de l’autre, tout en proclamant ses prérogatives.

Nourrie des enseignements de l’institution classique (que les libertés du jazz et les hardiesses
de la musique contemporaine allaient pervertir), Joëlle Léandre caresse et maltraite la
contrebasse — avec vélocité, précision, puissance, rage — et si sa voix prolonge parfois
l’instrument, c’est pour mieux affirmer une attirance pour la mélodie.

Parfaitement autodidacte, c’est après avoir travaillé pendant plus de dix ans dans le monde de
la musique commerciale que Derek Bailey se consacre progressivement, au cours des années
soixante, à l’improvisation libre à la guitare et adopte un langage approprié. Guitariste
conventionnel aux qualités chantantes (ni guitare à plat, ni hammering-on, ni transformation
électronique), il perfectionne les « techniques étendues » (non conventionnelles) de
manipulation des timbres à la main gauche (juxtaposition et jeu d’oppositions des techniques
de cordes pressées, d’harmoniques et d’open strings dans une même phrase), doublées entre
autres d’une maîtrise diabolique du médiator (devant et derrière le chevalet) et d’une
utilisation très personnelle de la pédale de volume (l’une de ses « marques de fabrique ») lui
permettant notamment de supprimer l’attaque des notes ou d’interrompre brutalement les
accords.

Confronté aux épaisses et sauvages phrases en ligne de sa partenaire, son jeu expressionniste
fait merveille, et quand l’archet s’affole et s’accélère, une troublante frénésie rythmique
s’instaure au cœur de la superbe articulation de leurs empoignades crues et de la magie
télépathique de leurs dix cordes épanouies et comblées.
Gérard Rouy

(...)

as lucid and intense as improvised music gets...from the outset, the pair begins
forging a surprisingly uncluttered common language hinged around the
guitarist's trademark timbral metamorphoses and the bassist's heady arco. They
match each other's intuitive moves with acute, quick-shifting rhythms that seem to dare one
another to just try and cop a groove."
Sam Prestianni - Jazziz, December '98

here's an extraordinary duo album, "Outcome", featuring Lacy and Derek Bailey,

T recorded back in 1983 and released on Potlatch only three years ago. Your album "No
Waiting" with Bailey was the first release on the Potlatch label back in 98. How would
you compare playing with Lacy to playing with Bailey?
With Derek it's closer in terms of material, but in a wider field - Steve is an architect, it's all
about structure and intervals, whereas with Derek, form generates itself from moment to
moment. Have you heard "Ballads"? [Bailey's new solo CD on Tzadik] It's wonderful. All the
whole history of the guitar is in there. !
Lol Coxhill has often said Bailey is one of the masters of bebop guitar.
There's bop in there, there's flamenco, there's McLaughlin, there's pop, there's rock it's
EXTRAORDINARY. It's a GREAT DISC. I intend to listen to it again and again. !
(…)
Joelle Léandre. Interview by Dan Warburton, Summer 2002

(…)
ust as Derek Bailey has developed a wholly unique approach to his instrument,

J oftentimes overshadowing anyone he is playing with, Léandre is an overwhelming

instrumentalist and virtuoso, frequently leaving collaborators in the dust. Her
combination of unparalleled contrabass technique and wholly idiosyncratic vocal contributions
make her the focal point of almost any performance of which she is a part. (…)
Matthew Sumera, 30 April 2004
1997, AND, Rectangle REC-S (France) (LP) (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Pat Thomas : sampler
Steve Noble : turntables

1- Dedicated to anybody who might do us a favour 05.30

2- And this 07.15
3- Black, but only round the edges 02.53
4- Titular bullshit of the topographical kind 04.05
5- Titles, titles, titles 04.38
6- T.T.T. (part 2) 08.50
7- Q. here 03.08
8- Q. other side 07.08

Recorded at Moat Studio, London in August 1997.

Released as a 12" vinyl LP.

Recorded live at the Moat Studio, London, 8/92.

This recording is the musical meeting of one master of free improvisation, guitarist Derek
Bailey, and a strange duo (keyboards and turntables) formed by Steve Noble and Pat Thomas.

A t the age where most men are shuffling around in carpet slippers like the
Shakespearean pantaloon, Derek Bailey is phenomenally active: here he is again with
his third album for Rectangle. After Close to the Kitchen with Noël Akchoté and
Tout for Tea with Eugene Chadbourne, Bailey teams up here with keyboard whiz Pat Thomas,
fresh from a stint with Butch Morris on the London Skyscraper tour, and turntablist (and
erstwhile Rip Rig and Panic drummer) Steve Noble-though if you were expecting 'Bailey plus
hiphop' as a follow up to 'Bailey plus jungle' (on the Guitar Drums'n'Bass album), you may be
in for a surprise. Noble's Djing incorporates snatches of world music, West Coast-style jazz
piano, in fact just about anything except breaks'n'beats. Listening to Thomas' fascinating
keyboard work (who else in improv has worked with John Zorn and Chuck Berry?), you can
hear why Morris handpicked him for his conductions. Bailey is as lively and creative as ever,
though his trademark finesse with harmonics and volume pedals is a little less in evidence,
caught up as he is in the whirlwind of fast-moving sound thrown at him by Thomas and
Noble. As ever with Rectangle, the hallmark white "home-made" look with grey stenciled
lettering and black and white photos (of a Japanese restaurant kitchen??) is as wacky as the
music on the album. Class stuff. Follow producer Quentin Rollet's advice: "Play it LOUD".

And finds Derek Bailey in relaxed mood on his third outing for the label. He is
seemingly content to let the turntables and keyboards of Steve Noble and
Pat Thomas make most of the running. The overall lack of bass gives the
music a light, almost pastoral feel - the samples even include snatches of birdsong - and
Noble's turntablism recalls the playfulness of Christian Marclay rather than the intensity of
Yoshihide Otomo. Even when things hot up on side B, the metrically irregular loops and
oddball plunderphonics break up and subvert linearity, diffusing and defusing tension. This
may not be the most impressive showcase of Bailey's talent, but it's the most satisfying
Rectangle album since Chadbourne's The Acquaduct (sic).

Dan Warburton, The Wire #179, January 99

R eally choice and blank, somewhat arch music from '97 on Noël Akchoté's label by
three British sushi lovers. Quiet, but occasionally choral drift of electric warbling and
sampling, from Noble's turntables and Thomas's keyboards, and endlessly repeatable
trademark guitar scrabble; the almost aeolian sputter of the Bailey device adding crunch to
vaguely organised scapes of concrète and hang. The nonchalant, unhurried improvisatory
interplay appears indifferent to much except textural restraint, and makes for a flavour that
could go on all night, or long enough to fill an LP, or several. Whirring, wind/kettle whistle,
ticking, scraping, some supa-slo scratching, gat bend, are scattered with viynl-plundered
fragments. A million miles from the '80s data rush lather of Yoshihide & Marclay this is a
kinder, gentler turntablism: snatches of chorused voices (Papua New Guinean?), mouth harp,
spoken word commentary records abstracted away from topics and referents, and birdsong,
that draws in the sound of the cicadas outside my window. On side two a woodblock rhythm
inspires the boldest, effortlessly articulated string scrabble from Bailey whose presence is as a
Midas, endless interest falling from his touch. The tone is almost world-weary, "post-
everything" as they say, loudly so in the impatience shown with titling of pieces and the not-
trying-too-hard packaging. Very nice, but not anything I'd want to show anyone as a find, and
so especially useful as something to put on in the company of people who don't especially
want to be shown finds.

Jon Bywater
1997, ROOT, Lo Recordings LCD11 (UK) (CD) (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : guitar and voice on a single track on Thurston Moore disc

Co-created with: Derek Bailey, Alex Empire, Mogwai, Luke Vibert, Donald Christie & The
Underdog, Blur, Mark Webber (Pulp), Stereolab, Cheap Glue (Republica), Add N to X,
Springheel Jack, The Hypnotist, The Mellowtrons, Warren Defeveer, VVM, Third Eye
Foundation, David Cunningham, Merzbow, Richard Thomas, Echo Park, Stock, Hausen &
Walkman, Twisted Science vs. Burzootie, Bruce Gilbert, Arashi vs. Red King & Russell
Haswell.

The limited edition CD and 5LP version are sold out.

T his was a project based around 25 one minute guitar pieces by Thurston Moore of
Sonic Youth, sent out to around 100 people - visual artists as well as musicians - in
Hoover bags, the resultant was released as a cd, ltd edition cd (in hoover bag), 5 piece
vinyl box set and as an exhibition which featured work by Angela Bulloch, David Bowie,
Gavin Turk and many others.

In May 1997 Lo Recordings received a DAT tape containing 30 different one-minute

guitar pieces by Thurston Moore. Each piece was copied onto individual tapes and
packaged in custom designed vacuum cleaner bags. One hundred bags were sent
out to a selection of visual artists and musicians, inviting them to create a brand new work
utilising the original piece as a starting point..

In October of 1997 independent music label Lo Recordings received a DAT tape

containing 30 different one-minute guitar pieces by New York arthouse guitarist
Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Each piece was copied onto individual one-minute
tapes and then packaged in a custom designed vacuum cleaner bag. In order to fully exploit
the potential for musical/visual cross-fertilization Lo Recordings teamed up with leading
contemporary art venture Commercial Too. One hundred bags were sent out to a selection of
the most creative visual artists and musicians, inviting them to create a brand new work
utilizing the original piece as a starting point." The CD contained 25 musical contributions;
the 5LP limited edition box set contained 38 tracks,

1- Derek Bailey : Recitation from The Gibson book of guitar strings. 01.07
2- Alec Empire : Keep Trying The Old Num 04.58
3- Mogwai : Untitled 01.12
4- Luke Vibert : Moore Shit 04.50
5- Donald Christie & the Underdog : Untitled 01.38
6- Blur : 101% 05.54
7- Mark Webber : Untitled 02.28
8- Stereolab : Untitled 03.42
9- Cheap Glue : Beaujolais Nouveau Day 02.11
10- Add N to X : Live Recording With A Dead Thurston 02.55
11- Springheel Jack : Untitled 05.16
12- The Hypnotist : Hard As Fuck '97 Part 1 00.37
13- The Mellowtrons : Your Love 02.01
14- Warren Defever : Roots 04.01
15- VVM : Untitled 02.34
16- Third Eye Foundation : Untitled 04.09
17- David Cunningham : No. 11 01.57
18- Echo Park : Untitled 03.33
19- Merzbow : National Enhancer 03.44
20- Richard Thomas : Super 05.48
21- Stock, Hausen & Walkman : Untitled 04.10
22- Twisted Science v Burzootie : Kleen 02.40
23- Bruce Gilbert : Scion 03.15
24- Arashi v Red King : Untitled 02.37
25- Russell Haswell : Chew On This 01.02
1997, ROOT, Lo Recordings LLP11(UK) (LP) (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : guitar and voice on a single track on Thurston Moore disc

Co-created with: Derek Bailey, Alex Empire, Mogwai, Luke Vibert, Donald Christie & The
Underdog, Blur, Mark Webber (Pulp), Stereolab, Cheap Glue (Republica), Add N to X,
Springheel Jack, The Hypnotist, The Mellowtrons, Warren Defeveer, VVM, Third Eye
Foundation, David Cunningham, Merzbow, Richard Thomas, Echo Park, Stock, Hausen &
Walkman, Twisted Science vs. Burzootie, Bruce Gilbert, Arashi vs. Red King & Russell
Haswell.

Vinyl version of LCD011 contains 38 of the musical contributions, and comes in a box with
label artwork by Cedric Christie, Joe Ewart, Martin Fletcher, Savage Pencil & Gavin Tork, and
also includes a poster featuring a selection of images from the Root exhibition. Contributors
to the 'Root' exhibition included Yoko Ono, David Bowie, Angela Bulloch, Russell Mills,
Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst.

5LP set:

1- Luke Vibert : Moore Shit 04.50

2- Stock, Hausen & Walkman : Untitled 04.10
3- David Cunningham : No. 11 01.57
4- Derek Bailey : Untitled 01.07
5- Richard Thomas : Super 05.48
6- Alec Empire : Keep Trying The Old Number 04.58
7- Warren Defever : Roots 04.01
8- Merzbow : National Enhancer 03.44
9- Mogwai : Untitled 01.12
8- Merzbow : National Enhancer 03.44
9- Mogwai : Untitled 01.12
10- Keith Ball : Untitled
11- (?)Russell Mills : Untitled
12- Echo Park : Untitled 03.33
12a- (?) Luke Vibert : Untitled
13- Russell Haswell : Chew On This 01.02
14- Rod Dickinson : Untitled
15- The Hypnotist Part 2 : Hard As F*** '97 Part 1
16- Peter Cusack : Untitled
17- Mark Long : Untitled
18- Steve Wheeler : Untitled
19- Scanner : Untitled
5- Savage Pencil : Untitled
21- Claire Robbins : Untitled
22- Stefan Beck : Untitled
23- Blur : 101% 05.54
24- Donald Christie & the Underdog : Untitled 01.38
25- Third Eye Foundation : Untitled 04.09
26- Twisted Science v Burzootie : Kleen 02.40
27- Cheap Glue : Beaujolais Nouveau Day 02.11
28- The Hypnotist : Hard As F*** '97 Part 2
29- The Mellowtrons : Your Love 02.01
30- VVM : Untitled 02.34
31- Terry Smith : Untitled
32- Springheel Jack : Untitled 05.16
33- Stereolab : Untitled 03.42
34- Bruce Gilbert : Scion 03.15
35- DJ Speedranch : Untitled
36- Add N to X : Untitled 02.55
37- Mark Webber : Untitled 02.28
38- Arashi v Red King : Untitled 02.37

An uncommonly ambitious remix project, in which thirty one-minute tracks by

Moore were individually distributed to a thoughtfuly diverse cast of musicians
for use as each saw fit. The "Root" CD represents the first phase of what
promises to be an ongoing series of "Root"-related events, including interpretations by artists
and a second volume of treatments scheduled for 1999. But for now there is "Root", a
collection which explodes in three distinct directions despite the asynchronous styles of the
participants. To most of the guest artists, Moore's piece is an invitation to mingle the Sonic
Youth guitarrorist's low-tech string-stranglings with elements familiar from their own
recordings. So Mogwai's rhythmless exhalation of sub-harmonic swells could have been lifted
from any of their feedback epics; Luke Vibert adds Moore to his sample library and proceeds
along the jaunty hiphop highways of "Big Soup"; Warren DeFever resorts to his usual
chewed-up Victrola loops, dub-slanted beats and tinny jangle - few surprises from this ESP
Weirdo; Moore already contributes to Echo Park (= Tony Wilson + Jon Tye + (Seefeel -
Mark Clifford} + ((MAIN*Ui)/2) * [special guests]), so little difference between their usual
shtick and this grimy low-fi industro-hiphop track should be expected; a typically awesome
taste of Tye's Twisted Science (here clashing with Burzootie); Richard Thomas' music is
already so indeterminate - a sensory funhouse decorated with tape splices, honks, squawks,
xylophone haloes, electronic offal and electroacoustic sparks - that his wonderful Dockstader-
like contribution to "Root" can only be considered as another glimpse of his singular
brilliance. The same can be said for V/VM, who again ignore the fundamentals of music and
grate their "Loony Luau" record against shards of darkest Industrial noise. And the
measurable distinction between Stereolab (who are present) and Mouse on Mars (who are
not) continues to decrease by degrees - now to the point where the ex-labelmates have
eliminated all space between themselves and become virtual doppelgängers! Lee Walker
(Mellowtrons) and Add N To X up their abrasiveness by several notches and threaten to
topple into the second category - those who chose to accentuate the negative noise/skronk
aspects of Moore's playing. Merzbow links sequences of electronic overload within three
minutes of enjoyable excess. Both conjugated contributors, Stockhausen & Walkman and
Donald Christie & The Underdog, twiddle away in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of lesser
INA-GRM concrEete sculptures. Russell Haswell and Bruce Gilbert likewise putter around
with pure sandpaper frequencies in their usual contemplative (Gilbert) and spastic (Haswell)
styles. There's :30 of pseudo-rap, raving against rock n' roll, composed with vocal sub-James
Brownisms by The Hypnotist (who?) Alec Empire somehow extracts the sound of a ball
rattling in a can of spraypaint from his minute of Moore and recaps the stammering
electronica of "Generation Star Wars" around it.

Derek Bailey's peculiar minute-long interpretation has him improvising with jarring detunings
and string-bends in accordance with an unidentified taped lecturer's excited spiel about the
physics of guitar sound.

Finally there are those who try to step outside of their usual confines and follow Moore's
starting point into unfamiliar terrain. Not all are successful, but they deserve credit for at least
attempting something different. Marc Webber (from Pulp) coaxes overlapping bellow-stoked
tidal crescendos from Moore's skree and pulls off an unexpected Martyn Bates (cira:
"Mystery Seas") simulation; Cheap Glue's (Republica!) mash-up of woozy Optigan(?) and
ranting conversation is a shapeless mess which couldn't be further removed from their usual
techno-pop pap; Blur liven up a ferocious live garage-band jam with darkly sparkling
electronic garland then sashay into a trippy lounge/swing coda; A dozen plays have revealed
no explanation for the reasoning behind David Cunningham's garbled prepared-piano
poundings, sorry. Springheel Jack and Third Eye Foundation both abandon drum n' bass
rhythms, the former doodling in aimless abstract with their own orchestral patches and
Moore's rough-hewn klang, 3EF intriguingly smothering a RZA-like rhythmic whisper with a
passage of morose cathedral organ. Which leaves only Arashi vs Red King, a name previously
unfamiliar to this writer, whose deep blue waves of accordion and light-scattering ripples recall
the best of Pablo's Eye and Paul Schütze in postcard-perfect oceanic miniature. A gorgeous
piece, second only to Richard Thomas' for "Root"'s top honors

T his could be considered a various-artists release, since thurston moore turned guitar
source material over to a variety of other artists for remixing, remodeling and
remaking for root . and it works out supremely well. i originally saw this in a pricey
multi-7" version, but i am pleased that i found this much more affordable cd version (got it
used, too...nyuk, nyuk...). participants include derek bailey, stereolab and others. nicely
contemporary and futuristic, electronic and organic, well worth searching out.

T echnically, this isn't really a Thurston Moore album, more of a "Various Artists"
compilation, but it's being sold as a Thurston Moore album - it'll be filed under "M"
in the racks. The story goes that Thuston Moore, guitarist with Sonic Youth , recorded
30 one-minute long guitar pieces, and sent them to Lo Recordings. Lo Recordings put the
pieces onto individual tapes and sent copies of these, at random, to 100 musicians and artists,
in vacuum cleaner bags, with an invitation to use the tape in a brand new work. The result was
an exhibition of work, and this album, containing 25 tracks and a number of images from the
exhibition. As the cynical might have guessed, this album is available in a limited edition
"vacuum cleaner bag" packaging designed to attract fans of unusual packaging, such as
myself. However, I was disappointed to find that the artworks featured have been shrunk to
microscopic size - each one takes up about a square inch in the CD booklet, which seems a bit
of a wasted opportunity.

As you might expect, the album is a showcase of talent from a number of different
underground, avant garde and experimental musicians. The musicians featured include Blur,
Alex Empire, Stereolab, Mogwai, Springheel Jack, Add N to X, and Derek Bailey , amongst
others. The album is [literally] a mixed bag of styles, from looped feedback sculptures to beat-
driven electronica, with a number of freeform noise tracks. It's interesting to see what the
different musicians have done with one minute of guitar-work, but the original pieces haven't
been included, which robs the listener of a frame of reference - this is the main reason why I
consider this to be a compilation album, rather than a Thurston Moore project. I think its safe
to assume however, that the original pieces were not wailing Yngwie-styled twiddlefests,
however.

I get the feeling that Glasgow band Mogwai have stuck closest to the original track- their track
is one minute's worth of layered feedback. But then, that's what Mogwai sound like anyway,
whether reworking Thurston Moore or not - long, atmospheric tracks built mainly on guitar.
Mark Webber's track is another in the same style - droning notes ("droning" in the purest
sense, without the implication of tuneless monotony) which grow and mutate as they progress,
with interesting textures becoming audible, perhaps by chance, perhaps by design.

Blur's track features looped guitar noise over manic drums, with electronic ripples spreading
across the sound and bebop bass slowly rising to the surface, which eventually drives the
clarinet-based jazz piece the track mutates into. It'll be a revelation to anyone who has only
ever heard Blur doing song about living in big houses in the country. Another track in a
similar vein is by Twisted Science vs Burzootie. I find both of these tracks remind me of the
Boom Boom Satellites, mainly due to their use of live, (or at least, live sounding) drum tracks.

The Alec Empire track sounds to my ears like Autechre with a sore head - distorted beats
being blasted at the traditional Japanese musicians who seem to be tuning up in the
background. Other personal favourites include a driving industro-groove by The Mellowtrons
and a strange Hawaiian Guitar/Industrial Noise mix by VVM, as well as the tracks by Third
Eye Foundation and Stereolab.

Most of the tracks on this album are enjoyable, but there are one or two of the more freeform
tracks which are a bit too freeform for my liking, becoming more irritating than endearing the
more I listen. On the whole however, most of the work appealed to me. I only wish that I
could have heard the original pieces which spawned this work.
1997, ROOT, Lo Recordings LCD11X (UK) (CD) (released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : guitar and voice on single track on Thurston Moore disc

T his was a project based around 25 one minute guitar pieces by Thurston Moore of
Sonic Youth, sent out to around 100 people - visual artists as well as musicians - in
Hoover bags, the resultant was released as a cd, ltd edition cd (in hoover bag), 5 piece
vinyl box set and as an exhibition which featured work by Angela Bulloch, David Bowie,
Gavin Turk and many others.

In May 1997 Lo Recordings received a DAT tape containing 30 different one-minute

guitar pieces by Thurston Moore. Each piece was copied onto individual tapes and
packaged in custom designed vacuum cleaner bags. One hundred bags were sent
out to a selection of visual artists and musicians, inviting them to create a brand new work
utilising the original piece as a starting point..

In October of 1997 independent music label Lo Recordings received a DAT tape

containing 30 different one-minute guitar pieces by New York arthouse guitarist
Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Each piece was copied onto individual one-minute
tapes and then packaged in a custom designed vacuum cleaner bag. In order to fully exploit
the potential for musical/visual cross-fertilization Lo Recordings teamed up with leading
contemporary art venture Commercial Too. One hundred bags were sent out to a selection of
the most creative visual artists and musicians, inviting them to create a brand new work
utilizing the original piece as a starting point." The CD contained 25 musical contributions;
the 5LP limited edition box set contained 38 tracks,
1- Derek Bailey : Recitation from The Gibson book of guitar strings. 01.07
2- Alec Empire : Keep Trying The Old Num 04.58
3- Mogwai : Untitled 01.12
4- Luke Vibert : Moore Shit 04.50
5- Donald Christie & the Underdog : Untitled 01.38
6- Blur : 101% 05.54
7- Mark Webber : Untitled 02.28
8- Stereolab : Untitled 03.42
9- Cheap Glue : Beaujolais Nouveau Day 02.11
10- Add N to X : Live Recording With A Dead Thurston 02.55
11- Springheel Jack : Untitled 05.16
12- The Hypnotist : Hard As Fuck '97 Part 1 00.37
13- The Mellowtrons : Your Love 02.01
14- Warren Defever : Roots 04.01
15- VVM : Untitled 02.34
16- Third Eye Foundation : Untitled 04.09
17- David Cunningham : No. 11 01.57
18- Echo Park : Untitled 03.33
19- Merzbow : National Enhancer 03.44
20- Richard Thomas : Super 05.48
21- Stock, Hausen & Walkman : Untitled 04.10
22- Twisted Science v Burzootie : Kleen 02.40
23- Bruce Gilbert : Scion 03.15
24- Arashi v Red King : Untitled 02.37
25- Russell Haswell : Chew On This 01.02

Sleevenotes: "The original guitar pieces by Thurston Moore were recorded by Wharton Tiers
in New York, Spring 1997, and transformed by the following…"

C o-created with: Derek Bailey, Alex Empire, Mogwai, Luke Vibert, Donald Christie &
The Underdog, Blur, Mark Webber (Pulp), Stereolab, Cheap Glue (Republica), Add
N to X, Springheel Jack, The Hypnotist, The Mellowtrons, Warren Defeveer, VVM,
Third Eye Foundation, David Cunningham, Merzbow, Richard Thomas, Echo Park, Stock,
Hausen & Walkman, Twisted Science vs. Burzootie, Bruce Gilbert, Arashi vs. Red King &
Russell Haswell.
1997, TAKES FAKES & DEAD SHE DANCES, Incus CD31 (CD)
(released in 1998)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar by Henner Hardenberger; Gibson 175 electric guitar included
on track 10, recitation of a fragment of a poem by Peter Riley on track 10

1- Notts 13.11
2- tba 02.10
3- One damned thing... 03.12
4- Opening title 01.57
5- ...after another 02.32
6- It goes in, out, round, about 03.13
7- This title and the following title 02.09
8- Should be reversed 03.55
9- Rabbit as seen by dog 01.37
10- Dead she dances 07.32

Tracks 1 and 10 recorded at a solo concert given at Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham on 24
September 1997; Dead she dances is from Distant points, a book of poems by Peter Riley.
Tracks 2-9 recorded in London in May 1997 and produced by Steve Beresford.

Design and layout by Karen Brookman.

N ew solo guitar album, with both acoustic & electric cuts. Features 2 live tracks from
9/97, and 8 studio recordings from 5/97, produced by Steve Beresford. "A number
of Derek Bailey solo records have appeared in recent times, all either re-issues or
previously unreleased recordings made in the 1970s or 1980s. Takes Fakes... is his first solo
record in seven years."

I mprovising guitarist Derek Bailey prides himself on defying the rules of guitar
vocabulary, but I swear I hear some near-flamenco licks in the first two pieces on this
album. That's before the clusters of darting notes surge in and he starts sliding a wet
finger over the top of his guitar's face to elicit squeaks. He actually vocalizes on the last
number, in which seven and a half minutes of slashing chords, frenetic picking, and a feedback
finale frame his calm-but-creepy spoken intonations. On all of these tracks, which have been
culled from two 1997 concerts, the distortion that's heard in his other recent releases is largely
absent. But the same instant, fierce crafting of little melodies and sonic bombs plays out. A
few words about Bailey the artist: this Brit counterpart to Cecil Taylor remains one of the
most aggressive guitarists around even as he ages into his late 60s. (His tastes run from
music-hall tunes to Napalm Death.) Bailey's free-ranging tonalities and progressions are more
defiant than anything the young jazz guns or woolliest punk-rockers are calling rebellious.
And though he may seem traditional in his strict devotion to the guitar, pick, and amp as his
only tools, under his command they produce more sounds than most arty string slingers can
coax from a stack of effects. If you're a lover of guitar music and you're not hip to Bailey's
brand of brain expansion, it's time to feed your head. (Write to Incus Records, 14 Downs
Road, London E5 8DS, England.)

Ted Drozdowski

erek's new solo album on Incus -- 'Takes Fakes and Dead She Dances' -- is a whole

D 'nother matter in that I'd recommend this one to anybody: virgin, connoisseur,
reactionary, fascist, whatever. It's a wide-ranging exploration of what one brilliant,
peerless critic (whose name is spelled the same as mine) once called "the most original, total
reinvention of a major musical instrument of this century." Bailey's big-barrel sound on the
acoustic guitar is at its tastiest here. This is my kind of "experimental" music: true to Bailey's
calling as an improviser, there's a feeling of exploration that, in his expert hands, results in
some gut-level fascinating stuff. Walking-rhythm harmonic sequences, atonal arpeggios,
scrapes, shards, whisps, taps, flurries, grace-noted grace notes. Colorful, mostly short pieces;
gems.

Tony Mostrom

A see-through document of Mr Bailey's infinite acoustic abilities, recorded with such

right-there clarity it feels like he's removing your colon. Producer Steve Beresford
must have implanted microphones under Derek's fingernails, as the staggering array
of clicks, spikes, punches, and frictions reproduced here is head-drowning, even for a Bailey
record. Except for maybe Aida or Music And Dance, each Bailey album I've put my head in
front of has initially felt far away, like the ghostly image of an approaching army blurred by
rippling waves of fiery air. Eventually, though, they've all successfully charged and trampled
me, and Takes Fakes followed the same beautifully murderous pattern. When my ears were
finally blown open, the overwhelming gunfire of Bailey's insanely tireless invention filled my
brain-crater with sonic bullets so quickly I could hardly remember what had been there before.
Takes Fakes is all solo Bailey, with two longer live pieces sandwiched around eight sharp,
brittle, four-minutes-or-less studio knife-fights. Glued to his acoustic guitar until the final,
semi-title track (a spooky acoustic/electric self-wrestle that surrounds an actual word-using
poem, spoken with some fine British tongue-biting that's presumably not DB's, unless he has
like three brains), Bailey hurdles maniacally through what, when quantified "objectively,"
seems like every possible guitar sound - strum, strike, smack, plink, buzz, yank, scrape,
bounce, etc - yet somehow by the end it feels like he's actually got a ton left, like he could fill
up a million more discs without even hinting at the possibility of repetition. Which, come to
think of it, he has. Where this fits in his sky-reaching mansion of recorded accomplishment is
tough to peg - think of it as a bright canopy erected over the faded porch of the Solo Guitar
volumes - but regardless, Takes Fakes And Dead She Dances contains, when heard in the
druggy vacuum it eventually imposes, a career's worth of flaming ideas in its shiningly clear,
blindingly simple melding of fingers and strings.

Marc Masters

B ailey's first recorded solo performance in seven years is a splendid example of the
guitarist at his finest. Two of the ten pieces are from a live concert, including an eerily
attractive poetry recital by Bailey of Peter Riley's morbid "Dead She Dances." The
other eight selections are short studio cuts. In all, this recording is what we have come to
expect from Bailey: atonal swatches of sound, unique styling, changes in tempo, and
astonishing creative splashes of acoustic guitar. Patterns emerge, dissolve, fade, and reappear,
with the unexpected always the norm. Bailey's unique excursions might be compared to
musical approximations of abstract expressionist art, with each number unfolding in
unanticipated ways. While the highlight of this CD is Bailey's recital, in which he
accompanies himself on guitar, there are plenty of wonderful moments on every track.

Steve Loewy, All Music Guide

DEAD SHE DANCES

Peter Riley
from Distant Points

The bone pin that fastens her hair

The flint scraper in front of her mouth
Almost in it
Her voice, her head to the north of west
Torso curved back and head raised so as to face the same direction
Her voice of blade
Her right hand touching her thigh
Her left hand at her diaphragm doubled under at the wrist
Her pain
Her left foot amputated at the instep and two worked flints placed where the missing bones
ought to have been
A bouble edge knife, very sharp and a splinter

Prostrate she stands and dead she dances

And her singing is a blade cutting flesh from the bone at the (cone of love) where time stays a
while

To become a foreign object in the god's eye, death injected into life, into the fields of life (very
houses)

This tumulus evidently raised over a pit dwelling

To become a foreign object in the memory of affect (effect)

A cylindrical or drum shaped massive of blacked matter and burned wood containing an
inverted urne with the calcined bones of a youth in the middle of the room

And this erases the houses, closes the credit, the machine eats the card
The dry leaves that rustle in the night
The rivers that slide away
Because life is elsewhere

Black hole that canceled the heart and hold the earth

At the west end, the apparently dismembered bones of two youths, one skull face up and the
other face down
Both jaw bones separated and placed one foot away from each skull

(couch) wheeled into the melodic crown in the central la (????)

The limbs riddle with the separation spin onto an untachable point
As if they were an answer to weighless (?)

Fragments of one vase placed in two heaps

One foot apart with, when reassemble, one fragment missing

The accuracy of these artists terryfies me

Two bodies buried one under the other, very close together
Both male
The lower about fifteen, brachycephalic
Top of body to south facing east
The head minus lower jaw, neck and right scapular had been severed and placed near the
pelvis thus under the shoulder
The upper interment almost touching blood vessels behind his head
And the older man, dolicocephalic
Head to north-east, facing north-west
The departing ulna
The star farmer who tuned the whole horizon to the pitch of (priest ?) city
Across the long stone transgressing the calendar

The miniaturist light breaking in his shadow

A diagonal slice, a small song or Irish joke out of his philosophy's mazes
His future secured
Which was never widely intended
Surely they meant to pass on the work
And some third term probably female barely remembered reaches out from west (wood ?)
One bone, one humerus, one radius and one or two other fragments of a small dismembered
body that reclaimed the flesh after sunset as the stones fall

A small patter, a broach, a perfect guidance to the perplexed is her work

And speech cancels into music

 Excavations & Riley's poetics

Distant Points is a series of prose poems arising from the author’s meditations on 19th century
excavation reports of prehistoric burial mounds in the north of England. As Riley himself
explains, this particular work is:

"...concerned with the human burial deposits of the so-called Neolithic/Bronze Age culture of
what is now the Yorkshire Wolds, as documented in two books of late 19th Century tumulus
excavation accounts: by J. R. Mortimer (1905) and Canon William Greenwell (1877)."

Commenting on this work, American poet and Zukofsky scholar Mark Scroggins offers this
insight:
“ Each poem is titled with the numerical designation of an individual excavation, and
combines verbatim descriptions of the mound’s contents – often eliciting a good deal of
unintentional (to their original authors) pathos – with linguistic material Riley draws from any
number of other sources: various works on Renaissance music, Ezra Pound, Søren Kierkegaard,
Jacques Roubaud, Elaine Scarry, Beckett, Sir Thomas Browne, etc. It makes for a fascinating
mix, which grows in emotional intensity over the course of the book. This strikes me as an
extraordinary poetry, one which takes the techniques of modernism to almost a certain limit, yet
retains the entire lyric and emotional intensity of the English tradition behind Riley[2]
1997, IMPROVISATION, MP97-ORF 15 (Austria) (CD) (released in
1998)

Various musicians :

1- Gert Jonke: Eröffnungsrede 15.39

recorded 1 October 1997, Grazer Congress, Stefaniensaal

2- Hanspeter Kyburz: Danse aveugle 17.36

performed by Klangforum Wien and recorde 1 October 1997,
Grazer Congress, Stefaniensaal

3- Elisabeth Schimana: 3 aus den Tiefen von Sinnen 11.16

recorded 4 October 1997, Theatro Graz

4- James Tenney: Diaphonic study for piano and stringquartet 18.10

recorded 5 October 1997, Grazer Congress, Saal Steiermark

2- Derek Bailey : guitar, AND : Steve Noble : turntables,

Pat Thomas: keyboards and samplers Improvisation 08.46

recorded 4 October 1997, Theatro Graz, Austria

live-recorded 1. - 5. October 1997 at musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst 97, Graz

Musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst 97

ert Jonkes künstlerische Rede zum Festival Musikprotokoll eröffnet eine

G Musikprotkoll-CD, die den charakteristischen Mix der letzten Jahre widerspiegelt:

Eine Improvisation von Derek Bailey, Steve Noble und Pat Thomas, das Konzentrat
einer Performance von Elisabeth Schimana, eine mikrotonale Feinheit für Klavierquintett des
Amerikaners James Tenney sowie eine brillante Uraufführung von Hanspeter Kyburz'
Komposition "Danse Aveugle".

artistic lecture by Gert Jonke opens the CD from the Musikprotokoll festival

An 1997, followed by a characteristic mix: An improvisation by Derek Bailey with

Steve Noble and Pat Thomas, an electroacoustic performance by Elisabeth
Schimana, a microtonal speciality by the American iconoclast James Tennes and finally the
brilliant world-premiere of Hanspeter Kyburz’s composition ”Danse Aveugle”.
1997, PLAYBACKS, Bingo BIN 004 (US) (CD) (released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitar, playing over pre-recorded tracks created by the
musicians indicated (with the exception of track 11, created by John Oswald from other
recordings of Derek Bailey) :

1- D for D [Darryl Moore] 06.12

2- HK d&b [Henry Kaiser] (acoustic) 04.44
3- Resigned [Casey Rice] 04.08
4- Please smile [John Herndon] 03.15
5- Tickled 3 [Tied + Tickled Trio] 04.42
6- BKB mix [Bundy K. Brown] 04.56
7- JF drums [John French] (acoustic) 07.54
8- Resigned [Casey Rice] (acoustic) 04.11
9- CLB drums [Casey Rice] (acoustic) 04.02
10- Sasha [Sasha Frere-Jones] 08.20
11- J.O. complete [John Oswald] 05.02
12- George [Jim O'Rourke/Loren MazzaCane Connors] (voice) 05.25

Derek Bailey recorded at Moat Studios, London on 19 March 1998.

T hroughout, I aimed to treat each track, many of which seemed to be complete in

themselves, as a kind of ensemble I could play with rather than as a 'backing' track. I
decided not to play with John Oswald's track because he's effected such an
improvement on how this stuff usually sounds, I couldn't bear to spoil it.

Derek Bailey.
 nglish guitarist Derek Bailey improvises over pre-recorded rhythms and sounds.

E "When I heard Derek Bailey's Guitar, Drum 'n' Bass, I realized I'd never before heard
Derek play with anything other than live musicians in real time. His willingness to do
an album with sequenced samples led me to imagine Derek playing over all sorts of other pre-
existing rhythms. I asked Derek if he'd consider making an album like this, playing over very
disparate, pre-recorded rhythms. He said yes. I asked some friends to provide rhythms, some
of whom contacted other friends, and soon a quorum of track makers was in place. Everybody
far exceeded their assignment, which was vague: 'Create an active rhythm that Derek would
like playing with.' Derek's enthusiasm during the process, which was rather long and full of
blank spaces, never wavered. I am thrilled with the results and feel very lucky to have been
there to help this one along. - Sasha Frere-Jones. The rhythms were provided by: Darryl
Moore (D, Soul Static Sound), Henry Kaiser, Casey Rice (Designer), John Herndon
(Tortoise), Tied + Tickled Trio, Bundy K. Brown, John French, Casey Rice, Ko Thein Htay,
Sasha Frere-Jones (Ui), John Oswald, Jim O'Rourke and Loren Mazzacane Connors.
Recorded and mixed at Moat Studios, March 19, 1998 by Toby Hrycek-Robinson.

nspired by his recent album Guitar, Drum 'n' Bass, guitarist Derek Bailey once again

I finds himself performing alongside a variety of pre-programmed drum tracks.

Multitudes of avant music players donated rhythms and beats that range from subdued
to schizophrenic. Most of Play Backs revolves around zany beats. Casey Rice contributes
two hyper-enthusiastic romps that make Squarepusher sound like he's pushing 4x4 beats. It
seems Bailey's only option is to flail around as unpredictably on his fretboard as Rice does
with his erratic pulsing. It's only when non-traditional rhythms enter the mix that Play Backs
becomes interesting. The Asian percussion of Ko Thein Htay works well with Bailey's odd
plucking on "CLB Drums." Similarly, John French's grooves on what sound like an acoustic
trap kit are terribly compelling and pressure Bailey to be his most creative. Saving the best
for last, Pluderphonics wizard John Oswald rips apart a Bailey composition, only to put it
back together using some sort of sonic super glue. "George" concludes this set with the
delicate guitars of Loren MazzaCane Connors and Jim O’Rourke, who accompany Bailey’s
spoken word performance which outshines anything he's able to muster on guitar.

David McGurgan

P laybacks is the fifth release on Bingo Records, the hobbyhorse of Ui main-man and
bassist Sasha Frere-Jones, who was sufficiently inspired by guitarist and improv
godfather Derek Bailey's jungle vs avant-guitar project Guitar, Drum and Bass to ask
DB to improvise to a whole series of backing tracks provided by different musicians. "When I
heard [the album]," writes Frere-Jones, "I realised I'd never before heard Derek play with
anything other than live musicians in real time. Hi willingness to do an album with sequenced
rhythms led me to imagine Derek playing over all sorts of pre-existing rhythms." Bailey has,
of course, always valued unexpected collaborations very highly. His now-legendary Company
Week festivals attempted to bring together musicians - and dancers and poets for that matter -
from radically different disciplines, in order for them to create music spontaneously. During
the course of the 70s, a great deal of Free Improv tended to develop a specific language -
gestures and form - which was specifically its own, something Bailey tried to avoid with
Company gatherings. In that context, and\ album like Guitar, Drum and Bass shouldn't come
as a surprise. Nor should Playbacks, which is, to be frank, a much more successful artistic
venture. The choice of collaborators - or, more accurately, backing track creators - largely
reflects Frere-Jones' position in the US post-rock pantheon: Tortoise's Casey Rice; guitarists
Jim O'Rourke and Loren Mazzacane Connors (together, that is); SoulStatic Sounds's prime
mover and DJ Darryl Moore; Frere-Jones himself; Tortoise's John Herndon; Germany's Tied
and Tickled Trio; and Directions in Music's Bundy K Brown. Alongside these are tracks
supplied by Plunderphonics' sample terrorist John Oswald (with whose backing track, "J.O.
Complete", Bailey was so pleased he decided to leave it alone!); Free guitarist extraordinaire
Henry Kaiser; Captain Beefheart drummer John French (whose track was recorded by
Kaiser); and Burmese percussionist Ko Thein Htay (ditto). Now it might be my imagination,
but I think that these backing tracks have brought out some of the best playing Bailey has
done on record since his collaboration with Japanese prog-thrashers Ruins. Whatever... he's
on exceptionally fine - and fiery - form, genuinely getting under the skin of the material. For
that matter, the collaborators seem to have risen to the occasion. Everyone's going to have their
favourite pieces, but for my money, the Ko Thein Htay pairing, "CLB drums", is among the
highlights of Bailey's career. Playbacks is another intriguing instalment in one of the most
important musical bodies of work the last three decades has thrown up.

comments on this release:

I'm sorry to say I do not agree with Simon. "Playbacks" is far from being a bad record, but it
is not a fantastic one either. I enjoyed "Guitar, Drum and Bass" for its energy and its
freshness (even though the d'n'b background wasn't always up to the task). "Playbacks" is, in
my opinion, devoid of these qualities; it is as if most of the artists involved had lost their way
and were unable to come up with any interesting support for Bailey's playing (which, by the
way, remains equals to itself, i.e., mercurial). Apart from the tracks with Owsald and
O'Rourke/Mazzacane-Connors, I believe Derek Bailey would have been better off delivering
yet another great solo album instead of "PlayBacks" ...

Patrice Martoia

D erek Bailey improvises over tracks by Darryl Moore, Henry Kaiser, Casey Rice,
John Herndon, Tied & Tickle Trio, Bundy K. Brown, John French, Ko Thein Htay,
Sasha Frere-Jones, John Oswald, Jim O'Rourke, and Loren Mazzacane Conners.
Inspired by 1996's Bailey/DJ Ninj collaboration, GUITAR, DRUM 'N' BASS, Ui's Sasha
Frere-Jones arranged a series of virtual encounters for the eminent free guitarist.
PLAYBACKS challenges Bailey to apply his improvisational intuition to rhythmic tracks
contributed by a selection of producers and musicians. The project drew heavily from
Chicago's all-star axis but also attracted such unusual participants as Germany's Tied+Tickled
Trio, John Oswald, John French (Drumbo of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band fame), improv
stalwarts Henry Kaiser and Loren MazzaCane-Connors, and Darryl Moore (of London's
SoulStaticSound label).

P LAYBACKS showcases Bailey as an unpredictable, effortlessly hip improv paragon.

The guitarist drafts his diacritical acoustic and electric six-string markings over
backgrounds ranging from Moore's dub-scarred clatter and Ko Thein Htay's bubbly
gamelan to Casey Rice's full-bore drum-and-bass. Extemporizing eloquently in his parlance
of serrated lines, splintered chord shapes, and pointillistic harmonics, Bailey responds to such
challenges as Kaiser, Rice, and John Herndons' scrappy, scrabbling breakbeats, T&TT's
electronically inflected ensemble jazz, and French's labyrinthine percussion. Standouts include
a tense "encounter" amid Frere-Jones' electro-acoustic tangle of bass and sputtering beats,
Oswald's pre-imagined collaborative collage--so perfect that Bailey refused to tamper with it,
and a wickedly funny Bailey monologue improvised around MazzaCane-Connors/Jim
O'Rourke's ghostly blues.
C onsidering Derek Bailey is the true grandfather of Euro/free/ improv guitar for over
30 years, he continually challenges himself and us as well by putting himself in new
situations. In recent years he has recorded & performed live with Jap.
punk/noise/prog/power duo The Ruins and also recorded over wacky drum n' bass rhythms
for Avant. He has recorded and/or played the odd duo with guitarists Henry Kaiser & Eugene
Chadbourne, pipa player Min Xiao - Fen & drummer Susie Ibarra. On this release he matches
wits with rhythm tracks provided by 12 different players, six known and six unknown (to me).
The knowns include Henry Kaiser, John French, John Oswald, Jim O'Rourke & Loren
Mazzacane, as well as Sasha Frere - Jones who also compiled & released this bizarre cd.
Everyone included seems to have come up with a wide variety rhythm tracks to stimulate
Derek's response. Henry Kaiser's part takes its time to build, showing a less frenetic side to
these proceedings. John "Drumbo" French plays acoustic drums in his distinctive
Beefheartian way - Derek plays acoustic in a rather majestic spread, notes ring out like birds
singing their lovely songs. Often, the more extreme rhythms push Derek even harder into
dense, fractured, angular quick strum insanity. John "Plunderphonics" Oswald seems to have
taken Derek's samples and stretched them out into a somber alien mist. Jim O'Rourke &
Loren Mazzacane Connors provide quaint, peaceful, background noodling while Derek tells a
story of all the Georges in his life, a ridiculous story to crack all the previous seriousness.
Snicker, snicker. Only $10!

lthough most Derek Bailey fans would argue that you'd have to be a jackass to

A describe the guitarist's technique as mere "noisemaking," most Derek Bailey fans
(not to mention 67-year-old Bailey himself) have likely forgotten the fear of being
confronted by a totally new music. Hearing Bailey improvise for the first time is like trying to
read a book that's been written in some esoteric language understood only by its creator: You
might recognize certain phrases or tones, but as for the syntax and logic: forget it. Bailey's
music isn't just noise, of course, though it's not linked to any idiom most humans have been
taugh to appreciate. And while the guitarist's free improvisations have their trademarks
harmonics, sustained feedback, muted strings, etc. his records prove that he's constantly,
subtly changing. On PlayBacks, with help from collaborators such as Henry Kaiser, Sasha
Frere-Jones, Darryl Moore and Tied + Tickled Trio, Bailey enters one of his most peculiar
situations yet: improvising over the pre-recorded sounds and rhythm tracks his collaborators
have mailed him. It's similar to his Guitar, Drum 'N' Bass album in that, well, it features several
drum & bass tracks (courtesy of Casey Rice and John Herndon). But Bailey's also scraping,
whisking and, in the case of a somber Jim O'Rourke/Loren MazzaCane Connors track, wittily
storytellingÑover glacial textures (from Bundy K. Brown); over polyrhythmic boogie (from
John French); over Far Eastern percussion (from Ko Thein Htay); even over himself (thanks
to cut-up composer John Oswald). This isn't to say that PlayBacks is a set of 12 sloppily
juxtaposed solo wank-offs. These pieces work not just because of their incongruity (although
that's what makes them comical), but because the lines separating Bailey from his
collaborators are rarely visible. Far from being an anarchic racket, this is the product of a
sympathetic ear that's taken more than 50 years to develop.

Originally published in Alternative Press

the mid-'90s, Derek Bailey mentioned that he had gotten into the habit of practicing

In guitar while listening to a pirate drum'n'bass radio station. Soon thereafter, John
Zorn induced him to record a series of improvisations against a drum'n'bass
backdrop, resulting in the Guitar, Drum 'n' Bass recording on Avant. Perhaps due to the
thinness of the backing tracks, that album suffered somewhat from a shallowness of sound.
By offering a wide and imaginative array of collaborators, producer Sasha Frere-Jones has
also cast Bailey against prerecorded sounds largely from the drum'n'bass genre, but with
richer results.

One often gets the impression that it really doesn't matter to Bailey if his sonic partners, live or
on tape, aren't particularly able. If not, he seems to simply use the sounds as "white noise"
against which to improvise in his customarily unique and incisive way. So if a given
drum'n'bass track is routine, or if ex-Captain Beefheart drummer John French's work is a bit
stolid, no matter -- it's sound material to work with. All the better, then, when the collaborator
gives Bailey some real meat to work with as is the case here with Darryl Moore, Burmese
percussionist Ko Thein Htay, and Frere-Jones himself.

Interestingly, the two standout tracks are the ones that break this mold. "J.O. Complete," by
plunderphonics master John Oswald, overlays numerous samples of Bailey into a shimmering
tapestry, so effective that Bailey declined to enhance it further. The final cut, a small
masterpiece, features somber, bluesy guitar drones by Jim O'Rourke and Loren Mazzacane
Connors over which Bailey delivers a wonderfully droll verbal account of his lifelong
fascination with the name "George." Priceless.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

herein Derek Bailey, the measure by which other improv guitarists strive to equal,

W plays along to rhythm tracks created by: Henry Kaiser, John Oswald, Casey Rice,
Tied and Tickled Trio, Jim O'Rourke, Bundy Brown, John French, Loren
Mazzacane Connors, and more. There's been a bit of controversy involving Henry Kaiser, who
has sent out a public statement complaining about the music being out of phase or something
(he's really unhappy with the way the recording sounds), but Bailey puts the issue to rest with
his own statement: "Although you wouldn't know this, occasionally I play 'live' with DJs or
tracks by DJs. I never go direct to the desk or anything else. Nor do I wear earphones. This
kind of 'live' situation is what I wanted to replicate in the studio. No direct line, no earphones, a
mike on the amp and one on the guitar; one take only on each track. Which is exactly what
Toby did for me, to my complete satisfaction. In essence, Playbacks is a live recording, not a
studio recording. There are a number of reasons why I do this but the main one is musical. I
want a mix of ambient and non-ambient sound. Integration has to be musical NOT
technological and obviously so. THE WAY THE RECORD SOUNDS IS THE WAY I
WANT IT TO SOUND. "Let me try and remove any possible ambiguity: The success or
otherwise of this record depends almost entirely on the success of the playing. If I thought at
the time that this end would have been better served by recording it in the street, I would have
done so. These are what is known, in some circles, as artistic decisions. If I made a similar
record again, I would do it in exactly the same way."

On Playbacks, Derek Bailey engages in some seriously avant-garde interactions

with a variety of prerecorded rhythm tracks. Ex-Tortoise, studio heads Bundy
K. Brown and Casey Rice both contribute fascinating backdrops for Bailey, as
does plunderphonic auteur John Oswald, post-rock connoisseur Sasha Frere-Jones, San
Francisco guitar whiz Henry Kaiser and plenty more.

Mitch Myers

T he premise of the album is to give alarmo jazz improvisateur guitar-player Derek

Bailey some backing tracks and have him record improvised accompaniment to them.
This isn't Derek's style. He's more into the spontaneous communication of warm,
meat-filled collaborators, but he was willing to try something else.

These aren't going to become jazz standards anytime soon. Henry Kaiser, Ko Thein Htay and
John Oswald aren't renowned in the jazz clubs or covered by the Marsalis' or Kralls of the
jazz sphere. These are perplexing and demanding performances to listen to. There's rarely a
steady time signature. Songs build to unexpected and sometime anticlimactic conclusions.
Maybe someone like Sasha Frere-Jones makes a very minimalist collection of beats and
scratching that inspire Derek to pluck contemplatively or John Oswald will plunder Derek's
own past and regurgitate it in a way that Derek feels is complete and fitting.
I can't sit through this album and expect to get anything else done.
Gabino Travassos

ilier essentiel [à 69 ans!] de la guitare vive, pratiquant avec intelligence de l

P adéréglementation, adeptre fougueux de la table rase, technicien diabolique, DB

plonge ici dans une nouvelle aventure: sur 12 bandes-sons fournies par 12 musiciens
différents [armi lesquels H. Kaiser; O'Rourke...], remet en jeu son sens de l'improvisation!
Les supports brassent des éléments variés: ambient, techno, drum'n'bass, noise, post-moderne,
post-rock, batterie plus "traditionnelle", narration... DB à chaque fois établit le contact, trouve
la faille, trace des échappées, retombe sur ses pattes... Un tout grand numéro!

T he veteran English free-jazz guitarist faces post-rock challengers in this project

organized by SASHA Frere-Jones (ex-Ui). Bailey plays improv over rhythms
provided by Chicago indie posse members (e.g., Casey Rice, Bundy K. Brown) and
avant-garde standard bearers (e.g., Henry Kaiser, John French). The music is interesting, but
not as incendiary as I'd hoped -- paradoxically, the backgrounds that engage Bailey the most
are French's acoustic drums, Rice's squelchy smattering of breakbeats and a lovely guitar duet
between Jim O'Rourke and Loren MazzaCane Connors (over which Bailey speaks rather than
plays). Toronto plunderphonics guru John Oswald's Bailey cut-up serves as both a parody of
the guitarist's battery of often grating tactics and a tribute to his capacity for invention.
JA

while ago free guitarist Derek Bailey made a CD with a drum & bass DJ under the

A most appropiate name "Guitar, Drum 'n Bass", which is an excellent idea: the
jazzyness of drum & bass went well with the improvised guitar of Derek. Entrepneur
Sasha Frere-Jones, himself a guitarist, kinda copied the idea. Inviting musicians to create drum
tracks and Derek playing along with those. The result is very much a Derek Bailey CD with
twelve different drum tracks, not just d&b, but also trip-hop or dub inspired. Of course one
may wonder about the idea itself: why just drum/rhythms, why not just vocals, just drones,
just... fill in ? Despite this hesitation, it is a very nice CD however, which works well and is an
overall varied thing. Especially the more uptempo pieces, such as Casey Rice and John
Herndon, which are played with a lot of tension and aggression.
Some people went beyond the assignment, like Bundy K. Brown who starts a guitar duel with
Derek, or the narrative piece with Jim O'Rourke and Loren MazzaCane Connors. There is one
track is which nothing is added - John Oswald - and I'm puzzled why not. One of things
sadly missed (by me at least) is a good solid, 4 to 4 techno piece and see good ol' Derek go
wild over that. Only Sasha's own piece comes close with it's Pan Sonic inpired rhythm.

FdW
 is gratifying to see that Derek Bailey has become ubiquitous at the better record

It stores. his releases are too many for me to keep up with, especially since they rarely
seem to show up in the used bins. I guess that most people hold onto these. this one
is somewhat of a followup to guitar, drums’n’bass. on that one, he played over tracks by a dj
ninj. on this one, he plays over tracks supplied by a who’s-who of "post-rock" affiliated folks,
including Jim O’rourke and Loren Mazzacane Connors, Henry Kaiser, John Herndon, Sasha
Frere-Jone, Bundy K. Brown, etc. you can depend on a Derek Bailey release featuring his
patented improvised guitar scrape and plunk. it sounds much better than it might read,
especially when he is in his aggressive mode, and he is here. the track with casey rice
approaches his collisions/collaborations with the japanese noise/improv rhythm section the
ruins (highly recommended: derek and the ruins saisoro). if you haven’t heard of Bailey, i
would describe him as being a true original stylist, a man in his sixties who has influenced
other guitar players since the late sixties. Eugene Chadbourne has often stated that hearing
Derek Bailey changed his life. his description of listening to Bailey play along with a
drums’n’bass radio broadcast is transcendant. listening to Bailey’s work does, however,
require a willingness to give up rigid conventions which your local fascist hairdo rock or jazz
guitar teacher may not be able to appreciate. definitely their loss.

b.wildered

nspired by Brit guiterrorist Derek Bailey's frantic tangling with jungle beats on his recent

I Guitar, Drum 'N' Bass disc, Ui's Sasha Frere-Jones collected a dozen more rhythms for
the 68-year-old improviser to spar with. Bailey apparently recorded his tracks in a single
day-long session, and the results are a remarkable interaction between man and machine.
Bailey is a strong enough improviser to make sense of any situation -- save jamming with Pat
Metheny -- thrown at him. The best moments on Play Backs, though, are where Bailey and his
partner appear to be playing together. Henry Kaiser's sparse percussion elicits some delicate
plucking from Bailey, while his interaction with Casey Rice's explosive clatter is so successful
he does it twice, acoustic and then electric. John Oswald's plunderphonic contribution doesn't
require Bailey at all, and when Jim O'Rourke and Loren MazzaCane Connors contribute
guitar tracks, rather than drum beats, Bailey puts down his axe and spins a cheeky monologue
on guitars and his uncle George. Now, that's improvisation!
Kim Hughes
Octobre 2007 http://www.lamediatheque.be/mag/taz/jazz/archives/2007_10.php

© Image Plus: Emmanuel Manderlier - Xavier Portela

SÉLECTION DU MOIS D'OCTOBRE 2007

Je suis tombé sur un disque...

Nels Cline
Erdmann 3000
Stephan Oliva

Je suis tombé sur un disque... (rencontre avec Derek Bailey)

Heureusement je n’ai rien de cassé, et encore moins les oreilles.

À la Médiathèque, cela nous arrive souvent, c’est un métier à risques. (Par exemple celui d’être soldé avec les disques encombrants, mais c’est une
autre histoire, revenons à nos rondelles).
Comment cela s’est-il passé ?
Le plus simplement du monde. Je me trouvais au comptoir de réception des médias, là où nos membres nous ramènent leurs trouvailles et autres
supports physiques. Il arrive souvent qu’à ce poste nous puissions échanger des impressions rapides sur l’un ou l’autre album ayant plus ou moins
séduit la personne emprunteuse. C’est un bref moment privilégié de transmission des contenus. Un réel endroit de passage au sens propre comme
au figuré. Les centres de prêt sont des lieux où des gens transmettent quelque chose. J’ai pu découvrir pas mal de disques par ce simple dialogue
avec un membre et l’opération est réciproque. C’est une facette irremplaçable de notre métier: l’échange verbal d’informations.
Dans ce cas-ci, c’est encore plus simple, c’est peut-être même une erreur qui m’a fait découvrir cet album de Derek Bailey intitulé Play Backs
(UB0223). C’est un CD de la Collection Commune (CCO) en dépôt à Liège le temps d’un été, tombé dans notre bac des retours en attente d’être
reclassé alors qu’il n’a pas encore été emprunté depuis son arrivée.
Heureuse coïncidence, la pochette m’interpelle, ce dessin d’allure naïve, ce petit bonhomme grossièrement croqué qui lève les bras en l’air semble
vouloir sortir de son bac et sauter sur le comptoir. Je le saisis, c’est un disque de Derek Bailey, cela me convainc de l’emprunter.
A vrai dire je ne connais Derek Bailey que de réputation, je sais juste que c’est un guitariste anglais « important » qui est mort le 25 décembre 2005
et dont parlent beaucoup les amateurs de musiques improvisées. Ce que j’en sais, c’est ce que j’en ai entendu dire, le peu que j’en ai lu: jusqu’à sa
mort, à l’âge de 75 ans, il a fait preuve d’une imagination super-active et qu’il a multiplié les collaborations, tant sur disque qu’en concert.
Je n’ai aucune honte à découvrir Derek Bailey maintenant. J’ai à peine envie de me poser la question de savoir si je peux écrire quelques mots sur
sa musique alors que je n’y connais rien. Je m’en moque. Je suis une plaque sensible qui a reçu une impulsion générant une émotion qui me pousse
inévitablement en tant que médiathécaire à réfléchir et relayer vers le public cette « nouvelle source de lumière ». De là à se prendre pour un
illuminé, il y a au moins cent pas que je ne franchirai pas. En plus, la dite « source lumineuse » a été enregistrée en 1998. Qu’importe, il y a des
étoiles dont la lumière nous atteint des millions d’années après s’être éteintes…
Oui, c’est une autre facette de notre métier que de témoigner des richesses de nos insondables collections, fussent-elles anciennes. Je m’informerai
ensuite. Je m’informe déjà, c’est inévitable. Je voudrai probablement en savoir plus. Je lirai sans doute ce qu’en ont dit des collègues, des
magazines. Je piocherai dans son immense discographie étalée sur quarante ans, de 1965 à 2005 : 76 titres d’albums disponibles « en chair et en os
» à la Médiathèque, 243 répertoriés dans la Derek Bailey sessionography dressée par Richard Shapiro sur Internet. Des parutions post-mortem sont
à prévoir. Entre-temps d’autres étoiles musicales attireront mon attention…
C’est le point de départ qui compte. L’impulsion! L’émotion ressentie, renouvelée. Ensuite, très vite, surgissent les questions, vérifications,
comparaisons. Écoutes répétées confrontées à d’autres titres afin de déterminer si oui ou non cet enregistrement vaut le détour.
Voilà comment je l’ai ressenti, sans bagage, si ce n’est le goût de l’aventure et une sensibilité pour les musiques biscornues.
Voilà comment j’aimerais le partager.
Je suis tombé dans cet album Play Backs, porte d’entrée d’un nouveau monde pour moi, un de plus! Il n’y a pas de hasard, ce devait être le moment
et j’espère que ce le sera aussi pour quelqu’un d’autre. J’entends déjà : « mais tu sais, ce n’est pas un album important dans la discographie de
Derek Bailey, c’est un album où il joue sur des rythmes préenregistrés… ».
Cet album a été fondamental pour moi dès les premières notes. Il se décline en douze plages.
Chacune est l’initiative d’un musicien différent qui se prête au jeu de concevoir une séquence rythmique sur laquelle viendra ensuite improviser
Derek Bailey.
Acoustique ou électrique, le jeu de guitare de Derek Bailey est à la fois direct - il vous saute au visage comme un insecte aux six pattes (six cordes)
actives simultanément - incroyablement complexe et vivace, et surtout ce jeu, chapelet de sonorités bien distinctes, ne se détache jamais de son
instrument. À chaque instant, on visualise une guitare avec sa caisse bien ronde. Une guitare qui aurait les formes discontinues que lui donne un
Pablo Picasso dans ses tableaux : la caisse, le manche, les cordes sont plus que présentes, mais l’ordre est rompu.
C’est effectivement un jeu très sensuel, tactile, qui rebroussera le poil, caressera et chatouillera l’auditeur. On est arrosé de notes, de timbres, ce
n’est pas un jet continu, régulier, linéaire. Chaque son est imprévisible et se place joliment en porte-à-faux ou en clin d’œil sur le précédent. C’est
un poème en formation, une danse improvisée. Un jeu hyper-mobile, une danse de gestes courts. C’est plein d’ellipses, de respirations, de petits
trous d’air. C’est de la vraie guitare bien en main. Jamais elle ne devient une machine abstraite, même quand le guitariste accentue les effets par
l’électricité. Aucune volonté non plus de brutaliser, de générer des sons agressifs, de percer le tympan. De la musique nouvelle, différente, dont les
formes ébahissent sans qu’on sache vraiment pourquoi, comme le font d’obsédants dessins d’enfants ou certains jeux graphiques faussement naïfs
propres à Henri Michaux.
Je craignais une musique impénétrable, inaccessible pour qui n’a pas les clés, pour qui n’est pas pétri de musique improvisée.
C’est tout le contraire. À l’exception de la plage imaginée par Bundy K. Brown (ex-Tortoise, Bastro, Gastr Del Sol…) où la bande qui se déroule à
l’envers donne plutôt le vertige ou le sentiment d’un mauvais rêve. Partout ailleurs la guitare est un instrument secoué par la vie, la sève, elle est
exaltée et chante dans une langue libre, sanguine.
Parfois le jeu a l’air simple, corporel, et tout de suite après, ou même simultanément, incompréhensible, insaisissable comme une fuite en avant de
l’esprit. C’est pour moi la première fois qu’un guitariste incarne à ce point l’idée d’improvisation. On ne s’ennuie jamais, on est en face d’un
homme qui rêve et parle pendant son sommeil, mais sa musique libre et désordonnée semble couler d’une super conscience plus que d’un
inconscient. Lorsqu’il joue en duo ou en groupe, il n’est jamais question d’un dialogue de sourds.
Derek Bailey semble s’exprimer sans effort, spontanément. La complexité présente n’est pas un obstacle. Je perçois l’activité des doigts sur les
cordes. Je suis face à un sculpteur qui manipule à toute vitesse ses couteaux sur un tronc et qui obtient miraculeusement des formes esthétiques
inattendues. Les copeaux sautent dans le désordre, il y a un jaillissement de matière, une impression de rapidité, de légèreté dynamique car le
guitariste pratique constamment l’art de la syncope, de l’omission, du passage instantané à des touchers de cordes différents.
Derek Bailey est naturellement amené à s’exprimer de façon diversifiée puisque chaque musicien lui propose un matériau rythmique original.
ll y a les sections drum’n’bass toniques à souhait imaginées par Casey Rice (musicien, ingénieur du son pour Tortoise, Isotope 217, Via Tania,
Brokeback, Dirty Three et bien d’autres…) et John Herndon (batteur de Tortoise, The Eternals, Underground Jazz Trio, notamment), où le
vocabulaire de Bailey est particulièrement riche lorsqu’il joue en acoustique. Derek Bailey est soulevé par les soubresauts de la Jungle.
Il y a la batterie de Darryl Moore, envahissante avec ses multiples effets dub, que Derek Bailey couvre d’une étrange pellicule d’accords,
épineuse et clairsemée.
Octobre 2007 http://www.lamediatheque.be/mag/taz/jazz/archives/2007_10.php

Sur les percussions assemblées par le guitariste américain Henry Kaiser, Bailey improvise une pièce acoustique d’autant plus claire et nette que le
tempo saccadé de Kaiser reste un peu en retrait.
Les Allemands de Tied+TickledTrio suggèrent une ambiance rythmique raffinée où le jazz se balance doucement, un rien latino.
Plus classique, épurée, la partie de John French le batteur du Magic Band et ? de Captain Beefheart. Une plage où la guitare répond
harmonieusement à l’invitation à danser de la batterie. Autre dialogue, curieuse harmonie / dysharmonie entre la guitare et les percussions
asiatiques de Ko Thein Htay.
Plus cérébrale et sophistiquée, la partie élaborée par l’instigateur de ce disque, Sasha Frere-Jones, multi-instrumentiste du groupe new-yorkais UI.
La pièce imaginée par John Oswald, un des mixeurs les plus inspirés de son temps, est si aboutie que Derek Bailey a préféré ne rien ajouter:
assemblage très structuré tiré d’enregistrements de Derek Bailey.
En conclusion le guitariste entonne un poème improvisé à propos de la… guitare, sur les belles volutes jouées ensemble par Jim O’Rourke et Loren
Mazzacane Connors.
Un album de rencontres virtuelles pour un guitariste qui tout au long de sa vie n’a cessé de se confronter réellement au jeu de musiciens les plus
divers, sur tous les continents.
À nous de suivre sa trace à partir de la collection Jazz de la Médiathèque.
Pour toute référence à cet artiste, informez-vous auprès des responsables Jazz dans les centres de prêt. [retour]

Une piste discographique :

- Derek BAILEY : « Play Backs » (Bingo, USA, 1998) - UB0223
- Derek BAILEY : «To Play, the Blemish Sessions» (Samadhisound, Grande-Bretagne, 2003) - UB0172
Solo. Improvisations à la guitare acoustique ou électrique enregistrées en 2003 pour l’album « Blemish » de David SYLVIAN - XS987Y

- Derek BAILEY : « Ballads » (Tzadik Records, USA, 2002) - UB0187

À la demande de John Zorn, Derek Bailey improvise en solo sur quatorze standards du jazz. Comme dit le chroniqueur, « …il parcourt les points
névralgiques de ces vieux airs. Il en attrape la substance sentimentale. Point de départ d’improvisations en lignes brisées… ».

- Derek BAILEY & Evan PARKER : « The London Concert » (PSI Records, Grande-Bretagne, 1975) - UB0174
Derek Bailey utilise une guitare stéréo branchée sur deux enceintes, contrôlée par des pédales de volume. Ensuite il utilise une guitare modifiée
comptant approximativement dix-neuf cordes. Evan Parker joue d’abord du saxophone soprano, puis du ténor.

- Derek BAILEY : « Guitar, drum’n’bass » (Avant Records, Japon, 1996) - UB0214

En collaboration avec le « drum programmer » DJ NINJ, Bailey improvise à la guitare électrique. À la frénésie rythmique, il répond par un jeu où
l’on peut ressentir toute l’importance de la retenue, des intervalles entre les accords, des silences, de la tension et de la détente. Une spontanéité de
tous les instants. Un jeu qui rappelle par moments les respirations et syncopes de Miles Davis.

- Derek BAILEY & Ingar ZACH : « Llaer » (Sofa-Nor, Norvège, 2000) - UB0236
À la guitare électrique, en live et en duo avec un batteur norvégien au jeu aussi volubile, détaillé, coloré et changeant que celui de Derek Bailey.
Une communication hypersensible dont la réciprocité ne pourrait exister en face d’une séquence drum’n’bass.

- David SYLVIAN : « Blemish » (Samadhisound, Grande-Bretagne, 2003) - XS987Y

On reconnaîtra la guitare de Derek Bailey sur trois chansons de cet album. Contrairement au procédé de l’album Play Backs, c’est ici David
Sylvian qui chante sur le jeu préenregistré de Derek Bailey invité par Sylvian en février 2003 dans un studio londonien. « Provide me with a
challenge as a vocalist » mentionnait l’invitation.
Et un DVD :
- Derek BAILEY : « Playing For Friends on 5th Street » (Straw2gold Pictures, USA 2001-2004) - UB0240
Cinquante et une minutes durant lesquelles Bailey joue seul, en acoustique, au milieu de ses amis dans un petit magasin de disques à New York en
décembre 2001. La magie toute simple de son jeu sobre, épineux toujours neuf, foisonnant d’éléments mélodiques. Le musicien n’est pas avare
d’anecdotes tirées de son histoire et de ses rencontres.
La prise de vue révèle le toucher si particulier du musicien et la façon qu’il a d’être en conversation avec sa guitare.
Pierre-Charles Offergeld

CHRONIQUES
2001, ABOUT A SHOW : Derek Bailey and Casey Rice. 11/2/2001

ast night, I went to see Derek Bailey, a guitarist, is a hero among improvisers— in fact,

L he wrote The Book on improvisation. He also serves as the director of the artist-
owned, improvisation-centered record label Incus.
True to form, Bailey served up an hour of uncomposed angular noise. Bailey's sound,
developed over sixty years (!) of ceasless growth, is utterly ecstatic, yet also operates
according to an alien internal logic. In this way, every note manages to be simultaneously
perfect and unpredictable, resulting in a music that is surprising, organic, and, ultimately,
sublime.
The show was also notable in that it was one of the loudest I've ever been to. Bailey has been
working a lot with feedback in recent years, and his collaborator, electronic musican Casey
Rice, followed along with contributions of enormously loud hums and squeals. There were
times that it seemed that the theatre would fly apart at the seams.

Bailey essentially looks like an unassuming old man, and to watch him at the command a
barrage of such volume is, for lack of a better word, awesome: it is a little like watching your
grandfather rise from his chair and tear an automobile into shreds with his bare hands.
1997, QUINTESSENCE 1, Emanem CD 4015 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997)

John Stevens : percussion, cornet

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar
Kent Carter : cello

1- FORTY MINUTES 40:11

ICA Theatre - 1974 FEBRUARY 3

John Stevens : percussion, voice

Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Kent Carter : double bass

2- RAMBUNCTIOUS 1 18:36
3- RAMBUNCTIOUS 2 04:47
4- DAA-OOM trio version 05:05

Little Theatre Club - 1973 OCTOBER 18

Total time 69:11

All analogue concert recordings made in London by MARTIN DAVIDSON

1 originally issued in 1986 as Emanem LP 3401

2-4 previously unissued.

Recorded live in London at the ICA Theatre on 3 February 1974 by Martin Davidson.

Front cover photograph by Jak Kilby. Re-issued in 1997 as part of Emanem CD 4015.

T he whole of the sensational 85 minute concert featuring the quintet of John Stevens,
Derek Bailey, Kent Carter, Evan Parker & Trevor Watts (split over volumes 1 & 2) --
a classic of free improvisation (recorded 1974 -- the only recordings every made by
this quintet). Plus previously unissued and unexpected improvisations by the trio of Stevens,
Carter & Watts (from '73, on 4015) and the duo of Stevens & Watts (also from '73, on 4016).

Excerpts from sleeve notes 1:

T he eight-five minutes of totally improvised music produced at the 1974 ICA concert
are so cohesive that it sounds as if this quintet had worked together for some
considerable time. However, apart from a brief sound check earlier that day, this was
the only occasion that these five musicians performed together.

Derek Bailey (b. 1930), Evan Parker (b.1944), John Stevens (1940-1994) and Trevor Watts
(b. 1939) had been part of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1966-1994) for a few months
in 1967, before the group reduced to the duo of Stevens and Parker (as heard on SUMMER
1967 - Emanem 4005). Then, from 1968 to 1976, Stevens and Watts were the only permanent
members of the SME (as heard on FACE TO FACE - Emanem 4003). In the meantime,
Bailey and Parker often performed together in various settings, and Bailey sat in with the
SME from time to time.

Kent Carter (b. 1939), on the other hand, first visited Britain in mid-1973 as a member of a
special Steve Lacy Quintet that also included Bailey, Stevens and Steve Potts.

In the eighty-five minute ICA concert, all five musicians managed to both sound like
themselves and sound like a group - a paradox that all good improvisers solve by listening to
what the others are playing, and responding accordingly. This music is not an example of
everyone going all out for themselves regardless of everyone else. The first half of the concert
consisted of one improvisation, FORTY MINUTES, which is included in full on this CD.
(The second half is on QUINTESSENCE 2.)

The remainder of this CD comes from a trio session that occurred some months earlier. Three
pieces were performed. The first, RAMBUNCTIOUS 1, is heard in its entirety. The second,
RAMBUNCTIOUS 2, was similar but less successful, so only the ending is included here.
The third was based on Stevens' loose composition DAA-OOM, which takes its name from
the bass part. This reflects Stevens' love of the music of both the central African pygmies and
Albert Ayler. The performance ran out of steam after about five minutes, so only the opening
is heard.

MARTIN DAVIDSON (1996)

I think that this 1974 performance by SME leader-drummer John Stevens along with
saxophonists Evan Parker and Trevor Watts, guitarist Derek Bailey and cellist Kent
Carter is just about the finest single performance of free-improvised music that I know
of. The late Stevens was one of the primary forces behind the development of the English free
improvisation movement that took the Afro-American free jazz developed by Coleman, Taylor,
Ra, Ayler and Coltrane off into completely unexplored territory. On this CD you here
musicians playing music that is completely and unprecedented. Five players making the
biggest musical paradigm jump that I know of. Difficult to access for many, I know, but for
me there is more MUSIC and IMPROVISATION here per second than just about any other
recording that I've ever heard.

course, much important pathbreaking work had been done both in and outside -

Of Amalgam, MIC, Parker/Lytton Duo, etc - SME by the time the fine 1973-4
recordings on Quintessence 1 were made. The previously issued 'Forty Minutes'
(ICA Theatre, 1974) featuring Stevens, Parker, Watts, Bailey and visiting US bassist and
cellist Kent Carter, displays a marvellous, close-knit group cohesion based on instrumental
symmetries. Parker's and Watts' soprano saxophones are often to be heard exploring related
areas of the attissimo register, while Bailey's fractured, irascible amplified guitar complements
Carter's mellow pizzicato.

Remaining tracks consist of three previously unissued 1973 trio performances by Stevens,
Watts and Carter; the first and most compelling, 'Rambunctious 1', is busy yet memorably
sensitive. Stevens' light and breezy shifts of energy and emphasis on a few small drums and
his delicate, quick-witted use of cymbals, are truly mesmerising. Unfortunately,
'Rambunctious 2' and African- influenced 'Daa-oom' have had their allegedly "less successful"
parts lopped off. A somewhat controversial editorial decision.
1997, QUINTESSENCE 2, Emanem CD 4016 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997)

John Stevens : percussion, cornet

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar, guitar
Kent Carter : cello, double bass

1- THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES 34:39

2- TEN MINUTES 10:06
ICA Theatre - 1974 FEBRUARY 3

John Stevens : cornet, voice, percussion

Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone

3- CORSOP 11:08
4- DAA-OOM duo version 10:18

Little Theatre Club 1973 October 11

All analogue concert recordings made in London by MARTIN DAVIDSON

Total time 66:48

1-2 originally issued in 1986 as Emanem LP 3402

3-4 previously unissued.

T he complete recording of the sensational 85 minute concert featuring the quintet -- a

classic of free improvisation. This was originally issued as Emanem LPs 3401 and
3402. Plus previously unissued and surprising improvisations by the trio of Stevens,
Carter and Watts (on 4015) and the duo of Stevens and Watts (on 4016). Recorded 1973-4.

Excerpts from sleeve notes 2:

ven after listening to this music many times, it is still full of many surprises - very

E pleasant surprises, that is. However, the unexpected is what one expects when one
puts five seasoned and original improvisers together. Certainly, anyone who likes all
music to be completely predictable will get very little satisfaction here.

When John Stevens put this quintet together, he had envisioned that Derek Bailey would play
acoustic guitar and Kent Carter cello. This instrumentation never happened in practice, since
Bailey only used an unamplified 19-string (approx) guitar during the second quarter of
THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES while Carter was playing double bass, which he did for the first
half of that piece. For the rest of the concert, Bailey used his 6-string guitar with two-pedal
controlled amplification, and Carter played cello.

John Stevens' percussion kit comprised small cymbals and small drums with some bells and
woodblocks. Both Evan Parker and Trevor Watts just(!) played soprano saxophones.
The second half of this concert consisted of two improvisations, which are presented on this
CD in the order performed. (The first half is on QUINTESSENCE 1.) THIRTY-FIVE
MINUTES has been edited very slightly - TEN MINUTES is complete as performed.

The rest of this CD comprises two complete duo performances from the Little Theatre Club
nearly four months earlier. A fairly comprehensive portrait of the duo of Stevens and Watts
from that period has already been published (FACE TO FACE - Emanem 4003), but these
two performances reveal yet other aspects of their repertoire. Even 23 years later, the rawness
of these pieces is still somewhat startling.

Martin Davidson, 1996

Excerpts from reviews:

you want to possess only one concert of this genre of music, the release of these two

If records is providential.

Philippe Renaud, Notes, 1997

It's remarkable, really, how excellent and fresh the music sounds. This is a full-
flight demonstration of the complexities and rewards available to good players
in 1974. The key figure in the group is probably John Stevens. He uses a kit
of very small drums and cymbals and a few percussive extras, and his playing is consistently
sparse and ingenious. It's old hat to talk about percussionists 'colouring' the character of a
group, but that is how Stevens works - he doesn't keep time, he doesn't keep anything. He
barely even drums. There are beautiful moments towards the end of Thirty-Five Minutes
where he picks up the cornet and the five players slide into a drone passage that's like an
extended series of codas. Of the others, Bailey is surely more docile and accommodating than
he would be now, Carter is oblique and mysterious, Parker and Watts are like awkward twins,
one merry when the other is quiet but both of the same stripe.

Richard Cook, The Wire, 1997

S tevens' idea is for his musicians to listen to each other and produce separate equal
parts that fit together as one, and this 1974 concert is one of the best examples of the
SME on record. Of course, Trevor Watts, Evan Parker and Derek Bailey were crucial
in creating this group improvisation concept originally, but Kent Carter, though only an
occasional member, has fully absorbed the spirit. Sometimes stalking and pouncing on each
other in short bursts, sometimes stretching out into true counterpoint or relaxing into more of
a band sound, only once - just before the very end - do they get anywhere near a freakout, yet
at all times their attention and the listener's is kept riveted.

Victor Schonfield, Jazz Journal, 1997

T his particular SME edition was a one-time affair, but one wouldn't know it from the
cohesiveness of the music. The three [quintet] pieces present an excellent cross
section of the individual players' styles and strategies as weel as their various group
associations. A predominant strategy associated with the SME, the so-called 'Ping-Pong' style
in which players bounce overlapping, ever-changing sound or note riffs and motifs off one
another, is present throughout. This is combined with several other tactics, including the rich
layering of sounds, the blending and contrasting of ideas, and the sensitive dropping-out of
particular players. Bailey and Carter do a fine job of providing an ever shifting backdrop,
subtly and constantly influencing the overall sound and direction of the improvisations.
Stevens provides a bubbling rhythmic undercurrent with his semi-toy kit, as well as a warbling
commentary via amateurish though effective cornet work. The two sopranos dance around
one another with both healthy tension and co-operation. In fact, tension, co-operation, and
spontaneity are the watchwords of this concert. Five excellent players work strongly here as
individuals and as a unit, making music not only for the moment, but for posterity as well.

Milo Fine, Jazz Forum, 1997

Among the Lone Wolf Indie 100 chosen in PULSE! - the magazine of Tower Records USA
1997.

Among the top 15 re-issues of 1997 chosen by readers of CADENCE.

Among of the 10 best CDs of 1997chosen by HENRY KAISER :

I think that this 1974 performance is just about the finest single performance of free-
improvised music that I know of. The late Stevens was one of the primary forces behind
the development of the English free improvisation movement that took the Afro-
American free jazz developed by Coleman, Taylor, Ra, Ayler and Coltrane off into completely
unexplored territory. On this CD you here musicians playing music that is complete and
unprecedented. Five players making the biggest musical paradigm jump that I know of.
Difficult to access for many, I know, but for me there is more MUSIC and
IMPROVISATION here per second than just about any other recording that I've ever heard.

Henry Kaiser, East Bay Express, 1997

B oth Watts and Parker play soprano throughout. At that point, their styles were very
close and there are times when the echoing of phrases between them reminds me of
Bailey's later work with multiphonics. Bailey's playing is fully mature on these tracks.
Carter's contribution is vital: this is after all a highly interactive music where everyone makes a
difference. Hearing these discs I wish Carter had been around longer, rather than just
dropping in for a while. Stevens is as much on a knife-edge as ever, continually goading the
others to excel themselves, never letting the music rest in a comfortable groove for more than a
microsecond.

Richard Leigh, Resonance, 1997

The previously issued Forty Minutes displays a marvellous close-knit group cohesion

1 based on instrumental symmetries. Parker's and Watts' soprano saxophones are often
to be heard exploring related areas of the altissimo register, while Bailey's fractured,
irascible amplified guitar complements Carter's mellow pizzicato. Remaining tracks consist of
three previously unissued 1973 trio performances by Stevens, Watts and Carter; the first and
most compelling Rambunctious 1 is busy yet memorably sensitive. Stevens' light and breezy
shifts of energy and emphasis on a few small drums and his delicate, quick-witted used of
cymbals, are truly mesmerising.

The previously released Thirty-Five Minutes and Ten Minutes provide further evidence

2 that this was indeed a very special gig. Two previously unissued tracks feature the
Stevens/Watts duo version of SME. Corsop for cornet and soprano saxophone has
strong dialogic elements with both players listening intently and working beyond mere call
and response patterns. The distinctive Daa-Oom hears Stevens' strange African pygmy-
influenced vocals fervently echoed by soprano sax - long at 10 minutes, but sufficiently
outlandish to hold the attention.

Chris Blackford, Rubberneck, 1997

ere is collective improvising that's almost twenty-five years old, conveying state of the

H art freshness and the alert edge of explorers navigating a new frontier. Forty Minutes
is a masterpiece of collective improvisation, and belongs in every music collection.

David Lewis, Cadence, 1997

T he three [quintet] pieces are collective improvisations of extraordinary depth and

sympathy, work filled with a rare quiet intensity. The greatest achievement of the
SME may have been its transparency, the sense of space and clarity that it maintained
through Stevens' devotion to sparseness and close listening. That close listening is heightened
here by the twinning of musicians. Parker and Watts play only soprano saxophones, while
Carter frequently plays cello, putting him closer to the range of Bailey's guitar. If you missed
this music the first time around, it's essential hearing, perhaps purer in its improvisatory ethic
than current work in the idiom.

Stuart Broomer, Coda, 1998

Ghastly.
Ben Watson, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, 1997

uintessence 2 is the second half of the aforementioned ICA quintet performance, with
Q previously released 'Thirty-Five Minutes' and 'Ten Minutes' providing further
evidence that this was indeed a very special gig. On this disc, two previously unissued
tracks feature the Stevens/Watts duo version of SME. 'Corsop', for cornet (Stevens) and
soprano sax, has strong dialogic elements with both players listening intently and working
beyond mere call and response patterns. Finally, another version of the distinctive 'Daa-oom'
hears Stevens' strange African pygmy-influenced vocals fervently echoed by soprano sax -
long at 10 minutes, but sufficiently outlandish to hold the attention.
1997, MUSIC AND DANCE, LP and CD. Revenant (re-issues)

RVN 6010LP RVN 201CD

LP Deluxe Revenant package – pressed up on strictly limited transparent vinyl.

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar

Min Tanaka : dance

1- Rain dance 27.35

2- Saturday dance 26.12

Recorded live at La Forge, Paris; first track on 4 July 1980; second track on 6 July 1980.

egendary guitarist Derek Bailey has plied his wholly original brand of free

L improvisation for over three decades. these live recordings of Bailey's 1980
'accompaniment' to japanese dancer Min Tanaka, previously available only on a
privately-released cassette, amply document Bailey's command of a highly individualized
atonal language. "rain dance" is the work of a remarkable ensemble: Bailey's ringing tones,
Tanaka's percussive movements, rumbling thunder, a downpour, and the patter of rain dripping
from a leaky roof. "Saturday Dance" chimes and burns; a concentrated assault equaling the
incendiary "Incus Taps."

T he site of our performance... was not... particularly special, but when we played, the
environment, as so often with Min, performed a significant role; La Forge had a glass
roof, there was a brief burst of torrential rain, the roof leaked...two days later was a
calmer affair...the environment fell back on a nasty cough and passing traffic plus a couple of
inexplicables. But I can't think of any occasion with Min...I could describe as 'usual'...

Derek Bailey

ritish guitarist Derek Bailey has applied his wholly original brand of free

B improvisation for over three decades. These live recordings of Bailey's 1980
accompaniment to Japanese dancer Min Tanaka, previously available only on a
privately-issued cassette, amply document Bailey's command of a highly individualized atonal
language. ... (Music and Dance) is another spellbinding performance, not diminished one iota
by the passage of time, or the transfer to a new medium. In fact, the music's utterly alien
qualities are enhanced by the abstraction of home listening. But once again, what comes
across most strongly is the feeling of advanced intelligence's searching for a common
language in which to communicate across the vast distance of time, space, culture and
geography.

Tony Harrington, The Wire.

the pioneering spirit of his Takoma imprint, John Fahey presents Revenant,

In dedicated to 'raw musics' from a variety of idioms From the so-called avant garde
(Cecil Taylor, Jim O'Rourke, Milford Graves) to the 'modern primitive' sounds of
the early Stanley Brothers, Roscoe Holcomb and Jenks Tex Carman, Revenant collects the
best in uncompromising, unadultered work...these live recordings of Bailey's 1980
'accompaniment' to Japanese dancer Min Tanaka on a semi-outdoor Paris stage, previously
available only on a privately released cassette, amply document Bailey's command of a highly
individualized atonal language. 'Rain Dance' is the work of a remarkable ensemble: Bailey's
ringing tones, Tanaka's percussive movements, rumbling thunder, a torrential downpour, and
the rhythmic patter of rain dripping from a leaky roof. 'Saturday Dance' chimes and burns -- a
concentrated assault rivaling the incendiary Incus Taps.

F or these 1980 sessions, the peerless improv guitarist joined interpretive dancer Tanaka
under the leaky roof of a Parisian forge. As a storm raged outside, musician and
dancer engaged in a spontaneous exchange in the succinct vocabulary of their chosen
forms. "Rain Dances" catches Bailey at his most expressive. He coaxes harmonic sparks and
gilded chord splinters from his acoustic guitar in response to Tanaka's nuanced choreography.
With brilliant clarity, the forge's acoustics capture not only Bailey's serrated phrases and
Tanaka's spry footfalls but also the rain pelting--and leaking through--the glass roof. Tanaka
can be heard moving across the floor as the storm competes for attention. Bailey pauses
momentarily but resumes his extraordinary performance, playing in response to both the rain
and Tanaka's bodily percussion. "Saturday Dance" revisits the same space, two days later. As
the guitarist notes, "the weather behaved itself," leaving the improvisers free to engage in even
more intimate and undisturbed interaction. Even an unfortunate coughing fit fails to distract
the remarkably focused musician. Tanaka's inspired movements echo throughout the room
while Bailey, reveling in his range, works melodic caprice, fretwork flurries and grazings, and
discordant jabs into a bravura performance that is never less than enthralling.

erek Bailey is the godfather of improvised guitar, who has literally written the book

D on the abstractions of free playing. This disc is the audio document of a

collaboration between Bailey and Butoh dancer Min Tanaka. Obviously, in this
format half the action is missing, but you can imagine the stylized movements and tortured
postures most likely inspired by Bailey's atonal chords and random pluckings. The first piece,
"Rain Dance," takes its name from the downpour that invaded the disused French forge the
pair performed in one night in 1980. The roomy recording is dominated by the storm's sound
and the thuds of movement in the space. A second performance held two days later is not so
violently environmental, but Mr Bailey makes up for that with loud and sudden movements.
It's a strange disc — one musician, but a duet of sound and motion.

Chris Twomey
 erek Bailey is an improvisational British guitarist who has collaborated with Japanese

D dancer Min Tanaka off and on since 1978. The site for these 1980 recordings of
Rain Dance and Saturday Dance was La Forge, an abandoned forge in Paris with a
glass roof that happened to leak rain during the performance (thus Rain Dance). Two days
later, for Saturday Dance, the weather let up "but I can't think of any occasion with Min that I
could describe as 'usual,'" Bailey writes in a brief introduction. "None of his performances are,
for me, typical." Previously available only on a privately released cassette.

in Tanaka is a dancer, and although one can hear the sporadic shuffling or

M stomping of feet or the slapping of hands against a wall, one gets the impression
that Derek Bailey is being more directly influenced by the dance movements
themselves and adjusting his improvisations accordingly. A photo inside the disc package
shows Bailey walking and playing around Tanaka who, in this instance, is huddled nude,
pressing himself into a wall.

The ambience of the recording site, a glass-ceilinged, abandoned forge in Paris, plays the other
significant role here. Several minutes into the first track, a heavy rainstorm erupts, creating a
low roar that briefly threatens to overwhelm the music. Bailey , with his classic English ability
to take things in stride, simply uses the sound as material to work with and accompanies the
downpour with aplomb. When the leaking roof causes a small fusillade of water drops, these
too are incorporated into the fabric of the piece, and quite beautifully. In fact, on occasion
Bailey sits out entirely, allowing the rain splatters, the dancer's movements and the passing car
engine to fully inhabit the sound space.

As is the case with many of his releases, Bailey consistently amazes the listener both with his
extraordinary ability to coax sounds from his guitar that may have never before been heard or
imagined and, more importantly, his unerring sense of exactly when to utilize those sounds.
While Bailey remains maligned in so-called traditional circles, it's clear that he's admired by
one of the musicians most deeply involved with the entire tradition of the guitar.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

icked this up on a whim and it's quite interesting. A live recording of two different

P solo dance pieces by Min Tanaka with accompaniment by Bailey. The location is an
old forge in Paris with a leaking glass roof and in the middle of the first piece, a
sudden down pour totally washes out Bailey's guitar and Tanaka's footsteps. Then the roof
leaks dripping the rest of the way. Bailey's playing is improvisation placed somewhere
between atonal chiming and stark Japanese lute plucking. But I really like the sound of this
whole thing despite the acoustics which are so terrible that they're fascinating in a way that
crude field recordings can be when they pick up everything at a certain distance. I like the cars
going by, people coughing, the wind, the patter of steps, the applause, and especially Bailey's
picking where individual notes have a kind of glassy ringing tone. I take it that Revenant is a
new lable by John Fahey. P.O. Box 198732 Nashville, Tenn. 37219-8732 Beautiful fold-out
packaging too. [PL]

T his disc is a collaboration between Min Tanaka, a dancer, Mr. Bailey, free-improv
guitar veteran, and the sounds of the evironment (i.e., autos passing by rain from a
leaky roof, etc.). I heard about this cd and was intrigued enough to buy. Having
become more familiar with Bailey since then, I realized that buying any Bailey disc without
researching 1st is a big mistake. As with basically all improvisors, Bailey dooms himself to
inconsistent efforts by depending solely on improvistion and by being determined to be
prolific (for some reason, that's important to some people). So, Bailey's work varies widely in
style and especially quality. Personally, I prefer his solo work, as it's usually very reliable,
though there is sadly little of that widely available, as Bailey is obsessed with the collaborative
effort. Which is OK except that some collaborations work and some don't. If you already
know Bailey, or pretty much any imporv artist for that matter, than you know this already. But
as a warning to those exploring Bailey or the free-improv genre as a whole, buy albums after
careful research only, or you'll waste alot of money on garbage and filler. Anyways, on to the
review. In all fairness, this disc may fail simply because the visual element is missing. After
all, this was an audio-visual collaboration, where Bailey was more than likely acting and
reacting mostly to Tanaka's movement, not sound, and Tanaka was reacting with movement to
Bailey's sounds (logically). So this release was a bad idea in the 1st place, as you only get 1/2
the picture (gee, why the heck did I buy this?). The label must have assumed that the audio
element stands well enough on it's own. They assumed wrong. ...he makes no effort (that can
be HEARD in this recording at least) to play with or against Tanaka or the evironmental
sounds at all. Tanaka doesn't seem to either (though again, with only half the picture we'll
never know). It's as if both artists are acting on their own without even being aware of the
others presence. While there are a few mildly interesting moments, none of it comes together
in an interesting or appealing manner, and most of it sounds like sonic idiocy. Dissapointing
from guy who's capable of really good stuff...

Reviewer: r_ from Chciago, IL

A collaboration between Bailey and some dancer. Of course, you cannot see the
dancing, only the dancer photo on the cover, but you can hear footsteps very well. In
addition to footsteps you also hear a lot of different noises and scratches, probably
from rain, floors and a guitar. There is just no limit to what people can record... I am so glad I
got rid off my copy.

there is no limit ..., February 14, 2001

Reviewer: Vadim Marmer (see more about me) from New Haven, CT United States

A response to that earlier review, March 14, 2001

Reviewer: fdl1 (see more about me) from Buffalo, NY, United States

What did you expect?! This music is IMPROVISED. Derek Bailey has always deliberately
avoided any semblance of traditional music from time structures to doing so much as
repeating a phrase. Every note that he has ever played so far as can be determined by his
recorded work is through composed. The basic idea that the liner notes try to explane is that
for Bailey this music represents a collaboration in that he is interacting both with the
movement and sound of Min Tanaka dancing as well as with the environment, the sounds of
rain and cars moving outside, the sounds we hear all the time but never hear as music. To say
this is just noise is like saying that Frank Lloyd Wright just made boxy houses, taking no
notice of the environment in which they are built. This being said I should also mention that
the music has a very serene quality to it. There is not so much of the frenetic energy that
Bailey is sometimes capable of but instead he chooses to set a mood which in some ways
contrasts with the intesity of the dancer and the rain. It almost makes the rain sound violent.
This music was recorded in 1980 I'm glad to have an opportunity to hear its beauty now. If
you don't like sound and improvisation, you like the last reviewer, will probably not like this
but if you are ready to experience textured auditory art this is as good an introduction to
Bailey as I know of.
1997, MUSIC AND DANCE, Table of the Elements (LP re-issue)

Released on 150 gm vinyl Table of the Elements, Zirconium.

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar

Min Tanaka : dance

1- Rain dance 27.35

2- Saturday dance 26.12

Recorded live at La Forge, Paris; first track on 4 July 1980; second track on 6 July 1980.

egendary guitarist Derek Bailey has plied his wholly original brand of free

L improvisation for over three decades. these live recordings of Bailey's 1980
'accompaniment' to japanese dancer Min Tanaka, previously available only on a
privately-released cassette, amply document Bailey's command of a highly individualized
atonal language. "rain dance" is the work of a remarkable ensemble: Bailey's ringing tones,
Tanaka's percussive movements, rumbling thunder, a downpour, and the patter of rain dripping
from a leaky roof. "Saturday Dance" chimes and burns; a concentrated assault equaling the
incendiary "Incus Taps."

T he site of our performance...was not ...particularly special, but when we played, the
environment, as so often with Min, performed a significant role; La Forge had a glass
roof, there was a brief burst of torrential rain, the roof leaked...two days later was a
calmer affair...the environment fell back on a nasty cough and passing traffic plus a couple of
inexplicables. But I can't think of any occasion with Min...I could describe as 'usual'..."

Derek Bailey
1997, IMPROVISATION, Cramps CRSCD 062. (Italy) (CD re-issue)

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1- M1 01.30
2- M2 02.32
3- M3 04.13
4- M4 03.40
5- M5 02.40
6- M6 02.05
7- M7 01.40
8- M8 02.18
9- M9 04.42
10- M10 02.46
11- M11 02.08
12- M12 04.04
13- M13 04.12
14- M14 03.55

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Art direction by al.sa sas; photographs by Roberto Masotti.
Originally released in 1975 on Cramps' Diverso series: DIVerso n.2.
1997, ASSOCIATES, New Tone 21750 7009 2 (Italy) (CD) (re-issue)

Steve Lacy Soprano saxophone duets with :

1- Masahiko Togashi, percussion: Haze 11.33

recorded in Hiroshima, September 1983.
2- Steve Potts, alto and soprano saxophones: Free point 09.31
recorded in London on 7 December 1985.
3- Mal Waldron, piano: Epistrophy 07.56
recorded in Sicily, March 1994.
4- Irène Aebi, voice: Train going by 03.37
recorded in Vancouver on 31 December 1993.
5- Roswell Rudd, trombone: Pannonica 06.58
6- Bobby Few, piano: The rent 09.34
recorded in Istambul on 9 March 1992.
7- Derek Bailey, guitar: Untitled 05.24
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 1 February 1985.
8- George Lewis, trombone: The whammies 05.19
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 30 December 1982.
9- Ulli Gumpert, piano: The crust 07.13
recorded Burghausen, 8 March 1985.
10- Muhammed Ali, drums: Clichés 10.53
recorded at Rue Dunois Club, Paris on 28 December 1982.

CD free with Musica Jazz (Italy), no 10, 1996 which included a special feature on Steve Lacy.
T his disc was conceived as a kind of sound support for an article about Steve Lacy and
written for the Italian magazine Musica Jazz [Felmay FF 1001 (Musica Jazz CD)]. Its
variety makes it a unique document of one of the subtlest arts of this great saxophone
player: the duet-dialogues with other musicians. It is an itinerary through Lacy's artistic
strategies and it goes way beyond his instrumental formula.

When I began to play with the idea of "assembling" a disc of Lacy's unreleased work, I
contacted Renzo Pognant and, naturally, Lacy himself, who was exquisitely helpful. Lacy,
Renzo and I spent a luminous and intense weekend in Paris, rummaging through Lacy's
inexhaustible reserves of recordings and selecting a huge amount of sound material in view of
a project that turned out to be entirely different from what we had planned. All of this just to
point out that Associates was a true labour of love, for me and I believe for the other two
"obstetricians" (one of whom is the natural father as well). The idea of a series of duets took
form slowly yet inexorably, ever since we realized that, in spite of Lacy's colossal disc
production, something of this sort was missing. After subsequent adjustments, for the most
part made upon suggestions by the sax player, we arrived at a disc with a distinct personality
that can be interpreted on various levels.

Claudio Sessa (excerpt from liner note, 1997)

1997, MIIRA NI NARUMADE : MY DEAR MUMMY, Sank-ohso Discs-
Creativeman Disc., CMDD- 00034 (Japan) (CD-book) (released in 1997)

A project by Yoshihide Otomo-Masahiko Shimada

Yoshihide Otomo: conductor

Masahiko Shimada: narrator
Takashi Harada: ondes Martenot
Ko Ishikawa: sho
Hitomi Nakamura: hichiriki
Yuko Hirai: ryuteki and koma-fue
Kazuhisa Uchihashi: electric guitar and effects
Masaaki Kikuchi: doublebass and electronics
Kumiko Takara: percussion
Mari Era: percussion
Shiro Sano: narrator

Sampled guest: Derek Bailey, guitar

1- Introduction 03:27
2- Day 1 to day 4 05:16
3- Day 5 to day 10 05:38
4- Day 11 00:30
5- Day 12 to day 18 06:26
6- Day 19 to day 20 06:26
7- Day 21 to day 28 07:59
8- Day 29 to day 31 03:08
9- Day 32 to day 35 10:03
10- Day 36 to day 43 08:29
11- Day 44 to day 52 10:48
12- Day 53 to day 62 02:32

Conceived by Yoshihide Otomo for MOSQUITO PAPER

Original text by Masahiko Shimada

Produced by Shigenori Noda (Callithump)

Recorded June 23 and mixed June 24 and 25, 1996 at GOK Sound, Tokyo

Mastered September 23, 1996 at Kojima Recordings Inc., Tokyo

Engineer: Yoshiaki Kondo

Assistant engineers: Yumi Kobayashi and Kazuyuki Takahashi

Photography: Junsuke Takimoto

Design and artwork: Workshy-Oishi

Includes liner notes by Masahiko Shimada and Yoshihide Otomo (in Japanese and English;
translation by Haruna Ito)

Released April 1997

1997, DEREK BAILEY WITH TRANSMUTATION : BILL LASWELL,
JACK DEJOHNETTE, DJ DISK (Bootleg) (Frankfurt, Germany)

Recorded June 7, 1997.

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Bill Laswell : bass
Jack DeJohnette : drums
DJ Disk : turntables and electronics

Bootleg available for trading only from http://www.pronoblem.com/bootlist.html

Rules and Info from Pronoblem ::

This is a list of recordings that I will trade. I do not sell these recordings, so do not bother to
ask. None of this is officially released material (unless it's out of print, usually vinyl->CDR),
I do not trade officially released material. I urge anyone who enjoys the music presented here
to go out and BUY a CD or LP from the artist, and always support your local scene.

Obviously, what I am looking for would be other shows from the artists that I have in my
collection - or similar/ related acts from the given genres that I collect. Mostly, I am interested
in the modern avant garde jazz and rock, free or 'out' Jazz, almost any Jazz recorded prior to
1969 with A+ sound, electronica and modern indie rock. I will consider most things in trade.
I have some specific wants listed below.
Transmutations mp3 by Derek Bailey on Apple music storage. Dow... http://transmutations.applemp3s.com/apple_album_131906/

mp3 downloads ...just do it

Album: Transmutations

-
Artist: Derek Bailey
-
Album: Transmutations
- Year: 1997
Genre: Avantgarde
Price: $1.98
Download

# Track Title Mode, Length Size, Price

kbps MB

1 Track 1 192 4:24 6.05 $0.20 Download

2 Track 2 192 12:07 16.63 $0.20 Download
3 Track 3 192 1:52 2.57 $0.20 Download
4 Track 4 192 6:04 8.34 $0.20 Download
5 Track 5 192 4:18 5.91 $0.20 Download
6 Track 6 192 3:03 4.20 $0.20 Download
7 Track 7 192 3:13 4.42 $0.20 Download
8 Track 8 192 4:09 5.69 $0.20 Download
9 Track 9 192 14:44 20.24 $0.20 Download

Download all tracks

-
1997, DEREK BAILEY & THE RUINS LIVE AT THE PURCELL
ROOMS, South Bank, London, Apr 3 1997. From Mixing It,
Radio 3 (UK). Naughty Dog. Internet released in 2006.

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

The Ruins are :

Sasaki Hisashi on bass

Yoshida Tatsuya on drums and voice

1- Track 01 Improvisation A
2- Track 02 Improvisation B
3- Track 03 Improvisation C

As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released.

This music available only on internet is for free trade not for sale.

The above show was part of a broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Mixing It programme.

uitarist Derek Bailey died in London on Christmas Day, Dec 25 2005. He had been

G suffering from motor neuron disease. His last album, Carpal Tunnel (released this
year) discusses the muscular illness, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which developed in
his right hand, rendering him unable to grip a plectrum. Bailey rose above the irony by
relearning guitar playing through utilising his right thumb and index fingers to pluck the
strings.
Famed for his work on improvisational music, Bailey also co-founded, in 1970, the record
label Incus with Tony Oxley and Evan Parker, often said to be the first British independent
label owned by musicians.

This naturally progressed into the co-founding of Musics magazine in 1975. It became one of
the most influential jazz publications in England, and instrumental for the formation of the
London Musicians Collective.

Bailey's improv musician community grew in 1976 when he formed Company, to include like-
minded improvisors, such as Anthony Braxton, Lol Coxhill, Fred Frith, Steve Lacy, Leo
Smith, Han Bennink, Henry Kaiser and others who gave annual concerts.

Bailey once suggested to critic John Corbett that his music should just be called "free," so that
the term would have four letters like "jazz" and "rock," but be neither. As Bailey said: "Four
letter words are good for music, it seems to me, if you want to nail something onto it."

In the book, Extended Play (Duke University Press, 1994) by John Corbett, Bailey talks about
the development of his playing influences: "Some of the characteristics that I find attractive in
the area of free playing are similar to the things that I liked about the band business years ago.
I mean, I started playing in the ‘40s, late ‘40s. And everything was fine for me until I suppose,
the very early ‘60s, or even by the late ‘50s. Essentially, what happened was the rock and roll
change.

"When rock and roll came along for a working musician particularly playing guitar,
everything was transformed…the essential difference was that before the change people who
listened to music, popular music (the most accessible music, regular music) weren't schooled
to listen to recorded music. They didn't expect to be totally familiar with it. If you were
playing in a dance hall in 1952, you could play for most of the evening and you might be
playing all kinds of rubbish, but it was your rubbish to some degree.

"Ten years later, if you were working in a dance hall or nightclub, everything had changed
drastically. Everything you played had to be totally familiar to the people not listening to it, if
you see what I mean. You're still wallpaper but you had to be exactly the kind of wallpaper
which these people surrounded themselves with at home."
1998, DEPARTURES, Volatile Records VCD002 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

with Vertrek Ensemble :
Ron de Jong : drums, cymbals, percussion
Vadim Budman : electric and acoustic guitars, cornet, reed cornet

1- Moving part of a motion, a discovery (Bailey/de Jong) 10.46

2- More night, more days, more clouds, more worlds (Bailey/Budman) 08.37
3- The flesh, the bone, the dirt, the stone (Bailey/de Jong) 07.32
4- Canadians in East Penge? (Budman/de Jong) 07.43
5- The steeples of his city clanked and sprang (Bailey/de Jong) 08.20
6- Waving adieu, adieu, adieu (Bailey/Budman/de Jong) 07.02
7- Stockwell suite: (Bailey/Budman) 11.54
solitaria de jong
solitaria budman
solitaria bailey
solitaria de jong trumpets of Brixton

All titles except 4 and 7 from the poetry of Wallace Stevens.

Recorded, engineered and mastered by Toby Robinson at Moat Studios, London on 13 May
1998.

Graphic design by Kelly de Jong.

 usic unfettered but of a slightly more predictable nature is available on Departures.

M For their second CD, the Vertrek Ensemble (Vadim Budman - guitars, cornet and
reed cornet; Ron de Jong - percussion) came to London to record with Derek
Bailey. But despite the obvious maturity in his playing, Bailey doesn't act the part of sage or
greybeard: he seems to have placed the currency of his adolescence in a blue chip retirement
fund, and now it's paying off - he's wild-eyed and venturesome. The Vertrekkers, for all their
application and enthusiasm, aren't quite in the same league. Mostly they're just unlucky:
Bailey is so inventive, so much on top of his form, they can't help but seem outranked and
outflanked. But keep a watchful eye/ear on De Jong; he uses silence wonderfully, and his
postscripts to pieces which seem to have reached a natural conclusion are often illuminating.
Despite one or two minor reservations, this is a fine disc.

T his must have been a fairy tale. Two young Canadian improvisers from Edmonton,
Alberta (guitarist/trumpeter Vadim Budman and percussionist Ron de Jong, working
together as the Vertrek Ensemble), with only one album under their belts, took a plane
to London, England, to record a session with guitar master Derek Bailey. The session
happened on May 13, 1998, and Departures, released on Vertrek's own Volatile Records, turns
out to be a convincing album. The promises buried in Another Idea of North, the duo's first
CD, have flourished into a strong form of improvisation, inspired by Eugene Chadbourne's
sense of the sloppy and apparently incoherent and Derek Bailey's more introspective form of
improvisational exploration. Budman and de Jong are less busy; they listen more. Budman's
trumpet work fits Bailey's guitar nicely — one can't help but notice that he didn't put his guitar
against Bailey's, although he does play some on a duo with de Jong and, in "Stockwell Suite,"
a string of solos. The most memorable moments are the Bailey/de Jong duos, mostly "A
Moving Part of a Motion, a Discovery" and "The Steeples of His City Clanked and Sprang."
Departures is a leap forward for the Vertrek Ensemble and it bought them an invitation to the
2000 Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville.

François Couture, All Music Guide

G uest musicians should complement the style and creative process of their hosts.
Guitarist Derek Bailey will give you something new every single time. He hasa also
made a habit of collaborating with a huge number of musicians, both famous and
obscure, always with great energy and sensitivity, making him a good guest. The Vertrek
Ensemble and Derek Bailey are a good match. Bailey's jagged guitar non-sequiters mathc
perfectly with skittering percussion, trumpet wheeziness and more guitars. Rhythmically, there
is a strong Han Bennink in Ron de Jong's swing. Vadim Budman's cornet playing in "More
Nights" fits perfectly around Bailey's frenzied guitar. Considering how fractured and "out"
everyone is playing, Departures doesn't destroy one's brain after an hour. This is partly
because the recording is beautiful - no tricks, just great balance and separation of all the
elements, making it possible to concentrate without strain.

David Dacks, Exclaim, March 2000

epartures continues the pleasure with the "ensemble" of de Jong and Budman, joined

D this time by guitarist Derek Bailey. As with Another Idea of North the results are full
of extraordinary improvisations that grip the listener from the first moment. The
addition of Bailey is a brilliant maneuver, as his style is a perfect match for the group. His
work on acoustic guitar continues to startle, as seemingly random notes fall into place like
snowflakes from the sky. It is interesting to compare his sound to that of Budman who, while
clearly influenced by Bailey, has a more melodic flow. Bailey's electric sound is pleasantly
grating, and his use of feedback, particularly on "trumpets of brixton," where he duels with
Budman's cornet, is outrageously effective. Budman's cornet is somewhat more fluid than on
the earlier Another Idea of North, but he tries very hard to maintain that primitive, dry tone.
You might think of him as the DuBuffet of the cornet, as his "unschooled" technique takes
consumate skill and practice. De Jong's drum solos are unique in the genre, creating waves of
unconventional sounds that keep the listener off-guard. Few of his lines follow logically, yet
they somehow form a coherent whole.

There is a group sound to the Vertrek Ensemble, regardless of the guests, and it is one formed
by uncluttered virtuoso randomness without preconceived notions. Void of cliches, the group
defies expectations with unrepentant abstraction. Rather than hiding behind collective noise,
the players boldly forge a path of risky, unfettered freedom that searches blindly for new
paths. That they usually succeed is a tribute to their pioneering spirits and remarkable
discipline.

Cadence Magazine, January 2000

T he Vertrek Ensemble are a duo from Canada: Vadim Budman on guitars, cornet,
trumpet, wooden flute, harmonica and reed cornet; and Ron De Jong on percussion.
For Departures, they flew in to London to record with Derek Bailey on 13 May 1998
at Moat Studios […]

Despite their relative youth (they're in their late 20s), Budman and De Jong are sophisticated
musicians, conversant with the wide open spaces, knockabout humour and mutual respect of
Bailey and Chadbourne gigs and releases. As with French guitarist Noel Akchote's pursuit of
these two mentors of guitar materialism (what you hear is actually what's there), it's
encouraging when new players have the determination to persevere and the courage to hook
up. Of course, Chadbourne was once a fresh-faced youth from Alberta himself (albeit with a
background in jazz journalism and high school rock groups), when he knocked on Bailey's
door in the mid-70s. This particular family tree traces an estimable lineage of premium string
manglers.

With engineer Toby Robinson on hand, Departures is particularly fine in the audio
department. Bailey thrives on the fleet beats and timbral variety of De Jong's percussion.
Anyone who's been bitten by String Theory, Bailey's feedback album, also recorded at Moat
by Robinson (in January 2000), will want to check out these earlier, astonishingly pure and
decisive wieldings of tweaked string effects. Budman plays lively, idiosyncratic, vocalised
lines on trumpet, everything the formal 'jazz trumpet' of the likes of Dave Douglas tends to
omit. The horn also provides welcome horizontalism: the sounds of vibrating metal tube and
guitar string coalesce in striking ways. More usually employed as prettified spray-on, here the
distressed moments push at natural breaking points: shockingly raw and beautiful at the same
time. At the end, Derek suggests a cup of tea. […]

Ben Watson, The Wire, June 2001

G reat canadian improviser Vadim Budman, member also of the Vertrek Ensemble who
has played in recordings with great artists as Eugene Chadbourne and Derek Bailey,
answered our interview in a way really inspiring. This is to show that new things can
be learned in each interview, specially with interesting musicians like Budman.

First of all I would like you to explain a little bit which kind of music you are doing. I play
fully improvised music (usually in Vertrek Ensemble). We like to call it "ground zero"
improvised music because we are always trying to create "new music" and try to stay away
from a "language pool" hoping that the music will be completely different all the time.[…]

Why the releases of the Vertrek Ensemble always have guest musicians appearances such as
that of Derek Bailey (guitar master) or Eugene Chadbourne ?

When we first started out we were a quartet. We found it very hard to keep members in the
group. It seemed like the only people that were serious and committed to this music were Ron
(de Jong) and Myself, so we became a duo and started inviting different people to play with
(who were serious) for every gig and recording. Sometimes this meant looking outside
Edmonton or even Canada (not that there aren't a lot of great improvisers in Canada, in fact
Ron just released a duo from Montreal called Detention on his label) and the whole Derek
Bailey recording was almost a fluke. Ron called Incus one day to straighten out a problem
with a money order and Derek picked up the phone. That was the start of a long relationship
which ended up in us going to England to record. It was also a year of planning and saving
money. Eugene was different, we made a conscious decision to play with him. We are both
HUGE fans of his. So we contacted him and he agreed. It also gave him a chance to visit his
father who still lives in Calgary (365km south of Edmonton).

This also fit in nicely with our mandate to always create new music with constantly changing
variables and the music became more interesting. Although having played shows as a duo, our
musical intuition is becoming more fine tuned with each other's and we have been finding that
lately we have been enjoying the duo setting.

How is it to play two instruments as different as the cornet / flute and the guitar?

I have been playing the guitar for 15 years and was very versed in the "proper" way of
playing. I needed something that was completely foreign and new to create the sounds that I
heard in my head. I have always loved the sound of the trumpet and when I lived in Toronto,
being a very expensive city, I found myself very bored and decided to rent a trumpet. I
instantly fell in love and when I moved back to Edmonton I found a used cornet which I
enjoyed better because of the darker tone. In fact playing the cornet has helped me approach
the guitar differently. The wooden flute I picked up in a store that sells goods made by people
in third world countries with all the profits going to them. It is a simple South American flute
but it has enormous character. I also own a pan flute but it's hard to play. I'm working on it, I
had a Chilean friend show me how. I love simple folk instruments. […]

VOLATILE RECORDS WEBSITE: www.volatilerecords.ca

1998, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, BVHaast 9906 (Netherlands) (CD)
(released in 1999)

Intermission with Derek Bailey, Chris Burn and Gilius van Bergeijk, Klaas Hekman, bass
saxophone; Wilbert de Joode, double bass; William Parker, double bass; Hideji Taninaka,
double bass; Chris Burn, piano (tracks 1 and 2); Derek Bailey, guitar (tracks 3, 4 and 5);
Gilius van Bergeijk, tape for track 4.

1- Bells 16.16
2- Don't piss in my ear and say it's raining 13.36
3- Rain, snow & hail 11.12
4- Omaggio a Pasolini 19.12
5- Bimpro 09.52

Tracks 1 and 2 recorded on 5 April 1998 at Lokaal 01, Breda; tracks 3 and 5 recorded on 2
April 1998 at the BIMhuis, Amsterdam; track 4 recorded on 3 April 1998 at Paradox, Tilburg.
Sleeve design by Hans Nieuwstraten.

I ntermission: music without a position? Au contraire, in this outing the ensemble takes the
priveledged status of the questioner, the inquirer, the poser of conundrums and engineer
of investigation. Not a dogmatic position, easy to pin down, but an open one, the
contingent location of something unanswerable except in the moment. A human exploration.

John Corbett
 Intermission - Unanswered Questions

I ntermission" is a band with a very unusual configuration of instruments. Three of its

members (Wilbert de Koode, William Parker, and Hideji Taninaka) all play double bass.
The fourth member, Klaas Hekman, plays bass saxophone. Needless to say, they have
the low end of the frequency spectrum covered. The five pieces on this 71 minute CD
document their work with three other artists, guitarist Derek Bailey, pianist Chris Burn, and
electro acoustic artist Gilius van Bergeijk.

In February of 1998, they did a concert with Derek Bailey in Amsterdam, Precisely one month
later and in Tilburg, they did another concert with Derek. This time, they did an accompanied
tape piece of Bergeijk's called "Omaggio a Pasolini." Precisely one month later and in Breda,
they did a concert with Chris Burn.

The pieces are wonderful, masterful. This music invokes highly evocative states of mind. It is
pastoral. It is tempest. It is breathtaking. It is cosmic birth. It is final redemption. It is sound
art at the edge of the abyss. It is free improvisation. It is what happens when an unanswerable
question meets an unquestionable answer. Did I already mention masterful?

Guitarist, musical historian and author of "Extended Play, Sounding Off from John Cage to
Dr. Funkenstein," John Corbett wrote the liner notes. He starts off almost poetically with a
treatise on how low frequency instruments are hard to locate spacially. Then he poses a lot of
unanswerable questions humself. He then gives some history on some of the musicians and
on some of the music. The liner notes appear to be in both Chinese and English.

The CD itself comes in a plastic covering. The "J card" is in an asian style that reminds me of
the cover of my Wilhelm/Baynes edition of the I Ching. Like the Chinese Book of Changes,
the music of this CD is a confluence of elements that combine and recombine into different
situations. It serves as an oracle into that which is both rich and strange. Beautiful.

Glenn Engstrand

BVHAAST 9906
Prinseneiland 99, 1013 LN Amsterdam, Holland
http://www.ejn.it/ag/bvhaast.htm, boeket@antenna.nl

I ntermission is a collective around the bass sounds of Wilbert de Joode, William Parker
And Hideji Taninaka on double bass, assisted by the bass saxophone of Klaas Hekman,
with guest musicians Chris Burn (piano), Derek Bailey (guitar) and Gilius van Bergeijk
(tapes). This CD is a typical example of improvisation jazz, in which any form of structures
in the songs and any form of melody seems to be missing. No, it's more about spontaneously
belching sounds. Some examples? "Bells" is about the rumbling double basses with vague
strumming piano and a hardly audible bass saxophone. A Lot of crunching, squeaking and
rumbling sounds. And this goes on for more than 16 minutes! " Don't Piss In My Ear And
Say It's Raining" (I like the title!!!) is about buzzing basses with Chris Burn guesting. "Rain
Snow & Hail" has some clashing basses and Derek Bailey's guitar finicking. "Omaggio A
Pasolini" takes more than 19 minutes with every musician improvising away in it's own way.
I'm sure this CD will do good with the fans of impro-jazz, and the fact that impro guru Derek
Bailey is joining in, will add to their interest but I got very tired of searching for any musical
structure to go on.
1998, JOSEPH HOLBROOK '98, Incus CD 39 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Gavin Bryars : bass
Tony Oxley : drums

1- Mining the archive 16.14

2- JH 98 - 2 17.56
3- Bob 03.20

Recorded in October 1998 at Stadtgarten, Cologne.

Cover design by Karen Brookman.

First performance together since 1966.

S o here they were, together again after 32 years, which is equivalent to the period
separating Louis Armstrong's Hot Five recordings and Ornette Coleman's Tomorrow
Is The Question. The essence of the trio was there from Bailey's opening pair of
acerbic chords, through Bryars' ever attentive basslines, to Oxley's orchestrations of time
itself. There was no sense of nostalgia here, more the feel of three men resuming a
conversation they had begun some time ago, while mindful that their subject matter back then
has been widely discussed in many languages since, and that this was a restatement through
minds enriched with subsequent experiences.

Andy Shone/The Wire.

 Audience Perspective
by Andrew Shone

(…)

t hese developments came about mainly through private, daytime, playing and also at a
weekly lunchtime concert we organized throughout that two and a half year period in a
small upstairs room over a pub. During that time we collected a small audience that
attended these performances with astonishing regularity and faithfulness....

from 'Joseph Holbrooke' in 'Improvisation: Its nature and practice in Music'

During the '63-'66 existence of Joseph Holbrooke, its worth recalling that the general cultural
milieu was in a state of high activity. The rock scene boomed, mainly British led, and the mid-
century assumption that everything American was up-to-date, in both low and high art, started
to come under question. The swinging sixties. For many jazz listeners this was a conundrum.

Just as, a decade earlier, there had been the 'mouldy figs' and the 'boppers' so, by the early
sixties, there were the 'modernists' and the 'new thingsters'. To a small section of this audience,
however, the kaleidoscopic variety of music available, mainly stemming from the black
American tradition, gave rise to a surprising openmindedness. It was both possible and
desirable to sample as much and as widely as possible. Sometimes all in one day. It was all
part of the spectrum of a whole area which was different from other musics. It contained two
elements which didn't seem to occur in classical or rock: a fluid rhythmic pulse and a
spontaneity of sound. What one could hear in the Coltrane quartet, then at its zenith, was
clearly the descendent of Joe 'King' Oliver et. al. There was so much intuitive enthusiasm in
musicians and audience alike that there was little time or need for intellectualization.

For example, two or three of us were playing in an appalling though exuberant 'trad' band in
the upstairs room at the Grapes pub in Trippett Lane, Sheffield, on Friday nights and forming
part of the audience for Joseph Holbrooke, in the same room, the following lunchtime.

To go along and hear guys playing tunes which were constantly on your or your friends
turntables, from Horace Silver through Bill Evans to Eric Dolphy, was pretty exciting. The
way in which this material was reinterpreted by these three individualistic, highly gifted
musicians, was a revelation. The overlap was working. We could relate by tune, time and feel.

People listened hard.

"I was spellbound every time I listened to the Trio", John Capes recalled recently.

That was the first set. After a break, Derek, Gavin and Tony would reassemble and launch into
a freer mode, and now we were into new territory where tune statement became an irrelevance,
metric timekeeping was abandoned and only feel remained in the same reference frame. John
Capes again: " It was very, very exciting and like nothing I could listen to at home, or
anywhere else for that matter. Comparable to the excitement I'd felt previously on listening to
'Giant Steps' or an Ornette album. Only this time, all the normal springboards of melody,
chords and regular time were being dispensed with."

Initially, to me, it was the percussion which provided the continuity of feel. Tony Oxley's
conventional drumming was, even playing 4/4, already expressing stated time in a different
way ( using triplets and effectively 18 beats to the bar) to that with which we were familiar.
This sensation of floating over stated time carried over into the more experimental music,
where one continued to float, albeit on unstated time.
Particular recollections for me: the impact of Derek's feedback raising the pulse rate; the fly
screen on the wall vent resonating with Tony's kit; Gavin's completion of his solo before
having the opportunity to wipe his nose, by which time the mucal extrusion he had produced
was oscillating around the end of his fingerboard; Sheffield's zeroish temperatures. Capes
recalls: The way Tony would play off the kit, like on the windowsill or dado rail; the sense of
anticipation of what was to happen next at any point."

This awareness of the unexpected enabled the listener to hear the instruments as sounds in
their own right, less dependant on what roles they would be expected to fulfil in a more
conventional situation.

Derek Bailey's already radically angular guitar playing moved into a setting where his
provocative and widely ranging ideas had the space to be fully articulated. Similarly, Gavin
Bryars' bass could be heard as having an interchangeability with Derek's guitar.

I knew this was the avant garde, before my very ears, and it seemed to me, as an architecture
student, part of a wider movement which included Buckminster Fuller and all the formal and
social possibilities open to post Corbusian modernism. Music, however exists almost wholly
in a fourth dimension, and would appear to be a polar opposite of the spatial organisation of
canvas and building site. But, both activities have the commonalities of structure, rhythm, size
and strength, as well as the secondary attributes of texture of surface and interior, light and
shade, and even decoration. What was happening during the existence of Joseph Holbrooke,
and was apparent to the interested observer, was a reappraisal of the musical elements as
applied to improvised music: deconstruction of the known jazz syntax. And it worked.

Andrew Shone, February 1999

verwhelmingly superior silence-dividing from this legendary trio, performed to

O commemorate the beginning of the blurry-limbed Oxley's seventh decade of earth-

occupation. Improvised sound-generation at this high a level is closer to boxing than
music - this record is almost all feints, jabs, and lunges, the threat of sounds to come looming
larger than the actual sounds that do. Each Bailey string-burst, each Bryars bone-shake, and
each Oxley kit-plunge is massive in its implications, evoking an infinity of possible sound-
paths, most of which remain hypnotically untravelled. Oxley in particular seems to have a
hailstorm of riffs, rolls, and rattles battling for space in his brain, and his ability to filter
through them, allowing only a fractional cross-section to complete the full circle from head to
instrument and back, is basically super-human. Bailey's finger-clips and fist-bruises are stellar
as usual, and the way he allows Bryars' patient bowing and rumbling to lead him into a
lengthier/dronier sound-sphere than usual is yet another great example of Bailey's
superhuman ability to play the cards he's dealt. There's even a few minutes in 'JH 98' where it
feels like Bailey's playing just as fast but time has somehow gotten longer, fatter, less willing
to allow the sounds to move. The masterful web of illusions this record weaves makes it seem
to exist solely between one's ears, but then implication is almost always preferable to action
and the way these three make what could happen overwhelm what does is beautifully head-
inflating.

Marc Masters [14 Downs Rd, London E5 8DS, England; www.incusrecords.force9.co.uk;

karenincus2001@yahoo.co.uk]
1998, SAXOPHONE SPECIAL +, Emanem 4024 (CD re-issue)

Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone

Steve Potts : soprano and alto saxophones
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar
Kent Carter : amplified double bass
John Stevens : percussion

1- 38 12.57
2- Flakes 07.37
3- Revolutionary suicide 03.39

recorded at the 100 Club, London on 30 July 1973.

Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone, gramophone

Steve Potts : soprano and alto saxophones
Trevor Watts : soprano and alto saxophones
Evan Parker : soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar (not on 7)
Michel Waisvisz : synthesizer (not on 7)

4- Staples 09.41
5- Dreams 11.24
6- Swishes 05.44
7- Sops 07.08
8- Snaps 09.19
9- Snaps (alternate) 08.26

Recorded at the Wigmore Hall, London on 19 December 1974

T his welcome re-issue fills a gap in Steve Lacy's recorded career from the days when
he was exploring free music. These tracks, from two live dates in 1973 and 1974,
capture Lacy's music at an arch, shambolic, querulous, clangorous point from which
he slowly, steadily retreated. For evidence just compare the flame-throwing versions of
"Flakes" here and on 1987's The Window, or, to throw the difference into even sharper relief,
this take of "Revolutionary Suicide" with the one on 1995's Actuality. Nevertheless, what this
disc lacks in gloss and precision it more than makes up for in candor and authenticity. No
Lacy fan will want to miss it.

The first three tracks total only a little more than twenty minutes, yet they are credited as (the
whole of?) the semi-legendary album Saxophone Special, recorded on July 30, 1973. Lacy
was there on soprano sax with his longtime partner Steve Potts on soprano and alto;
rounding out the quintet were bassist Kent Carter and two titans of the English free scene,
guitarist Derek Bailey and percussionist John Stevens. Lacy and Potts (especially Potts, who
solos first and more lengthily) take the fore with an early version of the discursive quarrels
that would fill so many subsequent Lacy albums. Here the sound is rawer. There are a few
long moments and more than a few bright ones, especially on "38." Bailey adds a bit of
cross-cutting atmospherics after his fashion, and there we are.

The real treat of this disc is the saxophone quartet assembled on December 19, 1974 to
record the last six tracks, which were also released as a (more substantial, although unnamed
in the liner notes) separate LP. Lacy and Potts are joined by Trevor Watts on soprano and
alto and Evan Parker on soprano, tenor, and baritone. (This is the only recorded appearance
by Parker on a saxophone other than tenor or soprano. He mostly plays a repetitive riff).
Bailey is around again too, along with Michel Waisvisz on synthesizer - they're there,
according to Lacy in the liners, to provide "noise," and they do. "Staples" especially is full of
circus whistles and other froufrou. But the real action is between the saxophonists, who
despite a general lack of rehearsal are able to tackle Lacy's material with spiritedness and
vigor.

The voices aren't really hard to separate, since each is so distinctive by this time in their
careers. There is relatively little flat-out "now I can kill you" free screaming for the period of
the recording (although there is a bit on "Dreams" and other tracks), and the quieter sections
offer from close listening and careful counterpoint by the saxophonists, especially Parker.
This is an important historical document (the first all-soprano quartet on "Sops"!) and is,
although uneven, full of musical rewards.

By Robert Spencer

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

In 1973, several musicians were invited to perform at concerts celebrating an

exhibition of Val Wilmer’s photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum in
London. Steve Lacy was one of those invited, and he decided to bring just Steve
Potts and Kent Carter, and team up with Derek Bailey and John Stevens, with whom he had
worked at the 1970 Baden Baden meeting. Madelaine Davidson and I decided to organise
another concert a couple of days later at the everlasting 100 Club, and record it. (This hybrid
quintet went on to play a third concert a few weeks later in Glasgow.)

Potts worked in most of Lacy’s groups from 1971 to 1995, and was an important factor in
their sound. Apart from being a lively soloist, his essential role in the theme statements is
amplified by the following remarks that Lacy made when I interviewed him in 1974: "Almost
everything I’ve written for quite a few years now is in seconds. It’s like one line, but it’s
thickened by another line quite adjacent to it. There are two kinds of seconds, major and
minor, and they both fall into what’s known as dissonant category, which is a useless
category. Actually, to me they ring like bells if they’re in the right order, if they’re placed right
and if they’re pitched right. It’s a way of speaking with a forked tongue, if you like." Or it’s a
way of making the tunes sound right!

Carter worked with Lacy in the mid 1960s and throughout the 1970s. This was his first visit
to London, and his first meeting with either Bailey or Stevens. Out of this came several
musical encounters over the years, mainly with Stevens.

From 1972 to 1975, Bailey was primarily using stereo amplification, with two speakers
controlled by two volume pedals. Unfortunately, this stereo spread cannot be heard in this
mono recording. Around 1967, Stevens built a quiet percussion kit, that brought his volume
down to that of the other acoustic instruments in his Spontaneous Music Ensemble. For his
gigs with Lacy, he used the latest version of that kit with additions from his full size jazz kit.

Strange as it may now seem, there were few records of Lacy available then, so it seemed
important to get a record of this quintet out, even though the recording was not brilliant (being
one of my first), and the music was variable. It now seems appropriate to re-issue just the
three best performances.

For the original LP release, Lacy wrote the following: "38 is a self-portrait dedicated to, and in
the manner of, Coleman Hawkins, who taught me something about ageing. FLAKES features
Derek and is an ice-skating piece written for Mark Rothko. REVOLUTIONARY SUICIDE is
to and from Huey Newton (see his book)." This is the only published recording of 38.

On that visit, Lacy brought with him tapes of his sensational first solo concert, with the hope
of finding someone who would be interested in issuing them. That resulted in the first
Emanem LP (now re-issued on WEAL AND WOE Emanem 4004). He also gave me a copy
of the excellent over-dubbed solo LP LAPIS (now available on SCRATCHING THE
SEVENTIES / DREAMS Saravah SHL 2082).

"This 3CD box set is the re-issue of the 5 albums registered during the 70s at the Saravah
studio. It contains Roba (1969), Lapis (1971), Scraps (1974), Dreams (1975) & Owl
(1977). " Lapis is a classic solo album for soprano sax, percussion and tape -- one of Lacy's
most outside documents and a crucial solo outing. Dreams features Derek Bailey. Lacy
regulars like Steve Potts (saxophones), Irène Aebi (cello, voice), Kent Carter (bass), Oliver
Johnson (drums) contribute throughout the rest of the sessions, along with various guests.
Classic-era euro freedom.

This gave me the idea, early in 1974, to suggest to him that it would be interesting to hear
similar music involving other distinctive soprano saxophonists. Between us we came up with
Evan Parker, Steve Potts and Trevor Watts. In addition, Lacy suggested what he called a
"noise section" of Derek Bailey and Michel Waisvisz. This was my introduction to Waisvisz,
with whom Lacy had recorded the fine ICP album LUMPS a few months before this concert.
He played a synthesizer without a keyboard, using many mysterious hand movements.

It was not possible to schedule the concert until the end of the year owing to conflicting
commitments. Even then, Lacy, Potts and Waisvisz were unable to get to London from Paris
and Amsterdam until the previous day. To further diminish the time scale, Bailey and Parker
(along with Paul Lytton) were offered an extended gig in Freiburg that could have gone on
beyond the date of the concert. They decided to take it until the previous night, then get a taxi
to Basel, and hence fly back to London on the morning of the concert, leaving Lytton to drive
back with all the heavy equipment in his van.

All in all, rehearsals could not commence until around noon on the day of the concert. Lacy
had previously sent some of his compositions to Parker and Watts who had diligently
rehearsed them, but he subsequently decided not to use those pieces. Instead he wrote three
pieces especially for the concert, and also chose to use DREAMS. The running order was to
be STAPLES, DREAMS, SWISHES and SNAPS, with a total improvisation featuring four
soprano saxophones between the last two pieces. This sequence was to be repeated in both
halves of the concert with only the resulting improvisations being different. However, in spite
of the same format, the two halves turned out to be very different.

The end result was some remarkable music, marred from time to time by inaccurate theme
statements and incompatible improvisations caused by the brevity of rehearsal time. No rules
were given for the improvisational sections - it was left entirely to the musicians’ sensibilities.
From the three recorded versions of the sequence - rehearsal, first set and second set - Lacy
chose the best complete versions of each piece to make up a ‘perfect’ set that was released as
an LP.

The chosen version of STAPLES comes from the second set. The piece was preceded by a
semi-ritual tune-up on each occasion.

A dreamy introduction brings in DREAMS taken from the first set. During all three versions
of this, Lacy played two gramophone records (that I happened to be borrowing from the local
public library) - dreams of a steam train and a symphony orchestra.

The theme statement of SWISHES was not played cleanly in either half of the concert, so the
chosen version is the rehearsal. Evan Parker makes his only public appearance or recording
on baritone saxophone. This is the only published recording of this piece.

In the rehearsal and first set, the free improvisation featured all six musicians. In the second
set heard here, it was just performed by the four soprano saxophonists, and hence earned the
title SOPS. Is this the earliest recording of a free improvisation by a saxophone quartet?

Both of the concert versions of SNAPS were played cleanly, so it was a difficult choice as to
which one to include on the LP. The CD format allows us to include both of them, with their
very different improvisational sequences. In particular note Lacy’s excellent solo half way
through the previously unissued version from the first set. These are the only published
recordings of SNAPS.

This was one of the strangest concerts I have been to, let alone organised. But for all its
strangeness, it certainly resulted in some very fine and unique music.

Martin Davidson, 1998

Excerpts from reviews:

L acy’s SAXOPHONE SPECIAL + augments the named LP with three tracks from
THE CRUST recorded a year-and-a-half earlier. Sound on the earlier record is mono,
documentary in feel, but the music is extraordinary, Lacy’s bright tunes serving as a
fixed ground against which Bailey improvises brilliantly (hear especially Flakes).
SAXOPHONE SPECIAL is a unique and fascinating record. Contemporaneous with
Braxton’s sax quartet on NEW YORK, FALL 1974 and predating the ensuing wave of sax
foursomes, its deeply exploratory sound is clearly the germ for ROVA. Lacy, Potts, Parker
and Watts convene on a sopranos-only free improvisation titled Sops, while the other tracks
sport Lacy’s multidimensional charts, icy, percussive guitar superimpositions and Waisvisz’s
parabolic electronic intrusions. At once an oddball item and a true classic.

John Corbett, Downbeat, 1999

T his period of Lacy's music found the saxophonist in pursuit of fresh sources to
augment what was fast becoming an intensely personal compositional approach. The
initial concert pairs Lacy with his soon-to-be-long-term alter-ego and foil, Steve Potts,
in front of the poised and evasive foundation of Bailey, Carter and Stevens. The skeletal
structures for Lacy's regular group are in place, as the leader and Potts play tightly knit, see-
sawing and herky-jerky melodies in close tandem before weaving into spirited, and often
complimentary, outbreaks. Where Lacy is generally dry and concentrated in his quest to
squeeze everything he can out of a line (often starting with a simple phrase and reworking and
realigning it until it satisfies), Potts is more discursive and outwardly emotional. Carter and
Stevens' work together is a loquacious blend of chatter and palpitation, while Bailey turns in
some of his most wonderfully deranged sound sculptures, as clanging and resonating notes
push through the wash of tones.

Bailey's role as a sound generator becomes more obvious on the second session, where he and
Waisvisz concoct a sweltering backdrop of cacophony behind an even more ambitious project
of Lacy's. Rest assured that at no point does this saxophone quartet feel compelled to relegate
themselves to traditional roles with one player playing rhythm and so forth, but instead, each
player is given the freedom to carry out the line as they see fit. While the melodies lack the
refinement of a working group, the raw nature of this music is part of its appeal, as the
saxophonists interweave phrases and counterpoints within the intervals, often working across
each others' lines into a chaotic, yet structured din. That the other players were enthusiastic
about the possibilities of such a line-up is obvious, for all four reed players respond with the
utmost intensity and some fiery blowing.

Jon Morgan, Cadence 1999

teve Lacy’s "Saxophone Special +" portrays extremely artistic collaborations with the

S gods of the British Free Jazz movement. This CD comprises re-releases of original
LP’s on EMANEM recorded in 1973 and 1974. Saxophone Special + without a
doubt is a historical archive pertaining to the evolution of free and largely improvised music.
While there are a few audio related flaws i.e. Derek Bailey’s stereo amplification was
recorded in mono due to apparent tape recorder malfunctions, and a few barely noticeable
audio disparities, this CD succeeds in admirable fashion. Jazz’ reigning master of the
soprano sax, Steve Lacy is comfortable and equally adept at performing within just about any
genre imaginable, i.e. mainstream, bop, free-jazz et al. Here Lacy is captured with long time
associate Steve Potts (alto & soprano sax); along with: Derek Bailey (guitar); Kent Carter
(bass) and the late John Stevens (drums). The first 3 tracks: 38, Flakes and Revolutionary
Suicide were recorded “live” at London’s “100 Club” in 1973. Lacy is the prime soloist
and carves out angular and quite lyrical thematic statements frequently utilizing his luscious
vibrato techniques. Bailey at times is lost in the mix but conveys the frenetic undercurrents.
The recorded sound is surprisingly good given the conditions at the time.
Tracks 4-9 were recorded in 1974 at the “Wigmore Hall” in London. The personnel here is:
Steve Lacy (soprano); Steve Potts (soprano & alto saxes); Trevor Watts (soprano & alto
saxes); Evan Parker (soprano, tenor and baritone saxes); Derek Bailey (guitar) and Michel
Waisvisz (synthesizer). Two interesting notes cited among Martin Davidson’s insightful liner
notes: 1) The 6th track “Swishes” is the only published performance of Evan Parker playing
baritone sax 2) Waisvisz along with Derek Bailey were summoned by Lacy to provide a
“noise section” on these tracks. Waisvisz’ analog synth manipulations may sound somewhat
dated compared to today’s digital patches and midi technology; however, the sound meshes
surprisingly well and serves as a slight abstraction to the elements of the free improv taking
place. Davidson has also positioned the “left-center-right” placement of the saxophonists
specifically for tracks 4-8. These tracks are the highlights of the CD. On cuts such as
“Staples and SOPS” we behold Lacy and co. delving into unknown territory, prodding and
complimenting each other, exploiting themes, improvising and constructing conceptual
subtleties that propel our imaginations into uncharted territory. The music comes across as
highly charged and inventive. Perhaps, as Producer Martin Davidson suggests one the earliest
if not the first exposition of a saxophone quartet performing improvised music. “Saxophone
+” is historical yet remarkably palatable and a must for the free jazz compleatist.

Glenn Astarita

T his re-issue combines two Lacy sessions. The first three tracks are from a concert in
1973 and feature Lacy, Steve Potts, Kent Carter, Derek Bailey, and John Stevens. The
remainder is the entirety of the Saxophone Special LP with one alternate take. The
musicians here are Lacy, Potts, Trevor Watts, Evan Parker, Bailey, and Michel Waisvisz. The
quintet tracks are pretty good. Bailey sounds great on his feature, "Flakes", and Potts has a
good solo on "38." The pieces with sax quartet go into uncharted territory. First, there is no
rhythm section, but a "noise" section consisting of Bailey on guitar and Waisvisz on
synthesizer. Then you have the four saxophones freely improvising over Lacy's
compositions. These tracks are really outstanding and unlike anything you've heard before.

E n Angleterre, c'est Martin Davidson, pour Emanem, qui a exhumé deux vinyles
mythiques publiés en 1975 et 1976 pour en donner une réédition complétée et
lacunaire : Saxophone Special + (Emanem 4024, distr. Improjazz) reproduit
l'intégralité du LP Saxophone Special (1974) en ajoutant une alternate du thème nommé
Snaps, mais ne redonne que trois pièces du live intitulé The Crust (1976). Par ses anecdotes,
le livret dû au producteur éclaire la british connection lacyenne et donne une portée historique
à ces enregistrements qui permettent d'entendre non seulement le premier quatuor de
saxophones (soprano ?) improvisant librement (Sops que l'on peut rapprocher du quatuor de
sopranistes (Lacy, Braxton, Coxhill, Parker) de Company 6 & 7 (1977), mais aussi la très fine
fleur de la free music. Ainsi retrouve-t-on autour de Lacy, et selon les plages, Steve Potts, Evan
Parker (au baryton sur un morceau), Trevor Watts, Derek Bailey, Kent Carter, John Stevens,
ou Michel Waisvisz... une distribution qui a de quoi laisser rêveur... pour une musique
extrêmement stimulante, acérée et attentive, dont l'audition ne peut que laisser des traces :
scratches, Staples, sifflets, Swishes, sirènes, Sops, sous-bois, Snaps. Cette promenade
discographique n'a pas revisité les parutions chroniquées ces derniers mois dans Improjazz,
comme les disques Sands, Live at Unity Temple, ou The Rent... Autant de preuves (s'il en
fallait) que la vie, sur la planète Lacy, est protéiforme, diverse et cohérente !

Guillaume TARCHE. Numéro 61 d'Improjazz, janvier 2000

1998, TRACES, Arrival Records Via Airmail Series VAM 5 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2004)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

and Vertrek Ensemble :
Vadim Budman : electric guitar, cornet
Ron de Jong : drums, cymbals, percussion

1. Monsters of elegy [DB/VB] 10.46

2. The weaving and the crinkling and the vex [DB/RdJ] 08.37
3. A thousand begettings of the broken bold [VB/RdJ] 07.32
4. Only the thought of those dark three [DB/VB/RdJ] 07.43
5. The improvisations of the cuckoos in a clock shop [RdJ] 11.54

All titles from the poetry of Wallace Stevens.

Recorded at Moat Studios, London on 12 May 1998.

Release limited to 225 copies.

1998-1999, LOCationAL, Incus CD 37 (UK) (CD) (released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Alex Ward : clarinet

1- Studio 1 05.40
2- Studio 2 04.42
3- Studio 3 06.48
4- Domestic 1 13.20
5- Domestic 2 07.06
6- Live 10.40

Tracks 1-3 recorded at Moat Studios, London in January 1999

Tracks 4 and 5 recorded in October 1998 probably at Downs Road (Bailey’s home)
Track 6 recorded October 1998 place unspecified.
Cover photograph and design by Karen Brookman.

T he duo with clarinettist Alex Ward - who played in Company at age 14, served time in
the XIII Ghosts, and has now firmly ensconced himself on the London improv scene -
is rather more striking. Comprising studio and home recordings from October '98, it
begins on, literally, a high note, with some fine upper-register droning, possibly excerpted
from the String Theory sessions. The two thence establish a relaxed flow of dialogue with
impressive ease, experimenting with trademark label-specific scatter-clump interplay, and
maintaining a chattily engaging dynamic. The world we live in is a crazy enough place that a
recording with Derek Bailey can be a pretty big break for a young improviser, and Ward takes
his chance well, employing his instrument's palette intelligently, and playing with an
assuredness which belies his (relative) youth. Respectful and mindful but agitative when he
needs to be, Ward acquits himself handsomely and elicits some fine contributions from his
collaborator - LOCationAL may be one of the few, if not the only, duos Bailey's ever recorded
with a clarinet, but judging by enclosed evidence, it'd be a shame if it were the last.

Nick Cain

a descente de torrents, parsemés d'écueils n'est pas une difficulté pour ces merveilleux

L vétérans de l'improvisation totale, qui n'en sont pas à leur coup d'éclat ! Ce que la
guitare commence ou imagine, la clarinette le termine et réciproquement, une
communion parfaite, qui se traduit par d'intenses moments, proches de la transe. Dialogues au
sommet !

nice variation from "typical" Bailey. Clarinetist Ward wriggles his sound upward,

A and Bailey rings high tones that reach up, eventually seconding Ward’s plea, and
neither fall from this high wire. Another track has Bailey’s "vertical" guitar playing
sounding much like a banjo while Ward does multiphonics, the both flickering sound yet
spinning a clear long-line. the two home recordings are more pointillistic, while the live track,
recorded at a distance, is high energy freeplay. An exceptionally accessible, that is to say,
warm disc within Bailey’s oeuvre.
1998, KOMUNGUITAR : JIN HI KIM, oodiscs #40 (CD) (re-issue)

Jin Hi Kim with guitarists Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne, David First, Henry Kaiser,
Hans Reichel and Elliott Sharp

1- Point : komungo, bass guitar and saxophone with Elliot Sharp 7:49

2- Company : komungo and guitar with Derek Bailey 8:56

3- Yongary meets Big Foot : komungo and electric guitar with Henry Kaiser 4:31

4- Naby : komungo 4:32

5- Howdy Partner : komungo and banjo with Eugene Chadbourne 5:36

6- Yellow Seed : komungo 7:49

7- Gut Morgen : komungo and electric guitar with Hans Reichel 3:34

8- Slow view picnic, for electric komungo and electric guitar with David First 5:29

Komunguitar was originally released by Nonsequitur/What Next Recordings as WN0012

Produced by Jin Hi Kim & Steve Peters
Digital Editing by Elliott Sharp & Kevin Cambell
CD Design by James McCaffry
Liner Notes by Alex Varty

O odiscs #40, Komunguitar is the fourth disc of the music of Jin Hi Kim that appears
on oodiscs and features 48 minutes of music performed in duet with the innovative
guitarists Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne, David First, Henry Kaiser, Hans
Reichel and Elliott Sharp
Jin Hi Kim (b.1957) in Inchon, South Korea where she earned a degree in Korean traditional
music at Seoul National University before coming to the USA where she received an MFA in
electronic music/composition at Mills College in California. Ms. Kim has internationally
pioneered the fusion of traditional and experimental music on the komungo (a Korean 4th
century fretted board zither) as well as her work in developing the electronic komungo. She
has performed with the Kronos Quartet in her Nong Rock (at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln
Center); the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in the premiere of her Voices of
Sigimse at Lincoln Center Festival '96; and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players in
Dasrum. Kim co-developed the world's only electric komungo and co-created an interactive
piece for komungo with midi computer system under a fellowship of the National Endowment
for the Arts wtih David Wessel. She has performed throughout the US, Europe, Canada,
South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Russia as both a soloist and with leading
improvisers such as James Newton, Derek Bailey, William Parker, Oliver Lake, Evan Parker,
Peter Kowald and Joseph Celli among others.

Jin Hi Kim has conscientiously pursed working with musicians from various ethnic
perspectives. In her Dragon Bond Rite, a mask dance theater, she collaborates with artists
from Korea, Japan, India and Indonesia, Tuva and America. Dragon Bond Rite features Asian
traditional drummers, vocalists and mask dancers in a complex overlay of contrast and
similarities from these various cultures.

This work premiered at the Japan Society in June, 1997, with subsequent performances at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. will be presented at the
Hong Kong Festival in November, 1998.

Kyle Gann wrote in the VILLAGE VOICE, "Kim is an intensely physical virtuoso of that
twanging Korean zither, the komungo. Using stick and fingers, she sculpted myriad bouncing,
glissing, galloping attacks to produce small waves of melody that were cumulative in their
power."

Josef Woodard, writer for the LOS ANGELES TIMES, has written, "The spirit of
convergence is upon us. Cultural currents cross with intentions - good or otherwise.
Ideologies meld. With Jin Hi Kim's compositions, we have a convergence of a different stripe,
one in which seemingly disparate sources converge in a surprisingly (or perhaps not)
seamless way. It is a convergence in which the venerability of centuries-old experimentalists
join forces in a place of graceful co-existence. Kim's music - plainly 'bi-cultural', as she
describes it - addresses the proverbial East-meets-West aesthetic with an uncommon
freshness of purpose....... this is new music/world music at its finest, beyond political
correctness, into the realm of the sublime, where words and cultural postures fall away."

Jin Hi Kim has presented her improvisations at major international festivals including Visions
Festival (NYC), Taktlos Festival (Switzerland), Musique Action (France), Free Music Festival
(Berlin), Steirischer Herbst Festival (Austria), Vancouver International Jazz Festival (Canada),
Moers New Jazz Festival (Germany), What is Jazz Festival? (Knitting Factory), New Music
America festivals among many others.
She has received awards and fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation, Meet the
Composer's Reader's Digest Commissioning Program, Mary Flagler Cary Trust, National
Endowment for the Arts, Asian Cultural Council and the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio
Center. Currently she is creating Touching the Moons, an international collaboration between
Korean, Indian and US artists. She is a founding member of the No World Improvisations
ensemble and performs regularly with this ensemble.

Jin Hi Kim can also be heard on oodiscs #24, Living Tones, oodiscs #2 No World
Improvisations and oodiscs #4, No World (Trio) Improvisations.
1998, RRR500, RRRecords. 500 locked-grooves. (LP) (released in 1999)

The ultimate mondo-loop vinyl compilation - 250 locked-grooves per side!!! Hundreds of
artists including, Thomas Dimuzio, Lee Ranaldo, Terry Riley, Derek Bailey, Red Krayola,
Mike Kelley, John Oswald, Jad Fair, Karen Finley, Otomo Yoshide, Free Kitten and countless
others.

nsure if the title is the catalog number or the subtitle or both, I highly recommend

U RRR-500: Various 500 Lock-Grooves by 500 Artists (RRRecords RRR-500, 1999).

I don’t even try to figure who did which groove, though the 500 artists, um, tracks,
um, loop, are listed inside, and include the famous with the unknown: Jad Fair, Sonic Youth,
Contrastate, MSBR, Lull, Karen Finley, and even the Teletubbies and United Negro College
Fund (I assume, from a commercial). Some are music, some are random or electronic noises,
some have spoken word, but all are interesting, not that I’ve yet listened to more than 150 of
the locks. They’re bunched in fours, should you care to count how many sections of the 150
per side you’ve passed to find a track you want. Seems silly. Drop the needle somewhere,
listen ’til you get tired, do a dozen or so more, and then put the disc on again the next day.
1998, IN CONCERT & STUDIO, (UK) (Incus CDR 6) (released in 2004)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Robyn Shulkovsky : percussion

1. Concert 1 16.14
2. Concert 2 09.35
3. Concert 3 08.50
4. Studio 1 14.20
5. Studio 2 02.30
6. Studio 3 13.50

Although six pieces are identified, they actually run together as one track on the CDR.

Recorded in concert in London on 8 November 1998 and in studio on 9 November 1998.

Cover design by Karen Brookman.

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry. You send £10 or $15 U.S. we burn your CD-R and send it to you.
We pay postage.
pol05-Infos http://www.pol-music.de/pol-infos/pol-05-info.html

Pol 5 Künstler Infos

Derek Bailey / Robyn Schulkowsky

Zeitgleich mit dem Beginn einer europäischen musikalischen Avantgarde, die sich vor allem der
Improvisation widmete, hat DEREK BAILEY Anfang der 60er Jahre die E- Gitarre, aber auch die
akustische, für sich völlig neu erfunden. Sein Beitrag war so faszinierend und neu, dass keiner der
nachgeborenen Gitarristen ob Henry Kaiser, Hans Reichel oder Fred Frith davon unbeeindruckt blieb.
Neben seinen vielgestaltigen musikalischen Aktivitäten war er jahrelang der Kopf der Londoner
Company-Reihe, die sich als Begegnungsort weitgefasster musikalischer Haltungen verstand, und auch
als Buchautor (Improvisation, 1980) wurde er weltweit wahrgenommen. In den letzten Jahren hat er noch
einmal nachhaltig Überraschung ausgelöst, indem er plötzlich im Kontext von japanischen trash-bands
(the ruins) , DJs und drum' n bass auftauchte und überzeugte. Zudem hörte man ihn in Bill Laswells
Band und, kaum glaublich, als Partner von Pat Matheny.

Das Duo mit ROBYN SCHULKOWSKY existiert seit etwa zwei Jahren. Robyn Schulkowsky ist eine der
ganz seltenen weiblichen Persönlichkeiten im Bereich der Perkussion. Die Amerikanerin lebt schon seit
einer Weile in Europa und ist als unabhängige Musikerin und Komponistin in der zeitgenössischen Musik
ebenso heimisch wie im freien Gestalten. Sie arbeitete u. a. zusammen mit Robert Wilson, Herbert
Achternbusch und Karlheinz und Markus Stockhausen. Vor einiger Zeit war sie in Frankfurt mit dem
Ensemble Modern zu hören, sie führte bei der Expo 2000 ein grösseres eigenes Werk auf, und soeben
wurde in West- Afrika ein Trommel- Projekt für einen Film abgeschlossen.
As written on the CD-R
1998, TEXACO NEW YORK JAZZ FESTIVAL RADIO SERIES LIVE
AT THE KNITTING FACTORY, Knitting Factory (USA) (no
catalog #) (6 CD, promo only)

T his 6 CD set features Jazz Passengers with Debbie Harry, JP Trio, Leon Parker &
Steve Wilson, Eliane Elias, Bluiett Baritone Saxophone Group, Amina, Claudine
Myers, Lee Konitz Trio, Thomas Chapin with Brass, Han Bennink & Ray Anderson, Marty
Ehrlich & Bobby Previte, Bailey/Metheny/Bendian/Wertico, Eclecticism, Bill Frisell
Quartet with Joe Lovano, Thomas Chapin with Strings, Cecil Taylor, William Parker's In
Order to Survive, Reggie Workman Ensemble, Steve Lacy, Assif Tsahar & Susie Ibarra,
Marilyn Crispell & Gerry Hemingway, Charles Gayle Trio, Charlie Hunter Quartet, Easy
Pour Spout, Odyssey the Band, Hooker/Spearman/DJ Olive, Steven Bernstein's Sex Mob,
Briggan Krauss, Don Byron with Biz Markie & Existential Dred, Mark Dresser Trio, Andy
Laster's Hydra, George Lewis & Min Xio Fenn, Masaoka/Mori/Dresser, Elliott Sharp's
Orchestra Carbon, Drew Gress' Jagged Sky, Badlands, Anthony Coleman Trio, Myra
Melford, Andy Statman & Bob Meyer, Naftule's Dream, Hasidic New Wave, Paradox Trio,
Pachora.
1998, DEREK BAILEY, STEVE NOBLE & PAT THOMAS. Donnerstag
3. Dezember.

Der Altmeister Bailey : Gitarre

im Dialog mit

Steve Noble : Turntables

und

Pat Thomas : Sampling

Derek Bailey, Doyen der freien Improvisation und der Erneuerung des Gitarrenspiels, dessen
Einfluß auf jüngere Gitarristengenerationen (neben dem Keith Rowe's von AMM) kaum
überschätzt werden kann, erlebt gegenwärtig als 68jähriger die Wiederentdeckung durch ganz
junge Musiker der DJ- und Noise-Szene, die sich in verschiedenen gemeinsamen Projekten
niedergeschlagen hat. Mit Steve Noble an den Plattenspielern (er ist von Haus aus Schlagzeuger)
und Pat Thomas am Sampling-Keyboard (auch als Pianist bekannt) hat er sich für das Berliner
Konzert mit zwei Musikern in ihren 30ern zusammengetan, die über reiche
Improvisationserfahrung verfügen, aber sich auch an aktuellsten Sounds und Mischverfahren
orientieren. Insbesondere Pat Thomas schlägt immer wieder Schneisen in das Jungle- und
Drum'n'Bass-Dickicht, um von dort nervös pulsierende Bruchstücke in die reaktionsschnellen,
kantigen und überraschenden Live-Montagen aus Klangsplittern, Mikro-Ereignissen und
paradoxen Konstellationen einzufügen - eine temporäre, dekonstruktivistische Klangskulptur.
1998, JOSEPH HOLBROOKE TRIO : THE MOAT RECORDINGS,
Tzadik 7616-2 (USA) (2 CD) (released 2006)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Gavin Bryars : acoustic bass
Tony Oxle : drums and percussions

CD 1 (4 tracks)

1. Orchard
2. Condensation
3. Crookesmoor
4. Campo

CD 2 (5 tracks)

1. Holderness
2. Tenter
3. Edinburgh
4. Mappin
5. Matilda

First studio recordings of Derek Bailey, Gavin Bryars and Tony Oxley.

The Master were completed by Gary Todd before his accident but it is not known at this time
when they will be released.
From the Tzadik website :

T zadik is proud to present a legendary reunion of 'Joseph Holbrooke' comprised of

three master musicians - Derek Bailey, Gavin Bryars, and Tony Oxley - from the first
generation of British improvisers. Originally produced by Gary Todd in 1999, the
release of this exciting and historic music was delayed for years under tragic circumstances.
These are the first and only studio recordings by this all-star trio whose brief existence in the
mid Sixties has been a whispered rumor for decades. Produced in cooperation with the
Cortical Foundation, this is astonishing, revelatory musical communication of the highest
order.

Notes on Joseph Holbrooke reunion

W hile the recorded legacy of Joseph Holbrooke from the 1960’s is almost non-
existent, it seems ironic that almost every note played since the trio’s reunion in
1998 has been recorded. Most of the material which does survive from the 1960’s
is located on rehearsal tapes (one of which was issued as a ‘single’ by Incus) and there are no
recordings of the free playing to the best of my knowledge. There are (somewhere) tapes of
our playing with Lee Konitz when he toured the north of England in the mid-60’s. These are
hardly representative of our work (although Lee was actually interested in a degree of free
playing at that time). One of these tapes, recorded at a club in Manchester, appears in the
published discography of Lee Konitz where the players are listed as “guitar (Derek Bailey),
drums (Tony Oxley), bass (player unknown).....”

Although working with Derek and Tony had been of enormous importance to me, I
abandoned improvising as an ongoing, engaged activity in late 1966. As it happened this was
when, curiously enough, we had played three different concerts in one day: our usual
lunchtime session in Sheffield; the opening of an art exhibition in Northampton in the
afternoon; and later that evening at The Little Theatre, St. Martins Lane, London. When I
returned home I put my bass in its case and didn’t take it out for 17 years. After that night
although I met, and occasionally worked with, Derek from time to time, Tony and I never saw
each other until the reunion of the trio for his sixtieth birthday musical events, arranged by
West German radio in Cologne in 1998.

In fact I had been asked earlier, in September 1995, through Gary Todd and his Cortical
Foundation, if I would be interested in playing again with Derek and Tony. I was assured that
they were both happy with the idea so I agreed, although at the time I was touring the Far East
with my ensemble. A complicated series of flights were booked for me (Hong Kong - Tokyo
- Los Angeles - London) so that the performances in Los Angeles could take place.
Unfortunately I was taken ill and had to fly straight back home from Tokyo. I learned later
that Derek had also been unwell and had been unable to travel from New York.

In September 1998 we did finally all meet together - for dinner the night before the Cologne
concert - and found that we still got on remarkably well. We didn’t talk about the concert, and
before the concert itself there was no rehearsal, just a two minute sound-check for the radio.
We played about 45 minutes - two fairly long pieces and one short one - and I was surprised
at how comfortable it felt. As one reviewer put it, like three people “resuming a conversation
that had been interrupted for 30 years”. Although both Derek and Tony had continued to
work as improvisers, they told me that they found the experience of the three of us working
together to be a very different kind of challenge from the work that they had, individually,
evolved over the previous thirty years. While the opening moments sound to me a little
tentative, very quickly there emerges a fluency and a sense of intimate chamber music. This
live performance was later issued on CD by Incus (Joseph Holbrooke 98). We also played
with three other musicians for a different set, but this felt much less satisfying to me and did
not have the same degree of internal coherence as the trio.

Following this performance we agreed to spend three days together later that year making
these studio recordings. It was fitting, given his role in bringing us back together again, that
these sessions were produced by Gary Todd for the Cortical Foundation. Although we set
aside three days, in fact we had a routine of playing only in the afternoons from about 1
o’clock until around 6. We were never tempted to listen to playback except, as with the
Cologne concert, at the outset to verify sound quality and levels. For the third day, Derek
suggested that we record also in the evening in front of a small invited audience (Moat Studio
is not very big). The nine tracks on this double CD were chosen by the three of us as the
pieces we would be happy to release. While many of the ones we left out have interesting
aspects, we have no wish for them to emerge.

A few weeks later we played in public for the second time when we did a whole evening
concert in Antwerp. As with Cologne, the first piece felt a little tentative, but the rest of the
concert had real authority and confidence. It is not impossible that we may play again.

Q uote: Originally Posted by efrendv

Just got word that Tzadik will be releasing Joseph Hollbroke recordings in 2006. Of
course, this info should be taken cautiously, but in case it materializes, sounds like
great news.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the recordings Gary Todd from Cortical did or one of
these other things. From the Cortical web site:

"Corti 12 and 13
Joseph Holbrooke Vol. 1 and 2
First studio recordings of Derek Bailey, Gavin Bryars and Tony Oxley
The Masters were completed by Gary before his accident
but it is not known at this time when they will be released."

From an interview with Derek:

DB: It's like the empire strikes back, isn't it? You think you can fucking get away with this?
Well you can't! When the guy who put out Taps first rang me up and said he'd like to put out
these things, I said that would be nice, because he was waving quite a lot of dollars around. I
hadn't listened to them for decades. But I said I didn't have the masters of them. And he said
that he had them. You get these enthusiasts here and there.

Anyway, when this guy, Gary Todd, was putting Taps out, he said he would also like to
organise a concert for the group Joseph Holbrooke that I used to play in with Gavin Bryars
and Tony Oxley. I said that we hadn't played together for thirty-six years. I don't think Tony
and Gavin had even spoken together in thirty-six years. Certainly the three of us had never
been in the same place during that period. So I said I didn't know if it was possible. I gave him
their addresses and he organised it. The concert was going to be in LA. We were meant to go
out there, do a concert and make a recording. It was all set up and very handsomely rewarded.
I was in New York, and I got sick. Gavin was in Hong Kong and got sick. So the only person
who could go was Tony, who was with me in New York at the time. So Tony went and played
with Fred Frith, out there. So that didn't work. But this guy has always had this …I don't
know if it is right to call it an obsession with Joseph Holbrooke. The name comes from an old
English composer, late nineteenth, early twentieth century. When I first heard from this guy,
Gary Todd, he said he'd got some records by Joseph Holbrooke. And I said there aren't any,
we never made any. It turned out he was talking about the original Joseph Holbrooke. So it
was all a bit weird. Then, because that LA thing fell through, we recorded over here for him
and did actually get together. The idea was Gary's, but we got together for Tony Oxley's
sixtieth birthday and did a concert in Cologne. So we'd actually done that. A strange
reincarnation after thirty-eight years. It was kind of interesting play, I have to say. I guess
that's the kind of thing you can only do once, have a thirty-eight year gap.

AAJ: I thought you'd said that the next time would be on your hundredth birthday.

DB: That's right, we're saving that. So shortly after that, Gary Todd came over here and we did
three days recording for him. Two records. Now he has got that. But he has had a serious
accident; fell out of a third storey window at 5-30am. I don't know who is handling it now.
The guy has been advertising the records. There has always been something weird about
trying to revive that group. One of the nights at Moat studio, we were having a sort of party
and somebody let off a fire extinguisher. And in studios, the fire extinguishers are full of
sand, so it was like being in a sandstorm. You couldn't see anything. We all got out of the
studio. And when it settled down and we went back in, which took a hell of a long time, all the
food and drink were covered in a layer of sand. It seems there is some… well let's not get into
that oogly-boogly stuff. We did a concert earlier this year in Antwerp. That was recorded, but
we can't get the tape. The guy keeps saying he'll give us the tape but won't.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this........

FREE IMPROVISATION IN A CLASSIC MODE

By ALAN LICHT
March 27, 2006

A new double CD by the Joseph Holbrooke Trio, "The Moat Recordings" (Tzadik),
has been both seven and 43 years in the making.

Named for the early 20th-century British composer, the trio of the late guitarist Derek Bailey,
bassist Gavin Bryars, and drummer Tony Oxley formed in 1963 in Sheffield, England. They
started off playing jazz standards, moved into modal jazz territory, and by 1965 had evolved
beyond jazz into what became known as non-idiomatic (or "free") improvisation. But after
making a clutch of recordings, virtually all of which have been lost, Mr. Bryars abandoned the
group - and dropped the bass altogether - in 1966.

The three did not meet again until a reunion concert in Cologne in 1998. The following year, a
recording session was arranged at Bailey's preferred studio, Moat, and Gary Todd produced it
for his Cortical Foundation label. The release was held up by an accident that left Todd
incapacitated, and was further delayed by Bailey's battle with motor neuron disease (he passed
away last December). Now, John Zorn's Tzadik label has finally managed to bring the
sessions out. Aside from a live recording of the reunion concert and a short rehearsal excerpt
released a few years ago, this is the only recording of this collaboration.

The non-idiomatic improvisational genre is informed by John Cage's chance-operation

compositions, the delicate dissonance of Anton Webern's music, and the free jazz of Ornette
Coleman, Albert Ayler, and Sun Ra. Musicians play with no predetermined structure, unlike in
free jazz, which still includes a melody at the beginning and end of a piece. The form started in
several circles throughout Europe in the mid- to late 1960s; its original exponents included
Bailey, Mr. Oxley, and Evan Parker in Britain, Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg in the
Netherlands, and Peter Brotzmann and Alex von Schlippenbach in Germany. In the 1970s and
1980s, it gained a foothold in the United States with younger musicians like Mr. Zorn and
Eugene Chadbourne.

The Joseph Holbrooke Trio was completely unknown outside Sheffield in the 1960s, and for
three decades remained little more than a legend to experimental music aficionados. Since the
mid-1990s, all three members' profiles have risen considerably.

Mr. Bryars is the best known: After leaving the group to pursue composition, he became
famous among the European Minimalists for such singularly lovely pieces as "The Sinking of
the Titanic" and "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet." Bailey and Mr. Oxley continued
working as players and improvisers. Mr. Oxley played with such free jazz titans as Cecil
Taylor and Bill Dixon, while Bailey's trailblazing spirit led him to collaborate with performers
as disparate as pop-jazzer Pat Metheny, drum-and-bass DJs Ninj and Casey Rice, avant-prog
rockers the Ruins, and tap dancer Will Gaines.

In 1970, Bailey founded a record label, Incus, with Messrs. Oxley and Parker to document the
development of improvisational music; in 1977, he started Company Week, an annual concert
series that brought together improvisers from all over the globe. Bailey literally wrote the book
on improvisation: His 1980 "Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music" is well worth
seeking out.

"The Moat Recordings" offers an intriguing dose of free improvisation in its classic mode -
no laptops in sight. Bailey and Mr. Oxley interact with lightning agility - unsurprising given
their long engagement with such activity and with each other in the intervening years - while
Mr. Bryars's playing is slower and more considered. This may have as much to do with his
compositional style as with his long absence from improvised situations, but Bailey recalls in
his book that even in the 1960s Mr. Bryars had a "somewhat ambivalent attitude toward the
group, never sure if he should be there at all."

Indeed, Mr. Bryars's semi-outsider status gives the music an interesting tension. Sometimes
leaning on long, sustained tones, Mr. Bryars brings a certain measure of tonality that is
usually missing in the discordant improvisation scene. In his liner notes, Mr. Bryars recalls
that Bailey said "he had not had to consider pitch in such detail for a very long time." Having
long since augmented a traditional drum kit with various sound-making objects, Mr. Oxley
strokes all manner of metals, producing pitches with post-Cage smears and scrapes that match
Bailey's harmonics with eerie precision.

Playing acoustic and electric guitar, Bailey demonstrates his trademark redefinitions of the
instrument; he discards chords and scales in favor of a wholly personalized integration of
clusters, single notes, plucking behind the bridge, and other ordinarily extraneous noises. To
forward-thinking instrumentalists, he was as important a liberator as Picasso was to painters.

The latter half of the first CD contains several marginally frantic pieces, yet the bulk of the
material on the two discs (15 tracks in all) is given over to what Mr. Bryars once termed "the
serial equivalent of a free jazz ballad." These are marked by their spaciousness, and a languor
that's paradoxical considering the variety and second-to-second invention involved and on
display.

While each piece has a beginning, middle, and end, there is seldom, if ever, a narrative arc. The
results may strike some listeners as almost existential, but they're also vigorously exploratory,
unfailingly spontaneous, and fiercely imaginative. Running well over two hours, "The Moat
Recordings" are a long haul but should satisfy both hard-core devotees and those whose
curiosity is whetted by the members' reputations.

T
he re-incarnated Joseph Holbrooke trio, caught here live at Moat Studios in London in
1998, worked the interface between instant composition and totally free improvisation
with a bloodied sense of grace. The original trio - guitarist Derek Bailey, drummer
Tony Oxley and bassist Gavin Bryars - enjoyed a short but intense lifespan, holding down a
lunch-time slot in a pub in Sheffield from late '64 until 1966 while working through the
formal repercussions of the new free jazz then coming out of the United Sates. As such their
archival recordings capture a moment of great historical resonance. Listening to the '65
rehearsal tape, 10 minutes of which were released by Incus last year as part of an interactive
CD-ROM, is the closest you're likely to get to a blow-by-blow account of the transmigration
of US jazz to European improv. The way the trio dismantle John Coltrane's “Miles Mode”,
diving headfirst into freely improvised dialogue, you can almost hear its structure creak under
the weight of three newly freed men. Come 1966 and it was all over with Bryars abandoning
improvisation completely in favour of a career as a composer, leaving Bailey and Oxley to
fully develop the aesthetics of freedom. The re-united Joseph Holbrooke draw much of their
visceral power from this underlying tension. In his bass playing Bryars is still primarily
concerned with “complex approaches to pulsed time” and it's this constant, restless throb that
gives the whole set a tough backbone. Bailey (on acoustic and electric guitar) and Oxley stalk
the foreground, with Bailey tearing off staccato grips of notes and oscillating harmonics of
such force that that they blur into Oxley's aggressive, high-end percussion. Though the
spotlight is inevitably on Bryars' return to improvisation you never get the sense that he's out
to prove anything. His playing is confident enough to resist the pressure of constantly
initiating new ideas and as a result the dynamic of the group feels totally natural. There's no
leading or following, no pushing or pulling - just a gradual snowballing of ideas, peaking in
glorious gushes of noise that feel about as abstract as a slap round the head. This was to be
the final Joseph Holbrooke studio session, with the trio coming together one last time for a
concert in Antwerp in 1999. But this is no history lesson - free improvisation has rarely
sounded so full of life. These recordings, available here for the first time, were originally
scheduled to come out via the Cortical Foundation. Comes in a bulky double jewel case with a
large booklet featuring pics and copious liners. Recommended.

© 2003 - 2005 bagatellen

Holbrooke Trio - Time Out New York http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/music/1414/joseph-holbr...

Music
Time Out New York / Issue 552 : Apr 27–May 3, 2006

Album Review
Joseph Holbrooke Trio
The Moat Recordings (Tzadik)

A combo active in northern England from 1963 to 1966, the Joseph Holbrooke Trio thrived on
ambitious goals and conflicting impulses. Percussionist Tony Oxley, who came from the jazz
world, sought to free himself from standard timekeeping chores. Bassist Gavin Bryars was
more energized by the freedoms afforded by postmodern composers John Cage and Cornelius
Cardew. Rounded out by Derek Bailey—whose thorough deconstruction of guitar playing would
make him a singularly influential figure—the trio blazed a trail for an explosive new performance
practice. Sadly, almost none of its work was documented.

Bailey and Oxley continued along this path with distinction, while Bryars packed up his bass and
pursued a successful career in composition. Nearly three decades later, California producer
Gary Todd booked a reunion concert; although this fell through, a 1998 date (documented on
Bailey’s Incus label) proved that the old chemistry remained potent. Energized, the trio recorded
two discs’ worth of material at London’s Moat Studios for Todd’s Organ of Corti label. Before
they could be released, however, Todd fell victim to a tragic accident that left him permanently
hospitalized.

Issued at last on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, The Moat Recordings arrives as a timely memorial
to Bailey, who passed away in December. The guitarist and percussionist, longtime
collaborators, naturally bring out the best in one another; more surprising is the way Bryars’s
calm, patient playing picks up a conversational thread abandoned so long ago.—Steve Smith

The Stone celebrates Derek Bailey throughout May.

Bagatellen: Joseph Holbrooke 03/10/06 03:01

JOSEPH HOLBROOKE TRIO - THE MOAT RECORDINGS

Tzadik 7616-2

Derek Bailey’s death Christmas of last year is still fresh in the minds of many. It's a dull communal ache that
the newly released Moat Recordings will hopefully have a hand in assuaging. Back-story on Joseph Holbrooke
Trio is gospel to many free improv followers and readily accessible on the web. The partnership was one of
the first Petrie dishes in fomenting free improvisational techniques. Bailey and drummer Tony Oxley continued
in the field, becoming cornerstones on their respective instruments and elder statesmen of the "non-idiomatic"
idiom. Bassist Gavin Bryars dropped off the scene and defected to contemporary composition, making his
own modest mark in those environs. Thirty-odd years later the trio reunited for a concert in Cologne released
on Incus as Joseph Holbrooke ’98. Shortly after that momentous rendezvous, the trio decided to enter the
studio and further test the fortitude of their rekindled alliance. So what caused the delay in disseminating of
the results? Tragically, Gary Todd, original producer of the sessions, suffered a serious accident that
necessitated permanent hospitalization and effectively took him out of commission. The project stayed
stymied for several years until Todd’s associate Tom Recchion stepped in. Bryars got in touch with John Zorn
and pushed the project through to completion under the financial auspices of Tzadik.

Byars protracted absence from not only free improv, but also bass playing in general, might cause some to
take pause. I have to admit my own concerns in pondering how he would hold up in the company of doyens
of the caliber of Bailey and Oxley. Defying doubts, Bryars does just fine, his muted, slightly amplified double
bass frequently acting as pillar against which Oxley and Bailey clash and crunch. In his commentary, he notes
a chronic aversion to electric bass and the bias comes across in a rich mahogany tone. Bailey plays both
electric and acoustic guitars, making frequent use of volume pedals to squeeze out his signature serrated
swells and bundled coils of caustic distortion. His faculties and chops are in sterling shape throughout, the
debilitating carpal tunnel ailment still years off. Oxley concocts a fractured thwacking barrage, the brittle
metallic facets of his kit positioned at the forefront of his tempo-oppositional patterns. Friction and dissonance
are his closest allies and he continually reasserts why he was the guitarist’s most apposite foil. There’s so
much music packed onto the pair of discs that a blow-by-blow of tracks makes even less sense that it
ordinarily would. Most of the pieces are lengthy with only three of the fifteen clocking at less than six minutes
apiece. Sharp-clawed bloodletting conclaves like “Crookesmoor” coexist alongside mellower fare like the
spidery “Mappin” where Bailey pecks picayunishly at his acoustic while Oxley interjects chimes and cymbals
and Byars thrums away quietly, shaping a cushiony harmonic underbelly. There are also episodes of
symmetrical delicacy and even errant lyricism as on the Kabuki-tinged “Holderness,” my favorite track of the
set.

In terms of value-addeds, the Moat Studio sound is clean and incisive and points directly to why the spot was
one of Bailey’s favored haunts. Packaging and documentation are on par with past Tzadik sets like Wadada
Leo Smith’s Kabell Years and Painkiller’s Collected Workss exhibiting gorgeous production values that more
than do the music justice. An accompanying booklet contains essays by Bryars and Bailey and a postscript by
the former briefly reflecting on the passing of the latter. On the one hand, it’s a shame Joseph Holbrooke’s

l
Bagatellen: Joseph Holbrooke Trio - <I>The Moat Recordings</I> 03/10/06 03:01

renascence was so short-lived. On the other, considering the circumstances of their decades of silence as
ensemble, what they did manage to lay to tape deserves to be prized. Plans are purportedly in the works to
release more contemporaneous live material in the near future. In the context of the vast value endemic to
what is collected here it almost seems a crime to ask for more… almost.

~ Derek Taylor

Posted by derek on March 23, 2006 02:55 PM

Comments

Joseph Holbrooke TRIO..? I always thought they were just called Joseph Holbrooke. Someone save me a
trawl through the cupboards & confirm / deny this please. I hope this particular release will be better than
the last one.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at March 24, 2006 04:45 AM

That sounds right, Dan. I’m curious why you feel the switch in name matters?

I haven’t heard the Incus material, so I can’t comment on the comparative quality (“momentous
rendezvous” above refers to the historical weight of the meeting :). But this stuff sounds great to my ears.

Posted by: derek at March 24, 2006 05:32 AM

It would be interesting to hear more rehearsal tapes from 64 or 65. Oxley supposedly has some.

Or the lost tapes of Joseph Holbrooke backing Lee Konitz....

Posted by: Dohol at March 24, 2006 05:54 AM

"The last one"? You mean the 10-minute "Miles Mode" or the 38-minute 1998 reunion album? Haven't
heard the former, though I'm told it's no great shakes; the 1998 reunion album is lovely.

Posted by: ND at March 24, 2006 06:45 AM

I think the name does matter.. "Trio" sounds dreadfully functional, even if there's noone in the group
actually called Joseph Holbrooke. I like the idea of a group named after someone else, like Gerry Miles. I
always wanted to write a piece called "James Brown".. probably can't, I guess. He might have copyrighted
his name like Bill Dixon (TM).
Yes, I thought the Miles Mode thing was pretty dull, but the 98 reunion was OK. My reservations principally
concern Bryars, understandably. I quite like what he does, but having heard so many albums with Bailey
and the likes of Barry Guy, Joelle Leandre and especially the AWESOME duet with Maarten Altena on the
Pisa 80, Gavin's work sounds rather lacklustre in comparison. Anyway, we'll see.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at March 24, 2006 09:30 AM

Thanks for the explanation, Dan. One man’s molehill is another man’s mountain.

I hear you on Bryars too, but I don’t think it’s entirely fair to compare him with other bassists in the Bailey
orbit. Again, I can’t speak for the Incus sets, but here I don’t get the sense that he’s trying to match
Bailey or Oxley at all, both of whom are leagues ahead in a setting such as this. Instead, his role is often
more grounding agent and anchor, bringing a more orthodox musicality to the proceedings. He’s got a
gorgeous tone and an often understated approach, especially in contrast to the more rambunctious and
recalcitrant tendencies of his colleagues. At least that’s how I hear it.

Posted by: derek at March 24, 2006 11:35 AM

1209 h l
Bagatellen: Joseph Holbrooke Trio - <I>The Moat Recordings</I> 03/10/06 03:01

"the AWESOME duet with Maarten Altena on the Pisa 80"

-That duo is in fact great. It's great Evan re-issued that since nearly all of it is great, esp. the George
Lewis/Altena/Lovens trio. I think Altena is way under-rated. He has made some monumental duos, two
other great ones are with Kowald and Lacy.
I recently did a study of Derek's duos with bass, His duo with Barre is really amazing it so relaxed you
even wonder if they can play at times!
Another amazing duo is the "3 cd with Simon Fell.
It is true Mr. Bryars, like the rest of us, will pale in comparison to these bassists

Posted by: Damon Smith at March 25, 2006 09:34 AM

I don't have the Pisa 80. Shit looks good!

Altena is a motherfucker; everything I have him on I enjoy a ton. He's super-wigged early, like on Porto
Novo (M. Brown, H. Bennink). I'd like to get those solo LPs on Claxon and ICP as well - Handicaps looks
pretty fun!

Posted by: clifford at March 25, 2006 01:21 PM

"I'd like to get those solo LPs on Claxon and ICP as well - Handicaps looks pretty fun!"
- I think I have them all. They are all great. Handicaps is actually interesting music and not just a
gimmick. "Weavers" with Chrismann and Lovens is pretty amazing as well.
I even like his later composed work, but not as much as his bass playing.

Posted by: Damon Smith at March 25, 2006 01:26 PM

I go back to Altena's ensembles on Rif & Miere, as well as the duos.

Posted by: Jesse at March 25, 2006 02:47 PM

While I haven't made it through the entire Moat Recordings album yet, from what I've heard thus far, I
would say that it exceeds the '98 album in terms of both playing and sound quality. While Bryars may not
have the facility of a Guy or Phillips, as Derek pointed out, he does have a nice sound and his pitch-based
playing provides an interesting contrast to Bailey's and Oxley's percussive and textural approaches on the
cd. Also, after reading Bryars's great liner notes, it becomes more clear that these recordings may have
never seen the light of day if it wasn't for Bryars's persistence and involvement (which is somewhat ironic
considering that Bryars basically turned his back on improv in 1966 after Joseph Holbrooke's last gigs) -
giving me the impression that Bryars was more key to Joseph Holbrooke than I had originally thought.

Posted by: Kristian at March 25, 2006 03:05 PM

I just got it today. The sound quality is really rough, and I am no audiophile.
I can get behind Bryar's playing and approach, the music is certianly different because of it. I can't help
thinking that having someone like Gary Peacock, Anders Jormin or even Drew Gress would have made for
better music in the same vein, obviously without the historical signifigance.

Posted by: Damon Smith at March 27, 2006 05:50 PM

Damon, are you referring to the Tzadik release? If so, I'm thinking you may have a bum copy. Mine
sounds just fine, both on ear goggles & speakers.

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Heard both cd's . The Moat are ok. Very interesting for Oxley as a percussionist. Besides Howard Riley trio
( "Synopsys" and "Overground" on Emanem), the reissue of AlanDavie MW 005 on a:l:l and the a/l/l
Floating Phantoms , there are few Oxley improv recordings available. His quintet with Stabbins, Guy, Riley,
Wachsmann and Hugh Metcalfe has never been recorded and issued, besides the Glider on Bead (with
Wolfy Fuchs).
Hearing this , I find that, in this context, Lovens and Lytton would have been better/ more at home than
Oxley in terms of the whole performance , stories told , the right sound at the right moment etc...
Of course Gavin is taling an anchor role. You guess what John Edwards or Clayton Thomas or Kowald (or
Rogers) would have made.
Someone told about Maarten Altena. Yes heard him often in the seventies. He would have been great in
this context . Have you heard Yoshizawa with Derek in Epiphanies / Company 83 ? Great Track.
The Moat are a rehearsal band. They needed to perform more before recording a better music. There's no
secret. And Oxley who I like a lot (heard the Howard Riley trio in the flesh and bought the lp in 1975 in
Shfatesbury ave, and heard some quintets) is not the best at improv, sorry. Too much sticks !
Fred Van Hove would not have issued cds like these. There is something happening but there are plenty
of Bailey's stuff more satisfying. I was in the Antwerpen's Joseph Hollbrooke 99. First set was dull, second
OK . But when you have flashed at five Parker Lytton sets around 74 - 76 and the great Lovens Lytton
concerts ( I organised the last 86) or as you witnessed Fred Van Hove improvising one long piece during
one hour and fifteen minutes (Wachs/ Mark etc..) I don't say the John Rose Veryan Weston session etc..
you forget this Holbrooke concert ! I heard many Bailey's concerts far more essential than that. He was
better between 73 and 86/87, sorry. Still good but !
Percussion/ guitar wise The Dart Drug tracks with Jamie Muir are beautiful. And the Drops with Centazzo
are compelling.
Sorry if I shock someone. A lot of bla on Bailey but there are a lot of very good improvisors ignored in the
media. Listen to them !!!!!!!! Jean michel VS Waterloo ( 85)...........

Posted by: jean michel vs at April 21, 2006 02:29 PM

I'm seriously disappointed with the Moat set, after two careful listens. Bryars is by far the weakest link, but
I can't say I'm all that blown away by what Bailey & Oxley are doing either. I'm beginning to wonder
whether Joseph Holbrooke is the most hyped thing since Oasis.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 22, 2006 12:26 AM

Speaking of obscure Derek Bailey recordings, my fave is "Views from 6 Windows," Metalanguage 114.
Christine Jeffrey, vocals. It's unhinged even by Derek's standards. Unearthly.

Posted by: djll at April 22, 2006 10:47 AM

Yeah, I can think of at least twenty Bailey albums that are more worthy of being trumpeted than this new
one, and not only with star performers (the Vortices & Angels duos with Butcher on Emanem need some
beating) but also with line-ups that are intrinsically problematic (the Bailey Hautzinger on Grob), and of
course the much vaunted drum'n'bass outing on Avant. My advice to would be punters is to invest in those
before paying out big bucks to get hold of the Moat Recordings, however pretty it might look.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 22, 2006 12:13 PM

I don't own the Bailey-Hautzinger any more. "Problematic" is too kind a word. IMO it was two guys in two
different worlds, never connecting or not connecting in an interesting way.

Another "problematic" Bailey CD is Mirakle with Jamaladeen and Weston -- John Zorn playing Quentin
Tarantino on that one: i.e., putting some of his fetishes in a blender and setting it on "churn."

Posted by: djll at April 22, 2006 07:48 PM

sorry, but I LOVE 'MIrakle.'

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it's all about taste with that one though: either you love hearing "out" stuff on top of more traditional
rhythmic stuff (in this case electric bass driven funk) or you're disgusted by it. i could lie in it all day long

Posted by: unwrinkledear at April 22, 2006 08:15 PM

Yeah Mirakle is great stuff! It actually enticed me into picking up Tacuma's one-disc selection on
Gramavision.... biiig mistake, but nevermind. I like it a lot more than the Ruins collabs.

Is it really true that Views from 6 Windows was nominated for a Grammy? (cf. the Rough Guide to Jazz).

Posted by: ND at April 22, 2006 09:37 PM

Haha, vive la difference.. I love the Hautzinger (exactly Tom, though let me insert a hyphen: "not
connecting - in an interesting way) and absolutely hated the Tacuma. Don't care for the Ruins very much
either.. the only power rock Bailey outings that sound any good to my ears are the Metheny bash - in
veeery small doses - and Arcana). But I think it's great that we all completely disagree! What do you
(Tom, Andrew, Nate) make of the Moat box, then?

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 22, 2006 11:40 PM

Dan, I don't have the Moat box and am unlikely to get it. It sounds like a contrived project -- which is
what I make of Mirakle and Baily/Hautzinger, too, as it happens. The only Hautzinger I've been able to
get with is Brospa.

I do love out stuff over traditional rhythmic stuff. (plug) Hear my "Dream Band" on (Y)earbook 3, on
Rastascan, for proof: a well-regarded AACM saxophonist forced to play over PiL. (/plug)

Posted by: djll at April 23, 2006 12:00 AM

Anybody heard the Bailey duet with Tony Coe on Incus? That's one I'd be interested in checking out.

Posted by: Clay Fink at April 23, 2006 07:12 AM

Wow, tell us how you *really* feel, Dan (Oasis? Yikes!). I’m still digging this one a lot, though moreso for
parts of Disc 2 than Disc 1. Looking forward the promised future installments for sure.

Mirakle is a beaut: Tacuma & Weston setting up the funk pins & Bailey repeatedly rolling strikes with a
shrapnel-studded bowling ball, & I’m a fan of Ballads too. Hell, I even found worth in Carpal Tunnel, so
maybe that further disqualifies me from considered opinion on this thread.

Haven’t heard the Coe confab that Clay mentions, but it sounds terrific on paper.

Posted by: derek at April 23, 2006 08:46 AM

The Oasis line was a reference to the liners I wrote for Potlatch's first release - Bailey Léandre No Waiting
(which dates from about the same time) - but I'm the first to acknowledge Oasis wrote some great songs
(Wonderwall sounds even better in the version by the Mike Flowers Pops). The only thing is they were
determined to be bigger than the Beatles, and when you get that bee in your bonnet you should know
you're going to get stung badly.
Anyway, more on this album in PT in about a month. I'm off to listen to something really good: the new
Potlatch with Dörner, Butcher and Charles, the Robin Hayward on Fringes, Mersault on Quakebasket, and
the new Polwechsel which is absolutely superb.

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Never caught the Oasis bug. Their collective ego struck me as a smoke screen hiding little else. Sounds
like a full plate, Dan. Is that Polwechsel you mention the new one on Hat?

Posted by: derek at April 24, 2006 06:01 AM

Yessir. And mighty fine it is too!

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 24, 2006 08:40 AM

just to answer your query, dan - like tom, i too don't plan on hearing the moat box because i dont plan on
purchasing it.
that new polwechsel though... that could entice me to break my "no music purchases till june" thing. is the
lineup the same as the most recent?

Posted by: unwrinkled at April 24, 2006 03:00 PM

just to answer your query, dan - like tom, i too don't plan on hearing the moat box because i dont plan on
purchasing it.
that new polwechsel though... that could entice me to break my "no music purchases till june" thing. is the
lineup the same as the most recent?

as far as hautzinger, i think his solo disc is unstoppable, and the double disc dachte musik on grob i truly
consider one of the greatest sets released within the last ten years.
funnily, i havent been able to get into brospa. and the two times i've seen him live left me quite mixed.
blown away by the quartet with tilbury, sachiko and werner; nonplussed bya duo with Rilo Chmielorz, who
scraped little pieces of metal and sandpaper stuff in a very "fine art" fashion.

Posted by: unwrinkled at April 24, 2006 03:05 PM

the new Polwechsel is with their new lineup, Stangl has been replaced by Beins and Brandlmayr. I haven't
heard it yet, but I am supposed to be getting some promo copies for US critics (Ollie and Bivins, that
means you).

"the double disc dachte musik on grob i truly consider one of the greatest sets released within the last ten
years. "

just curious, do you know that it was mastered at half speed, meaning the CDs are elongated to twice the
length they were in real time?

Posted by: jon abbey at April 24, 2006 04:43 PM

I will disagree with the critical consensus here and say that I like this two-disc set quite a bit. Derek's
descriptions of it pretty much sum up my feelings--the clashing and cranking of Oxley and Bailey provides
for an interesting soundscape, and I actually like Bryars' playing. Then again, I'm not a huge fan of Bailey
generally speaking, so take it for what it's worth.

Posted by: David Jones at April 24, 2006 06:33 PM

no i didn't know the dachte musik things were slowed down. makes a lot of sense though, and on some
level i probably did know it - just because the flow of it is so off. So the whole thing, every second, is
slowed down to half speed? hmp.

Posted by: unwrinkled at April 26, 2006 09:17 AM

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Yes, it was Radu who requested that. He thought the original was too "gabby".. you could amuse yourself
though by loading the discs into ProTools or SoundForge or something and speeding it up twofold.

I love this thread. So many divergent opinions. That's what it's all about. Did Hautzinger's "Oriental
Space" make it over to where you are, Andrew? That's a tasty one. IMHO..

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 26, 2006 12:48 PM

there was talk about a second volume of Dachte Musik at one point, I believe that was the original plan.

Posted by: jon abbey at April 26, 2006 01:42 PM

As Dan is revelling in all the divergent opinions here, I'll do my part by throwing in that I much prefer
Bailey's collaboration with the Ruins to Mirakle (which I don't care for at all).

Posted by: walto at April 26, 2006 01:54 PM

I was just thinking about throwing dachte musik into my dual cd players tonite and speeding it back up to
realtime (i have one of those dual cd player things for DJs that can do this.) I definitely want to hear it
like this now.

I actually picked up oriental space from mazen kerbaj when i went to that high zero fest last september,
and also like it very much, though i've probably had under twenty listens to it.

have any of you ventured into the early hautzinger, supposedly before he developed his close-miked
technique, et al? I've been told he's unrecognizable compared to his current self.

also, back to bailey - i've always reallly liked that bailey/ wand/ oxley/ thomas stuff on incus, and all the
permutations therein. the soho suites duo with oxley has always floated right over me, so much so that
my attention inevtivaly drifts away withing fifteen minutes and i dont remember anything i heard. after
years of listens, i still dont have any opinion about those recordings because i just havent been able to
hear it when its playing!

Posted by: unwrinkled at April 26, 2006 03:42 PM

"have any of you ventured into the early hautzinger?" Not on disc, but I have seen him play straight & v
well with Kurzmann's big band Orchester 33 1/3 and with his own Regenorchester funk laptop outfit in
Lisbon two years ago (with Fennesz, Karl Ritter, Helge Hinteregger, Luc Ex and Alex Deutsch).
Jeez Andrew if you've managed 20 listens to Oriental Space you're doing just fine. I wonder how many
times you've made it through Dachte Musik! I can't remember the last time I played something twenty
times..! But the new Donald Fagen is already in double figures, and I expect the new Scott Walker will be
too, when I get my hands on it.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 26, 2006 09:41 PM

Thanks for the tip-off on "Views from 6 windows". Sounds interesting. Must check out the Hautzinger duo
too.

Anyone heard the Gospel Album? The first and last tracks on it are really beautiful. Sounds much like how
I always hoped Acid Mothers Temple might sound, only they never did. The rest a bit half-baked and
zany.

String Theory is another odd corner of the Bailey oeuvre. Probably the closest thing to reductionist improv
he was ever involved in. It's almost completely ignored in Ben Watson's biography, possibly for that
reason.

Posted by: matt at April 27, 2006 02:01 AM

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"It's almost completely ignored in Ben Watson's biography"

-- along with just about everything else..

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 27, 2006 03:20 AM

""It's almost completely ignored in Ben Watson's biography"

-- along with just about everything else.."

-Henry Kaiser does a talking review of that terrible book on his new cd on my label. Watson seems to be
more sinister than ignorant, ready to just just re-write history any time he feels like it as oppossed to
some of the other critics who have just been too lazy to research the music.
Double Bassist magazine had a problem reviewing improvised music for years, stiff classical guys who did
not get it. I sent them Peter N. Wilson's contact. He was only able to get in an article on Fernando Grillo
before he passed.
Unfortunately they have Watson now.
In an article on Simon Fell ( who's bass playing I have been really enjoying lately) Watson says the IST
along with "radu malfatti's Polwechsel" are responsible of the whole lower case thing.

Posted by: damon smith at April 27, 2006 12:56 PM

I've noticed an inordinate amount of antipathy directed toward Ben Watson by people on this site,
particularly by Mr. Warburton. While I do not always agree with Mr. Watson's opinions, he is by any
measure an interesting and provocative writer. With due respect, much of the criticism aimed at him
comes off as sour grapes, at least from the pertspective of someone like me who's just an interested
observer to the contempo music scene.

Posted by: Kevin Michael Waite at April 27, 2006 04:37 PM

"I've noticed an inordinate amount of antipathy directed toward Ben Watson by people on this site,
particularly by Mr. Warburton. While I do not always agree with Mr. Watson's opinions, he is by any
measure an interesting and provocative writer."

- Maybe if he got his facts straight the agenas he pushes would be interesting and provacative. As it is he
just comes off as a hack to anyone who has put any time into studying this music.
He never did anything to me but poorly report on subjects I am interested in, no sour grapes here.
On the otherhand Warbuton seems to put his time into researching the music. No one is perfect, but to
me he is one of the best and most serious writers out there and seems to work very hard.
I'd imagine Watson for him is like when I hear a really terrible bassist getting a lot of play.
What I love about bags and the internet in general is that critics are welcome to churn out poorly
researched/agenda pushing dribble, but it is no longer the final word.

Posted by: Damon Smith at April 27, 2006 06:49 PM

I've gotta agree with Mr. Smith on this one, and rather emphatically. With regards to Ben Watson, what a
lot of folks find problematic is not necessarily the conclusions he draws but the bilious tone. Oh, and the
dime-store theorizing is just embarassing; Watson often sounds like an undergrad geeked by the Adorno
he's just read.

Posted by: Jason at April 27, 2006 08:21 PM

I understand what you mean. But I think what separates Watson from the average person who posts on
this and other internet sites is that he's obviously a talented *writer*. That's why he's writing for
publication. We, on the other hand, are spewing for zero compensation, simply out of love for the music.
I'm no expert, but it seems to me that it's not enough to know a subject if one is to be a critic. One must
be able to make his points in a compelling manner. One must know how to use language creatively. The
people who are able to do so are more likely to get the "final word". The rest of us are just thrashing
about, preaching to the choir, as it were. Whether we like it or not, Ben Watson's writings ultimately carry

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more weight than anything we post here.

Posted by: Kevin Michael Waite at April 27, 2006 08:30 PM

I'm sure Watson would spell agenda correctly unlike me. I'd call Warburton, Art Lange, Markus Mueller
and Peter N. Wilson talented writers in terms of improvised music.
Being a good writer without having a good grasp on your subject, or conciously twisting it to fit your needs
might equal a talent but of a different kind.
I think there a enough scholars of this music who can form sentences better than an improvising bass
player to choose from. The publications he writes for should know better.

Posted by: damon smith at April 27, 2006 09:37 PM

"Whether we like it or not, Ben Watson's writings ultimately carry more weight than anything we post here."
Really? With whom? Where? Who's he writing for these days? Hi Fi News? He seems to have stopped
writing for The Wire. By the way, I invited Ben to publish a reply to my review of his book, but never heard
anything back. As you all know, I thought his Bailey book was seriously disappointing, a real lost
opportunity (especially now that Bailey is no longer around), and I said so in no uncertain terms. I wasn't
alone in thinking what I thought. But that doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed a lot of Ben's writing, and I'm
enjoying the new CD he's curated on Sonic Arts Network, Frankfurter Ahnung.
FYI, several years back Eugene Chadbourne took Ben to task in Signal To Noise, and I wrote a piece by
way of reply that was never printed, but here's the final paragraph:
"As for writers with an attitude – David Toop invented the wonderful adjective "attitudinous" in a review of a
Tricky album some years back – like our own Ben Watson (whose facts are rarely called into question:
what irks people is the spin Ben likes to put on them), well, you either subscribe to the agenda or you
don't. Anyone who's read Ben's work often enough will be aware by now of his self-styled revolutionary
agenda; what's amusing is the lengths he sometimes has to go to to ensure his heroes (particularly the
wacky triumvirate of Theodor Adorno, Frank Zappa and Johnny "Guitar" Watson) don't get tarred by the
brush he wields with such Franz Kline abandon. Though some of it makes my hair sometimes stand on
end too (I think the editors at The Wire finally asked me to write for them to stop having to send me free
CDs for the many irate letters of mine they published attacking Ben), the following extract from Ben's
review of two recently reissued Shannon Jackson albums makes it all worthwhile: "As for the drummer...
William Hooker's good, Susie Ibarra is fine, Paul Hession is great, but there's something about Shannon
that kills you. [..] You realise why certain records by Ayler and Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Peter
Brötzmann and Bill Laswell stand out: they've got Shannon shaking the ground the musicians walk on."
Now that makes your hair stand on end for the right reason. It's the voice of a man who, like everyone
reading and writing for this magazine (I hope!) absolutely loves the music and finds his/her life richer and
better for it. If I didn't already have the albums in question, I'd rush out and get them. And that's
precisely what good music journalism should make you want to do."

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 27, 2006 10:30 PM

I suppose I just meant that he's widely published, and that, for better or worse, the printed word seems to
carry more authority than internet BBS posts.

Posted by: Kevin Michael Waite at April 28, 2006 05:13 AM

kevin - if you think ben watson is a talented "*writer*" i highly recommend extending your reading range
outside the realm of music journalism.

i genuinely feel pain for your shallow soul since you think that he uses language creatively. keep in mind
that i am voicing a completely personal opinion that no doubt represents me as an asshole, but i
seriously feel sorry for you.

Posted by: unwrinkled at April 28, 2006 10:41 AM

Thank you for your heartfelt concern, Mr. Unwrinkled. I just remembered why I quit posting here.

Posted by: Kevin Michael Waite at April 28, 2006 10:52 AM

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"brush he wields with such Franz Kline abandon"

- Many of those Kline paintings are more metiulous than they appear. For many of them he projected
enlarged versions of his small single brush strokes and copied them on that larger scale.
I'd campare him more to the Austrian Painter Arnulf Rainer who "overpainted" historical paintings.

Posted by: damon smith at April 28, 2006 11:42 AM

Yes Damon, I was wondering about that line when I reread that this morning..

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 28, 2006 12:26 PM

i know kevin - honest opinions are painful.

Posted by: unwrinkled at April 28, 2006 02:38 PM

What's painful and puzzling is the unremitting bitterness on constant display here. Why are so many
people who post here so angry? To a relative outsider like myself, it's glaring. Maybe you guys don't
notice it because you're used to it, but my goodness, if people related to each other face to face the way
the posters on this site do, the world would come to a quick and bloody end.

While we're at it, why do so many of you neglect to capitalize words like "I" or proper nouns or the first
word in a sentence? It's not something I've encountered elsewhere, and it seems too prevalent here to be
coincidental. Is there some connection between no-caps and the anger?

Anyway, I'll bow out. I'm not a member of your family, and I've no right to tell you how to raise your kids.
Take care.

Posted by: Kevin Michael Waite at April 28, 2006 04:26 PM

The funny thing is reading that Dan Warburton thinks he's a better writer than Ben Watson. That's what
this has come to?

How many platforms does Warburton need to work his agenda? He has his own webzine, he writes for the
Wire and then he posts whatever he wants here. At least Watson's agenda is political.

Musicians should write about their own music. Derek Bailey did
that. Read his own words in interviews and his book, not the impressions of writers.

Posted by: Joe Morris at April 28, 2006 06:30 PM

yep, Kevin, there's a lot of bullshit here, and some unfriendly people too. While I can't always ignore the
bullshit, I do my best with breezing past the pompous attitudes and holier than thou opinionating. But
anyone's a fool to let their own peeves obscure the value in the content here on the whole, "published"
and in comments.

I have to wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that a person who makes ends with regular writing gigs in
theory has more to offer than the people here or any other "lesser" publication. There is a lot of passion
in these pages and elsewhere that would otherwise be chopped out in the first revision of a professional
journal submission. To compare amateur internet publishing to established circulating rags is like garage
music to 64 track studio products. Why bother?

back to the deep.

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"The funny thing is reading that Dan Warburton thinks he's a better writer than Ben Watson."
Firstly, where have you read that, Joe? Secondly, why is it funny, and thirdly, what makes you so sure
that's what I think?
"How many platforms does Warburton need to work his agenda?"
WHAT agenda? I'm only writing what I think about music, musicians and music journalists, and that's
exactly what you and everyone else here is or should be doing too. No hidden agenda, no secret plans to
take over the world. On the other hand, it seems you do have an agenda of sorts, which is to jump in any
thread here you can with the express intention of bitching and moaning about me or Nate Dorward.
"At least Watson's agenda is political."
Perhaps some of the more committed Marxists who post here would like to comment on that. I'm afraid I
haven't spent much time reading Adorno since I was at university, and didn't enjoy reading him then very
much.
"Musicians should write about their own music."
Yes, we know how you react when somebody writes something about your music that YOU don't like.
Anyway, Ben Watson digs your albums so that's fine.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at April 28, 2006 10:26 PM

"On the other hand, it seems you do have an agenda of sorts, which is to jump in any thread here you
can with the express intention of bitching and moaning about me or Nate Dorward."

Don't be so self-centered. I have posted plenty on this site that had nothing to do with either of you.
What I have written about you and Dorward was relevant from my point of view.

I'm not defending Watson. We all have issues with him and his poitics. Musicians who have issues with
Ben feel that you and Dorward are nearly the same as him, without the politics. Really. That's why what
you wrote is so funny. When you ask" Who's he writing for these days? Hi Fi News?". People ask similar
things about you and Dorward. Who are you guys and where do you get off writing the stuff you write?

It is amazing that you have your own web site but you use this one to publish something about Ben
Watson that didn't make the cut in print years ago,(even if it's a compliment) where of course he might
have been able to read it. You do that kind of thing a lot here and then you spout off about "music
journalism" like you are the dean of music journalism. It seems that you use this web site to get a second
shot at subjects you missed on before. You didn't get the ultimate word in on the subject so you will do it
here.

It is also amazing that you are willing to publish critical pieces about any musician, say anything you want
to say about anyone, but you have a hissy fit whenever you are criticized. Dorward goes berserk.

Posted by: Joe Morris at April 29, 2006 07:05 AM

My biggest trouble with Watson is the willful bending of historical facts to push both his musical and
political agendas.
Another quote from his Simon Fell artitcle in double bassist:

"When most people 'compose' for improvisers they supply broad outlines. Fell, on the otherhand writes
detailed charts, replete with the weird obsessionalism of composers like Webern and Messian"

Sounds innocent enough, except it is British writer, writing about a British double bass player, for a British
double bass magazine AND the fact that the most prominent other British musician 'composing' is a British
double bass player named Barry Guy whose scores redefine meticulous.
http://www.barryguy.com/composition/graphic/index.html

The Bailey book is full this kind of thing. I should say again, I have been listen to Fell a lot, he is a really
fine bass player and there are several new cds where he is just amazing.

The political stuff I can ignore, a lot of my other reading is essays on visual art, half of those writers are
pushing some half baked political agenda, so I have learned to ignore it pretty well.

Posted by: damon smith at April 29, 2006 09:41 AM

Bending of historical facts is a widespread epidemic. Revisionism (or is it a lack of knowledge) used to

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press one's position is everywhere in the writing about improvised music.

I don't see how those words about Simon reflect in any way on Barry Guy though. Simon is a really great
musician with tremendous compositional skills.

Years ago Ben really tried to push the heck out of Simon. He caught a lot of flack for that, but Simon has
gone on to prove that he
deserved the praise.

Posted by: Joe Morris at April 29, 2006 10:25 AM

By almost any reasonable criteria, I would say that Watson is not a good writer. I bought the Bailey
biography and didn't find it particularly provocative or interesting. Maybe Watson's other work shows him in
a better light, but I thought the Bailey book was just terrible.

Posted by: David Jones at April 29, 2006 07:47 PM

Hm, I think that Dan once remarked in the little interview that accompanied the release of the first Return
of the New Thing disc that some musicians (his example was John Zorn) were good "stepping stones" for
listeners new to experimental musics. In other words, they can lure in listeners, whereas other (equally or
more) notable players might not. Watson is sort of the same thing, I feel: yes, there's a lot that's wrong,
or wrong-headed, in his writing, yet its passion and obsessiveness come alive on the page, especially for
someone just getting into the music. Haven't read any of his music crit for ages (including the Bailey
book)--not sure what I'd make of it now. Probably groan about the cartoon polemics & offhand
pseudohistory & so forth. But I guess it matters when you encounter it (actually I first encountered him as
a poet and performer, at the CCCP poetry conference, in duo with Simon Fell--& also picked up his little
Equipage book 28 Sliverfish Macronix, which you could say stands in the same relation to John Wilkinson as
Eugene Chadbourne to Derek Bailey). And I suppose I like music crit to be entertaining & irritating.

Posted by: ND at April 29, 2006 11:11 PM

it's funny when people talk about ben watson's political agenda when the thing he's doing is he's using
political analysis in his writing (thus making his approach philosophical and not political). i find Dan's
positive involvement with the music (the position he's chosen to put himself into) much more political, at
least that's how it looks like from where i am (Greece - my only connection with this world is the internet &
the mail-order network). The problems with Watson arise when he's using his analysis to put through his
opinions -letting the analysis guide him would be a more sound method. i do miss his eugene
chadbourne reviews on the wire though.

another funny thing is when people mistake this commentary for live dialogue ("would you say the same
thing in the guy's face..."). it just doesnt work that way

Posted by: Kostis Kilimis at April 30, 2006 03:01 AM

sheesh, you guys! i have the bailey book and it didn't bother me that much. it's just some guy's biased
take on derek's life. sure it contains dubious political tangents. sure it doesn't really actually talk about
the actual music very much. sure, evan parker and john stevens don't really exist in its scope. sure, there
is a bunch of alleged errors (not sure which ones though - i'll ask kaiser tomorrow - i know a pretty good
amount amount music in general and nothing in particular made me vomit with rage!) . . .

i'm glad i read it, rather than didn't read it. it filled up some hours of my time with fun. i wasn't expecting
the book to be some kind of final word on anything, just some potentially trivia-filled entertainment, which
i believe it succeeds at being.
i guess it's all about expectations. i just didn't find the book to be this completely ignorant, useless piece
of shit which some of you have pegged it as being. to each their own . . .

ww

Posted by: weasel walter at April 30, 2006 05:55 AM

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i might add that i've had violent reactions to shoddy, inept music writing before - and the derek bailey
book was not it.

ww

Posted by: weasel walter at April 30, 2006 06:04 AM

ND writes "And I suppose I like music crit to be entertaining & irritating".

Now this is something I respect in people. Watson never hides behind a curtain of respectability (or as
Han Bennink calls it artsy-fartsy music). He is a screaming street-corner revolutionary by his own account.
He tries to irritate. He admits it. Most of the time he knows which musicians are on the same corner, in the
musical sense.

Ben Watson has written some very accurate and nice things about my music and some really dumb things
that suggested that he knew what I ought to play more than I did. I thanked him when he was right and
nice and I busted him when he wasn't.

Posted by: Joe Morris at April 30, 2006 07:44 AM

Thought I’d add a coda.

Went to the John Zorn “Tribute to Derek Bailey” concert last Saturday night. Oxley, Bryars, Laswell, George
Lewis, Milford Graves, Mike Patton and Zorn himself played in various combinations à la Company Week.
The most interesting music came from a trio of Oxley, Bryars and Lewis, and from Bryars and Lewis in
duet. Bryars didn’t appear to adapt – stylistically – one jot all night: he stuck to a measured pace and
used nothing anyone would call extended technique. But it was a notable contrast to the rest of the gig
(largely directionless playing-for-the-sake-of-playing). Arguably had more in common with Bailey’s practice
(doggedness of attitude) than the self-conscious zaniness of much of the gig. I won’t mention Laswell’s
hideously 80s FX-pedalorama.

Posted by: matt at June 19, 2006 06:23 AM

"Ben Watson has written some very accurate and nice things about my music and some really dumb
things that suggested that he knew what I ought to play more than I did. I thanked him when he was right
and nice and I busted him when he wasn't. "

Indeed ... he was lovely to link me with Polwechsel and shit in the late 90 ´s and that helped me a lot out
of it

the thing is : we all need a Ben Watson around BUT as far as you dont mistake him for someone else ... (
and that particular point seems THE misunderstanding ) -

it should always be so that you could have a A + a B + Z and a C and altogether that makes a HAPPY
WOLD full of lively Contradictions !
( is what we need )

Take Care
n

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 19, 2006 08:23 AM

The Moat Recordings by Joseph Holbrooke ... (no trio, he) ... were classic Oxley and classic Bailey, as
those of us who were listening 40 years ago well know. Unfortunately for the double-bass, they were also
classic Bryars. Barry Guy must have winced.

Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at June 19, 2006 12:53 PM

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But not really ...i think the whole particularity from the trio since start was precisely that each of them
brought and covered a different field ... it s never been 3 = 1 but : 1+1+1

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 19, 2006 10:50 PM

Those Alteena Claxons are absolutely amazing and absolutely impossible to find.

Posted by: Michael Schaumann at June 20, 2006 01:00 PM

"Those Alteena Claxons are absolutely amazing and absolutely impossible to find."
- I think I have them all, they are great. I paid around $7-15 in shops and $20-30 from ebay and Pinnotti.
He was a really under rated bass player.

Posted by: damon smith at June 20, 2006 04:31 PM

''In an article on Simon Fell ( who's bass playing I have been really enjoying lately) Watson says the IST
along with "radu malfatti's Polwechsel" are responsible of the whole lower case thing.''

This statement is clearly exaggerated, but there is after all some thruth in it, at least that Fell's trios like
IST and VHF were important in forming an aesthetic later terribly labeled ''new London silence''. I have
always felt that his role in it was a bit unrecognized ...

Posted by: lukaz at June 21, 2006 03:45 AM

or maybe just kept SILENT as well ?

best
n

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 21, 2006 04:26 AM

a "tribute to derek bailey" featuring "mike patton"? WTF!? you mean that guy with the mullet that sings in
faith no more? what, did zorn give this clown a derek bailey record last week or what? gimme a fuckin'
break.

oh, no, pardon me . . . now he's the guy that's a genius because he did a solo album in his hotel room . .
. great. whatever. yea "tributes"!

ww

Posted by: weasel walter at June 21, 2006 04:37 AM

As we say where I come from, "jobs for the boys"..

You're better off where you are, Weasel. (But I did like Mr Bungle)

Posted by: Dan Warburton at June 21, 2006 07:17 AM

ha ha ha.

you want mike patton to jam with bill dixon at victoriaville - and everybody wins!

ww

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Posted by: weasel walter at June 21, 2006 05:56 PM

Common .... Mike Patton with the same line up on the Ligeti tribute at Tonic is just perfect

i m sure you all heard the story of Zorn wanting to do a Great Jewish Composers album on Dave Brubeck ?

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 21, 2006 09:41 PM

..yeah until he found out he wasn't Jewish..!

Posted by: Dan Warburton at June 21, 2006 10:39 PM

More and more I respect Zorn's experience and have learned to respect him for where he is today:
someone who has spent the last 20+ years playing with great players and composing for great ensembles.
however, that just makes the "let's Throw Patton into the mix with some great players " joke all the more
tired.

I did not like Mr. Bungle or the even more unforgivable Faith No More, even when Rap-Metal was "in" the
first time.

Posted by: damon smith at June 21, 2006 11:52 PM

I do respect Zorn for many many things

it aint a question at all
i just find one can also be critical when it comes to clear non-sense and not swallow all just cause there s a
serious amount of religiosity when it comes down music discussed around here

again we do criticize or praise pieces or gestures , in all cases it s an IT and not just private or personal (
or if then i would insist we clearly name who and sign )

in this case it s definetely not the first time Zorn s putting together collage of names that may be funny
on the poster but not work as musical experience ... When Derek was playing to Drums & Bass on London
pirate Radio it was seriously something else than the record who came out with not quiet the right person
in front

and nothing wrong to say that Brubeck s huge nose is maybe a little short of a judgment to include him in
a serie like that

i guess "ROCK AROUND THE BUNKER" from Gainsbourg was far more transgressive

no ?

best
n

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 22, 2006 12:23 AM

It s all a bit like wearing a Che Guevarra Tee shirt or a Bob Marley one just cause it looks cool ... in some
cases Zorn s links out of serious interraction are more annoying and disturbing than anything esle (
Duras, Sade, Houdini etc )

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Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 22, 2006 12:27 AM

Just found a copy of that Dave Brubecki with Braxton on Konitz on alto .....

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 22, 2006 12:49 AM

Weasel Walter said: a "tribute to derek bailey" featuring "mike patton"? WTF!? you mean that guy with
the mullet that sings in faith no more? what, did zorn give this clown a derek bailey record last week or
what? gimme a fuckin' break.

Damon Smith said : More and more I respect Zorn's experience and have learned to respect him for
where he is today: someone who has spent the last 20+ years playing with great players and composing
for great ensembles. However, that just makes the "let's Throw Patton into the mix with some great
players" joke all the more tired. I did not like Mr. Bungle or the even more unforgivable Faith No More,
even when Rap-Metal was "in" the first time.

----------

I guess you’re all referring to the recent Derek Bailey live tribute at Barbican, London that featured Zorn
with George Lewis, Tony Oxley, Gavin Bryars, Milford Graves, Bill Laswell and Mike Patton, right? Anybody
went to this show? I would be curious to hear about that…

That being said, the guest list comes as no real surprise to me as Zorn was curating this particular event,
am I right? So once again he threw a bunch of seemingly unrelated (?) and legendary (??) players on a
stage, so what? He seems to be doing just that every time he does a Cobra performance for instance.
Plus in this case all players kind of make sense as far as their connection to Bailey is concerned. Even
Laswell who had him included in his dreadful “Arcana” project, quite unfortunately... As for Patton, I really
don’t know: he seems to have been Zorn’s protégé for a while now and he’s often part of his recordings
and other all-star collaborations. It certainly doesn’t excuse anything though… Thinking of it I guess I
prefer hearing Patton’s stuff than Laswell space-prog-deep-funk-fusion-my-ass bass playing, IMHO of
course.

As I said I’d be glad if someone could report any impressions from this Barbican show.

And thanks to Weasel and Damon for enlightening me: I didn’t know that mullets and rap-metal were “in”
at some point! I was probably trapped in a space time warp back then…

Posted by: Jean-Claude Gevrey at June 22, 2006 08:21 AM

Oops! I just saw Matt’s earlier comment (June 19) which basically answers my question. Should read the
entire thread before asking… Any other take on this performance? Any battle royale between Oxley and
Graves???

Posted by: Jean-Claude Gevrey at June 22, 2006 08:31 AM

Mullets have never been "out." You just travel in the wrong circles.

Posted by: pdf at June 22, 2006 10:36 AM

"Thinking of it I guess I prefer hearing Patton’s stuff than Laswell space-prog-deep-funk-fusion-my-ass

bass playing, IMHO of course."
-Yes, but Laswell's bass playing in Last Exit, Painkiller and on "Lowlife" amoung other releases is better
and more serious than anything Patton could ever imagine doing.

Posted by: damon smith at June 22, 2006 10:38 AM

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>better and more serious than anything Patton could ever imagine doing

At least two of the Fantomas records (the debut and Suspended Animation) are excellent, and very
"serious." Check 'em out with open mind/ears sometime. He's occasionally onto something. The new
Moonchild disc on Tzadik (though it's credited to Zorn, the guilty parties are Patton, Trevor Dunn and Joey
Baron) is also very good. And Painkiller was only good through Execution Ground; everything since has been
shit.

Posted by: pdf at June 22, 2006 10:57 AM

Case in point.

Posted by: damon smith at June 22, 2006 12:01 PM

Agreed. Laswell’s contribution on “Execution Ground” is essential. That’s Painkiller’s masterpiece and
Laswell is certainly accountable for most of its ultra heavy dense slow-moving sound. Last Exit was a great
outfit too, even though appointing any other bass player wouldn’t had hurt the music too much I think…
Except that, I’ve never been too convinced by most of the other stuff from him that I now of: countless
dub, funk, metal, drum’n’bass, ambient and “world music” projects and usually a heavily-produced
“fusion” (oh I hate this word) of all the above. Also, I saw him live 3 times (Painkiller 2003, Method of
Defiance & Purple Trap 2005) and each time I was REALLY saying just one thing to myself: knock it off
with that damn “cry baby” pedal of yours!!! Got a headache just remembering it… Any suggestion of a
decent Laswell recording where he does not feel compelled to use 200% of his arsenal of phony effects?

Posted by: Jean-Claude Gevrey at June 22, 2006 12:37 PM

I think "Lowlife" the duo with Brotzmann is really good.

Laswell is not without problems, but bass guitar is so rare in improvised music and he is one of the few to
do anything at all with it.

Posted by: damon smith at June 22, 2006 02:29 PM

"a "tribute to derek bailey" featuring "mike patton"? WTF!? you mean that guy with the mullet that sings
in faith no more? what, did zorn give this clown a derek bailey record last week or what? gimme a fuckin'
break.

oh, no, pardon me . . . now he's the guy that's a genius because he did a solo album in his hotel room . .
. great. whatever. yea "tributes"!

ww"

yeah, i mean fantomas, naked city, flying lutterbachers, mr bungle ... who needs that pretentious shit
anyway.

Posted by: tk at June 22, 2006 03:24 PM

Tongue in cheek, Tomas?

What is this, let's all dump on Patton? I don't care for Faith No More very much but I enjoyed Mr Bungle
and Fantomas Suspended Animation. (Not as much as the Flying Luttenbachers though..) Phil's Wire piece
on Patton gives some good general background. Anyway, in several days the long awaited reissue of
Topography of the Lungs will be here to take my mind off such weighty debates ;-)

Posted by: Dan Warburton at June 22, 2006 09:59 PM

"Topography of the Lungs "will be here to take my mind off such weighty debates ;-)"

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INDEED !

and there s some AMANDA LEAR reissues and singles coming too ( BillLaswell-less altough could have
worked ) - Laswell , the Motorhead one he produced is really someting ..... and the Celluloid ones with
Manu Dibango too

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 23, 2006 02:54 AM

dan - i like patton. i just think it's lame and really easy to bitch about him (cause he's a "star", you
know). i've read other post of ww, where he was asking for respect... so where is that respect now, mister?

Posted by: tk at June 23, 2006 03:37 AM

I saw a Faith No More concert something like 9 years ago (yeah I was young and didn't listen to jazz and
improv at that time, didn't know about improv anyway back then !) and I thought that Patton was a pretty
amazing rock singer ...

And I was pretty surprised when quite a few years later I saw his name alongside Zorn's.

If Patton can bring avant-rock fans to improv and that kind of music, I think it's something bag's writers
should be happy with ... A lot of improv and avant-garde music advocates complain that there is not
enough people listening to that kind of music and going to concert and stuff... there is an amazing
number of Patton fan websites on the net and these guys are tracking every new appearance of Patton,
offering free bootlegs to anyone who's interested... if Patton fans can get to listen to George Lewis and
other improv guys that way, or by going to concerts, everyone should be happy with that ! It's a win-win
deal : Patton gets a credibility and free-prov musicians get a new public.

Bailey was always interested with meeting new musicians with different backgrounds, so why not Patton
anyway ?

And concerning Zorn, I have been quite a fan for the 7 last years, and that's through his music that I got
to know Fred Frith, Bailey, Chadbourne, Haino, and many other musician ... And I discovered Bagatellen
something like 2 years ago when I was searching info about him on the internet ... so even if you don't
like some aspects of his work, I beleive that no one can dismiss his enormous influence on the jazz /
free-prov / avant-garde music scene for the past 25 years.

Best

Posted by: vinz at June 23, 2006 05:34 AM

Good points, Vinz. Yes, if Mike Patton's work functions as a bridge for folk to cross over into the wild and
woolly world of Weasel Walter (et al), all the better.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at June 23, 2006 06:25 AM

> If Patton can bring avant-rock fans to improv and that kind of music, I think it's something bag's writers
should be happy with

No "serious" person wants that kind of fan to show up and pollute the aesthetic atmosphere. Why, they'd
probably come down looking to be "entertained," or talk during a performance, or want a beer during the
show, or something equally vulgar. Worse, they might not know how very deferential and reverent they're
supposed to be in the presence of the venerable geniuses of the non-idiomatic improvised music scene.
No, the very idea of the hoi polloi sullying improv gigs with their hairy-knuckled presence is abhorrent. Far
better to perform once or twice a year for the same dozen people who "really get it," until they all die off
(performers and attendees alike), knowing in their final moments just how right they were, all along.

Posted by: pdf at June 23, 2006 12:26 PM

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Phil--well, I wouldn't swear that there aren't some smug snobbish types out there, but until you can
produce some evidence they're actually in the majority it'd be nice to have the stereotypes toned down.
Most musicians & fans I know are happy to see a full crowd.

Posted by: ND at June 23, 2006 09:04 PM

Two tickets for the next Taku Sugimoto concert comin your way Phil

Posted by: Dan Warburton at June 23, 2006 10:38 PM

" No "serious" person wants that kind of fan ..."

no thanks .... maybe YOU wanna have "seriosoity" police officers in front of improvised music clubs ?

"youngsters and mixed feelings UNWANTED"

WE ARE CHURCH , OUR PEOPLE ONLY" ?

sounds lovely and warm

take care ( both ways )

n

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 24, 2006 02:38 AM

Wow, so I can blame Patton when those types show up to gigs?

Seriously, it can actually be a problem.
Trying to play acoustic improvised music is certainly a lot easier
for 5 quiet beard strokers than few hundred talking, drinking hipsters.
If have to choose I'll take the beard strokers. Since there is no money to speak of, most of the time I
just want the performance environment to be right.
Luckily there seems to be a middle ground.
It is true people like Patton bring people into the music.
Does that mean we have to pretend he is as serious as Phil Minton?
I took a listen to his recent projects on myspace - sounds like slightly more modern numetal and rap
metal.
I have no problems with people wanting to branch out from other genres into improvised muisc I just think
there needs to be some improvment over time...
10 + years on and still being the wacky rock wildcard is just not enough.

Posted by: damon smith at June 24, 2006 10:13 AM

From the show in question, I have to admit I sort of like it:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M-6CKkZ8YZQ&search=%22mike%20patton%22

Posted by: damon smith at June 24, 2006 10:21 AM

There are some extracts from the Barbican concert that can be heard on the BBC website until next Friday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzon3/index.shtml

Not the best bits in my opinion, but Zorn's playing is at least a lot more detailed than it sounded to me at
the gig.

Posted by: matt at June 25, 2006 02:48 AM

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"It is true people like Patton bring people into the music. "

Definetely yes and this doesnt mean i personally like or not but just that it is a fact

the same way Sonic Youth or Jim O Rourke did for sure open it up to other and younger people

Does that mean we have to pretend he is as serious as Phil Minton?

That s a matter of judgment and personal taste i guess, i dont have to put down X or Y just cause i
consider W or Z ... BETTER
i m sure you d find plenty of examples .. just enough SERIOUS straight Ahead Jazz Players who ll consider
your Improv Heroes cant play shit when it comes down to Changes or The Blues ... all that sounds an
endless discussion and i think goes nowhere
cause each one can says NO to the other on his own "Serious" Basis ...

Just think for someone who s into Fantomas or some other rather Rock music that passing the door of an
improvised music club for the first where most the afficionados will look tat him or her like : WHAT THE
FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE ? is not quiet happening ...

should you consider John Stevens a clown because he s never been only into and not strictly Improvised
music only ? or Han Bennink for playing Swing ? or etc ?

and etc ...

you can always be the Clown of someone else it s pretty easy ... it does mean you ARE one actually

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 25, 2006 03:34 AM

its like big playground, many people, some stick some much together, others wander from there to there,
some are alone... some are fighting or playing some games, mmmhhh; and there are the clowns also,
there are older people younger ones, and there s space enough for all that, and linking is good, not
licking, it depends what in fact... or maybe its like a playground at primary school

clown does show to others that they are the clowns, the others not the clown himself he s not really a
clown, for kids i think its different, it rather shows them that adults are the clowns, in fact, because the
clowns they know its a comedy

nan chais pas... prrrrt

Posted by: Bellenger at June 25, 2006 04:59 AM

so improv gigs in a sense are closer in their presentation, audience situation to orchestra concerts, like i
mean what is called classsical musical, or contemporary... opposed to jazz with a club ambiance, bar
glasses chattering... and or rock with the crowd more or less excited, but hot and humid.... yes extremes
differences, maybe more mix required in general no?

Posted by: Bellenger at June 25, 2006 05:06 AM

or not more mix... just space for everyone without exclusion... maybe that sounds somehow;;... what
humanist, no because i dont feel like... euh.. dreamy... about the world

Posted by: Bellenger at June 25, 2006 05:11 AM

I ve never particulalry liked circus but somehow i feel like saying

TOM CORA

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was such a great CLOWN ( in the most and deepest and all senses of the term )

( IN MEMORIAM )

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 25, 2006 12:42 PM

while something else is

we re also surrounded by people makiing Puppets or Clones of themseleves

if ever that would be Funny alright ........

but in most cases in find it pathetic

and Improv or Free has its good share as much as any other scene, community

i guess "Serious" s never been a Genre nor a sign of being part of ...

just as IMPROVISING

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 25, 2006 12:53 PM

Enjoy Gustaffson as much a Brecker or Lockjaw Davis

and compare Eminem to better to Sinatra

cause they re the same function ....

I LOVE Phil Minton the same as Carmen Mc Rae or Eye ....

whatever

Posted by: Akchote Noel at June 25, 2006 12:58 PM

I never said people should only play improvised music, I guess my point is that when people come into
another form of music than what they normally do they need to take is seriously and do the do the work it
takes to play it well.
As was pointed out above the exchange is:
Improvisors get more audience, the Rockstar get artistic credibilty.
That is only a fair exchance if good music is made.
Anyway, I found that youtoube clip and I liked what he was doing.....

Posted by: damon smith at June 25, 2006 05:43 PM

http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/reviews/001209.html
The British Library Sound Archive Catalo 15/10/06 01:13

record 2 of 2 for search "Derek Bailey interview, 1998"

Derek Bailey interview, 1998

Mark Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (speaker, male; interviewee)
Nearby items Collection title: Richard Leigh donation
on shelf Item title: Derek Bailey interview, 1998
Same Speaker: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005 (speaker, male;
search on interviewee)
British Library Speaker: Leigh, Richard (speaker, male; interviewer)
website
Interviewee notes: Improvised music guitarist Derek Bailey interviewed at his
home by Richard Leigh. Total duration approx. 2 hours 20
minutes
Recording date: 1998
Recording location: London
Recordist: R. Leigh
Item notes: This interview was partially transcribed in Opprobrium
magazine (New Zealand) from an audio copy which had
been edited by Derek Bailey. This is the complete, unedited
interview.
Subject: Improvisation (Music)
Name as subject: Bailey, Derek, 1930-2005
FIND FORMAT: 1CDR0025238
FIND FORMAT: 2CDR0019932

Holdings
RECORDING Copies Material Location
1CDR0025238 D1-D2 1 RECORDING ON-PRODUCT

Sound Archive Catalogue Copyright © The British Library Board

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1998, INTERVIEW by Richard Leigh

e'd been trying to tempt Derek Bailey into an interview for about a year to no avail

W when, one day in early 1998, he suddenly agreed to the idea. Richard Leigh, long-
time London resident and friend of Bailey, volunteered to ask the questions. Their
chatty dialogue took place sometime in mid-'98 (no one can quite remember an exact date) and
begins below with Derek caught mid-diatribe on the topic of the how pointless it is to try to
interview him. The transcript was "edited" down to a third of its original length by Derek, who
also added some pithy after-the-fact comments. This was followed by a second interview,
conducted in August 2000 by Nick Cain, in an attempt to raise some issues not covered in the
first interview. It is presented on a separate page.

Bailey This comparison between playing solo and talking about it: I find the only way I can
keep any interest in doing either is to change something around. Let me give you an example.
In Japan, people interview each other all the time. Journalists interview each other if they don't
have anybody else to interview. There are so many tape recorders in Japan that there must be
some kind of built-in commercial law insisting that some proportion have to be in use at all
times. In any hotel lobby, at any time, you can see a bunch of people being interviewed. I did
three in one afternoon. And although in at least one case the journalist spoke English, I had an
interpreter, because the woman I was working for had worked as a professional interpreter,
and she used to insist on being present as interpreter. Anyway, this particular afternoon, I got
so sick of this business, I decided that I would give three totally different answers to pretty
much the same questions. Even so, the answers were all true. I referred to things I didn't
normally talk about in interviews, like marriages, deaths in the family and so on. So, although
some of the details would be the same they were built around a different focus or centre. The
journalists had changed, of course, so it didn't matter to them but the interpreter became very
confused. And in that way playing can be similar. Although the stuff you are using is largely
the same, a different focus can make it quite different. Of course, I'm talking about my
impression. I have little or no idea what other people make of it. And, of course, revising this
thing, as I am now doing, means it will probably be changed out of all recognition. But, the
interview is a corrupt medium, encouraging deviousness, deception, slander and unbridled
self-promotion, and there's no reason at all why this one should be an exception.

What I'm interested in is playing. I've tried many times to define it and I've come nowhere near
it. Recently, I read a really fine book called Last Night's Fun by the Irish poet Ciaran Carson.
It's about Irish folk music. This music has no interest for me at all. However, it's not a set, a
fixed, music, and as he claims, it's never played the same twice. And it's a highly social music -
part of the Crack. And at times he comes as close to a convincing description of playing and
what it means vis-a-vis ways of making music as I've come across. And whatever it is, this
playing thing, that's what I do. It's essentially non-documentary, about occasion. But, in public
or not, it does not necessarily have to do with performance. And although I can't say exactly
what it is I think I know what its about.

It's about now and the fact that now is only going to happen once, and it's irreplaceable and
irrecoverable. Of course, there'll be another now along shortly, but it won't be the same now. It
won't be this now; the now now. There's no other activity that is as well equipped to deal with
the recognition that the present is absolutely unique as playing is.

There are all kinds of distractions and seductions from that. Reputation, for instance. And
recording is tricky, although that's been chewed over so many times that maybe we should
leave it. I quite like recording personally. Records I don't like at all. But developments in the
recording/reproducing field come so quickly now the whole thing could go up in flames at
any time. Some aspects of playing have never bothered me too much. I still think that the
essential thing that matters about it is actually doing it and getting your motivation and
satisfaction from that. That, and getting away with it - being able to carry on doing it - is pretty
much the whole story. So, for instance, when you turn up here - and I know you as a man who
has listened to this music pretty much as long as it's been around - my fear is that we might
talk about the history. The thing that I really don't like about the present situation is the way
that improvised music appears to be trying to become part of the heritage industry. We know
that in Britain we live by anniversaries, sometimes it can seem as if nothing happens in this
country except as a celebration of something that happened year's ago. But for the improvised
music community to find it necessary to join in with this grotesque necro-rave seems to be
beyond irony. Anti-now.

You're not talking about using it as a peg for arts funding, you're talking more about
nostalgia?

The need for funding, apparently, transcends all things. Did you notice the recent discussion
about how the CIA used to fund vaguely left, radical organizations and magazines? I wonder
what would happen if the CIA offered funding to the LMC. I guess we know what would
happen. But would the CIA consider the LMC a radical organization? A less unseemly
justification for anniversaries is that they indicate survival. But survival of what? There's some
implication in these things that significant events happened then, now we just remember them.
There's quite a lot of that about. In fact, the main difference between then and now is that then
everybody was concerned with now and now too many people are concerned with then. I think
maybe part of it is that I'm too old for this stuff. Most of these characters now, the celebrants
who wallow in their significant birthdays, they're middle-aged. I can't fool myself that I'm still
middle-aged.

Why does that matter?

Maybe anniversaries appeal to middle-aged people as being an indication of security, almost

like an insurance. And achievement; the gold watch or medal for faithful service to the cause.
The cause being, of course, themselves. Later, these things can seem somewhat ridiculous.
Mind you there are exceptions. Joseph Holbrooke, for instance, reunite once every 32 years.
The last time we played together, when playing together regularly, was in 1966. The next time
was 1998. We plan another concert for 2030. Just in time for my 100th birthday.

I think a lot of it might have to do with recording and photography, the idea that we were all
born into a world where it was natural to record things, and people just think of it in those
terms. They think in terms of archives.

You can't avoid the perspective of history and recordings, but mythology is far more attractive,
don't you think? While no less inaccurate, at least you're not expected to believe it. The "What
a wonderful gig it was. What a pity nobody recorded it" type of thing. Undocumented
recollections are rarely disappointing.

People expect a trace, and it's only in the last hundred years that they've come to take it for
granted. Before that you had to be well-known enough to get someone to paint your portrait,
or your descendants wouldn't know what you had looked like, because there was no means of
recording it. I keep wishing it had come along a few years earlier. We've got so used to the
idea that everything is available in some sort of archived form.
Very un-now. Don't you think that there's some implication in this way of making music
which should be subversive of the unquestioning acceptance of that kind of thing?

I've noticed your playing getting steadily louder over the last few years.

That's because I've gotten steadily deafer. When I played with Han [Bennink] in Edinburgh
somebody said, "It was great but you were too loud." I said, "Really? Thank you very much."
I can't tell you how much pleasure that gave me.

It's to do with what goes on with the electric guitar when played at higher levels. In recent
times I've become kind of interested in that. But I spend most of my time playing acoustic.

Do you ever listen to things that you did years ago?

Not by choice.

Why I ask is, I've been listening to your music for a long time, and when I listen to the old
records, I can't hear any obvious difference between what you were playing and what you're
doing now. If I put an old recording side by side with a new one I can hear certain changes,
but it's little details. What interests me is not to accuse you of having stayed the same; I
wondered if you had any thoughts about how your things have changed, how you perceive
them as having developed, and how somebody else might perceive it.

I don't know. To me, the character, and often the detail, of what I play depends on the person
or people I'm playing with. But you're probably talking about solo playing. Everybody only
talks about solo playing. I suppose for me the subjective playing experience has always been
pretty much the same, including when I played in the band business. As regards listeners, I get
two things regularly from people who appear to listen to it over any length of time. One is:
"Your playing doesn't seem to change much", and the other is: "Why don't you play the way
you used to play?"

Do you know what they mean by that?

No idea. Another thing is, I never know if either view is intended to be complimentary or
critical. It occurs to me that many of the musicians I admire - e.g. Charlie Parker and JS Bach,
Anton Webern and Charlie Christian - after some initial development, appear not to have
changed at all. Maybe it's to do with musical language. If you develop a music which is
mutable, unfixed, then it has change built into it. It works through a shifting around of its
elements and in the process renews itself. And that's fine. But I'm not sure that's enough for a
freely improvised music. There's a stimulation that comes from the change supplied by
playing with other people that I think of as necessary in this kind of playing. The really
essential thing, though, is freshness. I'm not sure that it matters too much how its achieved.

The material, let's call it, that I'm using has come out of what I've done before, and particularly
from people I've played with. But, the present usage of it, the settings in which I play, are
sometimes totally alien to what they were years ago. This has become a particular pre-
occupation of mine. And in some of these settings the stuff seems to me to work okay. But
the playing has got very little to do with the musics I've strayed into. And its got nothing much
to do with the mores of improvised music, except that the method I use is free improvisation. I
think it's mainly to do with guitar playing.

And now, I think there are other things that come into the playing, and they come from quite
distant places. In recent times, and again I assume it's something to do with aging, I've found
myself playing things which seem to me to relate to stuff I played years ago. I don't mean
what I played as a working musician. I mean before that, not exactly as a child, but when I was
12, 13, 14 years old. Some shit which is just to do with guitars. The kind of thing guitar
players play. Particularly with other guitar players. Stringy stuff.

Is this to do with the physical aspect of playing, or are you talking about something more
abstract?

I think it's more to do with genes, [laughs] guitar player's genes.

The guitar always seems to me to be open to different kinds of music.

It's open to all music. Virtually every music has got a guitar of some kind in it. Brass bands
seem to manage okay without the guitar but, otherwise...

If people play in an eclectic style on guitar, it doesn't sound as unnatural as it does on other
instruments.

I'm not sure eclectic styles ever sound "natural". But, no, it's got no automatic identity. There
are many kinds of guitars but a standard acoustic guitar sitting in the corner gives no
indication of the music that's about to be played on it. And, of course, there are umpteen
musics where it forms an integral part of the music - blues, flamenco, much of rock - musics
where the guitar is a kind of structural part of the music.

I think the early days were easier to grasp, because the area was a smaller one, whereas now
it's much more spread out. And a lot of the people on the scene do other things as well. Nearly
all the people in it have done so much else. There's a lot more variety in it, a lot more people
feeding into it. Think of the variety of people you've worked with in the last 10, 15 years.

The last five years particularly have been for me very rewarding, a very good period. I think
the music's been very uneven, but it's been a great time. I thought the early period was
fantastic, but for different reasons. Maybe not for a listener, but to be involved in it - terrific.
And then I found the '78-'83 period great. So you get these kind of different purple patches.
But as far as I understand the present musical situation - and I certainly couldn't claim to fully
understand what the fuck's going on - I've liked recent times. It's certainly provided some
testing situations.

I think you want to be tested - I think quite a lot of other players put themselves in different
situations, but they're like a cut-out figure against different backgrounds. I've always thought
your thing has been about interaction.

I like to be part of it, to see how I can work within it. These activities are not in any way
peripheral for me. Given the present situation, particularly as regards 'improvised music', they
have a real usefulness, something from which I can learn. But the free situation - playing with
free players - is still the central part of what I do. And for the same reason as always - its
potential. Most of which, I believe, is so far unexplored.
1998, YANKEES, Charly Records Ltd CDGR 221 (UK) (CD) Re-issue.

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

George Lewis : trombone
John Zorn : alto and soprano saxophones, clarinets, game calls

1- City city city 08:22

2- The legend Of Enos Slaughter 09:17
3- Who's on first 02:56
4- On Golden Pond 18:00
5- The warning track 05:28

Mastered By - Howie Weinberg

Recorded By - Martin Bisi
Recorded at OAO Studio, Brooklyn, NY
Mastered at Masterdisk NYC
Original release 1982.
Reissue with a different cover.
1999, COMPANY IN MARSEILLE, Incus CD44-45 (UK) (2CD)
(released in 2001)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Rhodri Davies : harp
Simon H. Fell : bass
Will Gaines : tap dancing
Mark Wastell : cello

First Night :

1- RD/SF/MW
2- WG/DB
3- MW/DB/RD
4- SF/WG
6- DB/SF/WG/RD/MW
7-

Second Night :

1- SF/DB
2- MW/WG/RD
3- RD/DB/MW/SF/WG
4-

Recorded on January 13 & 14, 1999 at the Théâtre les Bernadines, Marseille.
 hat is it that makes Company Company? In the early days, some people thought

W that it was a group. But the personnel changed radically, so it couldn’t be a group.
Other people thought that any grouping led by Derek Bailey was Company. But
Bailey also recorded under his own name, and one year Company Week did not even include
him, so that was not the answer. And then Company Week stopped happening and Company
went global, appearing in France (as here, in 1998) or in America (earlier this year). So
Company was not the annual London-based event to which Bailey invited a varied selection of
musicians from across the globe. Having established what Company isn’t, the question
remains: What is it?

One answer is that Company is a methodology - a way of organising and presenting

improvised music, combining contrasting elements to maximise unpredictability and creativity.
This Company grouping is smaller than in the past (five members, compared to the ten or
more at Company Weeks) and seems stable (this is the same line-up that played in New York
this year). But, ostensibly, the Company methodology is there, namely, random (?) sub-
groupings of the members freely improvising. Of the six pieces here, two feature all five
players, three are trios and three are duos. The opening piece is a trio featuring Davies, Fell &
Wastell. The second piece features Bailey and Gaines. Therein lies an inherent problem.
Away from Company, Davies, Fell & Wastell are the occasional trio IST, no strangers to each
other. And Will Gaines has been among Bailey’s most frequent collaborators in recent years.
So, these improvisations are coherent exchanges between players who are familiar with each
other from past encounters. There is not the old sense of unfamiliar, contrasting (even
conflicting) elements being flung together to see what happens. With five players, there are
only twenty-six (non-solo) possibilities, compared to the many hundreds when there are ten
players in the pool. While there is scope for unpredictability here (as in any improvised
music), it is drastically reduced compared to past Company outings.

This is an excellent, accessible, enjoyable album. But I’m not sure that it merits the
”Company” tag. (Notice that it is credited to the five players, not to Company.) Company
Week could sometimes produce less than riveting musical conversations. But such lows were
more than balanced out by unpredictable, unexpected highs; you could just never tell what
would happen. The version of Company that played in Marseilles does not have the lows, but
neither does it have those unexpected moments. So, is Company anything that Derek Bailey
deems it to be? No. He would not turn Company into just another marketable brand name,
into a registered company. We trust him too much.

John Eyles

T he Bailey/Gaines duo collides head-on with the IST string trio; the groups fracture &
reform in a myriad fascinating ways. "Company In Marseille is the best of a recent
trio of CDs documenting the Company Weeks . . . and features a little-league
superstar line-up joined by the veteran American hoofer Will Gaines. Some fascinating
interplay between guitar, bass, cello, harp and Gaines’s amazing, Duracell-powered feet."

Stewart Lee, Sunday Times

C ompany In Marseille confirms the continuing validity of Bailey's hospitable concept.

IST fuse nervy improv improvising energy with chamber music intricacy on the
opening trio track. Various combinations follow, including a substantial quintet piece
from each night. Gaines duets with both Bailey and Fell, demonstrating his readiness to
fracture pattern and shuffle time. An Incus video already documents a Bailey-Gaines
performance; without the visual dimension, it's possible to concentrate exclusively on the
musicality of Gaines's impromptu choreography. Fell, Wastell and Davies obviously know
one another's playing very well. Their encounter with the older men is tight and attentive,
offering small confidences rather than sweeping statements. Bailey himself is instantly
recognisable without resorting to quoting himself, adaptable as ever to very different
occasions.

Julian Cowley, The Wire

D espite the ascetic instrumentation and often chilly soundscape, these sessions are
among the most accessible and seductive of all Company recordings.

Barry Witherden, Jazz Review

"This is an excellent, accessible, enjoyable album."

John Eyles, All About Jazz

I personally doubt that Derek Bailey lies awake at night fretting about remaining true to
the spirit of comments he's made in interviews with Opprobrium magazine, but I was
nonetheless surprised to see Incus reissuing on CD two back catalogue Company LPs
(one 17 years old, the other almost 25), only a few short months after he told me that "From
the point of view of Incus, we can either put new records out, or keep shovelling old ones out.
There's no choice, is there? We are supposed to be doing something". But hey, with the
Company brand undergoing a high-profile recent exhuming with by-all-accounts perfectly
creditable shows in New York, it must have seemed an apposite moment to pull some old
platters out of the shoebox.

Both 5 and Epiphanies follow the familiar Company pattern: one long piece featuring
everybody, followed by several shorter and smaller groupings. 5 dates from 1977 -
remembering that Company began in 1976 - and documents a quite stellar lineup of Bailey,
Evan Parker, Maarten Van Altena, Tristan Honsinger, Anthony Braxton, Leo Smith and Steve
Lacy. With so many distinctive wind stylists in attendance, the 25-minute group piece sounds
in places almost audacious, filled with the kinds of near-flamboyant gestures which in this
context sound almost brazen. There follow two delightful Lacy/Braxton duos, probably my
favourite pieces of music on any of these three titles - marked by intimate and sensitive duo
playing expressed through speed-of-thought articulation, these are wonderful pieces of music.
Rounding out with a pair of potent Parker/Honsinger/Braxton trios, 5 contains more than a
few marvellous moments.

Epiphanies (surely a fanciful title for music as quotidian as Bailey will insist this is?) re-issues
the Epiphany/Epiphanies 2LP, drawn from the ambitious 1982 Company week. The lineup is
larger and more varied: Bailey, Fred Frith, Ursula Oppens (piano) George Lewis, Anne
LeBaron (harp), Akio Suzuki (glass harmonica, spring gong, etc), Julie Tippetts, Motoharu
Yoshizawa, Keith Tippett and Phil Wachsmann. The group improvisation runs for a marathon
47 minutes, the first 25 or so of which are, in best Company tradition, a chaotic but controlled
scratch 'n' scrape barrage, filled with spark-firing mini-dramas, which constantly reshapes
itself through the subtle but inexorable force of collective logic and intuition. Unfortunately
the initiative is fumbled in the piece's second half - the playing loses its momentum, and doubt
seems to creep in, leading to some murky and unconvincing ebbs and flows.
The second disc collects 67 minutes' worth of smaller groupings - if the original LP contained
this much material, it must surely qualify as the longest single LP of all time. Best are a jumpy
but spacious Oppens/Yoshizawa duo, a floatily elastic Frith / Lewis / Suzuki / Yoshizawa /
Bailey quintet, and a mock-epic Wachsmann / Tippett / Tippetts / Lewis / Le Baron / Oppens /
Suzuki septet.

But really, the playing is excellent across the board, and, for those of us who were still in
junior school when Epiphanies was first issued, there's much to be uncovered here. Dating as
they does from a period when this music could - 5 probably, Epiphanies arguably - still be
seen as in some way new or radical, both these discs make a lot of present-day improv sound
staid and conservative, watered-down and uninventive. They are characterised by a freshness
and sense of adventure which, in the present day's diminishing-returns reality - where an
almost comical global glut of improv CDs makes the decent releases harder to find, and makes
them sound less valuable when they are found - is all-too-rarely heard. Can Joe Morris's
observation - "People are interpreting innovations from the past and calling it new. There is
too much run of the mill stuff. And way too many CDs being produced. The standards of
originality and statement have dropped to a deep low.

This music can't support 100 original musicians per generation, let alone 10,000" - ever have
rung more true ? It's a syndrome which makes Company In Marseilles the weakest of these
three releases. This can be partially attributed to the fact that in the year 2001, neither
Company nor Incus improv can realistically be regarded as anything other than "idiomatic"
musics. This version of Company also seems, compared to either of the above, unadventurous.
Wastell, Fell and Davies of course form the excellent IST trio (Wastell and Davies are also a
semi-regular London duo), and I'm sure all three are familiar with Bailey, if not Gaines.
Unsurprisingly, the tracks by the established groupings - a sharply splintering IST cut, and
Bailey/Gaines's Old Geezer Good-Time Improv Revue duo - are amongst the strongest. Also
fine are a highly simpatico Bailey/Fell duo, and the two quintet pieces which, when Gaines
isn't dancing too hard, sustain morphing hubbubs of gently clashing harmonics. Gaines - on
"danse claquettes" ("tap dancing shoes" to you and me) - sounds like the weak link. Happy to
pound out incessantly unchanging rhythms, he constitutes an obstacle around which those
playing with him have to skirt. The missing visual element may well have added something
live, but on the CD it's as though at certain points -particularly during his duo with Fell, which
eventually deteriorates into turn-taking - the others are waiting for him to stop.

Also clouding proceedings is the overhanging influence of Bailey himself : in various pieces -
most notably a bloodless trio with Wastell and Davies - the playing centres around him to an
unnatural degree, lending credence to the heretical view that through combined force of
musical personality and historical/discographical weight Bailey - whether inadvertently or
deliberately - inevitably tends to make other people play like him. Company In Marseilles
leaves one with mixed impressions; at the very least the quality level needs to be higher than
this if any future contemporary Company releases are to be seen as something other than
pallid revivals of a formerly daring and exciting music.

Nick Cain

T his is live from a two day residence in France in January of 1999. If you missed their
recent sets in NYC, you can still check out these challenging improvisations!
The price of this outstanding two cd set will be a bit lower once we receive our next
supply, until then it is a two cd set for $28.
 Tonic, 2001
Concert : Company

D erek Bailey formed Company in 1976; "not only its specializations but the
increasingly diverse nature of freely improvised music came to attract me, and it was
in order to take advantage of--plunder--its expanding resources that I formed
Company." Company Week was an annual event in London from 1977 to 1995, and since has
found a home in places ranging from Hakushu, Japan to Chattanooga, Tennessee. As usual,
this three-night event at Tonic will bring improvisors from all over the musical spectrum
together; "everything is designed to avoid as far as possible any preconceptions as to what the
music might be and to make improvisation a necessity."

EREK BAILEY'S COMPANY fest at Tonic last week was an extraordinary

D experience of international improv at its finest! The debut of IST (Simon Fell, Rhodri
Davies & Mark Wastell) and their contribution to the 3 day Company fest was
especially amazing - our British brethren consistently pushed their instruments to the extreme
getting unheard sounds from their acoustic bass, harp and cello! Both Simon and Rhodri also
played in a fabulous all-star Butch Morris conduction on Saturday w/ E. Sharp, Christian
Marclay & JA Deane. We received a fine bunch of cds from these fine folks-
 photo © Roger Parry 2001

IST : IMPROVISING STRING TRIO

Rhodri Davies - harp

Mark Wastell - violoncello
Simon H. Fell - double bass

Formed in 1995, IST use acoustic string instruments, including extended techniques and
preparations, both to create improvised music and realise experimental composed music. The
members are all noteworthy figures in the current London Improvised Music scene, and either
individually or together are members of The London Improvisers Orchestra, Evan Parker's
String Project, Butch Morris' London Skyscraper, Derek Bailey's Company and Chris Burn's
Ensemble. Between them they have performed with many of Europe's key improvising
musicians.

Trio activities/performances have included a UK Arts Council Tour in 1998, S4C Television,
London's Barbican, New York's Tonic, the Total Music Meeting in Berlin,
Contemporaneamente 2002 (Italy), London's Freedom of the City Festival and performances
in Marseille, New York & London as part of Derek Bailey's Company.

Although primarily concerned with creating music through improvisation, IST's repertoire
includes several compositions commissioned and/or premiered by the group, including Sowari
For Ist (Phil Durrant), Cubism and Icons (Simon Fell), X-ist (Guto Puw) Sweet And Lovely
(Philip Clark) and Ritmico (Mark Wastell). The trio has also performed pieces by Carl
Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Earle Brown & Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Their first album Anagrams To Avoid was released in 1997 by SIWA Records (U.S.A.)
Their second album Consequences (Of Time And Place) was released in 1997 by Confront
Recordings. Their third album Ghost Notes was released in 1998 by Bruce's Fingers

They have also contributed tracks to the followong compilation CDs: TOTAL MUSIC
MEETING 2001 : Audiology - 11 Groups Live In Berlin (All 2002) and FREEDOM OF
THE CITY 2003 : Small Groups (Emanem 2004)
"IST operate at such a pitch of invention they transcend the divide between art and science."

Ben Watson HIFI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

"Anagrams To Avoid is an extraordinary record. This is truly collective music, beautifully

self-contained and perfect as it is."

Nick Smith AVANT

"IST play gorgeous realtime realspace musique concrète. Subliminal sensitivity to scratch and
distortion produces ear-fixating suites."

Ben Watson HIFI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

"IST have developed into a leading force in improvised and creative music, pushing the limits
of acoustic string music beyond existing boundaries."

Graham Halliwell RESONANCE

"Ghost Notes will become an "instant improvised classic"! Impressive enough to rate a
MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from this reviewer."

THE IMPROVISOR

"Most captivating of all is the bewitching set played by IST, eleven minutes of hushed
chamber improv that might as well be played by the creatures in the rafters of Conway Hall."

Jason Bivins. ONE FINAL NOTE (reviewing Freedom Of The City 2003)

Rhodri Davies – harp

Welsh harpist Rhodri Davies first came to the attention of the London improv scene as a
member of the Simon Fell Septet, performing at the Unsung Music Festival in 1996, shortly
after he had joined the string duo of Fell & Wastell to form IST. Since that time Rhodri's star
has risen with breathtaking rapidity, and he has subsequently worked with every key British
improviser, in both European and International contexts. His arco and prepared harp
techniques are quite literally revolutionary, and are rewriting the history of this most Celtic of
instruments.

Mark Wastell – violoncello

Much of Mark's relationship with his chosen instrument is concentrated on the tactile, textural
and sonic possibilities of both violoncello and bow. He is increasingly interested in working
purely with extreme frequencies and pitch. As a soloist he has played at the Micro-classical
Festival (London 1996), LMC Festival (London 2000) and the Huddersfield Contemporary
Music Festival (2000). He has also worked extensively with electro/acoustic composer John
Wall. Mark has toured Europe with various groups, performing in France, Germany, Sweden,
Denmark and Greece

Simon H. Fell - double bass

Simon Fell is a composer and double bassist active in free improvisation and contemporary
jazz and chamber music. He has worked in small or medium groups with John Butcher, Peter
Brötzmann, Lol Coxhill, Billy Jenkins, Joe Morris, Keith Tippett, John Zorn, Derek Bailey,
Joey Baron, Elliott Sharp, Billy Bang, Christian Marclay and numerous others, and is a
founder member of London Improvisers Orchestra. Other regular groupings include SFQ,
Mick Beck's Something Else, Hession/Wilkinson/Fell and many more. He has presented
compositions for improvisers at the LMC Festival, the Termite Festival, the Frakture Festival,
Leo Records' Unsung Music Festival, Freedom of the City Festival and on many other
occasions. His discography includes over 80 recordings. "A major contemporary musician"

The Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD.

1999, THE AERIAL #5. A JOURNAL IN SOUND, What Next
Recordings, NS-AERIAL#5-CD

Aerial #5 (single CD with a 20-page booklet) includes :

1- Willem DeRidder & Hafler Trio's 'Report' (creepy mind control experiment) 7:01

2- Helen Thorington's 'In the Dark' (sensory deprived synesthesia) 6:36

3- Gustavo Matamoros' 'Portrait: Bob Gregory' (poet under the microscope) 10:00

4- Sarah Peebles' 'Kai' (natural rythms Asian influences) 11:49

5- Sydney Davis' 'Star Axis' (sounded sculpture) 4:50

6- Philip Corner's 'Gong/Ear' (Korean cymbals frolic in the desert) 11:48

7- Richard Klein & Mark Hosler's 'Wildman' (like, ugga-bugga dude) 3:39

8- The Machine for Making Sense's 'Changing the Subject' (all-star

Aussie line-up in tightly improvised splutterings), 9:53

9- Derek Bailey's 'In My Studio' (droll guitar legend reads

Henry Kaiser interview) 6:10

T his very popular sound journal has once again put out an intriguing selection of
material from both well-known and deserve-to-be-known composers and performers,
with an emphasis on text-based or text-related works. Included are Willem de
Ridder/Hafler Trio, Helen Thorington, Gustavo Matamoros, Sarah Peebles, Sydney Davis,
Philip Corner, Richard Klein & Mark Hosler, The Machine for Making Sense, and Derek
Bailey. The Aerial is a great place to find new composers from whom you'll want to hear
more, as well as a place to discover little gems by people with whom you are already familiar.

T he Aerial #5 contient neuf compositions d'autant de compositeurs. Le livret

d'accompagnement est intéressant, détaillé, audacieux. Une première audition m'a
convaincu qu'il s'agissait de «new-age» de qualité supérieure mais les auditions
ultérieures m'ont amené à remarquer les utilisations très particulières de la voix humaine tant
que son. La beauté du texte écrit et récité par Bob Gregory sur la musique de Matamoros m'a
frappé. Trop de contenu pour du «new-age», il me semble! De même, d'une voix «sur-
travaillée», distorsionnée, tordue pour personnifier le «wildman» de Klein et Hosler est
brillante: la nature de l'homme étant sa culture, pourquoi ne pas la retourner sur elle-même afin
d'exemplifier la sauvagerie? S'agit-il uniquement de la voix comme son ou bien d'une
glorification de la voix comparable à celle des lieders allemands? Et l'usage réflexif du
discours dans l'oeuvre de Derek Bailey semble être l'ultime (et sur ce DC, dernière)
expression du projet qui sous-tend ce disque: un journal, c'est-à-dire le retour sur soi de la
réflexivité. Y a-t-il autre chose sur ce DC? Est-il besoin d'autre chose?

Luc Gauthier

T he Aerial #5 is a collection of nine compositions from as many composers,

accompanied by a very interesting and detailed booklet. The first listening convinced
me that I was hearing first-rate new age, but additional listenings made me realize that
the specific uses of the human voice moved this CD away from new age: the beautiful text that
Bob Gregory wrote and recites for Gustavo Matamoros has too much content for regular new
age, the over- worked, distorted, twisted 'wild man' voice of Klein and Hosler is an extremely
brilliant idea, man's nature being his culture, (but why not return the latter in on itself to
exemplify wildness?), and the reflexive use of discourse in Derek Bailey's composition, which
might be seen as the ultimate expression of what this CD intends to be-a journal. Just another
group of sounds? A glorification of human voice like that achieved through German lieders?
This CD is a reflexive attempt to face oneself. Is there anything else needed?

Luc Gauthier

A erial #5 (single CD with a 20-page booklet) includes Willem DeRidder & Hafler
Trio's 'Report' (creepy mind control experiment), Helen Thorington's 'In the Dark'
(sensory deprived synesthesia), Gustavo Matamoros' 'Portrait: Bob Gregory' (poet
under the microscope), Sarah Peebles' 'Kai' (natural rythms and Asian influences), Sydney
Davis' 'Star Axis' (sounded sculpture), Philip Corner's 'Gong/Ear' (Korean cymbals frolic in
the desert), Richard Klein & Mark Hosler's 'Wildman' (like, ugga-bugga dude), The Machine
for Making Sense's 'Changing the Subject' (all-star Aussie line-up in tightly improvised
splutterings), and Derek Bailey's 'In My Studio' (droll guitar legend reads Henry Kaiser
interview).
1999, LIVE AT LAMAR'S, (UK) (Incus CDR7) (released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

and The Shaking Ray Levis :
Dennis Palmer : synthesizers
Bob Stagner : percussion

1- Einstein's bagels 12.04

2- Catfish night 13.08
3- Dietrichson 15.36

Recorded on 25 March 1999 at Lamar's, Chattanooga.

Cover design by Karen Brookman.
Note: this disc doesn't officially have a number but as it was the seventh CD-R available from
Incus it was decided to number it accordingly.
G
etting a handle on Derek Bailey’s recorded and performing output is like trying to
grab Jell-O with a catcher’s mitt -- some sticks, but most slips away. The length and
breath of the British guitarist’s almost 40 years of musical associations just as a
committed improviser is staggering in breadth and unconventionality. Bailey has said that he
considers ad-hoc musical activities essential, and he always appears to be ready, willing and
able to play with anyone at any time. Over the years his partners have ranged from those as
recognized as fellow EuroImprov theorizers such as drummer Tony Oxley and saxophonist
Evan Parker and Peter Brötzmann to unique throw downs with a potpourri of lesser-known
solo players, dancers, DJs and even head-banging rhythm sections.

These two CDs fit snugly into the later exploratory category. While some may find it odd
that he’s on a live date recorded in Chattanooga, Tenn. with a weirdly named local duo, in
fact Shaking Ray Levis’ Dennis J. Palmer on synthesizers and Bob Stagner on percussion
are veteran improv associates. Not only have they worked with Bailey previously, but they
were also the first American group on his record label. More notable is the creation of
Limescale, a cooperative group featuring Bailey on side with two British Free Jazzers --
clarinetist Alex Ward who is also part of bassist Simon Fell’s SFQ band -- and bass
saxophonist Tony Bevan, who in his solo and trio outings has created a modern voice for the
unwieldy beast usually confirmed to Dixieland bands. But it’s the other two participants
who really show Bailey’s acceptance and courage.

Fancifully named T.H.F Drenching improvises on the Dictaphone (sic), while Sonic
Pleasure hits the bricks in a way most striking unionists wouldn’t recognize. Unmasked, the
two actually come from other musical areas that admix with jazz and Free Improv. Sonic
Pleasure -- real name Marie-Angélique Bueler -- is a Manchester-based composer of so-
called serious music, who has tested her improv chops with Fell and woodwind master Mick
Beck. A fellow Mancunian, T.H.F Drenching is the stage name adopted by Stu Calton,
guitarist in alt-pop band Pence Eleven, when he creates freely improvised musique concrète
with his Dictaphones. He too has had improv experience with Fell, Beck and trombonist
Gail Brand, who is also part of SFQ. Back in the U.S.A., despite some sonic overlap
between Bailey’s electric guitar and Palmer’s synthesizer, the sounds are more-or-less
clearly delineated. Still there are points where it appears as if being near the birthplace of
Southern Fried Boogie Rock adds a harder and more metallic cast to the guitar’s solos. He
won’t be mistaken for Duane Allman, but then again he’s never been mistaken for any other
guitarist during his more than 50 years professional career. On “Dietrichson”, for instance,
the distorted oscillations from his volume pedal eventually mate with the distended reverb
washes arising from Palmer’s synth. No beat monger, Stagner varies his strokes from
standard time to irregular beats, occasionally crackling the ride cymbal for effect. Sanguine,
with stuttering rhythm guitar chording elsewhere, there’s one section just before the end
where it appears as if Bailey is using delay to transform himself into a flat-picking guitar
army as Palmer lays on the organ chords.

A churchy organ riff completes the penultimate section of “Catfish Night” as well, but for
most of the tune the keyboard man relies on less conventional tumult. There’s the spinning
massed drone that seems to include the whap of a fan belt that he often shows off. However,
that sound often resolves itself into atmospheric rocket launching suggestions and burbling
space tones when the guitarist goes the opposite route, worrying single notes with
Appalachian thoroughness. If Palmer extends his undulating sound base, Bailey merely uses
his reverb to amplify top-of-fretboard investigations and Old-Timey flailing, letting the
synth create the feedback that by rights should come from his effects pedal. The distortion
pedal is only on tap at the end, raising the volume for some buzzing feedback,
complementing similar wavering aural data from the keys, and completing the rhythmic
thump from Stagner. Before that, the drummer mostly confines himself to cow bell pealing,
brush strokes on the hi-hat and friction between two wooden drumsticks. Throughout this
concise CD of a little less than 273/4 minutes, the mood reflects the more mellow properties
of Free Improv.

Ken Waxman, November, 2003

As written on the CD-R
1999, LIVE AT LAMAR'S, Shaking Ray Records, SRR (US) (CD-003)
(released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

and The Shaking Ray Levis :
Dennis Palmer : synthesizers
Bob Stagner : percussion

1- Catfish night 13.08

2- Dietrichson 15.36

Two tracks (28.44 minutes total) recorded the day before the Derek Bailey/Shaking Ray disc
with the same title released as part of the Incus "From the Store" series. Bailey's at his most
rambunctious here with the uniquely Southern improv of SRL.

Recorded on 25 March 1999 at Lamar's, Chattanooga.

OUT NOW! Live at Lamar's (SRR CD-003) , featuring Derek Bailey, Dennis Palmer, and
Bob Stagner. The two tracks of deep fried, precious improvisations on this album were
recorded (you guessed it!) at Lamar's Restaurant, on March 24, 1999 by our favorite sound
man and Shaking Ray alumn, Phil Prouty. Limited edition of 1000! Only $10. Contact the
Shaking Ray Levi Society for details.

Shaking Ray Records, PO Box 21534, Chattanooga, TN 37424-0534

 Derek Bailey and Shaking Ray Levis

G etting a handle on Derek Bailey's recorded and performing output is like trying to
grab Jell-O with a catcher's mitt -- some sticks, but most slips away. The length and
breath of the British guitarist's almost 40 years of musical associations just as a
committed improviser is staggering in breadth and unconventionality.

Bailey has said that he considers ad-hoc musical activities essential, and he always appears to
be ready, willing and able to play with anyone at any time. Over the years his partners have
ranged from those as recognized as fellow EuroImprov theorizers such as drummer Tony
Oxley and saxophonist Evan Parker and Peter Brstzmann to unique throw downs with a
potpourri of lesser-known solo players, dancers, DJs and even head-banging rhythm sections.

(...)While some may find it odd that he's on a live date recorded in Chattanooga, Tenn. with a
weirdly named local duo, in fact Shaking Ray Levis' Dennis J. Palmer on synthesizers and
Bob Stagner on percussion are veteran improv associates. Not only have they worked with
Bailey previously, but they were also the first American group on his record label.

Back in the U.S.A., despite some sonic overlap between Bailey's electric guitar and Palmer's
synthesizer, the sounds are more-or-less clearly delineated. Still there are points where it
appears as if being near the birthplace of Southern Fried Boogie Rock adds a harder and more
metallic cast to the guitar's solos. He won't be mistaken for Duane Allman, but then again he's
never been mistaken for any other guitarist during his more than 50 years professional career.

On "Dietrichson," for instance, the distorted oscillations from his volume pedal eventually
mate with the distended reverb washes arising from Palmer's synth. No beat monger, Stagner
varies his strokes from standard time to irregular beats, occasionally crackling the ride cymbal
for effect. Sanguine, with stuttering rhythm guitar chording elsewhere, there's one section just
before the end where it appears as if Bailey is using delay to transform himself into a flat-
picking guitar army as Palmer lays on the organ chords.
A churchy organ riff completes the penultimate section of "Catfish Night" as well, but for
most of the tune the keyboard man relies on less conventional tumult. There's the spinning
massed drone that seems to include the whap of a fan belt that he often shows off. However,
that sound often resolves itself into atmospheric rocket launching suggestions and burbling
space tones when the guitarist goes the opposite route, worrying single notes with
Appalachian thoroughness. If Palmer extends his undulating sound base, Bailey merely uses
his reverb to amplify top-of-fretboard investigations and old-timey flailing, letting the synth
create the feedback that by rights should come from his effects pedal. The distortion pedal is
only on tap at the end, raising the volume for some buzzing feedback, complementing similar
wavering aural data from the keys, and completing the rhythmic thump from Stagner. Before
that, the drummer mostly confines himself to cow bell pealing, brush strokes on the hi-hat and
friction between two wooden drumsticks.

Throughout this concise CD of a little less than 27 3/4 minutes, the mood reflects the more
mellow properties of Free Improv.

Ken Waxman

ree-improvisation guitar pioneer Derek Bailey's current career phase - that of elder

F statesman eagerly courted by and collaborating with a seemingly endless stream of

young players (as well as some unlikely veterans from other musical worlds including
Pat Matheny and Tony Williams) - has produced a glut of releases in the last couple of years
that could seem almost daunting to newcomers curious to dive into the guitarist's angular,
highly abstract music (remember Anthony Braxton's still-accurate '70s description: "the most
amazing guitar player on the planet"). One good rule of thumb - if you ask this veteran
listener - is to start with Bailey's solo guitar albums and group CDs featuring fellow
musicians from free playing's "first generation" - men like Steve Lacy, Braxton, Han Bennink,
Evan Parker (this would include the majority of releases on Bailey's own Incus Records label
or the excellent Emanem - yes, the label). And yet --- what a piece of luck to have heard this
excellent limited-edition EP, LIVE AT LAMAR'S (Shaking Ray Records), 27 minutes' worth
of a 1999 restaurant gig in Chattanooga, Tennessee featuring DB with latter-day Southern
collaborators Dennis Palmer (synthesizers) and Bob Stagner (drums) - sometimes known as
the Shaking Ray Levis, one knows not why. "Fine Food - We Deliver" on the grainy cover
photograph is indeed borne out, particularly at half point through the superior second set
("Catfish Night"), when a standard-issue free-improv noise climax (splang splang, thrumble
rumble, wheeeooosshh) subsides and slowly lurks into several rich minutes of almost
cinematically dramatic, dark atmospheres of noise: into the relative quiet of random
synthesizer comets comes Bailey (on amplified big-band acoustic), chopping away at scumbly
single-note runs, letting float long feedback hums while Stagner percusses with scattered,
quiet but portentious all-over spangles and attacks - then the three heat up as Palmer's
whirlwinds and ominous cyclones spirit around the room, cut by Bailey's dry but tasty cigar-
box banjo runs; it's an atonal sound fest that makes perfect sense as music - noise that rocks,
literally.

ANTHONY MOSTROM of L.A. WEEKLY

Los Angeles, Sept 22, 2003

T he Shaking Ray Levis appeared with Derek Bailey at NYC's TONIC on April 12,
2003, in the third of a series of performances by the British guitarist and
accompanying artists (he performed with Ikue Mori and Cyro Baptista on the 10th
and 11th, respectively). The Shaking Ray Levis have also performed with Derek Bailey on
numerous other occasions; the new Shaking Ray Records release Live at Lamar's documents
one such performance.
April 2003's performance was reviewed by The Squid's Ear, "a NYC music magazine covering
improvisational, avant, and experimental music from around the world." According to the
review, Bailey's performance with the Shaking Ray Levis was "the most overtly ensemble
playing of the three nights." The review, which was published online, can be found here, in the
Squid's Ear archives.
1999, UNTITLED IMPROVISATIONS, Illegal Radio (limited edition
CD-R) (US) (sticker with number on case) (released in 2001)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, gibson amplifier, volume pedal, hand made picks
Michael Welch : north drum set - percussion utensils - bangy, scrapy, honky things

1. 10.01
2. 14.41
3. 23.34
4. 05.06
5.

Tracks 1 and 2 were recorded on 14 March 1999 in the Rogers Room, Rollins College,
Winter Park, Florida; tracks 3 and 4 were recorded on 20 March 1999 in Hice Hall, Miami
Beach Community Church.

Cover by vibranium.

This is a limited edition (100 copies) CD-R release with no number. Hand numbered on a
little white sticker on the case from 1 to 100 (?). Headphones recommended.

Recorded March 14 & 20, 1999. Florida. Illegal Radio : Live Recording (1999) - a Subtropics
New Music Festival concert event.

1999 I got the opportunity to perform with the legendary London based Derek

In Bailey. These two United States performances took place in Orlando/Winter Park
and Miami Beach, Florida. I can't say enough about what a influence Derek is to
improvising musicians around the world. Derek's recordings speak for themselves. If you
haven't heard this style of performance then you should check out Derek's well documented
library of recording projects. I would also recommend reading Derek's book "Improvisation"
for music and sound enlightenment. His self described non-idiomatic approach may change
your musical philosophy.

Michael Welch.
1999, SOUTH, Solo Guitar Series, No.2 (UK) (Incus CDR5) (released in
2002)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- Miami 1999 27.42

2- Orlando 1999 03.09
3- More Orlando 1999 13.26

Solo Guitar Series Number 2

Cover artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

Note: this disc doesn't officially have a number but as it was the fifth CD-R available from
Incus I have decided to number it accordingly.

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry.

You send £10 or $15 U.S. we burn your CD-R and send it to you. We pay postage

I ncus records is historically one of the very first improvised music labels in England.
Originally created by Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Tony Oxley and a fourth person
bringing some money upfront it later became Bailey and Karen Brookman’s affair. It
would be more than one reason for us to listen and study some of their releases and
particularly their vinyl editions in the 70’s which for few of us had reached some sort of
perfection in both content and format. Back to CD and actual activities of the label here are
some more records.

nother Incus line recently started consisting of CDRs, the serie’s called »From the

A store« and for about 15 Euros (post included) you’ll get directly a signed copy of
pretty amazing unreleased tapes. Three guitar solos in our case, # 1 »In Church«
(1994 and 2001), # 2 »South« (1999) and # 3 »Different guitars« (70’s to 92). The thing is
that I honestly don’t know any bad Derek Bailey record. Each improvisation, due to its own
nature and process of playing actually, contains the same sort of integrity, acquity, sharp and
fast thinking. I could even go further and state that for me this unique, and that no other great
free players ever reached something like that. That also means that once you entered the
process it’s hard not hear it all.

(…) This is unique and rare. It probably doesn’t happen twice in a century. All albums and
infos to be found on www.incusrecords.force9.co.uk

Noël Akchoté. Mon 22. Dec. 2003

As written on the CD-R

1999, DAEDAL, Incus CD 36 (UK) (CD) (released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Susie Ibarra : drums, percussion

1- Daedal 08.28
2- Mirage 07.18
3- Rollin 03.42
4- Glides 04.12
5- Winger 10.37
6- J to Z 05.51
7- Points 03.16

Recorded at Moat Studios, London on 7 February 1999.

Cover painting Untitled by Terry Fox; design and layout by Karen Brookman.

A udio document of a February 1999 studio mind-meld between Ibarra (student of

Milford Graves, regular of the David S. Ware, William Parker, and Assif Tsahar
ensembles, and at one point, fill in drummer for John Zorn's Masada, won the Jazziz
magazine 'best new talent' award for 1998) and Bailey focusing on sparse, intuitive rhythmic
space (and a few guitar notes every now & then). A fine cure for what ails you."

Hrvatski.
 erek Bailey's book "Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music" mentions in

D passing that opinions on free music range from it's "the simplest thing in the world
requiring no explanation, to ... it is complicated beyond discussion". I note that it's
difficult for me to describe it either way! So I won't attempt to "put the music into words" - it's
free improvisation, over seven guitar and drum duets, featuring Derek Bailey and Susie Ibarra.
Whether you can imagine what it's going to sound like or not, it's worth listening to. I was
lucky enough to witness these two live at Barcelona's Abaixador Dou in January. A smart little
club, a largely appreciate crowd and an electric performance from Bailey and Ibarra. And the
next day, in an episode of accidental voyeurism, I spotted them in animated discussion in a
coffeeshop on La Rambla, Bailey warmly spinning stories with Ibarra brightly and excitedly
interjecting. Whether they were discussing the show or the sumptuous chocolates, I'll never
know. But it was interesting, and entertaining, to briefly see their friendly interaction and
conversational style echoing the previous night's performance.

They're clearly on the same wavelength, which is tribute to Bailey's open-mindedness and
versatility, but perhaps more so to the prodigious Ibarra's talents. Smart enough to work with
the likes of Yo La Tengo as well as the cream of the more traditional improv scene, she's
clearly going places. Her playing is utterly in sync with Bailey, using a vast range of
percussion, particularly a battery of shaker-like devices, gently damped thudded rolls, and
perfectly executed washes of cymbal (utterly belying the notion that as a percussive device it's
limited to a sharp attack/decay over short duration, in a similar sense to Steve Reich's attempts
to extend percussion in his Sextet (1985) or even Thomas Köner and Max Eastley's Gong
Tower in the current Sonic Boom exhibition). Over the course of a piece of music, she really
seems to travel, perhaps best illustrated on the standout performance here, the 10-minute
"Winger". Compared with 1975's "Improvisation" (recently re-released by Ampersand), the
consistency of Derek Bailey's playing is remarkable, still pursuing his unique musical visions
25 years later. Clearly enjoying it too - his playing here is as sharply angular, mobile, and,
well, talkative as I've heard him.

The guitar tone has changed slightly - it's still utterly, nakedly, honest but it's a far more
electric sound here, occasionally veering into distortion, employing harmonics and volume
swells to fully extend the instrument. Despite, or because of, his lack of gadgetry, the guitar's
sound is rarely explored more than in Bailey's hands. Seeing them live also exposes Bailey's
sharp wit, belying the gravely academic "elder statesman" image he can be labelled with, and
this comes through in the music. I'll add that I enjoy watching and listening to improv, more
than simply listening (as with experiencing John Zorn's game pieces - incidentally this album
is dedicated to Zorn). However, this is a great recording of a great duo, and this is truly
modern music.

Abaixadors Deu
Abaixadors, 10 Principal
Barcelona, Spain 08003
+34 93 2681019 Type: Bars and Pubs > Bars

This club is roomy and dark, featuring 1960s furniture and an orchestra pit, and the
atmosphere is both genuine and peaceful. It is frequented by modern types looking for a place
to chat and listen to good music: ambient, jazz, lo-fi and pop. They have special nights when
famous DJs play music in tune with the style of the club. There are two rooms: the Cafe
Theatre, which is used for showing films, presentations, lectures, dinners, concerts, poetry
readings, DJs and videos; and another room with a DJ and cocktail service. There is no
admission charge and entry is open to anyone, although you must be quiet (the doorman will
see to that) at the entrance so as not to bother the neighbours.
Y ou have to have the guts to go as a drum player on a stage or into a recording studio
and play duo with Derek Bailey. Yes, John Stevens was THE PERCUSSION player
that could fit with Derek perfectly. What to expect form Ibarra? I am not familiar
with her other recordings, so she was new to me. And yes, these two go well together. Derek
is on electric guitar (this means a lot of power) but Ibarra knows how to handle it. She doesn't
answer with free-noise but most of the time very subtle playing....great.

Although I have one little remark: one can hear on the album that she really admires Derek
Bailey.... this means that most of the time she follows the lead by Derek Bailey, and
sometimes forgets that she is a player with her own way of playing. But hey, I do not forget
that is difficult to maintain your own style when playing with Bailey (remember the duo album
with Keiji Haino, even this very atypical guitar player went along with Derek Bailey's style).
Conclusion: superb album, both players interact very well. Personally, this was a very good
introduction for me to Ibarra.

aedal, a February '99 studio session with NY percussionist Ibarra (ex-David S Ware

D Quartet, ex-In Order To Survive, etc) is an intriguing meeting of musics, interesting

in its own right without ever being totally convincing. While Bailey's guitar is as wily
and fractured as ever, constantly reappraising its angles and perspectives in a fashion at once
architectural and self-negating, Ibarra's playing is more of a steady "jazz"-like patter - lots of
rolling cymbal wash, drum rim-taps, and a focus on swelling, building sound. Bailey uses
electric guitar throughout, and constantly repositions himself in relation to the microphone, his
shifts in the volume range making him sound even less graspable than usual as he darts in,
about and around Ibarra, and though she's never less than game in her contention, the two
participant's styles are probably a bit too disparate for this to really "work" as such.

Théâtre Gérard-Philippe (2001)

Concert: Derek Bailey - Susie Ibarra Duo

uitariste anglais autodidacte, figure incontournable des musiques improvisées depuis

G vingt ans, auteur d'un livre, qu'on peut qualifier de "manifeste de l'improvisation",
fondateur (avec Parker) du label Incus, Derek Bailey est bien le compagnon de route
de tous les improvisateurs de la planète. Il s'associe avec la jeune batteuse Susie Ibarra, qui
joue un rôle de plus en plus important dans l'évolution du jazz contemporain new-yorkais,
pour un duo bouillonnant d'énergie libératrice.
1999, POST IMPROVISATION 1 : WHEN WE'RE SMILING,
Incus CD 34 (UK) (CD) (released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, voice

Han Bennink : drums

Six tracks, no titles:

1- 02.44
2- 04.40
3- 03.17
4- 14.14
5- 06.49
6- 09.44

First volume of mail duos for guitar and percussion.

Cover design by Karen Brookman.

In early 1999, Derek Bailey and Han Bennink discussed over the phone the idea of
exchanging practice tapes for each other to play with. Out of this arose two CDs,
this and Incus CD 35. On this CD, Han's pieces were recorded first - at the
BIMhuis - and sent to Derek, who recorded electric guitar at Moat Studio, around June 1999.

The follow up CD worked in the opposite direction.

On the phone: 'What you doing, Han?' 'I'm practicing. Of course.' 'Me too. Of
course. Listen, Han, why don't you record something, post it, and I'll play with
it; and I'll record something, post it, and you play with that; and let's see what
we've got?' "Yes! Great.'

T he prototypical improvisors: English guitarist and Dutch drum-maniac. Not playing

together, in-the-tradition, in a room, but duetting via airmail and overdubbing. Each
one sent the other a tape of themselves practicing and then they recorded themselves
playing (and speaking!) along with each other. Beyond playing with their instruments, the two
manage to play with their history, relationships, reality contexts, and home environments. This
is a new and successful experiment in creating music together by two masters of the
unexpected. If you only bought one CD, then I would suggest Air Mail Special as being the
more interesting of these two fascinating documents.
1999, POST IMPROVISATION 2 : AIR MAIL SPECIAL, Incus CD 35
(UK) (CD) (released in 1999)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar, voice

Han Bennink : drums

Thirteen tracks, no titles:

1- 04.08
2- 01.00
3- 01.19
4- 01.24
5- 02.57
6- 03.14
7- 02.45
8- 01.31
9- 02.03
10- 05.51
11- 04.29
12- 06.49
13- 04.29

Second accompanying volume of mail duos for guitar and percussion.

The earlier CD was recorded first and had worked in the opposite direction, Han recording
first.

Cover design by Karen Brookman.

In early 1999, Derek Bailey and Han Bennink discussed over the phone the idea of
exchanging practice tapes for each other to play with. Out of this arose two CDs,
Incus CD 34 and this CD. On this CD, Derek recorded acoustic guitar at various
locations in Downs Road in summer 1999 and Han recorded over these in the BIMhuis.

éalisé dans un contexte peu banal (Derek Bailey envoyant par la poste les

R improvisations qu’il avait imaginées, à Bennink qui s’empresse d’y "coller"

d’incroyables arabesques rythmiques), ces dialogues corroborent sans peine les
pensées de Bailey, "Je reproduis sur ma guitare, ce qui se passe dehors, la cité, la vie
quotidienne". Corrosif, non ?

L. Charlier
1999, MIRAKLE, Tzadik TZ 7603 (Japan) (CD) (released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Jamaaladeen Tacuma : bass
Calvin Weston : drums

1- Moment 16.34
2- What it is 09.01
3- This time 16.00
4- Nebeula 08.53
5- Present 11.26
6- s'Now 07.49

Recorded on 29 November 1999 at Orange Music.

Design by Chippy (Heung-Heung Chin).
The artwork from a masonic Master Mason tracing board was chosen for its visual interest
and has no relevance to the music or lyrics.
Mirakle "is another chapter in English free-improvisational guitar maestro Derek Bailey's
excursion into cross-pollination of genres".
H
armolodic noise funk for the 21st century. The godfather of improvisation in a
free-wheeling trio with the legendary Philly rhythm section of Jamaaladeen
Tacuma and Calvin Weston, friends for over 30 years and veterans of Ornette
Coleman's Prime Time, John Lurie's Lounge Lizards and various Blood Ulmer projects.
Noise has never sounded so in tune, funk has never sounded so fucked up. You've never
heard a meeting like this before, nor are you likely to again. Intense, fascinating, and
howlingly funny.

T
he sonic possibilities suggested by the playing of British avant-garde guitarist
Derek Bailey seem almost limit less. It's not surprising then that the teaming of
Bailey with pulsating electric bass Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston, a
powerful, whirling dervish of a drummer, results in a groundbreaking excursion into the
outer regions of random noise and hardcore, harmolodic funk.
Harmolodics, first introduced by Ornette Coleman in the mid-'70s, is a unique musical
language, which places harmony, melody and rhythm as equals to be used freely within the
music. Throughout Mirakle the trio gleefully bring their free-form brand of harmolodic
music to thevery edge of the avant-garde. From the first notes of the opening "Moment",
Bailey and company use harmolodics to lay down a dense, shifting wall of sound that
pulses with a heady mixture of bass-heavy funk and the high register pings of Bailey's off-
center guitar abstractions. The freewheeling sounds continue through the disc's five other
original compositions. Though Tacuma and Weston are longtime masters of the
harmolodic groove, Bailey is new to the discipline. One would never know it listening to
him alter his distinct arrhythmic approach to blend with the surroundings, all the while
maintaining the ringing, bell-like tones and spacey, bent-note effects that build up his
unmistakable sound.
On "This Time", Bailey adds a nice rhythmic presence to his usual slashing attack and
bursting note clusters. "s'Now" , the disc's closer, finds Tacuma bending bass notes to
mirror Bailey's distorted, choppy guitar stokes as Weston lays down a nonstop drum
barrage. By Ralph Pant * "Mirakle" is another chapter in English free-improvisational
guitar maestro Derek Bailey's excursion into cross-pollineation of genres. Since mid-1990's
Bailey had gone through radical reinvention of himself as an artist and a guitarist (no small
feat for a 70-something). Although noise feedback had been part of Bailey's stylistic
vocabulary, he started to flirt with other musical form with harder edges since early 90s (his
extreme noise terror performance with John Zorn and Buckethead at Company '91 series),
and the reinvention process fully blossomed with the DIW noise extravanganza "The Last
Wave" with Arcana (Bill Laswell and the late Tony Williams) and his collaboration with
the Japanese noise duo Ruins in "Saisoro", and continued with the jungle excursion "Guitar,
drum and bass" (where he "jammed" his trademark style over a jungle backing by DJ Ninj)
as well as his "Playback" series as of late. Not only Bailey played free-improv music, but
he also lives the spirit of free-improv where everything is possible. It's up to the artist to
throw down the gauntlet and challenge the convention or even him/herself.
"Mirakle" is Bailey's second album release on John Zorn's Tzadik label (the first one being
"Saisoro"). Instead of examining late-Japanese improvisational approach, "Mirakle" is
Bailey's attempt to marry his free-improv aesthetics with "harmolodics", an improvisation
approach founded by Ornette Coleman and nurtured by many of his supporting musicians.
Tacuma and Weston are two of the harmolodic practitioners. Tacuma and Weston
participated in many of Coleman's "Prime Time" band and James "Blood" Ulmer (another
harmolodic disciple). They both appeared in various incarnations of Ulmer's "Music
Revelation Ensemble".
Although Bailey's sound is often typified by his detached emotion (Many moments in
"Guitar drum and bass" sounded as if he was deilberately played away from the backing
track). And it might go against the grain of harmolodic's requirement of group interaction,
with its base firmly set upon the sweaty and hollering blues joint. However, harmolodic
also suggested an improvisational freedom between melody, harmony and rhythm form
each other. In this sense (albeit schizophrenic as it might be), Bailey's style and
harmolodicism is the perfect foil for each other. The CD started with (non other than) a
blaster "This time". From the open blast to the last echo, the album is so full of tension and
energy it never lets go. The most interesting thing is that the real star of the album is not on
the sole strength of the player, but the interaction between the three. While the signature of
the players are presents: Bailey's screeches, skonks and chiming harmonics, Tacuma's
accentuated electric bass (sometimes too slap-happy for its own good) and Weston's
sometimes marching and sometimes slamming played wonderfully well against each other.
While Bailey's playing is his usual highly focused attention to his music and the band's,
however, it is Tacuma and Weston's funk that brought the music alive. Granted, most of the
cuts are harder-edged, but the swinging but deadly funk contrast, or complemented nicely
with the massive, in-your-face sheer force of impact. The bass and drum might lack the
free-spirited bluesiness of harmolodics, but the amount of attitude and forcefulness makes
up an unforgettable experience. Although "Mirakle" released without much fanfare,
however, the result is an electrifying experience to please both free-improv music and
harmolodics with harder edge jazz-funk.

T
he truly hard-core fans of free jazz guitarist, Derek Bailey, may shudder a bit when
they read the lineup for Mirakle. Once again, the UK’s most famous anti-swinging
noise generator has teamed up with seemingly disparate styled partners.
Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston are Philadelphia’s answer to all your funk needs.
Tacuma, a gigantic electric bassist, was the harmolodic beat behind Ornette Coleman’s
electric Prime Time band, before playing himself into near obscurity producing pop/funk
dance records. Weston a member of John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, shared a role in
Ornette’s and James Blood Ulmer’s bands with Tacuma. Their presence presupposes a
rocked-out setting for the guitarist voted least likely to ever record a cover of James
Brown’s “Sex Machine.” For those coming to this recording from a modern jazz
perspective, like me, this record is a great portal to Bailey’s music. Like his Guitar, Drums
‘n’ Bass record (Avant 1996) or to a lesser extent The Last Wave (DIW 1996) with Bill
Laswell and Tony Williams, Bailey is found in a comfortable (for new listeners) context.
Freedom, in jazz, is often just another word for nothing left to listen to, especially in
recorded form. Live performance is another matter, but that is a discussion for another
day. Free jazz in the context of drum ‘n’ bass, or here with funk lines drawn, becomes
deceivingly accessible. Nodding to the beats is oh so easy, but what is Bailey doing behind
the engine? His anti-groove, anti-swing, anti-harmonies persist, but are they influenced by
or do they influence the funk? The answer is both. There is a sense of call-and-response to
the music, or is it merely directional cues? Bailey’s intensity is at times ignored (and others
acknowledged to by the pair). Besides the groove, sometimes Harmolodic or On The
Corner, Tacuma opts for a shredded sound and Weston trades his rock beats for
abstraction. That’s where the pair begins to follow Bailey into his world. So too can the
listener follow along

Mark Corroto

M
an, what a blast. Everyone should go for this album. And if you have doubts: go
in a record store and skip to number two (track title: What it is). What it is? A
very groovy steady beat, a phat bass, and on top of that Derek Bailey in a great
form. Wow, what an album. The funny thing about this album is that it appeals to a lot of
people, from funk to free jazz and noise rock. I just can't say more: this album is great. I
immediately thought of the Arcana album (with Tony Williams and Bill Laswell), but this
album is more conventional, more rock/funk oriented...

B ritsh free-improv guitar legend Derek Bailey (curmudgeonly, but adventurous in his
collaborations) teams up with a rhythm section known for work with Ornette
Coleman and James "Blood" Ulmer. So: a collision of skittering, abstract guitar
skree and semi-abstract jazz funk of the "harmolodic" variety. Random, noisy, damaged
grooviness. Pretty cool.

In
one of the most unlikely groupings in music history, avant-skronk guitar
godfather Derek Bailey teams up with the harmolodic, free funk rhythm section
of Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston. Weston and Tacuma have been the
anchor for Ornette Coleman, James Blood Ulmer, and James Carter 's first electric album;
Weston has been a member of the Lounge Lizards, so these guys can clearly cut a groove.
You'd be hard pressed to say that Derek Bailey has ever grooved in his recorded career.
That's what makes this recording so much fun. No one compromises their individual sound
or strengths, but each is a good enough listener and improviser to make things happen as a
group. Weston and Tacuma lay it down super funky, while Derek Bailey does his thing
over the top, and it works! Who says the avant garde can't be a rocking good time

Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide

Le
grand-père de l’improvisation prouve, à nouveau, qu’il peut nous surprendre.
A la tête d’un trio funk-rock, composé de vétérans (habitués d’Ornette, de
James Blood Ulmer ou des Lounge Lizards), sans les artifices du genre ou les
clichés, il en fait, SA "chose" ! Bruit n’a jamais sonné aussi juste, intense, fascinant et funk,
aussi débridé. Souhaitons longue vie à notre sympathique septuagénaire !

L. Charlier

Amazon: Editorial Reviews

P arliament's proclamation that "funk not only moves, it can remove" is apropos for
Mirakle . For just as the Philadelphia-rooted rhythm pair of bassist Jamaaldeen
Tacuma and drummer Calvin G. Weston continually seeks an in-motion, funky
floor on Mirakle, guitarist Derek Bailey snarls, tangles, and bends every bit of motion, as if
to trouble the musical dialogue. Just as he did on Guitar, Drums 'n' Bass , he tinkers here
with the electric bass and drums formula that underlies legions of jazz-envelope pushers.
When Tacuma sounds like he could be on a harmony-melody jag à la Ornette Coleman 's
Prime Time, Bailey tugs at Weston to break it down, fracturing time and dynamics with
wry, distorted compressions of phrase. Bailey has made a ritual of improvising in unusual
contexts, and this one ranks with his oddest. It's a blast to hear, first for the dialogues across
the funk idiom, and second for the energy the trio expends individually and as a whole. --
Andrew Bartlett

Amazon: Customer Reviews

I 've liked bailey in other settings, and i've heard some tacuma that i've thought was all
right, but i took a chance on this and it just sounds like they took just any ol' derek
bailey improv and stuck it on top of the rhythm section -- which might work better
with his acoustic guitar, actually. here it just sounds like an experiment gone wrong.

Reviewer: A music fan from Portland, OR USA. May 3, 2001

B ailey's guitar comes at you from all angles. It may cut and bruise at first but when
one's mind sinks it into thick molasses of his great rhythm section, one realises it
works with and not against them. Like "few drops of whiskey in a spoonful of
honey". Tzadik really summed it up the best: "Noise has never sounded so in tune, funk has
never sounded so f***ed up." Some may be well advised to have a "soothing" and less
demanding CD within reach for a speedy recovery from the shock after 70 miraKulous
minutes.

Reviewer: ptitchitza (see more about me) from The Hague, the Netherlands. April 18, 2001

I
have to admit this is my first real foray into the realm of Derek Bailey's music. A few
free jazz freaks I know describe Bailey as a one-trick pony, who's work is defined by
the collaborators he chooses to work with on a given release, or they complain that
Bailey just does his thing while virtually ignoring whomever he plays with. Others I know,
who highly enjoy his music, recommend releases that are either hopelessly out-of-print or
impossible to find at the local record shop (or here at Amazon).

Admittedly, Bailey's guitar shronk is an acquired taste. He sounds like an epileptic child
picking up the guitar for the first time to work through a violent grand mal seizure. He
spews shards of broken glass, jagged rusty metal, and little streams of acid toward the
listener's ears. Bailey doesn't exactly "play" the guitar. Instead, he shoots a few vile threats
and gestures its way, and then proceeds to take it into a dark alley to give it the ... kicking
of its life. His tone and attack are significantly more dissonant, atonal, and arhythmic than
even Coltrane's final works or the more recent pieces by the post-Coltrane free jazz crowd.
What's amazing is these iconoclastic, screeching sounds come from a man well into his 60s.

Admittedly, what Bailey does here isn't too different than what he did on "Guitar, Drum 'n
Bass," the only other Bailey work I've heard all the way through. "G, D'nB," though
interesting, was marred by DJ Ninj's overly repetitive beats and a poor mixing job that left
the rhythms sounding thin and far away. Indeed what makes "Mirakle" so satisfying is who
he chooses to work with this time.

On "Mirakle" Bailey teams up with Weston and Tacuma, the former free funk rhythm
section of Ornette Coleman and James "Blood" Ulmer. This Philly phunk team lays down
the most ... shaking funk grooves this side of Parliament. These guys are so tight (and they
should be given the time they've played together and the master improvisors they've played
with), you'd almost swear they were attached at the hip. When one goes off in a new
direction, the other is right there with him. What's amazing is how well it all works. On
paper, one might expect Bailey's noise to grind the funk rhythm section to a screeching halt.
Instead it fits well together forming some of the most visceral and corporeal "free jazz" I've
heard in awhile, though Bailey certainly doesn't just groove along with the rhythm section.
Evidently this is a match made in improv heaven. As once can discern from the fades at the
end of each track, the tracks represented on this disc are likely only pieces of longer jams.
Let's hope these guys take this show on the road.

After hearing this, I'm anxious to get my hands on Bailey's improvs with Cecil Taylor or
hear what the man does with an acoustic guitar.

Reviewer: zenlunatic (see more about me) from Philadelphia, PA

Caustic At All Times, August 23, 2000

Y ou either love Derek Bailey's playing or you hate it; there's no middle ground. If
you love his playing style then you may have your favorite format in which to hear
it - acoustic solo, electric and percussion, duets, trios, whatever. This is my
favorite - Derek Bailey and Prime Time. On other recordings it sometimes sounds like
Derek Bailey is off doing his own noisy abstract thang while everyone else is concentrating
on their own. On this recording you can easily connect with the funky, blues-based grooves
and hear how Bailey plays with the music. Hearing Derek Bailey riffing along with the
groove in the first track was worth the cost of the whole CD. Weston and Tacuma have
never sounded better together - even better than on Coleman's "In All Languages". A great -
and very funny - recording. But like all Bailey recordings, it's not for the timid.

Bring the Noise, Bring in the Funk., June 22, 2000

Reviewer: Doug Martin (see more about me) from Alpharetta, GA

T
his is a fantastic album + probably the best 'accessible' derek bailey recording you
can buy -Despite his well-publicised enthusiasm for group work (eg. the 'company'
albums) bailey occasionally seems guilty of entering collaborations on a nominal
basis only - noodling away in his spidery manner while the other musicians just seem to be
along for the ride - but this is a genuine group effort + it pays off in spades - a dazzling
array of spliced styles - tight-as-a-nut funk collapsing into messed-up blues - shards of
glass-smashing noise falling on a lyrical bass-lines - feedback droning over shuffling snare
riffs- the effect is exhilarating + frequently hilarious - top stuff + unlikely to leave you
rubbing your chin and your empty wallet wondering why-oh-why-oh-why....

funkolodic noise mash, 1 October, 2001

Reviewer: A music fan from sheffield england

D
erek Bailey never ceases to stupefy. Just when it seems he’s exhausted all
improvisational avenues he boldly steps out again and unveils a new sphere of
music upon which to inflict his maddeningly original technique. There are
antecedents to this trio’s work. The skull-crushing fragmentary funk of Arcana, a short-
lived collective Bailey fronted with Bill Laswell and the late, great Tony Williams is a
kindred spirit. But whereas that earlier group emphasized a full bore aural assault and
oppressively dense waves of kinetic force this current cooperative possesses a far greater
dynamic range. As an earlier compendium of Tacuma’s work once contended, he is indeed
the Boss of the electric bass and his command of the nuances of his instrument echo
Bailey’s own intense familiarity with string theory. Weston’s understanding of the timbres
and textures available from his drum kit are similarly advanced. Tacuma and Weston share
a further connection through their long history together spent playing in Philadelphia-based
groups. What this ultimately means is three formidable improvisers willing to leap into the
deep end from the high board even without assurance that there’s water in the pool.

On the surface their meeting mirrors the action of a boxing match with Bailey on one side
of the ring, and Tacuma and Weston on the other struggling to maintain a groove despite
the hail of sonic jabs and punches that spray forth from the guitarist’s serrated strings. Just
as s soon as the Philly contingent manages to wrest free an solid fatback funk riff, Bailey
moves in again and shreds it with a razor-wire web of guitar static. After the initial shock of
hearing these three scuffle subsides deeper listening reveals that their interplay isn’t some
free-for-all after all, but a highly charged swirling pool of spontaneously harnessed energy.
Each man is actively and attentively responding to his partners and rather than being two
immovable objects that collide in a cataclysmic impact the factions instead strike a
supportive alliance. Bailey’s guitar rockets forward while Tacuma and Weston carve out a
malleable underpinning to fuel his velocity.

In the first piece alone the trio cycles through an astounding series of improvisational
exchanges. Tacuma and Weston have a limitless supply of undulating beats at their disposal
and toss out one after another for Bailey to pulverize with devilish enthusiasm. Across the
remaining tracks the three rip apart the boundaries of funk at the seams and create a
document guaranteed to elicit in equal parts perplexed wonder and riotous admiration. It’s
an exhausting ride, but one that yields incredible exhilaration, and the most startling thing
of all is that it’s all completely improvised! To borrow a catch phrase from the ESP label
that seems strangely appropriate here: “You Never Heard Such Sounds In Your Life.”

Derek Taylor

La
base rythmique (légendaire, comme on dit, ayant fait ses classes chez Ornette
Coleman), amorce carrée, cool, première séduction. La plupart du temps elle
va bourrer un tangage houleux, propice aux "inversions systématique de tous
les sens", "illuminations" et autres libérations cabalistiques de tous les horizons. Le vieux
anti-mage guitaristique, d'une verdeur incroyable, presque effrayante, décoche ses coups de
griffe classieux, petites passes magnétiques claires et cassantes, sans envers ni endroit,
d'une redoutable efficacité. Et tout ça gonfle en déferlante K.O.tique phénoménale qui
réveille l'hypnotique ou le somnambule au moment le plus crucial. Belle connaissance des
gouffres. CD fabuleux.

P. Hemptinne

M
irakle is another chapter in English free-improvisational guitar maestro Derek
Bailey's excursion into cross-pollineation of genres. Since mid-1990's Bailey had
gone through radical reinvention of himself as an artist and a guitarist (no small
feat for a 70-something).

Although noise feedback had been part of Bailey's stylistic vocabulary, he started to flirt
with other musical form with harder edges since early 90s (his extreme noise terror
performance with John Zorn and Buckethead at Company '91 series), and the reinvention
process fully blossomed with the DIW noise extravanganza "The Last Wave" with Arcana
(Bill Laswell and the late Tony Williams) and his collaboration with the Japanese noise duo
Ruins in "Saisoro", and continued with the jungle excursion "Guitar, drum and bass"
(where he "jammed" his trademark style over a jungle backing by DJ Ninj) as well as his
"Playback" series as of late. Not only Bailey played free-improv music, but he also lives the
spirit of free-improv where everything is possible. It's up to the artist to throw down the
gauntlet and challenge the convention or even him/herself.
"Mirakle" is Bailey's second album release on John Zorn's Tzadik label (the first one being
"Saisoro"). Instead of examining late-Japanese improvisational approach, "Mirakle" is
Bailey's attempt to marry his free-improv aesthetics with "harmolodics", an improvisation
approach founded by Ornette Coleman and nurtured by many of his supporting
musicians. Tacuma and Weston are two of the harmolodic practitioners. Tacuma and
Weston participated in many of Coleman's "Prime Time" band and James "Blood" Ulmer
(another harmolodic disciple). They both appeared in various incarnations of Ulmer's
"Music Revelation Ensemble". Although Bailey's sound is often typified by his detached
emotion (Many moments in "Guitar drum and bass" sounded as if he was deilberately
played away from the backing track). And it might go against the grain of harmolodic's
requirement of group interaction, with its base firmly set upon the sweaty and hollering
blues . However, harmolodic also suggested an improvisational freedom between melody,
harmony and rhythm form each other. In this sense (albeit schizophrenic as it might be),
Bailey's style and harmolodicism is the perfect foil for each other. The CD started with (non
other than) a blaster "This time". From the open blast to the last echo, the album is so full of
tension and energy it never lets go. The most interesting thing is that the real star of the
album is not on the sole strength of the player, but the interaction between the three. While
the signature of the players are presents: Bailey's screeches, skonks and chiming harmonics,
Tacuma's accentuated electric bass (sometimes too slap-happy for its own good) and
Weston's sometimes marching and sometimes slamming played wonderfully well against
each other.

While Bailey's playing is his usual highly focused attention to his music and the band's,
however, it is Tacuma and Weston's funk that brought the music alive. Granted, most of
the cuts are harder-edged, but the swinging but deadly funk contrast, or complemented
nicely with the massive, in-your-face sheer force of impact. The bass and drum might lack
the free-spirited bluesiness of harmolodics, but the amount of attitude and forcefulness
makes up an unforgettable experience.

Although "Mirakle" released without much fanfare, however, the result is an electrifying
experience to please both free-improv music and harmolodics with harder edge jazz-funk

I magine walking into a big music store. two guys are playing: a solid funk bass
propelled by a wiggly, syncopated drummer. Then, on the other side of the room,
some kid on an elementary school field trip picks up an electric guitar that somebody
left plugged in. The kid doesn't know how to play, not even a little bit. so he grabs a string
and gives it a yank. sproinggg!! ..then another, maybe a little louder this time. he moves his
left hand, makes a sorta-chord and rakes his right across the strings. klangg!

The thing is, you haven't seen the kid. so you're trying to figure out if this plonky guitar
actually goes with the rhythm section. it just might.

or not.
Welcome to the strange and beautiful world of Derek Bailey, king of the freely-improvised
guitar.

Bailey has made a lot of recordings in various contexts: solo, duos , small ensembles and
large groups. all are worth checking out. on Mirakle he teams up with Jamaaladeen Tacuma
on bass and Calvin Weston on drums. definitely a formidable pair. Mirakle is a good
introduction to this style of play as the funk rhythm section give the uninitiated listener
something familiar to hold onto while the more "alien" guitar does its
thing.

Now, i'd be the first person to admit that this recording is not for everyone. Derek Bailey's
guitar style will require some time to "get". in fact, you may never "get" it. if you do
though, a whole new musical landscape will open up for further exploration.

02-20-2003: It's A Mirakle!

A h enfin de la guitare de Jazz. C’est quand même le seul guitariste à l’ancienne de

tout ce que l´on vient d’écouter jusqu á présent. Je sais à 99,8% que c’est Derek
Bailey ( je me garde 0,2% de marge parce qu’il se place de manière assez
particulière depuis une minute quand même ). même si ça semble assez déstructuré à
l’écoute "globale”, il y a beaucoup d’éléments de l´histoire de l’instrument dans son jeu.
Jeu très précis, voicings des accords pleins, serrés, complexes, attaque du médiator très
détachée, tranchante même. Chaque chose dite ici l’est avec distance, maîtrise, une assez
grande classe aussi, c’est du grand art. On voit aussi très rapidement la différence à savoir
que si tout le monde arrive très rapidement a des 75-80% de rendement ( vite au taquet
donc) dans son jeu, Derek lui reste dans du 20-25%. Ca peut exploser à tout moment, y a de
quoi dans l’arrière boutique. Ce qui m’a dès le début touché avec lui, mais c’est aussi lié au
moment où je l’ai découvert, c´est ses deux pôles d attraction. D’un côté une passion
entière pour l’instrument-guitare dans toute son histoire et de l’autre celle de
l’improvisation libre en tant que jeu, concept quasi philosophique de la vérité.
Fondamentalement, improviser c’est prendre des risques, jouer le tout pour le tout. Si on
n’a rien à perdre ( surtout au sens du jeu, de Poker aux Echecs) , ou si l’on n’accepte pas
que tout peut très vite tourner très mal alors tout cela n’a aucun sens il y a des centaines de
répertoires très agréables à interpréter. Si je reviens maintenant sur l’instrument c’est parce
qu’au moment où j’étais moi-même à la recherche de portes de sorties (j’allais pas
poursuivre dans la voix d’un guitariste de neo-swing au milieu des années 80 ça me
semblait une forme de suicide ), Derek s’est imposé immédiatement en ce qu’il foutait tout
en l’air MAIS de l’intérieur. C’est-à-dire qu’il faut quand même à mon sens avoir les
moyens de ce que l’on avance. On ne risque pas d’inventer le langage si on n’a pas une
sérieuse connaissance du langage justement. C’est comme quand Lacan dit qu’il n’y a que
les Théologiens pour pouvoir être Athées. Si j’y repense les deux guitaristes qui ont été
pour moi très importants dans mon évolution vers un jeu plus ouvert je crois que ça a été les
deux que j’ai rencontrés en premier à savoir Derek et Keith Rowe rapidement après. De
plus les deux ont été extrêmement encourageant à l’égard d’un très jeune musicien. Je leur
dois beaucoup, bien au-delà du jeu bien sûr. Ces deux-là m’ont fait beaucoup réfléchir,
évoluer, risquer mais aussi travailler. Et ça ne me semble pas un hasard si ce sont les deux
qui viennent directement, pour le dire vite, de Charlie Christian et du Jazz des débuts. Chez
eux deux, de manière très différente d’ailleurs mais il y a toujours pour moi dans le fond la
mélodie, le swing et quelque chose d’une chanson de Broadway. Encore maintenant si je
suis honnête c’est surtout ces guitaristes de jazz des tous débuts, les pionniers, qui me
passionnent. Peut-être exactement comme avec le cinéma muet on peut dire de Lumière à
Stroheim, comment sans rien, aucune référence, un outil totalement neuf, pas encore bien
au point, ils posent les bases du langage cinématographique à vie, dont on n’est toujours
pas encore sorti. Je veux dire les progrès narratifs au cinéma depuis 36 ça ne fait pas lourd
quand même. Je dirais quasiment pareil avec le Jazz juste les années actives vont plus loin
dans le siècle (en gros fin 60 ). Quand on demande à Eddy Louiss ou Bernard Lubat
pourquoi ils ne jouent plus de jazz comme dans les années 60 ils répondent par la seule
réponse qui me semble possible : Avec qui ? Ça par exemple lorsque j’ai pu jouer avec
Jacques Thollot ou Sam Rivers ou Tal Farlow ça a été une évidence immédiate et
fulgurante. ça me fascine toujours d´écouter deux géants comme T.Bone Walker et Charlie
Christian et de percevoir le moment historique où l’un teinte le Blues de Swing alors que le
second bifurque vers le be-bop. Mais, pareil avec les guitaristes rythmiques des tous débuts
comme Bernard Addison, ou le génial Freddie Green. Ensuite les combos Nat King Cole
avec John Collins ou Oscar Moore même la suite avec des tentatives alambiquées comme
celles de Johnny Smith ou Van Eps, ensuite Raney puis Jim Hall enfin tout ce qui était en
train de se faire, de s’inventer parce que ça n’existait pas tout simplement. Plus tard ça se
fige à mon sens. Disons qu’après Renè Thomas, Sonny
Sharrock et Derek Bailey, la musique et la guitare en particulier va tout a fait ailleurs. C’est
dans l’électricité, le rock , le son pour le son, que les choses se réinventent. Et pour moi il
n’y a rien de plus ennuyeux que d’écouter un guitariste proto Jazz essayer de sonner de loin
comme un musicien de Rock. Ça n’a aucun intérêt. (je n’ai pas parlé de Django, mais j
aurais pu sans hésitation).

Sextant magazine dédié au Jazz - Noël Akchoté

1999, FLYING DRAGONS, Incus CD 50 (UK) (CD) (released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar

Min Xiao-Fen : pipa

1- Sun rising 13.06

2- Non stop 15.54
3- Dragons flying, phoenixes dancing 04.15
4- Meandering footpath 08.54

Recorded NYC, November 1999.

Design and layout by Karen Brookman.

Q uality close mic'd recording of concert, circa 1999. Derek is joined by Min on pipa, an
ancient chinese 4 string lute. virtuoso performances of fluency and intimacy, ranging
from the delicate to the fearsome. Exciting string summit. very fast moving
concentration time. contemporary or traditional? - you decide!

MIN XIAO-FEN INTERVIEW

published in All About Jazz 2003

I still remember when I was ten years old, my father, Min Ji-Qian - a professor, educator
and pipa master at Nanjing Normal University in China - was teaching one of my
classmates. He lent one of his pipas to her, and I immediately got so jealous. Ever since
then, I wanted to learn pipa from my father. Seven years later, I passed an important audition
with more than 60 other competitors and got a job with the Nanjing Traditional Music
Orchestra. The orchestra sent me to music school to continue strict, full-time training with my
father and other pipa masters. Mostly I learned traditional solo tunes and orchestral repertoire.
Four years later, at 21, I became the principle pipa soloist. My life was simple - music, music,
and more music. Then in 1993, looking for a new challenge, I moved to San Francisco.

My first experience with improvisation occurred during a concert with trumpeter Wadada Leo
Smith in San Francisco. I had just finished playing "Lake Biwa A Full Moon Pure Water
Gold", his composition for solo pipa, and was in the middle of playing an ensemble piece with
five other musicians including Wadada. Suddenly he nodded, indicating that he wanted me to
jam with him. I had never really improvised before, and I didn't know how. I only remember
that moment - my hands got stuck and my heart seemed to stop beating. I was completely lost.

I moved to New York City in 1996. Five months later, I played a solo set at the Knitting
Factory's Alterknit Room. John Zorn was there. After the performance, he asked me if I might
be interested in making a record for his label. He suggested a first recording of duet
improvisations with Derek Bailey. Improvisation was a new thing for me, and I didn't really
know much about it. I told John I wasn't comfortable improvising - I was afraid. But John
encouraged me and gave me a few of Derek's CDs so I could listen and study.

I started listening to Derek's music. I heard sounds that I had never imagined before. In his
hands, the guitar sounds metal and abstract. When I listened more closely, I felt sparks and
colors in his music - like a Dali or Picasso painting. I even practiced by improvising along
with his records. A week later, I called John and told him I would do it.

"As a traditional musician I was trained not to make changes or play extra notes."

I met Derek at Clinton Studio and we started recording. I remember that my playing felt stiff
at first, but I told myself to watch, listen and try to a have dialog with him and most
importantly to follow my feelings. I still remember, during the middle of one track, Derek
broke a string. I thought he might stop, but he continued playing, using the broken string to
scratch on the frets. The results sounded incredible. Incredibly, our CD, Viper (Avant), was
named one of The Wire magazine's "1998 Albums of the Year". Derek and I went on tour
playing concerts in Berlin, Graz and other European cities. I learned so much from him. We
released a second recording of duets called Flying Dragon (Incus) and Coda magazine listed
it as "2003 Album of the Year".

In 1998, I was playing a concert in Atlanta, and by coincidence, Randy Weston was on the
same bill. I watched in amazement as he played solo piano. After the concert, I was introduced
to him and found out that we both lived in Brooklyn. He was curious about the pipa and
interested in Chinese culture. Chinese food, too.

A few days later, he invited me to his home. I brought my pipa and a huge book about the
history of Chinese music. I played pipa for him, his daughter and his grandson, Niles. He
gave me some books and I learned a lot about African culture from him. Later that year, I had
the pleasure of recording Khepera (Verve) with Randy. For me, one special highlight was a
duet piece that we composed together titled "The Shang", which refers to the ancient Chinese
Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1050 B.C.). The main premise behind the composition was the
influence that Africa had on early Chinese civilization.

In 2000, I worked with Wadada again. The concert was held at the New York Society for
Ethical Culture and included his wife Harumi as narrator and Denardo Coleman on drums.
And just like our concert a few years earlier in San Francisco, he did it again: in the middle of
playing, he suddenly signaled me to improvise with Denardo. This time I was ready. At once,
my fingers and my feelings all came together.

Without the help and encouragement of people like Wadada and John Zorn, I might never
have known that I had the ability to improvise. They inspired me so much. John also produced
my solo album Min Xiao-Fen with Six Composers (Avant), and I also participated on two of
his "Filmworks" movie soundtracks, Shaolin Ulysses and The Port of Last Resort (both on
Tzadik).

As a traditional musician I was trained not to make changes or play extra notes. It is only now
that I play freely, but it takes a lot of experience and practice. I've been lucky to do so many
jazz projects and to work so closely with improvisers like Jane Ira Bloom, Ned Rothenberg,
Steve Coleman, Billy Martin, Butch Morris, Jason Kao Hwang, Christian Marclay and many
others. When I improvise, I feel like I'm creating my own language and music, I'm alive and in
touch with my feelings. I still have a lot to learn, but I enjoy being in New York. The freedom
here makes my music more creative and colorful.

Min Xiao-Fen
1999, DART DRUG, Incus CD19 (re-issue)

Jamie Muir : percussion

Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Carminative 08.48
2- I soon learned to know this flower better 07.14
3- Jara 07.49
4- Dart drug 25.50

Recorded at Crane Grove, London in August 1981.

Cover photograph by Jamie Muir.

CD is a re-issue of the LP issue which is no longer available.

Re-issue of a 1981 LP, feat. Bailey (guitar) and legendary, one-time King Crimson-ite Muir.
Lots of hovering harmonics as Derek's feedback shoves into the space of Muir's floating
timbral spectrum, a masterpiece of sound control.

F or the uninitiated, Jamie Muir was percussionist for King Crimson during its Larks'
Tongues in Aspic period. Since that time, he has concentrated on playing in the free
improv arena, and has interacted with just about everybody on the British side of
things. This date with guitarist Derek Bailey is in many ways quite remarkable. In these four
improvisations, Bailey himself attempts to become a nearly lyrical player, sensitively looking
for timbral elements within his already sonant tones, and Muir moves to underline that aspect
of his playing. This is not to say that dynamics and violence are not found here -- quite the
contrary, they're just more closely observed.

The title track, clocking in just shy of half an hour, is for practical matters the hinge piece of
the album, though it comes last in sequence. From random plinks and plonks, where Bailey
accompanies Muir as a percussionist in the way he uses his strings and Muir dances all over
the mix, a kind of pattern develops where dynamic threads are woven and carried forth into
others, always leaving the fully articulated one as the process begets the creation of another.

This systematic approach is different for both men, and results in a kind of ideational clarity
that lesser players would love to emulate. The result is as open as silence itself, albeit a more
playful gazer into its open mouth by this pair of yobs who are winking and laughing.

Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

1999, THE BAPTISED TRAVELLER, Sony-Columbia 4944382 (CD
re-issue)

Tony Oxley Quintet :

Evan Parker : tenor saxophone
Kenny Wheeler : trumpet/fluegelhorn
Derek Bailey : guitar
Jeff Cline : bass
Tony Oxley : drum

1- Crossing 11.00
2- Arrival 11.25
3- Stone garden 12.00
4- Preparation 04.00

Recorded 3 January 1969.

969 studio session (January 3rd for all you 'Martin Davidson' types...) including Evan

1 Parker (tenor Sax), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet/flugelhorn), Derek Bailey (guitar), Jeff
Cline (bass), as well as Tony himself (drums). As far as late 60's SME related
recordings go, this one's a scene stealer; all (now familiar) moves are squarely in place and a
certain youthful exuberance/reckless abandon exhibited within certainly hinders not.

Hrvatski.
C lassic recording from the early days of British free jazz, this disc features Oxley,
Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, and bassist Jeff Clyne. This is not free
improvisation, the three cuts are actual compositions (two by Oxley, one by Charlie
Mariano). At times there are tunes, at times there is pulse, at times there are free
improvisations. It is fascinating to hear Oxley play on a normal drum kit, for those of us used
to hearing him on his current setup, which is just as much a work of art as a drum set.

C lassic recording from the early days of British creative improvisation, this disc
features Oxley, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, and bassist Jeff Clyne.
This is not free improvisation, the three cuts are actual compositions (two by Oxley,
one by Charlie Mariano). At times there are tunes, at times there is pulse, at times there are
free improvisations. It is fascinating to hear Oxley play on a normal drum kit, for those of us
used to hearing him on his current setup, which is just as much a work of art as a drum set.

O ne of the problems with early British improv has been that recordings haven't always
been easy to get a hold of, since a number of them were recorded for larger
corporations that haven't been very interested in reissuing them. For instance, the
classic 1968 SME date _Karyobin_, recorded for Island, was unavailable until very recently,
with the Chronoscope re-issue. ECM still hasn't re-issued a number of notable dates, like the
Music Improvisation Company's final recording, or the Bailey/Holland duets. Deutsche
Grammophon has a 3-LP set of free improv in its archives which they have never re-issued. --
Fortunately Columbia has recently re-issued a pair of Tony Oxley discs from this period,
though I'd suggest snapping them up before they vanish again. _The Baptised Traveller_ is
not strictly free-improv because all tracks involve composed materials (even a version of a
Charlie Mariano tune), but the radicalness of the musical language is nonetheless apparent,
especially on the opening blasts on the 1st track, & the freedoms of the last track,
"Preparation". This is closer to American free jazz, in fact, than the MIC or (some lineups of)
the SME; in particular I've never heard Evan Parker sound so directly Aylerish--it's quite
revelatory listening for anyone who's only heard his more "mature" work. It's a terrific band,
rather similar to _Karyobin_'s lineup: Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey (who only
plays on the 2nd side of the original album), Jeff Clyne & Oxley himself, playing "straight"
kit rather than the more extravagant nonstandard kit & electronics he increasingly turned to in
the 1970s. Documentation of Wheeler's "out" playing is rather thin on the ground at the
moment, so this is especially welcome--& he's in marvellous form. Any fan of free-improv
will want this album: it still packs a punch.

Reviewer: Nate Dorward from Toronto, ON Canada

Early days in British improv, March 15, 2002
1999, FOUR COMPOSITIONS FOR SEXTET, Sony-Columbia 4944372
(CD re-issue)

Tony Oxley group :

Evan Parker : tenor saxophone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Kenny Wheeler : trumpet/fluegelhorn
Derek Bailey : guitar
Jeff Clyne : bass
Tony Oxley : drums

1- Saturnalia 10.00
2- Scintilla 08.53
3- Amass/Megaera 19.08

Recorded 7 February 1970.

1970 mock-suite featuring Oxley, Derek Bailey (with whom Oxley and Gavin Bryars had
worked in a trio setting) Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Jeff Clyne, and Paul Rutherford. The
Columbia connection (and RCA, with whom he had recorded several months earlier, as odd as
it seems today) undoubtedly came about after Oxley's stint as drummer-in-residence @
Ronnie Scott's London club, 1967.

Hrvatski.

A nother classic re-issue of British creative improvisation, Oxley's last recording for
Columbia. This features the same lineup as Baptised Traveller, adding trombonist
Paul Rutherford. There are four compositions, all of which feature plenty of
collective improvisation, like the SME in an aggressive mood. Some pieces feature lines,
others textures, and others the gradual adding of players. Oxley is heard here on regular
drum kit, but his rhythmic language is closer to that we are all familiar with from his current
work. He also plays an awesome drum solo in the third piece, starting with manic activity and
gradually transitioning to minimal cymbal and squeaking drumhead sounds.
1999, DEREK BAILEY WITH DENNIS PALMER & BOB STAGNER
AT FIRST EXISTENTIALIST CONGREGATION, (USA)
(bootleg)

Recorded March 27, 1999

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Dennis Palmer : synthesizers
Bob Stagner : percussion

First Existentialist Congregation,

470 Candler Park Drive, NE Atlanta, GA

bootleg available for trading only from http://www.pronoblem.com/bootlist.html

Rules and Info from Pronoblem ::

This is a list of recordings that I will trade. I do not sell these recordings, so do not bother to
ask. None of this is officially released material (unless it's out of print, usually vinyl->CDR),
I do not trade officially released material. I urge anyone who enjoys the music presented here
to go out and BUY a CD or LP from the artist, and always support your local scene.

Obviously, what I am looking for would be other shows from the artists that I have in my
collection - or similar/ related acts from the given genres that I collect. Mostly, I am interested
in the modern avant garde jazz and rock, free or 'out' Jazz, almost any Jazz recorded prior to
1969 with A+ sound, electronica and modern indie rock. I will consider most things in trade.
I have some specific wants listed below.
1999, THE GOSPEL RECORD : REFERENCE EDITION, SRR CD-004
(US) (CD) (recorded in 1999) (released in 2005)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Amy Denio : voice
Dennis Palmer : voice, synthesizer, samplers

7 traditional Southern Gospel songs :

1. Let the little sunbeam in 01.56

2. Heaven will surely be worth it all 02.38
3. I miss a friend like you 01.19
4. The ole-time religion 01.35
5. Joshua led God's children 02.29
6. I'm gonna see heaven 02.08
7. I'm bound for the land of Canaan 01.54

Recorded in 1999 in Chattanooga.

Cover art by Jarrod Whaley.

T his project combines Southern Gospel compositions with firey yet lovely
improvisations, a crossover that transcends qualities characteristic of both genres. The
Gospel Record (Reference Edition) expresses the spirit of improvisation: it freely
juxtaposes the atonal style of Derek’s playing with Amy and Dennis’ diverging
interpretations of Southern Gospel, and takes on a striking depth as a result of this
convergence.
The pairing of Southern Gospel and “Old-Timey Avant Garde” partners traditional Gospel
lyrics and vocal melodies with nontraditional and expressive guitar sounds and cross-rhythmic
homemade heavy metal and funk samples. The effect is at once jubilant and haunting, a
reminder of our own mortality and materiality and the inexhaustible presence of the spirit.

hen the Shaking Ray Levis were but youngsters in the deepest Tennessee, they

W could watch Saturday morning TV only if they saw a particular religious program
with music, hosted by a fabulous Chattanoogan preacher, with his radical bouffant-
hairstyled wife beaming at his side. The program featured the Stamps, the quartet famous for
backing Elvis.

Years later, the Levis found a copy of the hymnal with all those fire-and-brimstone Old
Testament-y festaments, and asked Denio to sing 'em. Derek Bailey added his guitar genius,
and Dennis Palmer wove everything together with his finest finesse. One of the stranger
things you might ever hear.

m hard pressed to find a kind of music less ingratiated by new music fans than

I’ gospel. You'd think that any music containing drums and guitars and feverish singing
would find a willing (secular) audience, so perhaps it's the faith that jumbles the
translation. Of course, gospel-studded rÈsumÈs abound in r&b, but even then, it's generally
an aesthetic component of gospel singing rather than actual hymns that makes it the radio.
Popular faith-based (okay, Christianity-based) music is out there-- survey scattered songs
Sufjan Stevens, Kanye West, U2, Pedro the Lion-- but in rock, more generally accepted are an
occasional God shout out at the Grammys or the dreaded backing choir, aka Foreigner's and
R. Kelly's secret weapon. Something seems amiss.

So, when free jazz guys and avant-garde singers come along and put their spin on gospel
tunes, I'm struck. British guitarist Derek Bailey is no stranger to covers: Despite almost 50
years of free improvisation, his beginnings were in pop standards with a small jazz combo,
and 2002's Ballads found him revisiting that mode, albeit in his uber-idiosyncratic style. On
The Gospel Record, he joins American composer/vocalist Amy Denio (Science Group, EC
Nudes, Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet) and synth/sampler improviser Dennis
Palmer for a short set of old-time gospel-- as in, the kind featured on Smithsonian anthologies
or Coen brothers movies-- and in the process, exposes music ripe for the interpretive
plucking.

After a short spoken invocation in the slowed down drawl of a surreal Southern preacher,
Denio and Palmer harmonize the verses of Albert E. Brumley's "Let the Little Sunbeam In"
over Bailey's sometimes tonal, sometimes way-out distorted electric guitar. Denio's vocals are
clear as day, sounding very much like the star of modest country church, and the trio keeps the
original harmonies intact. Bailey's accompaniment is perfect, elegantly suggesting the original
chord progression with spiked drones and the occasional shard of dissonance. W. Oliver
Cooper and Minzo C. Jones' "Heaven Will Surely Be Worth It All" gets a rougher treatment,
with Palmer's martial, oppressive drum machine going to battle with Bailey's flickering,
pointillist figures. Again, Denio's pure alto seems non-phased by the chaos around, though is
kept at bay by the electric storm.

Classic Southern hymn "The Ole-Time Religion" is presented as an instrumental and features
more pounding drum machine backing Bailey's scattershot lines. Palmer also injects some
synth sounds, running the gamut from eerie backwards percussion noises to what sounds like
a small UFO taking off. This leads straight into Vep Ellis' "Joshua Led God's Children", as
Denio's solo vocal is doubled by a rubbery bass patch from Palmer. During the refrain, Denio
goes into the stratosphere with her vocals, singing in an unnaturally high register; she ends the
song on a high note too, and the reverb from her vocal acts as the song's momentary fade-out.
"I'm Gonna See Heaven" brings the vocal harmonies back, but is almost completely overtaken
by Palmer's stomping, chomping synth and drum machine attack. Bailey is almost buried by
the frenzy, though his guitar's overtones punctuate the brief silences in between electro-
squelches.

Sometimes, the interpretations border on the surreal, though I'm more taken with the
whirlwind pace: all of these songs are crammed into just over 14 minutes. The trio ends The
Gospel Record with a rare moment of tenderness during the final phrase of "I'm Bound for
the Land of Canaan", I'm reminded of the traveling sideshows that went through the American
South 100 years ago, featuring all manner of decidedly non-sacred entertainments only to
close with a group hymn before skipping town. If Bailey, Denio and Palmer have subversive
aims, this music succeeds in spite of itself. Hardly irreverent, this is old time religion full made
interesting and with more vitality than you can, er, shake a stick at.

Rating: 8.0

Dominique Leone, August 22, 2005

sing the human voice in improvisation can be tricky. Singing words brings with it the

U fear that metrical qualities will overtake spontaneous interaction; used wordlessly, its
proper place among other instruments is suspect and sometimes redundant.

(…) and THE GOSPEL RECORD deal with variations of these snags and neither fully
overcomes the obstacles. (…) Conversely, Amy Denio intones the lyrics of the gospel songs
on the other session with such bright-eyed conviction, despite the instrumental mayhem
behind her, that you’re not sure how much is parody and how much Pentecostal.

(…) That’s because Denio, an on again-off again member of the Billy Tipton Memorial
Saxophone Quartet, usually plays saxophones, accordion and bass, writes film soundtracks
and chamber pieces, and has worked with bands like Curlew and The Pale Nudes.

Her associates here are British guitarist Derek Bailey, whose religion is more Free Music than
Christianity, and The Shaking Ray Levis (SRL)’ Dennis Palmer, a avant gardist from the
American South, who plays rhythmic synthesizer and samples and contributes the odd Carter
Family-style harmony vocal. Still Palmer is based in Chattanooga, Tenn., where as a child he
used to watch a particular religious program which featured the famous gospel quartet, the
Stamps. Furthermore, while the songs may be taken from a hymnal found in a five-and-dime
store, gospel music has always had an influence on innovators, with everyone from Elvis
Presley and Johnny Cash and Albert Ayler and Duke Ellington having recorded religious
material.

THE GOSPEL RECORD is much more POMO than any of those examples, however.
Denio’s timbres may sound more like Dale Evans than ex-rockabilly turned gospel singer
Wanda Jackson, but considering her vocals are frequently double tracked, separated into
disparate voices, or in the case of “Joshua Led God’s Children” sung in an uncomfortable
falsetto, the effects seem a little less than reverent. Also, considering that she vies for aural
space on that tune with Palmer’s samples that are mid-way between sousaphone drone and
Bronx cheer, it’s not likely that Denio or SRL will ever be heard on evangelical broadcast.

Throughout, Bailey produces amp-shaking distortions in higher pitches, harsh flanged guitar
runs and jumbled, oscillating tones that are as mocking as the lyrics are sincere – it’s not
likely he’ll be on the gospel train ay time soon either. His eccentric approach to the material
combined with Palmer’s instrumental work, which includes signal-clipping in and out of
focus, and rumbling, bouncing near-percussive beats, lifts the program instrumentally.

An engaging and wacky trifle, THE GOSPEL RECORD is tongue-in-cheek fun, but at barely
14 minutes, no major statement.

Ken Waxman

If "Tsunami" was for the feet, then "The Gospel Record" is certainly for the stomach.
Clocking at a mere 14 minutes, these are seven of the most hilarious gospel covers
you'll hear in your lifetime. Brought to you by Dennis Palmer (yes believers, the same
one responsible for the Shaking Ray Levis madness that caught our pants on fire about a
decade ago), it gently careens through the gospel catalogue with much sincerity and madness.
Amy's vocals are once again honest and up-lifting (yes, in that spiritual sense too)!

If you think you know Derek Bailey and can predict every move he'll make, then you haven't
heard anything until you get your ears wrapped around this little gem. His electric impulses
take over and he's sounding more Sonny Sharrock than Sonny ever was. On "Heaven Will
Surely Be Worth It All", he's speeding through dirty and grungy riffs that are mixed
underneath Amy's convincing vocals. The most subversive factor in the mix is without a doubt
Dennis Palmer. His samples and synth work are nothing short of a madhouse freak-out
session. What you'll have to imagine is the tender, awe-inspiring, high-pitched vocals of Amy
that resonate on top of Derek's sometimes gruelling, oftentimes tender guitar machinations.
All of this is wrapped up in the blanket of various synth work that simply puts a different light
on gospel music as you know it to be. Try listening to "Let the Little Sunbeam In" without
shedding a tear.

As Amy and Derek are vocalizing together, through a dense fog of guitar work, you'll be
crying like a little child on Sunday morn'. So, I ask you, can improvised music do proper
renditions of gospel numbers? Based on what I've heard, a resounding yes is well deserved.
Without a doubt, "The Gospel Record" deserves to be on ALL year-end top lists.

AMEN!

Tom Sekowski
1999, DEREK BAILEY AND COMPANY, November 26, Roulette, NYC,
(private recording). TaW's Covers Vault.

Derek Bailey : guitar

John Zorn : saxophone
Jim Staley : trombone
Ikue Mori : drum machines
Cyro Baptista : percussion

1- set I intro 00:18

2- improv A 05:52
3- improv B 03:46
4 improv C 05:02
5- improv D 03:19
6- improv E 10:45
7- set II intro 00:06
8- improv F 08:50
9- improv G 06:36
10- improv H 02:12
11- improv I 09:56
12- improv J 12:28

total 69:12
1999, EUGENE CHADBOURNE & HENRY KAISER : GUITAR
LESSONS, Victo 064 (CD) (released in 1999-2000)

Eugene Chadbourne : guitars

Henry Kaiser : guitars

1 Rothko Lumberjack Chadbourne, Kaiser 07:08

2 Papandanegus Gloriousus Chadbourne, Kaiser 11:53
3 Captain Fortune Chadbourne, Kaiser 04:46
4 Number Four Chadbourne, Kaiser 04:22
5 Twilight in Duckburg Chadbourne, Kaiser 11:28
6 One That All Plectrum Guitar Players Can Relate to the
Ending Of Chadbourne, Kaiser 05:48
7 Amber Chadbourne 08:25
8 Carowinds Chadbourne, Kaiser 03:26
9 Number Twenty-Two Is Chadbourne, Kaiser 01:22
10 Letter to Derek Chadbourne, Kaiser 19:41

Studio recording. Recorded, January1999. Released April 1999.

Two guitar masters match wits, and then record an "open letter" to Derek Bailey.
 E
ptrying to find a ground for their styles to meet. Well, they found it. The Guitar
Lesson feels relaxed, intimate, like two old friends playing on the porch with a
beer within hand reach. Of course, in this case the friends in question happen to
be two of the best avant-garde guitarists. There are two short electric guitar
duets, "Number Four" and "Number Twenty-Two Is," but they merely create pauses. The
interesting music is in the acoustic duets, first and foremost in the opening improv "Rothko
Lumberjack." In the middle of "One That All Plectrum Guitar Players Can Relate to the
Ending Of," Kaiser suddenly stops playing; Chadbourne continues for a while but soon both
start shaking their guitars around, letting their lost plectrums dance within the instrument.
The highlight of this very generous album (78 minutes) is the last piece, "Letter to Derek."
In the purest style of Derek Bailey's talking pieces and musical letters, the two guitarists pay
tribute to their mentor. For 20 minutes, they play while talking about how they first heard
Bailey on record, then met him. At one point they even do a double impression of the free
improv luminary. They also discuss a few records and throw stories around. The Guitar
Lesson is better than some of Chadbourne's guitar-only albums, such as the 2000 CD
Piramida Cu Povesti. Recommended.

François Couture, All Music Guide

Deux des plus importants guitaristes actuels se rencontrent pour la première fois pour un
hommage au grand Derek Bailey. Enregistré en studio en mars 98.
2000, IMPROVISATION, Ampersand, Ampere 02 (USA) (CD) (re-issue)

Sleeve case

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1- M1 01.30
2- M2 02.32
3- M3 04.13
4- M4 03.40
5- M5 02.40
6- M6 02.05
7- M7 01.40
8- M8 02.18
9- M9 04.42
10- M10 02.46
11- M11 02.08
12- M12 04.04
13- M13 04.12
14- M14 03.55

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

irst US release of Derek Bailey's 1975 solo guitar exercise. Originally issued in Italy

F as part of Cramps' Diverso series, Improvisation presents the patented blend of fractal
patterns, concentrated sound clusters and irrupting colorful shapes for which this
guitarist is best known. At the author's request, no historical words attempt to frame the 14
miniature excursions on this newly remastered edition. Several never-before-published
photographs of Bailey engaged in the different stages of consuming an apple do, however,
back up the old saying that a picture tells a thousand words.
O
ne of the prime solo from the man we like to refer to as "The Cantankerous One".
Shows off his double-volume-pedal style, acoustic style, and even the approximately-
19-stringed acoustic. First released in 1975.

On Improvisation, Bailey plays short, compact pieces: dense aggregations of

crosscutting motifs, harmonics, clusters and weird high pings. his phrasing is
very direct and expressive, while his volume pedal draws attention to the nature
of amplification in a way guitarists (however loud) rarely do. Notes are twisted, suggesting
bizarre angles whizzing about, a kinetic Kandinsky. Improvised fluidity combined with
complete awareness of where each note hangs, makes the pieces zing with an alien clarity.

the wire, October 2000

L ike Miles, Bailey doesn't favor retakes: all these short, reflective pieces come from the
first session on the first day...though Bailey doesn't swing, there is a pressured
eventfulness about his succession of variegated soundings that is distinctly non-
classical, more redolent of flamenco and blues. although it would be anathema to Bailey's
improvisatory philosophy, these intricate pieces are so cleanly conceived and executed, they'd
make brilliant scores. The closer, "M14" is an orchestral bouquet, music constructed of so
many bad bongs and scrabbles it brings a smile to the lips : the track which invented the need
for Eugene Chadbourne. Bailey was using extra strings wound about his feet, and the sonic
richness suggests musique concrete. Recording is vibrant and present, capturing all the
techniques - fingernail buzzes, string scrapes and a stunning pursuit of harmonics - which
Bailey deploys so artfully.

Ben Watson, Hi-fi news, January 2001

T he first U.S. release (even though it's imported from Italy) of DEREK BAILEY's
1975 solo guitar excercise. Originally re-issued in Italy as a part of Cramps' Diverso
series, Improvisation presents the patented blend of fractal patterns, concentrated
sound clusters and errupting colorful shapes for which the guitarist is best known. Fourteen
re-mastered miniature excursions, packaged with never before published photographs of
Bailey engaged in the different stages of eating an apple. Jewel case with an outer slipcase.

D erek Bailey's Improvisation was originally released in 1975 and consists of 14

relatively short solo guitar pieces, all simply titled "M1", "M2", "M3", etc. Unlike
Cage, who's playing has a static, monotone quality, despite the fact that he's playing a
melody, Bailey's playing includes a banquet of sounds, changes in pace, and challenging but
intriguing note combinations. Though Bailey was a much later discovery for me, I recall there
was a period in the 1980's when I seemed to be scooping up every Fred Frith and Henry
Kaiser album I could find. There has long been something about this style of guitar that my
ears have found pleasing, and while I'm sure there's plenty of fodder for discussion among the
schooled musicians, as a non-musician I can only speak to the aesthetic experience the music
provides me with. Though many newcomers would probably be best introduced to this music
from more of a band situation (as I was with Henry Cow), attentive listening to the music on
Improvisation reveals a great deal of passion, free-form expression, and some truly magical
guitar sounds.
T his CD is re-issue of the obscure Italian Cramps label LP from 1970, and this
recording is one of the most searched for LPs of the godfather of free improvisation.
Originally a very high production for the obscure guitarist, whose solo records are
often produced as home recordings and live tapes, he is taken to the studio by Cramps and
asked to define improvisation. A heady battle between thought and technique ensues, and we
have a recording that could be the quintessential event in Derek Bailey documentation.
Capturing the moment in extraordinary fidelity, this recording stands out in the artist's
expansive discography. Like his stunning Aida, that was re-issued in 1996 on Jim O'Rourke's
Dexter's Cigar label and the Music and Dance duo with Min Tanaka, these have a quality that
stands head and shoulders above other Bailey recordings, which can at times be oblique and
overtly abstract without the same animation of musicality. Improvisation is the apex, and the
unconverted have no better place to start exploring the expansive discography of this artist.

Martin Walters, All Music Guide

T hroughout his career, Derek Bailey has primarily been involved with atonal sound
exporations on his guitar. This solo session (available as an Italian LP) features
Bailey on 14 sketches getting a wide variety of noises and sounds out of his
instrument. All but the most open-eared listeners will probably think of these performances as
random noise but there is a method to Derek Bailey's apparent madness.

Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

nyone who's parents every complained that all they did was “make noise” with their

A guitar should run out and buy a Derek Bailey CD to demonstrate what real noise
making sounds like. Bailey is a very different kind of musician. His recordings are
dissonant, atonal, non-melodic, and at first listen seem to lack any real direction. He has sat on
the leading edge of avant-garde jazz for decades and has seen possibilities in the guitar few
others have ever thought of. Perhaps the best CD from the “godfather of free improvisation”
is the disc Improvisation, a 1997 re-release of an obscure 1970's recording by Italian label
Cramps. Derek Bailey is an acquired taste, and maybe his recordings aren't your idea of music
at all. But the thing to take away from the Derek Bailey experience is, if nothing else, the
extreme range of tones and timbre a guitar is capable of producing. (…)

From : Listening To Learn fy David Wagle

2000, IMPROVISATION, Get Back, GET 6202 (Italy) (LP) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1- M1 01.30
2- M2 02.32
3- M3 04.13
4- M4 03.40
5- M5 02.40
6- M6 02.05
7- M7 01.40
8- M8 02.18
9- M9 04.42
10- M10 02.46
11- M11 02.08
12- M12 04.04
13- M13 04.12
14- M14 03.55

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Art direction by al.sa sas

Photographs by Roberto Masotti.

Originally released in 1975 on Cramps' Diverso series: DIVerso n.2.

2000, THE BIG GUNDOWN, Tzadik TZ 7328 (US) (CD)
(released in 2000)

Derek Bailey contributes around 16 bars to Svegliatti & Uccidi and these
were recorded in NYC on 15 May 2000.

1- The big gundown 07.25

Luli Shioi : vocals
Jim Staley : trombone
Bill Frisell : guitar
Anthony Coleman : piano, harpsichord, organ, vocals
David Weinstein : mirage microcomputer
Bobby Previte : percussion, tympani, vocals
Jorge Silva : surdo
Claudio Silva : pandeiro
Cyro Bapstista : cuica
Duduca Fonseca : caixa
Reinaldo Fernandes : repique
John Zorn : alto saxophone, saw
2- Peur sur la ville 04.16
Orvin Aquart : harmonicas
Arto Lindsay : guitar, vocals
Bob James : tapes
John Zorn : vocals
Tim Berne : alto saxophone
Wayne Horvitz : piano
Anton Fier : drums
Bobby Previte : drums.
3- Poverty (Once upon a time in America) 03.49

Toots Thielemans : whistling, harmonica

Carol Emanuel : harp
Guy Klucevsek : accordion

4- Milano odeo 03.02

Fred Frith : guitar

Arto Lindsay : guitar
Jody Harris : guitar
Melvin Gibbs : electric bass
John Zorn : harpsichord
Anton Fier : drums

5- Erotico (The burglars) 04.26

Big John Patton : organ

Shelley Hirsch : vocals
Laura Biscotto : sexy Italian vocals
Bill Frisell : guitar
Bobby Previte : drums

6- Battle of Algiers 03.50

Vicki Bodner : oboe, English horn

Christian Marclay : turntables
Wayne Horvitz : piano
Anton Fier : drums

7- Giu la testa (Duck you sucker!) 06.06

Ned Rothenberg : shakuhachi, ocarina, jew's harp

Michihiro Sato, : tsugaru shamisen
Wayne Horzitz : organ, celeste, electronic keyboards
Fred Frith : guitar
Bob James : tapes
Arto Lindsay : vocals
John Zorn : game calls, vocals

8- Metamorfosi (La classe operaia va in paradiso) 04.37

Diamanda Galas : voice

Vernon Reid : guitar
Bob James : tapes
Polly Bradfield : violin
Mark Miller : drums, tympani
Wayne Horvitz : piano
John Zorn : piano
9- Tre nel 5000 04.37
Jim Staley : trombone
Fred Frith : guitar
Bob James : tapes
Christian Marclay : turntables
Wayne Horzitz : piano, organ, celeste
David Weinstein : mirage microcomputer
Bobby Previte : tympani
John Zorn : game calls

10- Once upon a time in the west 08.33

Jody Harris : guitar

Robert Quine : guitar
Melvin Gibbs : bass
Orvin Aquart : harmonica

BONUS TRACKS FOR 15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION:

11- The Sicilian clan 03.20

Mark Feldman : violin

Erik Friedlander : cello
Marc Ribot : guitar
Greg Cohen : bass
Joey Baron : drums
Cyro Baptista : percussion

12- Macchie solari 03.29

Miho Hatori : voice

Jamie Saft : keyboards

13- The ballad of Hank McCain 05.27

Mike Patton : voice

Jamie Saftv keyboards
Cyro Baptista : percussion

14- Svegliatti & Uccidi 03.03

Marc Ribot : guitar

Derek Bailey : guitar
Trevor Dunn : bass
Joey Baron : drums
15- Chi mai 03.06

Mark Feldman : violin

Erik Friedlander : cello
Marc Ribot : guitar
Greg Cohen : bass
Joey Baron : drums
Cyro Baptista : percussion

16- The ballad of Hank McCain (instrumental) 05.25

Jamie Saft, keyboards

Cyro Baptista, percussion

Original tracks recorded September 1984 to September 1985 at Radio City Music Hall, BC
and Evergreen Studios. Bonus tracks recorded at Avatar Studio, NYC no date given.

Design by Heung-Heung Chin.

oasting an incredible all-star lineup of musical masters, The Big Gundown is the

B landmark album that first introduced Zorn's wild musical universe to a larger audience,
influencing a whole new generation of creative musicians. Newly remastered, this 15th
anniversary edition includes six remarkable bonus tracks recorded especially for this definitive
edition now available exclusively from Tzadik. Accompanying this classic pairing of
Morricone's brilliant originals and Zorn's exciting arrangements is a fabulous 32 page full
color booklet filled with informative notes, movie stills, posters, and more. 'This is a record
that has fresh, good and intelligent ideas. It is realization on a high level, a work done by a
maestro with great science-fantasy and creativity. At times my works have been varied from
but it doesn't change anything because the pieces are still recognizable. My ideas have been
realized not in a passive manner, but in an active manner which has recreated and re-invented
what have have done previously for films. Many people have done versions of my pieces, but
no one has done them like this.' -- Ennio Morricone. It's also worth noting that the bonus
tracks feature contributions by Derek Bailey, Mike Patton, Joey Baron, Trevor Dunn, Marc
Ribot, etc.
2000, STRING THEORY, Paratactile, PLE1109-2 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2000)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Vanessa Mackness : voice
Alex Ward : clarinet

1- f/b (e) electric 07.06

2- f/b (1) electric 04.10
3- f/b (u) electric 02.31
4- f/b (u2) electric 04.46
5- f/b (r) electric 02.02
6- f/b (s) electric 07.00
7- f/b (n) acoustic 05.01
8- f/b (r2) acoustic 01.24
9- f/b (n2) acoustic 01.13
10- f/b (r3) with V.M. 01.24
11- f/b (a) with V.M. 00.59
12- f/b (s2) with V.M. 02.52
13- f/b (c) with V.M. 03.11
14- f/b (a) with A.W. 01.01

Golly! All feedback, no plucking. Bonus track with feedback created by answering machine.
Yessir, that's why he's still the master.
In which our protagonist works a musical application of the nested-loop in the
amplifier/pickup relationship over 14 tracks. Somehow accomplishing this on three
of them via 'acoustic' guitar (the implications of which... boggle), three as duos with
vocalist Vanessa Mackness, and one with Alex Ward. Yes, it's a new 'sound' for Derek,
surprising in theory (revolving mostly around our collective aesthetic appraisal of past
experiments such; raw energy blasts ala Rudolph Grey/Sharrock/Hendrix/etc...) but in
actuality it's just a man sitting in a chair holding a guitar in front of an amplifier. Which isn't
to say that this doesn't qualify as a particulary inspired lot of such sound-field disturbances,
amplified (Derek's got an almost telepathic relationship with said magnetic fields). In fact it's
quite good, pleasing the 'whole sound' set with as much measure as the free-improv buy-on-
sight folks who will most likely gaze lovingly at the Roger Price inspired cover (Derek
himself provided the layout) shelve it next to the 10 other Derek CDs they have and not listen
to it anyways. Can't wait until this shows up as a page one stumper/page two filler in the next
Wire magazine Listening Room test...

Hrvatski.

S tring Theory is Bailey's "feedback" record, a concept dreamed up and astutely

"commissioned" by Paratactile's Trevor Mainwaring, and as such is probably the most
alluringly purchaseable Derek disc since the collab with that drum 'n' bass DJ
dickhead, but with significantly less novelty baggage - as in none at all. It's an extremely
fetching listen: there're 10 pieces, in duration between one and seven minutes, of wavering,
droning feedback and speaker-irritating tones, generated via both acoustic and electric guitar.
They're all sublime: beautifully controlled oscillating modulation, prolonged exposure to
which can make the concept of "minimalist" music seem a bit redundant, and were they
shoved down the throats of countless untalented "noise" "drone" artists, they'd surely sound
no less nice. Four exquisitely spooky duos with vocalist Vanessa Mackness follow, and a
single brief track "with" Alex Ward, in which Derek plays over the top of a recorded phone
conversation with the clarinettist. Considered in context (in relation to Derek's oeuvre and to,
uh, "other" "music") it's a bit of a head-trip - that Bailey can so casually throw out a disc of
this quality, the kind that makes you think you never need to hear another record with guitar
and/or drones on it ever again, is either really depressing or really exciting. It all makes for
some sort of last word, though how many people will hear it is a moot point. String Theory's a
whole lot more than a one-off joke listen, and after the anticlimax of the Joseph Holbrooke
CD EP - a muddy-sounding 10-minute rehearsal cover of Coltrane's 'Miles Mode' of limited
interest, doubling as a "CD-ROM" which doesn't play on Macs and which crashed the two
PCs I tried it on - it also helpfully provides contemporary proof positive that Derek is still
more than capable of pulling 'em out of the hat when the occasion demands.

S olo guitar album from maverick British improv legend Derek Bailey. The "electric"
portion of the album features sustained feedback tones that vary from ever-so-slightly
painful to actually quite beautiful. Indeed, for the most part, his more usual abstract
spidery scribble of notes is absent from this recording, even on the three "acoustic" tracks,
which are rather restrained and almost pretty. Towards the end of the album Bailey is joined
by a female vocalist, and her singing doesn't sound much different from his electric guitar,
making for some interesting duets! High-pitched bliss. Infinitely more appealing that most
other Derek B. stuff, say Bailey doubters Allan and Andee...

ile this with Neil Young's uncompromising ARC or with the sublime guitar feedback

F expressions of Jimi Hendrix and the late '60s Grateful Dead. The seventy-year-old
master of guitar experimentation and improvisation has produced this CD of startling
music consisting entirely of guitar feedback. As one would expect, he creates unprecedented
music and calm but devastating sounds with his hollow-body Gibson ES-175 guitar.

ell, here's one release to put lie to the criticism that all Bailey albums sound alike.

W On each of String Theory 's 14 tracks, the master of avant guitar uses only
feedback as a sound source; one listens in vain for his idiosyncratic picking,
strumming, or flailing. Certainly, Bailey has utilized feedback as a major part of his sonic
arsenal for over 30 years. Indeed, saxophonist Evan Parker credits his formulation of cyclic
breathing techniques to the necessity of having to match Bailey's extended feedback tones in
their early work together. But on String Theory the focus is entirely on this one aspect, with
some vocal accompaniment on a few pieces.

As anyone familiar with his work might expect, Bailey exercises the same intensity and clear-
headed care in evoking feedback as he does in his more "normal" guitar pieces. There is
always the sense of control and subtle adjustment attending to near indistinguishable sound
values; Bailey often seems as though he's seeking to straddle a fine line between two
competing sonorities, resulting in a fascinating flicker back and forth across the complex
dividing line. There are no Dionysian extravaganzas here, more a lucid study of one of the
more arcane properties of the amplified guitar. Not every piece succeeds; sometimes, well, it
just sounds like feedback. But more often, there's clear evidence of Bailey's unique, probing
intelligence at work, ferreting out relationships among tones that other guitarists only dream
of.

On several tracks, he is joined by vocalist Vanessa Mackness. These pieces are reminiscent of
Alvin Lucier 's experiments of the '70s in which, for example, a vocalist would try to imitate a
sine wave as closely as possible, with the resulting differences creating an unpredictable pulse
pattern. The final, humorous cut appears to be a phone call from saxophonist and sometime
collaborator Alex Ward interrupting Bailey during one of these feedback sessions. Longtime
fans of Bailey 's art will want to add this to their collections, both as an often beautiful
document in its own right and as an unusual "of a piece" sampling of this area of his work.
Newcomers might be put off by its single-mindedness, however, and would be better advised
to choose one of his "standard" solo efforts as an introduction.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

A bandoning the conventions of guitar vocabulary decades ago, Derek Bailey holds
special status as a pioneer and veteran of freely improvised music. Emerging from
Sheffield group 'Joseph Holbrooke' in the mid-Sixties, Bailey's angular playing style
has proved a distinctive voice amongst a wide range of international collaborators. "String
Theory" however, showcases a strand of his technique that's heard less often (the excellent
"Sign of Four" CD - with Pat Metheny, Gregg Bendian and Paul Wertico - being a notable
exception.)

Dispensing with his trademark mutant picking and fretting, Bailey presents an album of
improvisations using manipulated guitar feedback, ranging from 1 to 7 minutes in length.
Despite extensive precedent for controlled feedback playing - The Who, Hendrix, Lou Reed's
"Metal Machine Music", Sonic Youth and countless others - Bailey succeeds in producing a
statement of his own. Ignoring Rock's dirge-like, distorted tone, the feedback here is
uniformly clean, unprocessed and (frankly) piercing, above certain volume levels. Occupying
the higher frequencies, with little bass-end to speak of, this music often has a delicacy that
suggests some disquieting strain of Ambient. Keeping the drones in constant motion, Bailey
addresses territory closer to the work of his contemporary, Keith Rowe, than to his own usual
vision.

Although largely a solo recording, "String Theory" also includes contributions from Vanessa
Mackness on four tracks, and Alex Ward, on one. The duets with Mackness' wailing, spectral
vocals are surprisingly sympathetic and striking alongside Bailey's feedback. For those
familiar with the Bailey/Ward duo album "Locational", the role of the clarinetist here may
come as equally unexpected...

"String Theory" stands as a compelling and memorable album. For Derek Bailey, it represents
a successfully realised musical departure, whilst still adhering to his own established concerns
and practices in the field of Improvisation. For the listener, Bailey is certainly an esoteric
experience. However, both the quality of the material and the musical ground covered on
"String Theory" suggest accessibility to a potentially wider audience than just the hardcore. It
will upset your dog though.

Reviewer: (mmmmfreewigs@hotmail.com) from Huddersfield, UK

Improv Guitar Legend branches out, and confuses your pets., 13 April, 2001

P as de notes. Pas de phrases. Trop élaboré, trop compromis, trop lourd. Juste la
vibration. Volatile, matière instable, combustion rapide, incontrôlable. C’est pourtant
sur ce phénomène infra-musical que Derek Bailey exerce sa maîtrise clinique. Il
l’extirpe et l’organise, la stabilise, la matérialise, la domestique, lui insuffle des formes qu’il va
tenter de faire évoluer. Il la théorise. Géométrie aléatoire, plans lisses et droites sifflantes, il les
fige une fraction de seconde. Sur place. Eternité. Des projectiles perturbateurs les traversent et
les altèrent. Elles crépitent, basculent, réintègrent l’atmosphère, se tordent, se complexifient.
Oxydation et corrosion accélérées, spectaculaires, foudroyantes. Avant de redevenir
fugacement vibrations pures. Scintillantes. Impressionnant.

Pierre Hemptinne, Charleroi / Mons

I t's an extremely fetching listen: there're 10 pieces, in duration between one and seven
minutes, of wavering, droning feedback and speaker-irritating tones, generated via both
acoustic and electric guitar. They're all sublime: beautifully controlled oscillating
modulation, prolonged exposure to which can make the concept of "minimalist" music seem a
bit redundant, and were they shoved down the throats of countless untalented "noise" "drone"
artists, they'd surely sound no less nice. Four exquisitely spooky duos with vocalist Vanessa
Mackness follow, and a single brief track "with" Alex Ward, in which Derek plays over the
top of a recorded phone conversation with the clarinettist.. .

Nick Cain Opprobrium Online

2000, ORE, Arrival Records ARCD001 (Canada) (CD) (released in 2001)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Eddie Prévost : drums, cymbals, percussion

1- Bi [Bismuth] 17.07
2- Ga [Gallium] 04.29
3- Li [Lithium] 07.48
4- Ni [Nickel] 05.00
5- Ta [Tantalum] 03.14
6- Ru [Ruthenium] 06.07
7- Cu [Copper] 05.10
8- Ti [Titanium] 05.22

Recorded at Moat Studios, London on 13/14 March 2000.

Graphic design by Kelly de Jong.

R ecorded March 13 & 14 2000 at Moat Studios, London, England Under the request
of Records owner Ron de Jong, Derek Bailey (electric & acoustic guitar) & Eddie
Prevost (drums, cymbals, percussion) got together in a studio environment to make a
record and in turn made improvised music history. This is the first time these masters have
played in duo, the first time documented on record, and the first time they have played together
in over two decades! Beautiful and truly surprising music from these two godfathers of
improvisation."
T he year 2000 saw this historic (what, you didn't see it in the paper?) first-ever duo
meeting between maverick improv guitarist old man Derek Bailey and AMM's
percussion master Eddie Prevost. Two of the UKs most legendary, then, doing the in-
the-studio-improv thing, now available on cd for you to see how it went...

E ight tracks entitled 'Bismuth', 'Gallium,' 'Lithium,' 'Nickel,' 'Tantalum,' 'Ruthenium,'

'Copper' and 'Titanium,' on an album called Ore. What can it all mean? Is it some
puzzle or code, with significance hidden in the chemical symbols or atomic numbers?
This is a summit meeting, the first time Derek Bailey and Eddie Prevost have recorded
together, and the first time in over twenty years they have played together. This is not due to a
rift (such as that between Bailey and Evan Parker) but rather to different priorities.

These days, Bailey is a globetrotter. He is not a part of any permanent grouping, but is
constantly looking to broaden his horizons, putting himself into uncharted territory that will
challenge his preconceptions and draw new responses from him. Prevost is less gregarious,
most of his work being with a comparatively small group of like-minded players in permanent
groups like AMM or his trio. His playing has remained closer to free jazz drumming, albeit
rethought and redefined. Bailey and Prevost share common roots, both having served time in
conventional bands before they came to radically question all preconceived notions of what
constitutes music. Each has been hugely influential in redefining the vocabulary of their
instrument. And each is an impressive theorist.

As one would expect, these pieces are object lessons in the art of duo improvisation. (Or
would one expect it? This could so easily have not been a dialogue but two simultaneous
monologues. Let's not take the success of the project for granted.) Anyway, they are true
dialogues, with the pair meeting on common ground and gelling. The pieces evolve, with each
player's reaction to the other being commensurate to the stimulus. So neither obviously leads
or follows. When the music gets louder or faster or whatever, it happens by negotiated
common agreement. No-one makes any sudden moves here. There is no pushing and
shoving. It is fascinating to listen to that process at work. Live, one would relish it and go with
the flow. On CD, one can repeat the experience and to try to hear how it is achieved. (But
"try" is the operative word there. Ultimately, it seems like alchemy.) Bi, Ga, Li, Ni, Ta, Ru, Cu,
Ti - all metals that are extracted from rock, from the ore. A metaphor? Forget it. Far too crude
for an album this subtle.

John Eyles [PO Box 51052, Highlands Postal Outlet, 6525 - 118 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta
T5W 1G5, Canada; www.arrivalrecords.com.

S temming from a London studio session held over two days in March 2000, Ore
presents the first recorded collaboration between guitarist Derek Bailey and drummer
Eddie Prévost, two pillars of the British free music scene since the 1960s (a similar
and contemporaneous encounter between AMM and Spontaneous Music Ensemble legacies
can be experienced on Evan Parker and Keith Rowe 's CD Dark Rags). Within the presence
of almost 60 years of combined experience in free improvisation, the listener is entitled to
expect top-of-the barrel musicianship and synergy. In this (and every other) regard, Ore
delivers the goods. Prévost's feather-like touch turns out to be a perfect companion for Bailey
's abstract strings of notes. The set begins with a 17-minute improv, "Bismuth," followed by
seven pieces in the five-to-eight-minute range. The long track contains very nice moments, but
the shorter ones feature more condensed material. "Nickel" is a beautiful example of delicate
impressionism. On "Ruthenium," Bailey strums his acoustic guitar, creating a surprising kind
of neo-folk mood. "Titanium" brings the album to an end with soft cymbal work and guitar
feedback notes -- a nice closer. Although firmly rooted in the British free improv tradition,
Ore feels less dry than what could have been expected, making it a nice (if not essential)
addition to both musicians' already ample discographies. This CD was Canadian label Arrival
Records' first release.

François Couture, All Music Guide

T op of the bill were Derek Bailey and Eddie Prevost - a clever way to start a series of
club nights! Make sure you have the biggest headliners you can for the first one...I've
not seen Prevost play for a while, but his kit seemed smaller than I remember -
certainly no barrel drum in evidence. Bailey was playing a hollow bodied electric. The set was
fantastic – two players who obviously knew and respected each other's style, playing with and
for each other. I've seen Bailey play before where he seems to have the attitude that he doesn't
really care what the other musicians are playing, he'll just do whatever the hell he wants, and
loud. This was certainly not the case here. Prevost played cymbals, gong and metal objects
almost exclusively, and the overall sound of the duo was delicate and affecting, almost egoless.
The best 40 minutes of live improvised music I have heard in a long, long time. So I went
home on a high, having heard one fantastic set and one extremely promising one.
2000, LLAER, SOFA 503 (Norway) (CD) (released in 2001)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Ingar Zach : drums, percussion

1- Shiny crimp 07.30

2- Jerky heads 07.38
3- Horizontal rain 10.18
4- Hepp 07.58
5- Warts 'n' all 07.07
6- Real flying 17.33
7- Buckle up! 01.58

Recorded at Bla Oslo on 20 October 2000.

erek Bailey and Ingar Zach had their first musical meeting at Derek Baileys place in

D London January 2000. After this first meeting they agreed to do a few concerts in
Norway as a duo. Derek Bailey and Ingar Zach did three gigs in October 2000, in
Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger, and the gig in Oslo is now documented on the record “llaer”.
This evening at Blå was one of those magical moments of improvisation where everything was
right; the music, the venue, the audience and the atmosphere all melted together in a great
concert experience.

In the late '90s/early 2000s, Derek Bailey particularly favored guitar/drums duo
settings. There was something about his jagged playing and unique use of
overtones that simply called for percussion accompaniment, especially from
drummers who used extensive techniques that could enhance the aforementioned overtones.
Ingar Zach's cymbal work and assortment of small percussion instruments (wood blocks,
small bells) made him perfect for the job. Llaer consists of a one-hour concert recorded in a
small club in Oslo on October 20, 2000. Bailey plays an electric guitar with pedal volume
throughout. The first set featured three duets of eight to ten minutes. Of these, "Horizontal
Rain" stands out, simply because the drummer managed to catch the guitarist off-guard a
couple of times. Zach's playing is rich without getting too dense, and shows a high level of
integration of both the jazz and rock idioms in his free improvising. Textural (but not
gimmicky), he can burst out in a split second, even throwing a steady beat at Bailey here and
there, just to see how he would react -- delightful. The second set started with solos, followed
by a longer duet (18 minutes). Of the solo performances, Zach's is a keeper -- he is the
lesser-known player on the disc and this showcase is a brilliant example of his talent. The
duet includes a rare thunderous eruption by Bailey -- he seems to have been aiming at
revenge and succeeded since the drummer remained speechless for a short while. If one can
imagine that for Bailey this was just another night with a local face, for Zach it must have
been a highly formative and unforgettable experience. What remains for the listener is a truly
enjoyable record. Recommended.

François Couture. AMG Expert Review:

T hose who complain about the supposed sameness of improvised music should listen
closely to these two completely off the cuff sessions. Even though they were recorded
less than four months apart, feature the exact same instrumentation as well as the same
percussionist, only the very obtuse could confuse one for the other. Llaer presents British
guitarist Derek Bailey, the grand old man of EuroImprov trading licks with Ingar Zach, a
young Norwegian percussionist. Visiting Ants - shouldn't the disc titles have been reversed? -
highlights duets between Zach and fellow countryman, guitarist Ivar Grydeland.

A conservatory trained percussionist, Zach has worked with a variety of improvised and other
bands in the Far North. Besides his ongoing percussive duo with Grydeland, his best-known
affiliation is with Tri-dim a Trans-Scandinavian trio, which also features the exceptional
Swedish guitarist David Stackenäs. Grydeland has played and recorded with British drummer
Tony Oxley, Bailey's old confrere from the dawn of the close-knit London improvised music
scene. Recorded in Oslo following a Norwegian mini-tour by the duo, Llaer finds Zach
seemingly deferring more to 71-year-old Bailey than he does to his younger compatriot on the
other disc. At the same time, Bailey, an old hand in this sort of setting, frequently offers
smoother, more pliable licks than Grydeland. Only rarely does the Englishman go hog wild
with blaring feedback and electric effects, as he does on "Jerky Heads." Even then, that
outburst eventually subsides into more moderated tones.

Fearless in such situations, the drummer brings out the heavy artillery, and happily bangs
away on his snares, tom toms and bass drums. Elsewhere, when Bailey turns to simple
repetition and even simpler licks, Zach offers up cymbal scratches, cowbell knocks and little
snare tattoos. At times it can appear as if you're listening to him polish various parts of the kit
as he searches for the right stroke to complement the guitarist's exploration. After building
itself up with an entire family of tiny gestures -- a paradiddle here, a roll there, one-half second
of a cymbal ricochet here, one-half second of a cow bell thump there, "Hepp," a drum solo,
resolves itself in a speedy frenzy of almost straight jazz. In marked contrast, "Warts'n'All,"
Bailey's solo showpiece is mostly silences, balladic meanderings. and strumming. Having
demonstrated singular capabilities, the more than 17 minute "Real Flying" evolves as a real
meeting of minds -- and hands. Guitar sounds escalate from near noiselessness to hockey
arena loudness. At one point Bailey introduces a section of twisted screech notes and ear
splitting feedback. Zach replies in kind, pounding out a ballet of dark metal bass drum
counterattack, finally forcing a return to the little rivulets of sound with which the duet began.
Throughout the Norwegian comes across like Northern Mr. Fix-It in his workshop, restlessly
busy, experimenting with first this tool and then the next.

Ken Waxman

F or one of his heaviest sessions in a good long while, Derek Bailey packs his electric
guitar with the nastiest, most fucked-up fuzztone this side of ? And The Mysterians.
Unlike Bailey's more mealy-mouthed collaborators, who bring out the steamroller in
him, drummer Ingar Zach is a perfect match. He forces Bailey into some interesting corners,
allowing plenty of space for the guitarist's zigzagging lines, even as he forces him over the top
with some heavy snare work. The opening "Shiny Crimp" catches Bailey out, actually making
sense with some almost bluesy, albeit fractured lines. When the duo finally lock together on
the monstrous 17 minute "Real Flying", they rattle out harsh flurries of noise and pull off
handbrake turns like gleeful joyriders, leaving smoking tyre tracks in their wake.

David Keenan, The Wire June-2001

T he latest offering from this Norwegian improvised music label is a live recording of
guitarist Derek Bailey's creative confrontation with Norwegian percussionist Ingar
Zach at Blå Jazzclub on 20 October 2000. Just when you think you've heard
everything that Bailey could possibly produce from his instrument he turns up a volume
control here and twists a guitar string there to produce such sounds that - as 60s New York
avant garde label ESP used to claim in their sloganeering - you never heard in your life. As is
the case here, where chords are chopped fine and sent shimmering through the air, or fistfuls
of carefully composed feedback are pulled from the speakers and allowed to float free like
musical ectoplasm. Zach's performance is equally masterful as he instictively applies thin
layers of drumskin skim and cymbal scrape over Bailey's seemingly erratic, but surgically
precise playing, before being finally let off the leash on "Hepp" - a dynamic percussion solo
that allows his own distinctive style to shine through and dazzle the audience.

Edwin Pouncey, Jazzwise, 43, June-2001

I ngar Zach is a young percussionist from Oslo, which is where he recorded his duet with
guitarist Derek Bailey. From the first moment - with Bailey’s slow-tempo chordings, like
an excerpt from a melody which has lain on the sea bed for millenia - it’s a magic night.
Recording is upfront (when the musicians speak, their voices are faint, implying close,
unrealistic miking), and the palette of sounds from Bailey’s amplified guitar and Zach’s
extended kit is packed with elements. The Bailey solo “Warts’n all” is “The Inch Worm”
pegged out on a dissection slab, all quivering pink viscera and shiny metal pins. The climatic
17m “Real Flying” is well named.

This release contains some of the most impressive Bailey guitar to have energed since the
albums (Salsoro, Viper, Arcana, Mirakle) masterminded by John Zorn. This recording
requires no adjustment to the improv ‘aesthetics’ of confusion and poor sound; it’s a killer.

Ben Watson, Hifi News, November - 2001

eautifully recorded by Thomas Hukkelberg from a performance last year in Oslo and

B packaged nicely too, this CD presents a man who re-wrote guitar playing - Derek
Bailey - in duets with a young and intelligent drummer. The Austrian-Norwegian
Ingar Zach is part of the floating ensemble of improvisors known as "No Spaghetti Edition"
who are transforming the music scene in Norway and have worked with several other
important British improvisors like Tony Oxley and Pat Thomas.

Bailey's phone must be ringing off the hook these days, he seems to crop up everywhere, and
his playing is just getting better. He has, after all, been playing this stuff since the 60's, but he
takes just as many chances, can blast the room with energy like a rock guitarist or evoke the
tiny crystalline world of Webern. Zach is a thoughtful and original percussionist, playing an
'extended' kit with a touch, perhaps, of Tony Oxley and even Terry Day. He's a perfect
addition to the list of great drummers who have recorded classic records with Bailey, and he
finds countless new ways to interact with the wily guitarist, who here is heard only on the
electric instrument. (His acoustic playing is a whole other world).

What seems to be warm atmosphere and a hard-listening audience suit the players well, and
they both have concise solo tracks at the midpoint of the record.

Anyone not acquainted with Bailey's music, or the methology behind group free improvisation
in general, will find this cd a brilliant starting point.”

Steve Beresford, Magazine of The Musicians Union - 2001

Sofa, so good.

G iven that freely improvised music has marginal appeal within a minority interest
music, starting yet another label to document its progress might seem like a triumph
of hope over experience. Yet free improvisation has often had little more to go on
than hope so that’s probably fair enough. In the tradition of such labels, SOFA is run by
musicians - the drummer Ingar Zach and the guitarist Ivar Grydeland - and is an offshoot of
the Norwegian jazz and folk label NOR-CD. As might be expected drummers and guitarists
are to the fore. Zach and Grydeland battle it out in a jagged duo set and appear with our own
Tony Oxley and Derek Bailey. The Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love is given the rare
opportunity to record solo and two excellent ensembles, the Sten Sandell Trio and No
Spaghetti Edition complete an impressively distinctive debut for the label.

Paal Nilssen-Love’s solo percussion project Sticks and Stones (SOFA 505) is exemplary,
balancing the colours of three different drum-kit layouts with meaty ideas. The music hovers
delicately or locks into spluttering patterns, with rude interruptions from a host of
woodblocks, bells and exotic cymbals. The descriptive sounds Nilssen-Love gets from his
cymbals on the delicate "Butterfly Wings" melt in the ear. Nilssen-Love is also responsible
for the powerhouse drumming on the scintillating Standing Wave (SOFA 504) from pianist
Sten Sandell’s trio with Johan Berthling on bass. Nilssen-Love’s Andrew Cyrille meets Paul
Motion playing matches Sandell’s densely ornate lines to perfection. There’s a hint of the
Andrew Hills about his playing and though he deals with the tension/release of sonic energy
that is food and drink to free music, he does so in a highly original way. Frenetic certainly, but
also kaleidoscopic and expansive music which taps into considerable resources of Dionysian
energy.

In a turn up for the books, Ingar Zach and Ivar Grydeland’s Visiting Ants (SOFA 502)
sounds more like Derek Bailey than the Derek Bailey CD but has a purity and
uncompromising quality that is admirable. "Think Happy Thoughts" plunges us into the sort
of electronically distorted white noise that makes Jimi Hendrix sound like Nelson Riddle and
the rest of the CD is pitched at pretty much the same angular decibel level albeit achieved
acoustically. And you’ve got to admire their punning titles, "Sofasticated Lady" and
"Sofamiliar".

Bailey’s own Llaer (SOFA 503) is live duo set with Ingar Zach recorded in Oslo in October
2000. The press blurb claims that "everything was right; the music, the venue, the audience
and the atmosphere" and the relaxed enjoyment of the players is palpable. The first track
opens with the gossamer textures of Bailey’s electric guitar over Zach’s rumbling skins - an
unexpected and beautiful sound. Likewise in his solo feature, Bailey comes up with something
that hints at a ballad. His playing is spacious, light and airy which in turn brings out Zach’s
sensitive side. An engaging addition to the Bailey discography.

Most of Tony Oxley’s Triangular Screen (SOFA 501) was recorded at the same Oslo venue
only a few months before Llaer and features Ivar Grydeland with Tonny Kluften on bass.
From a slightly prosaic start, the music builds tremendous head of steam. The second section
opens with one of those epic Oxley drum solos that sweeps the listener along with its
booming power before Grydeland and Kluften enter sounding like one enormous string
instrument. This CD is labelled as ‘Tony Oxley Project 1' so we can hopefully expect more
from this most creative of British drummers.

Listen...and tell me what it was (SOFA 506) by the twelve piece ensemble No Spaghetti
Edition is a sort of hyper-Sofa experience that has both Nilseen-Love and Zach on drums
(and you can tell them apart!), Grydeland on guitar, Pat Thomas on piano and a host of top
Norwegian improvisers. The orchestra is a different beast to other improvisation orchestras
and achieves a genuinely unified ensemble sound. Rolf Erik Nystrom and Hakon Kornstad’s
saxophones only occasionally rise to the surface of a music that is characterised by flowing
pointalistic splashes of colour from accordion, female voice and two electric guitars. Surreal
recorded extracts appear and the CD is an impressive calling card for the collective vitality of
the Norwegian scene. *Sofa CDs are available from Sound 323 (020 8348 9595) and from
the Sofa website

Philip Clark,
96a Wandsworth Bridge Road, London,
SW6 2TF.
tel/fax 020 7731 0973. Mobile 07900 397003

In the late '90s/early 2000s, Derek Bailey particularly favored guitar/drums duo
settings. There was something about his jagged playing and unique use of
overtones that simply called for percussion accompaniment, especially from
drummers who used extensive techniques that could enhance the aforementioned overtones.
Ingar Zach's cymbal work and assortment of small percussion instruments (wood blocks,
small bells) made him perfect for the job. Llaer consists of a one-hour concert recorded in a
small club in Oslo on October 20, 2000. Bailey plays an electric guitar with pedal volume
throughout. The first set featured three duets of eight to ten minutes. Of these, "Horizontal
Rain" stands out, simply because the drummer managed to catch the guitarist off-guard a
couple of times. Zach's playing is rich without getting too dense, and shows a high level of
integration of both the jazz and rock idioms in his free improvising. Textural (but not
gimmicky), he can burst out in a split second, even throwing a steady beat at Bailey here and
there, just to see how he would react -- delightful. The second set started with solos, followed
by a longer duet (18 minutes). Of the solo performances, Zach's is a keeper -- he is the lesser-
known player on the disc and this showcase is a brilliant example of his talent. The duet
includes a rare thunderous eruption by Bailey -- he seems to have been aiming at revenge and
succeeded since the drummer remained speechless for a short while. If one can imagine that
for Bailey this was just another night with a local face, for Zach it must have been a highly
formative and unforgettable experience. What remains for the listener is a truly enjoyable
record. Recommended.

François Couture, All Music Guide

erek Bailey's meeting with percussionist Ingar Zach sounds, to my ears at least,

D rather less assured. Certainly, Bailey negotiates the paradoxes of amplification as

adroitly as ever, and Zach - particularly on his technically remarkable solo track -
nicely balances sensitivity with athleticism. However, there's a loose, meandering quality to
much of the improvisation, and too often Zach seems content to act as accompanist,
shadowing Bailey's dynamic U-turns rather than using them as fresh starting points. The
album's certainly worth a listen, and Bailey's idiom remains almost uniquely capable of
elaborating an atonal melodic figure one moment and drawing out the possibilities of amplifier
hiss or string scrape the next (the warm yet clear concert recording, complete with appreciative
Norwegian crowd, also deserves a mention); but the interaction between the two lacks the
spark which would make this a truly great performance.

Theo Lorenc

T here may not be any stringent regulations for freely organized improvisational
encounters, yet in the wrong hands, music of this ilk can sound uninteresting,
meandering or unbalanced. However, when famed guitarist, Derek Bailey and
Norwegian drummer, Ingar Zach aligned their respective talents for this live outing, it becomes
quite evident from the onset, that there is an underlying aura that seemingly resides from
within the embodiment of the music at hand. On these seven pieces, the duo rarely duplicates
any one sequence, yet a notable level of intuitiveness prevails, as they avoid collisions or any
semblance of becoming reckless. Whether it is Bailey’s agilely produced harmonics or
Zach’s adherence to nuance and tonal shading, the musicians often meld intricately enacted
maneuvers along with their propensity to engage in rousing exchanges. With the piece titled,
“Horizontal Rain,” Bailey’s ringing harmonics offer moments of introspective calm amid
Zach’s textural accompaniment, as the duo tends to converge, scatter or start anew.

Bailey renders unwieldy chord progressions while Zach unsympathetically batters his drum
kit, on the seventeen-minute work, “Real Flying,” yet the artists’ are able to maintain interest
during peaks, valleys, and temperate passages. Essentially, there are quite a few highlights
throughout, as the duo’s Zen-like approach and assimilation of the musical spirit yields huge
dividends. *Recommended*

Glenn Astarita
2000, AGRO JAZZ, flo records flo013 (CD) (released in 2001)

One track on Panicstepper CD

Panicstepper : electronics, sampling, processing etc.

Derek Bailey : electric guitar (track 5 only)
Steve Beresford : piano (track 10 only)

1- We bitched 02.05
2- Clap hands, here comes panic 05.01
3- How phat is phat? 02.46
4- Something for Rahsaan that Rhasaan could have 06.00
5- If you can't handle the guitar, stay at home 06.16
6- Grind zero 04.18
7- Story of the eye (grinding my own lenses) 06.19
8- Slider 07.19
9- How hard is hard? 02.25
10- Driven to this (grinding my own chocolate) 07.56
11- Iblis 04.24
12- For Sonny 04.18
13- How dark is dark? 03.03
14- Blood 04.26
15- Tolerances of the human sould 07.07
16- A night in Tunisia 02.12

Recorded at panicheadquarter, nd; Derek Bailey contribution recorded September 2000.

Front cover drawing by Crayola.

Frantic percussive shredding and feedback blasts. Derek Bailey and Beresford guest.
W ith a grounding in jazz & the avant-garde, Panicstepper has turned his attention to
creating a hybrid of experimental music,improvisation & depraved and abrasive
beats. A collision of disparate influences from the New York downtown scene (
Zorn, DNA. ), Hip Hop, Digital Hardcore, Motown, Parliament / Funkadelic to the Japanese
Now Wave movement (Boredoms, Melt Banana, Merzbow.) push the boundaries of music &
the cross-pollination of sounds. His first EP for Trash Records - entitled "$40 And I Could
Be A Woman"made a huge impression on Flo Records, who just couldn't say no to releasing
a full length album, "Hyperurban Hardcore Erotics". Panicstepper's process of hybridisation
continues with the 'Agro Jazz' album, a cerebral concoction of free-form ProTools
improvisation featuring impro-jazz maestros Steve Beresford and the legendary Derek Bailey.

As the press handout says: "There may be a 'jazz' in the title but this ain't Kenny G."
Apart from stating the obvious fact that Kenny G is hardly jazz's finest exponent,
the statement rings true, or should I say buzzes, slams, scrapes, squelches and
explodes true. Panicstepper specialise in avant-noise meeting drum 'n' bass in an electronic
basement with some busted hi-tech gear rescued from a techno dump. Much in the vein of
other noise/techno boffins The Aphex Twin, £g-ziq, Autechre, Pan Sonic, Alex Empire et al,
Panicstepper make a blasting sound that could almost, just almost, fill a Saturday night
dancefloor in the provinces, if Marcel Duchamp was behind the PA. The tracks with guests
(Derek Bailey and Steve Beresford) have a much more live improv feel, while the rest are more
crazy, split, distorted "agro noise". This is vibrant, amusing and varied stuff. File under
Merzbow Dancefloor. And if you should need a little 'real' jazz, the whole thing ends with a
Dizzy Gillespie song strummed on an acoustic guitar.
2000, VORTICES AND ANGELS, Emanem 4049 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2001)

John Butcher : soprano and tenor saxophones

Derek Bailey : amplified guitar (tracks 1 and 2 only)
Rhodri Davies : harp (tracks 3-5 only)

1- Low vortex 27.46

2- High vortex 10.04
3- Rhagymadrodd 09.56
4- Pregeth 11.04
5- Diweddglo 03.35

Tracks 1 and 2 recorded at The Vortex, London on 23 March 2000; tracks 3-5 recorded at St-
Michael and All Angels Church, London on 24 May 2000. All previously unissued.

Front cover photo found in a book published around 1890.

Digital concert recordings in London:

1 - 2 at The Vortex by Martin Davidson - 2000 March 23

3 - 5 at St Michael and All Angels Church by Tim Fletcher - 2000 May 24

Total time 63:27

Voted one of the 50 records of the year, as well as Improv record No 4 of 2001 in THE
WIRE
Excerpts from sleeve notes:

A lthough Derek Bailey lives in London, he rarely plays in public there. One of those
rare occasions is captured here - an evening he organised at the Vortex, a north
London club that normally presents Jazz gigs. The first half of the gig (not included
on this CD) consisted of solos by John Butcher and the guitarist. After the interval, there were
two duets, which are heard as the first half of this CD. This was the first time Bailey and
Butcher had played as a duo for about ten years, although they had worked together in larger
groupings, such as trios with Oren Marshall and Gino Robair.

The second half of this CD was recorded two months later at one of the regular series of
concerts that Rhodri Davies and Mark Wastell organise at St Michael and All Angels, a west
London church that normally presents Christian services. The three duets heard here are the
complete performance by John Butcher and Rhodri Davies that evening - the first time they
had worked together as a duo. (All the pieces on this CD are unedited, and presented in the
order of performance.)

The two halves of this CD are very different, even though John Butcher is half of each half.
To start with, the two acoustic spaces are very different - one is a smallish club room, the other
a largish, resonant church. The music is also very different, possibly somewhat influenced by
the acoustics. The duo with Derek Bailey is generally very busy, rather like a vortex, while that
with Rhodri Davies is generally more spacious, somewhat angelic.

As well as being exceptionally fine improvisers, all three musicians have considerably
extended the ranges of their respective instruments. Yet, all three use 'normal' instruments of
the sort that one hears in more conventional areas of music. (It should be pointed out that
Davies makes use of certain accessories not usually associated with harps. However all the
sounds he produces involve the harp, except for an occasional bowed hand-bell.)

Bailey (born 1930), Butcher (born 1954) and Davies (born 1971) can be said to represent
three 'generations'" of improvising musicians. More importantly, they represent the continuing
development and renewal of improvised music. These two performances are very fine
examples of the current state of the art.
Martin Davidson, 2001

Excerpts from reviews :

V ORTICES & ANGELS offers two separate London duos featuring saxophonist
John Butcher, and the title of this disc could not be more apt for the music contained
within. The VORTICES part documents Butcher's performance with iconic free
improv guitarist Derek Bailey at the Vortex, a jazz club in north London. Bailey dominates the
beginning of Low Vortex; his open, adventurous sound keeps tugging Butcher forward. The
guitarist goes electric and makes use of volume and feedback as supplements to his usual
arsenal of scratching noises, rampant harmonics, and angular clusters. But Butcher is never far
behind, and at times one can often hear the two battling for the pole position. During moments
of peak intensity, Butcher pulls out all the stops and howls with the lushest collection of
overtones one might imagine. Fortunately, these maelstroms are scattered among periods of
more introspective activity. Butcher appears equally comfortable in settings that require gentle
whispered breathing or bird-like cooing, and Bailey eventually calms down enough for some
very interesting exchanges. With all the colour and dynamics at their disposal, these two
players interact in distinctively individual ways. The record is particularly revealing, given the
personality differences between the players; their interaction reflects both strategic and tactical
biases, though they're usually on the same team.

On to ANGELS. Harpist Rhodri Davies and Butcher mark their first duo meeting in a
fabulously lush setting at St. Michael and All Angels Church in London. Having experienced
performances like this, I can affirm the church is a far better place than a club for this sort of
thing. If Butcher's approach to the saxophone is a bit idiosyncratic, then Davies' approach to
the harp is downright revolutionary. He prefers attack to decay; he prefers arco to pizzicato;
and he prefers overtones to fundamentals. Nevertheless, the harp remains very quiet
throughout. Davies' buzz-and-tinkle approach highlights Butcher's talents on the low end of
the dynamic spectrum and the high end of the tonal spectrum. He happily constructs higher-
order units from simple building blocks. Davies sticks with him, handing off more than a few
blocks of his own. The ANGELS of this record do a lot of listening, and their playing reflects
deliberate choice and introspective reaction. Each note acquires its own individual character
when spaced out like this, though forward motion rarely suffers as a consequence.

Nils Jacobson, All About Jazz, 2001

B asically, these recordings provide the listener with stark contrasting elements, yet are
firmly rooted within the traditional or perhaps classic, British free-style mode of
improvisation. The opener titled Low Vortex, is a twenty-seven minute opus, featuring
Bailey and Butcher engaging in emotionally driven exchanges and the master artisans' unique
vernacular atop expressively animated dialogue. Here, Bailey carves out a series unorthodox
voicings amid his customary employment of harmonics as Butcher often answers with
complimentary or offsetting statements via his buzz-saw attack and expert utilisation of
droning extended notes and circuitous lines. Essentially, the artists' instruments serve as
imaginary appendages of their respective psyches as the twosome alters the ebb and flow via a
series of seemingly argumentative discourses and subtle shifts in strategy. Butcher's pairing
with harpist, Rhodri Davies offers a bit of counterpoint to his duets with Bailey while the
musicians' also stretch their instruments capabilities to the max. However, Davies' often
metallic, steely edged lines may impart somewhat of an illusion or perhaps signify the
antithesis of your traditional fluttering, fairy tale like, harp-based methodology. Fortunately,
rules were meant to be broken! With Rhagymadrodd the soloists serve up rather haunting
sequences of sub themes, complete with Butcher's mimicking of birds chirping along with
Davies' well-placed notes, and non-conforming frameworks. Needless to say, most instances
of time, space, and reality become jumbled and distorted, thanks to the musicians' artful
implementations and wily interplay. Highly recommended.

Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, 2001

L ike a vortex, VORTICES AND ANGELS sucks the listener in and it is impossible to
escape the hold that John Butcher creates in the company of legendary guitar
impresario Derek Bailey (for two tracks) and harp (Rhodri Davies) on three tracks.
Both Low Vortex and High Vortex were from a concert with Bailey in March of last year and
Butcher wails 'sheets of sound' that are jagged and arresting that at times flow like water.
Because Butcher has seemingly mastered his instrument, he has created a vocabulary so
extensive and complex that Webster couldn't do it justice. For instance, Low Vortex is
practically thirty minutes of masterful free playing from both Bailey and Butcher. Butcher's
slap tongue moments come off as integral ingredients rather than shoddy gimmickry. Bailey's
modernist abstracts work in harmony and dissonance with Butcher, only further heightening
the piece's provocative nature. In comparison, High Vortex is certainly more subdued, but not
by much. The harp duets with Davies are of interest as well, but Low Vortex was my
Groundhog Day and I found myself listening to it over and over again. Simply put, it is
indispensable. Bravo.

Fred Jung, Jazz Weekly, 2001

ohn Butcher develops very different strategies in response to two string bending

J humans. He boldly thrusts splintered phrases through Derek Bailey's harmonics-strewn

obstacle course. In harp player Rhodri Davies, Butcher finds a kindred soul, someone
equally inclined to jettison his instrument's historical baggage. Davies matches arcing twangs
and glassy resonances to his reed-biting counterpart's threads of long, piercing overtones.

Bill Meyer, Magnet, 2001

oth sets are free improvisation of a very high order, without predetermined concepts.

B The Butcher and Bailey set is much more aggressive and intense, with the saxophonist
squawking and jutting forth his unique blend of bird-like bursts, and the guitarist
performing in his unique, inimitable style that eschews convention. It succeeds largely due to
the fertile imaginations of the participants, two of the most original musical stylists at the turn
of the century. The altered moods, which include soft moments that are nonetheless
challenging and sometimes even rough, continually hold the listener's interest. The three tracks
with Davies capture the first time these two performed together as a duo. In contradistinction
to the Bailey cuts, the ones with the harpist are more subdued, though no less creative. The
timbres of the harp differ from those of an amplified guitar, of course, and although both
Bailey and Davies are each fully ensconced in the world of free improvisation, their musical
concepts are different. Davies can be melodic (or at least less abrasive), the harp playing a
more subservient role than the guitar. Davies, though, is also utterly effective, adding colours
and shading. Butcher's high shrill sustained squeaks on Pregeth are devastatingly harsh, even
thrillingly so, and his split tones are well supported by the harp. Overall, a remarkable
collection that ebbs and flows with indeterminate frequency.

Steven Loewy, All-Music Guide, 2001

T he Butcher/Bailey set makes up for two thirds of the disc. Recorded at The Vortex, a
jazz club, it was made of one 30-minute improvisation followed by a shorter one.
Right from the start a spark was lighten up by the immediate communion of styles:
the guitarist leads the way (doesn't he always?) and the saxophonist adapts, playing with much
more power and energy than his usual self. There is no drone-like breath work during this
part. The Butcher/Davies set was recorded at St Michael and All Angels Church. The three
improvisations are more sumptuous and aerial, the room more reverberant. Consequently the
saxophonist comes back to his exploration of the instrument1s very soft range. Pregeth, with
Davies bowing his harp's strings, is one of this CD's finest moments. In a nutshell,
VORTICES AND ANGELS sums up Butcher's art very nicely, making it the best place to
start if one wants to discover this impressive improviser. Strongly recommended.

François Couture, All-Music Guide, 2001

T here are three generations of free form players here, so it makes an interesting
proposition with that fact alone, to hear how they combine, flowing in and out of each
others structures, sometimes incredibly well, others occasionally not. Your ears feel
like they're at Wimbledon as they flit from one speaker to the other as Bailey and Butcher
wrestle for your attention on the first two tracks. I must admit I prefer the last three tracks
featuring Butcher and Davies - there is such an atmosphere, maybe it was down to the fact that
it was recorded in a church?

There seems to be so much more movement and exploration of sound on the last three. I'd be
the first to say that the sounds on here are for those with an acquired taste, however, I'm
certainly enjoying the flavour of Butcher and Davies.

Dave W Hughes, Modern Dance, 2001

espite the triad of names, Vortices & Angels is not a trio disc but rather the combined

D efforts of two duos, both of which showcase saxophonist John Butcher. Guitarist
extraordinaire Derek Bailey appears on the first two tracks while the final three
feature harpist Rhodri Davies.

The first two tracks take up the majority of the disc and were recorded live in March of last
year at the Vortex, a London club that was also the location for Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Paul
Lytton, and Marilyn Crispell's excellent two disc set After Appleby. Butcher and Bailey are
equals in this music as neither rises above the other for anything other than short periods and
most of the time is spent in back and forth dialogue of busy patterns where the ability to fire
off notes rapidly is not a skill of survival. The music here isn't particularly pleasant or mindful
of convention but listeners willing to explore sonic possibilities will find a lot to like here. The
scope and twists and turns which this (at least largely) improvised music take sound as if they
must have plotted in advance although most likely they weren't.

Considerably different but arguably better are the final three cuts with Davies, which recorded
just over two months later at the All Angels Church, also in London. Davies has plenty of skill
but the harp does not allow for him to do much in the way of duets with Butcher. Instead, he
plays more accompaniment type material with the exception of a few moments where he does
stand out on his own. Her harp produces a metallic, almost industrial backdrop for Butcher's
squawking, long blowing and sometimes quite dramatic manipulations of the saxophone. Like
the sessions with Bailey, these tension filled tracks aren't a walk in the park but they are quite
meditative and conducive to deep thinking.

The biggest complaint with Vortices & Angels has to be the disjointed nature of the disc.
Martin Davidson's booklet notes make it clear that these tracks represent the whole of both
performances but the dichotomy in the material -the openers are hectic, the closers are calmer-
make this into material best listened to on separate occasions. Hopefully Emanem or some
other label will record more from one or both of these duos in the near future.

Micah Holmquist, One Final Note, 2001

here is always a certain directness to improvisations when Derek Bailey is involved.

T The guitarist has honed a sound and strategy to improvisation that is at once tightly
focused and instantly recognisable while remaining remarkably open to a broad
variety of contexts for collective improvisation. Bailey's angular, clipped freedom elicits a
fluid, rapid-fire response from the reed player. Butcher's playing is full of rough-scrubbed
textures and sharp-edged attack used to spray cascading lines punctuated with carefully
wrought spaces and quiet, fluttering ebbs. There is plenty of careful listening going on as the
two charge headlong into these extended improvisations that build to a heated intensity.
The pieces with harpist Rhodri Davies have the same intensity and abstraction, but instead of
heated, conversational linearity the improvisations seem to hover in the atmosphere, exciting
the air like charged particles. Recorded in a church, the acoustics of the space seem to act
almost as a third player here. In Davies' hands, the harp becomes a new instrument full of
phenomenal timbral range. Skittering plucked lines are combined with scraped harmonics,
bent and stretched notes, and percussion, resonating sheets of metallic reverberation. Butcher
responds with spare overtones and harmonics, pinched squeaks, and circular flutters that float
like flecked motes in a sunbeam. The improvisation progress with a sense of time that is
slowed down, magnifying every tiny nuance and gesture.

This duet release offers two compelling views of Butcher's playing. Utilising diverse strategies
for spontaneous improvisations, both deliver equally engaging results."

Michael Rosenstein, Cadence, 2002

ORTICES AND ANGELS is an absolute standout in Emanem's catalogue. The

V Butcher-Baileys, recorded live in a small London jazz club (!) have a dry sound
quality that fits the breathiness of Butcher's putt-putt duck quacks, quick trills and
long drones on the soprano (aah!), cutting at angles through Bailey's choppy scales and
chords, flinty amplified harmonics and violent, craggy metallic timbre contrasts. It's all very
angular, spiky and at times flat-out noisy (especially good if you hate your neighbours).

When the CD's second part gets under way, it's a whole different thing. Suddenly we're inside
a church, hearing Butcher skittering out a difficult thread of fluttering noises so high-pitched
that they're almost not there, while out of the other speaker come isolated sounds of springy,
loosened-strings from what I thought was Derek Bailey's big acoustic guitar but noooooo! It's
the unprecedented improvising harpist Rhodri Davies pulling off strange, isolated notes from
his instrument. SploinggÖ.buzzzzzÖ.Butcher then joins him in the lower registers (why, in
church, yet!), blowing moody, fluttery figures with an almost granulated rough edge. Freely
improvised duo playing rarely gets as tasty as this. Niiiiiice.

If you haven't yet heard John Butcher, take it from your old pal who generally finds the sax to
be a dull, uninteresting instrument: he is one of the few true individual players thereof who are
working today, with a tone on both the tenor and soprano that are like no one else's a rare
thing at this late date. I think the three pieces by this duo would fascinate just about anyone
with well-cultivated ears. Fifty stars.
Tony Mostrom, Epulse, 2002

B ailey is creating more fluid and, dare I say, melodic interaction, than his expected
'vertical' playing. The half hour opener is very dense; they start off dancing around
each other, and before you know it they are 'getting busy', lots of plucks and squawks
around each other in an exciting encounter, Bailey also doing chord slurs which Butcher
matches with brrrrs of his own which lead to quiter moments of exquisite beauty. The second
Vortex is astounding; the two play as if creating melody (!) together. They're not, but there is a
harmony and unity of mind here that shocks. This track alone would make the disc a must-
have. Rhodri Davies is able to both play his harp like a guitar, and also do fabulous chord
strums and drones; it's a guitar, a prepared piano and drum in one. He and Butcher give each
other plenty of space, aurally and temporally, so the interaction is, I nearly said 'spiritual,' and
indeed this was recorded at St Michaels and All Angels. Don't expect 'the new spiritualism'
which bores the fuck out of me from the likes of Arvo Prt and company, nor is it as earthy as
Ayler. Just rumbles, chirps, plucks, scrape from two superb improvisers using all the
technique and intuition they have at hand. This will be on my ten best of 2001 list.

Steve Koenig, Jazz Weekly, 2002

D espite the triad of names, Vortices & Angels is not a trio disc but rather the
combined efforts of two duos, both of which showcase saxophonist John Butcher.
Guitarist extraordinaire Derek Bailey appears on the first two tracks while the final
three feature harpist Rhodri Davies.

The first two tracks take up the majority of the disc and were recorded live in March of last
year at the Vortex, a London club that was also the location for Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Paul
Lytton, and Marilyn Crispell's excellent two disc set After Appleby. Butcher and Bailey are
equals in this music as neither rises above the other for anything other than short periods and
most of the time is spent in back and forth dialogue of busy patterns where the ability to fire
off notes rapidly is not a skill of survival. The music here isn't particularly pleasant or
mindful of convention but listeners willing to explore sonic possibilities will find a lot to like
here. The scope and twists and turns which this (at least largely) improvised music take
sound as if they must have plotted in advance although most likely they weren't.

Considerably different but arguably better are the final three cuts with Davies, which recorded
just over two months later at the All Angels Church, also in London. Davies has plenty of skill
but the harp does not allow for him to do much in the way of duets with Butcher. Instead, he
plays more accompaniment type material with the exception of a few moments where he does
stand out on his own. Her harp produces a metallic, almost industrial backdrop for Butcher's
squawking, long blowing and sometimes quite dramatic manipulations of the saxophone. Like
the sessions with Bailey, these tension filled tracks aren't a walk in the park but they are quite
meditative and conducive to deep thinking.

The biggest complaint with Vortices & Angels has to be the disjointed nature of the disc.
Martin Davidson's booklet notes make it clear that these tracks represent the whole of both
performances but the dichotomy in the material -the openers are hectic, the closers are calmer-
make this into material best listened to on separate occasions. Hopefully Emanem or some
other label will record more from one or both of these duos in the near future.

Micah Holmquist

B utcher, too, has a plethora of releases the past few years, all fine ones. Vortices &
Angels contains a pair of duets with Derek Bailey, followed by three with harpist
Rhodri Davies. Bailey is creating more fluid and, dare I say, melodic interaction, than
his expected 'vertical' playing. Rhodri Davies is able to both play his harp like a guitar, and
also do fabulous chord strums and drones; it's a guitar, a prepared piano and drum in one. He
and Butcher give each other planty of space, aurally and temporally, so the interaction is, I
nearly said 'spiritual.' Just rumbles, chirps, plucks, scrape from two superb improvisers using
all the technique and intuition they have at hand. Butcher's recent concert at Phill Niblock's
loft Experimental Intermedia with Phil Durrant's electronics was superb; catch Butcher any
chance you get.

T his newly released set is apportioned into two sections: The first two pieces feature
legendary British free-improviser, guitarist Derek Bailey performing with compatriot,
saxophonist John Butcher, live at the “Vortex” club in London, whereas Butcher and
harpist, Rhodri Davies execute three duet pieces at a London church. Basically, these
recordings provide the listener with stark contrasting elements, yet are firmly rooted within the
traditional or perhaps classic, British free-style mode of improvisation. The opener titled
“Low Voltage,” is a twenty-seven minute opus, featuring Bailey and Butcher engaging in
emotionally driven exchanges and the master artisans’ unique vernacular atop expressively
animated dialogue. Here, Bailey carves out a series unorthodox voicings amid his customary
employment of harmonics as Butcher often answers with complimentary or offsetting
statements via his buzz-saw attack and expert utilization of droning extended notes and
circuitous lines. Essentially, the artists’ instruments serve as imaginary appendages of their
respective psyches as the twosome alters the ebb and flow via a series of seemingly
argumentative discourses and subtle shifts in strategy.

Butcher’s pairing with harpist, Rhodri Davies offers a bit of counterpoint to his duets with
Bailey while the musicians’ also stretch their instruments capabilities to the max. However,
Davies’ often metallic, steely edged lines may impart somewhat of an illusion or perhaps
signify the antithesis of your traditional fluttering, fairy tale like, harp-based methodology. -
Fortunately, rules were meant to be broken!

With “Rhagymadrodd” the soloists serve up rather haunting sequences of sub themes,
complete with Butcher’s mimicking of birds chirping along with Davies’ well-placed notes,
and nonconforming frameworks. Needless to say, most instances of time, space, and reality
become jumbled and distorted, thanks to the musicians’ artful implementations and wily
interplay. Highly recommended.

Glenn Astarita

eux premières plages, une poursuite giratoire explosive. Phrases déformées, broyées

D par la force centrifuge. Le vacarme de l'aspiration ne laisse passer que les traits
sonores saillants. Sax & guitar, full contact au cœur d'une béance motrice. Derek
Bailey en super forme. Superbe empoignade.

Les trois plages suivantes, enregistrées dans une autre salle, autre concert, sont d'une toute
autre texture. Conversation, collaboration. Les deux instruments érigent des mures d'escalade,
mi solide, mi gazeux, parois hérissées, consistance disparate, friable. Les modules de cordes et
les excroissances saxophonistes sont déportés dans une sorte d'élévation commune. Bribes de
langages célestes insaisissables, en migration.

Travail intéressant à la harpe (C'est pas courant quand même).

T he opening duet, Low Vortex, is a probing, fast, and (for Butcher) unexpectedly loud
battle of wits (or is it nerves?). Bailey uncorks some of his most exacting and
fearsomely paced playing, forcing Butcher, ordinarily the most orderly of improvisers
and by inclination a miniaturist, to think in terms of waves and convoluted tangles of notes.
But as the improvisation unfolds over a labyrinthine 27 minutes, the near-bottomless depth of
Butcher's arsenal of devices becomes increasingly, almost frighteningly clear. Even just as a
demonstration of 'extended technique' it's an impressive performance, and overall this must be
counted one of the best things either man has recorded in the past decade.

Nate Dorward. CODA

 ritish saxophonist John Butcher is fond of quoting guitarist Derek Bailey's line about

B improvisation as searching for material which is endlessly transformable - what he

values in free playing is precisely that performing situation from where he feels the
music "can go in any direction". This goes some way to explaining the strength of his recent
solo work, but Butcher is also constantly on the move in search of playing partners, and in the
past couple of years has gigged and recorded with practically almost every major improviser
on the planet. These two new releases (the second on Emanem in as many months, and his
second for Minneapolis-based Meniscus after 1999's excellent "Music on Seven Occasions")
provide ample evidence of his extraordinary talents on tenor and soprano sax. The duos with
percussionist Dylan van der Schyff were recorded in Vancouver in February 2000 and
counterpoint the saxophonist's explorations of flutter-tonguing, multiphonics and extreme
high register (on the soprano) playing with exquisitely placed percussion work. Van der
Schyff (whose tight, forward propulsion on the kit recalls John Stevens on more than one
occasion) is spot on in his choice of instrument, from the growls that end "Early Animation"
to the Eddie Prevost-like bowed cymbal work that opens the eerie and teeth-grinding "Pool
Lights" (team these two up with Sachiko M and there's enough to keep a dentist in business
for a lifetime). Though it's open question on a few tracks whether Butcher is leading the
expedition with van der Schyff following close behind (having played with Butcher myself, I
can vouch for the rare pleasure of charging along the path he's hacked out of the
undergrowth), it hardly matters when the music is as good as this. On "Recent Realism" they
even nearly swing.

Derek Bailey is well known for not letting himself be led down someone else's path (witness
the extraordinary "Outcome" on Potlatch, where he and Steve Lacy coexist amiably for over
an hour without once treading on each other's toes), and the two extended duos with Butcher
recorded in the "exceedingly sweaty" Vortex club (recorded just six weeks after the
Vancouver date discussed above) are fine examples of the aforementioned multi-directionality
both musicians value so highly. Maybe it's because he's been hanging out with Calvin Weston
and Jamaladeen Tacuma recently, but I'd swear Bailey is positively funky at times on "High
Vortex". Harpist Rhodri Davies brings a more sermonly feel (his Welsh track titles having
religious connotations) to the three tracks recorded St. Michael and All Angels, both
musicians exploring the lofty spaces of the acoustic to great advantage. If you're a Butcher
enthusiast, life must be getting very expensive, since everything he's released in the past two
years has been top notch. And I won't make you feel any better by telling you there's plenty
more to come.

Derek Bailey and John Butcher

Derek Bailey http://www.johnbutcher.org.uk/Bailey.html

H O M E G R O U P S S O L O N E W S / C O N C E R T S L I S T E N / L O O K
P H O T O S B I O G R A P H Y I N T E R V I E W S / A R T I C L E S
C D S A L E S E - M A I L

Derek Bailey

© peter stubley

Derek Bailey's death at the start of 2006 touched many people.

Some online responses include:

:: John Fordham's Guardian obituary.

:: WIRE magazine has placed online the personal tributes requested from artists,
colleagues and friends.
:: Ben Ratliff's New York Times obituary.

:: Peter Stubley's efi site contains much vital Bailey information, including Richard
Shapiro's Sessionography.
:: A nice 1987 interview with Derek, by Henry Kaiser, can be listened to online.
:: An interesting essay, by Dominic Lash, on the music of Derek Bailey is
downloadable at dispatx.
Syntactics : Derek Bailey and the Linguistic Metaphor

John Butcher and Derek Bailey first played in duo

around 1989, at the Red Rose Club - and Butcher
then took part in the 1990 & 1992 (London) and
1996 (Vancouver) Company weeks.
Their duet from a concert at London's Vortex in 2000
was released on Vortices and Angels.

Various other playing situations materialised in the

90s, ranging from Saturday afternoons at the Oasis
Wine Bar in Hackney, to a trio with Joelle Leandre at
Tonic in New York in 2000.

© peter stubley A comparatively long lived grouping was with tuba

player Oren Marshall - which released Trio Playing

1 of 2 11/18/06 5:04 AM
Derek Bailey http://www.johnbutcher.org.uk/Bailey.html
on Incus.

Vortices and Angels

Bailey/Butcher - live at the Vortex, London: 2000
(Butcher/Davies - live at All Angels, London: 2000)

read :: Jazz Weekly

Listen ∇ Low Vortex

order CD from Emanem.

The opening duet, Low Vortex, is a probing, fast, and (for Butcher) unexpectedly loud battle of wits
(or is it nerves?). Bailey uncorks some of his most exacting and fearsomely paced playing, forcing
Butcher, ordinarily the most orderly of improvisers and by inclination a miniaturist, to think in terms
of waves and convoluted tangles of notes. But as the improvisation unfolds over a labyrinthine 27
minutes, the near-bottomless depth of Butcher's arsenal of devices becomes increasingly, almost
frighteningly clear. Even just as a demonstration of 'extended technique' it's an impressive
performance, and overall this must be counted one of the best things either man has recorded in
the past decade. Nate Dorward - CODA

Trio Playing
Derek Bailey / John Butcher / Oren Marshall - guitar,
sax, tuba, London: 1997.

read :: megamusic

2 of 2 11/18/06 5:04 AM
2000, THE APPLEYARD FILE, (UK) (Incus CDR1) (released in 2001)

Derek Bailey : guitar, voice

1- Early years 02.29

2- Darkness before dawn 02.41
3- Appleyard: corporate raider 03.18
4- Appleyard: visionary 05.32
5- The good, the bad & the gruesome 10.40

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry.

You send £10 or $15 U.S. we burn your CD-R and send it to you. We pay postage

Total time of the CD-R is 24.57 with no track breaks; given above are approximate timings of
tracks.

No recording information provided, but all tracks were recorded during 2000 at Derek
Bailey's home in London.

Cover artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

Described in the Incus publicity as 'things you might like to know about Charlie Appleyard',
this CD-R provides details about this legendary but little-known character who has been
credited as the founder of improvisation.
 Charlie Appleyard

A close associate of Derek Bailey, Appleyard was responsible for the photographs on
Solo guitar vol. 2. His curriculum vitae or position statement was included in the
programme notes for Company Week 1990: Son of a Cricklewood glazier, Charlie
Appleyard (57-73, estimates vary) made it clear from the start that he had no intention - citing
destiny - to do anything other than play music. His early career, still under investigation,
suggests a weakness for the seedier environs of the entertainment industry and a tendency to
make dubious musical associations.

Subsequently, although justly famous for the invention of improvisation (October 12, 1953) it
was only through the sheer imagination and virtuosity of his Arts Council grant applications,
his self-control in the face of promoters and an uncanny ability, even in the most difficult
situations, to find work for his wife and children which in the end lead to the spleandour of the
career so widely admired today. High points are too numerous and well-known to need any
mention here but, for the statistically minded, he has played in every known combination of
musicians put together in the past 25 years in addition to appearing on 817 LPs and 274 CDs.
Cassettes, he says, don't count.

In his musical maturity, Mr Appleyard has taken refuge in the academic bunker where,
through the assiduous re-writing of history, he seeks to bolster his reputation and enhance his
esteem. Furthermore, as the Founder, Chancellor, Secretary, Co-ordinator and Official
Historian of the Appleyard Institute, a body dedicated to the Propogation, Promotion and
Dissemination of Appleyard Improvised Music, he is presently preparing a book of rules,
"AppleyardImprovised Music, What it is now and how to do it". As he say, 'Let's get this stuff
sorted out once and for all.'

Charlie Appleyard can be anybody; but I've used him sometimes in chat pieces, and these are
all chat pieces about the history of Charlie Appleyard.

Derek Bailey
As written on the CD-R
2000, FISH, PSFD-8009 (Japan) (CD) (released in 2001)

Shoji Hano : drums

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

1- Sea Bream 18.41

2- Bonito 06.49
3- Sardin 19.40
4- Angler 05.30

Recorded on 10 June 2000 at Moat Studio, London.

Label: PSF (Japan) Release Date: 10/15/01

Art direction by Shoji Hano, Tsutomu Takahashi.

L atest in a very long line of guitar and drums duo releases from Bailey, encompassing
sessions with Han Bennink, Jamie Muir, Andrea Centazzo, John Stevens, Cyro
Baptista, Tony Oxley, Susie Ibarra, Eddie Prevost, and probably several more that
have slipped my mind. This is his first record with Japanese powerhouse drummer Shoji
Hano, recorded at Moat Studios in London in June 2000. Hano is best known outside of
Japan for his brief tenure as drummer in speedfreak rock band High Rise. But he has had an
even lengthier career as an improv drummer, with his own roster of groups (including the
Polybreath Percussion Band, as documented on PSFD-92) and with the likes of Peter
Brotzmann and William Parker. This session with Bailey was the realisation of a long-held
dream for Hano, and he was fully psyched up for the date. Bailey's playing is squarely in his
recent style, centering around dry note clutches and some gorgeously controlled feedback
swells. Hano's drumming here sacrifices his exemplary rock motion in favour of a more pulse
orientated approach. He brings a weighty presence to his work on toms especially, the result
of years of rigorous training in locating the spiritual through the physical. The results are
pleasingly heavy, with a density of detail that repays high-volume playback. Four tracks, two
of them just under the twenty minute mark, the other two hovering around five or six minutes.
Each one named after a species of fish. Very fetching picture of a monkfish on the cover, too.

Alan Cummings

T his is the British free improvisation guitarist whose activities on the avant-garde music
scene span four decades. He has delivered literally hundred of recordings, both solo
and in countless collaborations. Standouts in his ample discography would have to be
his sessions with percussionists and drummers. His angular chaotic guitar has melded with
the work of master free jazz drummers Tony Oxley, John Stevens Han Bennink, and Suzie
Ibarra, as well as more avant-garde-inclined percussionists Jamie Muir, Andrea Centazzo, and
more. This encounter with Japanese drummer Shoji Hano adds to this chronology and the
Tokyo artist's name will be familiar to fans of High Rise, as he was rhythmic force behind the
psychedelic underground group. No stranger to free improvisation, though, as he has played
with Peter Brotzmann and William Parker in this realm and lead the Polybreath Percussion
Band in Tokyo. Recorded in London in 2000, the session displays Derek Bailey in excellent
electric form, playing up the feedback and noise in an uncommonly fierce fashion, while his
partner favors the texture of the drum kit over rhythmic pounding. Deeply concentrated, raw,
electric improvisation. Fans of Derek Bailey's work with the Ruins will find much to delight in
here, another ad-hoc session from the master who fearlessly treads new territory.

Skip Jansen, All Music Guide

T he latest in a long line of guitar-and-drums duo releases from Bailey. This is his first
record with powerhouse drummer Shoji Hano. Hano is best known in this office as
the guy who busted Keiji Haino's sunglasses during a tour of Germany. In addition to
this incredible feat, he has also played with the likes of High Rise, Peter Brötzmann and
Willam Parker. The results of this exchange are heavy--with a density of detail that repays
high-volume playback.
2000, DAYBREAK, Emanem 4059 (UK) (CD) (released in 2001)

Ian Smith : flugelhorn, trumpet

Gail Brand : trombone
Oren Marshall : tuba
Veryan Weston : chamber organ
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar

1- Daybreak - IS OM 02:59
2- Falange, Falanginha, Falangeta - IS GB OM 03:46
3- Carpe Dentum - IS GB OM VW 04:17
4- There We Are - IS GB OM VW DB 05:38
5- Coffee - IS DB 05:26
6- Blás - IS GB OM VW 04:58
7- Function Of The Organ - VW 04:05
8- Don't Even Think About It - IS GB OM VW DB 06:59
9- Closely Linked - IS GB OM DB 06:18
10 - Air Apparent - IS GB OM VW 04:23
11 - Sometimes - VW DB 04:09
12 - Hidden - IS GB OM 04:21
13 - Windsurfing - IS GB OM VW DB 08:51
14 - Go On - IS OM DB 04:01

All tracks previously unissued

Digital recordings made in London by Dave Hunt - 2000 August 21 & 22 Total time 70:17
Excerpts from sleeve notes :

am delighted to be asked to participate with and indulge my personal thoughts for this

I amazing CD. To mind comes the term 'organology' as the music presents a magnificent
essay of vibrating air columns, of metal, of lip contact and tactile interaction. Pistons,
keys and frets, the guitar and organ: a great starting place for dreaming - the timbre of
sustained guitar, the lungs of the organ, continued sounds. The sense of 'fingers' is strong as
is the 'physical enjoyment'. Of course music can work on many different levels
simultaneously and the receiver finds his/her place amongst these layers - interpreting,
attaching significance, noticing patterns, behaviour, letting him/herself loose on the experience
- listening each time anew. Humour comes through with each player's personality and
relationship to their instrument. The whole unfolds in a great sequence and the dream
becomes reality.

Philipp Wachsmann, 2001

T he Regal is the small organ that sits atop the chest organ, but it is positively the least
regal-sounding instrument on the session. Its tone often closely resembles the organ
played by Sooty the glove puppet TV bear, especially when Veryan gets those half-
stop effects going. I'm also reminded of the great David Tudor's version of Christian Wolff's
'For 1, 2 or 3 People', which he plays on a baroque organ.

Steve Beresford, 2001

Excerpts from reviews :

AYBREAK is a much more satisfactory CD than Smith's 1997 TRYST. Here we

D find him better surrounded and more confident. The unlikely instrumentation works
surprisingly well. The opening duet between the tuba and flügelhorn sets the tone:
highly creative, slightly contemplative with a touch of humour. The brass trio Falange,
Falanginha, Falangeta is simply something we hear very rarely in freely improvised music.
Bailey is heard in half of the fourteen tracks and his contribution always blend in perfectly.
His duet with Smith, Coffee, constitutes one of the disc's highlights. Weston gets the best out
of the instrument in Windsurfing, his atonal chords establishing a gloomy atmosphere.
Another quintet piece, Don1t Even Think About It, is also worth noting. Smith's preference for
short focused improvisations works very well here. It gives the pieces more density and fits
his own esthetic which now reside closer to the breath-born lowercase sound of Axel Dörner
or Franz Hautzinger. This is his best release so far.

François Couture, All-Music Guide, 2001

ore so than their American counterparts, English improvisers appear unfettered by

M the constraints of conventional ensemble etiquette. Holding true to tenets

championed by Derek Bailey, one of the elders of the scene, any and all instrument
aggregations seem welcome in their regular interactions. Hand in hand with this open door
policy comes a healthy zeal for experimenting with non-traditional combinations. The usual
character roles for instruments simply aren't adhered to in the realm of free improvisation and
this predilection is definitely the guiding principle on Ian Smith's latest offering. Trumpet
teams with tuba (Daybreak), guitar with chamber organ (Sometimes), and duos, trios and
quartets ensue. Virtually every possible combination of players is explored. In fact, only three
of the fourteen tracks feature the complete quintet. In every instance extemporaneous interplay
charts the course and the resulting music is decidedly free from the sometimes-stifling
impediments of individual ego.

Smith and Oren Marshall start the proceedings, doling out a sputtering ode on their
instruments that approximates the footfalls of lumbering giants. Gail Brand joins the band on
the following piece, spitting out coruscated breath sounds and jockeying her slide with limber
grip while Veryan Weston announces his presence on Carpe Dentum with a sustained sonar
buzz that instantly evokes the visage of Sun Ra circa ATLANTIS. Derek Bailey arrives as the
final cog in the organic machine with There We Are, where his pedal-calibrated volume swells
match timbres with Weston, who sounds much like a calliope gone mad. With full quintet
finally assembled the players buck convention and once again revert to component groupings.
Bailey's spindled strings spin warbled cobwebs around Smith's stuttering phrases on the
caffeine-addled Coffee, again creating an environment steeped in the unforeseen.

Weston takes full advantage of the tonal settings on his instrument during the solo Function
of the Organ, spooling out a series of snippets, spliced audio veritÈ fashion, that sound like
they were lifted from a Messiaen suite. The piece acts as a fitting mid-point interlude
prefacing the quintet's full-scale return on the cautionary Don't Even Think About It. The
balance of the program tracks parallel trails of spontaneous invention, leaving musical marks
on listener psyches that soon fade in terms of specific identifying properties. In this respect
the sounds of Smith and his fellows follow a course conventional to free improvisation in that
the odds of these interactions ever being exactly recreated are nigh impossible.

Derek Taylor, One Final Note, 2002

S mith's style has the free-form panache of a Wadada Leo Smith or Joe McPhee, but his
experience of other musics is never too far from the surface. Some of his gestures
seem to derive from earlier forms of jazz, and there are moments of harmonic
directness that you could put chord symbols under. But it has all been thoughtfully moulded
into a highly convincing and distinctive language.

The most immediately striking thing about DAYBREAK is its highly unusual instrumental
line-up. The front line of trumpet, trombone and tuba often hints at an errant marching band
smashed to smithereens by too many individual thinkers. Having Veryan Weston play on a
wheezing chamber organ rather than his customary piano was a masterstroke and adds a
unique flavour to the music. The organ sometimes acts as a harmonic drone that glues things
together, but elsewhere Weston rolls his sleeves up and adds capricious decoration to the
brass lines. The clipped brittle sound of Derek Bailey's guitar gives light to the languid
shading of Weston's organ and adds to the impression of a project that has been very
carefully thought through. Indeed there's 70 minutes worth of music here, but nothing feels
superfluous. Veryan Weston has a track to himself to show off the various possibilities of his
instrument and he's also heard to terrific effect against the strained harmonic overtones of
Marshall's tuba. The music culminates in a colourful, splashy finale. DAYBREAK is an
original and beautiful experience, and something to play someone who thinks they don't like
free improvisation.

Philip Clark, Jazzreview, 2002

S mith opens with a spitting broken-line attack, while tuba player Marshall groans and
moans in dirge-like rebuttal. They are joined by Brand, who works in robust
trombone contours while Smith and Marshall continue their high/low volatile
exchange. Enter Weston, who plays a chamber organ that casts a séance-like mood over the
proceedings. Finally, Bailey comes aboard with delicate, scratchy filaments of guitar light
shining on all. From there, the players drop in and out to make the session a liberated version
of music chairs

The brass trio interacts ambitiously with Weston's organ, which produces stately church-like
rolls or squeaky trills. Smith, Brand and Marshall cover the range of the sound spectrum and
worm in all forms of interrupted statements from mellow to abrupt around the heavy organ
strains. Bailey's contributions are quite the opposite, being very thin lines of wire that bind
around the weightier music to enhance the contrast. The huffs and puffs from Marshall's tuba
are in stark contrast to the shrill guitar spirals rising from Bailey's strings. Despite all this
sonic variation, the music unfolds as a cohesive wave of stimulating sound that continues to
wash ashore unabated. Although the individual improvisations are absorbing, the sound
assimilated in its totality is the most penetrating on the senses. This is heady music in the
British tradition, but the sensation only works in conjunction with an open mind.

Frank Rubolino, Cadence, 2002

T hink of most memorable examples of British improvising over the past three decades
and the front line sound that comes first to the inner ear is that of the sonic advances
made by saxophonists such as Evan Parker, John Butcher and Paul Dunmall.

Aiming to redress the balance, Dublin-born Ian Smith has recorded this skillful example of
BritImprov at London's Red Rose club without a reed in sight. Besides Smith on trumpet and
flugelhorn, the CD features two exceptional young brass boosters -- trombonist Gail Brand
and tubaist Oren Marshall -- as well as two veteran improvisers, guitarist Derek Bailey and
Veryan Weston, playing a so-called early music chamber organ.

Mixing and matching the five musicians on the CD's 14 tracks, this is no vanity project for
Smith -- he and the other horns don't even play on two selections. But with the luck of the
Irish, he's certainly ended up with an exceptional report on the state of British brass finesse in
the 21st Century.

Smith has played on hip hop and classical sessions as well as with the London Improvisers
Orchestra, as has Brand, who is also a member of bassist Simon H. Fell's quintet and the
Lunge quartet. Those two, plus Marshall, a tubaist usually employed in classical circles, and
who impressively held his own on a trio disc with Butcher and Bailey make up The
Temporary Brass Trio. In addition, over time, Marshall has developed individual improvisation
techniques including deconstructing his instrument with an assortment of hooters and whistles
in place of valves.

Judging from the earth shaking blasts that occur from time to time, his axe doesn't seem to be
deconstructed here, but he may be the party tooting what sounds like a penny whistle on
"Don't even think about it" and "Windsurfing."

With the ensembles ranging from duos to quintets, everyone gets to strut his or her stuff.
Especially impressive is "Air Apparent" where Weston's keyboard continuo gives the brass
trio a platform on which they can exhibit how musical the sound of breath being forced
through mouthpieces and valves can be. Slow moving, "Hidden," the only brass trio number,
shows the three sounding each of their respective instrument's pitches and then altering them.
It's probably Brand, though, who figuratively converts her sackbut to an alp horn part of the
way through.

With only Bailey on-side, Smith has enough room to feature himself on "Coffee" and he
responds by exploring all of his instrument's registers, producing dog growls, fanfares,
miniscule mouthpiece squeaks and tones so muted they sound as if they come not from inside
his horn, but from within his throat. Meanwhile the imperturbable guitarist blithely strums
away. Smith passes that baptism by fire nicely and later on proves that he can come up with
enough ideas to take Butcher's place in an echo of the trio disc Bailey and Marshall recorded
with the saxophonist.

However as a quintet or quartet with Weston, it often seems as if it's the organist who must go
mighty-Wurlitzer and take up all the sonic space he can to prop up the horns and get them to
start spitting out notable improvisations. With a sonority that skates from that of a circus
calliope to one resembling a primitive synthesizer, Weston sometimes makes the horns speed
up and chase one another like a litter of cats. They differentiate themselves with reverberating
blats from the tuba, quicksilver melodies from the trumpet and choked half-valve effects from
the trombone.

Besides the apparent inability of the brass to horn in on the improvisations of their elders, the
disc has other weaknesses. Most obvious is that despite the song titles, there seems to be an
absolute lack of levity on the session, Maybe Smith was so concerned with making a brass
statement that he neglected the lighter part of the equation. No blarney-sprouting stage
Irishman he. Coupled with this, is that none of the brassfolk displays the sort of full-fledged
self-sufficient identity yet that Brand, for one, has shown on other sessions. They're good
players, of course, but no style or phrase defines them completely. Contrast this with Bailey.
From the first note he sounds on "There We Are" you know exactly who is playing that
guitar.

Still, considering that the 71-year-old plectrumist has had an entire lifetime to create himself
and that the three horn players are young enough to be his children, their labors here augur
well for their future. If all keep theorizing and studying, while playing and recording at this
high level, we'll soon be able to note their individualities as easily as we hear Bailey's.

DAYBREAK, as the title suggests is strong illumination towards that goal.

Ken Waxman

D
uring the long period in the 1970s and 1980s when he was metaphorically
alone in the wilderness, as practically the only advanced improviser in
Norway, alto saxophonist Frode Gjerstad developed an extended playing
relationship with British drummer John Stevens.

However this recently discovered almost 731/2-minute document is the only time the two
worked in tandem with guitarist Derek Bailey. Bailey, who is often as theoretical as Stevens
was spontaneous, was along with the drummer an early BritImprov creator and worked with
Stevens many times as a sort of “fellow traveler” to the drummer’s Spontaneous Music
Ensemble (SME). But this disc preserves the only meeting -- so far -- between the guitarist
and the alto saxophonist.
Recorded by Gjerstad on a portable DAT machine during a 1992 concert in his hometown of
Stavanger, and computer-corrected in 2000, it’s an instructive example of how three
originals can interact without giving up any of their individuality. Most of the tunes flow
one into another, with the only real break occurring about 20 minutes after the three begin.
Throughout, Gjerstad casts out a long fishing line of tiny accented notes, while Bailey
ranges up and down the strings, plinking and plucking resonating, sharply metallic phrases.
At the same time, the ever-busy Stevens moves between cymbals and snare, placing accents
with the accuracy of a pastry chef decorating a multi-layer cake.

Sometimes, though, as in the middle of “Three Two Three One”, when Stevens lays out
things get a little too weightless, with the feathery sax lines and string silences threatening to
float away. Strangely enough that track ends with about two minutes of amplifier hum,
which seems to be an enigmatic Bailey statement rather than a technical fault. Perhaps to
counter that, “Three by Three” -- the longest track --is much more aggressive, with Stevens
occasionally spewing out a stream of off-key mini trumpet blats, Gjerstad elongating his alto
lines, sometimes in counterpoint with the trumpet, and Bailey constructing some picked and
strummed rhythmic backing. With the guitarist producing an improv version of power
chording, Stevens is moved to ratchet up the backbeat while Gjerstad slides out some shards
of pitch variations that more resemble the energy music of the 1960s than more restrained
EuroImprov.

That moods seem to stay intact during “Two Three Two Three” with a saxophonist-
indicated head of long-lined slurs that almost sounds South American. Immersed in his kit,
Stevens keeps the rhythm jumping from snares, toms and cymbals and back again, while, as
if reacting to the challenge, the guitarist matches both of them with a busy barrage of single
notes. Here and elsewhere, using his amp’s and pedal’s capacity and creative feedback,
Bailey proves that the booklet description of him playing an amplified guitar is no
misnomer.

All in all, HELLO, GOODBYE is much more than the historical souvenir of a
unprecedented one-off meeting. Although reminiscent in part of some of SME sessions with
the same line-up and a few of Bailey’s saxophone face-offs, the creations are given a fresh
twist from Gjerstad’s ingenuity. Thus the disc becomes triply valuable. It’s another report on
the talents of a highly inventive drummer; a supplementary CD of the underrecorded
Gjerstad’s work; and as a reminder that no matter how many sessions he plays, when faced
with improvisations –and improvisers -- at his level Bailey will pilot his work up to yet
another level.

Ken Waxman, December 17, 2001

2000, RIGHT OFF, NUM 1100 (Portugal) (CD) (released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Carlos Bechegas : piccolo, C and G flutes, pitch-to-midi synthesizer controller, TX 81Z
Synthesizer, acoustic flute realtime control of the electronic set-up. Minic-
Disc playback on take 5 and 7.

1- R. in 07.57
2- R. off 06.52
3- R. side 04.00
4- R. four 06.30
5- R. on 08.56
6- R. six 07.57
7- R. away 03.45

Recorded on 16 July 2000 at Aurastudio, outside Oporto, Portugal.

Photos: Cover - Fernando Rocha. Musicians - Pedro Sottomayor

Booklet Text : Jorge Lima Barreto. Translation - Jeffrey Childs

Mastering by Fernando Rocha and Carlos Bechegas

A arte da improvisação do duo formado pelo inglês Derek Bailey e o português Carlos
Bechegas na sua configuração pósmodernista é a sobreposição de fluxos
improvisados de diversa conotação. Propõe, assim, um duplo subjectivismo - enredo
bipolar, miscelânea, invenção de timbres e de frases desenhados pela lógica do pensamento
absurdo, de pregnante cromatismo.

Pelo instinto criativo e pela própria teoria da espontaneidade o enunciado temático torna-se
objecto único e particular.

A parafernália é de inventário fácil - a guitarra de Bailey e a flauta de Bechegas coadjuvada por

intervenções electrónicas. Trabalhos melódicos fabricados no imaginário, na conjectura
técnica, construídos por um saber artesanal privado; ruído cultural, ostentação; os sons
ganham vida própria, irradiam mil facetas da execução.

O mundo das improvisações sobrepostas apresenta-se como res facta, proposta onírica,
introdução ao disforme. Projecto estático do guitarrista - improvisos fixados e emblemáticos
que procuram o indelével, o mundo encoberto e referem a acção como despojo do seu estilo
soberano.

Agitação cinética do flautista -- objectos sonoros animados por regimes electroacústicos

simplistas como o recurso taxativo ao reverb, bricolage - a praxis é tecnologicamente discreta.
A acção ininterrupta e como que indiferente dos dois discursos pressupõe a abertura e a
interacção de categorias perceptivas, engendramento analítico das estruturas sonoras, dos
signos do ruído e da forma.

Cada tema pressupõe uma cenografia sonora, mitificação do artesanal e do industrial - o

cinético e o kitsch, o carismático e o delirante. O seu ritmo é abstracto, apenas determinado
por obscuras leis da electrónica ou pela volubilidade da acção solística; isomorfismo do
enérgico, exercício conduz à disciplina mental, a uma delicada ternura, como quando ouvimos
sons desconhecidos ou a nossa alma se eleva a complexidades mântricas; coisas só ouvidas
pelo íntimo.

A concepção acústica do duo sumariza-se numa espécie de música auto-suficiente, livre da

influência e apartada do imitativo. O imediatismo é significante duma postura musical
radicalista, indica zonas sonoplásticas específicas que são atributos puramente estéticos. O
táctil é uma sedução subliminar em cada tema, tentadora mimese - as texturas melódicas ou as
granulosas na pluralidade dos seus materiais apelam ao tacto.

A dualidade da criação dos improvisadores refere os processos técnicos empregados num

tratamento original de matérias que reclamam a mestria do seu componente racional e se
libertam na euforia esquizo das divagações.

M ais bem conseguido do que o anterior encontro do flautista Carlos Bechegas com o
recentemente falecido Peter Kowald, este disco a meias com o patriarca da
improvisação Derek Bailey ouve-se bem, mas nunca nos enche as medidas. O
músico português fez uma boa opção ao ligar as suas flautas a processadores electrónicos: a
sua abordagem exclusivamente acústica entraria necessariamente em choque com o
entendimento que o guitarrista das ilhas britânicas tem da música. Bechegas é um tecnicista,
um virtuoso, e Bailey, apesar de ser o inventor de grande parte das técnicas hoje utilizadas por
meio mundo na guitarra improvisada, de Fred Frith a John Bisset, ou de John Russell a
Burkhard Stangl, tem uma postura de desvalorização dos processos que lhe permitem chegar
aos resultados ambicionados, algo que por vezes pode até ser confundido com displicência.
Ora, o ex-companheiro de Carlos Zíngaro nos Plexus é o contrário disso, não resistindo, até, à
tentação de exibir os seus malabarismos discursivos. Nem sempre a electrónica de Carlos
Bechegas é interessante ao longo deste disco e falta-lhe o que vai faltando, infelizmente, em
grande parte da música improvisada, espaços, respirações, silêncios, mas é dinâmico e
inteligente o jogo mantido pelos dois músicos.

JOSÉ DUARTE - jornalist, radio and television producer - in "Open Secrets" CD booklet -
Abril 2001

"Right Off "

A lready released on CD, It's a duo formed by the English guitar player Derek Bailey,
one of the most important reference in the world improvise music scene, and the
Portuguese flutist Carlos Bechegas, playing on this project, is electronic set - up,
controlled in real time.

Interpreters composers, performers of a truly spontaneous and radical improvisation form.

Them speech is build up freely, without compromises of any pre-define scheme, through
pieces of discontinuous fluid and unexpected narratives, creating a deeply, diverse and unusual
music result. Due to this CD music conception, below, a booklet text resume, as an interesting
reflection about.

In this new, real-time performance, two masters of 21st century improvised music
suspend most conventions associated with their instruments and the Jazz genre.
Definable chords, standard song forms, and limited harmonic palettes are
successfully flouted in seven spontaneous performances, which are not in the least bit
compromised in terms of their formal structure.

Too often, so-called "new music" practitioners resort to gimmicks in order to call attention to
themselves; witness the ongoing "found object" and laptop computer performances in the San
Francisco Bay Area, which is quite possibly the epicenter of musical formalism in the world
today.

Fortunately, Messrs. Bailey and Bechegas have not abandoned the notion that form and
content are inseparable; in this regard they have more in common with the great early 20th
century European classical composers. Here, contrasting, episodic structures and thematic
development arise from careful listening and a common rhythmic language. Track five ("R.
On") is precisely calculated for maximum emotional effect--a surreal, otherworldly
performance.

The new interval combinations heard throughout the session challenge the simplistic notion
that there is a "correct" scale for every chord. If anything, these performances prove that for
every sound, there are an infinite number of sonic relationships.

This is an excellent recording.

James D. Armstrong, Jr.

C arlos Bechegas wears a microphone in front of his nose, dangling from his forehead.
This is not a fashion statement, but a way to capture the sound of his flute, translate it
to MIDI data and send it to a computer for real-time processing. After a delightful
album where he used his set-up in free improvisation with bassist Peter Kowald, here comes a
session with guitarist Derek Bailey, recorded in a Portuguese studio in July 2001. This
reviewer still has to catch Bailey on a bad day. His playing here is up to his standard, witty,
challenging, open-minded and generous. The fact that he doesn't transcend his own art leaves
room to listen to the lesser known variable in this equation. Bechegas likes to alternate long
slow phrases and short quick ones. Paradoxically, his playing sounds more original when the
flute is up front, when we clearly hear his inflections and breathing effects. Whenever the
electronics take center stage the music becomes somehow more predictable. In" strikes the
perfect balance: Bechegas circumvolutes around Bailey's electric guitar, the computer adding
menacing low-end growls. On" on the other hand, it could be any computer wizz duetting with
the Englishman. The flute has a hard time being accepted in free improv circles -- for reasons
this reviewer doesn't fully understand but probably have to do with its heavy classical"
historical baggage. Bechegas thrives to find new state-of-the-art ways to make it fit in," but in
the end his acoustic playing remains his best argument.

François Couture

T he art of postmodernist improvisation as practiced by the duo composed of the

Englishman Derek Bailey and the Portuguese Carlos Bexegas is the overlapping of
diversely connoted improvised fluxes. It thus offers a dual subjectivism - a bipolar
plot, miscellany, the invention of timbres and sequences dictated by the logic of the absurd,
and replete with colour. By creative instinct and and the definition of spontaneity itself, the
thematic content of their music becomes a singular object. The paraphernalia they use is easy
to describe – Bailey’s guitar and Bexegas’s flute, which is accompanied by a variety of
electronic interventions. Melodies forged in the imagination, out of technical possiblity,
through private artisanal know-how; cultural noise, ostentation; the sounds take on a life of
their own and irradiate the innumerable facets of their execution.

The world of overlapping improvisations is that of the resfacta, an oneiric proposal, an

introduction to the dis-formed. The project of the guitarist is a static one, composed of fixed,
emblematic improvisations that seek out the indellible, the hidden world, and conceive of
action as the shedding of their sovereign style.

The kinetic agitation of the flautist - in which sound-objects are animated through simple
electroacoustic regimes as a definitive means for achieving reverberation, or bricolage - is
technologically discreet. The uninterrupted action, and near indifference, of the two discourses
presupposes the opening and interaction of categories of perception, the analytical
engendering of sound structures, of the signs of noise and shape. Each song presupposes a
staging of sound, the mythification of the artisanal and industrial domains - the kinetic and the
kitsch, the charismatic and the delirous. It’s rhythm is abstract, determined only by obscure
electronic laws or by the volubility of the soloist’s endeavour; energetic isomorphism, an
exercise leading to mental discipline, to a delicate tenderness, as when we hear unknown
sounds, or when our soul is taken up into mantric complexities;private sounds.

The acoustic conception of the duo can be summarized as a kind of self-sufficient music, free
of influence and imitation. The music’s immediacy signifies a radical musical posture and
indicates specific sonoplastic areas of purely aesthetic value. The tactile is a subliminal
seduction in each song, the temptation of mimesis - the melodic textures and the granulous
plurality of their materials hail our sense of touch. The duality of the improvisationalists’
creations consists in the application of technical processes to the original use of materials that
announce the mastery of their rational component and are released in the schizo euphoria of
their divagations; it challenges the artistic spirit to reveal its means of production, or modus
faciendi, in a kind of irony of forms. In the duplicitous art of Bailey and Bechegas, the fact of
their improvisation is less important than the means through which it is achieved.

JORGE LIMA BARRETO (SPA). Lisboa, 18 de Dezembro de 2001

Translation by Jeffrey Childs
2000, Visions : performances from the EMIT series, Isopin labs (US)
(CD) (released in 2002)

Various musicians :

1- Confluence 07.09
Sam Rivers, saxophone
Evan Parker, saxophone
recorded in The Lobby on 16 April 2001
2- Number 3 05.24
Pamela Z, voice, electronics
recorded in the Salvador Dali Museum on 20 September 1998
3- Stars 07.10
Day & Taxi :
Christoph Gallio, alto saxophone
Dominique Girod, bass
Dieter Ulrich, drums
recorded in the Salvador Dali Museum on 17 April 1998
4- Water 08.23
Philip Gelb, shakuhachi
Chris Brown, computer
recorded in the Salvador Dali Museum on 22 January 1999
5- Locution 07.02
Derek Bailey, guitar
Jim Stewart, drums
recorded in the Salvador Dali Museum on 12 March 1999
6- Catorze 03.05
David Manson, computers
recorded in the Fusion Gallery, Iso on 1 December 2000
7- Discovery of Amerika 06.51
Saturnalia :
Matthew Heyner, bass
Daniel Carter, flute
Jonathan LaMaster, violin
Vic Rawlings, cello
recorded in the Salvador Dali Museum on 12 February 1999
8- In the company of blessed beasts 06.51
Davey Williams, guitar
David Manson, trombone, electronics
recorded in Springs Theatre on 1 April 1999
9- Torsion 10.19

Peter Kowald, bass

recorded in the Gulf Coast Museum of Fine Art on 3 March 2000
10- Gdye Damskaya Parikhmakirskaya? 10.19
Amy Denio, electric bass, voice
recorded in the Salvadore Dali Museum on 27 March 1998
11- Uddamsa from bedbugs 06.17
Eugene Chadboure, guitar
with SHIM :
Jay Coble, trumpet
David Pate, saxophone
David Irwin, clarinet
David Manson, trombone
TJ Glowacki, bass
Jim Stewart, drums
recorded in Springs Theatre on 16 January 2000

All recordings made during the EMIT series held in the St. Petersburg-Tampa area of Florida.

Front cover art from an image by Elena Dorfman adapted by Ryan Ivy.

isions is a compilation of selected performances from the EMIT series ofinnovative

V and creative music based in St. Petersburg, Florida. More than half of the CD was
recorded in the Salvador Dali Museum. The music ranges from experimental to
electronic ambient to free jazz. If you are "strong of ear" and enjoy venues like The Knitting
Factory, Tonic, and The Empty Bottle - this is a "must have" recording.

A t the twilight of the twentieth century, an underground "circuit" formed in the United
States that allowed free-style jazz-oriented musicians to travel from city to city,
performing at generally small venues. Some communities, such as those in
Baltimore, Maryland and Buffalo, New York, managed to develop fairly large followings, due
substantially to the work of one or more intensely devoted individuals. This recording collects
tracks recorded from concerts in Tampa Bay - St. Petersburg, Florida, mostly at the Salvador
Dali Museum. The surprisingly vibrant scene in central Florida produced a surfeit of
selections to choose from, making the winnowing process an extremely difficult one. The
tracks that were chosen are a treasure trove of free improvisation.

The opening duo featuring British reed player Evan Parker and longtime Orlando, Florida
resident and world class improviser Sam Rivers is probably the highlight of the compilation,
as these two giants are rarely, if ever, heard performing together. The track delivers
handsomely, with the different styles of the two saxophonists meshing perfectly. Other
highlights include a riveting improvisation featuring British guitarist Derek Bailey and local
percussionist phenom Jim Stewart; a solo acoustic bass exhibition by German bassist Peter
Kowald; a wacky improvised duet between Davey Williams on guitar and talented producer-
trombonist David Manson; and a strong group effort by Eugene Chadbourne and a version of
the Floridian powerhouse group, SHIM.

As an introduction to avant garde jazz or free improvisation, this is one the best on the market.
But discard the labels and listen: There are some remarkably capable performers here who
you may not hear again because their music is so hard to find. They transcend categories, and
offer a real glimpse into a small, yet compelling underground world of solid musicianship."

Steven Loewy, All AboutJ azz

2000, MUCKRAKER #9 MAG + CD, MUCK 09 grd-030

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar, voice

The CD includes exclusive tracks by :

1- Tamio Shiraishi 99/6/26 at S.F

2- Eddy Detroit with the Sun City Girz Shango

3- Reynols Mojer Galvirero Cuermo

4- Damaged Life excerpt from Global Report cassette

5- Diz Willis Teenage Buggery

6- Derek Bailey Introduction/Advertisement

7- Ceramic Hobs Amateur Cops

Featuring interviews with legendary improvisor Derek Bailey (acoustic guitar and voice),
mental-health rockers Ceramic Hobs, laundry room satanist Eddy Detroit, AMM
percussionist Eddie Prevost, Argentenian weirdos Reynols, trombonist Roswell Rudd,
squeaky wheel Tamio Shiraishi, Majora Records boss Nick Shultz, E.S.P.-Disk alum Alan
Sondheim, silence enthusiast Sukora, and family values man Diz Willis, as well as an overview
of Very Good Records (which includes interviews with Metabolismus, Coits, and
Phonophobia).
2000, NIPPLES, Atavistic (US) ATA 205 (CD) (re-issue)

PETER BRÖTZMANN SEXTET:

Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone

Evan Parker : tenor saxophone
Derek Bailey : guitar
Fred Van Hove : piano
Buschi Niegergall : bass
Han Bennink : drums

1- Nipples

Recorded at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg on 18 April 1969.

Produced by Manfred Eicher.

PETER BRÖTZMANN QUARTET :

Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone

Fred Van Hove : piano
Buschi Niegergall : bass
Han Bennink : drums

2- Tell a green man

Recorded at Rhenus Studio, Godorf on 24 April 1969.

Produced by Manfred Eicher.

Cover design by Peter Brötzmann.

S imply put, Nipples is one of the rarest & most influential European energy jazz
recordings of all time. The incendiary Sextet lineup featured an international cast of
musical greats. The Quartet recordings (sans Bailey & Parker) also remain an
intensely creative watershed of conventionally configured jazz lineups 30 years later. Virtually
everything about Nipples is simply the stuff of legend. Beyond the remarkably stunning
lineups, half the recordings were laid down at none other than Conny Plank’s studio; the
balance at Manfred Eicher’s Ludwigsburg facility. Truly a collector’s holy grail & an
absolute must for any jazz fanatic.

L ong awaited re-issue of this historic pre-FMP album by Peter Brotzmann. Known to
many for it's placement on "The List" (T. Moore's Top Ten list of free jazz artifacts as
published in Grand Royal of course), this is one of the most desirable and completely
unseen albums in the genre of modern improvisation. Recorded April 18/24, 1969 and
released on the Calig-Verlag label. "Simply put, Nipples is one of the rarest and most
influential European energy jazz recordings of all time. The incendiary Sextet lineup featured
an international cast of musical greats; leader Brötzmann and bassist Buschi Niebergall
(Germany), tenor saxophonist Evan Parker and guitarist Derek Bailey (UK), and pianist Fred
Van Hove (Belgum). Virtually everything about Nipples is simply the stuff of legend. The
most revered lineup in the history of Euro free jazz got together on only one occasion to
record a genre-defining album in the most creative & hallowed of German studios (Conny
Plank's), and the result has been out of print for 30 years."

P eter Brotzmann Sextet & Quartet's "Nipples," the first track on the recently re-issued
CD of the same name, starts off with a percussive noise and a saxophone in overdrive,
immediately playing all over various the place. Guitar, piano and bass arrive as well,
and soundtracks the musicians blast their way into a sound full of energy and openness.
They sound to me like they're playing together and separately at the same time. In your
ears you can isolate each instrument and in each case you'll hear a musician soloing like
crazy,” playing a dizzying path of spot-on notes. Listen to the whole, however, and you don't
get the mess that you might expect with six musicians each blazing his own path. Instead you
get a new kind of cohesiveness. Everything fits together in an interesting way, without being
planned to fit together, at least not in the conventional way that musical numbers are
plannedout. This track and the other one on Nipples were recorded in April of 1969 and fit in
the category of old music that sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. Or today,
tomorrow or in the next century. It has both the wild energy of the best rock music and the
timelessness of something new. It also has a historical place in free jazz, though that I can't
pretend to be the expert who can deliver all of the details. Free jazz is something fairly new to
my ears, which is one reason it's so amazing how easy Nipples is to listen to. This is intense,
wild music, but to me it doesn't sound as uncomfortably noisy as free jazz potentially could
sound to someone not accustomed to its form. The historical significance of this release, as I
understand it, is that Nipples is the only recording ever made by this particular group of
musicians, including not only saxophonists Brotzmann and Evan Parker, but also guitarist
Derek Bailey, pianist Fred Van Hove, bassist Buschi Niebergall and drummer Han Bennik,
most of whom have carved out their own spectacular places in the history of jazz and avant
garde music. It also was has been out of print for 30 years, and therefore has been a much-
sought-after rarity.

The second track, "Tell a Green ping, awe-inspiring and beautiful.

ipples is one of those landmark releases that been heard about more than heard. In

N 1969, For years this record was extremely hard to find, and if you did find it, you'd
pay a premium price. "Nipples" was Peter Brotzmann's third album which shows
compositional complexity taking precedence over the bone pulverizing intensity of his debut:
Machine Gun. For the title track, Brotzmann assembled a sextet that featured Englishmen
Evan Parker on sax and Derek Bailey on guitar along with Han Bennink on drums, Fred Van
Hove on piano and Buschi Niebergal on bass. It's fascinating to listen to "Nipples," knowing
what each of these players would go on to do. The range of dynamics in this 17 minute piece
is astounding. The group works through an array of textures from howling sax barrages, to
splintery electric guitar figures to pianistic plate tectonics. It's almost a preview of the next
thirty years of free improvised music.

Bob Pomeroy, INK 19

Posted: 8/10/00; 11:06:31 PM
Topic: Hearing the Unheard Music

T ime has a way of softening the sound of chaos. Ornette Coleman’s double-quartet
freakout Free Jazz may have sounded like God’s own thunder in 1960; now it sounds
like a relatively mortal blueprint for the stylistic moves to come. Ditto with the
Stooges’ Fun House, Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica and any number of other
headsplitting milestones. Recorded in 1969, Peter Brötzmann’s Nipples is a none-too-quiet
exception. One of the pioneering avant-garde reedist’s early recordings, the two pieces on
Nipples (running 17:54 and 15:32 apiece) still sound fierce, out of control, mad, bad and
dangerous to know. "Nipples" is the Sextet piece, and features Brötzmann’s staunchly
abrasive tenor sax in good company with Evan Parker’s own tenor, Derek Bailey’s atonal
guitar and the rhythm section of Fred Van Hove (piano), Buschi Niebergal (bass) and Han
Bennik (drums) all bashing away in vertiginous circles that leave the listener very few
footholds of comfort. If "Tell a Green Man" sounds slightly more tame, it’s just a numbers
game: With only Brötzmann and the rhythm trio snarling at each other, they rise out of the
piece’s sedate intro to make just as much noise with a bit less volume. For anyone who
believes that musicians have only recently begun to really make noise, Atavistic’s Unheard
Music Series re-issue of Nipples is a roaring reminder that some things do not mellow over
time.

Brian Glaser, July 13–20, 2000

 tavistic's new Unheard Music Series lets you access the heretofore inaccessible.

A Hand chosen by writer, producer and musician John Corbett, the series scours the
earth in an ongoing treasure-hunt for rarities from the realms of action jazz, creative
music and free improvisation, specializing in lost music of the '60s and '70s, but leaving room
for particularly outstanding items that fall outside those stylistic and temporal waters.

Drawing from radio archives, private tapes, collections of rare vinyl, and all sorts of unreleased
sessions, often working hand-in-hand with the artists themselves, the series with its focus on
filling gaps in the historical record and illuminating otherwise dark corners of the musical
continuum. Unheard Music Series reissues will come equipped with original covers and new
notes contextualizing the music, and first-release packages will include rare photos, historical
info and, where possible, comments from the musicians themselves. The Series is also
collaborating with legendary Chicago tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson to gather together a
number of specially selected recordings, chosen by Anderson himself from his personal
collection of unreleased tapes; these, along with some European radio broadcast recordings
discovered earlier this summer, will constitute one area of close concern for Unheard Music.
This line will bring to light various less well-documented periods of Anderson's work before
the 1990s, at which time Okka Disk began doing its tremendous job keeping abreast of the
saxophonist's current activities.

The Unheard Series' first four released on MAY 9, 2000, including titles from: Joe McPhee,
"Nation Time", Mount Everest Trio, "Waves From Albert Ayler", Fred Anderson Quartet,
"The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1", and the most important documentation of Peter Brotzmann:
Peter Brotzmann Sextet/Quartet, "Nipples".

Simply put, Nipples is one of the rarest & most influential European energy jazz recordings
of all time. The incendiary Sextet lineup featured an international cast of musical greats: leader
Brotzmann & bassist Buschi Niebergall (Germany); tenor saxophonist Evan Parker &
guitarist Derek Bailey (U.K.); drummer Han Bennink (Netherlands); and pianist Fred Van
Hove (Belgium). The Quartet recordings (sans Bailey & Parker) also remain an intensely
creative watershed of conventionally configured jazz lineups 30 years later & resurfaced on
several quintessential releases on FMP production. Virtually everything about Nipples is
simply the stuff of legend. Beyond the remarkably stunning lineups, half the recordings were
laid down at none other than Conny Plank's studio- the premiere launching site for the
greatest Krautrock recordings of all time; the balance at Manfred Eicher's Ludwigsburg
facility- arguably the cradle of the ECM Records sound. Truly a collector's holy grail & an
absolute must for any jazz fanatic; news by Vincent (TM).

O ne of the great, lost Euroimprov records, NIPPLES could rightly be described as a

supersession. Recorded in 1969, less than a year after German saxophonist
Brötzmann's seminal call to free jazz arms, MACHINE GUN, it has been out of
print for almost the same amount of time. Not only does the title track feature five of the
MACHINE GUNners, but it adds guitarist Bailey, who with saxophonist Parker would very
soon turn away from this extroverted style to concentrate on the distinctive British "scratch
and pick" style.

NIPPLES' unavailability put the same hole in the European creative music discography that
would have happened with rock if The Rolling Stones Now! had quickly gone out of print.
Not only would listeners have been deprived of a glimpse of the Stones with such disparate
folks as Gene Pitney and Phil Spector, but some of the band's best early blues playing would
have been lost. In the Euroimprov firmament, each of the men here has proved to be as
important to that music more than three decades later as the Stones were to rock. Flemish
nationalist Van Hove, has continued to refine his piano style; Bennink, from Holland, is still
as bombastic as ever and has propelled many a free jazz blow out, as well as several large
orchestras; Bailey is the crotchety grand old man of improv; Parker, a master of circular
breathing, is arguably one of the most influential sax stylists in the world; and Brötzmann's
lung-shredding tone is still on view anywhere from Germany to Germantown.
Unfortunately, though, German bassist Niebergal, died a few years ago).

Probably the most unexpected part of the title track is how much both saxophonists sound
like one another (sort of realizing that it was Brian Jones not Keith Richards who played
lead guitar on an early Stones track). At that point, Parker seemed able to match Brötzmann
power shriek for power shriek, intertwining sounds as if they were two snakes. The one
extended, unaccompanied stop-time solo must be Brötz, however. Overall, the effect is
exhilarating.

Noteworthy too is Bailey's work, since he's as upfront here with literal electric lines, as he
would be in the background for most of his subsequent improv projects.

On the other hand, "Green Man", the quartet track, is quieter and more rhythm section and
rhythmically-oriented. At least until the saxophonist gets warmed up. Then it's strictly a
Teutonic eruption, with Brötz exploring the range of his horn through several themes
including one that echoes Albert Ayler's "Ghosts". His work forces Van Hove -- the second
soloist -- to play more assertively than he does in 2000, while nothing has ever prevented
Bennink from adding obstreperous percussion colors to any proceeding.

If there's a drawback to this CD, it's that it's less than 34 minute long. But if your interest is
well recorded, quality music rather than quantity of sound you can't go far wrong with this
session.

Ken Waxman, June 17, 2000

2000, CHAPTER ONE 1970-1972, Emanem 3CD 4301. (re-issue)

Iskra 1903 :
Derek Bailey : electric guitar
Barry Guy : double bass with amplification
Paul Rutherford : trombone, piano

Disc A:

1- Improvisation 1 21:03
2- Improvisation 2 05:37
3- Improvisation 3 11:36
4- Improvisation 4 05:04
5- Improvisation 0 25:20

Disc B:

1- Offcut 1 01:40
2- Offcut 2 04:25
3- Offcut 3 11:17
4- Improvisation 5 05:54
5- Improvisation 6 10:48
6- Improvisation 7 04:29
7- Improvisation 8 06:21
8- Improvisation 9 03:39
9- Improvisation 10 03:09
10- Improvisation 11 07:34
Disc C:

1- Extra 1 07:47
2- Extra 2 11:31
3- Extra 3 06:42
4- On tour 1 13:37
5- On tour 3 12:44
6- On tour 2 12:34

All analogue recordings made in London (except C4-C6): A1-B3: 1970 September 2 - by
Hugh Davies; B4-B10: 1972 May 3 - by Bob Woolford; C1-C3: 1971 - by Ben
Christianson; C4: 1972 October 21 - at Donaueshingen; C5: 1972 November 1 - at Berlin;
C6: 1972 October 23 or 24 - at Bremen.

A1-A4, B4-B10 originally issued in 1972 as Incus double LP 3/4. A5-B3, C1-C6 previously
unissued.

Re-issue of this historic trio's early works, includes the contents of the infamous Incus 3-4
double LP from 1972, plus unreleased tracks from the same and other concert & studio
sessions. "Classic performances by the innovative trio of Paul Rutherford (trombone &
piano), Derek Bailey (guitar) & Barry Guy (double bass). 194 minutes."

Front cover is an extract from the original Incus cover by Nigel Rollings.

utherford, Bailey and Guy are one of Britain's earliest free improvisation triumvirates.

R Martin Davidson's new compendium of the group's early work on his own Emanem
imprint offers a lavish repast of some of their most seminal and sought-after
recordings for Bailey's own Incus label. Bailey has rarely been one to codify his style, but his
playing on these three discs gives a commendable aural schematic of the iconographic
elements of his approach. The complimentary tactics of Rutherford and Guy are painted in
similar relief and the three regularly come together in a synergetic communion that is
breathtaking. Collectively their locutions are rarely jingoistic, usually favoring quiet tension
and murmur over conspicuous exclamation. There are sporadic points as on "Improvisation 7"
where Rutherford works like a brass rhinoceros plowing deep splenetic furrows with his horn
and Bailey's volume pedal summons waves of vociferous static, but largely the emphasis
remains on subtle ambiguity under the guise of abstraction.

Disc one and the "Offcut" series included at the beginning of disc two represent in near
entirety the music recorded at one of the trio's earliest concerts. Subsequent material is
gathered from three studio sessions and performances compiled from ternion of German
dates from a '72 tour. For a group devoid of a conventional drum presence the three players
attest decidedly percussive methods on their instruments. The cantankerous "Improvisation 9"
serves as an excellent example. Over its brief but exuberant course Bailey's arachnoid plucks
and scrapes skip across the acidic string harmonics of Guy whilst Rutherford offers eructative
commentary by way of blurting metallic blasts.

Electric amplification remains a regular brush applied to the sonic easels of both Bailey and
Guy. Even on these early sessions both players make substantial use of volume effects
reveling in the consequent swells and surges of sound. Surprisingly, during several of these
pieces Rutherford also gets in on the act channeling his trombone through an amplifier and
coming up with an exciting range of timbral effects that augment his already startling
repertoire. His piano playing is a different beast altogether - full of tinkling fragmentary
clusters and frequent forays into the innards of the instrument. In deference to his trombone
mastery his command of the keys is a pale comparison; but his infrequent turns at the piano
do deliver a thought-provoking variant on the instrumentation.

In his informative liners which accompany a facsimile of Rutherford's orginal notes Davidson
makes apologetic reference to the sound clarity of portions of the material, some of which was
gleaned directly from vinyl sources in the absence of tape masters. These minor blemishes
should not dissuade anyone from vaulting ears first into this generous feast of free
improvisation concocted by three legendary figures of the idiom. The title of the set hints at
the possibility of more to come. Hopefully if these successive 'chapters' do exist, they will be
published shortly, offering even further ingress into this trio's enduring legacy.

Derek Taylor, march 2000

es, in the past Emanem brought us a CD by this superb trio, but here we get three

Y (!!!) CDs. The only negative thing to say is the sound quality. Most of these
recordings were made live (sometimes audience recordings) and some parts are
copied from the old Incus vinyl records. But hey, it is on CD right now, so forget about the
sound quality. As a big Bailey fan (but hey, aren't we all?) I really dig this album: it has a very
laid back, calm feel and so is Derek Bailey. Not aggressive, harsh bursts of noise, but very
subtle playing, almost melodic. Perhaps strange to hear a trombone in this context, but hey, it
works, so why complain? Conclusion: A very fine record indeed, if you like Derek Bailey, but
don't like his harsh playing, I say, go for this one. This album can even be recommended for
starters.

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

P aul Rutherford formed Iskra 1903 in 1970 with Derek Bailey and Barry Guy. All
three musicians had worked together in larger groups, starting off with the 1966/7
edition of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble that can be heard on WITHDRAWAL
(Emanem 4020). However, they had a strong desire to work as a percussionless trio. It's not
that they were or are anti-percussion - each of them have subsequently worked in various
settings with numerous percussionists - it’s just that they felt a need for this sort of
instrumentation.
The 1970 ICA concert was one of their earliest performances as a trio. Neither the group nor
its members had quite acquired all the distinctive characteristics that were reached in
subsequent years. However, one could hardly say that this mostly laidback and sublime music
was immature. One unique aspect was Rutherford's extensive use of piano, something he was
experimenting with at the time - he even did some solo gigs as a pianist.

It was originally intended to issue music from this concert on an LP on the Turtle label.
Improvisation 1 and (the recently named) Improvisation 0 were selected for that release.
Unfortunately, Turtle stopped production before this LP came about, so nothing appeared
until late 1972, when Improvisations 1-4 appeared as half of an Incus double LP. Additional
material from this concert recently turned up on a tape labelled "ICA Offcuts". After all these
years it is not possible to ascertain exactly where these extracts were cut off from - they can
just be listened to as three bonuses in their own right at the start of the second CD.
The first edition of Iskra 1903 arguably reached its peak two years later. In addition to all the
evidence on this CD set, there is a fine 1972 concert that is coming out on Organ of Corti. The
fully fledged 1972 studio session heard here was recorded to make up the other half of the
double Incus LP.

Unfortunately, it has not been possible to locate the tapes for Improvisations 2-11, so these
pieces had to be taken off the Incus LPs. In spite of using some noise reduction, the inherent
limitations of vinyl are noticeable. However, this music is too good and too important not to be
available again.

The accurate dating of the sessions on this CD set is due to Guy's meticulous diary keeping.
Unfortunately, the ink in his 1971 diary has faded, so other methods had to be used to
pinpoint the date of the previously unissued Extra studio session that starts the third CD. This
recording is unusual in that all three musicians can be heard both acoustically and amplified.
As usual, the two string players used volume control pedals to alternate between the two
modes. Uniquely on this occasion, the trombone was alternately played into two mikes, one of
which went directly to the mixing desk, the other which went to an amplifier and speaker
which was in turn recorded using another mike. There is acoustic/amplified separation for all
the instruments in the resultant stereo picture.

The final three pieces come from late 1972 when the Musicians’ Co-operative was On Tour in
Germany. As well as the LJCO, several small groups performed at each concert, so each was
allocated about a quarter of an hour. The surviving recordings are not in pristine condition,
but, as before, the excellence of the lively music overcomes that.

This first version of Iskra 1903 lasted about four years, during which time they were rightly
considered to be one of the very finest groups around. It was, perhaps, the last long-term
fixed-personnel group that Bailey worked in. When Rutherford reformed Iskra 1903 in about
1977, it was with Philipp Wachsmann and Barry Guy - a trio that performed sporadically for
about 15 years (hear their eponymous CD on Maya 9502). In recent years, Rutherford has
formed a very different percussionless quartet called RoTToR (hear THE FIRST FULL
TURN on Emanem 4026).

Martin Davidson, 2000

Excerpts from reviews :

It 's hard to convey just how radical free improvisation seemed in the early 1970s. This
music was genuinely shocking. When I first encountered albums such as
Bailey/Bennink/Parker's THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LUNGS and
Parker/Lytton's COLLECTIVE CALLS (URBAN) TWO MICROPHONES, I found them
incomprehensible. An adventurous rock music diet of Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, and
the Mothers of Invention hadn't prepared me for anything like this. Nor had BITCHES
BREW. Seeing Iskra 1903 in concert helped a bit; then I could at least relate certain sounds to
certain instruments. But the musical rationale defeated me utterly. Compared to this stuff,
Stockhausen seemed less like an iconoclast and more like Mozart. Mozart sounded like
Liberace. Liberace sounded just like he looked - all spangles and pomade and toothy
irrelevance. Music in general seemed tame, prissy. The members of Iskra 1903 weren't just
musicians, they were revolutionaries (the group's name was that of a newspaper edited by
Lenin), they were tampering with the sonic matter of the universe and at any moment it could
explode in their faces.
Or so it seemed. Revisiting Iskra has proved to be both a joyous and unsettling experience.
How could I have so badly misunderstood what was going on? Where once I heard noise with
the potential to flatten cities, now I hear shards of Webernian melody, albeit rarefied, and the
barest hint of pulse. Another thing that doesn't tally with my recollection is how hushed much
of the music is. The lengthy Improvisation 0 is one of the most spacious musics I've heard to
this day. Bailey remains quiet for considerable periods of time, or strokes the guitar strings
with his fingers, making much of the smallest of non-legitimate sounds, while Rutherford (on
piano, playing very interestingly) and Guy work on a scattered handful of notes, an arco
drone, a splintered chord. Things occasionally get heated, it's true, but the overall impression is
of concentration and a weird kind of calm, and of how sensitively the musicians edge the
music forward. There's a degree of pussyfooting, but nothing prissy.

This valuable re-issue contains all of the material that was on the Incus double album (lifted
directly from the grooves because the tapes have gone missing, but sound quality is
surprisingly good), plus improvisations recorded in the studio and at various concerts in
England and Germany.

When Iskra played Donaueschingen, Bremen and Berlin in 1972, German improvisers, who
were in the main more jazz-oriented, dubbed the group's percussionless, edgily restrained,
highly textured music 'the English sickness'. Charming. But this 'sickness' became a
pandemic; within a few years it had spread world-wide and infected all manner of musicians.
You can discern the Iskra influence (that of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, too, for that
matter) in the work of 'new silence' UK-based improvisers such as Mark Wastell and Rhodri
Davies, in European groups such as Polwechsel, and in the music made by members of the
laptop brigade just about everywhere. They're the prism through which we are obliged to view
Iskra, whether we like it or not, for the simple reason that Paul Rutherford's presence on the
scene is marginal, alas, and during the intervening decades Bailey and Guy have refined their
musical language to a considerable degree. Guy, in particular, is now a much busier, more
percussive player, concerned less with sequential moments in time than energy and flow. This
confers on CHAPTER ONE the status of an historic document. But it's not a dry and dusty
museum piece, far from it.

Brian Marley, Avant 2000

A three-disc monster collecting the first two Incus LPs by the improvising collective
Iskra 1903 along with several unissued performances (some of it of dubious sound
quality). But don't let the rather workmanlike titles (or my comments about sound
quality) deter you from investigating this magnificent release posthaste.

The amazing thing is how amazing it all sounds nearly 30 years on, not just fresh but
genuinely head turning in places. As is immediately evident in the opening improvisation from
1970, each musician was in possession of a completely commanding instrumental voice even
at this relatively early point in his respective career. Bailey and Guy in particular play with
jaw-dropping intensity throughout this very long creation, from swooping non-tonal noise to
the most delicate water drops of tonality. And on this initial track, we hear a lot of Rutherford's
piano as well as his superb trombone work. However, Iskra's is primarily a group language,
often resulting in a collective sound closer to a Morton Feldman realisation than to anything in
the Jazz tradition.

It's difficult music to absorb, even for those familiar with these players and this music. On the
one hand, there are moments of immediacy and accessibility - such as the sparse chiming and
moaning of Improvisation 8 or the delicate piano of Improvisation 0. But the exchange of
ideas is so rapid, and frequently so dense, that processing it makes multiple listens. Despite
this, though, there is a directness of communication that is palpable in this group, an almost
loving attention to spontaneous sound itself. Hear it in the lyrical work of Bailey's volume
pedal, soaring with Guy's often effusive arco. Hear it in Rutherford's vocalisms on trombone,
at times mimicking Bailey's feedback pitches and at other times growling and slurring his way
through the proceedings. Up and down the dynamic range they travel, from the super silent
Improvisation 6 to the often violent, slashing gestures of Extra 2.

In both concentrated miniatures and perambulatory 20-minute pieces, Iskra's focus never
wavers. There are times on disc 3 that sound quality becomes an obstacle to listener
appreciation, but the importance of the recordings and the quality of the music supercede such
concerns. If it's true that European improvisers helped to establish a language, or a series of
idioms, outside of the Ayler / late Trane discourse, then this release is an opportunity to hear
that language in one of its first mature statements or expressions where it displays not only
eloquence but poetry.

Jason Bivins, Cadence 2000

hat's immediately striking about the September 1970 recordings is the very self-

W effacing and unassuming nature of the music. The playing is so determinedly slow
and cautious and the sublimation to collective will so thorough that - given the level
of instrumental sophistication and strong sense of identity now associated with each player - it
at times sounds almost naive. It's all the more surprising given the company the participants
had been keeping in the preceding years: all three had played in the SME, but both Bailey and
Rutherford had played with Oxley and Brotzmann, and Rutherford with Schlippenbach as
well. The dynamic could be mistaken for sounding nascent, as though the trio are feeling each
other out. They unhurriedly weave careful, subtly overlapping conversations out of Bailey's
electric tinkles and chimes, Rutherford's muffled trombone squawks and piano trills, and
Guy's doodles and scratches, which he intersperses with some quite lovely bowing, from time
to time (in combination with Rutherford's piano) subtly diverting the music into passages of
lilting undertow. They patiently push the improvisations forward, each of the three displaying
quite remarkable sensitivity and restraint.

Over the course of the first disc and the second disc's first three tracks (the sum total of the
1970 material) they gradually expand their palette, experimenting with edgier, more fractious
playing. By May 1972, when the second half of the Incus 2LP was recorded, this side had
come more fully to the fore, in the form of spikily chattering, burbling trio hubbubs - more in
line with the then-emergent strain of playing which we now recognise as Incus improv -
comprehensively subsumed into the overall fabric of the music. It is tempting to speculate as
to what might have induced this progression, natural though it must have seemed at the time.
Initially it sounds as though Bailey, the shift in whose playing - from sedate electric to clipped,
brittle acoustic, encompassing signature ching-plink scratching flurries (all unnecessary edges
dispassionately trimmed) - is the most immediately audible, forcing the issue, pulling Guy
with him, and isolating Rutherford somewhat. But by the end of the disc, however, the group
reveal themselves as an equally-voiced entity, all three participating democratically in some
commendably flexible and increasingly extroverted interplay.

The third disc compiles unreleased live recordings: a London gig which occurred at some
point in 1971, and material from three shows on what would appear to have been an
October/November '72 German tour; one shudders to think what the hirsutely masculine FMP
crowd made of such elusively centre-less music. The London recording shows them having
noticeably moved on from the first side of the Incus 2LP, the three cannily and incrementally
accreting jagged shards of sound into ever more complex mazes of sharp, quick-witted
interplay; and by the time of the German gigs - whose sound quality really isn't the best,
though the essentials are audible - the transformation is complete. The trio summon forth
scabrous, scalding pile-ups, astutely angling sparks off each other and refracting and
deflecting sounds in passages of bustling interchange which positively crackle with mordant
wit. As though to purposefully confound, the last track is in context relatively sedate, and in
parts strongly hints at the group's initial style, allowing the set to conclude with a neat memory
loop. CHAPTER ONE provides as much documentation of this phase of this group's
existence as anyone could hope for, or require, in the process laying bare the roots and
development of a significant strand of a form of improvisational playing whose influence
would be felt on a global scale for years to come.

Nick Cain, Opprobrium 2001

o drums meant several things, but mostly it provided a singularly uncluttered

N soundstage for three melodic instruments to work on. With the added idiosyncrasy
of the horn player often playing very low, the bassist often playing very high, and the
guitarist sounding like nobody else who had ever played the guitar. I have returned to the
original LPs from time to time and on each occasion, just as when I now hear them on their
CD debut, I'm gripped by the music - often so quiet, spacey, wheedling in its spare intensity.
They could sustain this sort of thing for amazingly long periods: the new Improvisation 0
goes for over 25 minutes, and although it gets a bit heated half-way through, it's not tropical
heat. The third disc has music which, in comparison, often teems with activity, and has a
purposeful step, as if they were by then resolute about how to get where they were going -
even on the three 1971 tracks, which effectively are the meat in the sandwich of the two vinyl
LPs. The three German excerpts continue the progress: On Tour 3 comes as close as Iskra
1903 ever did to some kind of aural violence. Three-and-a-quarter hours of memorable
freedoms.

Richard Cook, Jazz Review 2000

HAPTER ONE is another historically important Emanem from the early years of

C British improv, comprising music previously available on the Incus label plus 107
minutes of previously unissued material.

Disc one showcases the trio's earlier pieces, which mark them out as an improvising unit of
considerable sensitivity, prepared to investigate the most delicate of timbral nuances with
patience and restraint. This type of approach was dubbed 'the English sickness' by German
improvisers, who were still immersed in the fast and furious, high energy playing of Ayler and
late-period Coltrane in 1970. Listening to the 25 minute previously unreleased Improvisation
0, undoubtedly the highlight of this first disc, one realises the extent to which Iskra 1903 had
moved improvisation on to a pulseless, non-idiomatic soundworld closer to Webern - but with
extra textual pitchless inventiveness - than the thematic US free jazz of the 60s. Bailey's dry,
brittle pluckings and rubbings (arguably the most texturally resourceful of the trio at this
stage) are memorably balanced by Rutherford's trebly tinklings on piano (he'd put down the
piano for this one) and Guy's arco whispers.

Disc two features the other half of the Incus double LP, recorded in 1972. The superb
Improvisation 5 reveals a more textually adventurous trio; Guy's playing showing signs of the
hard-edged, percussive voicings of his mature style. Rutherford pushes the trombone that bit
further on Improvisation 10 and Improvisation 11, unravelling delightful Rococo phrases and
squeezed out polyphonic effects. Finally, disc three is all previously unreleased music from
London (1971) and Germany (1972). Extra 1 (London) atmospherically uses amplification to
explore sinister droneplay, while the German pieces show the trio at perhaps their most
cohesive, moving from knotty turbulence to almost 'lyrical' calm at lightning speed. The
quality of the trio's interactive listening on all three discs is exemplary.

Chris Blackford, The Wire 2000

T his purely improvised music possesses both an absolute relationship with the time of
its making and an electric presence that is the antithesis of distance. Iskra 1903 is
distinguished by both an absence of percussion and by an unusual use of
amplification. The longest piece here, the previously unissued Improvisation 0, has Rutherford
playing piano, and the results occasionally suggest the timeless overlapping, the lovely
passivity, of the music of Morton Feldman. Even noting the absence of percussion may be
misleading because Bailey and Guy use the absence of drums to play in extremely percussive
ways, from insistent guitar picking and string scraping to drumming with the bow on the bass
strings. Both Bailey and Guy were using volume pedals to shape attacks while miking both
instruments and amplifiers to create a kind of stereophonic musical thinking. It's also reverse
thinking; the volume pedal creating the impression that music is being played backwards. This
complex of hot and cold, immediacy and distance, reaches its height in an unissued studio
session (Extra 1-3) in which Rutherford has taken the same step of amplifying his trombone,
further heightening the sense that voices are submerged in his trombone. That special and
temporal thinking is crucial to the nature of this group, in which notions of 'response' and
'form' are submerged in a constant stream of musical events, and in which 'responsibility' for
any event is distributed throughout the group. So close is the feeling of shared creation that a
single player will sometimes seem to have moved from one instrument to another. What is
most impressive at this temporal remove is the absence of any sense of a responsorial
vocabulary, a set of readily available positions assumed by any of the musicians. This is
improvised music of the highest order, not three musicians seeking an idiom, but rather three
musicians who have already learned to live without one, creating consistently fresh musical
discourse in the process.

Stuart Broomer, Signal To Noise, 2000

skra 1903, named after a newspaper founded by Lenin, has had several incarnations. This

I one, as befits a disc entitled CHAPTER ONE, was the first: Paul Rutherford (trombone
and piano), Derek Bailey (guitar), and Barry Guy (double bass). The first revelation is
that Rutherford plays piano, and that he's a worthwhile improviser on that instrument. The
second is that this music, for all its uncompromisingly unpremeditated and atonal character,
contains a great deal that beguiles and fascinates.

The first disc, containing the 1970 concert, features Rutherford on piano on three tracks only.
He is a spacey, searching pianist - in his laconic use of space, he's rather like a Herbie
Hancock of free playing. Perhaps because of the nature of the instrument, the piano tends to
anchor the music and suggest, at times rather insistently, tonalities that Bailey nonetheless
effortlessly avoids - especially in moments on the lengthy Improvisation 1. When Rutherford
switches to trombone, which he plays for the bulk of discs one and two and for all of disc
three, he coils lines around Bailey's, sometimes accenting and extending, sometimes cutting
off. Guy is his usual percussive self. There is, of course, no narrative flow as such to this
music; rather, it progresses by the creation of evanescent soundscapes that vanish almost as
quickly as they appear. Many are fascinating, especially on disc two, which is the one to which
I found myself returning most often (although this is an utterly subjective impression, of
course!). But to isolate them is to try to catch a snowflake and frame it.
So it is with all of Derek Bailey's music - as well as that of the other two. Certainly Rutherford
brings a certain dash to these sessions, whereas some of the guitarist's other partners let
matters slip into the cagiest of murmurings. Thus these three discs may be good entry points
for those who want to hear what Derek Bailey can do as an improviser, and how he interacts
with other masterful free musicians. In any case, this is a superabundance of gripping music
that amply rewards close listening.

Robert Spencer, All About Jazz, 2000

utherford, Bailey and Guy are one of Britain's earliest free improvisation triumvirates.

R Martin Davidson's new compendium of the group's early work on his own Emanem
imprint offers a lavish repast of some of their most seminal and sought-after
recordings for Bailey's own Incus label. Bailey has rarely been one to codify his style, but his
playing on these three discs gives a commendable aural schematic of the iconographic
elements of his approach. The complimentary tactics of Rutherford and Guy are painted in
similar relief and the three regularly come together in a synergetic communion that is
breathtaking. Collectively their locutions are rarely jingoistic, usually favoring quiet tension
and murmur over conspicuous exclamation. There are sporadic points as on Improvisation 7
where Rutherford works like a brass rhinoceros plowing deep splenetic furrows with his horn
and Bailey's volume pedal summons waves of vociferous static, but largely the emphasis
remains on subtle ambiguity under the guise of abstraction.

For a group devoid of a conventional drum presence the three players attest decidedly
percussive methods on their instruments. The cantankerous Improvisation 9 serves as an
excellent example. Over its brief but exuberant course Bailey's arachnoid plucks and scrapes
skip across the acidic string harmonics of Guy whilst Rutherford offers eructative
commentary by way of blurting metallic blasts.

Electric amplification remains a regular brush applied to the sonic easels of both Bailey and
Guy. Even on these early sessions both players make substantial use of volume effects
reveling in the consequent swells and surges of sound. Surprisingly, during some of these
pieces Rutherford also gets in on the act channeling his trombone through an amplifier and
coming up with an exciting range of timbral effects that augment his already startling
repertoire. His piano playing is a different beast altogether - full of tinkling fragmentary
clusters and frequent forays into the innards of the instrument. In deference to his trombone
mastery his command of the keys is a pale comparison; but his infrequent turns at the piano
do deliver a thought-provoking variant on the instrumentation. In his informative liners which
accompany a facsimile of Rutherford's orginal notes Davidson makes apologetic reference to
the sound clarity of portions of the material, some of which was gleaned directly from vinyl
sources in the absence of tape masters. These minor blemishes should not dissuade anyone
from vaulting ears first into this generous feast of free improvisation concocted by three
legendary figures of the idiom.

Derek Taylor, One Final Note, 2000

T he participants had a strong familiarity with each other's playing at the time, having
worked together as early as 1967 in an incarnation of the Spontaneous Music
Ensemble. So, doubtless, while they knew that the were joining to explore the open
parameters of totally improvised music, they also had a conceptual awareness and firsthand
experience of each other's instrumental capacities and sympathetic (or contrarian) tendencies.
What these recordings reveal is a group that operated at a thoroughly equitable, highly
intuitive, and fascinating detailed level of improvisation. The manner in which they did so may
not have been unique, yet was clearly defined and shaped by the particular characteristics of
the individual musicians, and in this way their music became a powerful illustration of
democratic (some might say blissfully anarchic) principals coalescing into a condition of
mutual affirmation and transformation. The whole in this case is truly the sum of its parts.
The music is deceptively easy to generalise, but hard to describe. From the beginning the trio's
approach was set and seldom if ever varied - three separate points of reference which
interacted in a complex network of associations, most recognisable in episodes of cohesion
(blending sounds), juxtaposition (contrasting elements), or stratification (layered effects). In
other words, there was only occasionally a conscious effort to combine in a shared format
strategy or work towards a common goal; each musician was responsible for his own
contribution within an open, abstract environment. This meant that their interaction was less
conversational than self-referentially spatial, as if creating a four-dimensional kinetic sculpture
that continually reshaped itself according to their self-generating, ever-changing details,
tensions, and intensities.

Likewise, since so much of the music was texturally oriented - all three of the instruments
could and would provoke percussive attacks at any point, and with the fascinating wide range
of Bailey's guitar effects, from various colours and densities of feedback to razor-sharp
pointillist pin-pricks and clattering chunks of craggy note clusters, especially prominent -
there was an almost overwhelming tactile sense of wires, metal and wood throughout the
musical process.
This process developed a clear-cut example of what Karlheinz Stockhausen called in his own
music 'moment form', whereby the overall design is not dependent upon any recognisable or
interrelated structural system, but identifies itself through its own unique characteristics from
moment to moment. Form is thus flexible, but still concrete, and capable of acting less as a
determining factor of rigid logic and more as an agent of individual perception, allowing us to
experience the simultaneity of sensations and multiplicity of possible responses which the
music suggest. This is reinforced by the fact that the trio ignored conventional hierarchies of
pitch (in essence rejecting traditional relationships of harmony and any consequential melodic
contour, though Rutherford's trombone occasionally offered extended melodic content) in
favour of a freely articulated fabric of alternately focused and random pitches in a
spontaneous state of becoming. It's impossible to separate the various components of this
fabric of sound; the selection or avoidance of pitch were equally the result of instinctive
instrumental gestures as were the distinct clashing rhythmic motifs and timbral/textural feel.
And, similarly, no matter how coincidental much of the music may appear, the trio's familiarity
as a 'working band' did lead to certain choices or even strategies (albeit non-systematic ones)
that solidified the music as product of an ensemble and not merely a fascinating accident of
Cagean non-intention.

There was, for example, an audible attention paid to their carefully crafted dynamics which,
along with the music's sometimes extravagant textural traits, often gave a piece its distinctive
character. As the music was created in a free-floating rubato (that is, an avoidance of strict time
or consistent rhythmic emphasis), spontaneous events were sculpted to evoke various states of
lyricism or drama. (For example, notice the differences in attitude and gesture between the
almost hostile environment of Extra 2, the forceful exchanges and charming surprises in
Offcut 1, the swashbuckling theatrics of On Tour 1, and the sparsely phrased chiaroscuro of
Improvisation 1.) Primarily, the shorter pieces compressed contrasting elements into greater
relief; the longer performances fluctuated between episodes of congested aggressive energy,
sustained drones which swell and recede, and small scale nuances. With such a structural
reliance on the intuitive and variable conditions of improvisation, the music (or rather, our
perception of it) is affected by the quality of the recording too. Details this intricate must be
heard; balances determine the weight and density of key events. Notice how Barry Guy's
presence seems to increase from session to session, in part due to his expanding technical
resources and in part because of improvements in capturing his bass sound on tape. But the
sound quality, while variable - even the severely compressed frequencies of On Tour 2 - is
adequate to convey a large part of the trio's enormous timbral and textural complexities.

This is a band that sustained a concentrated creative intensity at levels of low volume and
sparse detail that few improvising ensemble have ever matched. Even after three decades, Iskra
1903's music is a rare and rewarding soundscape of friction and flow.

Art Lange, Coda, 2000

2000, DOMESTIC & PUBLIC PIECES, Emanem 4001 (UK)
(CD) (Issued on LP in 1976 and re-issued in 1995( ?) on CD)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and prepared guitars, amplified guitar, talk, etc
.

EIGHT DOMESTIC PIECES :

1- Kew 02.50
2- Unity Theatre 02.57
3- Roots 02.13
4- Queue 07.13
5- Cue 04.36
6- Virginal 05.59
7- Praxis 01.43
8- The Lost Chord 01.43
Recorded in Islington home by D.B., January 1976.

EIGHT PUBLIC PIECES :

9- First 02.29
10- Second 08.45
11- Third 06.12
12- Fourth 01.28
13- Fifth 02.34
14- Sixth 02.22
15- Seventh 02.20
16- Eighth 02.27

Recorded by Martin Davidson at ICA Cinema, London, 22 May 1975.

ANOTHER DOMESTIC PIECE :
17- Happy birthday to you 05.31

Text by Simone de Beauvoir.

Recorded at Islington home by D.B., March 1977.

First, Second, Third, Fourth, Seventh, Kew, Unity Theatre, Roots, Queue, and Cue previously
released as Quark 9999 in US. Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Happy birthday to you previously
released on Emanem Australian LP 3404, In whose tradition?; Virginal, Praxis and The Lost
Chord previously released on Caroline C1518, Guitar solos.

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

I use the guitar normally. It's tuned normally. I work on, sort of, certain pitch
relationships, when I use pitch. I work from a practical point of view. That is, the music
to be acceptable as far as I'm concerned, has to work in my terms. That is it has to sound
right. I don't have any sort of huge abstract theories into which I try and make the music fit
regardless of this other aspect of playing - if it sounds good when you're performing, then
that's the main thing. It's got to be immediate - that type of thing. That I think is a very
conventional way of approaching music for a performer.

I don't use a lot of conventional techniques on the guitar. But then, I'm not interested to play in
the areas those techniques were developed to serve. It wouldn't be any good for my purposes
to do a sort of imitation of Charlie Christian or something. People can refer to that, say, as
conventional guitar playing. But it isn't. It's conventional jazz guitar playing of a certain
period. To certain people, the only way to play a guitar is in a flamenco style, which I think is
quite beautiful, incidentally. These are taken to be sort of standard conventional techniques -
but, actually, they're techniques that serve certain purposes.

DEREK BAILEY (1972)

erek Bailey (b. 1930) spent over a decade playing in dance bands before deciding to

D concentrate on free improvisation in the mid-1960s. He had thus acquired a

comprehensive ability in "conventional" guitar playing, to which he added all the
"unconventional" techniques which he subsequently discovered. Between the two, he probably
knows more about the guitar, and can get more out of it, than anyone else. More Important,
though, is the fact that he is one of the finest improvisers around, both in solo and group
contexts. He is one of very few musicians who seems to have an endless supply of new ideas
which enable him to be continually inventive, as can be heard here and elsewhere.

This disc documents some of the different instrumental approaches that he has used. In his
early free work, he used a six-string guitar with pedal-controlled amplification. This allowed
him, among other things, to instantly control the volume of each note sounded, and also to
vary the volume during the course of a sound. One use of this technique meant that notes
could fade in and/or end abruptly, in direct opposition to what happens naturally.

In 1972, Bailey added another loudspeaker and another volume pedal to his guitar, enabling
him to throw sounds around stereophonically. This was the principal instrument used in the
concert from which the EIGHT PUBLIC PIECES were extracted. He performed two
extended improvisations using this stereo set-up - FIRST and SECOND are extracted from
the first, and FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH and EIGHTH come from the second. In order to
break up the concert, there was a section between the two main pieces featuring his then
"other" guitar. This had started life off as a twelve-string, but, thanks to Bailey's
enhancements, had grown to carrying approximately nineteen strings. It can be heard played
through a practice amplifier on THIRD and FOURTH. Also heard on these two tracks are a
Waisvisz Crackle Box played by members of the audience, an amplified thundersheet, and a
tape recorder that suddenly came to life.

Shortly after this concert, Bailey decided to stop using two-pedal-controlled stereo
amplification, mainly because so many other people (not just guitarists) had followed his lead
in this direction. He was also somewhat fed up with having to lug so much equipment around.
He therefore decided to concentrate on what he was unbeatable at, namely, playing the guitar.
Another reason for largely dropping electricity was his acquisition of a couple of 1930s six-
string guitars that are remarkably loud, having been designed to be used in dance bands before
the advent of amplification. Most of the DOMESTIC PIECES feature one or other of these
guitars, although some feature the previously heard six-string without amplification.

Martin Davidson, 1995

Excerpts from reviews :

D erek Bailey is no longer a jazz musician, though he is an improviser - if

improvisation is considered to be spontaneously defining one's own area of activity.
After a long career as a studio, commercial, and dance band guitarist, in the 1960s he
began developing a personal technique and aesthetic, creating a unique instrumental sound and
logic. Listeners comfortable with the extreme instrumental sonorities in music be Xenakis, say,
or early cut-up experiments of musique concrète, may not be shocked by Bailey's music, and
in fact close listening reveals techniques resembling those in the stark, abrupt, resonant string
music of the Japanese koto, the Chinese ch'in, and the Korean kayagum. But Bailey's music is
usually more abstract than those. The sound of his guitar, amplified or acoustic, is inevitably
percussive; notes are struck and muted, chords plucked and allowed to decay or are splintered
into oblivion. Taking an early concern with unorthodox intervals from an interest in Webern,
Bailey has added a textural component rich in chiaroscuro and impasto effects. Microtones
collide, phrases unravel and fray. The air around the music blisters. The chiming, scratching,
and twanging - full of gristle and friction, or the cool whisper of tenderness - is brought out in
greater relief on DOMESTIC & PUBLIC PIECES, a re-issue of solo recordings from 1975-
7.

The music, and its presentation, seem consciously theatrical, and a few ironic readings of text,
along with some environmental soundplay, make Bailey seem like a British eccentric - which
he may be. However, as disturbingly fragmented and haphazard as the sounds may appear (at
first hearing anyway), they are not random or thoughtless, though accidents (or rather
incidental occurrences) happen. There is an undeniable intelligence in evidence, a careful
plotting of choices, and eventually the music grows intensely meditative even at its most
aggressive.
Art Lange, Fanfare, 1995
B ailey's acoustic variations are primarily swirling, as dodecaphonic-flavoured lines and
striking intervallic designs are awash in clusters, chords and sounds. Switching to
electric guitar and two volume pedals these concerns are underscored by layered
phasing and ringing effects. There's also a bit of random, noisy interplay for a nineteen string
guitar, an amplified thunder sheet, a tape recorder and a small home-made synthesizer, and
several pithy (and delightful) recitations. If not comprehensive, this set is certainly an evocative
overview of Bailey's mid-'70s work.
Milo Fine, Cadence, 1995

B ailey's purposeful attack rings every ounce of harmonic density of the guitar on this
release. Despite first impressions that this is a very cerebral music, the sheer physical
dexterity required to pull this much out of a guitar belies the idea. Bailey also
connects with other influences in his solo format: hear the shimmering gamelan effect on the
haunting Queue. Surprisingly, this is a very danceable free music, Bailey creating a rhythmic
calliope that swings along invitingly. In other places the music gets very free indeed, pushing
the edges of a listener's ability to comprehend pitch relationships. This is a strong sample of
Bailey's mid-seventies style."

Steve Vickery, Coda, 1996

P articularly interesting are the four rather wonderful voice/guitar pieces; a neglected and
still underrated sub-genre within the Bailey canon. DB's deadpan voice-overs,
juxtaposed by the ornate complexity of his strange harmonies, unexpected cadences
and bluesy note-bending, produce hilarious results.

Chris Blackford, Rubberneck, 1995

S ince its inception the Emanem label has served as conduit for, in the words of
producer/owner Martin Davidson, "unadulterated new music for people who like new
music unadulterated." This Derek Bailey collection, which was sadly out of circulation
for a spell, fits that aforementioned delineation perfectly.

The guitarist himself recorded the first eight tracks at home, the 'domestic' pieces of the disc's
title. The easiest distinctions to draw between each are based on comparative duration. In
regards to content the particulars become more problematic. Bailey's technique is so divorced
from conventional referents that even such sweeping terms as 'abstractionist' and 'pointillistic'
become hopelessly inadequate in encapsulating his methodology. In Bailey's hands the guitar
is a patient under the knife. The fat and gristle of harmony and melody are excised cleanly in
equal measure leaving a raw skeletal surface of tensile bone beneath. Though the surgeon
behind the scalpel is arguably among the most proficient at his profession his means to an end
is still often brutal both in terms of execution and ultimate outcome. His technique often
pokes and prods at the ears leaving a wake of both bruises and gratification.

From the start of this collection onward descending tangles of prickly strummed shapes vie
with glistening glass-like shards and droplets as Bailey gouges purposely into his instrument
worrying the strings with ferrous fingers and a bent logic. On "Unity Theatre" he cuts and
pastes a recitation from the narrative of a newspaper clipping detailing the demise of a favorite
venue for British improvisers. His deadpan delivery of the facts surrounding the aftermath of
the debacle, which bring to my mind the laconic musings of William S. Burroughs as recited
by Michael Caine for some reason, is perforated with more stringent strumming. The lyrics to
"Roots," though cloaked in the guise of homage, serve a derisive jibe at the supposed
supremacy of American origins in improvising music. Bailey's exaggerated sighs between
fractured phrasings point like signposts to his true feelings on the subject.

The next eight pieces are gleaned from an ICA concert recording from the earlier year. With
the addition of a second volume pedal and loudspeaker Bailey was able to volley sounds back
and forth between speakers and increasing both the range and reach of his instrument. The
jagged barbs harvested by Bailey with the acoustic instruments of the earlier domestic pieces
are replaced with lubricious streaks and smears. "Third" and "Fourth" signal another shift in
instrumentation with Bailey putting a personally modified 19-string guitar through a series of
rigorous paces. Other elements in the ensuing improvisation include a contraption called a
Waisvisz Crackle Box, an amplified thundersheet (presumably a thin piece of flexible metal,
shaken, not stirred) and an unassuming tape recorder. Curiously on both of these pieces
Bailey's fretwork is at its the most accessible, despite the sporadic intrusion of ear-excoriating
feedback. On the "Third" Bailey strums vitriolically at his thicket of strings and, in the
woollier moments, sounds as if he will spring them from their housings. Toward the close of
"Fourth" Bailey can be heard muttering 'perhaps I should explain what's happening here."
Attendant laughter from the audience targets the absurdity of such a pursuit and it feels as if
any explanation would prove as inadequate as the adjectives I'm attempting to attach to the
music. The concluding "Happy Birthday To You" appropriates excerpts from a Simone de
Beauvior treatise on the entropy of the human body and is a weirdly perfect capstone. This
was Emanem's initial CD release and it's wonderful to have it back in print and widely
available once again.

Derek Taylor

T his CD, the first released by the British free improv label Emanem upon its
resuscitation in 1995, collects solo guitar pieces by Derek Bailey from three LPs
released between 1976 and 1988. The music itself was recorded privately in January
1976 (the first eight tracks) and March 1977 (the last one, "Happy Birthday to You"), and
publicly in May 1975 (the eight tracks titled "First," "Second," etc.).

The domestic pieces feature mostly his work on six-string acoustic guitar. They are delicate
examples of his unique technique and aesthetics. On three of them he talks while playing,
commenting on the demise of "Unity Theatre," where the London Musicians' Collective used
to produce concerts, or narrating strange stories about "The Lost Chord."

The sound quality falls down a notch on the public pieces. Here, Bailey works mostly with
his amplified guitar with dual volume pedals. The way he throws notes around, fades them in,
and cuts them out adds to his alienating vision, and illustrates the level of virtuosity he had
reached. "Third" and "Fourth" represent a break in that night's performance, featuring his 19-
string guitar along with amplified thundersheet and a crackle box (Michael Waisvisz' hand-
held electronic device) passed around in the audience. "Third" is particularly painful:
Controlled and uncontrolled feedback marred the performance. A tape recorder suddenly
starts playing from out of nowhere, prompting Bailey to play (you won't believe this) chords!
This one is horribly recorded but turns out quite funny. Domestic & Public Pieces is a good
document of the guitarist's solo activity in the 1970s, and it makes a nice companion to Fairly
Early With Postscripts

François Couture, All Music Guide

E manem is a long standing British improv label (once residing in Australia), now with a
burgeoning line of CDs documenting this scene. Domestic... is a collection of solo
guitar improvisations from 1975-77, originally issued on LP on the Quark label (as
well as the Caroline Guitar sampler and Emanem 3404). Good liner notes (and short
interview) by Martin Davidson included.

B ailey does "Stella by Starlight". No kidding. The track listings don't reveal it, but one
of the live tracks is actually a version of the Victor Young standard, played against the
unpredictable rumbling & howling of a "crackle box", whatever that is. (Yes, Bailey
plays jazz. Try catching his 1930s-style picking on "Bunn Fights" on the recent album _Drop
Me off at 96th_. Maybe he'll start doing duets with Marty Grosz or Howard Alden some
day...)

And if that wasn't enough....Bailey does "The Lost Chord". Actually, he just speaks the lyrics
over his typically spiky accompaniment. It's a hoot, as is the final "Happy Birthday" track--a
reading of a passage about the effects of aging on the human body from de Beauvoir. There's
also a terrific "Unity Theatre", a reading of a newspaper clipping describing the burning down
of a theatre which used to be a frequent locus of free-improv activities in the 1970s. What
more can I say....the recording is gritty & unglamorous; the guitar playing is ferocious &
intense, even though it's mostly quiet; this about as uncommercial & contrary a recording you
can get, yet it's oddly engaging & involving. Don't miss it.

Amazon: Customer Reviews

Reviewer: Nate Dorward
Derek Contrary musicmaking, June 20, 2000

S olo acoustic guitar improvisations at home, some with telling spoken commentaries,
plus solo stereo electric guitar improvisations (with two volume pedals and two
speakers) in concert. A classic collection. Re-issue of Quark 9999, with additional
material from the same sessions that appeared on Caroline C1518 and Emanem 3404.

PGJ ****

Some Classic early 70s recordings

I have the softest possible spot for Derek Bailey's Domestic and Public Pieces 1975-77
(EMANEM 4001 CD) as it was the very first piece of improvised music I heard. Parts of
this CD were originally issued on vinyl as Quark 9999; a copy from the Coventry record
library kept me company for a few long Autumn nights in a lonely bedsit. The music seemed
lonely too - one guitar, one musician. Certainly an intimate experience, but shot through with
an inner desolation. I grew to love the second side of Public Pieces in particular, later
appreciating that it was electric and amplified (the first side was all acoustic). It was so
unfamiliar and strange that I got lost in it; seizing on the few recorded moments that it was
possible to 'remember' and using them as map reference points in this alien domain. Many
times I have sought to recapture that sense of lostness; few records have ever had such a
profound effect.

This record has humour as well as sadness. Bailey makes an elaborate joke about 'Playing
The Blues', the full significance of which eluded me for a long time. Desperate to black up and
play like a minstrel, he yawps 'Hurry up with the burnt cork!' over a super-fast solo which
slides into a parody of twelve-bar. Then there's 'Unity', a straight reading of a news item about
Unity Theatre being destroyed by fire, only the recitative is chopped up to fit in with the
unpredictable cadences of his guitar playing. No stranger to introducing 'foreign effects' to
this very day, Bailey rarely used his own voice again, apart from another joke also on this CD
(originally on Guitar Solos 2 Caroline) - the guy who found the lost chord.

I also regret the passing of this brief electric period. Bailey used the volume pedal on the
electric guitar, enabling him total control over the volume of each note, as it emerged from the
strings - he could even vary that note's volume while it was sounding. The utter eeriness of
this noise is something most musicians would die for; you could be clinical and say it was
something to do with making an instrument behave uncoventionally, part of the modernist
deconstruction of music. But who can fail to be overcome by the sheer emotion in those
volume-pedalled wails? A cliche, but he really made his guitar gently weep. By 1972 he had
started using a second amplifier and a second volume pedal. But Bailey found the
practicalities of carrying so much heavy equipment to gigs was too much of a strain. More
importantly, other people were beginning to copy him. With a severity of focus and discipline,
he concentrated on wringing what sounds he could from his faithful Gibson acoustic guitar.
Get this CD for the amazing sounds of volume controlled electric guitar, with 19-string guitar,
Waisvisz crackle box and other spontaneous events live at the ICA in 1975. For some 1976
recordings using the same electric devices, try and find a rare LP - Bailey playing Duo with
Tristan Honsinger, INCUS 20 (1976).

I made myself a tape of Domestic and Public Pieces and without really knowing why,
obsessively copied out all the copy on the back cover. Remember when records came out with
messages to the retailer 'FILE UNDER: POPULAR (Pop Groups)' printed on the back
sleeve? Quark 9999 made a joke out of it... there was a long list of categories headed FILE
UNDER...including POPULAR (EVENTUALLY) and VERY GOOD. The stark typography
was worrisome, as basic as a Richard Long catalogue. I had not seen an LP sleeve like
this...something must have tipped off my subconcious that I might not see it again.
The guitarist Derek Bailey, undisputed godfather of free-improvisation, comes to Renards on
Friday 16 June 2000 for his first ever performance in Dublin. With a career spanning over
fifty years, Bailey has worked in virtually all musical situations, ranging initially from dance
halls and night clubs through radio, TV and recording studios to concert halls and the more
exotic sites of contemporary musical activity. Increasingly interested in the possibilities of
freely improvised music, he has since the mid-1960s devoted himself exclusively to this field.

One of the hardest working musicians on the scene, Bailey’s output has been prolific to say
the least, covering more musical territory than any other musician in the field, in 1976
establishing COMPANY, a changing ensemble of improvising musicians drawn from many
backgrounds and countries that performs throughout the world; collaborations with John
Zorn, Cecil Taylor, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Evan Parker & Tony Oxley (with whom he
co-founded Incus Records), George Lewis, Keiji Haino, Pat Metheny, DJ Ninj, dancers Min
Tanaka and Will Gaines, Bill Laswell and Tony Williams (as Arcana), Zorn and William
Parker (as Harras), and Ruins, to name but a few.

Nowadays widely known as a uniquely gifted and versatile performer, Bailey is also one of
freely improvised music’s most eloquent spokesmen. A revised edition of his book,
"Improvisation: its nature and practice in music", published by the British Library (and in the
U.S. by Harper Collins) has been translated into many languages and was the basis of a
television series entitled "On the Edge".

Described as the most influential of contemporary improvisers, Bailey is one of the most fully
documented, having made numerous records and videos. He now divides his time between
solo performances, running Incus, practising, writing and - something he considers essential -
ad hoc musical activities with other players.
Bailey’s one-off Dublin appearance promises one of the freshest, most exhilarating nights of
music this city has seen in years.

"Incredible improvisations … the Godfather of free improvisation and upside-down guitar

syntax … We’d have no Thurston Moore, Hans Reichel, Don Caballero, Alan Licht, Henry
Kaiser, Fred Frith, Jim O’Rourke, or that dude in Rage Against the Machine if it weren’t for
Bailey." - Village Voice

Paul Smyth & David Lacey

Paul Smyth is an improvising pianist and painter born and resident in Dublin. The founding
member of Dublin electroacoustic improv quartet LUC & the Platelets, his range of activity
within the Dublin artscene is highly extensive - theatre work, painting shows, numerous
performances … performing three Irish shows with free jazz legend Charles Gayle, continued
Platelet-related activity (including a TV documentary), the occasional solo concert, and the
establishing of Nysha, a new record label for the production of (predominantly) Irish non-
academic contemporary music.

David Lacey, also from Dublin, has for many years been playing drums in a variety of
contexts, increasingly so in the context of free-improvisation. As well as performing with
Fergus Kelly’s Repetitive Strain Industries, he has founded the free-playing groups
Inconvenience and Let The Punishment Fit The Crime.

This collaboration between two of Ireland’s most intense improvising musicians provides the
perfect starter for tonight’s main course.
2000, Derek Bailey/D.J. Soul Slinger, London/Rio de Janeiro
Samstag / Saturday, 21.6.

Derek Bailey, guitar

D.J. Soul Slinger, turntables, DAT-recorder

Selbst dort, wo sie physisch gar nicht präsent sind, wie im Spiel der DJs mit Turntables und
Samplern, wirkt die Kraft der Sticks: "Jungle ist afrikanische Musik", meint DJ Soul Slinger,
der die Drum'n'Bass-Musik von London nach New York getragen hat. Und Gitarrist Derek
Bailey erlebt seinen zweiten Frühling, seitdem der schrullige Mitbegründer der frei
improvisierten Musik mit DJs und Pat Metheny ins Studio ging.

The power of sticks can be felt even when sticks themselves are not physically present, as
when DJs operate their turntables and samplers. "Jungle is African music," says DJ Soul
Slinger, who imported drum'n'bass from London to New York. And quirky guitarist Derek
Bailey, one of the creators of the freely improvised music, has been experiencing a comeback
ever since he returned to the studio with his DJs and Pat Metheny.

<http://www.hkw.de/deutsch/kultur/2000/jazz/bilder/bands/d__bailey_DJ_soul_slinger.jpg>
© Timothy Soter

*
DerekBaileyand ceci
lTayl
or
From aduo concert
Tonic,
2000
metropolis » » steve dalachinsky | cecil tayor - derek bailey duo... http://www.m-etropolis.com/wordpress/p/steve-dalachinsky-ceci...

steve dalachinsky | cecil tayor - derek bailey duo @ tonic 5/3/00

as if he were playing the music on his skin

hair tangled wire

case made orange in black orbit of choices

sympathetic cord red i cu lous in conjunction with dynamic

snap the
way wrists refuse to bend
as if my ears were the changes addressed

don’t make up what’s right in front of you hot mustard

salad
BITTER chorus’ soured candy broken
heart
not yet thru the sketches & the scribe’s already in my BLOOD

feet of buzzards waiting in head Photo: Peter Gannushkin

pounding eyes
saying Come to Me come TO mE (wish i had Cecil Tayor - Derek Bailey Duo @ Tonic 5/3/00
a camera

that could make people real)

tripping over organic step

having less choice than will/string allows incarnate
rooted in bulb
keep “I” out of
rational choices
because museums allow such a thing

as if played the mass

your pockets full o’ theories
the basic combination of movements
the eventual ride home
sealed walls unhinged

if i never saw that face again

i would blessit take the juice away (improvise within
the vocabulary
& fleece the sadly rumor of
the particular language
but the time for invention is never gone
you are speaking)
& thrives it like an old tongue
thru an intricate series of bailed canals

it’s a basin in here a self-created cistern of dark

was L i gh t once
a bowl of delectable condiments
even now with temperaments awash & the whole meal sampled
for FREE.

steve dalachinksy nyc @ tonic 5/3/00

Posted: Sunday, April 22nd, 2007, 12:19.

gimmick: Derek Bailey http://gimmicksecouez.blogspot.com/2006/11/derek-bailey.html

0 1 N O VE M B R E 2 0 0 6

Derek Bailey

Un petit concert donné en l'an 2000 par feu Derek Bailey. Bientôt
un an qu'il nous a quitté...

- concert au Tonic (New Nork) -

Derek Bailey & Susie Ibarra : Improvisation (16'33'')
Derek Bailey & Alex Ward : Improvisation (7'37'')

Derek Bailey - guitare

Susie Ibarra - batterie
Alex Ward - clarinette
Publié par oliver à l'adresse 11:24
Libellés : concert, experimental, jazz, mp3
First Cut is the Deepest
By Paul Helliwell

Free improvisation guitarist and theorist Derek Bailey could be described as the Samuel Beckett of
post-war music. Bailey moved nohow-onward by means of a continually repeated negation of the
familiar, eschewing the idiomatic for the (almost) uncommodifiably new. Ben Watson’s biography of
Bailey, published earlier this year, celebrates the life and unfinishable works of an avant garde
anti-artist. But, asks Paul Helliwell, do Bailey and Watson throw too much musical baby out with the
tonal bathwater? And where does the increasingly venerable practice of free improvisation stand in
relation to modernism’s dialectic of the new today?

Form deforms
– Witold Gombrowicz

We have to give the truth to this man, he’s a serious journalist and biographer
– Derek Bailey on Ben Watson

The best argument Derek Bailey knew against Improvisation, based on his experiences playing guitar
for wrestling matches, was a huge wrestler upset with the way he’d just played ‘Enter the Gladiators’.
Like this example, and like free improvisation itself, by far the best bits of Ben Watson’s Derek Bailey
and the Story of Free Improvisation, are conversations. These conversations Watson recorded himself
with many of the key players in the scene; the book is Watson’s conversation with these recordings.
There is a happy danger the book could come to resemble the ideal improv situation where even the
players are unsure who played what – where the conversation ‘comes alive’.

Improvisers, both musical and theatrical, make of the present moment an inverse black hole, a
magician’s top hat, out of which, seemingly from nothing and faster than thought, can be pulled new
and marvellous things. Facing each other, the musicians pull things from their top hats, like an
expanded game of scissors, paper, stone. We laugh and gasp in recognition as the recently new things
are reincorporated into new contexts. Yet, to make these moments possible, a strict co-operation must
be maintained. There is no time for reflection and censorship, the content must be left to look after
itself. Later, the practice of this creation is generalised into an ideology that the content, the ‘finished
product’, be a matter of indifference.

[IMAGE]
Image: Derek Bailey and the story of Free Improvisation

For listeners, music is a flash art – one that happens in the present moment as we hear it and
understand its structure – and Improvisers wish its creation to be likewise. Other than Derek Bailey,
few have written on musical improvisation as a practice. His book, Improvisation: Its Nature and
Practice in Music, reveals how much improvisation goes on within forms of music we already know,
ones that obey genre rules of musical signification (idiomatic music – flamenco, jazz, church organ
playing) and thus render non-idiomatic or free improvisation familiar. Bailey argues that for playing
‘free’ to be successful, the process of improvisation must exclude these idiomatic elements, genre
conventions. Arising from practice, this is a modernist argument on music’s need to pursue its own
formal autonomy.

One difficulty for Ben Watson’s book lies in the limitations of free improvisation and of conversation.
Neither copes well with the introduction of predetermined material. Watson says, ‘Bailey’s position is
ultimately compatible with my own Musical Marxism but I don’t expect him to say so’ and gives his
reasons:

Theory and abstraction are immediately suspicious to Bailey, they freeze the moment, generalise
the instant, abuse the actuality, bully the musician.

Watson even reflects this himself: ‘generalities rarely provide answers (rather they stifle examination
of particulars by reference to ideology).’ Bailey wants to leave the moment gritty and unassimilable –
for this grit makes the pearl – What does Watson want?

These mirrored caveats are in fact a sales pitch, but also, to mix metaphors, a punch Watson pulls. Out
of respect for the structure of conversation/ free improv itself, Watson doesn’t bring theory –
specifically that of Theodor Adorno – to the table like he promises in the text and in the bibliography.
Perhaps I am taxing him with what was never his intention, or perhaps there were forces beyond his
control. Watson writes as if torn between the improvising community, his own (somewhat equivocal)
commitment to Adorno and his duties as a biographer. He writes, he tells us, imagining free
improvisers looking over his shoulder.

As the translator of Adorno’s Aesthetic Theory explains:

Every translation must fit one world inside another, but not every work to be translated has been
shaped by emphatic opposition to the world into which it must be fitted.

This is the orientation of the free improvisers (to the act of improvising itself not the recording) and of
Adorno (to the work and not to the reader), and both can be seen as a resistance to commodity status.
This task is Watson’s also, to fit the free improvisational moment into a biography, into record
appreciation, and to re-orient it towards his readers – in particular the free-improvising community,
whose story he tells.

Gavin Bryars is an interesting voice within this book. This is not, as Watson argues, despite his
defection from Free Improvisation to Composition but because of it. Watson’s question, ‘It’s as if you
and Derek worked out your musical philosophies by contradicting each other’, briefly holds out the
possibility of a Schoenberg/ Stravinsky face off in the manner of Adorno’s Philosophy of Modern
Music. But it is not to be, Watson has used this tactic before and anyway, for Watson’s assumed
audience of pro-Bailey free improvisers, Bryars is persona non grata. Instead, Watson takes repeated
stabs at Bryars for accepting commissions as if Adorno had not noted that subsidy and patronage are a
feature of everything labelled esoteric under commodity culture, as if ‘earning it’s own living’ proved
anything aesthetically, as if improv had never received Arts Council grants. Tellingly, Bryars’
response to this is to continue to insist on the contradictions between Improvisation and Composition,
refusing to be summed up as the anti-Bailey and thus blocked (very Bailey). He plays scissors to
Watson’s paper.

Watson is loyal to Bailey, but once we’ve moved on from Bailey’s early years, from the jobbing
danceband musician, from the glory days of the Joseph Holbrooke Trio (founded by Bailey with
bassist Bryars and drummer Tony Oxley), the story is over. Even Bailey is ambivalent about the
improv ‘scene’ and its continued survival. Watson consistently fails to interrogate practices within this
story of free improvisation that contradict Bailey’s vision. Improv’s bruising encounters with
dada/fluxus/performance art that disrupt the (for Bailey) necessary co-operation between players, the
practice of improvising to recordings of other improvisers, the ‘contribution’ of ‘bargers-in’, and lastly
the status of recordings themselves are all passed over. As a paid ‘reviewer of records’ and yet
despiser of commodities, this last one at least should interest Watson. But these are merely listed: gigs
you should’ve been at; CDs you should own (and simultaneously should not, or maybe could on
auratic vinyl); and, as if performances were not commodities, yearly shareholders reports from
Company Week, the annual London improv event Bailey helped run.

The most organised contradiction is mentioned obliquely, namely the 31st March 1984 Association of
Improvised Music (AIM) Forum, Improvisation: History, Directions and Practice. At this event,
practising improvisers Eddie Prévost and Andy Hamilton held that habits and conventions attending
the performance become idiom (just as Adorno argues that form is sedimented content). More
seriously, for Prévost, Bailey’s Improvisation: It’s Nature and Practice in Music had erroneously tried
to make non-idiomatic improvisation an ‘agreed objective’. This is the ideological fault line of the
scene, and Watson knows it, having been ‘the subject of a furious public dressing down’ by Evan
Parker (uninterviewed – the commissar vanishes) for criticising the use of tonal material in an
improvisation. With a charming rhetorical flourish, Watson affects to be so disgusted by these refusals
to accept free improvisation’s modernist agenda (this Stravinskyite ‘self-conscious revocation of
musical knowledge’ as Adorno might say) that he is unable to review the Company Week featuring
these key AIM musicians – many of whom have now gone on to become the mainstream of free
improvisation.

[IMAGE]
Image: Derek Bailey

To fit the worlds of free improvisation and book publishing inside each other Watson has relied on a
readymade structure of biography, and in particular Frank Kofsky’s Black Nationalism and the
Revolution in Music, but in its re-issued and zombiefied form: John Coltrane and the Jazz Revolution
of the 1960s. As with improvisation, the first cut is the deepest. Just compare these titles and Watson’s
title, they’re a fair summary of what lies within and the historical tendency to atomisation. In the later
book, the chapter on the economic injustices of the jazz industry has been hived off into a separate
(and thinner) book Black Music, White Business, and replaced by the (personality) cult of John
Coltrane. As Kofsky, Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka), and Francis Newton (E.J. Hobsbawm) noted, other
than Bill Evans (and perhaps Bix Beiderbecke), innovation in Jazz is down to black people, but the
business and critical apparatus of it remained in the hands of whites. Kofsky uses Marx and Engels’
dictum that, under capitalism, ideologically all things appear ‘upside down as in a camera obscura’ to
explain the inversion of the role of Black musicians within Jazz – both critically and economically.
Indeed Pathfinder Press have taken this to heart and bound my copy of Black Nationalism upside down
within its cover.

Let us take this insight further and apply it to free improvisation – let us invert that moment.

The moment of free improvisation is precisely and only free because the rest of time and volition is in
chains. The autonomy of free improv is created by the exclusion of idiomatic music, conventional
moments of musical signification, theory, levels of language other than musical ones. A lot of baby
has been thrown out with the bathwater to make these moments possible – and if Adorno is correct,
like the 1910 revolutionary art movements, free improvisers are experiencing not new freedoms but
more things ‘constantly pulled into the vortex of the newly taboo’. In this light, the Association of
Improvised Music’s objections to Bailey’s exclusion of the idiomatic become an understandable (if
futile), defence of the scene.

Yet, according to Christophe Mencke, in his The Sovereignty of Art, these discourses smuggle within
them Adorno’s antinomy of aesthetic semblance: not only does ‘form deform’, suicide by music’s own
laws of development, by its autonomy – but also music has a real social effect deriving from its truth
value – it is sovereign.
There is a duality to the modern view of aesthetic experience (and thus to modern views on music). On
the one hand it is one discourse among many, adhering to its own internal logic, possessing no
negating or affirming powers over non-aesthetic experience (and vice versa) – autonomy; on the other,
it exceeds the bounds of its discourse, it is granted not just a relative validity within its own discourse
but an absolute one – it becomes ‘the vehicle for an experientially enacted critique of reason’ –
sovereignty. On the face of it both cannot hold simultaneously, yet Adorno links these by the Kantian
concept of antinomy, arguing that for a full understanding both must be present and neither must be
sacrificed to the other.

Once upon a time, music was held to be autonomous, its own discourse within the field of reason
governed by its own laws and not determined by some other realm, economics for instance. However,
these laws gradually ruled more and more things taboo until what was easy and natural had to be
abandoned and replaced with what was difficult and unpleasant. This trajectory can be found in
Adorno’s Philosophy of Modern Music, Witold Gombrowicz’s Diaries and Leroi Jones’ Blues People.
It cost classical music in Europe not just it’s audience but also its social effect, this music ceased to be
at the heart of the culture, just as BeBop did.

However, it is also claimed that music and art are sovereign, that they can exceed the bounds that
reason sets them, they can be transcendent, and make the infinite present. Music says ‘we’, even when
it is irredeemably difficult and unpopular, due to its cultic origin, as does art. This is the revolutionary
potential of art and music, not as propaganda or recruiting sergeant but as offering a vision of a
re-centred totality. Yet this has become a difficult claim to make.

[IMAGE]
Image: Derek Bailey - Improvisation
The problem for people engaged in making radical claims for music is that autonomy and sovereignty
are now seen as opposites that annihilate rather than as an antinomy, and that the critical terms
themselves have fallen into disuse and are viewed only as nostalgia. The intellectual position of the
arts (and in particular music) has fallen; nowadays we are merely on our knees before them as
irrationality, without any understanding of how we got there.

What can be done when almost everything has been pulled into the void? Derek Bailey was a fan of
Sam Beckett, as was Adorno who wished to dedicate Aesthetic Theory to him. Adorno’s discussion of
Beckett and of the new sees him as the key to (then – 1969) contemporary anti-art in ‘culling aesthetic
meaning from the radical negation of aesthetic meaning’, making an art ‘trying to pull itself free from
its own concept as from a shackle.’ Content becomes opaque, becomes a critique of the omnipotence
of reason, interpretation must be refused. This fits in all too well with Bailey’s resistant reticence on
free improvisation (stone to scissors), but also leads to a monolithic inability to move beyond it.

If music is no longer its own realm or ‘secret regent’ of this one, one consequence is that, as Jacques
Attali predicted in Noise, it must be made to do work, or pressed into service: as Ben Watson says,
‘Free music is the song of the New International’.

There is in Adorno’s writings a tendency to make aesthetic negativity into social critique (and this is
why we like him, despite his writing like ‘a coroner performing an autopsy’). When reading Watson’s
‘Music, Violence, Truth’, an account of the debates surrounding radical music post 9/11, we see how
heteronymously overburdened aesthetic negativity has become. For Watson ‘The crucial point is that
art is an attempt to tell the truth about the world, not simply to provide baubles for those in the comfort
zone of privilege.’ Surely art must be capable of doing other things as well. Indeed this pamphlet gives
us a vision of this radical art in the fleshy golem that Ben Watson rhetorically constructs out of just the
right proportions of Coltrane, Hendrix, Tony Oxley and Cecil Taylor – a piece of paper on the truth
value of art in its mouth (Emeth). Yet to construct this Frankenstein requires violence, witness,
‘Varese brought the noise of sirens and bombs into music in the 1920s, a response to the terrors of
World War 1.’ This distorts Varese’s real and formal motivation – the need for new musical
instruments.

Watson ostentatiously celebrates the contradictory, unfinished nature of his text, pleading the pressure
of biography but knowing that he smuggles his musical marxism within it. His method is more
Benjamin than Adorno, he needs this conversation between his marxism and his music to come alive.
However, in the absence of dialectic to do some housekeeping, the real contradictions get lost in the
clutter of allegedly auratic stockpiled free improv commodities.

The very productivity of improvisation is a problem. The early theatrical improvisers, in particular
Keith Johnstone, emphasised it’s pedagogic value in awakening children’s imaginations that had been
blunted by education. Yet when they set up performing ensembles they chose ambivalent names such
as Theatre Machine. Improvisation leads to an embarrassment of riches, and both derive from its
automatism. Critically, for the logic of capitalism, what it generates are new things. If capitalism has
already appropriated the irrationality of music, it has also appropriated this productivity: Kid A, Big
Brother, Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned and indeed jazz itself. Maybe Adorno is just clearer about
this than we permit ourselves to be.

Watson is right, in his introduction and text, to attempt to forestall the ‘gruesomely predictable’
objections repeated here, and yet these cracks reach the surface because they arise from contradictions
between free improvisation itself and the world as a whole. If Watson does not cast a string of pearls
out of this grit with a single blow of his magic hammer it is because the material doesn’t play that way.
Difficulty is so valuable it must sometimes be smuggled.

How does modern aesthetic reflection deal with this situation? Dan Fox’s excellent appreciation of
Derek Bailey in frieze magazine (March 2006) notes the ‘romantic excitement’ generated about free
improvisation’s ‘uncommodifiability’, but he prefers to view it as functioning as a ‘kind of relational
aesthetics for music’. Freed from notions of the antinomy of autonomy and sovereignty, Bourriaud’s
relational aesthetics itself functions by a panglossian inversion of Gombrowicz’s notion of
interpersonal form – ‘for Gombrowicz, our “form” is merely a relational property, linking us with
those who reify us by the way they see us, to borrow a Sartrian terminology…’ Yet, for Gombrowicz
this ‘form deforms’, the form imposed on us by others has to be struggled against. His Diaries and his
appreciation of Sandaeur, the critic who defended his reputation in Poland, testify to this at length. For
Bourriaud the interpersonal form is the substrate of art. Like AIM’s admission of tonal material and
idiomatic improvisation, this is a strategy for continuing the game, but with no autonomy to move it
forward, there’s no development. ‘The new is no longer a criterion…’ My editor asks me how
different is this from Beckett’s ‘nothing new’? I don’t know, yet. The one may simply be the critical
apparatus for the other.

The theatrical improvisers teach us that by reincorporation, by ‘tying up loose ends’, the story is
brought to a close. One ending suggests itself: ‘Derek Bailey is dead and the story of free
improvisation is over’, but this does not do justice to the energies emerging from the improvisational
moment. Instead I return to our huge upset wrestler. He removes his top hat (didn’t I mention that?),
and pulls from it… a marvellous thing… something gritty… it is a copy of Derek Bailey and the Story
of Free Improvisation by Ben Watson.

Ben Watson, Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation, Verso, 2004
2001, BAILEY-HAUTZINGER, GROB 425 (Germany) (CD)
(released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitar

Franz Hautzinger : quartertone trumpet

1- Tea 05.54
2- Cricket 11.50
3- Talk 15.36
4- Contracts 04.39
5- Weather 05.22
6- Appointment 07.54
7- Details 03.58
8- Krautrock 05.09
9- The Vietnamese driver 04.15
10- Out 147 01.15
11- Good B 00.46

Recorded at Moat Studios, London; no date given but definitely 2001, probably March; some
post-processing done on Hautzinger's channel by Patrick Pulsinger and DJ Darcosan.

Graphic design by Werner Korn.

H autzinger's style, heavily loaded with noise and known from his solo CD Gomberg
(GROB 211), sabotages the typical reaction patterns and clichés of (the really no
longer very) free music. He has opened this music to new perspectives, created other
structural levels, made possible a differentiated listening, as old fashioned as this sounds! As
an outsider Hautzinger is able to shift the party lines, thanks to his absolutely individual,
idiosyncratic way of playing the trumpet. 'Of course,' Bailey had no problems adapting ad hoc
to this perspective. And because one knows that Bailey is Bailey, one doesn't need to get
dumfounded, but can directly submerge into the fine, careful (but not reserved) structures and
branches and thereby perceive how Hautzinger forms his own playing, how he growls, broods,
mumbles and murmurs softer. Until a melody appears on the horizon. One of the first improv
records of the new century, said in all modesty."

D erek Bailey's fondness for the duet setting has been pretty well documented in
pairings with musicians as diverse as percussionist Jamie Muir to Anthony Braxton
to dancer Min Tanaka. Here he teams up with Viennese quarter tone trumpeter Franz
Hautzinger, whose CV includes work with Radu Malfatti, Otomo Yoshihide and the Berlin
composers collective The Zeitkratzer-Ensemble.

Hautzinger's trumpet sounds nothing like a trumpet for the most part; instead, his low hums,
gaseous hisses and sudden percussive flutterings come across as the workings of some
gigantic, unreliable central heating system. Bailey is...well, Bailey; but Hautzinger's hermetic
soundworld forces him into some of his most expansive playing.

Sticking mainly to electric guitar, his usual vocabulary of crabbed chords and resonant,
stinging harmonics is spiced with insectoid scrapings and shimmering chords. "Contracts" is
Bailey in minimal mode, offering poignant, almost jazz voicings under Hautzinger's breathy
swoops and rumbles. "Appointment" is still more lyrical, with Hautzinger exploring the upper
register, the guitarist acerbic and spindly on acoustic, as is "Krautrock" (sadly not a cover of
the Faust classic). It's on this track that the pair really seem to gel, with Bailey displaying a
rare moment of obvious virtuosity (yes, it is actually pretty tricky to play like this - try it
sometime).

Occasionally Hautzinger drops to muted valve clicks and Derek riffs with him, as on the
quicksilver interplay of "The Vietnamese Driver". Its tempting to think that this CD presents
the tracks in the order they were recorded, as there does seem to be more animated interaction
happening as it progresses; but maybe that's just the process of listening, attuning to the
soundworld these two extraordinary musicians create.

Not for everyone, sure, but for those even vaguely interested, highly recommended.Last year
in January, Franz Hautzinger drove to London to visit Derek Bailey and make some music
together. The way Franz Hautzinger saw it, everything ran smoothly. Three hours of material
were recorded. Hautzinger searched for a good hour of material for this new CD. Among
other things, Patrick Pulsinger was entrusted with the mastering. For nearly a year, Hautzinger
let the material rest, listened to it again and again, and repeatedly made tiny changes in the
sound that outsiders probably will never perceive.

These are all signs that Bailey Hautzinger has not become a classic improv record, like Bailey
has recorded, in the hundreds, in his 35-year-long career as the ambassador of improvised
music. Hautzinger's style, heavily loaded with noise and known from his solo CD Gomberg
(GROB 211), sabotages the typical reaction patterns and clichés of (the really no longer very)
free music. He has opened this music to new perspectives, created other structural levels, made
possible a differentiated listening, as old fashioned as this sounds! As an outsider Hautzinger
is able to shift the party lines, thanks to his absolutely individual, idiosyncratic way of playing
the trumpet. "Of course," Bailey had no problems adapting ad hoc to this perspective. And
because one knows that Bailey is Bailey, one doesn't need to get dumfounded, but can directly
submerge into the fine, careful (but not reserved) structures and branches and thereby perceive
how Hautzinger forms his own playing, how he growls, broods, mumbles and murmurs
softer. Until a melody appears on the horizon. One of the first improv records of the new
century, said in all modesty.

M ots machouillés au fond du trou. Gestuelle guitaristique cavaleuse. Imprévisible.

Derek Bailey n'en finit pas de placer entre lui et la musique des chausses trappes de
plus en plus ingénieuses. Fabriquées avec des bouts de cordes. Détricotage
pétillant. Fabrique de pièges tueurs pour algues mélodiques proliférant et asphyxiant les
hélices musicales progressistes. Derek Bailey décortique ses cordes, fibre à fibre. Franz
Hautzinger, avec sa drôle de trompette, retrace les palpitations des muqueuses buccales, les
muscles humides de la parole. Joyeuses vidanges d'air modulées dans les tuyauteries du
langage muet. Halètement corporel. Souffle dragonnesque.

F ranz Hautzinger belongs, with Axel Dörner and Greg Kelley, to the Triumvirate of
Extended Technique Trumpeters; his previous outings on Grob include the
extraordinary solo album "Gomberg" and the weird quartet desert landscape of
"Dachte Musik" (with Radu Malfatti, Burkhard Stangl and Günter Schneider). For this album
he's teamed up with the Godfather of Free Improvisation himself, the indefatigable guitarist
Derek Bailey, and the eleven tracks were recorded in London (hence the endearingly British
track titles like "Tea", "Cricket" and "Weather").

Though Hautzinger is credited as playing a custom-built "quartertone trumpet", there's little

evidence of microtonal play on offer here: for the most part he sounds more like an airlock in
a plumbing system. He can play the hell out of the trumpet when he wants to, and it's perhaps
a shame he chose to concentrate on the extended techniques bag instead of engaging Bailey
on the pitch playing field.

The guitarist is as amazingly resourceful as ever, and quite content to do his own thing while
Hautzinger gurgles and plops merrily away (if it's strange guitar noises you're after, you'd be
better off checking out Annette Krebs). When Hautzinger finds himself locked into a clicking
groove like a scratched vinyl at the end of "Cricket", Bailey imperturbably continues his
explorations into arpeggiated harmonics, while on "Talk" he's almost swinging (recalling Lol
Coxhill's celebrated description of him as "one of the masters of bebop guitar"). For his part,
Hautzinger won't be drawn into a battle with Bailey's gritty fuzz on "Weather", nor does he let
himself be intimidated by Bailey's gorgeous "Details". It's a satisfying and rewarding example
of mature improvised musical cohabitation - as we know two people can live quite happily
together without necessarily having to engage in deep conversation all the time. With music as
original and demanding as this though, I'm inclined once again to wonder if all eleven tracks
are necessary, though I'd be hard put to choose which ones I'd like to get rid of.

Dan WARBURTON

I t's nice to be completely surprised and wrong footed once in a while. Until about through
the second track "Cricket," I mistakenly thought ol' Derek Bailey duetting his instantly
recognisable (ir)regular angular electric guitar chops with some German laptop boffin.
Murky low end rumblings and gurglings form a bedrock for Bailey to ponder pluck loose on
top of and around. Then the realisation dawned that Franz Hautzinger was getting brooding
motormachine revs out of the trumpet that most lung honkers wouldn't break wind for. There
is a range of flatulence in his quartertone that is as amusing as it is uniquely odd. Anyway,
three hours of farting about with intent were edited down for this disc, which is quite likely the
first I've ever picked up on the back of the Bailey name alone, despite his unique status in
improv lore. Bailey has continually sneaked into my CD pile via the likes of collaborators
such as Ruins, John Zorn, Evan Parker, Matt Wand, Pat Thomas and Thurston Moore, but
he's always been welcome. Franz Hautzinger can come back for a rum splutter anytime too.
Why do improv reviewers so rarely mention the funny side?

Graeme Rowland

R éfractaire aux clichés comme aux dogmes, le guitariste britannique Derek Bailey ne
s’est jamais soucié des esthétiques imposées par la mode et ses diktats. C’est tout
naturellement que son esprit rebelle l’a sans cesse poussé à préférer au formalisme
figé l’aventure de l’improvisation, et sa nature par essence éphémère – ce qui est pour
beaucoup dans la singularité d’un parcours sans fautes. Continuant d’ignorer tous les plans
des virtuoses du manche avec un acharnement qui force l’admiration, Derek Bailey ne cesse
de confronter sa pratique, autour du monde, avec des musiciens passionnés comme lui par
l’improvisation.

Pas une semaine ne passe sans que sorte un disque intéressant et fruit de collaborations plus
ou moins récentes. Ce mois-ci paraissent quasi simultanément un trio datant de 1992 avec le
saxophoniste Frode Gjerstad et le batteur John Stevens, un duo avec le rythmicien Ingar Zach
(2000), et un autre avec le trompettiste autrichien Franz Hautzinger. Ce dernier se révèle être
un compagnon idéal dont l’instrument, à quart de ton, permet un travail singulier et minimal
basé sur le souffle et le son plutôt que sur le phrasé, parfois relevé par de discrets effets
électroniques. Tandis que l’un s’exprime tout en murmures et bruits de pistons effleurés,
jouant avec les limites extrêmes de l’écoute, l’autre tisse sa toile. A 72 ans, alors que ses
débuts sont loin, aux côtés de Gavin Bryars au sein du Joseph Holbrooke Trio, en 1963, le
radicalisme du propos et la capacité à se remettre en question demeurent intacts. Belle
prouesse que cet éternel jeune homme reproduit également sur l’extraordinaire Ballads
(encore un !) qui sort parallèlement sur le label de John Zorn.

Philippe Robert
24 juil. 2002
2001, DUOS, LONDON 2001, Incus CD51 (UK) (CD) (released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar (tracks 1, 2), acoustic guitar (track 3)

Alan Wilkinson : baritone saxophone, voice (track 1)
Roger Turner : percussion (track 2)
Julian Kytasty : bandura, flute (track 3)

1- With Alan Wilkinson 30.19

recorded at Flim Flam Club, London on 23 March 2001

2- With Roger Turner 14.17

recorded at the October Gallery, London on 2 March 2001

3- With Julian Kytasty 14.00

recorded at St Michael and All Angels Church, London on 5 October 2001

Design and layout by Karen Brookman.

T hree different partners for DB. First up with Alan Wilkinson on baritone sax is brash
and direct improv agitation with a restlessness that refuses to settle - the boys take the
long way round with plenty to discuss and chew on along the way. With percussionist
Roger Turner's quickness and recourse to pause then action technique defines eliptical time
and space which is a true home of bd playing. With Julian Kytasty (bandura and flute) by
contrast is contemplative and calm with DB's playing responding with minutae of detail as
strings concur.

Heavy duty improv for incus heads to assimilate.

I really hate the (censored). In a duo it is really horrible, he never reacts to anything you
play." Since there are enough inner squabbles on the European improvised music scene,
the person being quoted here will not be identified. The person being talked about,
however, is guitarist Derek Bailey, presented on this disc in the company of three different
duo partners. Bailey's recordings are like beautiful miniature hollyhock plants; a gardener
might only plan a small patch of these, thinking that will be enough. Soon, thoughts will drift
to letting them take over the whole yard. Similarly, Bailey's section might expand to take over
an entire shelf if he continues finding duo partners with whom he can create such substantial
musical statements.

DUOS gives us 30 minutes of playing with saxophonist Alan Wilkinson and 14 minutes each
with percussionist Roger Turner and the multi-instrumentalist Julian Kytasty. It is Kytasty, a
third generation performer on the Russian bandura, who takes Bailey farthest from what he
has done on previous recordings, other than philosophically similar couplings with
instruments such as the Chinese pipa. Wilkinson's sax can't help but recall two of Bailey's
great duo partners, Anthony Braxton and Evan Parker. In some ways, this is a particularly
ugly recording of the baritone sax, an effect that eventually will win the listener over. As the
piece proceeds, it actually sounds like the saxophone is singing, Wilkinson continually
coming up with new sounds and tones. As for Bailey, if his playing is supposedly about not
listening and not reacting to the other guy, he then can be said to be doing a brilliant imitation
of listening and reacting here. The music kicks off into immediate excitement with
simultaneous staccato attacks. Later, the two play slowly and quietly together; they play in a
fast and demented fashion together as well. Wilkinson is versatile: He uses both clear
melodies and noise, and in the former case, the decisive harmonic touches from maestro
Bailey show split-second thinking.

With all the many hours of saxophone and guitar duo music that has been both released and
tossed off into the air, why release this chunk? Because the piece, titled simply "With Alan
Wilkinson" and lasting a bit longer than a television situation comedy, is stimulating from
start to finish. "With Roger Turner" is guitar and drums, another familiar Bailey instrumental
combination. His great duos with John Stevens, Han Bennink, and Susie Ibarra come to mind,
and Turner is a player who can be discussed in such company without a second thought.
Again, this is music with a great deal of interaction with mutually held decisions about
dynamics and flow that arise out of thin air, and terrific use of space as well as clatter.

Kyhasty, unlike Turner and Wilkinson, is not best known for playing on the free
improvisation scene. He works with world music ensembles such as the brilliant Silk and
Steel and performs a repertoire of traditional as well as original compositions on the bandura,
an instrument that is kind of a combination of a harp, zither, and guitar. "With Julian Kytasty"
is the sole track where Bailey takes out his acoustic guitar, and it is a performance of great
beauty. Kytasty's playing recalls the twisted yet distinctly stringy creations of improvisers on
"prepared" guitar, cello, piano, and so forth, so the resulting vocabulary can hardly be
considered far afield from the normal sounds of improvised music, if such a description can
be taken seriously. The slow sections of this piece make the slow sections of the other duos
seem fast in comparison. It is one of those musical creations in which every sound is fraught
with meaning, no matter how tiny. One of the great moments occurs following one such
extended section, as both the players appear to become agitated, Kytasty finally beginning to
let the full, natural sound of his instrument be heard. The resulting rush toward a vaguely East
European type of harmony is exhilarating. Kytasty pulls out a wooden flute later in the piece,
creating something of a trio sound as he seems to be playing both of his instruments at once.
These moments bring to mind Bailey's playing in the '80s with multi-instrumentalist Wadada
Leo Smith, who was also fond of wooden flutes.

Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide

NEW RELEASE FEATURES MUSIC OF THE KOBZARS 04/14/02

NEW YORK

B andurist Julian Kytasty's newest CD Black Sea Winds: The Kobzari of

Ukraine&quot; has recently been released on London's November Music label. The
new disc is the first full-length CD recording devoted to the music of the kobzars -
Ukraine's legendary blind singer/bandurists. It includes both a sampling of the kobzar
repertoire (epic, religious and moralistic songs, dance tunes, humorous songs) and Mr.
Kytasty's original instrumental compositions derived from this ancient musical tradition.

The CD was launched at a concert in London's St. Michael and All Angels Parish Church on
October 5. For this performance Mr. Kytasty was joined by one of the legends of the
worldwide improvisational music scene, guitarist Derek Bailey.

The concert began with a selection of music from Black Sea Winds; (including the title track,
an instrumental improvisation based on traditional kobzar modes). After an intermission, Mr.
Bailey followed with an extended solo. Finally, the two brought their instruments and
traditions together, the modal improvisation of the kobzari meeting the European avant-garde.

November Music is a new label based in London and Taipei that has produced a series of
outstanding recordings featuring new music drawn from unique musical traditions around the
world. A year ago November producer Shu Fang Wang approached Mr. Kytasty with a
proposal to record a piece based on the music of the kobzari, with the goal of presenting this
unique musical tradition to a world audience.

The disc was recorded in December 2000 at Systems 2 Studio in New York City and mixed
and edited in February 2001 at The Moat, London. November's striking physical production
starts with a book-style heavy cardboard cover in place of the usual fragile plastic case. A 14-
page booklet includes extensive notes on the kobzari and their time, program notes, and
English translations of the lyrics.

Black Sea Winds; can be ordered online on November Music's website :

"http://www.novembermusic.com/">www.novembermusic.com

Alternately, it can be ordered directly from the artist by sending a check for $18 (U.S.) to:
Julian Kytasty, 138 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003.
2001, BARCELONA, Hopscotch, HOP10 (US) (CD) (released in 2003)

Agusti Fernandez : piano

Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Senyor Parellada… 14.41

2- Botafumeiro… 08.15
3- Esterri… 05.20
4- Casa Leopoldo… 23.12
5- 7 Portes… 08.44
6- Medulio… 08.45

studio recordings from Barcelona, recorded 11/13/01

total time: 68:56 minutes

E xcellent guitar and piano improv studio date by two masters of European free/new
music. Derek Bailey certainly needs no introduction by now and will have a solo
acoustic guitar release of jazz standards out on Tzadik next month. Agusti is a
fabulous pianist who loves to explore the far reaches of focused improvisation and has
recorded numerous duo/trio excursions with colossal partners like William Parker & Susie
Ibarra, Evan Parker, Marilyn Crispell and Matt Shipp (unreleased).

B arcelono is the United State's debut recording of Agustí Fernández, one of the most
important explorers of creative music in Spain. He combines thorough knowledge of
the 20th century modern classical piano with free jazz improvisation in a unique and
powerful style. Joined here in a duet setting with Bailey, the results are very strong.
Both musicians are such intelligent listeners and confident performers. Quite often, less
confident players resort to compositions, gimmicks, overbearing experimentalism, or
overstated expressivity when confronted with the vast void of improvisation. None of those
can be found here. This is a highly concentrated burst of musical intelligence.

Comes with our highest recommendation for an absolutely first rate disc.

econstruction en petits bouts de piano et de guitare d’impressions barcelonaises,

R formes, flashes, ombres, couleurs, parfums, mouvements, perspectives. Fantasmes.

Rêves. Éblouissements rapides. Tout en stries speedées. Sous les stries, les
déplacements en ville, déambulations rapides, dévorantes. Claudications extasiées. Chamade
sans foi ni loi face à la beauté suffocante d’un lieu, d’une vie. Désordre de constellations
d’aiguilles aveuglantes. Fines plaies de lumière. Compliquées. Fines lames de nuit. En pelote,
amas dispersé par les émotions, le désordre du regard, des perceptions. La surabondance crue.

Pierre Hemptinne, Charleroi / Mons

xcessive intellectualism is one of the most common properties ascribed to completely

E improvised music like this. Especially if, as on this duo CD, it involves experienced
European virtuosi such as Spanish pianist Augustí Fernández and British guitarist and
elder statesman of the genre, Derek Bailey.

But, while the collective biographies of the two encompass experience in contemporary
classical music, dance band sounds, studio pop and most definitely jazz, a cozy duo session
like this one could be linked to an earlier tradition. Performing together in a Barcelona studio,
aren't Fernández and Bailey expressing themselves in a so-called folkloric way? Bringing
experience and mother wit into play as each deals with the other's techniques and inspirations,
they appear to be following early urban blues partnerships such as pianist Georgia Tom and
guitarist Tampa Red or pianist Leroy Carr and guitarist Scrapper Blackwell.

Obviously, unlike those 1930s sessions, there are no vocals here, and the selections last much
longer than a 78's three minute running time -- "Casa Leopoldo" alone is 23 minutes plus --
yet the excitement and honest sense of discovery is common. In contrast to today's neo-cons,
in fact, these so-called primitive bluesmen would probably not be shocked by the Europeans'
unorthodox methodology either. They evolved new ways if playing their instruments, just as
those involved in EuroImprov have.

On "Senyor Parellada," for instance, the pianist's ripe tremolos often suggest that he's creating
21st Century boogie-woogie, which Jelly Roll Morton said had to have "that Spanish tinge"
anyway. Meanwhile, Bailey's flat picking can be heard as an extension of Swing band
sounds. Percussive in his bass string forays, the guitarist uses minimal amplification and
tinctures of feedback to attenuate his ideas. Often preferring to stroke the portion of he strings
beneath the bridge and on the fretboard than the instrument's centre, he invites the pianist to
match tones, sending Fernández to use the piano's harp-like internal strings or produce an
atonal staccato keyboard gliss.

The 23-plus-minute centrepiece even finds Fernández, whose playing partners have included
saxophonist Evan Parker, bassist William Parker and drummer Susie Ibarra, aping player
piano tones. At times the keyboard sounds as if it's a harpsichord or a spinet, while Bailey
chugs along with banjo-like flailing. A bit too long, the piece resolves itself as the pianist leans
on the pedals to unleash a string symphony of smashes, wheezes and internal rumbling.
Elsewhere, though, on "7 Portes," for instance, constantarpeggios characterize Fernández's
touch as resounding fervor threatens to take over the entire sound space. Bailey's wavering
lines sometime make it appear that he's wielding a bottleneck guitar, until he produce ear-
splitting feedback as his side of the equation.

Then there's "Esterri," the fastest and shortest number on the disc. Bailey's unqualified rhythm
guitar strokes and the pianist's super staccato and super quick patterns amplified with the
sustain pedal, almost transform the two into country dance musicians. Powerful enough to
impel committed high steppers across a floor, a variation of the music could have been
produced by barrelhouse specialists 90 years ago whose steady cadence encouraged bushed
sawmill workers to shuffle along all night.

With empiricism, intelligence and technical proficiency, Bailey and Fernández have created a
highly functional set of music that in its context is as free, welcoming and understandable as
blues piano-guitar duets were in their time. It's certainly a disc that will be sought after by fans
of either of the two men, and interested others.

Ken Waxman,October 7, 2002

Note d'écoute 108 du dimanche 3 novembre 2002

G uitare et piano comme un seul instrument, complexe, hybride. On pourrait croire que
Bailey joue sur les cordes du piano. Ça se présente comme un musique évocatrice
d'un lieu (Barcelone). Comment procède-t-elle? Comment écrire sur cette tentative,
comment jauger par des mots ce travail d'évocation ?

Première perception, ça me fait penser à ces constructions en allumettes, grandioses,

reproduisant des bâtiments célèbres, historiques. Sauf qu'ici, il ne s'agit pas d'allumettes, mais
de petits traits sonores inflammables, mobiles, souples, sans aucune stabilité. Reconstruction
en petits bouts de piano et de guitare d'impressions barcelonaises, formes, flashs, ombres,
couleurs, parfums, mouvements, perspectives. Fantasmes. Rêves. Eblouissements rapides.
Tout en stries speedées. Sous les stries, les déplacements en ville, déambulations rapides,
dévorantes. Claudications extasiées. Cette chamade sans foi ni loi face à la beauté suffocante
d'un lieu, d'une vie. Désordre de constellations d'aiguilles aveuglantes. Fines plaies de lumière.
Compliquées. Fines lames de nuit. En pelote, amas dispersé par les émotions, le désordre du
regard, des perceptions. La surabondance crue.

Référence Médiathèque: UF2469

Référence commerciale: HOP 10

R ecorded on a Spanish sojourn by Bailey, these eight duets pair the guitarist with
mercurial Spanish pianist Agustí Fernández, a conversation between cool and heated
improvisational approaches that elicits some captivating music. Senyor Parellada, the
15-minute opener, is a dazzlingly vigorous display from the pianist, who often garnishes his
instrument’s strings with rattling preparations; Bailey sorts through the commotion with
unflappable efficiency, picking and choosing what to respond to as if he were weeding
through an overfull inbox. 7 Portes, by contrast, has an intriguingly restricted canvas, the
pianist working variations for almost nine minutes on the kind of hammy minor-key tremolo
that serves as bad-guy music in a western. The disc’s setpiece is Casa Leopoldo, a 23-minute
improvisation which opens with pachinko-parlour richochets from the interior of Fernández’s
piano, scrupulously annotated by Bailey. This quickly turns out to be a mere prelude to the
main business of the track: the volume drops and the players turn to skritchy restless-mice
sounds. Bailey goes about his business in characteristic don’t-mind-me fashion; Fernández
drags things around inside the piano, which every so often issues a small protest. The pianist
changes tack at the quarter-hour mark: now more Tilbury than Taylor, he uses the pedal to
suspend fine-boned lyric fragments in the air. As the piece pushes over the 20-minute mark
there’s no sign of entropy or flagging, but here as on other tracks Fernández shows a
preference for an emphatically marked ending, interpolating an explicit let’s-wrap-things-up
formula into the performance. Bailey doesn’t fight it but doesn’t quite go along with it either,
preferring instead simply to let the music come to a rest.

Nate Dorward, Coda, Sep/Oct 2003

uets of piano and Derek Bailey, the latter playing his usual abstract language on

D guitar. Fernandez counters with some tricks like prepared piano (sticking wood
blocks onto the strings), but also adds brief moments of tonality (recognizable
melody or chords!) which is an interesting contrast.

1- Fast
2- Slower, with scraping sounds
3- Fast
4- Dark. Starts fast, gets quiet and probing.
5- Dramatic rolling piano chords, kind of gimmicky
6- A dark mid/fast jumble, gets vicious towards the end

Craig Matsumoto. Reviewed 2003-06-22

Dijous 12 de maig

Derek Bailey: guitarra

Agustí Fernández: piano

Derek Bailey, guitarrista i pare de la música

improvisada europea, i Agustí Fernández,
pianista mallorquí a la divisó d'honor
internacional de la improvisació, es van creuar
ara fa quatre anys en una sessió que va donar
lloc al disc «Barcelona». Ara que Bailey viu a
la capital catalana, pianista i guitarrista es
troben per segona vegada. Un diàleg musical
d'alta volada i sense guió.
Agustí Fernández Website http://www.agustifernandez.com/prensa.html

agustí fernández
piano

Foto: David Airob

Agustí Fernández, piano solo

“Agustí Fernández es, sin duda, el más grande pianista free europeo actual”
Antoine Martin. Improjazz, diciembre 2002

“…Cuando el piano siguió sonando sin que lo tocase (cosas del electromagnetismo) el concierto adquirió una dimensión
casi fantástica. Fernández tiene un gran dominio del instrumento, de su acústica, de cómo responde a los micrófonos.
Su mérito es usar esos recursos en una clave muy musical, a ratos totalmente mágica, como en el hipnótico tramo final.
Sin buscar la ruptura con el pasado, su música encaja perfectamente en un presente musical donde los paisajes
sonoros ya son una realidad irreversible”
Roger Roca. El Periódico 30/6/06

“Desde la apuesta por el individuo en el romanticismo, llegamos a nuestros días a la perspectiva del improvisador,
aparentemente ajeno a toda necesaria forma, siempre en definitiva en su búsqueda, aunque sea sólo por una vez. El
pianista Agustí Fernández es uno de los músicos más caracterizados en este camino.. En esta ocasión ha propuesto
una obra que va desde unos trémolos marginales, casi preparatorios, generados a través de objetos colocados sobre
las cuerdas del piano, hasta unas secuencias muy atractivas generadas desde el teclado. Un diálogo en libertad con el
sonido, durante una hora... El final es un guiño a lo escolástico, en una acción constante y de gran sensibilidad”
Jorge de Persia. La Vanguardia 24/6/06

“Un flujo de energía continuo, transitando entre el minimalismo y el free-jazz, desembocó en pasajes de hondura
indescriptible, tras un arranque fastuoso de digitación gestual, una acrobática prestidigitación sonora para un concierto
memorable.”
Francisco Javier Aguirre. Heraldo de Aragón 7/11/05

“Agustí Fernández es un músico insobornable. A rajatabla. El resultado es el de una obra siempre abierta e imprevisible,
que parece empujada por una energía distintiva, ágil y sensible, con frecuencia desafiante y convulsa.”
Manuel I. Ferrand. ABC 26/6/04.

“A. Fernández es una de las personalidades más inquietas e interesantes del panorama musical barcelonés.
Moviéndose siempre en el resbaladizo campo de la improvisación, llámesele jazz o música contemporánea, el pianista
mallorquín se arriesga constantemente a la búsqueda de cosas nuevas y, lo más importante, es que suele encontrarlas.
La última aventura de Fernández fue su presentación en solitario en el ciclo de piano jazzístico organizado en el Lliure.
Agustí Fernández Website http://www.agustifernandez.com/prensa.html

Una aventura sencillamente fascinante.

...Fue un derroche de sensibilidad y emoción acompañado de una técnica impecable...Música con mayúsculas en
estado puro, sin concesiones pero con un punto de belleza turbador, servida en bandeja de plata por un pianista con la
capacidad todavía de sorprender y, sobre todo, de emocionar.”
Miquel Jurado. El País 16/2/04

“Todo un día. Desde el alba hasta la noche, el investigador musical y compositor Agustí Fernández experimentó
improvisando al piano el paso del tiempo, el discurrir sonoro de toda una jornada... No se trataba simplemente de un
concierto. Iba a ser toda una experiencia para los sentidos...Descubrió rincones y arrancó sonidos inimaginados del
alma, más que de la maquinaria, del piano. Fue pasando a lo largo de toda la jornada de los momentos más sutiles y
armoniosos a otros en los que parecía querer llevar a las notas hasta casi las mismas puertas del paroxismo sonoro.
Utilizó el teclado pero se metió también en el interior del instrumento. Golpeó, arañó o acarició las cuerdas del piano,
“modelando” la materia del tiempo a través del sonido, como él mismo propone... Ayer, Agustí Fernández vivió e hizo
vivir un irrepetible momento, un feliz intervalo de tiempo a través del sonido, un alargado presente que fue modelando a
su antojo, unido a su piano.”
Antoni F. Sandoval. La Vanguardia 7/9/03

Agustí Fernández, Barry Guy y Ramón López.

“Fue un placer ver al contrabajista Barry Guy desplegar su riquísimo lenguaje en un temario de formas tan sencillas y
tanta potencia emotiva. Al piano, Agustí Fernández, tocó en un registro tan austero, que viéndolo elegir cada nota,
parecía doloroso. Por el contrario, el batería Ramón López era todo exhuberancia, con explosiones rítmicas que
amplificaban el humor del piano. Estimulante de principio a fin, y a ratos, tan emotivo como las baladas que golpean
más fuerte”
Roger Roca, El periódico 5/7/05

Agustí Fernández Quartet (con Liba Villavecchia , David Mengual y Jo Krause)

“Ante un pianista tan descomunal como Agustí Fernández (sutilísimo, hercúleo, virtuoso, lírico, profundamente sinfónico
y siempre un acróbata arriesgando sobre la cuerda floja), ante un músico total de la enorme honradez, la decencia moral
y el compromiso estético de Agustí Fernández, uno, sea más oyente de jazz, de clásica o de cualquier género, pues en
todos podría sobresalir como un maestro absoluto, sólo puede sentir admiración, fascinación y un inmenso
agradecimiento.
Conciertazo de Agustí Fernández en cuarteto en el Teatro Central de Sevilla con un monográfico programa de homenaje,
yo diría que todo un profundo y delicado acto de declaración de amor a la música iconoclasta, rompedora y libre del
saxofonista Ornette Coleman, el padre del free-jazz y más llanamente y fuera de las estrictas y pasajeras etiquetas, del
mejor jazz de llama viva y actual.
Música de sutil delicadeza, de lirismo cantado sin retóricas ni énfasis – para mí, y teniendo tantas posibilidades
vistuosísticas, situarse en la linde justa de este límite es el gran mérito de Agustí Fernández, esa cualidad decente que
convierte a lo que hace en Música Verdadera-, música de humor, divertimento y parodia y de trallazo y descarga
eléctrica y atronadora…”
Juan María Rodriguez, El Mundo 4/2/05

“Fernández está acostumbrado a ir por delante de las corrientes establecidas. Del Jazz a la electroacústica, pasando
por el teatro, su faceta creativa no encuentra, por fortuna, acomodo en género o disciplina alguna.
Agustí Fernández, mente inquieta que camina con paso firme por los límites de la improvisación libre – la evolución del
cuerpo sonoro colectivo del free hacía la personalización del acto inventivo- ha realizado una revisión inaudita de un
repertorio extenso cronológicamente.”
Jesús Gonzalo, Diario de Sevilla 3/2/05

“...El nuevo proyecto del mallorquín Agustí Fernández es una maravilla y su puesta en escena, realmente perturbadora.
Fernández ha reunido esta vez un cuarteto con músicos residentes en Barcelona, lo que gracias al trabajo conjunto
continuado, ha posibilitado una compenetración total que se notó ya desde el primer tema.
.. el proyecto escogido ... se centra en la música de Ornette Coleman, padre del jazz contemporáneo y, sin lugar a
dudas, una de las dos o tres personalidades incontestables de la historia del jazz todavía en activo.
Fernández ha conseguido llegar hasta esa melodía y exponerla de forma cruda y bella que atenaza la atención del
oyente. Junto con Fernández, el saxofonista Liba Villavecchia, el contrabajista David Mengual y el batería Jo Krause se
mostraron tan implicados en el tema como volcánicos en sus prestaciones.
En resumen: una de las mejores propuestas que en cosas de jazz han circulado por un escenario barcelonés en
bastante tiempo..”
Miquel Jurado, El País 2/7/03

“ Lonely woman, ese primer homenaje (tienen preparados no menos de diez temas más, por ahora inéditos) que el
cuarteto de Fernández rinde a Ornette Coleman, no cae en esa rara veces bien resuelta dialéctica entre emoción e
intelectualismo que tanto lastra el vanguardismo-ya-clásico del pasado siglo. Hay de lo uno y de lo otro en proporciones
sensatamente defendibles. Los mimbres escogidos para esa epifanía pública del proyecto, que merecería oírse
ampliamente y, a poder ser, mas allá de nuestras fronteras,, son tan flexibles como Broken shadows, Mob job, Kathelin
Agustí Fernández Website http://www.agustifernandez.com/prensa.html

Gray, Lonely woman, Latin genetics (la emoción incorporada en clave humorística), Unknown artist, Happy house, What
reason, City living y Law years.
Su trenzado, en cuarteto, en dúo, en solo, exquisita artesanía con no pocos quiebros de inspiración y brillante
ejecución. Esta vez, con Ornette Coleman en la mente y el atril, la cosa muestra redondez y promete, Monk mediante,
esfericidad. Cumplimientos.”
Mingus B. Formentor, La Vanguardia 29/6/03

“Agustí Fernández desgranó el viernes y el sábado.....un sincero homenaje a la música de Ornette Coleman al frente de
un cuarteto cuya continuidad sería una buena noticia para la escena barcelonesa.
...Fernández y su cuarteto ofrecieron una respetuosa relectura de la música de Coleman. Había partituras de todas las
épocas, pero el tono planteado tendía a buscar un sonido clásico, limpio, lejos de la armolodía defendida por el saxo
alto en sus últimos discos y textos teóricos.
.....Concierto sutil, de cámara: Coleman tratado como un clásico, con Fernández anunciando una por una sus obras, a
menudo nacidas en contextos mayores. Broken shadows, What reason could I give, Mob job, Unknown artist --un solo
de Liba Villavecchia al tenor más tierno que el original-, Latin genetics, City living... Ornette Coleman como si fuera
Beethoven, digamos. Por qué no”
Joan Antón Cararach, El Periódico 30/6/03

Trio Local
El Trío Local fue fundado por Agustí Fernández (piano), Joan Saura (sampler) y Liba Villavecchia (saxos tenor y
soprano) en Marzo de 1998. Los tres tenían una considerable experiencia en la improvisación y decidieron unirse en un
proyecto estable El principal objetivo de este trío es investigar y experimentar con las muchas posibilidades musicales
de la improvisación moderna y contemporánea, y mezclar el sonido de los tres distintos instrumentos en una voz única
y común. Al mismo tiempo quieren ofrecer a la audiencia española una estética y sonoridad muy raras veces
escuchadas hasta el momento en su país, alineándose con los últimos fundamentos y métodos de grupos similares en
Europa. Aunque el campo principal para su creación es la llamada "música improvisada", tienen un sonido distintivo y un
original acercamiento a la improvisación que proporciona al trío un sonido general muy claramente definido que algunos
críticos han llamado "la voz mediterránea del mundo de la improvisación".
Miquel Jurado, El País

Invocacions (Andrés Corchero , Agustí Fernández y Miguel Poveda)

“Agustí Fernández acaricia el piano de forma enternecedoramente lírica, como si meciera una nana y temiera
sobresaltar al bailarín.”
Joaquim Noguero, La Vanguardia 4/6/05

Agustí Fernández – Andrés Corchero

“En una vigorosa demostración de poderío pianístico, Agustí Fernández aunó a su descomunal despliegue energético el
magnetismo de una fuerza telúrica capaz de mover al trance. Estuvo sencillamente majestuoso... Bailarín y pianista
brindaron un acto único e irrepetible, cuyo hechizo se prolongó hasta el bis envuelto en aires de pasodoble. Faena
grande la suya..”
Karles Torra, La Vanguardia 27/1/99

Slow (Agustí Fernández, David Mengual, David Xirgu y Dani Domínguez).

“Para mí Agustí Fernández es un continuador de la línea de los Mompou, Blancafort y Monsalvatge, siempre desde una
decidida apuesta por la vanguardia, por una subversión que el pianista traslada a su manera de ser, de entender la
existencia, ligada de manera indisociable al arte libertario que practica..”
David Castillo, Avui, 7/8/05.

“Es decir, Agustí Fernández sigue remando a contracorriente, pero en casi todos los puertos en los que se detiene deja
algo que vale la pena oír y que, además, invita a la reflexión.”
Miquel Jurado, El País 25/2/05

Agustí Fernández / Derek Bailey

“Dos músicos poniendo en sintonía el impulso creativo en el grado de libertad máxima. Por un lado, Derek Bailey,
pionero de la improvisación diletante aplicada a la guitarra, y por otro Agustí Fernández, pianista y compositor, máximo
exponente de la libre creación en nuestra casa que acaba de grabar con otro de los gurús del ramo de la improvisación,
Evan Parker, su segundo disco para el prestigioso sello de ECM...Todo es misterioso y extraño, evocativo e
impresionante. Aparentemente, no hay estructura melódica ni rítmica que marque una pauta. Pero sí que existe un
vínculo armónico que nos permite introducirnos en un universo desde donde se plantea todo un desafío a las
estructuras establecidas.
Pere Pons, 12/5/05 Avui.

Evan Parker Electro – Acoustic Ensemble

“...The energy level is obvious from the outset, with Parker unleashing one of his characteristic cyclical breathing
Agustí Fernández Website http://www.agustifernandez.com/prensa.html

soprano solos. This is instantly pounced upon and transformed in tone into something ethereal yet still recognisably
Parker in content. This will be a common leitmotif throughout the piece, as each core musician contributes to the
collective with a display of extraordinary virtuosity. Barry Guy and Agustí Fernández shoul be given special mention
here..”
John Cratchley, The Wire 2002

Novecento, el pianista de l’oceà

“...un recital de luminosos fragmentos pianísticos a cargo de Agustí Fernández, un superdotado en la improvisación y
un virtuoso en la ejecución.”
Joan Antón Benach, La Vanguardia 3/2/01

Agustí Fernández, William Parker y Susie Ibarra

“..En pleno vértigo creativo, los temas sonaban asombrosamente bien ligados. De la multilateralidad de los discursos
nacía una corriente unitaria. Ya fuera en la opulencia del virtuosismo o en la reducción radical, el trío se expresaba con
un gran sentido colectivo. Había una fuerte química entre los músicos, una intuición casi telepática y un montón de
ideas coincidentes. Con una técnica deslumbrante y una aproximación de lo más original a los instrumentos, Agustí
Fernández, William Parker y Susie Ibarra completaron una sesión de free jazz fecunda como pocas, y que hizo levantar
al público de sus asientos para hincharse a aplaudir.”
Karles Torra, La Vanguardia 23/7/98

“Agustí Fernández, por su parte, se zambulló en aguas pantanosas y prospectivas con la improvisación por bandera. El
pianista mallorquín, amparado por el trabajo inventivo y seductor de Parker e Ibarra, se lanzó una vez tras otra al
vacío, un triple salto mortal sin red con resultados sorprendentes y reconfortantes”
Miquel Jurado, El País 20/7/98

“El pianista Agustí Fernández, practica una música que es pura abstracción; en realidad, si a algo se parece uno de
sus conciertos es a un volcán en plena actividad: los sonidos se expanden con la misma mezcla de azar, inexorabilidad
y violencia con que se desparrama el magma por la ladera. El pianista balear practica el género de la improvisación
pura; es de los pocos que lo hacen en España, al menos con una dedicación tan intensa, tan insobornable. Sin
patrones previos, sin esquemas armónicos, sin la necesidad de motivos melódicos reconocibles ni de ritmos
recurrentes...Los tres, desde la combinación de piano, saxo y percusiones, deciden deslumbrar, y deslumbran, con sus
prácticas de alto virtuosismo, de una velocidad vertiginosa y de una interacción que por momentos –sólo por momentos-
parece telepática... Un concierto ciertamente agotador.
Manuel Ferrand, ABC 28/11/97

Agustí Fernández / Evan Parker

“Avanzar, tender puentes, eludir fronteras, a través de una continua invención de nuevos paisajes: ese es el motor que
ruge en Evan Parker y Agustí Fernández. Lo que hace que el barbado británico con su saxo sólo tiene un calificativo:
extraordinario. A partir de un asombroso dominio de la lengua y de la respiración logra multiplicar las dimensiones
sonoras de su instrumento, que puede llegar a sonar como una orquesta. Fernández por su parte, ataca el piano por
tierra, mar y aire. Su relación con el instrumento es física y sensual, ya sea pulsando las teclas, rasgueando las
cuerdas o administrando las resonancias a golpe de pedal. No siendo nada fácil tocar junto a Parker, toda una
celebridad inglesa con un currículo que asusta, Fernández acreditó una preparación técnica exigente y una imaginación
abrumadora. El entendimiento y la fluidez que hubo entre ambos causaron pasmo.”
Karles Torra, La Vanguardia 22/7/96

Agustí Fernández / Mattew Ship

“... Dos pianistas tan cercanos como divergentes que sumando sus esfuerzos podían ofrecer grandes sorpresas. Y así
fue...En total 80 minutos de música intensa con la improvisación como arma de combate, pero sin caer nunca en los
habituales callejones sin salida de este tipo de encuentros, más bien al contrario: música tan densa como abierta, llena
de sensaciones y con una inteligente alternancia tensión-relax. Sin duda alguna: uno de los mejores conciertos de
Agustí Fernández en mucho tiempo y una idónea presentación de Matthew Ship en Barcelona.”
Miquel Jurado, el País 10/7/98

Agustí Fernández / Marilyn Crispell

“Música musculosa y energética, pero con un cierto lirismo escondido que aflora de tanto en tanto…Ambos pianistas
partieron esa noche del concepto de cataclismo de Cecil Taylor para explorar paisajes mucho más personales,
marcados siempre por la alternancia tensión y relax, y por los inapelables excesos de técnica y fuerza física
necesarios para afrontar músicas como ésta. Los resultados fueron más allá de cualquier expectativa. Una aventura
más que positiva”
Miquel Jurado. El País, 25/11/95

“Los pianos gemían, gritaban, lloraban a moco tendido y se regocijaban desde el fondo de sus entrañas, como
queriendo poner de relieve la relación fundamental que existe entre música y vida. Incluso llegó a parecer, a veces, que
Agustí Fernández Website http://www.agustifernandez.com/prensa.html

era el propio corazón de la tierra quien se manifestaba por intermediación de ambos pianistas…Durante los sesenta
minutos de cabalgada juntos, toda una gozada que transcurrió en un soplo, estos dos pedazos de artista rayaron a la
altura del pensamiento de Cecil Taylor, tal vez la sólita premisa que a priori alumbraba el espíritu del concierto: Los
grandes artistas, más que embarcarse en una disciplina, lo que hacen es entender lo que es el amor y permitir que el
amor tome forma. Y esto es lo que hubo ni más ni menos.”
Karles Torra, La Vanguardia, 2/12/95

Agustí Fernández, Danilo Terenzi, Wolfgang Mitterer y Wolfgang Reisinger.

“Rica en ideas, intelectualmente rigurosa, y ejecutada con una pulsación apasionada que recuerda al mejor Cecil Taylor,
la música de Fernández penetra con facilidad hasta las profundidades del corazón. Hay talentos universales, y el suyo
lo es. “
Karles Torra, La Vanguardia 4/11/90

Agustí Fernández / Walter Hus

“Así, pues, una de las más agradables sorpresas del Festival ha sido la actuación de Agustí Fernández y Walter Hus a
base de música propia escrita para esta edición del Grec…Imaginación, originalidad, convicción, variedad a pesar de
alguna lógica reiteración, son características aplicables a este trabajo que debe estimular a sus autores en sus
respectivos caminos creativos con la garantía de poseer el don de la comunicación.”
Bailey - Fernández: Barcelona - La Anécdota || A Chaminera de Casa... http://www.tomajazz.com/chaminera/bailey_fernandez_barcelona-ane...

www.tomajazz.com | A CHAMINERA DE CASA

La referencia 10 de Hopscotch Records corresponde a “Barcelona” disco firmado por Derek Bailey y Agustí Fernandez.

Seis temas grabados en el otoño del dos mil uno. Uno de los muchos discos del guitarrista británico y otro de los hitos que
se iban sumando al currículum del pianista mallorquín afincado en Barcelona.

Un disco recomendable. Pero también un disco con anécdota.

El disco se puso en circulación con un evidente error tipográfico en la portada. El apellido de Agustí, que aparecía en
primer termino, se había transformado en Fern·nandez. ¡Y sólo había que dar la vuelta al disco y ver la contra!

Rápidamente se retiró del mercado el disco poniéndose de nuevo en circulación con la portada corregida. Agustí, que
pasaba a la segunda línea, recuperaba su apellido (incluído acento) pero la contra seguía plagada de errores en letra
pequeña.

jesusmoreno
© Jesús Moreno, Tomajazz, 2005
2001, BIDS, Incus CD52 (UK) (CD) (released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Susie Ibarra : percussion

1- No Dark 17.37
2- Shine 07.37
3- Midnight White 25.42
4- Lighter 05.10
5- Day Without End 08.08

Recorded Kongsberg, Norway 2001

Recording : Thomas Hukkelberg

Post Production : Toby Hrycek-Robinson

Design : Karen Brookman

T he first time I saw Derek Bailey play guitar he reminded me of John Lee Hooker. Of
course he doesn't sound anything like John Lee Hooker. Or perhaps he does, if you
removed all of the tunes and all of the rhythm and all of the structure.

He leaves the listener in a uneasy limbo with no familiar musical landmarks and then
punctuates it with brutal climaxes. Then he plays with a singular violence, torturing the thing,
as for example at the end of "Midnight White" here. He scratches and scribbles all over it
adding feedback to release the tension build up in the preceding twenty four minutes. It's raw
and compelling. I always start to nod my head in rhythm at certain points, even though there is
none.

He usually works well in duos with drummers or percussionists, since he often plays the
guitar like a drum. Here his partner is Susie Ibarra who plays a full kit with a lot of shuffling
and banging, and also accentuates the atmosphere of menace with soft cymbal rides and
rumbles. On "Day Without End" he lets her chatter while adding his trademark weird
harmonics that sound like he's playing backwards, then adds some more scrabbling and
backwards feedback.

Bailey has grasped the essence of the guitar and pursued it obsessively for thirty years: its a
nasty, noise-making machine. This album, recorded at a Festival in Norway is probably the
closest he's ever come to stadium rock. There's more feedback and more drama than usual,
some moments that are almost lyrical ("Shine"), some sudden lurches in volume, as well as
some rambling passages where nothing much seems to happen.

How does it make me feel? Tense. Then excited.

Nick Reynolds

Susie Ibarra
2001, INCUS TAPS, organ of Corti 10. (LP) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, voice

1- Tap 1a 08.34
2- Tap 1b 02.25
3- Tap 2 a-b 03.49
4- Tap 2c 02.33
5- Tap 2d 03.39
6- Tap 3a 05.17
7- Tap 3b 06.37
8- Tap 4 a-b 04.07
9- Tap 4c 04.38
voice track [unacknowledged in CD booklet] 08.34

Recorded Spring 1973, except final track (no details), recorded by Bob Woolford and Martin
Davidson.

Improvisation 102, Improvisation 103 and Improvisation 105 were originally released
separately on reel-to-reel tapes, in individual boxes by Incus; the origin of Improvisation 104
as a reel-to -reel tape is less sure and, in fact Improvisation 104b has appeared on Lot 74.

Re-release as 220 Gram Vinyl. DMM Quality Pressing. Limited Edition. Corti 10 LP.
 Tap 4c
Bonus Voice Track

Nothing could give me ... any greater pleasure ...

than ...
um ...
it's not often ...
that I feel that it's necessary to uh ...
[big inhale] ...
I mean occasionally one does want ...
to uh ...
to express something ...
but it's not, I mean apart from the fact that the opportunity doesn't always ...
offer itself ...
well ...
that's not uh ...
let's not beat about the bush, sometimes you can't think of what to say ...
ah ...
but there are ...
there are occasions ...
when it's not as difficult as other times and ...
the flow of words ...
and this I feel, is an opportunity that I would like to ...
well ...
let me express myself in ...
I don't see why it should be a lengthy ...
a lengthy or ...
verbose ...
uh ...
explanation ...
I think I mean if I could just ...
come to the point ...
exactly what I--PRECISELY ...
2001, 15 AUGUST 2001, sound 323 mini-CD (UK) (limited edition CD)
(released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : acoustis guitar

Simon H.Fell : double bass

1- 09.26
2- 11.57

Recorded live at Sound 323, 15th August 2001.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

To celebrate our second birthday in November 2002, Sound 323 launches it's own
independent record label.

Each release will be feature live recordings taken at our in-store concert series and
will be made available in mini-CD format, containing around twenty minutes of music.

Limited edition of 300.

D erek Bailey and Simon Fell's 15 August 2001 (sound 323[1]) is the first in a free
improv series, in limited editions of only 300 copies, recorded in the tiny basement of
the Sound 323 record shop in North London and released to commemorate the
shop's second birthday.
 ver 20 minutes, with two tracks culled from a 40 minute gig, bassist Fell and guitarist

O Bailey goad each other into some of the most impassioned playing I've heard from
either artist. Fell is known as a composer who creates structures for improvising
ensembles, but this playing is completely free. You can safely say it's not guitar plus rhythm.
The gig was particularly spontaneous in being a last-minute arrangement - Fell's original
partner pulled out. The venue seats 25 people, and the domestic soundproofing - thick pile
carpet up the walls - deadens the rumble of arterial traffic. But the results are surprisingly
good, and there isn't that sense of just 'recording the room'. The opening is explosive, with
sonic shards and fragments flying across the sound stage, the two instruments at times
indistinguishable in the sound mass. The later part of the track yields some respite, with arco
bass and gentle atonal guitar lines - 'insect music' maybe - but the overall tenor is muscular
and intense. The antagonists show no signs of flagging in their search for new instrumental
sonorities - at one point I could have sworn there was a dog yelping in there. The result could
become quite a collector's item, since according to a mole in the set-up, there's no chance of
Sound 323 running another 300 copies. This shrewd boutique operation aims to maximise the
limited market for free improvisation; by keeping the run very low, it should sell quickly
without impeding sales of the artist' other discs. Aesthetically, it's a delightfully minimal little
product ... it might be a good idea to get yours soon.

Andy Hamilton, The Wire, November 2002

Derek Bailey & Simon H. Fell at live at Sound 323, 15th August 2001
*

At 05:13 PM 11/4/02 -0500, you wrote:

>Doesn't that make four currently available with a fifth in the works? Or did I miss one
somewhere... the website's not always exceptionally clear... anyway, thanks for the news! I
love the first two. There's also a brand-new 3" CD, '15 August 2001,' that pairs Derek with
Simon Fell for about 21 minutes of sonic scribble bliss. It's on Mark Wastell's new label,
Sound323. It's limited to 300 copies and I've heard that the label might already be out of them,
but folks on Jon Abbey's distribution list can still get it from him, perhaps... anyway, go to
www.sound323.com and ask 'em yourself.

>Steve Smith
>ssmith36@sprynet.com

HISTORY OF SOUND 323 IN-STORE CONCERTS

I n-store concerts took place two or three times a month between saturday 3rd february
2001 and saturday 2 april 2005, starting at 3pm and usually running for forty-five
minutes. the basement performance area held no more than twenty-five people, so the
environment was intimate and relaxed. all proceeds were paid direct to the musicians.

15th September 2001

derek bailey in performance at sound 323

Still video image by David Reid

From avi
deo recorded li
veatS
ound 323
August2001
2001, EPIPHANY, Incus CD 42-43 (2 CD) (re-issue)

Ursula Oppens : piano

Fred Frith : guitar, live electronics, percussion
George Lewis : trombone
Akio Suzuki : glass harmonica, analapos, spring gong, kikkokikiriki
Julie Tippetts : acoustic guitar, voice, flute
Moto Yoshizawa : bass
Anne Le Baron : harp
Keith Tippett : piano
Phil Wachsmann : violin, electronics
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Incus CD42 :
1. Epiphany, a continuous piece on which all the musicians play 48.11

Incus CD43 :
Ephiphanies, shorter pieces played by smaller groupings of the same musicians

1. First: Ursula Oppens,Moto Yoshizawa 15.12

2. Second: Julie Tippetts, Phil Wachsmann, Derek Bailey 08.05
3. Third: Fred Frith, George Lewis, Akio Suzuki, Moto Yoshizawa, Derek Bailey 10.45
4. Fourth: (sextet) Anne Le Baron, Keith Tippett, Phil Wachsmann,
Moto Yoshizawa, Akio Suzuki, Ursula Oppens 08.50
5. Fifth: Phil Wachsmann, Keith Tippett, George Lewis,
Anne Le Baron, Ursula Oppens, Akio Suzuki, Julie Tippetts 06.20
6. Sixth: Moto Yoshizawa, Akio Suzuki, Derek Bailey 18.26
Recorded at the ICA, London between June 29 and July 3 1982.

Production by Derek Bailey and Evan Parker.

Cover design and typography by Karen Brookman.

Originally issued on LP as Incus 46/47.

y this time I had begun to find it useful to invite people who were not primarily,

B sometimes not at all, involved in improvisation to join us in our improvising. So, for
Company Week in 1982, we were ten musicians most of whom had never previously
met and some of whom had not previously improvised. It turned out to be a week of fine
music-making, exceptional in it's openess, it's constructiveness, in it's atmosphere of inquiry
and in it's goodwill.

Q uite simply, Company produced some of the most stimulating improvised music you
will ever hear. These recordings date from the Company Week held in June and July
1982. Having begun in 1976, by 1982 this annual improvisation festival was an
established (and eagerly awaited) part of the calendar (even if the venue and time of year were
unpredictable). Typically, Derek Bailey was looking beyond the cosy [his word] group of
tried-and-trusted improvisers and was inviting musicians to Company Week who were not
necessarily improvisers or who came from very different traditions. So where the 1977
Company had featured improv “stars” like Leo Smith, Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton and
Evan Parker, the 1982 line-up shuffled the pack, with well-known improv names like Keith
Tippett, Fred Frith and George Lewis being joined by concert pianist Ursula Oppens and
composer & harpist Anne LeBaron. By 1982, Bailey was playing regulary in Japan and had
established links, so he also invited Motoharu Yoshizawa on bass and Akio Suzuki on
assorted instruments like glass harmonica. Such variety and eclecticism became a regular
feature of later Company Week line-ups.

The music on the two CDs is typical of Company. One CD features a long improvisation on
which all the musicians play. The second contains shorter pieces by various sub-groupings.
The personnel of such sub-groupings was decided just before the players went on stage, with
no prior indication of what they might be. Would it be a duo between Oppens and Yoshizawa?
Or a quintet with Bailey, Frith, Lewis, Tippett and Suzuki? It was this unpredictability – for the
players and the audiences – that made Company Weeks so exciting and stimulating. No-one
had any advance idea of the size of a group or of its instrumentation or personnel. Even for
experienced improvisers, this lent a cutting edge to these events. Live, some combinations
gelled and soared while others could fall flat or be rather dull. (But would it be exciting to
watch tight rope walking if no-one ever fell off?) On record, only the best bits survive. The
results are as varied as the personnel, but always (always!) worth listening to.

A decade ago, unpredictable as ever, Bailey stopped convening Company Week. Releases like
this are a reminder of how much it is missed.

John Eyles
2001, CLOSE TO THE KITCHEN, Blue Chopsticks 06 (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Noël Akchoté : guitar

1- Pas la montagne! 05.45

2- Dans distribution il y a distribuer 07.50
3- Ankara-Boulogne 10.00
4- Impossible n'est pas Français 16.00
5- ça s'aime, (society of authors and...) 04.00
6- Toi et moi 03.30

Recorded on 29 August 1996 at Falconer Studios, London.

A
n outstanding example of pure guitar extemporization, this European dust up is a
cross-generational, cross-cultural tryst as well. On one side there's British improv
elder statesman, Derek Bailey (born 1930), who practically invented the U.K. variant
of free music and who continues to work with nearly every player with whom he crosses
paths. In the other corner is young French guitarist Noël Akchoté (born 1968), influenced by
noise bands and rockers as well a free music and who has honed his improv chops with
musicians as different as Americans, saxophonist Tim Berne and trombonist George Lewis
and fellow Gauls drummer Daniel Humair, reedist Louis Sclavis and bassist Joëlle Léandre.
Known for his POMO band The Recyclers, Akchoté also writes for film and run the
Rectangle record label, on which this session first appeared on LP in 1996.

Despite the nearly 40 year difference in their ages, there's no sense of a master-disciple
relationship here; with Bailey there rarely is. Instead the older man gives as good as he gets on
these six tracks recorded in a London studio. In truth, with Bailey's experiments having
influenced the entire guitar world, there are times when his playing and Akchoté's sound eerily
similar. On "Impossible n'est pas Français," for instance, the two spend time throwing
phrases, notes and finally little string scratches back and forth to make their points. If the
younger guitarist creates a little melody of buzzes, then Bailey responds with what appear to
be bass string burps and string fanfares. However, it's very likely that the feedback specialist
on some of the tunes is Akchoté, the child of rock's excesses. Most of the time though, you
get a mental image of the two doing an aural Louis Prima and Keely Smith act. Bailey as
Smith, plows along, head down, cycling through a series of tiny plectrum strokes,
painstakingly constructing solos. Akchoté on the other hand is Prima, hyperactively, though
metaphorically leaping around, countering the older guitarist's meticulous journey with
spooky horror-movie style passages, and accelerated strums that could be introducing Led
Zepplin's "Whole Lotta Love."

Bailey remains unflappable throughout, mostly concentrating on creating ghostly, echoing

intonation. However, at intervals to counter Akchoté's fluttering bird cries or what sound like
space satellite signals, he'll slowly introduce straight bass guitar comping or bell-like notes or
slowly bang the instrument's side with his hand. Earlier, at the beginning of "Ankara-
Boulogne" both appear to be having a great time launching bursts of metallic notes into the
atmosphere, before settling down to some whistling lines and wire scratchings. You could call
it energy music of unfamiliar gestures. Although his play-with-anyone ethos has meant that
Bailey has produced some missteps, this masterful disc isn't one of them. Having it available
on CD as well, means that more than just the cognoscenti can hear it. Listen yourself to see
how two men who could literally be grandfather and grandson can, congruent to a food
preparation area, create beautiful improv.

Ken Waxman

T his album was first released in a limited-edition LP by the French label Rectangle in
1996. The Chicago-based Blue Chopsticks re-issued it on CD in the summer of 2001
and we should thank this company. Derek Bailey records often with very different
people, but this session stands out as one of his best from the second half of the '90s. At the
time of this recording, in August 1996, Noël Akchoté was still part of Benoît Delbecq's group
the Recyclers. His guitar technique had developed into a highly personal idiom. The two
guitarists met in a studio and performed some of their best music. Bailey plays unusually
relaxed, using silence and texture in a way rarely heard from him. Akchoté alternates between
delicate plucking on prepared guitar and frenetic playing lying somewhere between René
Lussier, Thurston Moore, and Bailey. Both use only electric guitars, although sometimes they
play them unplugged (as in "Toi et Moi"). The opener, "Pas la Montagne!," is so energy-
packed it gets scary. Each one of the six tracks is a lesson in active listening and improvising
outside of the clichés. Close to the Kitchen went by rather unnoticed on its first release -- grab
this second chance, you won't regret it. In Akchoté's discography, this one is a must-have; by
Bailey's standards, it is still a remarkable album.

François Couture, All Music Guide

elcome once again to the kaleidoscope of scrapes and soundings that was, is, and

W still could be the electric guitar. Close to the Kitchen is forty-seven minutes of
thrust-and-parry string abuse and obstinate, simultaneous guitar glossolalia with
the occasional breathtaking view -- the dazzling spaces created by an open string. Much of it
registers as a blur. A rapid-fire series of perfect -- perfectly strange -- punctuation. Close to
the Kitchen is crackling, volatile improvisation -- an energy music of unfamiliar, not-to-be-
repeated gestures."

uets between master improvising guitarists Noël Akchoté and Derek Bailey,

D originally on the very limited 12" LP Rectangle REC F not so long ago, are now re-
issued on Drag City's improv imprint. I'm sort of ticked off because I have my copy
autographed and it sounds swell and, as a collector, I love having rare stuff, but better I share
my riches with the world, so here's your very own copy. Bailey does his pointillistic, vertical
(nonlinear; nonmelodic) playing and Akchoté is a fine foil and prodder, with his own
multitude of textures, volumes and styles. I also recommend Akchoté's Lust Corner (Winter
and Winter) with Ribot, and Au Bordel, one of W+W's theme productions, placing Akchoté
in a breezy, sleazy French cabaret milieu. Harder to find but worth it is Akchoté's 1997 collab
with Mark Sanders, Evan Parker and Paul Rogers on Siesta Records, Somewhere Bi-lingual.

T he quality key for Derek Bailey's hundreds or so of yearly releases, many of which
are duos like this one, is basically the pricklier the better. The degree to which the
guitar sounds like little mice eating sheet metal in fast forward and not like an old man
playing guitar is more often than not and indication of whether each record is worth your time.
Close To The Kitchen, a series of improvised duets with the young(er) guitarist Noel Akchote,
makes the grade by circumventing the textural monotony that so often sinks guit-duo or -
ensemble records with lots of audacious picking techniques, string preparations, feedback,
etc.; pretty common tools, but those which here achieve full backflipping potential as they're
tossed back and forth. The two men are separated into stereo channels, so you can see how
each one acts: Bailey speaks in his patented language of strangulated harmonics and rapid fire
chord stops, a style that Akchote is clearly well versed in and is therefore able to throw back at
the master in question form. Noel's playing is the more colorful of the two, partially because
of a wider range of embellishments (refreshingly stock techniques such as wah, distortion, etc.
are used here to achieve refreshingly un-stock ends), but also in evidence is a reflexive
keenness and imagination that gimmickry can never simulate. Frequent rackets are raised,
contrasted by detuned slack string haze and insect speak. This is like DB's collabo with Pat
Methany except a lot better, and that one was pretty good.

DD
2001, SOSHIN, Ambiances Magnétiques AM 113 (Canada) (CD)
(released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : guitar (tracks 4, 6)

Antoine Berthiaume : guitar (all tracks)
Fred Frith : guitar (tracks 2, 3, 5)

1. Soshin 07.33
2. Morning froth 09.57
3. Indicateur d'assiette 18.40
4. Afternoon tea 07.50
5. Wolf's wood 09.32
6. Aquathèque 04.51

Tracks 4 and 6 were recorded in August 2001 at Derek Bailey's home, London; other tracks
recorded at Studio 270 from December 2002 to March 2003.

Front cover, "Artificial light", an installation by Hal Ingberg at Centre Canadien d'Architecture,
Montéal, October 2002-June 2003; photograph by the artist.

A ntoine Berthiaume, guitariste improvisateur et compositeur s’illustrant sur la scène

du jazz et de la musique actuelle, est né à Montréal en 1977. Après avoir étudié à
Montréal avec Neil Smolar et Benoît Charest, à Toronto avec Lorne Lofsky, à New
York avec Mordy Ferber et le saxo Dave Binney ainsi qu’avec le pianiste Charlie Banacos, il a
entamé depuis janvier 2003 une maîtrise en composition contemporaine à l’Université de
Montréal sous la direction de Denis Gougeon.

Pour son premier disque «Soshin», sur Ambiances Magnétiques, Berthiaume propose des
pièces en duos avec Fred Frith et Derek Bailey qui font suite à une démarche d’exploration
des différents domaines de l’improvisation et des mille et une facettes de la guitare. Une
première rencontre à Londres en février 2001 avec Bailey lui ouvre les portes vers une
nouvelle conception de l’improvisation et lui fait découvrir une scène musicale d’une
ouverture et d’une diversité incroyable. Lors d’un second voyage à Londres en Août 2001, il
enregistre avec Bailey et se produit en solo lors d’un «Instant Music Meeting» organisé par
Paul Hood, par le biais du London Musicians’ Collective. Ce n’est que huit mois plus tard
que Derek Bailey et Antoine Berthiaume entreprennent parallèlement de rendre publique la
session. Une partie le sera sur Incus (label fondé en 1970 par Bailey et Evan Parker) sur une
compilation de Bailey, «Visitors Book», et la seconde sur «Soshin» via Ambiances
Magnétiques. C’est ensuite à Montréal, lors d’une visite de Frith qu’une session
d’enregistrement aura lieu, au Studio 270 avec Bernard Grenon.

Tantôt bruitiste, tantôt folklorique, «Soshin» est un «meeting of the masters», un pèlerinage à
la rencontre des réinventeurs de l’improvisation où Berthiaume s’imprègne de la prestance de
deux grands guitaristes.

onversations with two masters of modern guitar. This recording brings a pilgrimage

C that is sourced from two of improvisation innovators, in which young guitarist

Antoine Berthiaume uncovers many assets. Derek Bailey: guitare, Antoine
Berthiaume: guitare, Fred Frith: guitare.

G
uitarist, composer and improviser on the modern jazz scene, Antoine Berthiaume was
born in Montreal in 1977. Berthiaume has studied with a vast array of teachers: at
home with Neil Smolar and Beno”t Charest, in Toronto with Lorne Lofsky and in
New York with Mordy Ferber, saxophonist Dave Binney and pianist Charlie Banacos. He is
pursuing a Masters degree in contemporary composition at the Universit* de Montr*al, under
the supervision of Denis Gougeon.

On his first disc, "Soshin," on Ambiances Magnétiques, Antoine Berthiaume’s duos with
Fred Frith and Derek Bailey continue his exploration of the full range of improvisation and
the thousand-and-one facets of the guitar. A first meeting with Bailey, in London in February
2001, opened the doors to a new conception of improvisation and allowed him to discover a
musical scene that was incredibly diverse and open. During a second trip to London, in
August 2001, he recorded with Bailey and appeared in a solo performance at an Instant Music
Meeting show organised by Paul Hood through the London Musicians’ Collective. Eight
months later, Bailey and Berthiaume would release their session concurrently: part of it on
Bailey's compilation, "Visitors Book," (on Incus, a label Bailey and Evan Parker founded in
1970), and part on "Soshin" (on the Ambiances Magnetiques label). Then it was back to
Montreal, where a visit by Frith was the occasion for a recording session with Bernard
Grenon at Studio 270.

By turns bruitiste and traditional, Soshin is a meeting of the masters, a pilgrimage to the abode
of the reinventors of improvisation in which Berthiaume is imbued with the presence of two
great guitarists.

Z
elden zo'n emotionele impact ervaren bij het begin van een cd als bij de
aanvangsakkoorden van het Derek Bailey-achtige titelnummer ‘Soshin' van het
gelijknamige album op Ambiances Magnétiques , een serie improvisatieduo's tussen
de meestergitaristen Derek Bailey en Fred Frith en de jonge Canadese snarenvirtuoos Antoine
Berthiaume . Het is echter niet Bailey maar wel degelijk Berthiaume die hier op zijn ééntje de
snaren beroert. ‘Morning Froth' daarentegen is een nagenoeg perfecte wisselwerking tussen
Berthiaume en Frith. Het tomeloos experimentele ‘Indicateur d'Assiette' wordt middendoor
gekliefd door één van die typische gitaarsolo's van Frith. Op ‘Afternoon Tea' spelen de
hoekige klanken van Bailey opnieuw de hoofdrol. De legendarische zestiger tast zijn ziel en
die van anderen af terwijl hij schijnbaar achteloos maar uiterst behoedzaam noten uit de ether
plukt. Op ‘Wolf's Wood' introduceren Frith en Berthiaume een verhalend element. Een stel
boswachters maken zich klaar om een woud om te hakken. Maar het is een wolf, die met wijd
opengesperde en hijgende muil op de loop is voor een bende jagers en in de maneschijn zijn
leed uithuilt. Heerlijk toeven is het in ‘Aquathèque', een fijnmazig netwerk van losse
gitaarreflecties, zo uit de klankkast van het hart opgediept.

Paul Wullen Urban Mag, Belgique

(translation follows)

arely experienced such an emotional impact as during the opening chords of the

R "Derek Bailey-ish" title song 'Soshin' from the Ambiances Magnétiques album: a
series of improvisation duo's between master guitarists Derek Bailey and Fred Frith
and the young Canadian guitar virtuoso Antoine Berthiaume. Here it's actually not Bailey but
Berthiaume who is touching the guitar "single handed". 'Morning Froth' on the other hand is
an almost perfect interaction/dialogue between Berthiaume and Frith. The boundlessly
experimental ‘Indicateur d'Assiette' is split in two by one of Frith's typical guitar solo's.
In ‘Afternoon Tea' the leading role is for Bailey's edgy sound. The legendary musician is
exploring his own soul and that of the audience, as he picks his notes from the ether with
casual precision.

On ‘Wolf's Wood' Frith and Berthiaume introduce a narritive element. A couple of forest
rangers are getting ready to ! cut some wood ( or is it lumber jacks cutting down a whole
forest or what?). But the wolf, on the run from a gang of hunters, is crying out it's misery in
the moonlight. ‘Aquathèque' is a wonderful place to stay: a fine maze of loose guitar
reflections. Straight from the heart. (translation Nienke vijlbrief)

reck this mess-Radio Patapoe 97,2 (Amsterdam)

W « Bailey Berthiaume Frith » is a beautifull collaboration improv session which

seems to be played on a sunny riverbank rather than in a dingy studio. Mostly
vivid non-noodly musical conversation between 3 guitarists that evokes a not altogether
blissful heaven. But they seem to make the most of it as they wend their ways through various
sonic conundrum and the labyrinths that burrow their way through the fields of many
cultures.

S ay you're 24 years old, you live in Montréal, you're studying improvisational guitar,
and someone asks you who, out of all the giants in the field, you'd like to duet with?
You might, quite possibly, respond just as Antoine Berthiaume did, and say "How
about Derek Bailey and Fred Frith?" Bailey, after all, is the grand old man of the collective
improvisatory movement, known for eliciting an extraordinary array of unguitarlike sounds
from his instrument. Frith was a founder of semimythical prog pioneers Henry Cow and has
since moved on to a whole range of experimental ensembles, including, most recently, the Fred
Frith Guitar Quartet. If your fairy godmother was working that day, you might even fulfill
your wish in something like Soshin, wherein Berthiaume trades odd sounds, lyrical flights of
fancy, strange distortions and generally gorgeous not quite conventionally musical excursions
with these two elder statesmen.

The album opens with its title track, the only cut to feature Berthiaume alone and by far the
quietest, most meditative piece on the album. "Soshin" is clearly a layered multi-track affair;
Berthiaume interacts with himself, bowing, plucking, scratching and pounding on his guitar to
produce a free-floating sculpture of sound. There are points during this track (about five
minutes in) where he sounds like an entire string section, augmented by drums, and others
where the unvarnished sound of guitar seems almost nakedly natural. This is also the only
track based on any sort of written composition, a collaboration between Berthiaume and Denis
Gougeron, yet like the others it captures an unrepeatable, self-evolving moment in time.

The title track is followed by two very different duets with Frith. "Morning Froth" layers
plaintive, pitchchanging bowed notes with nearly conventional sprays of flamenco-esque
plucking. The experimental moan flits through the piece like an apparition, along with spectral
knockings and overtones, introducing a ghostly spiritual tone. Then the louder plucked guitar
takes on an Eastern coloring, spinning fast world-leaning threads of sound into an echoing
void. The effect, as a whole, is mysterious and electric, just a half shade off from the familiar.
The much longer "Indicateur D'Assiette" is, by contrast, more agitated and driven. Again, you
have many, many sounds that don't sound like they should be coming from guitar: a shuffling,
frictive percussion, the swoop of viola, the building patter of helicopter rotors, the rasp of
wires against each other, the electric buzz of machinery. There's nothing here that resembles
traditional chord structure, melody or even repetitive motifs -- just a complex, free-flowing
exchange of sounds, sometimes distinct and sometimes affecting each other in unexpected
ways. The use of silence is also interesting here, setting off the musical equivalent of
sentences and paragraphs, signalling the advent of something new. It makes you wonder how
improvisers coordinate silences, which must in some ways be more difficult than merging
sounds. The final Frith duet, "Wolf's Wood", uses a similar palette of unusual sounds -- the
growl and twitter of finger stretching strings, a curious muted sawing and the insistent
drumming of fingers on wood. It's an extremely rhythmic track, anxious and somewhat
claustrophobic. You realize several minutes in, when an echoing, chiming sound breaks
through, that up to this point almost none of the guitar strings have been allowed to vibrate
freely.

The Bailey/Berthiaume pieces are somewhat more tonal, but equally interesting. "Afternoon
Tea" builds tension by layering long, sustained notes over their more staccato, plucked
counterparts. The result is far more lyrical, more like music as we expect to hear it, but with
the added edge that comes from a collaborative effort. "Aquatéque", the album's last and
shortest cut, blends an interesting bubbling noise with the pizzicato tones of guitar strings
choked up about as far as they will go. Again, there are tones that sound just like violin or
viola, and others that evoke the no-human-hand tones of the synthesizer. It all blends in a
calming musical meditation -- a restrained melding of the two musicians' thoughts and
sensations. Soshin requires your whole attention. It won't work as car music or cooking music
or any sort of background. To appreciate it, you'll need a dark room, a soft floor and plenty of
unhurried time to think. You may find, as I did, that it's hard to put all of these elements
together, but believe me, it's worth it.-- Jennifer Kelly,

Splendidezine, ILL, USA

T hree wonderful improvising guitar masters from three generations, each distinctive in
their approach and sound. Mostly, this is on one the quieter side, spacious, well
recorded in a studio and quite a magical in the way the sounds drift, filled with
suspense and subtle surprises.

Downtown Music Gallery, Nyc

A nders als die Namensfolge Bailey, Berthiaume, Frith vermuten lässt, hat man es bei
Soshin (AM 113) mit dem Debut des Gitarristen Antoine Berthiaume (1977,
Montreal) zu tun. Man hört ihn solo im komponierten Titelstück, alles übrige sind
frei improvisierte Duos, zwei mit Derek Bailey, drei mit Fred Frith. Seine Begegnungen mit
Bailey im Februar und August 2001 waren für den Kanadier eine Initialzündung gewesen,
über den Tellenand seines an der Universite de Montreal erworbenen Master Degrees in
zeitgenössischer Komposition hinauszudenken und neue Freiheiten des Gitarrenspiels zu
entwickeln. Allein und zusammen mi Frith entfaltet er zarte Webteppiche fließender, flächiger
Geräuschfinessen. Bailey bringt dann seine sprÖde plinkenden Widerhaken ins Spiel, die
Berthiaume weich und Frisellig abfedert. Die versponnene, nachdenkliche Stimmung wird erst
im dritten Dialog mit Frith mit Table-Guaar-Bruitismus angesägt und zerschabt, aber
weiterhin piano und von Berthiaume mit träumerischem Fingerpicking Iyrisch gezügelt. Das
zweite Duett mit Bailey - weitere sind übrigens auf Balleys Incus-CD Visitors Book enthalten
- zeigt die bekannte Rollenverteilung und rundet den poetischen Gesamteindruck ab.

Bad Alchemy #42 (Allemagne) Kritik 01 septembre 2003

D espite the trio listed on this album, this disc in fact pivots around relative newcomer
Antoine Berthiaume, presenting solo work and duos with the great guitar improvisers
Fred Frith and Derek Bailey. Berthiaume is a Montreal artist working with other
actuelle musicians such as as Michel Donato, Pierre Tanguay, Michel F. Côté, Philippe
Lauzier and Tim Brady. He first met Derek Bailey in 2001 while traveling in London, and
recorded the duos on this album on his second trip there, also appearing solo at an Instant
Music Meeting show. Berthiaume can also be heard on Bailey’s Incus release Visitors Book.
The duos with Frith were recorded in Montreal, and the majority of the release is three pieces
with Frith. A solo piece and two duos with Bailey are also presented. On the whole the album
is an excellent display of guitar improvisation. Starting with the delicate solo piece Soshin,
composed with Denis Gougeon, Berthiaume scrapes, slides and slips in with beautiful and
drifting guitar work, using every inch of his instrument to create evocative sound. Berthiaume
has a great sense of space and allows the piece to evolve slowly, bringing in a deep droning
chord and percussive scrape over which he improvises in fragments as the drone eventually
overtakes the piece. It is a well balanced and beautifully structured composition. The three
pieces with Frith are more playful improvisations, atmospheric and introspective while still
being active. Both players seem remarkably compatible in their conception of improvisation,
and the unhurried approach lends itself both to a gorgeous quality of sound and to many
interesting ideas that sneak out of each guitar. Morning Froth introduces a beautiful Frith
melodic riff that reappears and bends itself away repeatedly, with a bottleneck twang feeling. It
is a refreshing piece of music, quirky, lovely and engaging. The magnificent Indicateur
d’assiette is another thing altogether, clocking in at 18:40, a strange and gigantic improvisation
that has both players utilizing a variety of techniques to create an often frightening but always
fascinating piece of music. Their last piece, Wolf’s Wood is an uneasy work of guitar
scrapes, rumbles and unusual sounds, settling into a meandering acoustic improv with a
rubbing guitar sound much like a voice whimpering in the midst of these unusual woods. The
pieces with Bailey are more abstract affairs. Afternoon Tea is a fragmentary work with Bailey
on acoustic guitar while Berthiaume provides a rich chordal backdrop, a meandering but
interesting punctuation to the cd. Aquatheque ends the cd with an odd scraping and scrabbling
piece that settles into a sort of daydreaming improvisation. These pieces provide a great
complement to the album, a balanced release of modern improvisational ideas.

|Phil Zampino The Squids’ Ear (USA)

Heard In
 erthiaume is a guitarist, improviser and composer from Canada where he was born in

B 1977 (Montréal). On 'Soshin', his first cd, he plays guitar in improvising duets with
Bailey and Frith. Not bad if you succeed for a first cd to invite two such important
impro-veterans as Frith and Bailey. With this choice Berthiaume instantly let us know where
he takes his roots from. Solely the titletrack 'Soshin' is a composed piece by Berthiaume with
the help of Denis Gougeon. This interesting work is played by Bertiaume himself. Under the
supervision of this Gougeon Berthiaume is pursuing his Masters degree in contemporary
compostion at the moment.

The two pieces with Bailey were recorded in 2001 in London. Other tracks they recorded at
their session are available on 'Visitors Book', a compilation on Incus Records. The tracks with
Frith were done in Canada in 2002. All improvised duets resulted from the first encounters
with these two maestros. Some pieces sound more or less traditional. In a piece like 'Morning
Froth' folk is not that far away. On the other hand, in the piece called 'Wolf's wood' - also a
duet with Frith - they are more into investigating the sounds that can be derived from the
guitar. 'Indicateur d'assiette' is the most noisy and electric track. Great. So the three duets with
Frith are the most adventurous in my perception. Both duets with Bailey are dominated by the
typical playing of Bailey and are what can be expected.

All together this is a very sympathetic and very good cd by a promising new talent (DM).

Vital Mag, Amsterdam, Hollande

S oshin is a modern guitar album from Antoine Berthiaume. The lead, title track is a
solo piece that is a vague meandering but suggests that this guitar album is not about
riffs and leads. The rest is duets with masters of the experimental guitar: Fred Frith
and Derek Bailey. The pieces flow into each other as the sound architects twang, rub and
groan their instruments with sustain only science can give. How was that done? One wonders
with each moment. A moaning dog arises out of Wolf's Wood before the disc disappears as
subtly as it came in Aquathèque… Often, we find ourselves enjoying sounds that are not
music, but put forward by our environment.

|Tom Schulte. 01 juin 2003 Outsight (USA)

erek Bailey accumulates collaborations, always eager to discourse with young

D improvisers through his guitar. Some of his choices may be disputable, but he sure
had his ears in the right place when he stumbled upon Antoine Berthiaume. The
Montreal guitarist was only 24 years old when he recorded a string of improvised duets with
the British master at the latter's home. Part of this session came out on Bailey's Visitors Book,
while two more pieces (13 minutes of music) end up on Soshin. "Seize the day" the saying
goes, so when Fred Frith made a rare visit to Montreal in December 2002, Berthiaume
dragged him into the studio to record three inspired duets. The disc begins with the title piece,
a multi- tracked solo number where Berthiaume explores delicate sonic textures. An
interesting piece, earthlier than Oren Ambarchi's forays into similar territory, it feels a bit out
of place on this collection — a prologue of sorts. Of the duets with Frith, "Wolf's Wood" is
the keeper. Here a true dialogue remains open throughout the duration of the piece — and
Frith displays a fresh imagination instead of relying on his trusty bag of tricks. Berthiaume's
surgical playing is a marvel to follow. "Morning Froth," on the other hand, doesn't rise above
Frith's average output from the same period. It seems that Bailey will always be Bailey:
challenging and frantic in his playing and yet opening up to welcome the input of his young
friend. Pushing your own voice across between those two key figures of improvised guitar is
no easy task and maybe Berthiaume would have been better-served by a first album featuring
lesser musicians. But if you are lured to Soshin by either of its big names, you might be
surprised to find out that, in the end, the star player is not who you thought.

François Couture. All Music Guide, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Aller au-devant

usqu'à tout récemment, ANTOINE BERTHIAUME était connu surtout des amateurs de

J jazz de Montréal. Catapulté à l'avant-scène par un disque enregistré avec deux grandes
figures de la musique actuelle, il nous explique son parcours.

Antoine Berthiaume a 25 ans et joue de la guitare. Comme beaucoup de monde, sans doute.
Cependant, celui-ci apparaît dans notre paysage musical avec un atout majeur en main: un
disque enregistré avec deux grands maîtres de l'instrument, qui sont à la source de ce que l'on
appelle communément la "musique actuelle", à savoir les Britanniques Derek Bailey et Fred
Frith. J'ai discuté avec lui afin de connaître les origines de cette surprenante rencontre. Ça
commence assez simplement: "J'ai fini un DEC en guitare jazz il y a cinq ans, explique
Berthiaume, puis, durant trois ans, j'ai essayé de jouer avec tout le monde à Montréal: le
batteur Magella Cormier, le saxophoniste Rémi Bolduc; bref, j'ai évolué du côté du jazz
jusqu'à ce que je rencontre le percussionniste Pierre Tanguay, qui est très à l'aise dans le jazz,
mais qui m'a fait découvrir d'autres facettes de l'univers musical. Enfin, il y a eu une bourse
qui m'a permis d'aller étudier quelque temps à New York, puis j'ai eu envie de revenir faire un
bac en littérature et philosophie." Mais à l'Université de Montréal, on a eu la bonne idée de
diriger ce drôle d'oiseau vers la maîtrise en composition, où il a d'abord travaillé avec Michel
Longtin avant d'aboutir dans la classe de Denis Gougeon. La pièce -titre du disque qui vient
de paraître chez Ambiances Magnétiques, Soshin, a d'ailleurs été composée avec les conseils
de ce dernier. "C'est un peu une étude de musique sérielle où je travaille à partir de 12 textures
différentes, jumelées à 12 hauteurs de son et 12 nuances, du plus extrême pianissimo au triple
forte . Ç'a été un travail de construction assez long, parce que nous avons enregistré chacun
des sons séparément pour les monter par la suite."

Mais comment s'expliquent les participations sur le disque de Derek Bailey et Fred Frith, des
maîtres de la guitare et de l'improvisation qui ont largement contribué à ouvrir de nouvelles
directions en musique depuis la fin des années 60? "Je ne le sais pas très bien! avoue
Berthiaume. Dans le cas de Bailey, j'avais lu son livre Improvisation, et Pierre Tanguay m'en
avait parlé, alors avec les sous restants de ma bourse d'études à New York, j'ai fait un détour
par Londres en février 2001 pour le rencontrer. Nous avons seulement discuté, mais ç'a été
pour moi un voyage extrêmement révélateur, et, de retour à Montréal, j'ai demandé une bourse
pour y retourner et enregistrer quelque chose avec lui. Au début, il n'était pas question de
sortir ça sur disque, mais au moment où j'ai décidé de le contacter pour lui demander la
permission de le faire, il voulait m'écrire pour faire la même chose! Alors d'autres extraits de
notre session d'improvisation se retrouvent sur son propre disque, Visitors Book (étiquette
Incus). Dans le cas de Fred Frith, j'ai eu la chance de profiter d'un de ses passages à Montréal,
durant lequel nous avons pu faire une session d'enregistrement. Le fait que j'aie déjà enregistré
avec Bailey n'a certes pas été étranger à sa décision d'accepter de travailler avec un jeune
guitariste inconnu!" On pourra voir Antoine Berthiaume en duo avec un autre guitariste de
haut vol, Tim Brady, lors d'un concert de la série Jusqu'aux oreilles , présenté le mercredi 13
août à 20 h à la Cathédrale Christ Church (635, rue Sainte -Catherine Ouest). Ah oui, le titre
du disque, Soshin, provient d'un proverbe japonais: Soshin o wasureru bekarazu ou, si vous
préférez: "Dans votre pratique, n'oubliez jamais l'esprit et l'humilité du débutant."

Réjean Beaucage Voir, Montréal. 7 août 2003

Guitars, new and used

I ch beende diese Box mit dem ganz jungen kanadischen Newcomer ANTOINE
BERTHIAUME, der sich dafür entschiende hat, seine Aufnahme-Karriere gleich mit
einem Doppel zu beginnen und mit den unabkömmlichen Gitarristen Fred Frith und
Derek Bailey "Soshin" (Ambiances Magnétiques) eingespielt hat. Ich mag die Idee, dass
etwas "weiterreicht" oder Erfahrungen in der "direkten Konfrontation mit der Geschichte"
sammelt. Ich hätte nichts gegen mehr fixe Inszenierungen dieser Art, einen Ring, der nicht von
Wagner ist und in dem ein Dutzend Musikerlnnen sich mit denselben zwei Pionieren
auseinandersetzen müssen. Im fall von Berthiaume ist das Ergebnis jedenfalls ein schöner
Anfang. Dass das duo mit Frith besser gelungen ist, scheint eher an seinem besonderen Talent
für Klänge und Räume zu liegen und weniger an seinem Phrasieren. Vor Derek könnte er
allerdings Angst gehabt haben, vielleicht war es aber auch nicht der richtige Zeitpunkt, so dass
sich nichts wirklich entwickeln konnte. Aber da Berthiaume vermutlich auch komponiert,
werden bestimmt strukturiertere Alben folgen.

Noël Akchoté SKUG, Autriche

Q uand on est un jeune guitariste-improvisateur inconnu, s'afficher en compagnie de

légendes vivantes du genre et de l'instrument peut être dangereux. Heureusement pour
lui, Antoine Berthiaume possède l'immagination et la candeur nécessaires pour sortir
de ce disque gagnant. Soshin présente deux duos avec Derek Bailey, trois avec Fred Frith et
une pièce solo multipistes. Si son jeu angulaire et désincarné manque quelque peu de
personnalité, Berthiaume n'en demeure pas moins facinant à suivre, poussant Frith hors de ses
trucs habituels dans "Wolf's Wood" et s'engageant à fond dans un échange philosophico-
musical avec Bailey. Pour une première carte de visite, c'est réussit.

François Couture Ici, Montréal

GUITAR-HEROES

M ême s'il a tout juste franchi le cap des 25 ans, le guitariste et compositeur Antoine
Berthiaume peut s'enorgueillir d'une feuille de route impressionnante. Très actif sur
la scène du jazz expérimental, il a fait ses premières armes auprès de nombreuses
stars locales (Michel Donato, Pierre Tanguay, Michel F. Côté, Tim Brady, etc.). Ce printemps,
paraissait Soshin , son premier CD où il mesure ses talents d'improvisateur à ceux de Fred
Frith et Derek Bailey. Rien de moins.

Conversations et explorations
Que d'éminentes figures de l'exploration musicale comme Frith et Bailey se soient prêtées de
bonne grâce à l'aventure que leur proposait Berthiaume en dit long sur la considération qu'ils
ont pour leur émule et cadet. Le format ici est on ne peut plus simple, mais combien propice à
la découverte d'espaces sonores inouïs. Après la pièce éponyme, coécrite avec Denis Gougeon
mais jouée en solo par le jeune virtuose, l'album enchaîne trois pièces complètement
improvisées en duo avec Frith et deux autres avec Bailey.

Climat d'étrangeté.

Il se dégage de ces dialogues guitaristiques un climat d'étrangeté et de dépaysement assez

séduisant à l'oreille de l'amateur de sonorités inouïes. Si la première pièce rappelle par moment
la musique japonaise, la suite propose un amalgame déroutant d'échos de jazz, de flamenco, de
rock, de blues, d'électro-acoustique et j'en passe, qui ne laisse de côté aucune des inépuisables
possibilités de l'instrument.

Pour oreilles averties .

Est-ce bien du jazz? se demanderont les auditeurs, plus attachés à une conception très stricte
de cette forme musicale. La question reste purement rhétorique et on laissera aux puristes le
soin d'en débattre. Contentons-nous de dire que Berthiaume et ses interlocuteurs, qui n'ont
visiblement pas froid aux yeux, signent ici un disque audacieux, exigeant, qui nous oblige à
revoir nos idées sur la musique improvisée. Pour oreilles averties...

Stanley Péan. Zone Culture, Radio-Canada, Montréal

'intitulé de l'enregistrement peut prêter à confusion: il ne s'agit pas d'un trio. En fait,

L les six pièces de Soshin permettent surtout de présenter un nouveau venu, Antoine
Berthiaume , seul à officier sur les six pièces du recueil. Jeune guitariste québécois, il
se confronte à deux de ses aînés pour cinq pièces en duo (trois avec Frith , deux avec Bailey ),
reservant la première, éponyme, à un quasi solo (guitare traitée au sein d'un piano,
apparemment). Les canaux stéréophoniques étant clairement devolus à l'un ou l'autre duettiste,
les jeux sont parfaitement identifiables. Il n'y a plus lieu, certes, de s'appesantir sur ceux de
Derek Bailey et de Fred Frith - encore qu'ici ils soient particulièrement épurés et loin de tout
aspect démonstratif - mais d'apprécier leur disponibilité à un dialogue équilibré avec leur jeune
partenaire.

Antoine Berthiaume a la volonté d'explorer les potentialités soniques de sa guitare, aborde

cette approche avec delicatesse, avec un «esprit du débutant», sens premier de soshin, c'est-a-
dire, ouvert et curieux. Il se réfère donc dans sa pratique à l'esprit zen, esprit qui transcende
l'ensemble de l'enregistrement.

Pierre Durr Revue & Corrigée #58, France

ous êtes artiste en devenir ? Imaginez l'opportunité de jouer dans un film avec Robert

V De Niro , ou bien de peindre aux côtés de Cézanne . C'est celle que vit présentement
le jeune guitariste montréalais Antoine Berthiaume , qui sort cette semaine son tout
premier album enregistré en collaboration avec deux légendes de la guitare électrique.

Soshin , sur l'étiquette de musique actuelle Ambiances Magnétiques , se veut une exploration
des possibilités infinies de la guitare. Sur toutes les pistes sauf une, Berthiaume improvise en
duo tour à tour avec les guitariste britanniques Derek Bailey et Fred Frith . Soshin est une
présentation de la démarche artistique du jeune musicien, le dévoilement de l'apprentissage en
improvisation qu'il entreprend depuis des années.

La musique actuelle, dite «free music» ou «instant music» dans le milieu, est l'aboutissement
moderne des courants du jazz. Cette musique peut sembler dépourvue de sens et quelque peu
cacophonique à première écoute. Pour l'oreille avertie, elle captive, obsède, et surtout elle fait
vivre des émotions rebelles.

Les carrières des anglais Bailey et Frith s'étendent sur plusieurs décennies déjà. Musiciens de
jazz connus en Angleterre, Bailey a enregistré plus de deux cents albums tous genres, et Frith
enseigne aujourd'hui au prestigieux Mills College en Californie.
Bailey et Frith sont de grands innovateurs. Ils m'inspirent tant au plan musical que
professionnel, ils sont tous deux généreux et humbles. Je n'étais donc pas nerveux lors des
enregistrements» explique Berthiaume, lors d'une entrevue accordée à Voo. Malgré toute la
fierté qu' Antoine Berthiaume ressent en collaborant avec deux grands musiciens, il affirme ne
pas pouvoir s'enfler la tête. «Mes amis et ma famille ont aucune idée qui sont Bailey et Frith ,
les gens qui m'entourent ne sont pas impressionnés. Seules quelques personnes sont venues
me féliciter» dit-il en souriant. À noter que la plupart des amis d'Antoine étudient à l'École
Polytechnique.

À 25 ans, Berthiaume jouit déjà d'un horaire bien rempli. Il étudie présentement à l'Université
de Montréal en composition de la musique contemporaine, sous la direction de Denis
Gougeon . Il se donne en spectacle plusieurs fois par semaines avec diverses formations de
jazz traditionnel. Et il y a Soshin . Berthiaume explique «J'aimerais pouvoir éventuellement
n'avoir qu'un seul projet et y inclure tous les styles musicaux que j'affectionne. Mais pour
l'instant, c'est noir ou c'est blanc.» Pour plusieurs, Antoine Berthiaume deviendra une
importante figure de relève de la scène montréalaise. Malgré cela, il ne voit pas toujours la
métropole en rose. «La culture du spectacle n'est pas aussi forte ici qu'elle ne l'est en Europe,
par exemple. Il n'y a pas beaucoup d'engouement pour les nouvelles choses. Généralement, ce
sont les mêmes visages dans tous les spectacles. Cette réalité est un peu triste, mais j'ai tout de
même confiance.»

Antoine Berthiaume est un artiste intègre comme il en existe peu. Il est fidèle à sa complexité
musicale et à son dévouement pour l'art véritable qui se retrouve dans la démarche et le travail
intellectuel. Ses compositions souhaitent toujours innover, explorer et lutter contre le
nivellement vers le bas. On comprend qu'il n'est pas toujours facile d'apprécier les
compositions de Berthiaume . Pourtant il est certain qu'elles passionneront les adaptes du jazz
nouveau.

Anne-Marie Campbell, Voo, Canada

procz tytulowej komposycji ktora zostala skomponowana przez Antione Berthiaume

O z Denisa Gougeona, wszystkie pozostale sa improwizacja. I Ta kompozycje

wykonuje On sam solo. Spotkanie dwoch wytrawnych, doswiadczonych,
charyzmatycznych improwizatorow i przedstawiciela mlodego pokolenia (dobrze, ze Ono
jednak istnieje). Muzyka na dwie gitary preparowane. Dwie - bo utwory nagrane sa w
duetach. W zadnej kompozycji nie spotykaja sie trzej autorzy plyty. Bezkompromisowa,
eksperymentalna, nowa muzyka improwizowana.

Informator Ars 2, Pologne

La Rebelión de los Antioxidantes, Barcelona, España

1 - Nacistes en 1977, en Montréal, por lo tanto solo tienes 26 años. Mucha gente , a esta edad
cuando se le habla de escuchar o hacer música, piensa en el rock. ¿ Que crees que tiene la
improvisación y la composición contemporánea que no tenga el rock ?

Creo que la mayoría de la gente de mi edad escucha música electrónica, rock, pop y temas
comerciales porque éstos son lo único que les es presentado. La gente no se interesa a lo otro
porque no hacen el esfuerzo de conocer lo que sobresale de lo inmediatamente accesible. Lo
más común es que sean los músicos mismos, a lo largo de sus trabajos propios, que hallan
nuevos estilos musicales. La realidad es que la música hoy en día es el arte de divertir y mucha
gente no sabe ni si quiera que hay música que tiene otros motivos u otras metas que el puro
gozar. Improvisar tiene todo lo que la música comercial no ofrece: el espontáneo, el rehúso de
la mediocridad y de la facilidad, la sorpresa, la novedad, las ideas. El fenómeno de la repetición
casi no existe en improvisación. Mientras que la música comercial es más bien producida de
manera automatizada a partir de un mismo modelo de base. Resulta que las producciones
llegan a ser vacías de contenido, cuyo vacío es rellenado por el cambio de una personalidad
pop por otra nueva, en un esquema de repetitivo de remplazamiento en el cual el cantante
representa una imagen que es sometida a los caprichos de la moda. Antes eran los artistas
quienes determinaban las tendencias; hoy en día son las empresas. Creo que lo que separa los
artes nuevos (contemporáneos e improvisados) es que éstos pertenecen a los músicos más que
a las masas.

2 - ¿ La guitarra siempre ha sido tu instrumento ? ¿ La acústica, española o eléctrica ?

Toco a los tres. Empecé a los 15 años con una guitarra española que pertenecía a mi madre.
Luego, a los 17 años, intenté entrar al Conservatorio de Música en Montréal pero no lo
conseguí en buena parte porque estaba demasiado tenso frente a la presión de tal audición.
Solamente es más tarde que estudié la guitarra jazz en mis estudios pre-universitarios. Volví a
interesarme a la guitarra española muy recientemente con mi participación en el grupo
L'hexacorde ( www.hexacorde.com sacaremos un disco con DAME el año próximo). En este
grupo tocamos temas de Cage, Ligeti, Xenakis, Bartok, y otros. Claro que la guitarra eléctrica
jazz sigue siendo mi primer instrumento, pero siempre he tocado con los dedos de la mano
derecha así que la adaptación no es demasiado difícil.

3 - Has estudiado y aprendido de maestros como Neil Smolar , Lorne Lofsky o Mordy
Ferber, entre otros. ¿ Como crees que te ha influido sus enseñanzas a la hora de crear tu
propia música ?

Estos profesores me han influido sobretodo en mi manera de ver el jazz. Con la música
improvisada, he aprendido de improvisadores como Jean Derome , René Lussier y Pierre
Tanguay, que no son todos guitarristas. En cuanto a lo que es scribir musica, principalmente
me sirvo de lo que he aprendido de mis profesores de composición ( Michel Longtin , Denis
Gougeon, Michel Smith , José Évangelista). Ellos me han enseñado casi todo lo que se ha
hecho en la música contemporánea en el siglo veinte y por eso les debo muchísimo, e intento
agradecerlos en cada ocasión.

4 - Todas estas enseñanzas te llevaron a tener un Master en composición contemporánea,

concretamente en la Universidad de Montréal. ¿ Como es aplicable la composición cuando se
realiza improvisación ¿ Es tan solo una cosa técnica?

Aprendí muchísimo en la universidad, mucho más de lo que pensaba en los principios. En

estos momentos estoy trabajando en una transposición de improvisaciones de Bailey para
orquestra de 15. Me sirvo de un solo que hizo él para crear una pieza que durará entre diez y
doce minutos. Mi escritura es influida en todos puntos por la escuela de Messiaen, Webern, y
la música espectral, entre otros. Trabajaré próximamente sobre la música improvisada desde el
punto de vista de la música folklórica. Charles Ives cogía músicas folks americanas y se
inspiraba de ellas para componer temas para orquestra. Quisiera realizar algo semejante pero
con solos de grandes improvisadores. Es un poco una manera de imortalizar sus
improvisaciones.

5 - Por lo que muchos músicos me han dicho, el hecho de hacer jazz moderno no quiere decir
que se abandone uno de los principios principales del jazz: la improvisación y la creatividad
instantánea. ¿ Tienes alguna forma especial para poder canalizar la creatividad que te surge
cuando estas en plena interpretación de cualquier tema o, simplemente, dejas que esta
creatividad surja libremente ?
Es verdad que uno todavía puede hacer jazz y también incluirse en la tradición. El jazz es en
efecto una música que tiene una larga historia y mucha tradición, pero su mayor característica
tradicionalmente es de siempre hacerse nueva a partir de estas raíces. El jazz supone el respeto
y el entendimiento de lo anterior, que sea el bebop o el free jazz, para ir hacia adelante. A lo
contrario, la música improvisada no puede enseñarse académicamente. Solamente es
escuchándola y comunicándola con otros músicos que uno puede llegar a participar a su
desarrollo. Aunque sea muy intuitiva, la música improvisada necesita mucha disciplina.
Siempre hay que estar atento, tiene uno que estar al loro, y esto es algo que no se encuentra en
el jazz: no se puede practicar y ensayar la improvisación como se hace en el jazz.
Recientemente hice un concierto en solo y tuve que construir un plan bastante detallado de lo
que iba a tocar, de modo que pueda establecerse alguna línea directora en el seguido de las
idas musicales que quería explorar durante el concierto. A lo contrario, cuando se trata de tocar
e improvisar en dúo, o en trío, uno no se puede preparar verdaderamente, y es cuestión
entonces de estar atento a lo que hacen los otros y de actuar en el bueno momento.

6 - Creo que una fecha importante en tu carrera como músico fue la primera vez que
estuvisteis con Derek Bailey, concretamente en Febrero de 2001. ¿ Como recuerdas ese
encuentro ?

La primera vez que ví a Derek, tuve la suerte de verle live con Konk Pack en el October
Gallery en Londres. Luego me encontré con él de manera informal en su casa. Había traído mi
guitarra pensando tocar con él pero nuestra conversación fue muy larga y la ocasión no se
presentó. Aprendí mucho en este primer encuentro, y aún más en el segundo, un año más
tarde, en el cuál hicimos finalmente aquella sesión que habíamos preparado el año anterior. He
conocido muy pocos músicos tan curiosos y generosos como Derek. Cada momento es
memorable en su presencia. Su ser es tan fuerte, que uno puede creerse ser testigo de una
ceremonia de importancia por el simple hecho de estar en su compañía.

7 - "Soshin", tu primer disco, se ha creado en un espacio de tiempo bastante amplio,

concretamente desde Agosto de 2001 hasta M arzo de 2003. ¿ Estos espacios de tiempo
hicieron cambiar algo de lo que tenias pensado hacer en un principio ?.
No. La idea original era la encuentra de dos maestros de la música actual, como la llamamos
en Montréal. El disco refleja mi evolución personal, y en este sentido, no puedo verlo como
otra coseça que jn éxito. No podría haber tocado “mejor” o estar mejor preparado. Estos
encuentros llagaron a punto en mi vida… claro que estoy mucho más maduro como músico
hoy que entonces, pero aquella no es la cuestión. La idea no es de esperar a que uno sea
plenamente listo sino que hacerlo mientras todavía es tiempo.

8 - Otro de los invitados junto a Bailey en "Shoshin" es Fred Firth. Firth tiene una carrera y
un estilo tocando la guitarra muy distinto al de Bailey, aparte de que es más joven . ¿ Sentistes
más afinidad con Firth que con Bailey, por el hecho de que Bailey es una figura que inspira
respeto ?

Creo que Frith merece y consigue tanto respeto como Bailey. Ambos son emblemas
extremamente importantes del mundo de la improvisación. Tengo correspondencia bastante
regular con Derek, que vive estos días en Barcelona, pero desafortunadamente no he tenido la
suerte de conocer a Frith personalmente. Tendré la oportunidad de volver a verle porque iré a
California el año próximo. Siempre he tocado con músicos de generaciones diferentes y creo
que s muy importante conocer lo que se ha hecho anteriormente, por sus predecesores.

9 - El tema que abre el disco y que lleva el nombre del disco "Soshin", es el único tema
compuesto y es un tema en el que tu tocas solo. También hay que decir que es muy distinto a
los otros. ¿ Porque decidisteis grabar este tema solo en vez de realizar otro dúo con Bailey o
Firth ?
Necesitaba hacer una pieza solo en el disco, de modo a proponer una respuesta a los
encuentros que lo componen. Por necesidad de afirmarme. Primero quería hacer un solo, pero
me di cuenta que sería mala idea de juntarme ¡y por lo tanto compararme! Con los otros dos.
Decidí presentar la pieza en la cual estaba trabajando en el momento de la producción del
disco. El tema soshin también es paralelo entre la composición y la música improvisada.
Ahora que ya hace tiempo, creo que hubiera sido mejor hacer un solo, pero bueno… ¡ya es
cosa hecha, no!

10 - Alguién podría decirte que "Shosin" es un disco de un joven músico que trata de ponerse
a la altura de sus maestros y que, por lo tanto , abra que esperar a tus próximos proyectos,
donde tendrás que demostrar tu solo tus cualidades. ¿ Que piensas sobre esto ?

De una manera, sí que se podría decir. En Soshin, soy yo el estudiante: me dejo llevar por los
otros dos sin verdaderamente retenerme o tomar la iniciativa. Con Bailey, doy enteramente
correspondencia a su juego, y es lo mismo con Frith. Pero creo que aún he podido dejarles
espacio suficiente para permitir una verdadera conversación, un dialogo más que un monologo
repetido. Sin embargo, nunca trataría de subirme a su nivel y suponer que el dialogo es entre
iguales. Claro está que la cuestión no es esa. Ambos son emblemas de la música improvisada,
que es la esfera musical a la cuál dedico el 25% de mis actividades musicales…

11 - Aunque en "Shosin" toques con 2 músicos más , el hecho es que es un disco donde solo
esta presente un instrumento, que es la guitarra. ¿ Has colaborado o piensas grabar con un
grupo donde hayan diferentes instrumentos?

Si, claro está. Estos días trabajo en varios proyectos. Toco en trío con Pierre Tanguay, batería,
y Michel Donato, base. Son composiciones más bien jazz y también tengo varios otros grupos
con los cuales quiero grabar. Otro grupo, Rodéoscopique, incluye Michel F. Côté , Jean René
y otros más, se interesa a la música folk/western.

¿ Cambia mucho el punto de vista de la creación musical por el hecho de tocar con personas,
instrumentos y tonalidades distintas ?

Si, de manera muy importante. Fred y Derek han hecho pocas sesiones en duos de guitarra; es
una combinación de instrumentos difícil de manejar. Fred grabó con Lussier, Chadbourne…
con su Guitar Quartet. Pero normalmente se hace con instrumentos diferentes. LA tendencia a
imitar es mayor cuando un guitarrista toca con otros guitarristas. La razón por la cuál las
cosas fueron bien con Fred y Derek es precisamente que todo estaba claro: you are the master,
I am the disciple.

12 - El disco ha sido editado por Ambiances Magnétiques. ¿ Te gusta el resultado final del
disco ?

Como lo dije, no sabría ser otro que contento del resultado.

13 - ¿ Que cosas tienes planeadas para el futuro ?

Terminar mi beca. Irme a San Fransisco y al Mills College para encontrarme con Frith para
que me ayude en mi búsqueda y mis trabajos. Grabar discos… lo más posible. Hacer
espectaculos fura de Montréal, por el momento no h podido producirme fuera del país,
excepto en Londres. Irme a Nueva York por un momento, y continuar a estudiar, practicar.
Encontrar a la mujer de mi vida, y tener niños también.
U no de los ultimos trabajos publicados en el campo de las investigacines con guitarra.
En este caso ha sido el sello canadiense Ambiences Magnetiques el encargado de
editar este album de 6 cortes que comparten dos genios de la guitarra menos
convencional, Derek bailey a sus 74 años y Fred Frith a sus 55, junto al joven canadiense
Antoine Berthiaume

ONDA SONORA inicio, Espagne

A collection of mostly improvised guitar duets that range from abstract wanderings to
busy pointed interactions. Berthiaume is a 24 year old guitar player from Montreal
and he's the driving force that made this disc happen. His playing tends to be
minimal, lots of extended techniques, and effected with lots of non-guitar-like sounds.

1. Berthiaume solo, well sort of, he's multi-tracked. Lots of ambient guitar playing with drawn
out notes which sound as if they are bowed. I thought the most interesting part of the track
was when he was picking somewhat normally over his bowed drawn out notes. The track
stays slow and patient most of the time.

2. Frith and Berthiaume on this track. They start out getting some very unique sounds out of
their guitars. At times pretty and not sounding like a guitar. More bowed pitch bending. One
of them suddenly starts playing a picked slightly bluesy sort of way and it works really well.

3. Even further out in terms of the sounds they get from their guitars. This track on one hand
is more aggressive but on the other more minimal. At one point I thought I was listening to
experimental electronic music, not guitars and at another point, because of more bowing they
sounded like horns. The track is very long and goes through a lot of changes.

4. Bailey and Berthiaume. I had a feeling these two styles of playing would have a difficult
time playing together. Bailey does his usual out, acoustic sounding individual note improv
which has little connection to most other music. Berthiaume speeds up his abstractness and
sounds like he spends half the track just trying to keep up. That said, there is a nice
conversation between the two during a good portion of the track. Gee, staccato plucking that
creates a more European improv sound. Surprise surprise.

5. Frith and Berthiaume. Probably the furthest out track. All sorts of scratching, percussion,
bending and crackling noises come from the two guitars. Prickly and tense. There is such a
connection between the two players here that you tell me who makes what sounds.

6. Bailey and Berthiaume. Short, quiet, and percussive.

Good stuff. -mph

KZSU ZooKeeper, Stanford University, CA

Reviewed 2004-03-22

T he title track of Soshin, the first release by Montreal guitarist Berthiaume, is a solo
piece composed in collaboration with Denis Gougeon. Beginning as a languorously
paced collage, it gradually draws the listener into a hazy, throbbing electronic
soundscape: the effect is rather like getting sucked into a computer’s innards. The rest of the
album is devoted to improvised duets with two veteran guitarists.
The encounter with Derek Bailey is brief and rather slight – there simply isn’t much common
ground between Bailey’s briskly acerbic style and Berthiaume’s dreamy, unhurried playing.
(Another track from the same session has been released on the Incus CD-ROM compilation
Visitors Book.)

The meat of the album is the three encounters with Fred Frith: big, droning soundscapes that
spread out as far as the eye can see, interrupted by the occasional outcrop of sonic violence
(most notably on “Wolf’s Wood,” whose opening minutes sound like a junkyard combat
between a bedspring and an autoharp). It's highly evocative music, the kind you can float away
in if you’re in the right mood.

Nate Dorward, Coda

2001, BARBARIAN, (UK) (Incus CDR5) (released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

AND :

Steve Noble : turntables

Pat Thomas : electronics

1. Barbarian 38.18

Cover design by Karen Brookman.

No recording information; probably 2001.

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry.
As written on the CD-R
2001, DEREK BAILEY PLAYING FOR FRIENDS ON 5TH STREET.
Straw2Gold Pictures (US) (DVD) (released in 2004)

Derek Bailey : Epiphone acoustic guitar and voice

A dedication to Irving and Stephanie Stone

DVD Video produced and directed by Robert O’Haire.

Cover art and design by Abby Digital

Recorded at Downtown Music Gallery, NYC

Published in December 2004. 51 minutes. NTSC

T his monumental in-store performance was one of the true highlights of 11 years that
DMG survived and prospered at 211 East 5th St., our old location, just a few blocks
away from where we are now. We've done over 400 in-store sets, since we opened in
May of '91, but this one was very special. When Derek Bailey told me that he would like to a
solo set at DMG, I was honored and amazed. He had just gotten a new acoustic guitar, the
guitar of his dreams and wanted to try it out in front of some friends. He recorded his Tzadik
'Ballads' CD that very same week. Advertising was done just cryptically and mainly word of
mouth, our old store couldn't fit more than 50 or 60 people at once. Derek was immensely
charming, both playing that lovely new acoustic guitar in his own phenomenal and unique way
and even told a couple of short tales for everyone's amusement. Our good friend and longtime
Chadbourne documenter, Robert O'Haire, has done a fabulous job of capturing this intimate
set just right. This is just the beginning for Robert's new DVD label, future releases include
DVDs from Cecil Taylor, Dr. Chadbourne & even more. Within the next few months, we
would also host a few other important solo & duo sets at the old store - Peter Kowald, Joelle
Leandre & John Zorn/Louie Belogenis.

DMG information

T he friends - fixtures on the downtown scene - include guitarist Alan Licht, poets Steve
Dalachinsky and Yuko Otomo, DMG proprietors Bruce Lee Gallanter and Manny
Maris, and Stephanie and the late Irving Stone, to whom Bailey dedicated the video
release. It was a casual evening and a casual performance as well. Bailey seems to be working
through ideas, finding little nuances and sitting on them, working through suggestions before
strolling along other paths. The single-camera footage, focused tightly on the guitarist, is
presented with few edits and nicely augmented with various post-production effects: full
screen and letterbox, color and warm sepia halftones and stop motion lend to the more-than-
front-row intimacy of the video. Bailey is at his best during the 51-minute set, which includes
his telling a story about working in a guitar shop in the 1960s (accompanying himself as he
does in his much sought-after "chats") and a few moments of traditional playing on the
vintage Epiphone hollow-body he bought on Staten Island.

Info from Incus.

T his DVD is dedicated to the late Irving Stone and his wife Stephanie, once ubiquitous
at NYC avant garde concerts. Sadly, it can also be considered a dedication to Bailey
himself, now retired due to ill health. But is also a tribute to the scene surrounding
Downtown Music Gallery (DMG) and proprietors Bruce and Manny Gallanter. DMG is the
closest we get here in NYC to the salons of Paris where artists, musicians and intellectuals
gather in common interest and spirit. Chances are you'll meet one of the musicians Bruce
recommends to you during your next visit.

This environment has also played host to countless in-store performances. Bailey's solo
unamplified guitar recital from late December 2001, captured here, is a fascinating document,
allowing those who wonder about Bailey's unique style a chance to see it up close. That said, it
is not particularly illuminating as the mental leaps Bailey goes through on this 45 minute
performance are still difficult to analyze. Making it even more surreal is the portion where
Bailey describes his first job at a London music store in the '60s while continuing his
fractured music as a soundtrack. To make it more than just a man playing guitar, video effects
are added that, while quaint, are slightly bizarre and distracting.

Seeing Bailey like this, without the volume pedal so integral to his concept is fascinating.
There are times, like with all his music, where he sounds haggard and others where he sounds
brilliant. This should not be taken as a master class or instructional video though...one Derek
Bailey is enough.
By Andrey Henkin

A t the age of 74 , guitarist Derek Bailey remains the most ferociously experimental
and hermetically personal player to come out of the British “jazz” scene. I say
“jazz” because Bailey has little truck with any kind of idiomatic playing style,
having dedicated himself to formulating a language more suited to the demands of free
improvisation than even established free jazz modes. Drawing on the kind of high velocity
exchanges pioneered by early bebop players, the advanced musical languages of thinkers like
pianist Cecil Taylor and composer Anton Webern and the physical properties of the guitar
itself, Bailey intuited a unique musical syntax that combined singing open strings, fast spidery
runs and the percussive use of harmonics.

Birthing the Incus label in collaboration with saxophonist Evan Parker and percussionist Tony
Oxley in 1970, Bailey set himself up as a lightning rod for players interested in pushing the
musical freedom inherent in jazz all the way to its logical conclusion. In the process, they
founded a music that was completely free of any definitively stated themes or tonal centre and
that drew organisational logic from chains of allusive real-time musical – and non-musical –
gestures.

Encountering Derek Bailey’s music via the medium of CDs can sometimes be a bit of a brain-
scrambler. His music is so tied up with the actual physical act of playing that without the
context of the movement of his hands and a sense of the real-time unfolding of events, it
seems to make little sense. Seeing him live, on the other hand, can be a real ear-peeling
experience, as the graceful arc of his hands, his inquisitive, exploratory approach and his
disarmingly deadpan, flat-cap manner combine to both endear himself to the audience –
effectively neutralising any doubts they might harbour about his music being deliberately
obtuse – and conceptually anchor his initially abstract moves.

Playing For Friends On 5th Street, then, is a necessary addition to his back catalogue, a DVD
document of an intimate in-store appearance in New York. Here Bailey is on hilariously
amiable form, punctuating tall tales and reminiscences with flurries of note activity. When he
really digs in, as on the first extended piece, the results are revelatory. Despite the huge matrix
of wow and plonk that he generates, he actually moves his hands fairly slowly and it’s a blast
to watch the way the gradual accumulation of note clusters and droning chords start to
spontaneously offer up various structural signposts. Over the past few decades, it has become
a popular pastime amongst dopes to pronounce the death of the guitar. When you see what it
can do in the hands of someone like Derek Bailey, you realise that even its most basic
territories remain comparatively unmapped.

David Keenan, 23 January 2005

A t the age of 74, and on the verge of an almost complete retirement from playing live,
guitarist Derek Bailey remains the most ferociously experimental and hermetically
personal player to come out of the British ‘jazz’ scene. I say ‘jazz’ because Bailey
has little truck with any kind of idiomatic playing style, having dedicated himself to
formulating a language more suited to the demands of free improvisation than even
established free jazz modes. Drawing on the kind of high velocity exchanges pioneered by
early Bebop players, the advanced musical languages of thinkers like pianist Cecil Taylor and
composer Anton Webern and the physical properties of the guitar itself, Bailey intuited a
unique musical syntax that combined singing open strings, fast spidery runs and the
percussive use of harmonics.

Birthing the Incus label in collaboration with saxophonist Evan Parker and percussionist Tony
Oxley in 1970, Bailey set himself up as a lightning rod for players interested in pushing the
musical freedom inherent in jazz all the way to its logical conclusion. In the process they
intuited a music that was completely free of any definitively stated themes or tonal centre and
that drew organisational logic from chains of allusive real-time musical – and non-musical –
gestures.

Encountering Derek Bailey’s music via the medium of CDs can sometimes be a bit of a brain-
scrambler. His music is so tied up with the actual physical act of playing that without the
context of the movement of his hands and a sense of the real-time unfolding of events, it
seems to make little sense. Seeing him live, on the other hand, can be a real ear-peeling
experience, as the graceful arc of his hands, his inquisitive, exploratory approach and his
disarmingly deadpan, flat-cap manner combine to both endear himself to the audience –
effectively neutralising any doubts they might harbour about his music being deliberately
obtuse - and conceptually anchor his initially abstract moves.

Playing For Friends On 5th Street, then, is a necessary addition to his back catalogue, a DVD
document of an intimate in-store appearance in New York where he plays a vintage Epiphone
hollow body that he bought on Staten Island. Here Bailey is on hilariously amiable form,
punctuating tall tales and reminiscences with flurries of note activity. When he really digs in,
as on the first extended piece, the results are revelatory. Despite the huge matrix of wow and
plonk that he generates, he actually moves his hands fairly slowly and it’s a blast to watch the
way the gradual accumulation of note clusters and droning chords start to spontaneously offer
up various structural signposts. Over the past few decades it has become a popular pastime
amongst dopes to pronounce the death of the guitar. When you see what it can do in the
hands of someone like Derek Bailey, you realise that even its most basic territories remain
comparatively unmapped.

As a special bonus for underground music fans, Playing For Friends… also features
extensive background footage of Alan Licht in some of his must successful lurking to date.
This is a multi-region DVD, should play on all players. Consists of close-up, single camera
footage with the occasional mildly obtrusive use of visual effects (mainly sepia and slow-
motion). Outside of Incus themselves, we’re the sole domestic outlet for this DVD.

P laying for Friends on 5th Street (DVD), capta Derek Bailey, expoente da guitarra
acústica e eléctrica da free improv britânica, em concerto de guitarra solo perante uma
audiência de cerca de 40 pessoas. Na noite de 29 de Dezembro de 2001 ouviram-se 51
minutos do melhor Bailey ao vivo. Diz, quem esteve nas antigas instalações da Downtown
Music Gallery, na 5th Street, em Nova Iorque. Completamente à vontade para tocar o que lhe
apetecesse, Bailey aproveitou para desenvolver uma série de motivos, num fluxo contínuo de
sons abstractos.

A música de Derek Bailey descende da emancipação da improv a partir do jazz, ocorrida nos
anos 60, movimento que libertou a música dos processos criativos e idiomáticos típicos do
género. Buscando uma lógica própria fora daqueles cânones, Derek Bailey redesenhou uma
boa parte do mapa da música improvisada moderna. Produzido e realizado por Robert
O'Haire, o DVD está disponível desde Dezembro último (Straw2Gold).
H a llegado a mis manos el que creo es unico dvd editado hasta la fecha de Derek
Bailey. Ha sido muy emocionante poder verle tocar y bromear en un ambiente
totalmente distendido, supongo que asi serian los conciertos que ofrecio en
Barcelona y que nos comento Rafa cuando estuvimos con el.

El video muestra a Bailey en un espacio muy reducido, se ve a Alan Licht detras suya, con
su epiphone sin amplificar y con el estilo que caracteriza los ultimos años de su carrera,
bastante mas acelerado que los primeros incus. Es maravilloso verle departir sobre su
primer trabajo en una tienda de guitarras o bromeando sobre otras actuaciones como la del
sound323, todo ello sin dejar de tocar. El sonido es perfecto y lo unico mejorable del dvd,
son un par de arrebatos arties de quien lleva la camara, a veces se ralentiza la imagen y
otras vira de color! Pero todo merece la pena por verle acariciar y rasgar la guitarra.
Sencillo y genial como pocos resulta este acercamiento. I-n-i-m-i-t-a-b-l-e.

Quien lo quiera ya sabe donde encontrarlo.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

posted by Little Turtle at 5:48 PM 4 comments
2001, COMPANY 5, Incus CD41 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

Leo Smith : trumpet and flute

Maarten van Regteren Altena : bass
Evan Parker : tenor and soprano saxophones
Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone
Tristan Honsinger : cello
Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, flute
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- LS/MR/DB/TH/AB/SL/EP 25.39
2- SL/AB-1 10.02
3- SL/AB-2 04.24
4- EP/TH/AB-1 06.10
5- EP/TH/AB-2 01.42

The titles are derived from the initials of the musicians.

Cover drawing by Iain Patterson.

Recorded at the ICA London by Riverside, Thursday May 26 1977, by Nick Glennie-Smith,
re-issued on CD in 2001. Originally Incus LP 28. This is the fifth in a series of records made
by members of Company, a pool of improvisors from which different groupings are drawn
for different occasions and settings. Although representing various musical attitudes and tyles,
the musicians in Company have in common a preference for making music by free
improvisation."

C ompany is the repertory group of improvisors from jazz, contemporary classical,

avant-rock and many other musical, theatrical and dance traditions, periodically
assembled by the guitarist Derek Bailey to - er - see what happens!

Bailey started calling these assemblies of like-minded - and for that matter, unlike-minded -
performers together in London in 1977, for spontaneous partnerships in various permutations
that would usually occupy a venue for a week.

He still stages them in New York, but for funding reasons they sadly haven't happened in this
country in a long time.

Without Bailey and Company though, it's interesting to speculate on how long it would have
taken a maverick like John Zorn, for instance, to ever get invited to Britain as Bailey did on his
behalf in the 1980s.

And though (as with most totally unpremeditated music made between strangers or passing
acquaintances) you might not want to attend with bated breath to every second of every disc,
the latest Company re-issues on CD are often fascinating listening.

They're absorbing for their virtuosity, for their building of musical relationships on the fly,
and for the presence of some of the biggest names in sharp-end jazz in situations where they
have nothing to go on but their experience and their wits.
2001, DEREK BAILEY INTERVIEW: SEPTEMBER 2001

posted :2005-03-24

By John Eyles

This interview dates from September 2001 and originally appeared in three parts in London
Calling that autumn. Here is the interview in its entirety, interspersed with occasional
commentary, some of which has been updated.

Although he lives in Hackney (as exciting and vibrant a part of London as you could hope to
find), Derek Bailey plays relatively rarely in the capital these days. He is a world citizen, more
likely to appear in Europe, Japan or New York than in Stoke Newington or Highgate. This
year [2001], he will have played maybe six gigs in London, a lot for him. Despite this, he casts
a giant shadow over improvised music here, being treated with huge respect and affection by
several generations of free improvisers. It is virtually impossible to imagine what this music
would be like without the influence he has exerted over the past 35 years. [In 2005, these
remarks now seem bitter sweet; in late 2003, Derek Bailey moved to Barcelona.]

The day I interviewed him (23-Sept-2001), he had read my review of Company in Marseilles
(Incus) in which I pondered the question “What makes Company Company?” He started off
by offering his answer to the question.

DB: There's nothing I can clarify about what Company is. Playing music is not really
susceptible to theory much. Circumstances affect it so much. It is partly just what is possible.
Since I gave up doing Company Weeks - which I did for seventeen years, which seemed to
me long enough for anything - I just take whatever opportunities there are to do Company.
And the opportunities are never perfect, that's for sure. For instance, the Marseilles gig was
some sort of celebration of this organisation's 200th birthday, and they asked me to play solo;
over a period of negotiation I turned it into a five-piece for two nights rather than a solo for
one night, which I thought was more appropriate for what they are supposed to be about. And
so that was that.

For instance, I have a Company in Los Angeles next month, which again is for two nights; I
might get three nights squeezed in. There will be ten people on that, and I don't know any of
them. They are all LA or San Francisco musicians. But that methodology where players are
pitted against other unfamiliar players has been so widely adapted now that anybody plays
with everybody. So it doesn't work in the same way now. I don't know any of these guys and
they might not know each other (I'm sure some will know each other) but actually it doesn't
matter now; it's not a problem for people to play with each other in the way it was 25 years
ago. In fact it's quite gratifying for me to see some of the people who really objected to this
method of working now being quite so profligate in their use of it. So that's nice but it doesn't
work the same way. The Company in New York earlier this year was for three nights (it would
have been great to have had another night), but getting more than three nights now is difficult.
No-one offers me a Company thing, I turn things into Company. This LA thing, they wanted
me to play in duos or trios each night at the club and I talked them into this Company thing.

AAJ: Who is selecting the musicians for LA?

DB: A saxophone player - what's his name? - one of the musicians who was setting this stuff
up anyway. I was there in LA for a different gig - All Tomorrow's Parties, which is kind of a
fringe rock thing, and for reasons of their own they invited me to play on this thing. That's at
UCLA. I'm there for that; that gets me there. And because I was in the area, I was approached
to do these other things, which is actually more interesting to me as it happens. Theories don't
always work, but theoretically it's more interesting.

For me, Company is still the best way for me to work. It has always meant that, “in
company” as opposed to solo, just with other people, really. The only thing I could say about
Company is that it is not solo. I always thought the name was anonymous enough not to mean
anything. So it started from scratch. Those five guys on Company in Marseilles were all on
the New York [Company] thing and that attracted me to try and get them over there. They
were very co-operative, because it was no great profitable do for them. The downtown people
in New York all know each other, so I thought that starting with five Britishers (if you include
Will Gaines in that) and five downtowners would be good. The same contrast that you get
between Will and IST, which is what appealed to me about that. There is a thing about Will.
He is a great tap dancer and he is quite remarkable to play with. There is something else about
him that makes him virtually unique in the free playing area, and that is his relationship with
the audience. Will is show business. And you could say IST are definitely not show business.
They are as far away from that. They always give the impression that whether the audience is
there or not is not a serious matter to them. I'm not saying that is the case, but their music
gives that impression sometimes. Will always knows what you are doing but he has a large
focus on the audience. And I thought that it would be nice to put them together, and I found it
very enjoyable. Well Will and those guys had a similar sort of contrast with the downtown
people. They can be more audience-conscious, that's for sure, but not like Will. The thing that
really threw them the first night was Will's attempt to seduce the audience regularly. It was a
very good first night for Company. It is always promising if it is a rotten first night, if there
are problems raised, because then there is somewhere to go. The problems came up because
they couldn't handle Will at all. They didn't know what he was doing, if he was just pissing all
over them or what. And by the last night they were all in love with him. Everybody wanted to
play with Will, which was great. So it is quite productive to have people who are a bit
disturbing to other people, at least initially. But it is getting much harder to do because players
are much more blasé about playing with each other. Anybody will play with everybody. So
that method has become universal. It is much more difficult to make it confrontational.

AAJ: But it was always about putting very disparate elements together, wasn't it? Company
always encompassed something bigger than people from the improvising scene.

DB: After the first two or three years, it was necessary to do that, starting with the Company
before Epiphany, starting in 1981. The first Company concert was a single concert with a
quartet who all knew each other, although they didn't play together regularly. It wasn't easy to
get one of the musicians to play with the other two. It wouldn't be their choice, which was OK.
In the early stages, they were all single concerts but there was always some sort of overarching
agenda to it, which culminated in the first Company Week. And the first two or three years, I
only ever intended doing one Company Week. But the funding body was insistent. It took me
so long to get the money for this kind of thing; the struggle to get it was ridiculous. It would
be an interesting study of their attitudes in those days. It might still be the same; I don't know.
That's one of the reasons for not doing it, so that I don't have to deal with those bastards any
more. But I was quite persistent about getting the money for this purpose. It had to be. They
would say, “Why don't you write a piece for them? It doesn't have to be anything, just some
pieces. We can fund pieces.” And I explained that I didn't want it for that, I wanted for free
playing, which they eventually gave me. But having found out that the first week was
successful, they didn't want me to stop it. I had no intention of doing more than the first week.
And they were saying, “Well you'd better take this money; we don't know what else to do
with it now.” They didn't actually say that, but that seemed to me to be the case. I found after
about two or three years that it was necessary to start looking around for other people, outside
of the usual area of free improvised music, because at that time the main way of organizing
improvised music was to set up regular groups, something I was already somewhat
disenchanted with. I found that you couldn't use the same people anyway; there weren't that
many people, so you'd be using the same ones over and over again.

I've always liked the effect of having somebody in there who hadn't the faintest idea what was
going on. Nowadays, it would be much more difficult to do that, I suppose. It seems to me
that the general scene that free improvisers work in now is a kind of goulash of different
musics; it is much better. For instance, this All Tomorrow's Parties, which is quite a good gig,
I can do on it what I like, except I'm supposed to play solo. I am getting an electronics guy in
to play with, who I wanted to play with anyway. Gigs like that would never come up; you
would always be working in the area of free improvised music, which was economically totally
defunct - not defunct, it just never happened - or you were working on the fringes of jazz,
which did not want to know about you, never did and doesn't now. So this is a big
improvement, this goulash where you suddenly find yourself one amongst a whole bunch of
fringe type activities. So, there were at least two players, I think, who claim not to improvise in
this last Company in New York. Jennifer Choi, a brilliant violin player, said to me when I
invited her that she didn't improvise. I said that was fine, by the second night she would be
improvising. The thing is, now they all know about it; they know what it is. When I curated
The Tonic last year, I thought that some of the most interesting groups weren't freely
improvising but they were all playing in a way that assumed it existed. So, it was somehow
built on that assumption. It is strange how this way of playing has become a basis of a lot of
people relating to each other, as opposed to a strictly jazz way of relating or maybe even a rock
way, although the rock thing is much more influential than it used to be. So, it is not a strange
situation to them now, not like inviting Ursula Oppens to come and play [to Company Week,
1982]. Although she knew what it was, she'd never done that kind of thing before. And there
were lots of people during that period, during the 80's, that I invited who I had to kind of
introduce them to each other at the first gig. Well, that couldn't happen now; mainly the
difference is that it's an accepted way of going on, so it's not something completely alien.

AAJ: So, even if they're not used to it, they know what to expect? They're not taken by
surprise.

DB: Personally, I've found one of the more stimulating ways of playing in recent times has
been to kind of move outside the free improvised area and work with people who are probably
improvisers but they have a particular way of working. For instance, one of the people in this
Company is a woman I've worked with occasionally, a Chinese pi'pa player called Min Xiao-
Fen. I asked her to do it, and she is very eager to do it; again, she claims she doesn't improvise
but I think she's always improvising; she's a Chinese classical player and her performances
are usually in that type of context although she sometimes works in Western classical
situations; people write pieces for her. Before I played with her, she had worked in situations
where she'd been required to improvise for a certain period; in somebody's piece there was a
space and she'd do something in it. But she'd never been expected to improvise all night and
so she was a bit daunted, but she's a very good musician. So you can see there are two or three
out of this bunch who are not primarily improvisers. Now, I don't think it matters in the way it
would have done twenty years ago.

AAJ: With you saying that the LA Company will be a completely different bunch of
musicians, it has answered some of the questions I was raising about the New York Company.
For instance, on Mark Wastell's website is a list of groups of which he is a member, including
Company. It seemed as if Company was becoming you plus IST plus Will, maybe plus other
additions.
DB: Oh no. None of those guys are in the LA Company. I don't know who's in it. I don't
actually know any of them. I can't remember any names of them.
AAJ: So Company isn't moving towards becoming a nucleus of musicians, an identifiable
entity?

DB No, no. It was more like that when I started.

AAJ: Even though Marseilles and then New York used the same nucleus…

DB: I've kind of done that before, kind of got a set thing and used it again. That's what I did in
New York, with these five guys against five people from New York. And that worked fine
actually. But I always used to invite most people in pairs so they had somebody familiar to
start with. Sometimes I'd invite somebody and ask them to invite somebody, so they'd got
some structure in the early stages. Now it doesn't matter. Even if none of these guys in LA
know each other, it just doesn't matter because they'll know what it's all about.

But no, there is no set…There are certain people that I think of as Company type players. The
one who stands out for me is Tristan Honsinger, who was in the first Company Week here,
and the last one and one or two in between. He is a certain type of player. If there was no such
thing as free improvisation, you'd have to invent it so that he could do something; he couldn't
do it any other way. Although, he is very interested in dance and theatre. I think that for most
players, it suits them during a certain period. Like George Lewis might have found Company
to be his best way of working for two or three years. He played in Company for two or three
years. But then they go off on something of their own but are still available for this thing.

I don't think it is any different from what it was, except that the method is now familiar so you
can't set up some internal shock situation. Like Will is very good to throw in because of his
totally different relationship with the audience, but they are very hard to find now. Personally,
I've found that the kind of thing that I like is going into somebody else's area and not playing
their music but doing whatever I do in their area.

AAJ: Looking at your vast discography, there are very few people who you have had regular
recordings with. You are very diverse in who you record with. You are always seeking out new
situations.

DB: I wouldn't want to be ideological about it but I think of it as being the best way to
approach this kind of playing. I don't think it works in other music, other kinds of playing.
But for freely improvised music that approach seems to suit it. And now everybody does it
anyway. Everybody did it initially because there isn't any other way of getting into this music
other than playing with people you don't know, playing with anybody. So it was always a
basic thing about this music. But for some years it got “regular-groupitis”.

AAJ: But even within those parameters, the people you have played with are from a far wider
spectrum than anyone else I can think of - drum'n'bass with DJ Ninj, Japanese rock with The
Ruins, and then the pi'pa at the other extreme.

DB: I do find it stimulating to work like that, particularly over the last few years, because of
this mutual acceptance in freely improvised music. It has settled down. There are still some
great players and people to play with; probably the best thing is to play with another free
improviser, but with this other stuff, you actually learn something or I feel I learn something,
but I have vast reservoirs of ignorance to chip away at! For instance, to work with Jamaaladeen
Tacuma and Calvin Weston was really revealing to me. They are such good musicians to start
with, and they are so sharp and reactive. They weren't going to be thrown by what I did.
Jamaal knew what I did but Calvin didn't necessarily. I did a gig playing duo with Calvin that
was very nice. But they've got a particular area; for years they have worked as this free funk
rhythm section with all kinds of people.

The only person I have played with regularly in recent times is Susie Ibarra, who I've played
with … I wouldn't say regularly, but maybe twice a year over the last three or four years. I've
played with her twice so far this year and we should play again in December. Playing three
times in a year, I've not done that with anyone for years. But I do get a lot of enjoyment out of
playing with her, I must say. Unfamiliar other people are vital as far as I'm concerned. It just
seems to make sense if you are going to work in this area of music.

AAJ: Are there future collaborations that you are looking towards? Are you proactive or
reactive?

DB: I am reactive. One of the people who has really been helpful in recent years is Zorn. The
Ruins was suggested by Zorn. And Min Xiao-Fen was Zorn's idea. The first time we played
together was when we made that duo record. She was terrified of making a freely improvised
record; she didn't think it was possible. So sometimes I suggest things to people or I put them
together when I've got a chance to invite people. This electronics guy I'm playing with in LA,
Casey Rice, I like what he does. I'm not much into current electronic stuff, what I think of as
lounge electronics, mumbling electronics. He's not quite like that. I don't know what Casey is.
I've yet to find out exactly. He's not a performer. He's the sound-man for Tortoise. That's his
job. But I made a record, at somebody's invitation, for a label called Bingo, which is called
Playbacks and the idea of this was that the guy who set it up invited different people to send in
tracks and I played with them. It was ostensibly, I suppose, a drum'n'bass record. It didn't turn
out like that, although there was some drum'n'bass. Groups sent in tracks; there was a very
nice group called Tied and Tickled - have you ever heard of that group? - I think they are a
German group. So this guy drummed up a dozen pieces from different people. I liked all of it.
It doesn't matter; I just played with whatever they sent in. But there was a track from this guy
Casey Rice who lives in Chicago, and I liked it very much, so I have tried to engineer it to play
with him. When I get a gig that is more in his area, I invite him. Sometimes he can't make it,
this one he can make. We'll see what happens.

AAJ: Going into a situation like that, how much would you research what he is about?

DB: I don't research anything. I just know that we have played together before; we have done
one gig, which is interesting because he doesn't perform. He won't sit on the stage, he sits out
of sight somewhere and he also treats my stuff. That is interesting because as far as the
audience is concerned, they think I'm doing it all. But in recent times, a lot of it comes through
Zorn; he suggested Jamaal and Calvin, for instance. But I have suggested things when people
have asked me, and they are not that keen, actually. Some of the records I make are just people
approaching me about making a record; for instance, there is a whole bunch of electronic guys
in Vienna who produce this whispering, and one of the trumpet players, Franz Hausinger,
asked me to make a record with him, which I did. That was an unusual playing experience.
Someone in New York asked me about making a record, and I said I thought it might be
interesting to play with Wynton Marsalis's rhythm section. (Laughs) I don't know how far
they tried to take this, but it didn't get anywhere.

“I think playing solo is a second rate activity, really. For me, playing is about playing with
other people.”

AAJ: Where you surprised?!

DB: No, but I thought it might be interesting just to poke that area and see what came out of it.
I just meant the bass player and the drummer. You never know. If the guy had got some
money, they might just want to do it. Usually the things I suggest don't get very far, I have to
admit.

I'm quite happy working here actually. I have been here most of the summer since July, I
think, putting out these CD-R's; putting them together.

In Bailey's hallway and elsewhere throughout his home, there are stacks of boxes containing
CDs ready to be mailed out if required. Like many independent labels, Incus Records has run
as a cottage industry for decades. Recently, this aspect of the operation was emphasised by the
release of two CD-Rs, Chats and The Appleyard File, available only from Incus. Both feature
lo-fi, home taped pieces that mix guitar and speech from Bailey, often recorded as audio letters
to friends and associates.

AAJ: What prompted you to release these CD-Rs?

DB: I've been doing these for decades. I've done hundreds of them. But I don't have copies of
most of them. I enjoy doing it, and it gets me playing. I find playing and talking has got a
certain interest for me. It doesn't matter what I'm talking about, that is more or less irrelevant,
for instance, the Fred Frith thing [on Chats ] about the rain. As a means of communication, I
just like to do them. Most of the things on Chats started off as one-of-one CD-Rs. Before that
technology, I used to record on DAT and then make a cassette copy and send it. That is how I
come to have copies. Before that, I used to record onto a cassette and send it, so I didn't have a
copy. I've got copies of one or two, or sometimes I'd make two versions.

I've never got around to putting them out before apart from an occasional one on record.
Martin Davidson [of Emanem] put out a CD of audio letters I sent to him when he was in
Australia in the 1970s. On Playbacks there is a chat piece, but that is different because I don't
play on it, just talk. The first chat piece I put out was in 1973 on a solo record called Lot 74
that has been out of print for years. They were never intended to be put together. There are
lots out there. I still send them out and don't keep copies. I do about one a week, so there are
hundreds of the buggers out there. I've sent three in the last month, and two I don't have copies
of, because I recorded them straight onto cassette. When I put Chats together, there were 21 of
them, which I thought was a bit too much. [The final version has 13 tracks.]

I have always been attracted to the cottage industry side of this business. To make it work
economically is not easy. But I can start upstairs [in his studio] and record it, then come down
here [to his computer] and put it on a CD-R. I can sometimes get [his partner] Karen to do a
little package, because she does the artwork, and then I send it to somebody. I take great
satisfaction from it; and it has nothing to do with the whole music wrapping thing. I've always
enjoyed that. I've done a lot of it this summer.

The other one, the whole Charlie Appleyard thing is just personal stuff. You'd have to hear it.
There are about ten people in the world who know who Charlie Appleyard is. There is no
Charlie Appleyard but I've used it as a - what's the word - an alter ego. I don't know;
sometimes it's other people. Charlie Appleyard can be anybody; but I've used him sometimes
in chat pieces, and these are all chat pieces about the history of Charlie Appleyard. It is made
up of one-of-ones that I have sent to other people; I didn't record them to make this record. I
just thought I'd bring them all together. But it was satisfying doing those things.

I also get to record quite a bit here [at home]. People come to visit, partly because of Karen's
cooking which is widely admired. For instance, J D Perran, the New York flute and
saxophone player, who was part of the St Louis equivalent of the Chicago AACM, he's a
friend of George Lewis. He was in London recently and he wanted to come over for a chat,
and I said, “Yes, come up but bring something, an instrument.” Then we would just record
ten or twenty minutes, longer if it's going OK. I've got lots of those, I thought I might make a
CD out of that, if they all agreed and didn't want huge fees. But I like working here. I worked
in London a lot this year, usually depping for someone else. I've done three deps in the last
couple of months, which is a bit odd because I would work on average about once a year in
London. For me, I either work here [at home] or I go to the airport. I don't like travelling, but I
do most of my playing in other places. I'll go somewhere if there is the chance of staying for a
week or two and doing some playing. That's why New York is very attractive to me, because
that's a town where you can do that, go and work for a couple of weeks without having to
shoot off somewhere doing overnight gigs, which has become really unattractive.

AAJ: You're keeping the CD-Rs very low key, very cottage industry.

DB: We couldn't handle it otherwise. If a distributor said that they wanted fifty, I'd have to sit
at this fucking computer burning fifty of them individually, and Karen would have to do the
covers. It is OK because we get a dribble, more or less every day somebody from somewhere
seems to want one, by e-mail, and I knock one off. I think it will die down. The first time I did
anything like that, again in the early 70s, was when I put out these reel-to-reel tapes in little
boxes. I used to make them and sell them for 60p. There was a bit of interest, and that was
done just on word of mouth. That was OK, that was how it was supposed to be, but then it
died away and disappeared. Then I did the same thing with cassettes some years later, at the
beginning of the 80s. It is funny how they rear their heads later. For instance, Taps, the reel-
to-reel tapes have come out on a CD from Cortical Foundation.

AAJ: And on vinyl as well.

DB: So at the same time I'm doing these CD-Rs, this box of hugely expensive vinyl turns up.
In the shops they are selling for about £25. It's heavy vinyl, very posh. But they have
reproduced the original artwork so it still says “60p” on the front. It seems ironic that at the
same time as I'm knocking out these CD-Rs, there is a bunch of super produced expensive
things that derive from the same kind of thing twenty or thirty years ago.

[ There are now eleven CD-R's available, including Chats and The Appleyard File. They are
rarely reviewed and are only available directly from Incus Records, 14, Downs Road,
Hackney, London E5 8DS, UK, for £10/$15 each. Details at the Incus website ]

AAJ: So, in twenty years, will Chats be on 200 gram vinyl? Funny old world, isn't it.

DB: It's like the empire strikes back, isn't it? You think you can fucking get away with this?
Well you can't! When the guy who put out Taps first rang me up and said he'd like to put out
these things, I said that would be nice, because he was waving quite a lot of dollars around. I
hadn't listened to them for decades. But I said I didn't have the masters of them. And he said
that he had them. You get these enthusiasts here and there.

Anyway, when this guy, Gary Todd, was putting Taps out, he said he would also like to
organise a concert for the group Joseph Holbrooke that I used to play in with Gavin Bryars
and Tony Oxley. I said that we hadn't played together for thirty-six years. I don't think Tony
and Gavin had even spoken together in thirty-six years. Certainly the three of us had never
been in the same place during that period. So I said I didn't know if it was possible. I gave him
their addresses and he organised it. The concert was going to be in LA. We were meant to go
out there, do a concert and make a recording. It was all set up and very handsomely rewarded.
I was in New York, and I got sick. Gavin was in Hong Kong and got sick. So the only person
who could go was Tony, who was with me in New York at the time. So Tony went and played
with Fred Frith, out there. So that didn't work. But this guy has always had this …I don't
know if it is right to call it an obsession with Joseph Holbrooke. The name comes from an old
English composer, late nineteenth, early twentieth century. When I first heard from this guy,
Gary Todd, he said he'd got some records by Joseph Holbrooke. And I said there aren't any,
we never made any. It turned out he was talking about the original Joseph Holbrooke. So it
was all a bit weird. Then, because that LA thing fell through, we recorded over here for him
and did actually get together. The idea was Gary's, but we got together for Tony Oxley's
sixtieth birthday and did a concert in Cologne. So we'd actually done that. A strange
reincarnation after thirty-eight years. It was kind of interesting play, I have to say. I guess
that's the kind of thing you can only do once, have a thirty-eight year gap.

AAJ: I thought you'd said that the next time would be on your hundredth birthday.

DB: That's right, we're saving that. So shortly after that, Gary Todd came over here and we did
three days recording for him. Two records. Now he has got that. But he has had a serious
accident; fell out of a third storey window at 5-30am. I don't know who is handling it now.
The guy has been advertising the records. There has always been something weird about
trying to revive that group. One of the nights at Moat studio, we were having a sort of party
and somebody let off a fire extinguisher. And in studios, the fire extinguishers are full of
sand, so it was like being in a sandstorm. You couldn't see anything. We all got out of the
studio. And when it settled down and we went back in, which took a hell of a long time, all the
food and drink were covered in a layer of sand. It seems there is some… well let's not get into
that oogly-boogly stuff. We did a concert earlier this year in Antwerp. That was recorded, but
we can't get the tape. The guy keeps saying he'll give us the tape but won't.
AAJ: You did put out that single of the original Joseph Holbrooke from 1965, which was
interesting because of how surprisingly conventional it sounded.

DB: I like it. Well that is the only recording from that time that I'm aware of. I've got a feeling
there's another one that Tony has got, I'm not sure. But the only one I'm aware of is of that
afternoon, it was a rehearsal and there is about an hour or so of music. But I thought that piece
[on the single] was most revealing of how we were. All the other pieces are more like
rehearsals. The other pieces are OK but they don't demonstrate what I think we were trying to
get at as well as that does.

AAJ: Will the rest of it ever see the light of day?

DB: There is another tape where we are playing with Lee Konitz. People want to put that out,
but it is terrible.

AAJ: Terrible in what sense?

DB: It was a Lee gig, just conventional jazz. This was the beginning of 1966. We were
playing almost entirely free most of the time. I think it's terrible because I don't think the
music is any good. But we did play some good gigs with Lee, because we did a little tour. But
this one I don't think is any good. Mind you, I've not heard it in years. As I remember, the
only good playing on it is from Tony. Lee doesn't play too well for him, and me and Gavin
don't play anything at all. Well, I don't like my playing. There has been pressure from various
quarters to put it out, but I don't find that interesting. Some of this other rehearsal stuff is
musically better, but then there is not a lot of point in it.

AAJ: Of historical interest only?

DB: There is maybe one piece that has some musical interest. But people do ask about it.
Zorn wanted to put some of it out. It would be easy enough to get it out, but I don't think there
is any musical justification. There is a lot of old stuff that comes out, and it is kind of like
gossip, musical gossip. There were very good reasons for not putting them out in the first
place. If it was any good, you would have put it out.

AAJ: But there is always that interest, though; the roots of people who are now vastly
different. I think lots of the early SME stuff is interesting in how conventional it sounds and
how rapidly it converges from jazz of the time.

DB: Well the one that Martin Davidson has just put out, Challenge, that was a conventional
band; it wasn't intended to be a free band. When I first heard the record, before I played with
SME, I was surprised because I'd always assumed SME was a free band. Then, when I got to
play with them all that had gone, the pieces.

AAJ: They changed a huge amount over a very short period when they were playing at the
Little Theatre.

DB: But Martin is voracious for old tapes. Whenever he visits anybody, he kind of hunts
down the back of the settee looking for tape.

We've just put out an excellent record of the Steve Noble Trio - Steve, John Edwards and Alex
Ward. [False Face Society Incus 47] Alex is playing guitar, he's a good guitar player. The
record is very contemporary, actually. Anyway, they were here last night and we were having a
few drinks (I'm still suffering from it today, actually) and we got talking about Tristan
[Honsinger]. He's been ill and now he's OK apparently. I was reminded of something that I'd
completely forgotten about; it's actually up there [points to a high shelf in his study]. And that
is the first time Tristan and I played together, in 1975 in the south of France. I had a solo
concert and I heard Tristan playing on the street - he used to play on the street a lot then • and
I asked him to play with me on this concert. So we played, and I've got a recording of this
concert and I've never listened to it. I thought it was a really enjoyable concert. I hadn't thought
about it for years, but it came up in this conversation and I thought that I'd check it out. It's on
one of these big reels - it might have turned to dust if I open the box! - that I'd forgotten
about. So, we might dig it out.

AAJ: You say that was an enjoyable concert. If something feels enjoyable to you as you are
doing it, does that usually mean it is musically good when you listen back to it?

DB: Aah...

AAJ: There's a tricky one.

DB: Recording this kind of thing is funny. It doesn't always get onto the tape. Sometimes it
sounds better on tape; you hear it and think “Fuck, I didn't realise it was as good as that.” So,
it's not reliable. But if it's a very good concert it usually turns out to be OK. It's difficult to
destroy a good concert. The quality of the recording doesn't matter if it's a really good concert.
Nowadays, I really like playing in studios. I didn't used to like it, but I've done a lot of
recording in studios in the last few years, and it's just a different place to play.

AAJ: Do you approach studio recording in a different way to live recording?

DB: It depends. No. You see, a lot of the studio recording I've done is with people I've met for
the first time in that studio. I just had a record come out called Fish with a Japanese drummer
called Shoji Hano, on a label called PSF. He was over here with somebody, maybe Keiji
Hano, I'm not sure. Anyway, he was doing some playing over here, and he asked me to make a
record. I didn't know him, I'd never heard of him as a matter of fact, although he has been
around for years. So I went down to Toby's studio [Moat] and played with him for a couple
of hours and that has come out as a record. But that would have been different if it had been
live, but I don't know if it would be better or worse. The main thing was that I was meeting this
guy for the first time and we had to find out if we could play together. And we found out we
could in a certain way, so we did that. Like when I played with The Ruins, the first time I
played with them was in a studio and that was one of the best plays we had. We did a few
concerts after that; we had a good one in Switzerland once. There were a number of concerts I
didn't like; the one we played here I didn't like. The last concert we played was in New York
and that was OK. I used to think that live had to be better, but I don't now. It depends. I think
if I was playing regularly with someone whose playing I was familiar with, like Susie [Ibarra],
I would certainly be more inclined…in fact, I would never go in a studio with Susie. We've got
one or two things we might put out, but they're all from live things. So, with people I'm
familiar with, I wouldn't go in a studio, but it's a good place to meet people.

AAJ: When you have made a recording or played a gig, you must have a spectrum of that was
good, that was OK, that was crap.

DB: I think they're all great! (Laughs) No, I don't. It is always interesting to check them out
on a recording. If it feels OK, I'm OK about it. That's the end of it. I have got about three
recordings upstairs that have been sent to me by people, which I haven't listened to. For
instance recently I played at Ryan's with Alan Wilkinson and Simon Fell. I played at Mark's
place [Sound 323] with Simon. Earlier this year I played with Konk Pack I haven't got round
to listening to them because of time. I felt happy with those concerts at the time. Last
Saturday, this solo thing [at Sound 323] felt OK at the time; I felt quite comfortable. As far as
I'm aware, no-one recorded it but two people videoed it. Videos are another thing; sometimes
they are OK and sometimes they are horrific. I quite like videos. It seems to be another layer
of information. Most people who don't like them complain about the sound. But, for instance,
a musician I have admired in the past is Charlie Christian. If somebody said to me that they
had a recording of Charlie Christian playing at Minton's in 1942, and I could have it as a
sound recording or as a video…

AAJ: No contest!

DB: We put videos out. The quality is dreadful, but as long as the sound is adequate, I'm not
bothered about the visual quality. I put out one of John Stevens and I, after John had died. I
didn't know it existed until after he had died. It is of a gig in a pub, and is so typical. I thought
it would be nice just for the sake of that. But nobody buys them. Americans buy them a little
bit, but nobody over here wants them. Or maybe it's just our videos they don't buy! I can only
think of one occasion where anyone has reviewed a video of ours. One guy reviewed them all
in a Canadian paper.

I've got videos of nearly all of the Company Weeks, for instance. But to get into that… it's bad
enough putting a Company record out, the time you have to put into it… I've thought about
doing something like that, but it's the time. There are usually more pressing things to do.

AAJ: You have talked about playing “in company”. How does your solo playing fit in with
that?

DB: Solo concerts are murder, I find; I don't like doing them. But I get offered a lot of them.
That's why I try to turn them into something else. If I do one, I need to do something else in
addition. The talking - saying something at some point - is actually necessary; it doesn't matter
what I talk about. At least, I find it necessary; I know people who do solo concerts and never
say a word, which is fine. But I find that if I do that, it is different after I've done it. It kind of
serves as an interval for me, even though I'm still working, as it were. The thing feels a bit
different. So I find that useful, from a playing point of view. I've always done a bit of it, once
I'd found it works. When I used to do solo concerts some years ago, I used to go to elaborate
lengths to break the tedium. I used to have a reel to reel tape, that ran for half an hour, and
there would be about three or four events on it, anywhere on it, lasting for two or three
minutes; one was me kicking a football around in a fire station, just some sounds; another was
a recording of an African village chant. I'd set the tape up anywhere, so I didn't know when it
would come up. But it kind of broke this inclination for it to get over focused. That's a
personal feeling about it; it was a distraction, which you get with other people. So it's a
substitute for other people, in a way. But talking and playing can be a bit like that; the purpose
is similar.

AAJ: It is interesting to hear you say you don't like playing solo gigs..

DB: I like playing any way, but compared to playing with people, I think playing solo is a
second rate activity, really. For me, playing is about playing with other people. In the absence
of that, I am happy to play solo, but I don't think there is any comparison. Even if it is difficult
playing with other people - sometimes it's great, sometimes it isn't, but that is kind of the point
of it. It loses its point playing solo. Then it isn't pointless, but it becomes a different thing. It is
very difficult if you are doing it regularly, which at one point I did. It becomes very difficult
not to build up a sort of repertoire, which is anathema to the music, in my view. You can
develop a solo performance, and then you finish up with a solo performance; you might as
well be playing Bach. Tricky.

AAJ: Once you've moved away from solo, do you prefer duos? You've certainly done a lot of
duos, haven't you?

DB: That is usually economic. I'd like trios and quartets actually, but I like duos because a lot
of musicians who I like playing with like playing duos. Han Bennink, for instance, likes
playing duos. He doesn't care, he'll play anything with anybody, but duo is a form he likes
playing. And I find that playing a duo with Han is better than playing in a larger group with
Han, partly because he likes it. Trios are nice but not easy to come by. I usually seem to finish
up in duos. I like duos with percussionists. I like the songs that percussionists sing. In this
kind of music, I think that most of the outstanding musicians are percussionists, and they have
nearly always been the leaders in some way - Tony Oxley, John Stevens, one of the most
interesting percussionists to me was Jamie Muir. They have always been instructive to play
with. They are literally freer players. It might be the lack of concern with pitch or something, I
don't know. Their instruments are often a wider resource than other instruments. In free
playing, there are maybe three or four styles of saxophone playing, but for percussionists
there are dozens of styles, loads of different approaches to playing. Nowadays, there is a wide
range of guitar approaches to playing this kind of music, much wider than there used to be.

AAJ: Of younger improvising guitarists, who would you say is noteworthy?

DB: Younger players in this music often turn out to be middle aged; it is not a young music. It
used to be, but I suppose you could say that about a lot of things. I think Alex Ward is a good
player. He is essentially a clarinet player, but then he is also a good piano player. I think what
he does on guitar is good. Rod Poole, who is on this guitar trio recorded in LA, he is English
but lives in LA. He is a very interesting player. There is a Portuguese guy called Mota,
Manuel Mota - I think that's his name, but I've forgotten. He is really quite intriguing, I saw
him play a couple of years ago in Lisbon. He plays finger style on a solid electric. He didn't
play much or a long time - about twenty minutes - and what he played I thought was really
interesting, quite radical. In this area it is difficult for anyone to be radical these days. Noel
Akchoté is good. I think there are a lot of them around. In the States particularly, there is a
whole bunch of newer guys who have come up. Some have a tendency to work out of the
blues, which I don't particularly like myself. I think the blues is fine for blues players, but free
blues has never made much sense to me. There are plenty of guitar players at the moment.
Guitarists and electronics seem to be the more rife presences
2001, BLASTITUDE. ISSUE 10, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

Oh well, thank goodness for Derek Fucking Bailey who gave me my $10 worth in about five
minutes. I was dubious about the fact that he was appearing only in a duet with Casey "The
Designer" Rice. I wanted to see someone a little more "jazz-oriented" play with him...like
perhaps pianist/synthesizerist Jim Baker.

Or hell, Michael Zerang. Or, someone not so jazz-oriented, but sure to make an interesting
duet: Kevin Drumm! (Maybe in such a setting I could actually figure out what Kevin Drumm
does up there at his table.) I contented myself by thinking that there would probably be a solo
set by Bailey and then a duo set, but that hope was dashed by the marquee, which advertised
an opening set by bassist Tatsu Aoki and drummer Chad Taylor. Spooky flashbacks to
Sandra Binion's First/Last came to me when I read the program, about how this opening act
was going to accompany a video projected behind them. They did just that, too, and I did not
like the way that as soon as the hour-long video was finished, they stopped playing too. In
reality, they should've stopped well before the hour was up, because their music, however
impressive here and there, did not congeal as a continuous hour-long piece. Simply enough, it
should've been shorter, they should've stopped here and there...anything. Taylor is an
extremely remarkable drummer and it was a treat to see him for sure.

Aoki I wasn't so sold on...at times he got into a repetitious groove-oriented style that I found
kind of unique and refreshing, but mostly he just seemed to be tapping on his bass with a
stick or something while Taylor did all the work. And either way, it was too long, and the
video was for some reason projected onto a bunch of balloons so you couldn't even see it.
My friend and I were sitting in the front row of the auditorium, and rather excited to see Derek
Bailey at work from such a close vantage point. As soon as Aoki and Taylor left the stage to
the usual round of applause, a horrendously loud screech of feedback came out of the P.A.
speakers. "That is the most ill-chosen and too-loud intermission music I have ever heard," I
thought, but it didn't stop or let up in any way. It just got louder and weirder. And then I
started hearing electronics spitting along with it. And then I realized that everyone in the
auditorium was looking around, over their shoulders, as confused as I was. And then I stood
up and looked back and realized that Bailey and Rice were set up in the back of the
audiotorium, Rice behind the soundboard and Bailey sitting in a chair next to it, and that the
show had started. Wow, this was the same thing I saw Lightning Bolt do!
Except that this show was noisier than Lightning Bolt...in fact, this was the harshest harsh
noise show I've ever been too. It was fucking LOUD, jack...my friend said that there were
several moments where the music literally made his body hurt, and I agreed. I could feel it in
my teeth on several occasions. Halfway through, I noticed that the program I had been holding
in my left hand had become a wadded-up and mangled mess. A real white-knuckle affair.
People were holding their ears, and yes, there were a handful of walkouts.

But the rest soldiered through it, and in fact enjoyed the shit out of it, and for good reason.
Seeing Bailey was amazing -- he's old, but he still looks even somewhat athletic; a very big
guy, tall and gangly, with huge spidery fingers. His technique is impeccable, seeing him
reveals that he is not just grabbing for noisy weird notes at all..he seems to have a huge
repertoire of actual chords and he knows exactly where he's going on the fretboard at all
times.
And again, the phrase "If it's too loud you're too old" has no bearing here. Bailey hasn't
mellowed one bit ; he's both loud AND old. Of course, I think Rice was mostly responsible
for the earth-shaking volume ; Bailey was playing a screeching hollow-body electric through a
loud amp, but Rice was taking that and running it through the P.A. at obscene volumes,
mixing it, cutting it up, looping it, and generally being a brat. Some of his electronic noise was
obscene, and not in a good way, but a lot of it was rather sublime too, and either way, Bailey
knew just how to tangle with it.
2001, BANLIEUES BLEUES : BAILEY-IBARRA CONCERT

Théatre Gérard Philippe, Saint-Denis

le samedi 17 mars 2001

Derek Bailey : guitar

Susie Ibarra : drums

D erek Bailey, doyen du free anglais et pionnier de l'improvisation libre (cf. son livre
"L'improvisation, sa nature et sa pratique dans la musique", édité en France par Outre
Mesure), a rencontré la jeune Susie Ibarra, batteur (batteuse ?) très en vue de la scène
newyorkaise, pour une heure de duos improvisés devant un public très appréciatif.

Pour ma part, je trouvais leur prestation un peu décevante, mais c'est toujours le risque que
courent les musiciens à jouer sans filet. Bailey m'a semblé manquer d'inspiration ce soir -
pratiquement toujours dans un registre médium, sans varier beaucoup de dynamique ou de
timbre, sans trouver des propos particulièrement intéressants. En comparaison, Ibarra était
brillamment inventive, mais malheureusement elle suivait respectueusement le guitariste. Très
sensible aux moindres variations de ses méandres, elle anticipait fréquemment ses fins de
phrases ou changements d'atmosphère. Elle prenait souvent des petits motifs de Bailey pour
en extraire et développer les rythmes, immédiatement et subtilement. J'avais l'impression
qu'avec un partenaire plus vif ou moins réservé on aurait pu assister à des moments réellement
lyriques ou étonnants. Mais pour moi, la contribution de Bailey est restée sans distinction, et
l'exploration consciencieuse qu'a fait Ibarra des possibilités de son instrument n'était
finalement que trop académique.
2001, TONIC, DECEMBER 5

Derek Bailey-John Zorn-Reggie Workman-Joey Baron

By Andrey Henkin

As the holidays approach, Derek Bailey makes his annual New York pilgrimage for a short
residency at Tonic, and provides Christmas shoppers with one last high profile show before
the New Year. This all-star show, however, was no gift.

Considering the packed house, the question was whom the crowd came to see? This group
recalled the days when Bailey played genre-straddling shows with cross-sections of the
Britjazz scene. A more unlikely lineup would be hard to imagine and many in the crowd
presumably came for the novelty. While sometimes unlikely groupings result in phenomenal
one-of-a-kind performances, often times they just fall flat.

The quartet started suddenly while the crowd was still getting seated. While each 45-minute
set was well received, in actuality there was little to cheer for as the improvs went nowhere and
the musicians had few moments of inspiration.

The energy came from the left infield of Bailey and Baron. Bailey, obviously the most
experienced free improviser, provided the most interesting contributions. While he does not
vary his playing much from show to show, his highly individual style still matches up well
with other protagonists. Baron's drumming was hyperactive, and he seemed to take as much
delight in the sounds he produced as the audience. There was a look of childlike wonder on
his face throughout.

The rest of the quartet unfortunately did not match up. Zorn, when he was actually playing,
looked unenthusiastic, and sounded so. He would involve himself so infrequently that his
playing proved distracting to what Bailey and Baron were doing. Reggie Workman, normally
one of the most dependable bassists around, frankly was ill-equipped for this gig. He should
be the last person included in the lineup for a free jazz show. In more traditional settings, his
reserve and taste are assets, but he lacks the "bag of tricks" possessed by the Kowalds, Guys,
or Phillips necessary for this situation. Nothing makes free jazz falter more than a musician
not wholly involved. This was presumably the first encounter between Bailey and Workman
and for good reason.

The second set had a few scattered moments of interest. Zorn had an extended workout on his
mouthpiece that made the rest of his instrument superfluous. Bailey and Barron plugged away
dependably. There seemed to be a higher comfort level among the four, rendering the first set
as "practice". By this time, Workman had abandoned any attempt at legitimate playing, and
started hitting his bass and himself, acknowledging his unwelcome presence. Comments that
free jazz can be too serious have some merit, but Workman's antics seemed to be the result of
his discomfort rather than his attempt at humor.

The sets ended to thunderous applause from a seemingly undiscriminating audience. The only
audible complaints were about the shortness of each set, since it was one of the rare occasions
when Tonic was cleared out between sets. When advertised, the evening's performance was
one that demanded attendance, but, in reality, could have been safely skipped, saving money
for the far superior Derek Bailey/Susie Ibarra gig the next week.
2001, DEREK BAILEY, JOHN ZORN, JOEY BARON, REGGIE
WORKMAN, LIVE AT TONIC 2001, NYC, DECEMBER 15.
Naughty Dog (no label) Internet released in 2006

Here's an interesting setting with Derek Bailey and a quartet of old and new players. John
Zorn [alt sax] and Joey Baron [drums] are from the New York scene of intense punk jazz
while Reggie Workman [bs] belongs to the Coltrane, Blakey and Archie Shepp fraternity.
Here's a short set in a small club, Tonic's in New York city on December 15, 2001. All the
music is improvised, hence no titles. This is just the first set. If jazz means Kenny G, please
note he's not here.

8 PM set :

1- untitled
2- untitled
3- untitled

For the month of January, we honor the late Derek Bailey’s works with music as alien to you
as it was intimate to him. Not a bit of wall paper.

As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released.

This music available only on internet is for free trade not for sale.

ROIO of the Week [Recordings of Indeterminate Origin]

This is an audience recording using a Sony D8 DAT recorder with Coresound Binaural mics.
The first 30 seconds of the first track are missing as the taper switched on late.
2001, DEREK BAILEY & FRIENDS, Tonic, New York, December 15,
(private recording). TaW's Covers Vault.

Derek Bailey : guitar

John Zorn : sax
Reggie Workman : bass
Joey Baron : drums

CD 1 8pm Set
1- 02:52
2- 16:35
3- 20:41

total 50:10

CD 2 10pm Set
1- 01:06
2- 18:50
3- 09:05
4- 06:14
5- 04:41
6- 013:00
7- 04:01

total 57:00
DerekBai
leyand Julian Kytas
ty
Tonic,
NYC
December12,2001
2001, COMPANY 6 & 7, Incus CD07 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

Leo Smith : trumpet and flute

Maarten van Regteren Altena : bass
Evan Parker : tenor and soprano saxophones
Steve Lacy : soprano saxophone; Tristan Honsinger, cello
Lol Coxhill : soprano saxophone
Anthony Braxton : soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet, flute
Steve Beresford : piano, guitar, etc
Han Bennink : drums, viola, clarinet, banjo etc
Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

1- LS/TH/AB/SL/MR 14.22
2- HB/AB/DB 08.39
3- SB/MR/HB/LC 05.35
4- LC/TH/LS 06.50
5- AB/EP 08.03
6- TH/MR/SB/HB/DB 10.29
7- SL/EP/AB/LC 04.27
8- TH/LS 02.59
9- HB/LC/MR/TH 04.54
10- EP/LS/DB 04.19

All tracks derived from the initials of the musicians.

Recorded 25 to 27 May 1977. The recordings were made during the first Company Week
which took place at the ICA London in May 1977.
Cover photograph by Roberto Massotti.

Re-release of Incus 29 and Incus 30 with some missing track

C ompany Week est un événement annuel organisé à Londres depuis 1977. (En fait, il
dure rarement une semaine, cinq jours, généralement. Il n’a eu lieu ni en 1985 ni en
1986 et il s’est aussi déroulé dans d’autres villes, New York surtout.) L’événement
est organisé par Company lui-même. Plusieurs soirées successives avec, chaque soir, cinq ou
six concerts et un total de neuf à dix musiciens sont le genre d’idée qui fait fuir les
promoteurs – race notoirement frileuse. Ainsi, c’est un petit noyau constitué par moi, des amis
et quelques volontaires qui se charge de la mise en place de ces événements.
Derek Bailey, in L’Improvisation, sa nature et sa pratique dans la musique (Outre Mesure,
coll. Contrepoints)

L a réédition de cette pièce enregistrée il y a vingt-cinq ans présente un intérêt

documentaire évident et une valeur poétique intacte : cette dernière se dégage du
contrepoint vivace et crépitant que l’audition – l’oreille illustrant la pochette n’est-elle
pas explicite ? – révèle (et qui n’a pas grand chose à voir avec le pointillisme sévère que
certains croient déceler dans l’école anglaise).
Les cordes de Derek Bailey (elg, acg), le maître d’œuvre, s’adjoignent celles de Maarten van
Regteren Altena (b) et de Tristan Honsinger (cello) tandis que les vents reviennent à Leo
Smith (tp, fl), Anthony Braxton (cl, fl, as, ss), Steve Lacy (ss) et Evan Parker (ss, ts). On ne
retrouve donc pas ici Han Bennink (dr), Steve Beresford (p) et Lol Coxhill (ss) qui étaient
présents durant cette campagne de fin mai 1977, comme en témoigne le Company 6 & 7
(Incus CD 07).
La première improvisation regroupe les sept musiciens dans une suite de vingt-cinq minutes
surlignée par les larges oblitérations de Smith : le poinçon d’altitude de Braxton s’y active
tandis que Parker déchiquette menu les timbres ; Lacy se faufile dans les interstices de la
trame sciée du violoncelle, des coutures de la contrebasse et de la chaîne houleuse de Bailey.
Les morceaux suivants collectent des improvisations du duo de Lacy avec Braxton (pinceau
dansant du premier, staccatos des rafales de fléchettes du second : la route agile des truites de
la sérénité) et du trio compact et volontiers virulent de Parker / Braxton / Honsinger : une
dramaturgie de l’éclaboussure et de l’engagement.
Un disque historique ? À n’en pas douter ! Un superbe indispensable de votre discothèque ?
Naturellement.
Guillaume Tarche, Improjazz n° 78, septembre 2001

D erek Bailey has always been interested in the way that musicians react and interact
within unfamiliar situations. Beginning in 1977, he began organizing regular events
called "Company Week", in which a group of musicians was assembled to play in
ad-hoc formations throughout the course of several days. The players are chosen with care:
some will have extensive backgrounds in free improvisation, others will not; some will have
worked with each other, some will have never even have heard each other's music. Bailey has
remarked that by the end of the week the musicians will have settled into a working rapport
but that he's not necessarily most interested in the more polished or empathetic performances
that might result: he's most interested in the earlier stages, where musicians test each other out,
warily responding & trying to find ways of communicating.

This disc documents performances from the first event, in May 1977. (Originally the
performances were released sequentially on LPs numbered 1-7; this CD compiles most but
not all of the last two LPs.) This was a historic encounter between some of the finest
European free improvisors with a number of American free jazz musicians. In the former
group: Bailey himself on guitar (as usual with Company Week, Bailey is perhaps the least
prominent musician here, & in fact only plays on 3 tracks); Evan Parker & Lol Coxhill on
saxophones; Steve Beresford on piano & miscellaneous instruments; Han Bennink on drums,
clarinet, viola, banjo & anything else within range; Tristan Honsinger on cello & Maarten van
Regteren Altena on Bass. The Americans are Steve Lacy & Anthony Braxton on saxophones,
& the trumpeter Leo Smith.

It's hard to describe this music at all: one's strongest sense is of how differences in
temperament & approach between musicians can lead to bewildering differences in result
from track to track, depending on the personnel. One division here is between some of the
Europeans whose playing involves a lot of sheer mischief & humour, & the "serious"
approach of the Americans & some of the other Europeans. Beresford, Honsinger & Bennink
are loose cannons, making tracks like "SB/MR/HB/LC", "HB/LC/MR/TH" &
"TH/MR/SB/HB/DB" (the tracks are simply titled after the personnel on them) Dadaist
assemblages of noise & mayhem. On the other hand, there's the beautiful, austere "AB/EP", a
duo between Braxton & Parker that anticipates their marvellous 1993 duet disc on Leo.
Listening to the disc again, it strikes me forcibly exactly how good the American players are,
especially Leo Smith & Braxton--Braxton's improvising was surely never more trenchant than
when he was a young lion in the 1970s, & he gives a bravura multiinstrumental performance
on the opening track (which features Lacy, Smith, Braxton with Altena & Honsinger) that has
him blowing saxophone, flute & clarinet in succession. Leo Smith is also outstanding on this
album--try out his careening duet with Honsinger, "TH/LS", or the spacious trio that closes
the disc with Parker & Bailey. The album also features one track performed by an
extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime quartet of soprano saxophonists--Parker, Coxhill, Braxton,
Lacy--& will be treasured by collectors for just that.

By any definition this is "difficult music". It is also very rewarding, & historically important.
A very welcome re-issue, though it's a pity that the original albums weren't re-issued in their
entirety. -- One final note: Derek Bailey's friend, the poet Peter Riley, wrote extensively about
the 1977 Company Week, & these writings are worth seeking out. The poems were published
as The Musicians The Instruments (The Many Press, 1978); the prose was only published a
few years ago by Bailey, in a book simply called Company Week.

Nate Dorward from Toronto, ON Canada

Document of a crucial event, October 27, 2001
2001, DROPS. Newtone Records Ictus re-issue series #5 rdc5037 (Italy)
(CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitar

Andrea Centazzo : percussion, drum set, kalimba, whistles

1- Drop One
2- Recapitulation, Reiteration And Rabbits
3- How Long Has This Been Going On?
4- Drop Two
5- Tutti Cantabile
6- Drop Three
7- Drop Four
8- Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing
9- Jim Never Seems To Send Me Pretty Flowers

Recorded on 3 and 4 April 1977 at Centazzo Studio, Moruzzo, Italy.

Release date : 31.05.2001

R eprint in CD of the 1977 recordings of the duets between Derek BAILEY and Andrea
CENTAZZO, that originally were released on the LP Drops issued by Ictus Records.
This is considered one of the best performance of the period of the English guitarist
for its explosive clarity, dialogic energy and overflowing imagination.

If this is true deserves a large merit the choice of the two musicians to work inside
compositional structures, sometimes very opened, that channelled the creative energy of the
performers. The many sides of Drops are created by the restraint of performing limits with
specific choices of timbres, dynamics, tempos for every track.

As CENTAZZO points out in the linear notes “we explored some aspects of our
improvisational art, gleaned the best elements from our baggage of music memories and
exposed them clearly and confidently. Therefore these are compositions of improvised
music”.

F ree improvisational music by percussionist Andrea Centazzo, from the late-1970s.

This CD documents a duet performance with Andrea Centazzo (percussion) and
noted guitarist Derek Bailey (electric and acoustic guitar). The compositions include
'Drop One', 'recapitulation, reiteration and rabbits', 'how long has this been going on', 'drop
two', 'tutti cantabile', 'drop three', 'drop four', 'sing, sing, sing, sing, sing', and 'jim never seems
to send me pretty flowers'.
2001, TEST PATTERN ARCHIVE : ABOUT DEREK BAILEY

Internet streams of two programs about the music of Derek Bailey.

Listen to streams of archived Test Pattern programs using the shoutcast/mp3 stream format.
Click on a link in the table below.

These are fast streams (112 and 128kbps), so you'll need an mp3 player and a fast internet
link to listen -- a dial up modem won't work. Also, I can only accept three listeners at a time.

http://zbconline.com/tp-archive.php

http://fsbsd.thefsb.org:8050/content/tp-010406-derek-bailey-part-1.mp3

http://fsbsd.thefsb.org:8050/content/tp-010413-derek-bailey-part-1.mp3
s
creen s
hot
2002, NEW SIGHTS, OLD SOUNDS, Incus CD48-49 (UK) (2 CD)
(re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric and acoustic guitars

Disk 1 (CD 48) :

1- New sights, old sounds 18.52

2- Thou shalt not bear false witness 09.16
3- This is the age of oddities let loose 03.09
4- Nothing so difficult as a beggining 04.50
5- Here was no lack of innocent diversion 02.54
6- A wanderer from the British world of fashion 03.14

Disk 2 (CD 49) :

7- Live in Nagoya, part 1 17.00

8- Live in Nagoya, part 2 12.50
9- Live at Kalavinka 20.35

Disk 1 recorded on 5 May 1978 at Betty Studio, Tokyo, Japan; all titles are from Byron's Don
Juan; tracks 1 and 2 of Disk 2 were recorded on 21 April 1978 at Meien-Kaikan, Nagoya,
Japan; track 3 was recorded on 3 May 1978 at Kalavinka, Machida, Japan.

Front cover photograph [DB looking out window of 14 Downs Road] by Toshio Kuwabara.
Recorded on 5 May 1978 at Betty Studio, Tokyo, Japan; all titles are from Byron's Don Juan.

This Incus CD issued in 2002 as full re-issue of Morgue double LP 3/4

I ncus has acquired the masters of NEW SIGHTS OLD SOUNDS, the double solo
album DB recorded for the Morgue label in 1978. Issued in Japan in 1978 it has been
out of print since 1979. It is now issued as a double CD on Incus with the original
artwork.

The playing is dedicated to the memory of Aquirax Aida, who produced the recordings and
owned the Label, Morgue, tragically he died shortly after their release.

L ast Autumn, when I interviewed Derek Bailey, he told me that he thought solo guitar
playing was a second rate activity compared to playing with people, and that he
preferred releasing newly recorded music to stuff from the archives. Thankfully, both
of these opinions have been outweighed in selecting this latest Incus release, a double CD of
his solo playing recorded in Japan in May 1978.

These recordings briefly saw the light of day on the Japanese Morgue label, but almost
immediately disappeared following the death of label proprietor Aquirax Aida (who
introduced Bailey to Japan). They have become much sought after, and copies of the Morgue
LPs are extortionately expensive. Bailey has finally acquired the rights to release them, having
been trying for at least a decade, which may be an indication of how he feels about this music.

One CD is studio recorded, the other live. They provide an interesting contrast, one that goes
beyond his using acoustic guitar in the studio and electric guitar live. In the studio, Bailey is
introspective and exploratory. With no other player to react to, he sounds exposed. His
avoidance of the expected, of clichés, of well-worn paths (call it what you will) seems more
tangible than ever. Sometimes, his deliberation is almost painful to hear.

Live, although his methodology is not radically different from in the studio, Bailey sounds
more assured and fluent, less introspective. He has the audience to react to, but is not just
playing to the audience, he is playing to the gallery. On this early trip to Japan, he seems keen
to make a lasting impression. The live set uses amplification and feedback to good effect, with
periods where the sound is just in control, teetering on the edge of chaos.

This is a fascinating release that illuminates Bailey's solo playing as much as any I can recall.

John Eyles
2002, SEVEN, Incus CD54 (UK) (CD) (released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar

Ingar Zach : percussion

1. Shuffle 07.37
2. Cut 09.37
3. Deal 05.08
4. Hand 06.39
5. Pair 05.38
6. Flush 08.40

Recorded at The Moat, London on 15 February 2002.

Artwork and layout by Karen Brookman.

Z ach adopts much of the palette of the free-improvising percussionist - impulsively

scurrying patterns, metallic scrapings, knife-sharpening noises and chain-rattling
effects - but he has a precision of execution and a sense of contrast and drama
(sudden proclamatory gong-clangs, vibraphone-like held notes) that helps give the music
episodic shape. Bailey's curtly struck chords, harmonics and scuttling runs are at their most
enigmatically playful on Deal; Zach affects a startlingly realistic dog-barking sound on Pair;
and the closing Flush features the guitarist in an almost lyrical mood - a very slowly
unfolding, Japanese-sounding reverie, with Zach significantly imperceptible on finger-cymbals
and other minimal effects in the background.
John Fordham, Friday April 4, 2003, The Guardian.
S emblant attiré par les duos avec batteur ou percussionniste (des enregistrements sur
Incus avec Cyro Baptista, Han Bennink, John Stevens, Jamie Muir, Tony Oxley et
Susie Ibarra), le guitariste originaire de Sheffield nous offre ici un nouveau tête-à-tête
avec le jeune Norvégien Ingar Zach, un percussionniste qui utilise un grand nombre de
métallophones résonnants (des petites cloches aux gongs) qu’il dispose sur ses peaux et fait
sonner à l’aide de baguettes, mailloches, pièces de métal, archets et autres ustensiles. Sur
“Seven”, les deux hommes distillent un univers aéré, contrasté et d’un lyrisme délicat,
presque serein (mais terriblement nerveux et incisif), traversé de petits sons feutrés, cristallins
comme un vibraphone ou plus rugueux et métalliques.

(...)

À 74 ans, Derek Bailey demeure un trublion inamovible des musiques vivantes.

Gérard Rouy
2002, NOT NECESSARILY "ENGLISH MUSIC", LMJ CD 11 (UK)
(CD) (released in 2002)

Curated by David Toop

DISC 1 :

Live at the Royal College of Art

AMM:
Eddie Prevost, Keith Rowe, Cornelius Cardew, Lou Gare, Lawrence Sheaff
Recorded: Royal College of Art, London, 28 March 1966. © 2001 Matchless Records &
Publishing.

Wind Flutes Urban

Sound sculptures constructed by Max Eastley
Recorded: London, 1975

Performants
Intermodulation: Roger Smalley, Tim Souster, Robin Thompson, Peter Britton
Recorded: Ely Cathedral, England, July 6, 1971

Wedged into Release

Frank Perry (percussion)
Recorded: Command Studios, London, 1971

Piece for Cello and Accordion

Michael Parsons
Performers: Michael Parsons (cello), Howard Skempton (accordion)
Recorded: British Music Information Society, London, August 8, 1974

Four Aspects
Daphne Oram
Recorded: 1960
The Judith Poem
Bob Cobbing
Performed by abAna:
Bob Cobbing (voice), Paul Burwell (percussion), David Toop (electric guitar)
Recorded: London, May 17, 1973

Music for Three Springs

Hugh Davies (amplified springs)
Recorded: 1977

Piano Musics i & ii

Robert Worby
Recorded: 1975

Plum
Lol Coxhill (soprano sax, Watkins Copy Cat Echo), Steve Miller (electric piano)
Recorded: 1973

Search and Reflect

John Stevens
Performers: Spontaneous Music Orchestra
Probable line-up: John Stevens, Lou Gare, Trevor Watts, Ron Herman, Burwell, David Toop,
Christopher Small, Herman Hauge, Turner, Ye Min, Mike Barton
Recorded: Little Theatre Club, London, January 18, 1972

Part 3
The People Band:
Terry Day, Mel Davis, Lyn Dobson, Eddie Edem, Tony Edwards, Figgis, Frank Flowers,
Terry Halman, Russ Herncy, George Khan
Recorded: London, March 21, 1968

As It Were
Evan Parker (reeds), Paul Lytton (percussion, electronics)
Rehearsal tape recorded: London, March 21, 1971

DISC 2

Solo
John Stevens (percussion, cornet, voice)
Recording date and location unknown

Toy Piano
Steve Beresford
Recorded: Charing Cross Station, London, January 18, 1975

Voice
Steve Beresford
Recorded: York Station, April 21, 1974
Battle March

Traditional, arranged by Cornelius Cardew

Performers: Cornelius Cardew (piano), Jane Manning (voice)
Recorded: Purcell Room, London, by Dave Smith, March 5, 1974

Duet for One-String Banjo and Water Cistern

Ron Geesin
Group Composition VI (Unfixed Parities)
Gentle Fire: Hugh Davies, Richard Bernas, Graham Hearn, Stuart Jones, Michael Robinson
Recorded: Gawthorpe Festival, Burnley, Lancashire, England, July 1974

Instant Composition no. 1

Rain in the Face: Paul Burwell (drums), David Toop (electric guitar)
Rehearsal tape recorded: London, 1971

Nona Meyeah Teay

Ranulph Glanville
Recorded: Spring 1967

Improvisation 5
Derek Bailey (guitar)
Recorded in London, February 1971

Miserere
The Campiello Band:
Michael Nyman, Rory Allam, Lucie Skeaping, Roddie Skeaping, Steve, Keith Thompson,
Doug Wooton
Recorded: Clifton College, Nottingham, England, March 3, 1977

Pharoah's March
Mike Cooper
Performers: Mike Cooper (guitar), Mike Osborne (alto sax), Geoff (tenor sax), Alan
Skidmore (tenor sax), Alan Jackson drums), Harry Miller (bass), John Taylor (piano)

Geese
A Touch of the Sun: Peter Cusack (guitar), Simon Mayo (clarinet)
Recorded: London, c. 1974

Pilgrimage from Scattered Points on the Surface of the Body to the Brain, Inner Ear,
the Heart and the Stomach
The Scratch Orchestra
Recorded: London, 1970

Blowin' in the Wind

Frank Perry (drums), Mongezi Feza (trumpet), Chris McGregor (piano)
Recorded: Ray Man's Crucible at the Asylum Club, London, 1971

T he 1960s was a time of major revolution and opening up in western music. Electronics
made all sounds possible, free improvisation grew out of jazz, musicians expressed
radical social ideas to young audiences. And as David Toop demonstrates in curating
this great 2-CD package, England was one of the hotbeds of experimentation! In fact, these
CDs are, to quote Toop, "documentation of an extraordinary burst of musical experimentation
that touches upon the overlapping practices of live electronics, improvisation, free jazz, free
rock, tape music, experimental and revolutionary composition, sound sculpture, sound poetry,
minimalism and a few pieces that refuse to confine themselves even to these unruly categories
in order to explore the outer limits of free folk blues, symbolic table tennis, and similar
improbabilities.
And who are the musicians? Cornelius Cardew, Daphne Oram, Hugh Davies, Michael Nyman,
Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Michael Parsons, Max Eastley, AMM, The Scratch Orchestra,
Intermodulation, The People Band, Gentle Fire, are but a few of the fabulous musicians and
groups represented in this 2-CD package.

LMJ11 CD COMPANION INTRODUCTION

Not Necessarily "English Music"

Not Necessarily Captured, Except as a Fleeting Glance

Fear not; be not afraid, for the recordings I have collected as a companion to this issue of
writings about British music are the imperfect documents of a volatile, fugitive, now quite
ancient history. Listen, not even particularly closely, and in many cases you will hear
distortion, hiss, rumble, skewed stereo or blunt mono, vinyl crackle and worn grooves, tape
dropout and oxide erosion, the traction of obsolete recording devices, faint movements of the
sound recordist, coughing, poor dynamic range and rock-bottom fidelity, all to a degree quite
incomprehensible in our digital age.

On a more positive note, what you will also hear is documentation of an extraordinary burst of
musical experimentation that touches upon the overlapping practices of live electronics,
improvisation, free jazz, free rock, tape music, experimental and revolutionary composition,
sound sculpture, sound poetry, minimalism and a few pieces that refuse to confine themselves
even to these unruly categories in order to explore the outer limits of free folk blues, symbolic
table tennis, and similar improbabilities.

Archiving is a strange activity. During a telephone conversation between Derek Bailey and
myself, Derek suggested that it might be psychologically harmful. Certainly it entails a deep
archaeology of memory that reveals much about the fragility and subjectivity of remembering,
not to mention difficult negotiations with the malign forces of nostalgia and self-deception.

The earliest piece represented in these two CDs of British experimental music dates from
1960: Daphne Oram's remarkable tape piece entitled Four Aspects; the latest pieces were
recorded in 1977: Hugh Davies's improvisation for amplified springs and Michael Nyman's
Campiello Band. This is a timeline that stretches back almost to the middle of the last century.
Though Daphne Oram is still alive at the time of writing she is no longer active and the
complete account of her fascinating life has yet to be told. Hugh Davies and Michael Nyman
are still commanding presences in their respective corners of what experimental music has
become, and so there is a continuity and persistence that most of us involved in these early
recordings may have doubted in our less optimistic moments.

My own relationship to this history is complicated, anyway. In 1966 I shared second prize for
my entry to a poetry competition and spent the meagre winnings on an Ornette Coleman LP,
This Is Our Music. Psychedelic rock by The Seeds, Love and The Mothers of Invention was
the listening choice of a tiny cult at my school, and in 1967, between school and art college, I
went to an all-night concert at the Roundhouse in north London to see Cream headlining a bill
that also included Geno Washington and the RamJam Band, a soul group popular with the
declining Mod movement. Neither free jazz nor the post-blues rock of Cream quite prepared
me for my first exposure to AMM, who played in the disorder of the early part of that
evening. I am sure that most people in the audience believed that they were technicians
struggling to fix faulty electrical connections or setting up instruments for the bands. At some
point during a set that I later learned was profoundly unsatisfying to AMM, I realized that this
seemingly disconnected group was engaged in a kind of improvised performance using
electronics, a drum kit, a tenor saxophone and a guitar.

AMM---during that period Eddie Prévost, Keith Rowe, Cornelius Cardew, Lou Gare and
Lawrence Sheaff---represented a convergence that was momentous, for me at least. The idea
that a performance could be so atomized, so unfocused, yet so cohesive, the fact that it veered
between silent and raucous, controlled and random, or that it drew upon techniques developed
within jazz, from Louis Armstrong to Albert Ayler, and the line that could be drawn from J.S.
Bach to John Cage, rich in the implications of contemporary painting, performance and ideas,
was a breakthrough. From that point, the boundaries between all these zones were erased.

The German born artist Gustav Metzger had shown his liquid crystal projections at the
Roundhouse rock concerts of 1966, where Pink Floyd, The Who and The Move had played
concerts that aligned them, albeit temporarily, with the avant-garde. In conversation with
Metzger in 2000, I asked him about the concert I attended. I remember seeing projections at
that event, but Metzger suspects they were not by him. Still a schoolboy and taught English
literature by the sister of Peter Wynne Wilson, the man who projected bubble lights onto Pink
Floyd at venues like UFO and the London Free School, I had bought the August 1966 Auto
Destructive issue of Art and Artists magazine and discovered DIAS, the Destruction In Art
Symposium.

Convened in London in September 1966, DIAS was organized by Metzger, along with John
Sharkey; Ivor Davies; Dom Sylvester Houédard, a Benedictine monk and concrete poet; and
Bob Cobbing, a sound poet who managed Better Books in the Charing Cross Road at that
time. The artists who took part included Yoko Ono, John Latham, Wolf Vostell and Herman
Nitsch. In Art and Artists I was thrilled to read accounts of Jean Tinguely blowing up his
constructions in the Nevada desert, or John Latham burning towers of books in a
communicative transmutation of their significance as compact data carriers.

I was equally inspired to see a photograph of Piano Activities by Philip Corner, an event at
which Fluxus artists destroyed a piano according to a specific program of instructions. The
documentation was reproduced in Jasia Reichardt's account of Destruction in Art, printed in
the Architectural Review of December 1966.

This notion---that violence, decomposition and elemental forces such as fire were legitimate
processes, or activations, in the making of art---was a revelation. Metzger linked physical
destruction, such as his own paintings using hydrochloric acid on nylon, to Dada, Italian
Futurism, Antonin Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty, the Cubists and their fragmentation of form
and Yves Klein's dematerialization of the aesthetic experience. He also pointed to deeper
issues. World War II and the Cold War (what the poet and author Jeff Nuttall called "bomb
culture") penetrated every aspect of the art practices and general mood of this period. For
Metzger, there was a direct connection to Nazi Germany and the Eastern Bloc. He had grown
up in Nürnberg and was sent to England in 1939, a Polish Jew rescued by the Refugee
Children movement. His parents died in the Holocaust. In 1957 he became a founder member
of the King's Lynn Committee for Nuclear Disarmament and throughout his life's work, there
are political links to be deciphered, along with a fascination with contemporary art's
relationship to twentieth-century science and a belief in its potential for transforming social
aggression. In a 1965 lecture to the Architectural Association in London, Metzger spoke with
remarkable prescience about issues that have since come to pass: environmental pollution, the
toxicity of food, the destruction engendered by capitalism and its ruthless expansion.

In the aftermath of the war, a number of the musicians who were important to my personal
musical development---drummer John Stevens, for example---had learned the rudiments of
group playing as members of military bands during their National Service. As for my
generation, we were baby boomers born to parents in their first flush of optimism and
homecoming after surviving two world wars. Many of us grew up reluctantly immersed in a
stream of cathartic stories about war and its chaos, destruction and death, yet we were cosseted
in an environment that aspired, quite understandably, to permanent stability.

This contradiction, given the dramatic social changes of the 1950s, was certain to lead to a
kind of cultural and political anarchy. Despite being relayed across the Atlantic, the impact of
the Civil Rights movement in America was profound. I read Valerie Wilmer's stories about
Albert Ayler and Sun Ra in Melody Maker, listened to radio broadcasts of the new jazz on
Voice of America, and gave a sketchily researched talk at my school about the economic
conditions of African-Americans and their relationship to urban blues. Naturally, there was
not a single pupil of African or Asian descent in the school at that time. With some notable
exceptions, the media landscape was deeply conservative, the suburban atmosphere a
stultifying monoculture.

In 1967, my foundation year of study at Hornsey College of Art, in north London, I had the
good fortune to share a work table with Stuart Marshall. Stuart later became an assistant to
Alvin Lucier and a sound artist in his own right, then a video artist, educator and theorist, and
finally a gay filmmaker, before succumbing to AIDS in 1993. In an act of reciprocal education
that had a far greater effect than the official curriculum, he introduced me to the work of
LaMonte Young, and I loaned him my free jazz records. In 1971 we accompanied each other
to an AMM concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. It was a surprisingly upscale venue, though
the group had been profiled in Vogue in 1967. AMM were still wearing modernist suits and
polo neck sweaters during the psychedelic Summer of Love, yet experimentalism was also
dressed in ruffled paisley shirts that year. Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett claimed to be influenced
by the guitar playing of AMM's Keith Rowe, and in the live shows, if not so much on record,
Barrett could produce a spectacular wall of noise.

Concert-going offered plentiful adventures. The South African expatriate musicians---Chris

McGregor, Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani, Louis Moholo and Mongezi Feza---could be seen
at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, often playing their infectious mix of free jazz, romantic
ballads and Kwela from the townships, alongside groups led by pianist Keith Tippett or
guitarist Ray Russell. Perhaps in the same week, Jimi Hendrix, Soft Machine or American
visitors such as Moby Grape, The Fugs or Freddy King would be playing at a London venue.

At this point, it should be said that a less clearly evident musical influence had made its mark
on post-war English youth, even before the onset of adolescence. Without being aware of
electronic music, my generation had absorbed tape manipulation, musique concrète and funny
noises through the innovative work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The Workshop was
founded in 1958 as a dedicated unit for "radiophonic effects." Original members such as
Daphne Oram, Desmond Briscoe and Richard "Dickie" Bird would invent unusual
soundtracks for radio and television dramas, with some of their most experimental sounds
being devised for the shows that were popular with boys like myself in the late 1950s. A
science-fiction television production called Quatermass and The Pit was particularly
frightening. For a sequence in which diggers burrow down below an underground train tunnel
to find a buried spaceship, the Radiophonic Workshop mixed the noise of amplifiers being
connected and disconnected, tape recorders self-oscillating and other basic techniques. For the
long-running radio comedy, The Goon Show, they were called upon to recreate such esoteric
effects as the internal commotion of Major Bloodnok's stomach (a military man with a taste
for fiery curry) and the ascent of a rice paper balloon into the sky.

In late 1969 I began playing with percussionist Paul Burwell (detailed by Paul in his notes to
the recordings included in this issue). During Paul's subsequent studies at Ealing College,
lecturer Christopher Small invited John Stevens, founder of the Spontaneous Music
Ensemble, to hold weekly improvisation workshops in one of the classrooms. Paul and I both
attended regularly, and in May 1972, John invited the workshop band from these sessions to
take part in an SME broadcast for BBC Radio Three. The work, for a group of 20 musicians
including Stan Tracey, Trevor Watts, Paul Rutherford, Derek Bailey, Lou Gare and Lol
Coxhill, was called Encompass.

John Stevens died at the age of 54, in 1994. In the late 1960s he was looking for ways to
communicate approaches to improvisation. His background was in jazz, but he had begun to
listen to archaic ceremonial musics such as Japanese Gaguka and the fluid sonic and social
interactions of hunter-gatherer Pygmies from Central Africa. These ideas were formulated into
exercises that encouraged a philosophy of listening. The liberating influence of free jazz was
enormous, yet that musical movement seemed so closely aligned to a specifically African-
American struggle of identity and expression. John had initiated a departure from the
compositional models of Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and George Russell with a less
structured approach that had parallels, in my mind at least, with the theories of Gustav
Metzger. Music had to be taken apart to make sense in new conditions.

European post-war division and reconstruction was dramatic enough to demand its own
musical identity. Improvisers still drew upon the high-energy fire music of John Coltrane's
Ascension to produce fierce political statements such as Peter Brötzmann's Machine Gun,
recorded in 1968 at a moment of political turmoil, but a mineral-rich torrent of conflicting or
complementary influences---John Cage, Zen, Confucianism, psychedelic drugs, minimalism
and conceptualism, rock music, live electronics, sound poetry and mixed-media performance,
musical comedy, ethnomusicology, anarchism, new technologies, meditation, kinetic art,
cybernetics, community theater---was flowing into late 1960s experimental music.
Maintaining an integrity to any one genre seemed impossible and pointless.

One of the most engaging questions of the time centered on a paradox: how could form be
broken down completely, yet still remain coherent and identifiable as an expression of group
unity? The turbulent parallel histories of The People Band, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
and the Scratch Orchestra lay bare the ultimate implications of asking the question in the first
place. Implicitly, this was a social issue---how to live in communities in different ways; a
political issue---how society as a whole might be restructured; an aesthetic issue---could
satisfying new musical forms emerge from co-operative dynamics? The boundaries of these
issues were as blurred, however, as were the divisions between musical genres or art forms in
general.

Another collapsing boundary was the one that separated high art and pop. In England, this
was one of the most clearly articulated representations of a meticulously differentiated class
system. Jazz musicians tended to come from working-class backgrounds, and so were treated
with the bare minimum of respect within the arts, education and media establishment. The
composers were invariably middle class, and although their position of privilege remained
relatively intact, there was a feeling that their audience was slipping away from them. Attitudes
to instrumental virtuosity and theorization were complex and covert in their deference to this
hierarchy, and many groups working in experimental music began to challenge these attitudes.
By the 1950s, with the aristocracy in decline and a surburbanized working class aspiring to
home ownership and other middle-class values, class divisions were becoming less defined.
Many of the musicians of my generation who became involved in experimental music seemed
to come from middle-class liberal homes or from parents whose roots were working class, yet
who thought of themselves as superior to what they perceived as a lumpen proletariat.

In 1971 I taped a remarkable talk given by Cornelius Cardew for the weekly BBC Radio
Three program, Music In Our Time. He used this opportunity to make an attack on the BBC
and its contemptuous attitude to the new music of Howard Skempton and Gavin Bryars, then
concluded by performing Michael Chant's Prayer, simply recording the scratching sounds of
writing on a drum (regrettably, too expensive to license from the BBC, as was the SME
broadcast mentioned above). As a lecturer in fine arts at Portsmouth Art College, Gavin
Bryars had been working with students on a conceptual piece, The Sinking of the Titanic, and
an ensemble called The Portsmouth Sinfonia (again, regrettably, no recordings were available
for this compilation). The aim of the Sinfonia was to play popular classics to the best of each
player's ability. Since abilities were mixed, to say the least, the results were hilarious, although
assumptions that repertoire workhorses like Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture were played for
laughs were misguided. Everybody tried hard, even when lost beyond recall.

In their very different ways, the Portsmouth Sinfonia and the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
workshop, also known as the Spontaneous Music Orchestra, mounted assaults on the
authority of musical competence. What seemed to matter was playing with integrity to the
intentions of the performance, or creating a strong group interaction, rather than demonstrating
technical skill. This is true of many of the tracks collected for this compilation. Michael
Parsons is explicit and typically humble about his limited ability on cello in the note written to
clarify the circumstances of his duet with Howard Skempton on Piece For Cello and
Accordion; Evan Parker is now celebrated as a leading virtuoso of the saxophone, yet in 1971,
his duo with Paul Lytton seemed intent on dismantling each particle of sound as it rose from
the instruments. The elements of music were set on fire.

Similarly, there is a striking contrast between Cornelius Cardew's contribution to the harsh
cries, strikes and sudden silences of AMM's 1966 gig at the Royal College Of Art and his
astonishingly fluent piano playing in the Chinese song performed with Jane Manning in
1974. According to the recordist of this latter piece, composer Dave Smith, Cardew was highly
rated as a Bach interpreter during his student days. The virtuosity was displaced by listening
skills during the Scratch Orchestra and AMM period, then returned as Cardew felt a pressing
need to create music with a more popular appeal and defined political purpose.

The more ambitious events of the time were amplifications of all these trends. I remember the
Wandelkonzert at the Goethe Institute in Kensington---Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet by
Gavin Bryars and his orchestra on the terrace at 9:15 P.M. if the weather was good (and I
seem to remember it was); a group including John Tilbury, Bryn Harris and Michael Nyman
playing the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" and Harry Champion's Music Hall song, "Any
Old Iron," at 8:15; Intermodulation performing at the same time in a different room; Gentle
Fire in the Main Hall at 9:05 and P.T.O. with John White, Christopher Hobbs, Hugh
Shrapnell, Brian Dennis and Alec Hill squeezed into the library at 8:30. For the sprawling Art
Spectrum at Alexandra Palace in north London, the Scratch Orchestra built a ramshackle
house and garden where performances were given by Scratch members David and Diane
Jackman and Private Company. The original edition of Michael Nyman's book, Experimental
Music (London: Studio Vista, 1974), shows a photograph of the house on its back cover.
Something is going on in the garden involving clarinet and violin, while Paul Burwell is just
visible at the bottom of the photograph, taking part in a completely unrelated performance by
poet Carlyle Reedy's Monkey Theatre.

Musicians who would never have entered each other's orbit found themselves sharing ideals, at
least temporarily, or occupying the same stage. I played flute in two performances of Eddie
Prévost's composition, Spirals, in 1973. The other participants in a group of 37 players
included John Stevens, Christopher Hobbs, Frank Perry, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, Gavin
Bryars, Philipp Wachsmann, John Farley, Michael Nyman, Barry Guy, Terry Day and
Michael Parsons. The personnel of The People Band or Portsmouth Sinfonia would throw up
similarly unlikely juxtapositions. This willingness to abandon a fixed sense of place or
identity within the cultural map is a legacy that remains with us today. If a single word were
needed to sum up this period of English experimental music it would be "informal." After all
the rigorous, radical and exclusionist music theories that slugged it out during the twentieth
century, English music allowed things to happen.
Postscript

Almost all of the tracks I have collected for the double CD that accompanies this edition of
Leonardo Music Journal are previously unreleased. The few that have been issued before on
record or cassette tape are now almost impossible to obtain. As far as I can tell, only Derek
Bailey's track is easily available on CD---on Solo Guitar Volume 1 (Incus CD 10)---and that
is because archivists have been assiduous in finding, and releasing, every inch of Derek's early
tapes. As he put it, the barrel has been scraped. Of course, my selection misses many
important musicians and composers, not because I disregard their work but because there are
physical limits to these projects. I am grateful to LMJ for allowing me the luxury of two CDs,
but it could have been far more. I am sorry that Maggie Nicols failed to discover any tapes of
her early work and that Brian Eno could not locate his first tape experiment in his archives.
Hopefully, they will turn up at some point.

For their help in a labyrinthine journey lasting six months, I would like to thank all of the
musicians who took the time to find and transfer old and precious tapes. The detective work of
tracking people down, finding tapes or collating information was helped immeasurably by the
following: Hugh Davies, Dave Smith, Simon Emmerson, Howard Skempton, John Tilbury,
Trevor Taylor, Michael Parsons, Paul Wilson at the National Sound Archive, Martin Davidson
and Louise Stevens. I would also like to thank Patricia Bentson at LMJ for her patience and
encouragement and to Nicolas Collins for asking me to take this project on. At times it has
seemed like a poisoned chalice, but in the end, I hope this has formed itself into a valuable
record (in all senses) of a previously poorly documented yet endlessly fascinating era in
twentieth-century musical history.

David Toop
LMJ11 CD Curator
7 Topsfield Road, London
E-mail: soundocean@compuserve.com

Leonardo On-Line © 2001 ISAST

http://mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo/
2002, BALLADS, Tzadik 7607 (US) (CD) (released in 2002)

Derek Bailey : Epiphone acoustic guitar

1. Laura 02.58
2. What's New 01.40
3. When Your Lover Has Gone 03.18
4. Stella By Starlight 07.22
5. My Melancholy Baby 03.13
6. My Buddy 01.13
7. Gone With The Wind 02.07
8. Rockin' Chair 01.56
9. Body And Soul 05.34
10. Gone With The Wind 02.29
11. Rockin' Chair 02.04
12. You Go To My Head 01.47
13. Georgia On My Mind 04.58
14. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone 00.50

Recorded in London, 2002. Total time : 41:31 min.

Derek Bailey and John Zorn : producers.
Hrycer Robinson : engineer.
Y
es, this is for real. Experimental guitar wizard Derek Bailey performs a program of his
favorite standards in his own inimitable and enigmatic. Inspired and energized by a very
special vintage acoustic arch-top guitar, this intriguing solo recording is a one-of-a-kind
chance to hear the master pioneer of non-idiomatic free improvisation perform compositions
from the American Songbook. A textbook of originality for years to come, is one of the most
vexing and enjoyable CDs Derek has ever made. You have got to hear it to believe it. Insightful
liner notes by Marc Ribot attempts to explain the proceedings.

D
erek Bailey stares at the camera from the back of this album--if it weren't for the guitar
you could mistake him for Samuel Beckett. A similar austerity & singlemindedness to
Beckett's has always informed Bailey's music. His book on improvisation is pretty
emphatic about his lack of interest in performing within preset structures. It's thus something of a
mystery how John Zorn managed to get Derek to record this disc, but it turns out both to be the
ultimate collector's item--any Bailey fan will probably have ordered this the moment it came out-
-and a surprisingly effective album.

Bailey has always peppered his solo work with fragments of jazz standards--"Stella by Starlight"
on _Domestic & Public Pieces_, "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" & 1930s swing guitar on
_Drop Me Off at 96th_, "Imagination" on _Fairly Early With Postscripts_. The difference
between this recording & those earlier discs is that there is to my ear no irony at all here: Bailey
doesn't desecrate these tunes like Eugene Chadbourne or Billy Jenkins would. But neither is it a
clutch of "readings" of these tunes in the accepted jazz manner. They are instead rather like
landmarks or objets trouves within an extended solo performance. Bailey doesn't do the usual
head-solos-head jazz thing: most tunes are stated exactly once (& sometimes only partially), &
they are enfolded in a more or less continuous 41-minute improvisation. It's hard to exactly
define the relation between the tunes & the improvisations: the improvisations aren't in any sense
"upon" the tunes (upon their chords or melodies), but they somehow interlock very closely--I find
myself listening quite closely, never quite sure if I'm hearing bits of the standard within the
abstract sections or if I'm just imagining this. Defying expectations, the whole performance lacks
any sense of arbitrary style-switching or discontinuity: it works as a whole, & as such says
volumes about the vexed quesiton of the relation of jazz to European free improvisation. In short:
do try. No novelty, it's actually a very fine album which provides much pleasure & food for
thought. Shelve next to String Theory, Bailey's remarkable feedback album, another recent
surprise of his.
Nate Dorward from Toronto, ON Canada

N
o one saw this one coming! There have been a rash of fascinating solo-guitar albums of
late, from the re-issue of Clarence White's practice tapes to recent improvised outings by
Fred Frith and Mark Ribot. None of those, however, are as revalatory as this. Fans of
improvised music have long admired, loved even, Derek Bailey for his iron-fisted resolve -- his
unyeilding, resolute devotion to amelodic, arrythmic explorations and to the lack of any
repertoire. While such characteristics are indeed atypical, they are hardly amusical -- he has been
showing us all along that sound and music are one in the same, and that one can communicate
just as effectively without limiting the language to western musical confines. So, does this album
of standard ballad faire function as an apology for decades of what some call anti-music? Hardly.
What it does is illuminate, more than almost any other record of the dozens that Bailey has made,
the powerful organic foundation of Bailey's concept. Rather than a series of straight
interpretations, this plays like a suite, where lengthy bouts of harmonics, squeels, and silences
interact with some of the most beautiful melodies of the past 7 or so decades. It's playful, warm,
cantankerous, and -- yes -- a little sentimental. It's also wonderful, an example of improvisation's
power to impart personality and charisma into pre-existing structures and Bailey's own genius of
reinventing himself yet always sounding like Derek Bailey. Bravo.
Reviewer: A music fan from Arlington, MA United States
Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered!, April 28, 2002

J
ohn Zorn owns Derek Bailey. The poor old guy has enough to deal with-- his jazzbo peers
are playing it close to trad bop, and the whippersnappers are either copycats of their elders,
or are off on some experimental Klezmer trip-hop tangent. And it's not as if Bailey ever
really fit in with jazzbos in the first place, what with the whole idea of 'spontaneous' music and
improvising with no preconceived set of parameters, much less precedents. Zorn steps in, makes
a few calls, and Bailey ends up playing sets with noisemongers like Ruins, or is somehow booked
into sessions making drum-n-bass records, or playing world-funk with Ornette Coleman's bassist.
Come on, man, let the guy be!

But Bailey has been above and beyond the call of jazz duty for a good 40 years now, and his
latest Zorn-provoked project of playing ultra-classy standards might just be the pendant on his
spiky-splendored coat of a career. He was playing free jazz in London in the mid-60s with Tony
Oxley and Dave Holland (before Miles Davis tasted his first crumpet). He formed renowned
Incus Records with Oxley and Evan Parker in the 70s when turning skronk into profit was but a
twinkle in Zorn's eye. And he's outlasted all but the most shamelessly devoted to the biz by
playing an improvised sound so idiosyncratic it effectively defies analytical criticism.

Still, there's something to be said about an old dog, new tricks and a lifetime of artistic
expression: Ballads is a remarkable record for Bailey. As on recent efforts such as 2000's Mirakle
or 1998's Play Backs, the concept places Bailey in a strange context and observes the outcome.
However, instead of putting him in a group or adding strange studio effects, the gimmick here is
Bailey's interpretations of classic tunes written by the likes of Hoagy Carmichael and Victor
Young. Bailey actually started out playing straight ahead small group jazz in the 50s, so this
material isn't actually so far from his palette. Furthermore, his acoustic guitar playing is so
delicate and sympathetic to the tunes, it's hard to believe he ever left those old standards behind.

Bailey's improvisations here are at once impenetrable and immediately familiar. If you've
followed his work, you know that he can make his guitars sound as if they were made only for
him, and in this case, he actually went to the trouble of finding one that was "totally inappropriate
for playing standards." Marc Ribot writes in the liner notes for Ballads that Bailey's playing
draws on sources "far wider than those employed in jazz" and how his striking sounds "don't
sever the relation of song to improvisation, but [create] deeper, less predictable relations." This
will undoubtedly come down to the listener, as there were definitely a couple of occasions when I
lost track of the standard, and slipped into a world completely of Bailey's making.

"Laura" opens the CD, as Bailey strums light harmonics, and jumps into David Raskin's rather
romantic original melody. The guitarist sounds so at home playing the chords that, though he
freely mixes in atonal ornaments, it never really sounds juxtaposed. He sometimes settles on
angular figures, breaking the romantic mood, but rather than erase the beauty of the melody, he
seems to contemplate it, effortlessly letting his mind wander when it will. If you're used to
hearing the Wes Montgomery side of things, this will be a bit disorienting.

All of the tunes on this set run together, like a stream-of-conscious classic pop revue. Johnny
Burke's "What's New" is born out of the improvisation from "Laura," passing by so quickly you
might miss the melody. Even as it segues into "When Your Lover Has Gone," you might still be
reveling in Bailey's forceful free-strum of the previous tune. However, he does come down every
now and then to reveal the tune's inherently nostalgic, almost cinematic charm-- only to launch
into flighty, jarring figures that wouldn't have sounded out of place on his Ruins albums. This is
one of those times you might forget he's playing standards.

The most beautiful moments on Ballads come with the completely unexpected instances of clarity
in Bailey's improvisations. In "You Go to My Head," after the tune and typically restless
commentary, he begins to rest on eerily perfect octaves. Even though he can spend a lifetime
following his muse to the chagrin of anyone that ever wanted to break free of convention, Bailey
still has the discipline, dedication and love for the sound all around him that he can make simple
unison lines speak as resonantly as the most chaotic fanfare of dissonance. Bailey's ability to let
the song go where the improvisation takes it-- while resisting the temptation to veer completely
off course-- is the mark of a true artist, and Ballads is a fine entryway to the appreciation of
Bailey's art.

Dominique Leone, June 27th, 2002

S 'il y a quelqu'un dont on n'attendait pas un disque de ballades, c'est bien Derek Bailey, le
guitariste britannique dont on a souvent dit qu'il était au jazz ce que le James Joyce de
Finnegans Wake est à la littérature. L'idée de cet album lui a été soufflée par un autre
radical, John Zorn. Dans le texte de pochette, le guitariste expérimentateur Marc Ribot dit
excellemment que ce disque se situe quelque part entre les Improvisations, de Django Reinhardt,
le Thème et Variations, d'Anton Webern et le Dark was the night, Cold was the ground, du
bluesman Blind Willie Johnson, et à hauteur égale.

La façon, par exemple, dont Derek Bailey, sur une guitare sans résonance, joue Laura , de David
Raskin, que tant de saxophonistes ont flambé sur le mode sensuel, restitue à la mélodie du film
son étrangeté fantomatique et évoque mieux qu'aucun souffle rauque la pureté inquiète du visage
de Gene Tierney.

Les ballades sont choisies pour les libertés qu'elles accordent aux lignes brisées, intriquées,
subtilement et humoristiquement désarticulées, que Derek Bailey tire entre les accords souvent
dissonants, parfois complètement consonants et d'autant plus surprenants, avec lesquels il tourne
autour des mélodies, déconstruites et reconstruites comme un puzzle magique. Ici, l'improvisation
obéit à la logique du rêve.

Michel Contat

I
mprovising British guitarist Derek Bailey has been on the free music scene for over thirty
years, and to the best of my knowledge this is the first time he's ever recorded cover tunes.
What he's done before this has been to expand the vocabulary of modern electric and
acoustic guitar in fresh and original ways, solely through completely improvised strategies,
whether in solo performance, in duo improvs with many European and American free jazz
musicians (including Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor), or in large group settings like his work
with the collective Company. He sounds like no one else, almost doggedly avoiding traditional
melody or harmony while creating his own language of abstract playing. He doesn't at all
compromise his individuality on BALLADS, an entire CD of beautiful solo electric guitar
renderings of standards like "My Melancholy Baby," "Stella by Starlight," and "Body and Soul."
The pieces are abstract in the way classical Japanese painting can be abstract -- listened to one
way, it's quiet "noise," but it's beautiful noise through which the song can be gleaned the way a
brushstroke can evoke a landscape. This music stretches the mind; it's relaxing and stimulating at
the same time. The melody is sometimes stated at the very beginning, as on "Laura," but melody
gives way to extended improvisational meditations on the essence of the ballad. Fans of Derek
Bailey should not be put off by the choice of material; by the same token, fans of the material
should not be put off by the choice of guitarist. Sam Byrd. Rien ne semblait indiquer que le
guitariste britannique Derek Bailey, réfractaire à tout dogmatisme comme en témoignent ses
collaborations avec le duo jazz-core nippon Ruins ou avec quelque DJ, s'attellerait un jour, en
solo, à un répertoire uniquement constitué de standards ! Ce serait toutefois mal connaître celui
dont l'esprit rebelle préfère l'aventure au formalisme figé que de l'en avoir cru allergique à l'idée.
Car, ici comme ailleurs dans son œuvre, l'improvisation prend sa source où elle veut, en
l'occurrence dans des morceaux rabâchés que l'on (re)découvrira certainement comme "Laura".

Dans les notes de pochette, son confrère américain Marc Ribot souligne l'importance de ce disque
et s'interroge sur son mystère. En fait, Bailey y démontre qu'il est probablement le dernier des
grands guitaristes classiques. D'autres, à la suite de Keith Rowe, s'attachent depuis quelque temps
à emmener l'instrument ailleurs, à en renouveler le langage ; Bailey, quant à lui, continue à
explorer une voie qui n'est pas (exclusivement) concentrée sur le son mais plutôt sur le phrasé,
qu'il déconstruit. Dans une interview, Pat Metheny rêvait d'une rencontre entre l'Anglais et le
classique et subtil Jim Hall. Souhaitons qu'elle devienne réalité: son potentiel semble clairement
énorme !

Philippe Robert

E t pourquoi “Ballads” est-il un disque d’émoi, s’insurgera l’irascible guitariste d’un ton
glacial, et non pas tel ou tel autre de mes (nombreux) enregistrements d’improvisation
non idiomatique ? ». Mais parce que nous sommes à Jazz Magazine, mon cher Derek, et
aussi parce que selon moi il marque – quoi que tu en penses – une étape importante dans ta
production. Et d’ailleurs, ton ami Marc Ribot (le Bill Clinton de la guitare wild) n’affirme-t-il pas
de manière péremptoire dans ses notes de pochette : « Dans le monde de la guitare de jazz, c’est
le meilleur et le plus agréable enregistrement depuis la série d’Improvisations de Django
Reinhardt et le plus novateur depuis que Blind Willie Johnson a enregistré Dark was the night
cold was the ground ». Et ça t’aurait vraiment fait mal aux chops, cher maestro de la six-cordes,
de publier ce chef-d’œuvre d’improvisation idiomatique (du jazz : berk !) sur ton label Incus.
Alors il a fallu que ce soit Zorn, en guise de provocation, qui s’y colle sur le sien.

Il faut que je le confesse, cher grincheux de génie : je ne suis pas loin de partager l’enthousiasme
de Ribot – à la fois sur Django et sur toi. En effet, comment résister à ce merveilleux coming out
et à cette quasi-perfection harmonique et guitaristique ? Ton nouveau brûlot a déjà semé le
désarroi dans le monde de l’improvisation non idiomatique, il risque de désarçonner les tenants
revêches d’un jazz pur et dur qui ne jurent in petto que par Saint Marsalis.

Tout démarre ici comme un solo de splendides improvisations libres à la guitare comme tu en as
le secret, truffées de dissonances diaboliques et de trouvailles instrumentales et de techniques
étendues inouïes, où tu laisses surgir, s’accumuler, se bousculer de vrais standards de jazz (de
Georgia On My Mind à You Go To My Head en passant par Laura, Gone With The Wind ou My
Melancoly Baby), joués avec une sensibilité, un phrasé, une (manière de) sagesse et une poésie
hors du commun. Bien sûr, Docteur Bailey et Mister Derek, non seulement cette interprétation de
standards établit une attendrissante connivence intime avec le matériau (les standards) et avec
l’idiome (le jazz) ainsi qu’une fabuleuse dextérité instrumentale (qui n’est plus à prouver), mais
c’est la confrontation même (en chimie, on appellerait ça une réaction) de ces formes
conventionnelles avec l’effervescence du feu d’artifice de ton jeu, de ces traits d’une imagination
et d’une exigence à couper le souffle, qui provoque une émotion singulière et forte. Voilà
pourquoi, cher point-final-d’une-manière-ancienne-de-jouer-de-la-guitare (dixit Keith Rowe),
"Ballads" est un superbe disque d’émoi.

Gérard Rouy

I
t's not as though Derek Bailey hadn't given a hint or two before. On his wonderful Drop Me
Off at 96th (on Scatter), he tantalized listeners with a couple of bars of "I Didn't Know What
Time It Was." Even those who might have preferred that he stood steadfast and true to the
non-idiomatic free improv "tradition" might have wavered slightly. Still, for those so inclined,
Ballads might be a bittersweet experience. They might prefer to understand that Bailey was quite
capable of playing in a traditionally, romantically beautiful manner but feel that he had no need to
prove it, rather having him wend his unique way through a strange landscape.

However, met on its own terms, Ballads is stunningly gorgeous, lovely melodies like "Laura"
being passionately stroked even as they abut against Bailey's questioning angularities and
brusque, impolite commentary. The pure sound he elicits from his acoustic guitar is
mouthwatering, so reverberant and alive. When he absolutely wrenches the melody of "Stella By
Starlight" from the poor body of his instrument, it's enough to leave one gasping. And longtime
Bailey fans might simply shake their heads in disbelief when he strums with schmaltz -- as well
as beauty -- the sentimental theme from "My Buddy" before taking it on a circuitous walk.
Whether one is glad or distressed that he chose to dip his toes into these waters, Ballads is a
singularly lovely recording, one that certainly stands out in Bailey's oeuvre and one that is nigh
impossible not to smile about and linger over. Highly recommended.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

L ong a flagship name of the improvisational jazz and avant garde scenes, Derek Bailey is
best known for his abrasive, atonal solo guitar workouts, redefining the boundaries of his
instrument while making some downright challenging music.

No one ever really expected this innovator to release an album comprised entirely of covers, but
nevertheless Ballads is just that. The album consists of Bailey's improvisatory takes on a set of
jazz and popular standards, including some rather unusual choices like "Georgia on My Mind"
and the theme to Gone With the Wind. Of course, these selections don't ever sound like
traditional covers. Instead, Bailey dispenses with by-rote imitation, using the standards only
loosely, as a framework for his wild acoustic guitar excursions. Rarely do these songs even
resemble the originals -- traces of the source melody bubble up occasionally, but most of the
album is just as abstract and free as the rest of Bailey's catalogue.

The result is gorgeous. Bailey's tone is perfect as each note rings out like a bell, and you can hear
every reverberation in the guitar's body and every quiver of the strings. His use of negative space
is equally impressive, interspersing his notes with a weighty silence. The effect is an open, airy
feel, characterized mostly by pretty restrained, introspective playing. And when Bailey really cuts
loose with the torrent of notes he's capable of, as he does on the remarkable "My Melancholy
Baby," it's awe-inspiring, particularly given the contrast with the quieter passages. Taken as a
whole, Ballads is a truly incredible record. Bailey's playing is flawless, deftly incorporating well-
known tunes into his otherwise formless, emotionally charged improvisations.

He infuses every note with all of his energy and feeling, bringing his instrument to life by the
sheer force of his enthusiasm. And yet, the result never sounds too chaotic. It's a beautiful record:
alternately languid and intense, but always excitingly different.

Ed HOWARD. Copyright © 2003 by The Cornell Daily Sun, Inc. All rights reserved.

I
doubt anyone ever expected Derek Bailey to tackle a set of popular melodies. The
improvisational guitar genius has been known for a lot of things during his long and
remarkably varied career, but melody has rarely been one of them. “Atonal,” “discordant,”
and “challenging” are words that come up often in discussions of his music. That’s why Ballads
is such an intriguing and surprising concept. There is inevitably a strong curiosity when
approaching this album: has Bailey gone conventional?

Of course, within hardly 30 seconds, it becomes clear that the answer to that question is an
emphatic “no.” Bailey’s familiar jagged playing is in full effect as he picks his way carefully
around these famous melodies, often rendering them nearly unrecognizable as he works snippets
of melody into his rambling progressions of well-spaced notes. Each of these songs is
characterized by Bailey’s clear, precise acoustic guitar—each note chimes beautifully as he
wanders his way into the heart of the song he’s covering. In most cases, the heart is all he keeps,
surrounding it with gorgeous, evocative improvisatory phrases which contain hints of the core
melody filtered through Bailey’s own personality and eccentricities.

The opening three songs—“Laura,” “What’s New,” and “When Your Lover Has Gone”—provide
an understated introduction to Ballads. All three melodies are subtle and sweet, providing a
forum for some of Bailey’s more restrained, delicate playing. The notes here are clearly
separated, and the use of empty space is remarkable. In the spaces between notes, the echoing
remains of the last phrase vibrate lightly, before being overdriven by the next gorgeous tone. The
7-minute “Stella By Starlight” starts similarly, but slowly builds to allow wilder explorations as
Bailey flings out fast progressions of notes, his emotional intensity increasing with the urgency of
the piece. The crystal-clear recording reveals each sound of fingers on the strings, and the
occasional tap as Bailey, in his fervor, hits the guitar body as well.

“Stella” sets the pace for much of the rest of the album, as the guitar improvisations become
increasingly frantic and passionate. On his brief rendition of “My Buddy,” the guitarist wrangles
with his instrument to create dense pileups, the impossibly fast runs leading into a similarly
complex reading of “Gone With the Wind.” In all these cases, the source melodies are barely
recognizable within the framework of the improvisations. Bailey rarely attempts to duplicate the
exact sound of the original compositions; instead, he seems to internalize some crucial feeling or
emotion evoked by the piece, then plays around the melody with that feeling in mind. Despite
this free approach, never once do these pieces verge on aimless noodling or wankery; each note
seems carefully deliberated and adds to the cumulative effect of each song. The result is,
invariably, both astonishing in emotional impact and enlightening in terms of the original song
and Bailey’s own style. This is an essential album in Bailey’s massive catalog—a work of beauty,
depth, and incredible ingenuity.

Ed Howard

D
erek Bailey is a legend of guitar improvising. Most of his music is utterly abstract, much
of it proudly noisy. He has never recorded anything that could remotely be called a song.
So what a surprise to find him, at age 70, putting out his first album of standards:
"Laura," "What's New," "When Your Love Has Gone," "Gone with the Wind," "Melancholy
Baby," "Body and Soul"—the whole tin pan, strummed solo. It's not your typical album of
ballads. Forget about the Chardonnay and the bearskin rug. Bailey takes the melodies seriously,
even if he does pluck their notes and chords in ways that Wes Montgomery never imagined.
When he improvises, he abandons the harmonic structure yet he's still, clearly, improvising on
the song—usually, anyway; I confess I get lost in the middle of "Stella By Starlight." Still, it's an
album of considerable, if unconventional, beauty. And when it roams from beauty, it holds you in
a trance, if you let it. Bailey's acoustic guitar, deliberately, has a slightly brittle quality, but it
sounds like he's live in the room.

FK
A
nyone who has had an ear open to adventurous jazz-related music since the 1960s would
never have thought this album possible. At his friend John Zorn's invitation (it would
have had to involve leverage of these proportions) the British improv guitarist Derek
Bailey - that most unswerving of anti-idiomatic musicians – has made a standards album for
Zorn's American label. This is where Bailey started out half a century ago, as a session guitarist,
but his work since the mid-1960s has treated tunes as if they were viruses. My Melancholy Baby,
Body and Soul, Stella by Starlight, You Go To My Head and many others are here, with Bailey's
penetrating language of sustained harmonics, sonorous dissonances, hard and flinty back-of-the-
bridge pluckings and quick, angular runs interacting remarkably seamlessly with his delicately
carved chording of the originals. One of this year's real surprises, a sensation also caught by Marc
Ribot's liner notes. Only the indecipherability of some of the typography keeps you guessing.

John Fordham, Guardian review.

H
ere's yet another unexpected twist in the recent try-anything career of the godfather of
truly free (start-from-scratch) improvisation -- 12 standards, including "Laura," "Stella
By Starlight," "Body and Soul" and "You Go to My Head," explored from the inside
out, with bent notes, crystalline harmonics, weird chord substitutions and beautiful dissonance.
Bailey's itchy, barely amplified guitar work is so detailed you can practically hear the grain of the
wood, the surface of the strings and the calluses on his ingeniously hopscotching fingertips.

A
près Charlie Christian (le père fondateur) et Wes Montgomery (l'héritier à la technique
inouïe), Derek Bailey pourrait bien devenir le troisième innovateur de la guitare
électrique en jazz. En effet, l'éminent Jim Hall avait déjà déclaré qu'il serait bien
heureux de pouvoir jouer au tiers de ce que Bailey est capable de faire; Pat Metheney, pour sa
part, ne s'estimait pas de taille de jouer avec cet homme lorsqu'on lui posa la question à la fin des
années 80 (quoiqu'une rencontre avait eu lieu en 1997 pour l'enregistrement « The Sign of 4 »,
sur étiquette Knitting Factory). Depuis plus de 35 ans, ce gentleman britannique maintenant âgé
de 72 ans s'est fait l'apôtre de l'improvisation la plus totale, refusant systématiquement
d'interpréter toute musique écrite, au profit d'une exploration totale des timbres et effets sonores
de son instrument. Pourtant, sous l'instigation de John Zorn, ami de longue date et producteur de
ce disque, Bailey se livre ici à un récital de guitare acoustique solo de 41 minutes, où il reprend
13 standards bien connus (Body and Soul, Stella by Starlight, Rockin' Chair – deux fois –, You
Go to My Head...). Tout commence avec la jolie Laura, respectueusement interprétée à la
manière d'un Kenny Burrell, mais rapidement délestée de ses assises mélodiques et harmoniques.
Ainsi en est-il des autres pièces, dont les thèmes, tous clairement énoncés, sont déconstruits en
moins de deux. Pour les mauvaises langues qui croient le jazz en mal de surprises, voici une belle
preuve du contraire.
Marc Chénard

I t’s interesting how some people can walk into an art museum and say they would only
respect an abstract expressionist if they could paint in a literal, classical way. But does
anyone have a requirement that a classicist be able to paint like an abstract expressionist? For that
matter, why should an artist have to be either/or?

Derek Bailey is a master of creating sound from a guitar. For him to do an album of ballads might
seem like a waste of talent. But is it such a waste? Ballads is an amazing album. It’s one that
belongs with the most important work of the most important artists. This isn’t just a success for
Derek Bailey but a grand achievement of the highest order. To begin with, Bailey can set hearts
aflutter with only the briefest use of melodies. He moves quite deftly between furious free
improvisation and flowing chord progressions.

Quite simply, Bailey makes more of the ballads he plays. None are reduced or trivialized. The
ballads don’t hinder Bailey’s improvisation. They are part of an evolving music placing no more
relative value on any particular forms. What we have is a total recreation of how structure fits
into a program of improvisation. It is fair to say this was no easy task. Ballads come with certain
inherent limits. Certain rhythms and certain tempos can overpower a ballad. Percussive qualities
too are generally hindered by the delicate melodies and narrow harmonic flexibility of a ballad.
Of course, these used to be the inherent limits of ballads. There are limits no more.
Ballads simply has me beguiled, enchanted. There are three Hoagy Carmichael songs, not to
mention “Stella By Starlight,” “Body and Soul” and two renditions each of “Gone With the
Wind” and “Rockin’ Chair.” In a cunning little way, “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m
Gone” concludes the disc. Hearing the whole disc, I feel like nothing was taken from me,
everything given to me. The timeless nature resounds with each pluck and bang on Bailey’s
guitar. When his strings resonate, so too does the shapeless possibility of playing ballads without
limits. Hearing limitless music like this is most definitely a captivating experience.
Bailey says, “It was Zorn’s idea.” John Zorn and his Tzadik record label deserve much credit
then. Ballads isn’t the kind of record you would expect Bailey to make. That perhaps is a large
measure of what makes it such a success. Making a record unlike his others tends to eliminate an
easy consistency with what he knows of himself. Ironically, Bailey takes a huge risk by entering
familiar ground. He opens himself up to all kinds of judgments when he adds a reference point
playing a standard. Preserving his natural freedom amidst the structures of these ballads requires
some choice of what he himself can do while still advancing the overall structure. If this approach
makes Bailey guilty of violating the rules of both balladeering and free improv, then he is a great
criminal. We need that kind of spirit.

Austen Zuege

C ome guardare le stelle con una bottiglia di Bourbon stretta nel pugno in una fredda notte
di qualche sperduto paese della Norvegia, è duro e mette in difficoltà questo lavoro di
Bailey irto di spine e baci sofferti. Lettura vigorosa intrisa di tragica desolazione di
standards credo molto amati dal chitarrista che ne offre visione opaca e meravigliosamente
dolente come dimostrano le iniziali 'Laura' e 'What's New', ricordi di qualcosa che non potrà mai
più essere; nitide fotografie di un passato ancora non troppo lontano che la mente si rifiuta di
poter credere sparito per sempre.
Bailey chiaramente ha classe da vendere e il disco non deve certo dimostrare nulla a nessuno,
quello che colpisce infatti è la capacità di sintesi dell'anziano esecutore che riesce a trasfigurare i
brani pompandovi dentro passione reverenziale frammista a slancio esecutivo sempre al limite
delle possibilità. Esempio adeguato del concetto appena espresso può essere 'Stella by Starlight'
dove è veramente difficile trattenere la profonda emozione che ogni pennata sembra trasmettere.

Bailey è realmente post tutto quello che vi pare, 'My Buddy' dimostra proprio questo. Non esiste
però arroganza nel suo mestierare quanto invece un profondo e quasi religioso amore per la vita e
per tutto ciò che di più elevato vi si può trovare lungo la strada. 'Rockin Chair' strapazza amori ed
atmosfere al limite del deliquio in un vertiginoso girotondo emotivo che si vorrebbe non finisse
mai.
Bisognerebbe parlare della qualità tecnica, dell'importanza del buon Derek nell'ambito
improvvisativo ma credete forse che siano cose poi tanto importanti queste?

Io dal mio piccolo buco di mondo amo ripetermi che forse di fronte a tanta bellezza e serenità
altro non resta da fare che sedersi in poltrona, staccare il telefono e lasciare che per un'ora il
mondo faccia pure a meno della nostra presenza. Chi non ha mai frequentato Bailey cominci pure
da questa gemma; potrebbe anche sbocciare l'amore.

Marco Carcasi. Aggiunto: January 22nd 2003

M y lone snob-jazz entry for this year, or does it even count? Perhaps it's a reflection of
my own dissatisfaction with the whole snob-jazz stance, the fact that I connected most
with the album where Derek Bailey sounds most like himself and most unlike himself
at the same time. I loved Marc Ribot's 'Saints', which was fairly similar, and which beat this
album to the shelves by a few months. The difference, though, is that 'Saints' seemed like more of
a radical shift in Ribot's approach, whereas 'Ballads' seems like the logical extension (or
reduction) of what Bailey has been doing all along. Instead of merging his own aesthetic with
someone else's (playing with Zorn, The Ruins, DJ Ninj), he seems to be merging the whole
standard tradition with his avant leanings, or at least making the intersection between the two
more explicitly obvious. It's as frightening and abrasive as any of his other albums, and as
beautiful.
Dave M.

T he song “Laura” is about the futility in trying to pin down or define an elusive and
ultimately indefinable spirit. “But she’s only a dream”…as a film theme, it of course
relates to a murder victim (or not?) who is ceaselessly alluded to but never really seen.
When redefined by Sinatra on 1957’s Where Are You? album he elicited something deeper and
perhaps more painful from the song; his reading is a lament (unhistrionic but undeniably
foredoomed in its delivery) for someone who not only cannot be caught, but someone whom he
once could have touched but is now beyond his reach forever. For obvious reasons I cannot bring
myself to listen to this recording at present.
But Derek Bailey must have had in mind the idea of personifying himself as this elusive spirit.
Why else would Mr Nowness of Now, Mr Contrarian himself now (re)turn to the sort of
standards which he must have played thousands of times over in dancebands and pit bands in his
youth, as evidenced in his extraordinary new album Ballads? Well, the difference is of course that
he did both play and enjoy these deathless tunes – that phenomenal canon of songs penned to
order in the early-mid 20th century for supposedly ephemeral entertainment purposes and yet
whose durability looks set to outlive all of us – in his younger days. Crucially he turns 70 this
year; his upbringing, as with many of the elders of British avant-jazz/improv, was utterly
dependent on the times and, of course, the war. There is a book waiting to be written about the
not very divergent paths of creative music-making and the entertainment industry in post-war
Britain (through ENSA, the Gang Show, etc.). Grounded in providing backing to order for any
number of visiting luminaries, from Gracie Fields to Bob Monkhouse, from Morecambe and
Wise to the Supremes, this music, this culture is in the blood of the guitarist from Sheffield.

Ballads appears on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, and it was indeed Zorn’s idea to have Bailey come
into the studio and improvise on some standards. The cover maintains the seeming artifice – the
eyes of a ‘50s diva appear in monochrome on the cover, peering out from behind what appears to
be the ears of a cat. The titles are picked out in Women’s Journal pink. Typically, though, Bailey
remained contrarian when preparing for the recording. “I bought this guitar which was totally
inappropriate for playing standards…the fact that I was going to play a standard did something
interesting to the improvising…I’m not interested in Improvised Music with a capital I and a
capital M. I’m interested in improvising.”

So we could call this record The Popular Derek Bailey, or perhaps look upon it as a bookend with
which to summarise and wrap up his life’s work; except that at 70 Bailey thankfully shows no
signs of retiring or expiring.

Ballads is not a series of set performances, but a continuous 41-minute piece in which Bailey
freely dips into his memory and plays various standards but simultaneously improvises as he has
always done. For those unfamiliar with his “previous” life, the immediate sound of Bailey
plucking identifiable harmonic chords on an instantly recognisable tune (“Laura”) may come as a
shock greater than that of hearing him tangle with DJ Ninja’s beats on 1995’s Guitar, Drums ‘n’
Bass. The tune (as with all the tunes here) is played with immeasurable and deep love, but this
does not stop him from deploying his usual improvisational techniques in the song’s service. As
the song slowly dissipates into abstraction, you feel that Bailey is striving to find the essence of
“Laura,” to try to use his positively anti-orthodox style to get nearer to, and perhaps inhabit, the
song’s cynosure. You hardly notice the unlikely but logical transition into “What’s New?”
(another song also sung definitely by Sinatra, on 1958’s Only The Lonely) – elements of the
opening melodic motif of “Laura” continue to pervade the Burke/Haggard standard. This song is
of course about meeting up with an old flame and finding that the love (at least on the singer’s
part) has neither changed nor diminished in its passion. There is always a sense of something lost
in Bailey’s more desolate playing, especially on acoustic (which is what he sticks to on this
album). The technique, however, remains astonishing; note how he skilfully strikes the upper
notes of the fret in such a way that instant echoing harmonics are produced, to get a kind of
acoustic “feedback” effect.
Through “When Your Lover Has Gone,” the guitar becomes more pointillistic and more
animated, with dazzling high-speed runs tossed off almost as an afterthought. On the epic seven-
minute dissertation on “Stella By Starlight” you might believe that an acoustic guitar can scream.
The playing here is jagged and uncomfortable, and the song itself only becomes explicitly
apparent in the closing moments. On “My Melancholy Baby” the song is hardly there (though
everything that happens, no matter how abstract-sounding, has a pronounced relationship and
relevance to the song’s basic structure. Bailey has to be listened to and heard).

Then he relents for a little; Walter Donaldson’s “My Buddy” is played almost straight, and we
then go into a section which is bookended by references to the songs “Gone With The Wind” and
Carmichael’s “Rockin’ Chair.” Again, these performances are fairly faithful to the song
structures, but note on the first performance of “Rockin’ Chair” how Bailey is accompanying
himself with octave runs, the lower register then shooting off on a very different direction to the
rest of the guitar. This is almost his equivalent of his former playing partner Evan Parker’s
multiphonics. Then to the Mount Sinai tablet of jazz improvising to which all improvisers are one
day fated to come: “Body and Soul.” This is a very faithful interpretation and Bailey never loses
sight of the tune but is not deterred from utilising his techniques in ways which constantly derail
the ears’ expectations of what is to come. Then he returns to the preceding two tunes. On the
second “Rockin’ Chair,” note how structural symmetry is achieved by the fact that the octave
runs here are high and middle register, and now it is the high register which is going off on a
tangent.

Acidity re-enters in the performance’s closing stages: “You Go To My Head” is played with
reverence but with extremely askew rhythm (get the violence of these arpeggiated, heavily struck
block chords!). “Georgia On My Mind” is dissolved into fragments, ever more fragile, ever more
transient. Finally, on a 30-second reading of “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone,” a
chilling threnody is struck, the song barely clinging to its side, and an explicit relationship with
Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was The Night” (to which Marc Ribot refers in his sleevenotes) is
revealed. Krapp’s last will and testament, the tape slowly dwindling to silence and the serrated
hiss of its final fadeout before termination.

Notes for interested readers :

B ailey as solo acoustic performer is best exemplified by 1982’s definitive album Aida,
which irritatingly drifts in and out of print. But for neophytes, a more approachable (not
to mention more easily available) starting point might be the recently re-issued 2CD set
New Sights, Old Sounds, a concert recording made in Japan in 1979 which provides a good
overall guide to the range of Bailey’s playing approaches, from pure feedback to the
incorporation of his older influences (e.g. Charlie Christian). For light relief 1975’s Domestic and
Public Pieces (Emanem) is also highly recommended, featuring as it does several examples of
Bailey’s lugubrious Sheffield voice ruminating on everything from the fire at London’s Unity
Theatre to middle-aged impotence.
A t times during this, my first sitting with Derek Bailey's Ballads, I feel confident in using
something like Monk's short version of This is My Story, This is My Song as a kind of
model: a familiar song subtly altered by the introduction of dissonances. There's a
significant obstacle to my doing so, though; I don't really know most of the standards being
performed (if that is indeed happening). I should have a chance with "Body and Soul", but
despite owning more than one (bop-era or later) version of it and having tried to learn the song,
it's never stuck with me. (Being bop-era or later performance may be involved in this.) I do have
an out, though. Standards sound pretty and normal, those being relative terms. So I can listen for
the pretty and normal-sounding parts, and then appreciate the ways they are subtly transformed
by the introduction of dissonances. As far as this takes me, it's alright.
("Pretty" is doing a lot of work here, in terms of referring to my comfortable and happy and
chills-down-the-spine reactions and hopefully dragging along a few of those sorts of things from
the constellation of things associated with "pretty".)

But as far as I am able to tell, Bailey only uses this technique so much. At many points, there are
audible (to me - most of this revolves around "to me", around worries about how the ways I hear
the record are parochial, because it's the most comfortable way for me to open up conceptual
space, to try to imagine reasons that the record might sound the way it sounds that are more
involved than my initial reaction to it) departures from the pretty or dissonant-pretty modes.
These other sections - for simplicity I'll just call them out sections - are more complex than I am
able to give them credit for in writing at the moment. But my experience of listening to them, as
different from each other and as complex as they can be, tends to fall along similar lines. I pay
attention less, perhaps because I have less of a sense of development, or forward motion, or
dynamic of tension and resolution (marks of the western tradition or variants on it, that show up
in the pretty and dissonant-pretty sections). To the extent that I do pay attention, I seem to put
more emphasis on the rhythms, which have what sounds to me (there's the parochial worry again)
like a typical avant-garde twitchy stuntedness. Focusing on these rhythms, with relative
inattention to the (more confusing because weird sounding) harmonic and melodic aspects of the
playing, is not so pleasurable.

Now that I say the above about stunted rhythms, I notice that although Bailey often plays, in the
out sections, dissonant chords that bear no untutored relationship to the chords from the nearby
standard, which chords are in something of a parallel relation to the material in the pretty and
dissonant-pretty sections, he also plays faster in the out sections. He also plays more arpeggiated
chords, and more single notes, and perhaps more prepared guitar sorts of things like behind-the-
bridge notes. This seems to not have a parallel in the pretty and dissonant-pretty sections, where
he mostly just states the basic melody and harmony.

I've seen Mark Sinker say that Bailey doesn't like being called a jazz musician, but I wonder if
he's using a common technique from the bebop era and after - state the melody quickly in the
head, then depart drastically from it during the improvisation proper. A number of the tracks here
(fourteen total for 41:29) start with the pretty and dissonant-pretty parts, and then there's the
break. Some of them have more out or more dissonant openings, and then soon a pretty part soon
after. Because of the way the record is indexed, this makes some sense - the tracks are identified
by the standards they contain (or reference? or quote? are performances of?). It may obscure the
way the improvisation moves from standard to standard, though. I say that not knowing how it
does, if it does in any way we might normally expect or hope - just that breaking down the more
or less continuous performance in this way might obscure that movement. One kind of movement
that seems typical to expect, to me, is some kind of associative or transformative movement.
Bailey might eventually, in an out section, play things that bring to mind a standard - so he might
start playing it. He might also (this might be separate, or it might be a way of deliberately moving
from an out section to the basic theme of a standard once he's thought of it, for example) play in
such a way that less arbitrarily introduces the standard.

But I'm being kind of optimistic, there, hoping that I am being overly parochial, interestingly
enough. Because what I hear, more or less, is a forty-minute stream of Bailey's non-idiomatic free
improvisation punctuated (yes, punctuated - before many of the tracks begin, often with a pretty
section, there's a slight flourish or dramatic pause, slight, but evident) by brief statements of
themes of standards. This isn't to say that if this is all it is, that it's bad. But if I can't tell whether
or not that's all it is, I'm not sure what I think about it. It is a lot more pleasurable to listen to than,
to pick a random example out of the one other Derek Bailey record I own, The Sign of Four. If
you don't know anything about Derek Bailey, that praise might be misleading, and I wouldn't
want you to buy a record you hated. Anton Webern comes up in Marc Ribot's liner notes, and the
comparison is appropriate; this feels to me like listening to Anton Webern, only more fun, not as
boring, potentially more interesting. If you really don't care for Anton Webern, though, there
might be a problem here.

I have been able to extract at least one thing from the out sections; at times, after playing out for a
bit, Bailey will play a fairly dissonant chord, but one which sounds to me far prettier than I
reckon I would find it in a more conventional context. This is a strange experience, hearing a not-
all-that-pretty thing as pretty, and I'm sure it's simply and directly related to the somewhat
disorienting experience of hearing Bailey avoid tonality (pre-1900 tonality, at least) in the out
sections. This is somewhat meager, as far as deep insights about free improvisation go, but it does
suggest something more. Ribot's notes are brief and especially for that length they lean a bit too
much on mystery - "The approach is integrative, standards inform the improvising and vice versa.
How they do so is both mysterious and strong." Also: "The beautiful paradox is that this doesn't
sever the relation of song to improvisation, but creates deeper, less predictable relations."
Something is happening here because of the juxtaposition of pretty parts (which are the same
time the standard parts) and free improvisation, and I would like to think that at the very least it's
similar to my reaction to the pretty-not-pretty chords.

But Ribot pre-emptively attempts to ruin that for me: "Yet I don't hear this as a pastiche work,
juxtaposing a preconceived concept of free improvising against a preconceived idea of how to
play jazz standards." The complexity I begged off describing above is where this record is more
than simply juxtaposition.

josh blog. 15 Jan '03 09:48:22 PM

J ohn Zorn has pulled off the coup of the year by persuading Derek Bailey to record Ballads,
an album of jazz standards. It’s of course an instant collector’s item for avantgarde music
fans, and would be so even if it were a major disappointment; but I find myself still astonished
that it is in fact by any measure a successful, indeed superb recording, one which I have found
myself listening to repeatedly.

Despite the presence of “Body and Soul,” “Laura,” “Gone With the Wind,” “Georgia on My
Mind,” “Stella by Starlight,” and other standards, Bailey does not use them structurally as a jazz
performer would. Twelve songs are embedded in a more or less continuous 41-minute
improvisation, often stated only partially, and only on rare occasions does Bailey tip his hat to
jazz’s classic head-solos-head structure by restating the melody. This procedure isn’t so far from
his practice on other solo discs, since despite his reputation to the contrary he’s often spliced
passages of jazz into his solo peformances (e.g. “Stella by Starlight” on Domestic and Public
Pieces; “Imagination” on Fairly Early with Postscripts; 1930s-style swing guitar and “I Didn’t
Know What Time It Was” on Drop Me Off at 96th). The difference is that the irony that informed
those earlier interpolations is to my ear absent on Ballads: this is not carnivalesque desecration in
the manner of Chadbourne or Billy Jenkins. The ballads are rendered in a strong and faithful
manner; yet the improvisations are entirely within Bailey’s now-familiar abstract idiom.

I find it extremely hard to explain why the stylistic clash isn’t merely self-cancelling or
mannered. Each modality informs the other in an oblique way that would probably be hard to
capture in a transcription or analysis but is instantly sensed by the listener. It’s an album that
constantly creates odd aural and memorial illusions and puzzles. For instance, when Bailey drops
into the B section of a recognizable tune, does this mean the preceding abstractions have actually
been coded versions of the A section? I’ve sometimes actually pressed the rewind button to find
out. The improvisation following “Body and Soul” to my ears is definitely a ghostly commentary
on the tune, but other improvisations defy tethering to the melodies. And yet I’m left newly
impressed with the melodic strength, even singing quality of Bailey’s signature ringing
harmonics—perhaps a latent quality in all his solo work I simply hadn’t noticed until now?

Among many notable moments on this enjoyable and thought-provoking album let me single out
just one more. On this album, as on any of Bailey’s solo discs, you can find his favourite motif of
the rapid repetition of a single note using different fingerings and articulations, so that the
resulting slight harmonic differences subtly clash. Near the end of track 12, “You Go to My
Head,” Bailey instead dawdles over an octave interval, in a way that’s fundamentally ambiguous:
it could be either a variant of that personal, abstract pattern, or a conventional jazz vamp. As it
hangs suspended so does the listener, waiting to see on which side of the fence it will fall.
(Remarkably, in the event Bailey manages to fulfill both expectations.)

The album ends with a wonderful flourish, a sweet yet triumphant “Please Don’t Talk About Me
When I’m Gone”; after its last ringing chord, Bailey ascends to high behind-the-bridge pings; and
at last gentle upwards rubs of the strings. Throughout the album Bailey has avoided
sentimentalizing these old standards, while never desiccating them. Yet these final seconds I
think tip the whole album’s balance: I find them ultimately very moving.

Nate Dorward, Coda

I n 2002 Bailey released one of his most unusual CDs, Ballads (Tzadik), a solo performance
with him freely improvising on standards. This is a second installment, though this recording
actually precedes Ballads. Liner notes by Karen Brookman-Bailey and John Zorn recall
Christmas 2001: The Baileys—Derek in New York to pick up a “new” guitar—invited Zorn and
Ikue Mori to their suite for dinner. During the evening, Bailey took out the vintage Epiphone
Emperor (an oversized acoustic archtop designed for big band rhythm playing without
amplification) and started to play classic pop tunes. As Brookman-Bailey points out, we might
locate the songs in the guitar itself or in Bailey’s early years in dance bands. A few days later,
Bailey went into a New York studio and recorded Standards, later repeating the process in
London for Ballads.

This is unquestionably the edgier of the two sets, with less attention paid to the melodies. The
performances reverse expectations—they begin in seemingly random improvisation, gradually
taking on harmonic and rhythmic patterns until they end in melodic paraphrases of a standard,
never exactly the standard, but the kind of approximation with which Lennie Tristano might
begin.

The history of free improvisation, in which Bailey played a central part, seems to be running
backward. The music is fantastic. Few improvisers ever acquire Bailey’s knack for generating
random sequences that resemble chance scores and each performance inquires into the
instrument’s specific resources, its extraordinary resonance (deliberately suggesting koto), its
sustained high harmonics, or even a worn fret, worried (like a prepared piano) for a specific
multiphonic boink. It’s as if Bailey disappears into the instrument’s specific history, its overtones
and echoes, its wear, promise and woody memories. Standards is an important part of Bailey’s
great legacy.

Stuart Broomer, All About Jazz

T he world is a bit lonelier now that guitarist Derek Bailey has passed away. The freedom
his music allowed is, or should be, a model to every musician and listener interested in
the creative process. This signature album, Standards, follows the 2002 Tzadik Records
release of the infamous Ballads sessions, but was in fact recorded before those tracks. The liner
notes reveal that these seven standards were made at the request of fellow musician and label
head John Zorn after a holiday dinner in 2001. It was only after Bailey returned to the UK that he
suggested the release of Ballads, thirteen much shorter and seemingly more concise songs. Like
the previous session, these tracks take on—you guessed it—Derek Bailey’s outsider vision of
standards. Reading the track titles gives you an insight into his play on words and music. “Gone
with the Wind” becomes “Frankly My Dear I Don’t Give a Damn” and “You Go to My Head”
becomes simply “Head.” Also like Ballads, there are references to the melodies on Standards, but
sometimes only in passing. Bailey translates via Bailey; sentimental at times, and at other
moments only skirting the edges of affection. Listen closely, and you might miss the “tune.”
Back away and allow the music to wash over you—free of measure, free of form—and the
melody appears. Arguably, his playing cannot be taught, classified or formalized—and
thankfully, never co-opted.

Mark Corroto, All About Jazz

Allgorythm http://www.allgorythm.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2135

Allgorythm » La Boutique » JAZZ » NOUVEAUTES » 2007 » JUILLET/AOUT 2007 » DEREK BAILEY "Standards" 07/07

DEREK BAILEY "Standards"

07/07
(tzadik (Jazz) 0)

DEREK BAILEY, guitare

En 2002, DEREK BAILEY mit en émoi le monde de la

musique improvisée en enregistrant un album de ballades
(TZ 7607) salué par la critique comme par de nombreux
mélomanes, lesquels, grâce à cette concession d’un ordre
apparemment commercial, purent découvrir toute la
singularité et la beauté du jeu du guitariste londonien. Ce
puriste et jusqu’au boutiste de la free improvisation allait-il
parjurer, renier toutes ses théories, ou n’était-ce que
simple passade ? Heureusement, l’art s’alimente de ces
écarts à la règle, de ces instants où la vérité se voit
contredite, dépassée puis rattrapée par la Grâce.
Exceptionnel ne vient-il pas d’exception ? Les standards
présentés ici ont été enregistrés un soir de Noël à New
York, deux mois avant la session historique de Ballads.
DEREK BAILEY pense ici à voix haute, mûrissant ses idées
par de multiples approches, barbouillant des motifs
abstraits partout à la fois sur la toile, mais donnant surtout
du temps au temps. Standards est le prémisse spontané
comme l’indispensable complément d’un classique de la
musique moderne : Nothing New, Frankly My Dear I Don’t
Give Adamn, When Your Liver Has Gone, Please Send Me
Sweet Chariot, Don’t Talk About Me, Pentup Serenade,
2002, COBRA : John Zorn's game pieces, volume 2, Tzadik. KO-
TZA7335 (US) (CD) (released in 2002)

Jennifer Choi : violin

Trevor Dunn : bass
Marcus Rojas : tuba
Jamie Saft : keyboards
Susie Ibarra : drums
Mark Feldman : violin
Mark Dresser : bass
Ikue Mori : laptop computer
Sylvie Courvoisier : piano
Derek Bailey : guitar (tracks 3, 5)
Erik Friedlander : cello
Josh Roseman : trombone
Annie Gosfield : sampler (except tracks 3, 5)
Cyro Baptista : percussion
John Zorn : prompter

1- Tabanan 10.45
2- Uluwati 07.26
3- Tamangiri 07.50
4- Paras 06.07
5- Sangeh 11.26
6- Penganggahan 10.40
7- Raksasa 04.40
8- Gua gajah 06.50
Recorded at Avatar, NYC; no date given but the sessions with Derek Bailey were recorded on
2 January 2002

Design by Heung-Heung Chin.

A recording of John Zorn's compositions played by a 14 piece ensemble of New York

downtown musicians plus Derek Bailey on two tracks. Recorded N.Y.C. 2002

O ne of the most often performed compositions in new music, the Cobra phenomenon
lives on into the 21st century with continuous monthly performances in Japan,
Europe, Australia and the United States. Under the direction of Zorn himself, this
newest recording gives the infamous game piece a startling new reading by some of
downtown New York's leading improvisers.

T his is the second Cobra album I bought. Although it's better than the first, I still don't
understand it. When I hear it, I say to myself, "Now that is some crazy shit! Listen to
that chaotic crap!" And then I put it back on the shelf for months. There are fourteen
musicians on this album. Every song has the same build-up. It starts with a few musicians
playing something complex, then the other players join in, adding their own little chunk of
chaos. This builds up into a whirl of clashing notes, chords, drones, and rhythms. The music
starts to drop off a little . . . and then it builds up again.

The only thing that distinguishes one track from another is the choice of instruments. One
song is a barrage of computer-generated noise, another is a drone made by viola and horns,
and a third is a collection of random notes and static created by guitar, drums, and piano. The
songs full of computer effects and sampled sounds are particularly hard to listen to. This is
the first game piece album I've seen that includes a copy of the rules. If you remove the plastic
CD tray inside the case, you can see a set of diagrams showing how Cobra is played. None of
it is self-explanatory (it raises more questions than it answers) but it's fun to try to piece it
together from that single page of clues.

If you've always wanted to hear Cobra, this is probably the best version to buy. Personally, I'd
recommend about 40 other Zorn albums before this one. From the Downtown Music Gallery
online newsletter :

Cobra is Zorn's most popular and most frequently performed and recorded game piece,
composed in 1984.

There are three previously recorded versions — a Hat Art two-disc set from 1991 (half studio/
half live), a compilation of ten different Cobra groups on the Knit label, which Zorn wasn't
happy with and is now out-of-print for good, and the Tokyo version of Cobra from the Avant
label which is a fine and distinctive version. Which brings us to the fourth and perhaps best
version. Cobra is an incredibly complex and challenging game piece, for both the musicians
involved, as well those seeing/ hearing it live or at home on one's stereo. Zorn has included the
outline/ directions of Cobra underneath the black tray of the CD. Remove the tray and replace
it with a see-through tray in order to view this.
2002, Tonic Live, Volume 1, (US) (CD) (released in 2002)

Arto Lindsay
Emergency: John Zorn, John Medeski, Marc Ribot & Ben Perowsky
Joey Baron & Vinicius Cantuaria
Dougie Bowne's Peninsula
Derek Bailey & Min Xiao-Fen
Erik Friedlander, Sylvie Courvoisier & Ikue Mori
Z'EV, Haino Keiji & Ikue Mori
Susie Ibarra Trio
Loren Mazzacane Connors & Kim Gordon
Marina Rosenfeld & Raz Mesinai

1- Ex-Prequiça (03.16.00) 04.54

Arto Lindsay : guitar, vocals

Scooter Warner : drums
Vinicius Cantuaria : guitar
Melvin Gibbs : bass
Takuya Nakamura : keyboard, sampler

2- Colombo (07.17.00) 14.08

Emergency :
John Zorn : alto saxophone
John Medeski : organ
Marc Ribot : guitar
Ben Perowsky : drums

3- Banquet (07.08.00) 07.11

Joey Baron : drums

Vinicius Cantuaria : guitar
4- Cocktail (01.28.00) 06.80

Dougie Bowne’s Peninsula :

Dougie Bowne : guitar
Chris Speed : clarinet
Cuong Vu : trumpet
Jamie Saft : keyboards
E.J. Rodriguez : percussion
Brad Jones : bass

5- Fortune (11.30.99) 05.50

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar

Min Xiao-Fen : pipa

6- Opaline (12.30.99) 07.57

Erik Friedlander : cello

Sylvie Courvoisier : piano
Ikue Mori : drum machine

7- Road to Infinity (11.15.99) 09.02

Z’ev : percussion
Ikue Mori : drum machine
Haino Keiji : guitar

8- Magandang Araw (10.29.99) 07.06

Susie Ibarra Trio :

Susie Ibarra : drums
Cooper-Moore : piano
Charles Burnham : violin

9- Loren’ Birthday (10.29.99) 07.59

Loren Mazzacane Connors : guitar

Kim Gordon, guitar : vocals

10- Lover’s Quarrel (02.14.02) 03.44

Marina Rosenfeld : turntables

Raz Mesinai : frame drum

Limited edition of 2000 CD.

Executive producers : John & Melissa Caruso Scott

Produced by Ben Bailes

Recorded live at Tonic, NYC

Recorded and mixed by Ben Bailes except track 2 recorded (to 2-track) by FredericoCribiore,
track 10 recorded (to 2-track) by Toshio Kajiwara.

Live sound at Tonic : Michelle Casillas & Aaron Mullan

Mastered by Allan Tucker at Foothill Digital, NYC

Art Direction & Design : Chippy (heung-Heueng Chin)

W e are very excited to be carrying the first volume in a new series of limited live
CDs documenting the activities of various Tonic regulars, most of whom are
associated with New York City's Downtown music scene. An eclectic mix of free
improvisation, jazz, rock, noise and exotica, "Live at Tonic Volume 1" brings together several
generations of musicians to give you an extremely versatile and accurate portrait of the venue's
first few years. Highlights include Arto Lindsay's off-kilter Brazilian electro-pop and Derek
Bailey and Min Xiao-Fen's sublime acoustic guitar and pipa duo. A fine selection of tracks
from one of NYC's most exciting venues. Artists featured are: Arto Lindsay, John Zorn, John
Medeski, Marc Ribot, Ben Perowsky, Joey Baron, Vinicius Cantuaria, Dougie Bowne's
Peninsula, Derek Bailey & Min Xiao-Fen, Erik Friedlander, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ikue Mori,
Z'EV, Haino Keiji, Susie Ibarra Trio, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Kim Gordon, Marina
Rosenfeld and Raz Mesinai.

KH

THE GIG
May 10–17, 2001
by Nate Chinen

A couple of weeks ago, British guitarist and new-music (anti)hero Derek Bailey
presided over his annual festival of improvisation at Tonic, on Manhattan’s Lower
East Side. His company was a motley crew — pipa player, tap dancer and harpist,
among others — deployed in a series of unrehearsed combinations. One of the more
successful of these impromptu ensembles was a trio composed of Bailey on acoustic guitar,
Joey Baron on drums and Annie Gosfield on synthesizers and samplers.
AtToni
c
2002, NEARLY A D, Emanem 4087 (UK) (CD) (released in 2003)

Frode Gjerstad : clarinets, alto saxophone

Derek Bailey : acoustic & electric guitars

1- Bell 13:52
2- Stairs 11:10
3- 'Studio' 06:26
4- A Cup Of Tea 07:23
5- Nearly A D 07:16
6- Leaving It There 05:54

Total time 52:25

Digital recordings made in London by FRODE GJERSTAD - 2002 August 7

Excerpts from sleeve notes:

I have only played three concerts with Derek Bailey. They were back in 1992 in a trio with
John Stevens. I recorded the last concert we did and basically forgot about it until two
years ago. To make a long story short, Martin Davidson heard the tape and released it as
HELLO GOODBYE (Emanem 4065).

In August 2002, I travelled to London to record some sort of 'follow-up'tape with Derek. We
met at his flat, talked a bit and then recorded in his office.

Derek Bailey has been doing this kind of thing for years and years with a stamina and
dedication very few others can match. He is still playing concerts, recording and producing for
his own label as well as many other labels - all with lots of different musicians. He has
achieved what most of us only can dream of.

Frode Gjerstad, 2003

T en years after their meeting on Hello Goodbye (Emanem 4065), Frode Gjerstad
visited Derek Bailey's house and recorded some very different duets -- clarinet with
acoustic guitar, and alto saxophone with electric guitar. 52 minutes -- previously
unissued.

Excerpts from reviews :

M atching Norwegian woodwind player Gjerstad with British guitarist Bailey is an

intriguing experiment in unabridged sound construction. Both men have been
investigating the outer regions of sonic development for decades but have had only
limited opportunities to make these adventurous treks together. The results are fascinating.
Gjerstad ekes out a series of disjointed phrases that instantly knit together to form an
endlessly flowing rush of agitated acoustic magic. He builds his freely spoken phrases in
elongated layers that become increasingly intense and emotional, reaching pinnacles of sound
purity on each of the six tightly interlaced selections.

There is something amazingly complex yet astonishingly simple about the guitar
maneuverings of Bailey. He is typically a sparse user of notes, being able to make emphatic
statements with a minimum of execution. These singular pronouncements unobtrusively
evolve into elaborate muted statements where the blunted edge of his timbre is a dominating
and all-encompassing factor. His improvisations have brilliant luminescence despite the dulled
tonality that characterizes his work. Neither Bailey, nor Gjerstad, however, work in a vacuum.
The music on these duets is the product of their closely defined interaction and their
responsiveness to the circulating vibrations. It becomes a spicy brew of inseparable concepts
that merges into one statement on the state of open improvisation in the 21st century. Gjerstad
was absolutely correct in wanting another go at Bailey. It produced improvised sorcery of
astounding quality.
Frank Rubolino, Cadence, 2003

T hey recorded this delightful set of duo improvisations, some of them punctuated with
homey chatter ('How about a cup of tea, then?') and all of them characterised by that
strange combination of thorny difficulty and gentle straightforwardness that is the
hallmark of most Derek Bailey performances.

The album's very long opening track is not its strongest, but when Bailey exchanges his
acoustic guitar for a hollow-body electric on Stairs, things immediately get more interesting as
his range of available timbres opens up. Gerstad is not exactly diffident around Bailey - he
plays with particular assertiveness on Nearly a D and the spiky 'Studio' - but they're playing
on Bailey's home court and Bailey is clearly the alpha musician here. The result doesn't have
quite the same richness as the Stavanger concert of 1992, but is thoroughly enjoyable
nevertheless.

Rick Anderson, All-Music Guide, 2003

G jerstad has a remarkable way of playing right inside Bailey's quick, staccato lines. He
finds arpeggios within Bailey's staggered divertimentos. His horns sinew their way
around Bailey's guitar (both acoustic and electric on this recording), which is to
Gjerstad's credit. While Bailey has certainly worked with other horn players to positive result,
it would seem to be a challenge. Gjerstad meets, and rises above.

Kurt Gottschalk, The Squid's Ear, 2003

C lassic free music from two excellent conversationalists. No need to tell you about
Bailey's importance in new areas of playing, throughout his life; both on electric and
acoustic guitar, his sound becomes better the more he gets older, getting free from the
last remaining pieces of web to pick the occasional crystal in the sky. Here, his chordal
approach transforms even the harsher dissonances into melting malt, a complete pleasure to
listen to. Gjerstad's phrasing is often very fragmented, trying to escape from clichés at any
cost, always reaching a good compromise point between technical difficulty and freshness. He
could sound a little frosty at times but you can detect a multitude of melodic electrons under
the crusty skin of his talkative runs. This is a recording you have to doublecheck in order to
get its maximum potential; it will be worth the time you put in there.

Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, 2003

T he resulting music can be likened to an afternoon of conversation, at turns convivial,

heated and reflective. With Bailey switching between guitars and Gjerstad alternating
horns, the set is packed with contrasting moods, spanning the intensity of Gjerstad's
alto slamming against Bailey's electric guitar and the fragility of Bailey's acoustic shimmering
about Gjerstad's plaintive clarinet. This duo could stand more frequent reunions.

Bill Shoemaker, The Wire, 2003

T he community of free improvisation is full of ad hoc assemblages – groups that meet,

make music and disperse into fresh combinations. In fact, that’s Derek Bailey’s
preferred method of music making. By his estimation, repeat meetings breed
familiarity, which in turn stifles spontaneity, something his style of playing thrives on.
Fortunately it’s not a hard and fast rule for the British guitarist, making this reunion with
Norwegian saxophonist Frode Gjerstad possible. The pair first collaborated on a handful of
concerts back in 1992, the last of which was recorded and found release as Hello, Goodbye,
also on Emanem. Nearly a D continues the story at Bailey’s London flat this past summer,
minus the presence of now-deceased drummer John Stevens.

The disc begins suddenly with Bell, as Gjerstad's slippery clarinet overtones shaping sonic
smoke rings that drape Bailey's brittle volume-pedal strums. Thorny and ornery meets
lubricious and diffusive as the pair butts tonal heads and in so doing creates an unexpectedly
compatible conference of disparate sounds. In its later stages the improvisation begins to fray
along its margins with Bailey resorting to swollen nettlesome scrapes interspersed with more
detailed picking and Gjerstad adjusting his tone from a willowy rasp to shrill-pitched
screaking. The follow-up Stairs resets any lost focus as the Norwegian hoists his customary
alto saxophone and the Englishman responds with more pointed commentary from coldly
amplified frets. Streaks of pedal-derived distortion crop up at various junctures, prompting
Gjerstad to once again flatten and coarsen his tone through arid flurries. Bailey's barnacle-
crusted strums puncture holes in the saxophonist's elongated lines and once again the
interplay threatens to unravel into isolate individualism.
It's back to licorice stick and acoustic guitar for 'Studio' as Gjerstad spits out a near
continuous stream of crinkled reed glossolalia and Bailey once again carves things up from
behind tautly strung strings. Only near the close does Gjerstad's tone expand into something
approximating the traditional clarinet sound. A Cup of Tea opens at a fast and furious pace
and rarely lets up for its densely packed duration. Bailey lays the distortion thick in sections
and Gjerstad only rarely removes his reed from his mouth, setting up a near continuous
barrage of knotted note streamers that take a surprisingly near-lyrical turn in the track's
closing minute.

The banter that begins Nearly a D amusingly explains the disc's title as Gjerstad employs an
e-flat clarinet that is 'so old it has become a D clarinet, well nearly a D…' The wide, woody
tone he extricates acts in comely contrast to Bailey's tumbling string scribbles and once again
a colourful marriage of dissimilar sounds arises. Bailey opens up the piece's middle with
some of his most spacious and, dare I say, closely chordal playing while Gjerstad thrusts and
parries alongside, hiding out in his instrument's upper balcony register for most of the piece.
The finale-sounding Leaving it There acts as an agreeable capstone and opens as almost a
lullaby in comparison to what has come before. Gjerstad's clarinet adopts a dulcet, fluttering
voice and Bailey's swooping strums also adopt a gentler cast for much of the piece, only
turning cantankerous for a brief spell.

Over the entire informal program, the two work like a pair of bristle-tipped pipe cleaners
aggressively plumbing listener ear canals in an effort to fully excoriate wax and debris. As
such it's not always a pleasant listening experience, but for those who don't mind a little
dissonant pain with their music it's usually a rewarding one.

Derek Taylor. Dusted Reviews. June 17, 2003

B ell, the opener, sounds rather hesitant as if a kind of musical reintroduction is taking
place but by the second track, Stair, mutual awareness has been crafted on to the
newness of the situation. Gjerstad is a confident improviser with a nicely sour tone on
alto and a warmer, woody sound on clarinet but it's Bailey who seems to mould and shape
these improvisations. He's always been a remarkably sensitive and supportive player. Here, he
creates a broad palette of sounds behind Gjerstad's reeds and the approach works well. An
almost Spanish tinge emerges on 'Studio' and his use of amplification, harmonics and echo on
A Cup of Tea is subtle and superb. A convivial record.

Duncan Heining, Jazzwise, 2003

N EARLY A D starts off, like so many other Bailey related projects, with a muted
harmonic acoustic guitar ringing. Gjerstad is slowly creeping in behind him, which
sets the pace for Bell, the first and longest track on the album. What becomes
apparent throughout the Bell is the fundamental stylistic differences in how the two approach
what they are doing. Bailey does what he does best: muted, a-tonal, softly jagged strums and
progressions. Gjerstad, on the other hand is coming from a more traditional jazz camp. He
never seems to be at a loss of ideas or direction and the same can be said for Bailey.
Throughout the album, Gjerstad and Bailey are able to seamlessly weave in and out of ideas
and tempos as if it had been rehearsed.

I always want my art to leave me wanting more instead of thanking God that its over.
NEARLY leaves me wanting more.

Thad Aerts, Blastitiude, 2003

 mprovised music is like making that farting noise by cupping your hand under your

I armpit. Few people want to do it, fewer do, and even fewer do it well. Huh? Frode
Gjerstad and Derek Bailey have one recording together that was a live concert played ten
years ago and released a couple of years ago on Emanem as "Hello, Goodbye" with John
Stevens also present. "Nearly a D" reduces the "Hello" scenario to a duo with Bailey playing
his usual acoustic and electric guitars and Gjerstad on alto saxophone and clarinets.
Improvised music is also all about chemistry, probably more so than any other form of music.
I think the chemistry exemplified in improvised music is best displayed and appreciated when
done by a duo of musicians. Lucky for me "Nearly a D" is a duo recording.

There is little need for me to go into the endless list of complimentary facts regarding Mr.
Bailey. He is the Godfather, the master, the slowly swaying, true to his craft genius who wrote
the book on modern guitar improvisation. I guess there was a need. Anyone who knew him
before will know him now, and will love every second of it. Though Bailey's evolution is
SLOW, it is still there. With his playing, there is always, always an overwhelming familiarity
that comes off new and refreshing all at the same time. Sounds like I'm advertising soda. He
stays true to what he has been doing for so, so long. Listening to his stuff as it comes out
begs to be heard not in terms of change or progression but more in terms of…. It's like he is
building a house and each new release is a new brick in that house. Cheesy I realize. However,
I get the sense that he is building up to some final statement that already has ten times more
credibility then 99% of other musicians, improvisers or otherwise.

Gjerstad, perhaps a lesser-known name, has been playing improvisation for over two decades
and has a credible list of recordings with other musicians like William Parker and Peter
Brotzmann. He also heads up the Circulasione Totale Orchestra and the Frode Gjerstad Trio
as well as running his own label, Circulasione Totale.

"Nearly a D" starts off, like so many other Bailey related projects, with a muted harmonic
acoustic guitar ringing. Gjerstad is slowly creeping in behind him, which sets the pace for
"Bell," the first and longest track on the album. What becomes apparent throughout the "Bell"
is the fundamental stylistic differences in how the two approach what they are doing. Bailey
does what he does best: muted, a-tonal, softly jagged strums and progressions. Gjerstad, on
the other hand is coming from a more traditional jazz camp. He does his fair share of
skronking and skreeching but nothing in comparison to the minimal beeps and scratching
honks on "Hello." On "Nearly" he never seems to be at a loss of ideas or direction and the
same can be said for Bailey. Throughout the album, Gjerstad and Bailey are able to
seamlessly weave in and out of ideas and tempos as if it had been rehearsed. The two are
clearly listening to each other every step of the way, know when to get out of the way, and
have enough confidence to know when to get in the way. It’s all about the chemistry that I was
talking about before, that Gjerstad and Bailey have mastered. It is further quite interesting to
hear the two change instruments, but especially when Gjerstad opts for his clarinet over
saxophone. It adds a new dimension and texture to the album as a whole as does Bailey's
switching between electric and acoustic guitar but to a somewhat smaller degree.

"Nearly" is a little over 52 minutes long which is just right. It is a digital recording that I
usually have qualms with as I do here. The recording is clear in that digital sort of way but it
lacks air and a sense of space. I assume by what I hear on the recording that both instruments
were mic'd really closely so as to achieve the absolute clarity and definition a la modern rock
recordings. I also assume that the majority of people whom hear and/or acquire this recording
will find the situation completely acceptable. I, on the other hand, think that improvised music
is all about the moment and the chemistry of the players with each other and with the space
they are in. I want to hear that in the recording -- the ambience and the realistic space between
the instruments. I don't want to hear an artificial mixed version of space, though the mixing
job here is better then usual. This is a hard concept to explain and harder to sell to those who
haven't heard a good recording that captures the nuance of the space in which it was recorded.
In the end, it’s about the music present but if time could rewind, I wish the same recording
could have been made in a more acoustical setting or at least not have the instruments mic'd so
closely.

My only other major complaint is that of the aesthetics of the packaging. It’s a matter of
personal taste and I'm by no means a visual art critic so I'll leave it alone. I just think the
packaging is ugly.

I always want my art to leave me wanting more instead of thanking God that its over. "Nearly"
leaves me wanting more. Lately, I have been listening to a lot of dub and reggae so given the
context of where my mind is musically at the moment, it seems sort of odd that this particular
recording would shine the way it does. Or maybe it means that I should stop listening to so
much reggae and dub.
2002, BIMHUIS 25: STORIES OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AT THE
BIMHUIS. BH-BIMH25-BK. Book.

Edited and compiled by Kevin Whitehead with Herman te Loo and John Corbett. A 214
document which includes many photographs, a chronological list of performers at the
Bimhuis and a partial discography of work recorded there. Over 130 contributers provide a
personal oral history of Bimhuis. Amongst the contributors are Ab Baars, Derek Bailey, Han
Bennink, Sean Bergin, Willem Breuker, Mark Dresser, Fred Frith, Charles Gayle, Burton
Greene, Gerry Hemingway, Fred van Hove, Steve Lacy, Misha Mengelberg, Phil Minton,
Ernst Reijseger, Sam Rivers, Cecil Taylor, John Tchicai, Carlos Ward.

Release Date:
April 2002
2002, LIMESCALE, Incus CD 56 (UK) (CD) (released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Tony Bevan : bass saxophone
T.H.F Drenching : dictaphone
Sonic Pleasure : bricks
Alex Ward : clarinet

1. Bürger plus 06.11

2. French archive 11.30
3. The army stuffing its drum 09.09
4. Charity singles ball 17.09
5. Academy now! 10.38
6. Titles by drenching 05.59

Recorded at Moat Studio, London, December 2002.

Layout and design by Karen Brookman.

M ore notable is the creation of Limescale, a cooperative group featuring Bailey on

side with two British free jazzers -- clarinetist Alex Ward who is also part of
bassist Simon Fell's SFQ band -- and bass saxophonist Tony Bevan, who in his
solo and trio outings has created a modern voice for the unwieldy beast usually confirmed to
Dixieland bands. But it's the other two participants who really show Bailey's acceptance and
courage. Fancifully named T.H.F Drenching improvises on the Dictaphone (sic), while Sonic
Pleasure hits the bricks in a way most striking unionists wouldn't recognize.
Unmasked, the two actually come from other musical areas that admix with jazz and Free
Improv. Sonic Pleasure -- real name Marie-Ang*lique Bueler -- is a Manchester-based
composer of so-called serious music, who has tested her improv chops with Fell and
woodwind master Mick Beck. A fellow Mancunian, T.H.F Drenching is the stage name
adopted by Stu Calton, guitarist in alt-pop band Pence Eleven, when he creates freely
improvised musique concr*te with his Dictaphones. He too has had improv experience with
Fell, Beck and trombonist Gail Brand, who is also part of SFQ.

(...) There's so much happening at the same time during the six titles on the disc, that at
intervals it appears as if there's no central focus at all. Luckily Bailey & Co. are able to keep
these tendencies in check.

One of the overriding truisms on this almost-61-minute CD, is how absolutely distinctive and
individualistic Bailey's guitar licks are. There's never any doubt as to who is holding the
plectrum. Conversely it's surprising how conventional Dictaphone and brick sounds appear in
this context. Drenching's appliance simply becomes another horn along with the two reeds;
while Pleasure's bricks provide the rhythm, with her technique striking them the way a
percussive vibist like Lionel Hampton or Terry Gibbs would treat his axe. Resonating rattles
and crashes put her output midway between that of a limited drum set and a vibraharp with the
motor turned down very low.

The only real departure from this occurs on "Charity singles ball," the CD's longest track.
Here there are points when the chiming tones of the masonry resemble those from glass test
tubes, a carillon, or a wooden desk. Meantime the horn section is respiring out a Greek chorus
of honks, with Drenching adding a queer, high-pitched vocalization to Ward's shrill timbres
ranging from double-tongued trills to upper register screeches on top of multiphonic, huffing
mouth percussion from Bevan. Irregular staccato picking is Bailey's contribution, at least
before he ends the tune with arching feedback distortion, while Pleasure somehow replicates
the sound of log drums and unselected cymbals spinning on the ground.

Elsewhere it's probably the Dictaphone noises that suggest the squeals of a miniature pooch,
the gasping of a monkey, and sibilant Daffy Duck timbres. That links the fowl trills, ear
splitting whistles and frequent elongated squeals to clarinet territory. That is, except for a time
when Ward creates a liquid laughing solo, expanded with key clicks and ghost notes on "The
army stuffing its drum", and on "French archive," where his tone turns so legato that it almost
resembles that of an outside Buddy DeFranco.

If there's one disappointment here it's that far too often Bevan's parts seem limited to puffing
out subterranean rhino snorts, creating split-toned, liquid raspberries evidentially forced from
the bow of his horn, or producing rhythmic tongue slaps to emphasize the beat. Segregating
him in traditional bass territory means that the octave jumps and higher-pitched pyrotechnics
he's displayed elsewhere are kept under wraps.

Then again, there may be enough cacophony on call, considering that when Drenching's
Dictaphone manipulation doesn't result in either a whistling wind section role -- shared with
Ward's unattached gooseneck altissimo blowing -- it exhibits the static oscillation of mass-
produced office machinery. Drenching's heavy-breathing mouth refrains passed though the
miniature item could be dispatches from Bedlam as well, and perhaps that's all the anarchy in
the U.K. the five wanted on the session.

Between the anvil-like offbeat rhythm of the bricks plus the horns' shrieking undulations
when colored noises aren't being forced through them, this could be the perfect soundtrack for
a very British political demonstration. Yet whether he's playing expressive rhythm guitar fills
or sounding out irregular tones from beneath the bridge, Bailey, in contrast, goes about his job
as distinctively, competently and unperturbed as an old time Bobbie.

As a left winger Bailey would likely despise the comparison. But that's what happens when
you, like the Bobbies, have evolved a distinctive persona unaffected by the different situations
in which you're found. It's also why investing in these examples of Bailey's collaboration is as
valuable as picking up any of his other CDs.

Ken Waxman

T his year’s obligatory Derek Bailey entry – but not the only entry to feature him -
finds him even fresher and to an extent regenerated than his recent storming form.
Alex Ward lays down his best clarinet playing on record and, on a “horn” basis,
THF Drenching’s squawking dictaphone runs him a close second. Yet the five musicians
work as an indissoluble whole, and “Charity Singles Ball” should be on XFM’s playlist.

C réé en 1970 par Tony Oxley, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey et aujourd’hui uniquement
géré par ce dernier, entièrement dévolu à l’improvisation libre (à quelques exceptions
près), Incus a édité 52 albums vinyle (tous plus ou moins devenus des pièces de
collection) et son catalogue compte aujourd’hui 57 CD, 8 CD-R et 5 vidéos.

(...)

On peut aisément comprendre pourquoi le maître de la six-cordes aujourd’hui installé à

Barcelone s’enthousiasme pour le quintette Limescale : « Un quintette qui ne ressemble à
rien. Nous ne cherchons pas à ressembler à un modèle, nous cherchons à jouer avec tout ce
qui peut arriver. C’est fantastique de jouer avec ce groupe et ça le restera un moment. Dès que
nous nous mettrons à ressembler à un modèle, il sera temps d’en finir ». De fait, l’ensemble
produit une manière de magma sonore indéfinissable, informel et véritablement inouï, où il est
difficile de discerner avec précision qui joue quoi et même d’identifier les sources sonores
(des briques ? un dictaphone ?). Pourtant il se dégage de cette pagaille apparente une énergie
vertigineuse et un flux luxuriant de textures, scories et micro-organismes entraînés par un
courant d’exaltation salutaire.

A 74 ans, Derek Bailey demeure un trublion inamovible des musiques vivantes.

Gérard Rouy

T he instrumentation of the Limescale quintet comes across as half Dada cabaret, half
1920s novelty music - Bailey on guitar, Alex Ward on clarinet, Tony Bevan on bass
saxophone, and the pseudonymous pair of THF Drenching and Sonic Pleasure
wielding (respectively) dictaphone and bricks - but the results are less anarchic than one might
expect. The general garrulousness and consistency of approach (the first four tracks, ranging
from 6 to 17 minutes in length, are virtually indistinguishable in terms of pace and aural
palette) end up almost normalizing the music for all its initial appearance of bizarreness;
there's almost no sign here of the dangerously mercurial swings of direction or downright
lunacy of your average Chadbourne or Bennink album. (That may be a plus or a minus,
depending on your point of view.) Playing acoustic guitar for the duration, Bailey keeps to the
hiding-in-plain-sight tactic he favours in large ensembles. It's Ward's highly varied clarinet
lines that stand out most prominently; they have an ironized elegance that's still audible even
when he drops a conventionally demure clarinet tone for some ferocious and impressively
controlled high-register work. Ms Pleasure chips in (sometimes literally: she uses a chisel on
occasion) with taps and clinks that suggest a bored child at a restaurant banging a knife on
plates and glasses; Bevan roots around assiduously for truffles; Drenching contributes
burbling fast-forward/rewind dictaphone interjections whose disgusting lability resembles the
sounds of mouth-cavity and saliva rather than voice per se. The results are entertaining in
small doses, but this is a very large dose - over an hour's music - and ultimately it's a bit of a
one-joke album. I'm also skeptical about the dictaphone and bricks, however appealingly
ludicrous they are in principle. Many players in the current improv scene have turned to
uncommon or downright improbable instruments, as a way of staking out fresh musical
territory and minimizing reliance on the aesthetics and musical solutions of previous
generations of improvising saxophonists, pianists, bassists, etc. Hence the prevalence of
contact-mics, harp, laptops, no-input mixing board and empty sampler in the (so-called)
lowercase-improv scene. But the dictaphone playing and brick banging on Limescale don't
open up unexplored sonic worlds: they work amusing but painfully limited variations on the
familiar roles of improvising vocalist and pots-and-pans percussion.

For the record, Limescale has its serious proponents, and The Wire has even announced it as
among the most important releases of 2003, in its December "Rewind" feature. In the same
issue Bailey biographer Ben Watson listed it as his favourite disc of the year. (Hardly
surprisingly: it's tempting to think of Limescale as nearly as much a Watson disc as a Bailey
disc, not because Ben necessarily had any part in its creation, but because it so closely fulfills
his aesthetic ideals and polemical claims, which revolve around seeing free improvising as part
of an avant-garde tradition of performance art and anti-art going back to Dada and Merz.
Watson's Frankfurt-School-derived defence of the continued pertinence of avant-garde
aesthetics even receives an echo in the title of the track "B¸rger Plus" - presumably a nose-
thumbing at the author of The Theory of the Avant-Garde, a book which argues that the avant-
garde project lost its viability after the early 20th century.) While I'm intrigued by the many
detailed critical testimonies that discover in the album an enormous wealth of sound and
colour (who knows, maybe it's actually there if you have a patient and sympathetic ear, though
I draw the line at the guy who wrote that Sonic Pleasure's brickwork was "uncannily like
Sunny Murray" - like hell it is), why this modestly entertaining divertissement needs to be
blown up to the proportions of a masterwork remains a mystery to me.

John Fordham, September 12, 2003. The Guardian.

L imescale is Derek Bailey’s latest group project and also features Tony Bevan on bass
saxophone, Alex Ward on clarinet, T.H.F. Drenching on Dictaphone and Sonic
Pleasure on bricks. Bailey has often said that he likes to play in a group situation
where no one knows exactly what the music they’re making is supposed to sound like. This is
a great example of exactly what he’s talking about, a music that’s totally in flux, with the
tiniest of gestures spawning gawping dialogues: Pleasure’s Tonka-scale brick work - all
building-site taps and scrapes - engulfed in the maw of Bevan’s fat bass sax, the whirr of
Drenching’s Dictaphone mirroring the arc of Bailey’s hands… Still, despite the undeniably
invigorating influence of the upstart punks it’s the old guard that sound most adventurous,
with Bailey stringing tin tightropes across the whole group while Bevan and Ward turn their
lungs inside out. This is a wild one for sure.

L IMESCALE would never be described that way. There’s so much happening at the same
time during the six titles on the disc, that at intervals it appears as if there’s no central
focus at all. Luckily Bailey & Co. are able to keep these tendencies in check.
One of the overriding truisms on this almost-61-minute CD, is how absolutely distinctive and
individualistic Bailey’s guitar licks are. There’s never any doubt as to who is holding the
plectrum. Conversely it’s surprising how conventional Dictaphone and brick sounds appear in
this context. Drenching’s appliance simply becomes another horn along with the two reeds; while
Pleasure’s bricks provide the rhythm, with her technique striking them the way a percussive
vibist like Lionel Hampton or Terry Gibbs would treat his axe. Resonating rattles and crashes put
her output midway between that of a limited drum set and a vibraharp with the motor turned
down very low.

The only real departure from this occurs on “Charity singles ball”, the CD’s longest track. Here
there are points when the chiming tones of the masonry resemble those from glass test tubes, a
carillon, or a wooden desk. Meantime the horn section is respiring out a Greek chorus of honks,
with Drenching adding a queer, high-pitched vocalization to Ward’s shrill timbres ranging from
double-tongued trills to upper register screeches on top of multiphonic, huffing mouth percussion
from Bevan. Irregular staccato picking is Bailey’s contribution, at least before he ends the tune
with arching feedback distortion, while Pleasure somehow replicates the sound of log drums and
unselected cymbals spinning on the ground.

Elsewhere it’s probably the Dictaphone noises that suggest the squeals of a miniature pooch, the
gasping of a monkey, and sibilant Daffy Duck timbres. That links the fowl trills, ear splitting
whistles and frequent elongated squeals to clarinet territory. That is, except for a time when Ward
creates a liquid laughing solo, expanded with key clicks and ghost notes on “The army stuffing its
drum”, and on “French archive”, where his tone turns so legato that it almost resembles that of an
outside Buddy DeFranco.

If there’s one disappointment here it’s that far too often Bevan’s parts seem limited to puffing out
subterranean rhino snorts, creating split-toned, liquid raspberries evidentially forced from the
bow of his horn, or producing rhythmic tongue slaps to emphasize the beat. Segregating him in
traditional bass territory means that the octave jumps and higher-pitched pyrotechnics he’s
displayed elsewhere are kept under wraps.

Then again, there may be enough cacophony on call, considering that when Drenching’s
Dictaphone manipulation doesn’t result in either a whistling wind section role -- shared with
Ward’s unattached gooseneck altissimo blowing -- it exhibits the static oscillation of mass-
produced office machinery. Drenching’s heavy-breathing mouth refrains passed though the
miniature item could be dispatches from Bedlam as well, and perhaps that’s all the anarchy in the
U.K. the five wanted on the session. Between the anvil-like offbeat rhythm of the bricks plus the
horns’ shrieking undulations when colored noises aren’t being forced through them, this could be
the perfect soundtrack for a very British political demonstration. Yet whether he’s playing
expressive rhythm guitar fills or sounding out irregular tones from beneath the bridge, Bailey, in
contrast, goes about his job as distinctively, competently and unperturbed as an old time Bobbie.
As a left winger Bailey would likely despise the comparison. But that’s what happens when you,
like the Bobbies, have evolved a distinctive persona unaffected by the different situations in
which you’re found.

It’s also why investing in these examples of Bailey’s collaboration is as valuable as picking up
any of his other CDs.

Ken Waxman, November 17, 2003

‘LIMESCALE’ BY DEREK BAILEY, TONY BEVAN, T.H.F. DRENCHING, SONIC PLEASURE & ALEX WARD 11/12/06 10:35

‘LIMESCALE’ BY DEREK BAILEY, TONY BEVAN, T.H.F. DRENCHING, SONIC PLEASURE & ALEX WARD INCUS CD56 --
SYNOPSIS – THE SURPRISE HIT ALBUM OF 2003 AND VOTED THE BEST IMPROVISED RECORD OF THAT YEAR BY THE
STAFF OF THE WIRE MAGAZINE.

READ: KEN WAXMAN REVIEW OF LIMESCALE

READ: KURT GOTTSCHALK REVIEW OF LIMESCALE

READ: MARCELLO CARLIN ON LIMESCALE, FROM HIS FORTHCOMING BOOK ON BRITISH JAZZ
"SONG FROM SOMEWHERE". (IT'S UNDER "SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2003" ON THIS BLOG. PEACE.)

DIVERT TO INCUS RECORDS FOR DETAILS ON HOW YOU TOO CAN OWN THIS MUCH-LAUDED
(EXCEPT BY NATE "ONE-JOKE-REVIEW" DORWOOD) AND WAVED-AROUND COMMODITY

HOMING

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/fenland_hi-brow/LIMESCALE.htm
2002, UNDER TRACEY'S BED, Foghorn FOGCD-R02 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Tony Bevan : bass saxophone

1. A few words 07.03

2. Under Tracey's bed 10.00
3. Fallling down stairs 09.26
4. Tracey sings 10.23
5. Bailey the vampire slayer 11.50

Recorded on 28 November 2002 at Modern Art, Oxford.

Cover design by Tony Bevan.

Under Tracey's Bed is a CD-R release, Tony seemed to think the sound wasn't good enough
for a full commercial release. Actually the sound's quite passable, if lo-fi, and the music's
excellent.

T ony Bevan is an improvising virtuoso on Soprano, Tenor and Bass saxophones, on

which is probably Britain's only major modern performer. He has appeared numerous
times with Derek Bailey's international symposium of improvisers, COMPANY,
released acclaimed CDs on Bailey's INCUS label (including the Mercury Music Prize
nominated "Bigshots") as well as recording with Bailey himself (he is a member of Bailey's
"Limescale" quintet). He has toured extensively in Europe and America, and is currently a
member of the legendary Sunny Murray's trio, as well as leading his own groups. Writer Ben
Watson has written of him as "..one of the unsung heroes of modern British music".

Apart from his own groups, Bevan also has an occasional duo with Derek Bailey (recorded on
"Visitor's Book", released in August 2002 on Incus, and "Under Tracey's Bed", a performance
from the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. He has also performed and recorded with Derek in
larger groups - the quintet recording "Limescale" has just been released on Incus. Bevan is
also (again, with John Edwards) a member of the Sunny Murray Trio, and has toured this
country and recorded with him, and will be touring Europe with him early next year.
2002, EUROPEAN ECHOES, Atavistic, ATA 232 (CD) (re-issue)

Manfred Schoof Orchestra: European Echoes (June 1969, Bremen)

Enrico Rava : trumpet
Manfred Schoof : trumpet
Hugh Steinmetz : trumpet
Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone
Gerd Dudek : tenor saxophone
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Derek Bailey : guitar
Fred Van Hove : piano
Alex Schlippenbach : piano
Irène Schweizer : piano
Arjen Gorter : bass
Peter Kowald : bass
Buschi Niebergall : bass
Han Bennink : drum
Pierre Favre : drum

1- European Echoes, Part 1 15:24

soloists:
Derek Bailey : guitar
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Peter Brötzmann : tenor saxophone
Enrico Rava : trumpet
Alexander von Schlippenbach : piano
Fred van Hove : piano
Irene Schweizer : piano
2- European Echoes, Part 2 15:26

soloists:
Pierre Favre : drums
Han Bennink : drums
Arjen Gorter : bass
Peter Kowald : bass
Buschi Niebergall : bass
Gerd Dudek : tenor saxophone
Hugh Steinmetz : trumpet
Manfred Schoof : trumpet

Fmp, Fmp 0010(Lp) (P)1969 Fmp Records, Inc., W.Germany

Recorded: June 1969
Released: 1969, W.Germany
Re-Issued: Unheard Music Series, Ums/Alp232cd(Cd)
Released: 2002, Canada
Credits (Productions) : Composed By Manfred Schoof
Produced by Jost Gebers / Recorded in Bremen, Germany, June 1969
Coverdesign: Wolfgang Walter / Coverphotograph: Johannes Muth
Tray card photo by Wilfried Bauer / CD design by ATAWorld
Digital transfer by Jost Gebers / Mastered at AirWave Studio by John McCortney
Re-issue produced by John Corbett

D uring the mid-60s, trumpet and cornet player Manfred Schoof led one of the most
important ensembles in German jazz, a quintet with pianist Alexander von
Schlippenbach- composer of many of the group's pieces -saxophonist Gerd Dudek,
bassist Buschi Niebergall, and drummer Jacky Liebezeit (later augmented by second drummer
Sven-Ake Johansson). In '66, Schlippenbach conceived of the Globe Unity Orchestra as a
meeting point for this quintet and the Peter Brötzmann Trio. Three years later, after the quintet
had split up, Schoof himself convened a large ensemble for a radio project in Bremen. This
orchestra drew its lineup from the increasingly interconnected web of the European free scene:
members of the quintet (Dudek, Niebergall, Schlippenbach); Brötzmann and his new trio with
drummer Han Bennink and pianist Fred Van Hove; the constituent members of drummer
Pierre Favre's ensembles (including bassist Peter Kowald and pianist Irene Schweizer); their
sometime associate Evan Parker and his countrymen Paul Rutherford and Derek Bailey; and
fellow trumpeters Enrico Rava and Hugh Steinmetz from Italy and Denmark respectively.
The resulting piece revels in doubled and tripled instruments- how unusual, especially, to have
three pianists in a group like this, not to mention three trumpets, three tenors and three
bassists. Echoes across Europe (Germany, Holland, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy,
Scandanavia), the resounding impact of new jazz and improvised music as it travels from
country to country, region to region, scene to scene. A tape of the performance soon became
the material for the debut of a new label based in Berlin: Free Music Production."
2002, TONY OXLEY, Incus 8 (UK) (LP)
(Limited edition Incus LP8 re-issue ?)

Tony Oxley : percussion, amplified percussion

Barry Guy : bass
Dave Holdsworth : trumpet
Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Howard Riley : piano
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Never before or again 10.40

Parker, Holdsworth, Rutherford, Riley, Guy, Oxley : recorded 1972
2- M-W-M 06.30
solo Oxley : recorded 1975
3- EIROC II 05.30
Bailey, Parker, Rutherford, Oxley : recorded 1971
4- East of Sheffield 06.20
solo Oxley : recorded 1971
5- South east of Sheffield 07.40
solo Oxley : recorded 1973
6- P.P.1 08.30
solo Oxley : recorded 1975

Artwork by Alan Davie, signed cover by Tony Oxley, accompanied by original silkscreen
print of cover painting by Alan Davie.

Recorded over a four year period (71-75), these tracks illustrate the evolutionary development
of Tony Oxley's music, and particularly his percussion vocabulary. Amplification has played a
large part in this development, giving breadth to the instrument, and allowing a reconsideration
of the role of percussion in relation to improvised and structured music.
2002, IMPROVISERS 1988-1998

Book by Jo Fell. 164 x 245mm; 40 pages plus covers.

Foreword by Derek Bailey

34 high-quality reproductions of photographs of improvising musicians in performance, in

black & white and colour. Covering a 10-year period, the images capture improvising
musicians in performance situations throughout Britain, using only available light and 'non-
intrusive' techniques. Subjects include Derek Bailey, Steve Beresford, Will Gaines, Paul
Hession, Billy Jenkins, Willi Kellers, John Russell, Mark Sanders, Pat Thomas, Alan
Tomlinson, Roger Turner, Phil Wachsmann, Trevor Watts & Alan Wilkinson, in venues
ranging from Crawley to Hull. Foreword by Derek Bailey.

From Bruce’s Fingers website :

J o Fell's collection of photos has many things to recommend it. For instance, it's nicely
idiosyncratic. There's no attempt to be representative of something or other. Avoiding the
more institutional LMC/Red Rose aspects of the London scene, it covers an interesting,
somewhat unexpected, range of players. In fact, it is distinctly non-metropolitan. The
important thing, of course, is the way Jo Fell looks at things. There are none of those nostril
invading close-ups which photographers usually o.d. on; often there's much more than people
in these pictures. But I can't catalogue the book's many virtues - this is already too wordy -
you must look at it.

DEREK BAILEY
T his 34-page booklet is the photography of Jo Fell capturing improvisational musicians
at work. Among those pictured are Derek Bailey, Steve Buckley, Alan Tomlinson,
Trevor Watts and many more. For the pictures, a caption identifies personnel, date and
location. No other text suggests anything for the reader. Derek Bailey sees this lack of
opinionated representation as an asset to the book in the foreword. Jo Fell's introduction
includes technical data on the shots. She works without a flash and at somewhat of a distance
to avoid intrusion. The effect still captures personality and action in her well-composed
pictures.

J o's work is impressive as it mainly sidesteps the "artiness" which plagues many, if not
most "creative music" photos; presenting instead an aesthetically distinct, in-the-moment
impression very much in keeping with the spirit of the music.

MILO FINE

Q uite apart from its artistic quality, this book also offer the chance to glimpse the
physical appearance of a group of musicians the majority of whom are unjustly
shirked by 'the media'.

Gustave Cerutti IMPROJAZZ

N ew music calls for new photographic thinking, however, and that's what Jo Fell
presents in this short volume of 34 high-quality reproductions. Using only available
light and non-intrusive techniques, Fell depicts a cross section of British improvisers
in performance from 1988 to 1998. Along the way, she makes it a point to try to capture the
creative process and the intersection of performer and instrument itself, rather than creating
strict portraits of the players in these mostly black and white shots. Thus saxophonist Mick
Beck is rendered as a giant hand filling the frame pressing on different keys. In the shadows,
mouth open, hands on his hips, singer Koichi Makigami resembles an Inuit sculpture. In one
color photo bassist Simon H. Fell's upper body seems to be made of Plasticine as it's captured
in the act of movement; and one stark shot of violinist Phil Wachsmann emphasizes the
illumination on his fiddle, his bow and his bald pate. Fell isn't the only photographer working
this way of course. Toronto's Susan O'Connor has also built up an impressive inventory of
available-light performance photos; and obviously there are others. Still as Mao Tse-tung once
stated, let a thousand flowers bloom. Let many photographers capture improvised music at its
most free and preserve it as Fell has done. Certainly anyone interested in the look and feel of
so-called BritImprov during that crucial decade would be wise to investigate her book."

Ken Waxman JAZZ WEEKLY

T he booklet, like most of the fiercely independent scene that it records, is a tribute to Jo
Fell's commitment to the music and the musicians who make it.

Armorel Weston MUSICIAN

J o Fell's 34 page book of photographs is a welcome addition to the catalogue. As Derek

Bailey notes in his foreword, its selection of musicians is, 'distinctly non-metropolitan'
and her style is 'nicely idiosyncratic'. She favours a non-intrusive approach when
tracking down these shadowy figures found, she says, 'skulking in semi-darkness'. The results
can be pleasingly oblique. They can also make subtle revelations, as in the alignment of hand
and ear that frames guitarist John Russell's introspection, or her voluble image of Trevor
Watts playing alto at a memorial service for John Stevens.

Julian Cowley THE WIRE

T hese snaps are candid, un-posed, grainy, dynamic, and powerfully communicate the
personal muse-in-action that makes our form so pure and unblemished from
conscription to expectation. Fell captures the tenuous catch-as-catch-can performance
spaces, the athletic movement one finds with free-playing's galaxies of extended technique, the
hands-everywhere and every breath means everything-ness of some of the form's most
interesting, as well as many less-known, comrades. Some photographs capture a moment with
crystalline clarity, while others force the eye to hunt and resolve their visual mystery. The
darkness and solitude, determination, joy and struggle I find here mean much, almost as
though this collection were collated as a present for me. In his foreword, Derek Bailey says it
best, 'I can't catalogue the book's many virtues - this is already too wordy - you must look at
it.' You look at it.

Bret Hart THE UNHEARD MUSIC

W ell worth owning... all the photographs are highly distinctive. Odd angles (Mick
Beck's fingers on his saxophone keys, oddly reminiscent of Charlie Parker), semi-
darkness (a great shot of violinist Phil Wachsmann), double exposure (Derek
Bailey in a truly cosmic shot), even reflections (Paul Buckton, in a marvelously constructed
frame), are all part of Fell's arsenal, resulting in pictures that, like much of the music her
subjects produce, provoke new reactions on each viewing. Hopefully, this will be the first in a
series of books documenting Fell's work.

Larry Nai CADENCE

A mong those pictured are Derek Bailey, Steve Buckley, Alan Tomlinson, Trevor Watts
and many more. For the pictures, a caption identifies personnel, date and location.
No other text suggests anything for the reader. Derek Bailey sees this lack of
opinionated representation as an asset to the book in the foreword. Jo Fell's introduction
includes technical data on the shots. She works without a flash and at somewhat of a distance
to avoid intrusion. The effect still captures personality and action in her well-composed
pictures. ****

Tom Schulte OUTSIGHT

L ively arts of about the same vintage, photography and improvised music seem to have
a potent relationship to one another. Think of how our view of early jazz and blues
performers like King Oliver, Fats Waller and Blind Lemon Jefferson has been
influenced by how they appear in their pictures. There are even a few, like the legendary New
Orleans cornettist Buddy Bolden, who only exist in one snapshot and old-timers' memories.

More recently, the moody introspective photos of Herman Leonard, all pinpoint details and
curling cigarette smoke, defined bebop for many people. The bright, outdoor portraits of
William Claxton did the same for cool jazz.
New music calls for new photographic thinking, however, and that's what Jo Fell presents in
this short volume of 34 high-quality reproductions. Using only available light and non-
intrusive techniques, Fell depicts a cross section of British improvisers in performance from
1988 to 1998.

Along the way, she makes it a point to try to capture the creative process and the intersection
of performer and instrument itself, rather than creating strict portraits of the players in these
mostly black and white shots. Thus saxophonist Mick Beck is rendered as a giant hand filling
the frame pressing on different keys. In the shadows, mouth open, hands on his hips, singer
Koichi Makigami resembles an Inuit sculpture. In one color photo bassist Simon H. Fell's
upper body seems to be made of Plasticine as it's captured in the act of movement; and one
stark shot of violinist Phil Wachsmann emphasizes the illumination on his fiddle, his bow and
his bald pate.

Fell isn't the only photographer working this way of course. Toronto's Susan O'Connor has
also built up an impressive inventory of available-light performance photos; and obviously
there are others. Still as Mao Tse-tung once stated, let a thousand flowers bloom. Let many
photographers capture improvised music at its most free and preserve it as Fell has done.
Certainly anyone interested in the look and feel of so-called BritImprov during that crucial
decade would be wise to investigate her book.

Ken Waxman
 2002, COMPANY. Live @ the Tonic, NYC, May 15, 16, 17, 18.

Company :
Derek Bailey: guitar
Cyro Baptista: percussion
Miguel Frasconi: handcrafted instruments
Bill Laswell: bass
Ikue Mori: drum machine, Mac Powerbook
Jim O'Rourke: guitar, laptop
Dj Olive: turntables; Fred Sherry: cello
John Zorn: alto sax.

CONCERT
2002 (?), EDITION #4 : DEREK BAILEY AND RAIN DANCE, WPS1
Art Radio, Tokyo

Tokyo correspondent Kazue Kobata speaks to legendary guitar improviser Derek Bailey
about "Rain Dance" (but also about Min Tanaka Limescale and how important it is when
playing improvisation to keep it fresh).

On line interview and audition of the piece Rain Dance.

http://www.wps1.org/

Derek Bailey from Mountain Stage video.

2002, ONGAKU: ENJOY SOUND. Concert

Starts: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 Time: 20:00

Participating Artists: Eddie Prévost, Derek Bailey, Ross Lambert, Nathaniel Catchpole,
John Edwards. Sandy Kindness, Romauld Wadych, Takeheiro Nishide

Improvised Music reflecting both the openness and the internationalism of this music.
ONGAKU 2002 ONGAKU: Japanese n. music, from On – sound; Gaku – enjoy
ONGAKU: enjoy sound - is a new series of events at 291 promoting free-improvised music.
Having always remained defiantly outside both the mainstream commercial music industry
and arts funding bodies, free-improvised music is currently experiencing the most fertile
period since its inception. It draws an increasingly large audience from all areas of artistic and
musical activity, and London is a world centre. ONGAKU: enjoy sound has been inaugurated
to produce performances that will resist predictability, encourage music that promotes the
extremes of emotional & intellectual response, confront and resist music designed for passive
consumption.
DerekBaileyand GeorgeLewi
s
sprucestreetforum
October5,2002
 Spruce Street Forum

Derek Bailey (England) and George Lewis (San Diego)

A must see performance! Londoner Derek Bailey is possibly the most influential
guitarist of the modern era. He has performed solo concerts world-wide, played
with most of the musicains associated with free improvisation, and recorded over
100 albums. He will be joined by the phenomenal George Lewis, improvisor-
trombonist, composer, and computer/installation artist who first played with Bailey
in Company, an international emsemble of improvisationalists formed by Bailey in
1976. Lewis has been a member of the AACM since 1971. He has received
Fellowships from the NEA, and is the 1999 recipient of the CalArts/Alpert Award
in the Arts.
March '02 M1903 - $9.95 : JAZZIZ Magazine art for your ears, Jaz... http://www.jazziz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=...

March '02
M1903

Starting at: $9.95

The Guitar Issue

The Word According to Metheny Plus: John Scofield ...
Derek Bailey ... Bill Frisell ... What Les Paul Thinks ...
The Ten Essential Guitar Albums ... and John
Pizzarelli's New Clothes Album Reviews including John
larger image
Abercrombie

JAZZIZ On Disc
GUITARS vol. 1: The Bridge
A veritable festival of guitarists, featuring Bill Frisell, Larry
Carlton, Pat Metheny, Russ Freeman, John Abercrombie,
Dom Minasi, and others.

Please Choose:
Your JAZZIZ Selection

Magazine and CD
2002-2003, THE BEAK DOCTOR, BD5-6 The Social-Science Set. (USA)
(CD) (re-issue)

Bruce Ackley : soprano saxophone

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar
Greg Goodman : piano, percussion
Henry Kaiser : electric guitar
Toshinori Kondo : trumpet
Larry Ochs : tenor and sopranino saxophones
Evan Parker : tenor and soprano saxophones
Jon Raskin : clarinet, baritone and alto saxophones
Andrew Voigt : alto and sopranino saxophones

1. Social set I [ensemble except DB] 23.06

2. Realgar [Bailey/Raskin] 04.44
3. Xenon [Kondo/Parker] 07.29
4. Social set II [ensemble except DB] 23.59
5. Basalt [Parker] 07.39
6. Lexeme [Goodman/Ochs/Parker/Raskin] 06.55
7. Gabbro scoops [Bailey/Ochs/Kondo] 05.11

The Social set I and II were recorded at 1750 Arch Street Studio, Berkeley on 19 October
1980; the other tracks were recorded at The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco on 21
October 1980.
This CD released 2002/03 is a re-issue of two vinyl records: Volume 1: The social set and
Volume 2: The science set produced by The Beak Doctor/Metalanguage Records. Not all of
Volume 2 has made it to CD.

Cover art by M. K. Frank.

The Social/Science Set
Beak Doctor
Recorded October, 1980 at The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco,
and 1750 Arch Street Studio, Berkeley, California, USA.
Greg Goodman

This CD is a reissue of two vinyl records: Volume 1: The Social Set and
Volume 2: The Science Set, recorded in 1980, October 19 and 21,
respectively. They were produced by The Beak Doctor/Metalanguage
Records (originated by Greg Goodman, Henry Kaiser and Larry Ochs in
1978) during The Metalanguage Festival of Improvised Music: a
scrummage of musicians who had previously recorded on the label.

Volume 1 consists of two extended whole-group pieces and was recorded

at Arch Street Studios in Berkeley, California.

Volume 2 was recorded in performance at The Great American Music Hall

in San Francisco, a grand hall with lots of age and rubbed-off gold. We
got the feeling, gazing from the stage at the high ceilings above the
wrap-around box seating, that it was The Roman Coliseum. If we
squeezed into our Lion costumes, we could make a night of it. The
contests were in duos, trios, quartets, and an occasional solo: someone
battling himself.

This reissue is configured to fit the dubious prerogatives of compact disc

technology. (Two records cannot be squeezed into a turnip nor can
Cinderella's shoe fit into the CD player.) As Woody's Great Great
Grandfather, Woodrow W. Woodman used to say, "You can't step into the
same river twice and not get your feet wet, where am I?"

It is truly grand ensemble playing, and we are saying that by myself.

PLAYERS
 Private concert : Derek Bailey in Barcelona

DEREK BAILEY

* Localidad: Barcelona
* Sábado 14 de setiembre 2002
* lugar: domicilio particular. IBA 144
* Hora: 17:00
* Aforo: 20 personas

* Músico: Derek Bailey - guitarra acústica

C omentario: Si hay algo que repetidamente me ha parecido lamentable es sin duda el

comienzo de toda la serie de crónicas, reseñas (ecos de sociedad, muchas de las veces,
me temo) que se han venido publicando este verano en la prensa local de mi ciudad
sobre las actividades musicales de diverso signo celebradas en la provincia. es posible que
unas veces el cronista de turno con la muletilla de los "equis mil asistentes" o el "lleno hasta la
bandera" pretendiera equiparar asistencia y calidad, o quizá solo quisiera crear sensación de
triunfo (agradando orejas institucionales/empresariales), o quizá… no quisiera hablar de la
música.

IBA (improvisadores de Barcelona asociados) llevan ya 114 conciertos y la seriedad y

compromiso de su trabajo no se mide en los "equis mil asistentes" o los "lleno hasta la
bandera". Esa seriedad y compromiso queda reflejada en una continuidad, en una serie de
nombres de la que derek bailey, este sábado pasado era el último de momento... Unos son
modestos, otros tienen un cierto reconocimiento, pero siempre avalados por la calidad de la/su
música.
A los "iba", seguro que les gustaría que sus actividades tuvieran mayor eco/proyección; que
sin llegar a esos imposibles "equis miles" o "llenos hasta la bandera" la asistencia de público
fuera algo normalizado que hiciera posible llevar adelante una programación, un proyecto,
unas ideas. Pero hablamos de improvisación, y si "escribir en españa…", improvisar es…

Así que al mal tiempo buena cara y cuando no es posible montar una actuación en una sala
regular pues se monta en un domicilio privado, por lo que la asistencia queda marcada por las
limitaciones de la sala/casa particular y no por ningún extraño elitismo. El caso es sacar una
idea adelante. De todos modos y pese al escaso número de asistentes eso era casi la ONU -
catalanes aparte, un portugués, un par de oscenses, uno de León, unas argentinas.. ¿alguien da
más?-. Muestra de lo escasamente elitista del evento es que para franquear la entrada había que
pagar CINCO EUROS, lo que no es ninguna exageración (supongo). Teniendo en cuenta que
a la llegada y tras el concierto había posibilidad de atacar un pequeño picoteo (un vinito, zumo,
café, unas olivas, galletitas, patatas fritas… en fin, esas cosas) el afortunado confunde las
columnas del debe y el haber solo con pensar en ello. Por que la única condición (por llamarla
así) para asistir al evento, era estar al loro de lo que se hace REGULARMENTE y confirmar
la asistencia. Así que seguro que los popes del género musical, los que trabajan para los
medios (importantes) y se enteran de los eventos a través de los famosos pases de prensa (que
no cuestan ni el trabajo de estar al día de lo que acontece) pues no se enteraron, ni los que
siguen la escena internacional (pero no lo que pasa a diario en su ciudad) a la estela de los
grandes nombres y pequeños dioses… y entonces la cosa no fue elitista sino entre amigos,
entre aficionados.

Y lo que fue… pues casi una "tontería". Poco después de las cinco de la tarde, la hora prevista,
Derek Bailey fue presentado brevemente al público asistente por parte de uno de los
miembros del IBA. Este cogió su guitarra acústica y se puso a tocar. Sin solución de
continuidad sus dedos iban desplazándose por el mástil, pinzando las cuerdas… en un viaje a
ninguna parte. De las notas, de los armonicos…. que iba dejando en su monólogo / diálogo
(al fin y al cabo el público estábamos allí para algo y el voyeur influye sin duda el discurso del
onanista) podrían partir otros tantos discursos fecundos. Sonando fresca, esa guitarra mil
veces escuchada en docenas de discos ¿improvisaba?, ¿se reinterpretaba?. ¡Uf!, eso es
metafísica. Yo vi a un señor sesentón, con pintas de haber dejado bien cuidado el jardín antes
de venirse a la "reunión" y que contra todo pronóstico se dedicaba a tocar la guitarra de forma
no muy ortodoxa. Ese señor, al que no sé si le gusta la jardinería, es sin ninguna duda uno de
los maestros de la libreimprovisación europea y escucharle (teniéndolo a poco mas de un
metro) en las dos improvisaciones que nos ofreció es uno de esos lujazos que uno no puede
por menos que agradecer. Así que haciendo gala de bien nacido: gracias a los IBA (Ruth,
Ferrán y Costa) por la posibilidad de disfrutar del evento.

Jesús Moreno Nasarre

Derek Bailey: Homenaje || A Chaminera de Casa Mia | Tomajazz http://www.tomajazz.com/chaminera/bailey_derek_homenaje.htm

www.tomajazz.com | A CHAMINERA DE CASA INICIO

MIA
DEREK BAILEY: HOMENAJE

derek bailey - christopher williams

conciertos de musica improvisada
domingo seis de febrero dosmilcinco, siete de la tarde
carrer topazi 11 barcelona
fotos jesusmoreno
Derek Bailey: Homenaje || A Chaminera de Casa Mia | Tomajazz http://www.tomajazz.com/chaminera/bailey_derek_homenaje.htm
 http://www.universosparalelos.org/oromolido/articulos.asp?fecha=23

ARTICULOS

1) DEREK BAILEY 22.11.01 (NUMERO 11)

COMENTARIO:
ENTREVISTAS: DEREK BAILEY 22.11.01

“NO CREO QUE NADIE HAYA INVENTADO NADA”

Hacía once días que Derek Bailey había actuado en L'Espai de Musica i Dansa de la Generalitat de
Catalunya en dúo con la bailarina Hisako Horikawa dentro de la programación del festival Improvisa
que organizan con periodicidad anual I.B.A., y apenas una semana de la grabación de su CD de dúos
con el pianista Agustí Fernández.

Mi intención original al plantear la siguiente entrevista consistía en efectuar, antes que ninguna otra
cosa, una aproximación de carácter biográfico a los inicios de su carrera, o lo que para mí no dista de
ser algo parecido: los inicios de la música improvisada en Europa tal y como la concebimos
actualmente. Y con esa finalidad, la mañana del 22 de noviembre de 2001 nos presentamos en el hotel
barcelonés, donde entonces se hospedaba el músico británico, el guitarrista Ferran Fages y quien esto
subscribe.

La conversación estuvo en gran parte amenizada por un equipo de albañiles situado en una habitación
contigua que se encargó de deleitarnos la soleada mañana con unas fascinantes polirritmias
ejecutadas a un volumen capaz de poner a prueba los nervios de cualquiera de los presentes; para
ponerle mayor emoción si cabía al evento, la grabadora empezó a comportarse de manera
improcedente, y el músico local invitado decidió que le interesaba más seguir nuestra conversación que
no ponerse a dialogar con el veterano maestro como era mi intención original; a todo esto una cinta se
terminó mientras el entrevistado estaba hablando largo y tendido de su viejo amigo John Stevens, con
lo que se perdió una parte substanciosa de sus comentarios y, pocos minutos después, aparecieron los
fotógrafos y algún que otro amigo que quería aprovechar la ocasión para saludar al maestro, con lo
que no tuvimos un rato prolongado de verdadera calma.

Debido a estos y otros acontecimientos y catástrofes con los que no pienso aburrir al lector o lectora,
lo que ahora tenéis en vuestras manos, que se suponía debería haber sido una entrevista más o menos
convencional con uno de los patriarcas de la música improvisada, acabó siendo una charla bastante
informal de la que aquí os ofrecemos la trascripción íntegra (o casi).

Esperemos que sea de vuestro agrado.

Francesc Diaz i Melis, Barcelona, Abril de 2004.

ORO MOLIDO.- La primera pregunta podría ser ¿cuándo, cómo y por qué empezaste a hacer
música?.

DEREK BAILEY.- Desde muy temprana edad. Yo no estaba realmente interesado en tocar música, en
interpretar música, en música que adquiriese su identidad a partir de la interpretación, en música
donde el hecho de tocar fuese la música en sí misma, por ejemplo de la manera como la ejecutan los

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intérpretes, todo el mundo relacionado con la composición, todo eso nunca me ha interesado.

Supongo que mis primeras experiencias musicales debieron ser a través de mi familia, porque en la
familia de la que provengo habían músicos, mi abuelo tocaba el banjo y el piano y solía tocar temas
populares, mi tío era guitarrista y tocaba en big-bands y orquestas de baile durante las décadas de los
treinta y los cuarenta, entonces para mí estar relacionado con la música no era ninguna cosa
dogmática, yo he tocado música desde siempre; cuando me enseñaban música en la escuela, eso para
mí no tenía ningún significado, no me decía nada de nada. Compositores canónicos era lo que me
encontraba en la escuela, y eso no me interesaba en absoluto. Fuera de ella la cosa ya era diferente.
En lo que yo estaba interesado era en tocar un instrumento, en tocar música con ese instrumento.
Quiero decir que hay muy poco de personal en el hecho de tocar la guitarra. Hay muy poco en la
música clásica. Hay muy poco y no es significativo, no influye en el resultado.

Yo toco un instrumento que adopta su carácter a partir de la música que con él se toca, sea blues,
flamenco, jazz o cualquier otra cosa. Lo que caracteriza a la música es la manera cómo se ejecuta
desde el punto de vista instrumental, no una idea previa. Entonces eso era la música para mí, una cosa
de tipo práctico. Y así, desde pequeño, la única cosa que quería era trabajar como músico, no como
músico de jazz ni de ningún otro tipo, yo lo que quería era tocar música sin importarme lo que tocase.

O.M..- Lo que querías ser era un instrumentista, no músico de jazz ni de ningún otro tipo de música en
concreto.

D.B..- Exacto.

O.M..- Háblame de tus primeros trabajos como músico.

D.B.- No puedo recordar mis primeras actuaciones tocando música, pero no tenían nada que ver
conmigo, eran cosas de la escuela, y yo era muy afortunado cuando tenía 5 ó 6 años de edad de poder
tocar percusión en una orquesta, pero mi primer trabajo merecedor de tal nombre fue tocando música
popular.

Yo tocaba en bandas de la escuela, que entonces eran una cosa muy popular. Estamos hablando de
una época muy distinta de la actual, existen grandes diferencias entre entonces y ahora. Aquella era
una época en la que si querías música tenía que ser música en vivo, no había alternativa. Existían
discos, pero nadie los utilizaba para que hubiese música en los lugares públicos. Si tenía que haber
música en un local publico, esta siempre tenía que ser en vivo.

Eso hacia que hubiese muchos sitios por todas partes donde se tocaba música como salas de baile o
restaurantes, podías tocar en cualquier sitio.

La primera cosa que tuve que se podría denominar trabajo por aquellas fechas era en el mismo lugar
donde crecí, Sheffield, un sitio industrial de clase trabajadora, tocando música popular, o sea que el
primer trabajo de mi vida fue tocando música popular. Tocábamos música popular seis noches por
semana en lo que llamaban un "concert-lounge" y una noche por semana me encontraba en un sitio
donde tocábamos jazz o country & western, no eran sitios que pudiésemos considerar como salas de
conciertos sino lugares llenos de gente bebiendo que algunas veces escuchaban lo que tocábamos. El
público habitual era gente que iba a los locales a beber y ocasionalmente escuchaba, y lo que tú
tocabas se suponía que era lo que querían escuchar esas personas, no importaba lo que fuese; no
eran necesariamente las canciones de moda ni los grandes éxitos del momento al que me estoy
refiriendo, que eran los últimos años de la década de los 40, se trataba simplemente de canciones que
eran populares y que alguien podía levantarse y ponerse a cantarlas, y tú tenías que tocar eso fuese lo
que fuese, en la tonalidad que esa persona decidiese cantarlo... si es que era capaz de encontrar una
tonalidad.

Por otro lado, había a veces una tendencia muy extraña a tocar siempre música muy antigua; durante

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un tiempo por esa época estuve muy interesado en la música para big-band de jazz o en música que se
parecía al jazz. Las peticiones de este tipo de material nos las solían hacer al final de la tarde, cuando
ya habían bebido bastante, y entonces nos solicitaban baladas sentimentales.

De cualquier manera, el material que teníamos que tocar abarcaba un espectro muy amplio, algunos
de los músicos con los que trabajaba entonces cuando empezaba en esto eran realmente fantásticos,
con unos conocimientos extraordinarios sobre la música popular de los 50 años precedentes, podían
retroceder fácilmente hasta finales del siglo XIX, tocábamos una gran diversidad de músicas distintas.
Eran como enciclopedias, podían tocar cualquier cosa, eran grandes, no en el nivel de la técnica, pero
tenían una gran memoria, la memoria era el elemento más importante; y hay algo que socialmente no
puedo recomendar, porque no se puede retroceder a esa época, pero si fuese posible este sería un
buen camino para los músicos que empiezan, les daría una buena base de experiencia. La manera
habitual de adquirir experiencia era tocar en las salas de baile. Hace un par de semanas un periodista
del mundo del jazz que me entrevistó en Chicago, se imaginaba que cuando yo le hablaba de salas de
baile me estaba refiriendo a sitios donde tocaban magníficos saxofonistas, trompetistas y trombonistas
con una sección rítmica en la que por algún sitio aparecía un guitarrista...

O.M..-...como las orquestas de baile de la época swing...

D.B..- Sí. Pero yo estuve tocando durante diez años en salas de baile, y sólo toqué con algo que se
pareciese a eso en tres ocasiones. Todo el tiempo que toqué en salas de baile tocaba en grupos
pequeños, fundamentalmente tríos o cuartetos que tenían un amplio repertorio de standards antiguos,
basado sobre todo en el trío de Nat Cole, el Nat Cole Trio, y también cosas que sonaban a George
Shearing, fundamentalmente música para guitarra y piano. Esas big-bands no eran desde luego algo
frecuente y mi trabajo duraba desde las tres de la tarde hasta la medianoche, terminabas siempre
tocando mucho más de lo que quisieras, y no tocabas música de otra gente, individualmente podías
aportar muy poca cosa a lo que se tocaba.

Pero entonces me encontré con otra cosa que parecía que podía funcionar y dejé de tocar en salas de
baile para empezar a hacerlo en night-clubs ya en la década de los 50.

Los night-clubs estaban bien, empezábamos a tocar mas tarde y disponíamos de una orquesta de
cabaret, pero no es fácil conseguir tener una impresión central. Entonces el hecho de trabajar en
night-clubs te permitía acceder a trabajar en clubs de jazz, contactabas con sus propietarios y tenías
oportunidades, entonces el rock aun no había empezado y yo lo que quería era trabajar en tantas
situaciones disponibles como fuera posible. Yo entonces estaba interesado en el jazz, me interesaban
músicos que veíamos como iban muriendo, como Clifford Brown, cuya muerte me disgustó
especialmente, pero yo continuaba interesado en poder trabajar en cuantas situaciones fuese posible.

Las dos principales razones por las que perdí el interés en el jazz fueron en primer lugar el hecho de
darme cuenta de que no era una buena idea tocar jazz en sitios así, situación que me disgustaba
bastante y que tuvo como consecuencia que dejase de trabajar en ese tipo de lugares, y la otra fue
constatar que ser simplemente un guitarrista en aquel tiempo no era suficiente para ganarse la vida,
como si podían hacer en cambio otra gente como los saxofonistas.

Y los locales donde se tocaba jazz sólo funcionaban como tales si era viernes o sábado, en esto y en
sus horarios en Inglaterra entonces eran muy estrictos. O sea, no es que yo dejase este tipo de trabajo,
fue él quien me abandonó a mí, falleció...

O.M.- Fue este tipo de trabajo quien falleció y no tú.

D.B..- Exactamente... Quiero decir que durante este periodo podías tener el trabajo que quisieses
relacionado con la música en vivo. Si querías música, esta tenía que ser en vivo. Entonces, por las
mañanas, empecé a trabajar en una tienda francesa de muebles nuevos que abrió alguien, y esto me
permitía dar un concierto a las 11 de la mañana tocando standards mientras había un montón de

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gente charlando. También toqué en muchos sitios donde se servían comidas, restaurantes... no es nada
interesante tocar en cenas ni restaurantes. He trabajado para muchos "gangsters", muchos locales
eran propiedad suya...

O.M..- Bueno, eso sucede en todas partes.

D.B..- Si, y por las noches si alguien quería escuchar, en términos generales la cosa era bastante
funcional, lo que podía llevarte a algunos sitios divertidos. Yo incluso había dado algunos conciertos
que fueron emitidos por la B.B.C., la B.B.C. solía radiar pequeños conciertos que pienso que eran una
cosa más colectiva. Duraban cinco minutos cada mañana cuando yo estaba en la ciudad. Siempre que
estaba en la ciudad me iba a tocar al estudio de la emisora, esto era cuando yo estaba en Leeds, en el
norte de Inglaterra, que era donde estaba la emisora. Y a veces te ponían a alguien que cantaba y te
podía tocar cantar con él.

Hice, pues una gran variedad de trabajos distintos, pero lo más importante fueron las salas de baile y
night-clubs.

Todos estos trabajos se podían hacer todos los días durante años, me permitían tocar música los siete
días de la semana, pero no era eso lo que yo quería. Implicaban tocar muchísimo, y no eran clubs de
jazz sino salas de baile donde podías estar tocando desde las tres de la tarde hasta medianoche, y
luego irte a tocar a un club de jazz tres veces por semana.

Al principio, los primeros años, todo esto parecía perfecto pero después todo cambió, llegó el rock y lo
puso todo patas arriba. De repente se tocaban canciones que nadie conocía porque se habían hecho
populares la semana anterior. La diferencia entonces era que, en lugar de tocar en público música
hecha en directo, lo que se hacía era tocar igualmente en vivo pero reproduciendo música previamente
grabada. Entonces si te pedían que tocases algo en una situación semejante, estoy hablando ya de los
inicios de la década de los sesenta, se esperaba que lo que tocases fuese una versión de lo que era
popular, algo totalmente distinto de lo que pasaba en los cuarenta, y si tenías que cantar eran cosas
realmente ridículas, tanto los textos como los arreglos. Se suponía que tenías que ser un clon de la
música previamente grabada. Llegados a este punto, mi interés radicaba en no tocar.

Dejé todo esto y me puse a trabajar en estudios de grabación. Los estudios no pagaban gran cosa
pero al principio estaban bien, así que empecé a sentarme en ellos, y trabajé mucho. No tenías mucho
margen de independencia si dependías de los estudios, y las cosas a veces te podían ir mal, y aunque
hubiese mucho trabajo, fácilmente podía pasar que a ti no te tocase; a mediados de los sesenta era
habitual encontrarme conque yo trabajaba en los estudios un sólo día, tan sólo un día, y fue en esa
época cuando empecé a interesarme por las músicas libremente improvisadas, por las que nadie te
pagaba nada, fue una curiosa coincidencia. Continué aún haciendo trabajos para estudios durante dos
o tres años mas.

O.M..- ¿Podrías precisar en que años compartías ambas ocupaciones?

D.B..- Desde 1964 ó 1965 hasta 1968. El último trabajo que hice para un estudio fue en 1968. Fue
cuando constaté que no se podía trabajar en Europa, no se podía trabajar en Inglaterra, nadie podía
trabajar en Inglaterra. Y entonces me fui para Alemania en busca de trabajo, no pretendía ganarme
bien la vida, tan sólo conseguir algo de trabajo en los estudios, pero el hecho de tocar free me
comportaba extraños conflictos entre los estudios y el free...

O.M..- Me resultan fáciles de comprender...

D.B..- ...entonces yo solía tocar free cuando aún nadie lo hacía, muchos músicos lo odiaban y no sólo
odiaban eso sino que también odiaban a los músicos con los que yo lo tocaba. Esto era muy triste y me
comportaba muchas dificultades a nivel social. Esto también facilitó mucho que yo dejase de trabajar
en esos ambientes. Y la otra cosa importante: Existe una costumbre en Gran Bretaña consistente en

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unos importantes conciertos que tienen lugar antes de que empiece el frío, los hacen en sitios como el
Palladium; se trata de unos grandes espectáculos a los que asiste todo el mundo, incluso gente de la
música popular y bailarines. En 1968, se suponía que yo tenía que tocar ahí un rato con una pequeña
orquesta, estábamos en el mismo programa varias orquestas y yo formaba parte de la más importante
de ellas, una con la que ya llevaba bastante tiempo trabajando, ...

O.M..- ...trabajando con un repertorio convencional...

D.B..- Por supuesto, llevábamos incluso bailarines, y tocábamos todo tipo de cosas, era todo de un
tono bastante primaveral, muy en la línea de Tom Jones. Se suponía que yo tenía que tocar en ese
concierto el cual se había preparado con unos cuantos ensayos que habían salido muy bien, pero ese
mismo día yo tenía un concierto con el SPONTANEOUS MÚSIC ENSEMBLE a sesenta millas de allí y
le dije al responsable del Palladium: "No puedo hacer esto", y él me preguntó: "¿por qué?", y yo le
respondí: "porque tengo otro bolo...", y él me inquirió: "¿¿¿¿qué significa "otro bolo...”????."

¡¡¡¡Estábamos ambos empleando la palabra "gig" (bolo)!!!!. Y yo continué: "De todos modos tengo
que hacer este bolo y para eso tengo que llegar hasta el lugar donde se hace". No creo que este
exagerando si digo que ese individuo estaba pensando en acusarme de traición para encerrarme en la
Torre. ¿Conoces la Torre de Londres?.

O.M..- Por supuesto... aunque hasta ahora sólo como turista, afortunadamente.

D.B..- De cualquier manera hicimos ese bolo, con John Stevens, Dave Holland, y creo que también
Evan Parker y posiblemente Trevor Watts, y decidí que una situación como esa nunca más tenía que
repetirse. Lo otro lo podía hacer cualquiera ocupando mi lugar, eso estaba claro. Y a partir de aquí
no acepté más conciertos de ese tipo. Así fue como terminé con esa clase de trabajo porque no quería
más situaciones tan ridículas como esa. Esa fue mi última vez. Incluso conservo el programa, un gran
programa...

O.M..- Uno de esos con foto de la reina en la portada...

D.B..- ...sí, en esa línea... yo y la reina... eso fue en el 68, la última vez que hice un trabajo de esa clase.
Desde hacía bastante tiempo también tocaba en programas de televisión, creo que desde 1965, cuando
ya llevaba tiempo trabajando con Tony Oxley, y me instalé en Londres en 1966 durante la época en
que tenía mucho trabajo en los estudios.

O.M.- A diferencia de muchos otros improvisadores, tú casi siempre has estado desde entonces
haciendo exclusivamente música improvisada. ¿Cuál ha sido tu actitud personal respecto a este
hecho?.

D.B.-- Yo no he querido hacer ninguna cosa en concreto. Recuerdo cosas puntuales que fueron las que
me condujeron a hacer esta música. Hubo un momento a partir del cual no quise tocar mas cosas
estúpidas. Me interesaba intentar hacer algo con otras personas que compartiesen esa misma actitud
hacia la música. Y para conocer esos otros tipos de música hacia falta tocar música, tocar y conocer
bien cosas como el blues o el flamenco. Mi aproximación instrumental siempre ha consistido en crear
una música que se relacione estrechamente con la manera como esta música se toca, con la manera
como se utilizan los instrumentos.

O.M..- El tipo de música creada deriva de cómo se utiliza el instrumento...

D.B..- Esto es algo que me interesó mucho probar dentro de la música libremente improvisada.

En otros tipos de música, como por ejemplo el blues, el desarrollo de la manera de tocar consiste en
pasar años y años y años trabajando sobre unos mismos patrones de lenguaje, se trata de desarrollar
un idioma, musicalmente hablando sería como aprender un idioma.

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Yo en cambio estaba interesado en hacer algo donde, no importando que fuese lo que tocase, se
prescindiese de todo planteamiento previo, y no he estado interesado en tocar otros tipos de música
distinta a esta nunca más. Si toco otros tipos de música, prefiero tocarlos de la manera como yo las
toco. Recientemente me he metido a hacer otros tipos de música mezclándome con otras personas de
las que he pensado que podría aprender algo relacionado con el hecho de tocar la guitarra y sobre la
música cuando me ha parecido que lo que hacían esas personas era aventurado.

O.M..- En algunas conversaciones que hemos mantenido en el pasado tú y yo en torno a las músicas
improvisadas me has hablado sobre Billy Bauer; Lol Coxhill cuenta que el primer disco de música
improvisada que conoció fue uno de Lennie Tristano; ¿piensas que de alguna manera vosotros
podríais ser consecuencia del trabajo de Lennie Tristano y Billy Bauer?.

D.B..- No. Yo estuve muy interesado en ese disco en 1949, pero eso era debido especialmente a que
cuando yo era joven Lee Konitz me gustaba muchísimo porque era totalmente distinto de todos los
demás músicos. Y Billy Bauer era un guitarrista rítmico fantástico que cuando tocaba con Woody
Herman tal vez era el mejor guitarrista rítmico blanco. Pero ese material free en aquel momento no
me interesó en absoluto. Yo empecé a tocar free en 1956...

O.M..- Explícame algo sobre esto...

D.B..- Se trataba de un trío que me invito a tocar con ellos, y yo estaba interesado, como aún lo estoy
ahora, en desarrollar este tipo de situaciones.

O.M..- ¿Eran músicos británicos?

D.B..- Sí, con un pianista llamado Eddie Barton. Entonces yo aún estaba en Sheffield, aún no había
abandonado Sheffield, y trabajaba en un restaurante con otro trío, un trío convencional. Pero con ese
otro trío tocábamos las noches de los domingos, y por algún motivo me invitaron a tocar con ellos,
pero yo no estaba aún interesado en eso. Al principio no tocábamos de manera totalmente libre. La
primera vez que toqué de manera totalmente libre fue en 1953. Una noche que estábamos en Glasgow,
éramos tres guitarristas, situación que no me seducía nada, y decidimos los tres cambiar la afinación
de las guitarras sin decirnos el uno al otro que íbamos a tocar, era una situación realmente extraña.
Podría describirla como una situación de improvisación totalmente libre, pero lo que intentábamos era
tocar canciones. Nuevamente encontré la experiencia totalmente alienante. No volví a hacerlo nunca
más, ni se me ocurrió intentar nada parecido hasta muchos años más tarde, en un contexto totalmente
distinto. Siempre lo había sospechado...

No creo que nadie inventase nada ni en 1959 ni en 1940. Simplemente yo siempre lo había intentado,
es algo muy atractivo para los músicos, simplemente probar, probemos... especialmente los
instrumentistas, me refiero a nosotros, los músicos que utilizamos instrumentos. Si te has pasado toda
tu vida tocando melodías, durante años y años, a veces es interesante que intentes tocar sin ninguna
melodía, esto no es nada raro, conozco un montón de tipos que lo han intentado, habitualmente sobre
la marcha o durante los ensayos, y en los años cincuenta se empezaron a dar situaciones de estas en
que un grupo de gente se reunía para tocar juntos sin emplear ninguna melodía. Por eso yo no creo
que nadie haya inventado nada. Es algo que tiene que ver con los instrumentistas, no se trata de nada
conceptual. Es una cuestión de tipo práctico, una especie de ejercicio... Quieres hacer algo, entonces
vamos a probarlo y veremos que sucede...

O.M..- Empiezas a tocar y vas construyendo tu propio lenguaje...

D.B..- Sí, eventualmente sí, desde luego.

O.M..- Saltemos a los sesenta. JOSEPH HOLBROOKE TRIO ¿fue tu primera aventura en grupo
dentro de la música improvisada trabajando expresamente a partir de un concepto fijado de
antemano?.

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D.B..- Yo conocí a estos tipos tocando en un night-club, conocí a Tony Oxley en un night-club y Gavin
Bryars estaba en esa misma ciudad...

O.M..- ¿Cuándo fue esto?

D.B..- 1963.

O.M..- El mismo año en que empezasteis...

D.B..- Sí. Fui invitado a tocar en ese night-club, fue cuando deje de vivir en Sheffield. Mi padre estaba
enfermo, y eso me permitía estar en casa a la vez que vivía en Londres.

Un tipo montó una banda nueva y me invitó, me dijo "ven a tocar con esta banda, y podremos
encontrar..." y decidí unirme a ellos, mi intención era irme durante dos semanas, porque mi padre no
estaba tan mal como para morirse, yo pensaba que si tenía que dejar a mi padre y a mi madre que
fuese por lo menos para hacer algo interesante. De todas maneras, yo lo que quería era tocar, pero
aquello no me motivaba nada, era tocar de una manera muy pero que muy standard, y pronto regresé
a Londres. Aquel tipo me llamó para que volviese, y después fueron los demás músicos quienes
también me llamaron para que volviera, mi madre también quería que volviese, pero yo estaba
indeciso porque para mí la música lo es todo, pero no todo es música, y bajo el efecto de muchas
fuerzas en este punto rompí también con la mujer con quién estaba viviendo. Yo quería continuar
viviendo en Londres y ella no, mi mujer desapareció, mi madre desapareció, mi familia desapareció, y
yo no tenía nada que hacer en Londres. Todo esto te lo cuento para que entiendas en medio de qué
circunstancias me encontré volviendo a esa banda en la que también estaba Tony Oxley, era una
banda muy buena, y entonces eventualmente empezamos a llevar un club de jazz donde tocábamos seis
noches por semana y los sábados a la hora de la comida del mediodía. En aquel tiempo Gavin Bryars
estaba estudiando en la universidad y era además un bajista muy interesante, así que lo cogimos para
el grupo. Pero la gente que venia a tocar al club de jazz iba disminuyendo gradualmente hasta que al
final quedamos nosotros tres, esto era a finales de 1963. Y tocamos juntos desde finales de 1963 hasta
inicios de 1966. Al principio empezamos tocando como una orquesta de jazz convencional, como
estudiantes de jazz, pero gradualmente nos fuimos volviendo cada vez más y más y más libres, hasta
que en 1964 ó 1965 acabamos tocando piezas totalmente improvisadas. Hubo muchas razones para
esto. Alguien podría pensar que se trataba de una iniciativa compartida, pero no, éramos tres músicos
totalmente distintos. Yo era unos diez años mayor que ellos, Tony era mucho más jazzístico, y Gavin
estaba mucho más interesado en la composición de lo que entonces se denominaba "nueva música" . Si
la gente nos consideraba un grupo de jazz nos parecía correcto, pero progresivamente íbamos viendo
que nuestra manera de tocar se iba modificando, y todo ello era el resultado de un proceso muy lento,
en mi caso diría que de alrededor de unos 18 años. Tocábamos piezas totalmente improvisadas pero
nunca tocábamos toda la velada exclusivamente piezas improvisadas, siempre tocábamos algunas
melodías ocasionales, pero solíamos acabar siempre con piezas totalmente improvisadas que no
habíamos ensayado. Trabajábamos de maneras muy distintas por aquel entonces, en 1966.

O.M..- Tú estabas entonces más interesado en trabajar así, de una manera natural, naturalmente
evolutiva, a medida que vuestros lenguajes se iban desarrollando de una manera dialéctica, más que
en función de influencias recibidas del exterior, como podían ser las de la música mal llamada
"contemporánea" de la época (Stockhausen, Cage...), tú continuabas, o vosotros continuábais,
mayormente centrados en vuestro propio trabajo...

D.B..- Siempre he estado influenciado sobre todo por aquella gente con la que he ido tocando. No
tengo ninguna colección de discos como la tuya, actualmente los únicos discos que tengo son los de
INCUS, de esos tengo miles. En aquel tiempo no tenía ninguna colección de discos y lo que solía hacer
era moverme muchísimo, viajar, llegué a estar viviendo por lo menos en tres ciudades distintas en un
mismo año, y algunas veces incluso en más, en función del trabajo que iba saliendo. Esta gente
estaban muy bien informados, Tony respecto el jazz y Gavin respecto a la música "contemporánea".

7 sur 8 16/08/08 16:46

 http://www.universosparalelos.org/oromolido/articulos.asp?fecha=23

(Extracto de la entrevista realizada por Francesc Diaz i Melis. Foto Derek: Peter Gannushkin).

Aunque no vamos a poner ninguna objección a cualquier tipo de reproducción, total o parcial, de
cualquier elemento gráfico o escrito de esta publicación, sí estaremos agradecidos si se citan el/los
nombre(s) del/los autor(es) y el número correspondiente de Oro Molido, en versión papel.

VER TODOS LOS ARTICULOS

8 sur 8 16/08/08 16:46

o zurret d´artal: derek bailey http://o-zurret.blogspot.com/2006/12/derek-bailey.html

o zurret d´artal
al fondo de la bodega habia una gran cuba. una noche artal le hizo un
pequeño agujero en el culo. de tanto en tanto bajaba, retiraba el palo de
boj y la arpillera con que lo habia tapado y dejaba que un poco de su
contenido llenara su vaso.

domingo 24 de diciembre de 2006

derek bailey

el 14 de septiembre del 2002 una actuación de derek bailey daba inico a un ciclo de
actuaciones en casas organizado por el iba -improvisadores de barcelona asociados-.
el 25 de diciembre del 2005 el guitarrista británico fallecía en londres.
Publicado por artal en 19:28
Parabólica: Música inprovisada en España http://www.parabolica.org/musica_improvisada.htm

La posibilidad de improvisar en algunas de las partes de una composición musical surge ya, en la música considerada
clásica contemporánea, hacia la segunda mitad del siglo XX, como alternativa creativa -en algunas de las piezas de
compositores de la época- a la obra musical cerrada, totalmente escrita. Esta iniciativa aporta, en aquella parte de la
obra que el compositor indique, nuevas inquietudes que derivarán en nuevos términos acuñados por los distintos
padrinos: música aleatoria (Pierre Boulez), música casual (John Cage), open form (Earle Brown), etc.. Estos
experimentos musicales, asociados en ocasiones al conjunto artístico y social de la época han llevado a una
mezcolanza cada vez mayor y más rica en la que, a partir de entonces, parámetros como tímbrica, dinámica, duración;
y términos como libertad musical, energía, espontaneidad, frescura, intuición se valoran, aún más, frente a otros
convencionalismos académicos: estructura musical, melodía, fraseos, armonía, ...hasta prescindir de la partitura ¿por
qué no? La mayoría de las músicas antiguas son, como la improvisación, de tradición oral. El periodo de la música
barroca (siglos XVII-XVIII) se caracterizó fundamentalmente por la improvisación. Compositores como J. S. Bach; o
posteriores, como Paganini, eran verdaderos improvisadores. Son las reglas teóricas de interpretación las que poco a
poco, ya en aquella época, van reduciendo las posibilidades de improvisar en los intérpretes. Finalmente, la partitura
acabará imponiéndose en una sociedad donde se valora cada vez más aquello que “queda escrito”.

En Andalucía, tenemos algo esencial, inherente a nuestra cultura: el flamenco. Este ha ido evolucionando,
configurándose, con mayor o menor aceptación, dependiendo de las épocas -del siglo XVIII, datan los primeros
representantes conocidos...- a través de la improvisación. Así ha sido siempre nuestro flamenco, el excelente arte
andaluz: no encuentra razón de ser si no hay libertad para la ejecución, no se reconoce como auténtico si no hay, o
lleva, lo que llaman duende.

La improvisación es, en general, el fundamento de la música que se practica en otros continentes, en otras culturas
(africanas, asiáticas...). Acercándonos, por ejemplo, a algunos ritmos africanos y a la música tradicional de la India,
encontramos estructuras musicales tan difíciles de seguir en la métrica occidental que, directamente, se consideran
improvisaciones.

El discurso improvisado, adoptado como la forma básica de desarrollo en la ejecución del jazz, ha servido para que la
propia evolución del género a lo largo de las décadas, en algunos intérpretes, desembocase en el free jazz en la
década de los sesenta. Música que poco a poco fue prescindiendo de seguir ciertos patrones musicales adoptados en
Parabólica: Música inprovisada en España http://www.parabolica.org/musica_improvisada.htm

décadas pretéritas.

Así, el jazz como el flamenco, la música tradicional de la India, el rock, incluso la posibilidad de improvisar otorgada al
músico en algunas partituras de música clásica contemporánea... son estilos o géneros musicales que, cuando se
ejecutan adoptan, en su improvisación, características comunes propias al lenguaje en que se expresan. Derek Bailey
denomina a estas improvisaciones, idiomáticas. Él mismo, también dedica buena parte de su libro Improvisation a
analizar la naturaleza y práctica de la improvisación no idiomática, es decir, la llamada música improvisada libre, que él
practica desde hace más de treinta años.

Llorenç
Barber

Los músicos que practican música improvisada libre tienen, en un tanto por ciento altísimo, una previa formación
musical académica. Sin embargo, es tremendamente difícil señalar por qué motivo decide un músico dedicarse, en
mayor o menor medida, a la improvisación libre. Posiblemente, cada uno de ellos tendría su propia opinión, como
también una forma de concebir la práctica improvisatoria. En general, la procedencia de estos músicos es variable,
aunque podemos encontrar -proporcionalmente, de mayor a menor- que provienen de la música de jazz; de la música
clásica contemporánea y la electroacústica; otros, de la música proporcionada por las nuevas tendencias tecnológicas
(electrónica, vídeo, informática musical), y un último apartado, de la conexión de la música con otras corrientes
artísticas, en la performance improvisada.

Desde siempre los músicos dedicados a la improvisación, se han visto obligados a agruparse en colectivos (algunos de
ellos, europeos, llevan más de treinta años de actividad -London Musicians Collective, en Londres; o Free Music
Production, en Berlin- son nombres de asociaciones de músicos pioneras en nuestro continente), y se favorecen más
de una relación de colaboración mutua que del apoyo, siempre escaso, por parte de las instituciones públicas en la
financiación de los proyectos. Sin embargo, si aún hoy mantienen sus entidades, obviamente es porque la capacidad
de los músicos, la calidad de los proyectos, la seriedad en su gestión, etc. han calado en el ámbito artístico, y ha
permanecido interesando a los aficionados a lo largo de estos años con resultados, tan obvios, como la organización
de festivales internacionales, sellos discográficos especializados, locales con programación exclusiva, revistas
especializadas, etc.

El desarrollo de la música improvisada libre en España es reciente. Aunque pudiera parecer que, por algunos músicos
involucrados, se lleva toda la vida detrás de un reconocimiento para esta manifestación creativa en tiempo real, los
resultados se consiguen muy a largo plazo.

Habría que hablar de músicos con nombres concretos que, de su labor en este terreno hace décadas, han conseguido
auténticos logros, milagros. El primer nombre que se me viene a la cabeza, como auténtico pionero, es Llorenç Barber,
y sus primeros avatares por conseguir algo más interesante, diferente, en la cultura musical de nuestro país. Desde
que él viaja a Londres para asistir como invitado a talleres y festivales organizados por el London Musicians Collective
(Music/Context, edición 1978), donde presenta la pieza Sambori, no ha cejado en su empeño de hacerse cargo de la
animación, coordinación y programación de talleres, festivales, encuentros con la música más arriesgada que,
afortunadamente y gracias a su incesante y peculiar insistencia, aún hoy siguen adelante. Manifestaciones como las
desempeñadas ese mismo año con el Taller de Música Mundana, con Fátima Miranda y Bartolomé Ferrando. Flatus
Vocis Trío, sus acciones y performances en cualquier lugar del mundo, con sus inseparables campanas, sus
conciertos abiertos con participación colectiva, desde globos aerostáticos, campanarios, puertos marítimos, etc., el
primer festival de nueva música de nuestro país -Ensems, en Valencia; la publicación Senderos para el 2000, las
primeras ediciones de los encuentros/conciertos de Paralelo Madrid, desde 1992 en el Teatro Pradillo; las actuales, del
Círculo de Bellas Artes, con músicos invitados que tan solo él ha conseguido programar con conciertos en la capital
como Jin Hi Kim, Joseph Celli, Evan Parker, Jaap Blonk, Christian Marclay, David Moss... dentro del campo de la
improvisación libre se deben a su iniciativa. Chapeau, Llorenç.

Son también pequeños colectivos independientes los que se organizan en Barcelona y Madrid, músicos interesados
básicamente en las expresiones artísticas llevadas a cabo a través de la improvisación las que, poco a poco, van
Parabólica: Música inprovisada en España http://www.parabolica.org/musica_improvisada.htm

dejando una estela de apertura para que otros artistas (músicos, poetas, pintores, bailarines, etc.) se vayan
incorporando al terreno artístico de la improvisación libre.

Agustin Jaap
Fernandez Blonk
En Barcelona, hay que destacar, sin duda, la labor que ejercen a partir de 1996, el colectivo IBA (Improvisadores de
Barcelona Asociados), con responsables músicos como Agustí Fernández, Joan Saura, Liba Villavecchia, Ruth
Barberán, Eduard Altaba, Ferrán Fages, y el bailarín Andrés Corchero. Este colectivo logra en poco tiempo organizar
una orquesta de improvisadores (L´Orquestra IBA), que explora las posibilidades de la improvisación colectiva; un sello
discográfico; la posibilidad de asistir un día a la semana a conciertos de improvisación en un local de Barcelona
-JazzSí-, y un festival internacional de música y danza improvisadas, con carácter anual (Improvisa).

La experiencia desde Barcelona sigue en pleno auge con la programación de Agustí Fernández, sobre música
improvisada, en la Fundación Joan Miró; y la presencia de otro colectivo, dedicado a la música experimental, en el
barrio de Gràcia de Barcelona. Con Gràcia Territori Sonor, Víctor Nubla, su creador y principal instigador, ha dado la
posibilidad de que numerosos proyectos que difícilmente pudieran verse más allá de su lugar de origen, puedan darse a
conocer en esta plataforma creada en 1996. Músicos de todo el mundo se dan cita en el festival LEM, con propuestas
basadas en improvisación, arte experimental sonoro, performance, electrónica, soundscapes, en un célebre barrio
barcelonés sin fronteras para la experimentación musical.

Desde Madrid, Musicalibre es el principal colectivo de artistas que trabajan para impulsar y desarrollar la improvisación
libre en nuestro país. La asociación se crea en octubre de 1995, con carácter nacional, por Pedro López, Wade
Matthews, Belma Martín, Chefa Alonso, Barbara Meyer y yo mismo. Actualmente es un colectivo que engloba a
músicos, poetas, y bailarines repartidos por la península. Ya en 1996 tuvo lugar el primer festival internacional de
música improvisada Hurta Cordel, resultando en este sentido, pionero en España. Desde este primer año hubo una
estrecha relación con otros colectivos del país, cuyos responsables están interesados en la improvisación libre de
forma que Hurta Cordel tuvo sus conciertos en Huesca y León, gracias a la colaboración de las asociaciones
Contrabajo y C.C.A.N., respectivamente. La creación de una orquesta de improvisadores -FOCO, Fundación Olivar de
Castillejo Orquesta-, diferentes talleres con músicos invitados, conciertos dos veces al mes en un local madrileño -El
Juglar-, etc. son resultados consolidados y permanentes en la actualidad. El año pasado se editó un CD-R con los
proyectos musicales de este colectivo en el número 2 del fanzine Oro Molido.

En el último festival, Musicalibre se asoció con el colectivo madrileño Cruce: arte y pensamiento para, con el patrocinio
del CDMC (Centro para la Difusión de la Música Contemporánea), llevar a cabo el VI Festival Internacional de Creación
en Tiempo Real Hurta Cordel -¡Escucha!, con más de cuarenta profesionales dedicados a la improvisación libre
repartidos entre músicos, bailarines, performers... un ciclo de conferencias sobre la creación en tiempo real impartidas
por especialistas, y catorce sedes -el Auditorio Nacional, Universidades, Museo Nacional C. A. Reina Sofía...- donde
llevar a cabo la experiencia en Madrid, Móstoles y León. Esta edición multidisciplinar, con participantes internacionales
de ocho países, ha servido para que nuestros músicos se relacionen con otros llegados desde fuera, con estéticas,
planteamientos, opiniones y proyectos diferentes (una de las mayores satisfacciones de un improvisador es poder
tocar -dialogar- con otro que pueda aportarle nuevas ideas musicales y enriquecimiento a su proceso creativo. De ahí
la variedad de “escuelas” de improvisación, grabaciones distintas, con instrumentos tan variopintos y formaciones tan
dispares).

El nivel musical obtenido y la satisfacción del público fueron muy altos, y para los músicos que participaron, la edición
Hurta Cordel/¡Escucha! de este pasado año, ha quedado como de las mejores en este género.

La sala Cruce: arte y pensamiento, en Madrid, lleva dos años dedicando un ciclo musical muy vinculado a la
improvisación libre, con actuaciones periódicas quincenales, coordinado por Wade Matthews. Es en su sede donde se
pueden ver actuaciones musicales de pequeños grupos con una categoría musical de primerísimo nivel internacional.

La aparición del CEDI (Centro de Desarrollo para la Improvisación) en 1997 también contribuyó con nuevas
perspectivas en este campo (seminario-forum, actuaciones, publicación propia -Hurly Burly-, etc) coordinado por Belma
Martín y Pedro López.
Parabólica: Música inprovisada en España http://www.parabolica.org/musica_improvisada.htm

Más arriba comentaba la colaboración mutua de las personas involucradas, muchas veces anónimas, que han
favorecido decididamente el que pudieran darse a conocer proyectos, grupos (no he querido dar excesivos nombres
por no aburrir demasiado la exposición), etc. pero cabría destacar que, conciertos de improvisación, se han podido ver
esporádicamente en algunas de las ediciones de festivales con programaciones abiertas musicalmente, como
Musikoken (Valladolid), Punto de Encuentro (Madrid), Festival La Alternativa (Madrid), Periferias (Huesca), Revoltallo
(Valadares-Vigo), Sónar (Barcelona) Ressò (Palma de Mallorca), etc. cuyos organizadores y promotores reconocen la
creatividad artística de los intérpretes de esta música.

Este informe no quedaría completo sin que añada otros apoyos en la difusión de esta música, los colectivos,
festivales, textos, entrevistas, etc.. Así, en nuestro país, actualmente, hay publicaciones escritas destinadas a este
tipo de música como Margen, desde Lugo, donde se pueden encontrar artículos muy interesantes, dirigida por Rafa
Dorado y Oro Molido, que dirijo desde Madrid; o la versión on line de Hurly Burly(www.hurlyburly.cjb.net
<http://www.hurlyburly.cjb.net>), de Pedro López. Existen actualmente programas de radio en los que se pueden
escuchar grabaciones de improvisación libre: “El Espantasiestas”, de Antonio Murga, en Radio Camas (Sevilla); y el
mío, “Música Difícil”, en Onda Latina, en Madrid y en Radio Rivas, en Rivas Vaciamadrid (Madrid). También el programa
en RNE-Radio 2 “Ars Sonora”, de José Iges, emite, de vez en cuando, grabaciones de improvisadores.

Chema Chacón
freeportugaljazz : Message: Re: bailey a cuatro pasos http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/freeportugaljazz/message/2603

freeportugaljazz · FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!

a cuatro pasos

Re: bailey a cuatro pasos

Jesus Moreno!

Boas!

Um Muito Obrigado pela tua participaçao neste forum.Graças a ti e aos

teus conterraneos posso dizer que "viajo" até Espanha com
frequência.A tua revolta na analise ao concerto do Bailey,faz-me
recordar as historias de amor e o triangulo amoroso: são eternas e
universais.Com uma pequena diferença:vossotros tiveram um concerto
do
Bauiley num domicilio.Por aqui isso era inimaginavel.Porque cedemos a
vontade e a criatividade às grandes instituições:Gulbenkian/Camaras.

Uma confissão:Não tenho nenhum disco do Bailey.(é verdade)Por onde

devo começar?

Gracias!--- In freeportugaljazz@y..., "Jesus Moreno Nasarre" <JESUS-

MORENO@t...> wrote:
> iba concert 114.
>
> derek bailey . concert acustic.
>
> sabado 14 de setiembre 2002.
>
> lugar: domicilio particular (barcelona).
>
> aforo: 20 personas.
>
> si hay algo que repetidamente me ha parecido lamentable es sin duda
el comienzo de toda la serie de crónicas, reseñas (ecos de sociedad,
muchas de las veces, me temo) que se han venido publicando este
verano en la prensa local de mi ciudad sobre las actividades
musicales de diverso signo celebradas en la provincia. es posible que
unas veces el cronista de turno con la muletilla de los "equis mil
asistentes" o el "lleno hasta la bandera" pretendiera equiparar
asistencia y calidad, o quizá solo quisiera crear sensación de
triunfo (agradando orejas institucionales/empresariales), o quizá...
no quisiera hablar de la música.
>
> iba (improvisadores de barcelona asociados) llevan ya 114
conciertos y la seriedad y compromiso de su trabajo no se mide en
los "equis mil asistentes" o los "lleno hasta la bandera". esa
seriedad y compromiso queda reflejada en una continuidad, en una
freeportugaljazz : Message: Re: bailey a cuatro pasos http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/freeportugaljazz/message/2603

serie de nombres de la que derek bailey, este sábado pasado era el

último nombre de momento... unos son modestos, otros tienen un cierto
reconocimiento, pero siempre avalados por la calidad de la/su musica.
>
> a los "iba", seguro que les gustaría que sus actividades tuvieran
mayor eco/proyección; que sin llegar a esos imposibles "equis miles"
o "llenos hasta la bandera" la asistencia de publico fuera algo
normalizado que hiciera posible llevar adelante una programación, un
proyecto, unas ideas. pero hablamos de improvisación, y si "escribir
en españa..", improvisar es...
>
> asi que a mal tiempo buena cara y cuando no es posible montar una
actuación en una sala regular pues se monta en un domicilio privado.
por lo que la asistencia queda marcada por las limitaciones de la
sala/casa particular y no por ningún extraño elitismo. el caso es
sacar una idea adelante. de todos modos y pese al escaso numero de
asistentes eso era casi la onu -catalanes aparte, un portugues, un
par de oscenses, uno de leon, unas argentinas.. ¿alguien da más?-.
muestra de lo escasamente elitista del evento es que para franquear
la entrada había que pagar CINCO EUROS, lo que no es ninguna
exageración (supongo). teniendo en cuenta que a la llegada y tras el
concierto había posibilidad de atacar un pequeño picoteo (un vinito,
zumo, café, unas olivas, galletitas, patatas fritas... en fin, esas
cosas) el afortunado confunde las columnas del debe y el haber solo
con pensar en ello. porque la única condición (por llamarla así) para
asistir al evento, era estar al loro de lo que se hace REGULARMENTE y
confirmar la asistencia. así que seguro que los popes del genero
musical, los que trabajan para los medios (importantes) y se enteran
de los eventos a través de los famosos pases de prensa (que no
cuestan ni el trabajo de estar al dia de lo que acontece) pues no se
enteraron, ni los que siguen la escena internacional (pero no lo que
pasa a diario en su ciudad) a la estela de los grandes nombres y
pequeños dioses..y entonces la cosa no fue elitista sino entre
amigos, entre aficionados.
>
> y lo que fue.. pues casi una "tontería". poco después de las cinco
de la tarde, la hora prevista, derek bailey fue presentado brevemente
al publico asistente por parte de uno de los miembros del iba. este
cogió su guitarra acustica y se puso a tocar. sin solucion de
continuidad sus dedos iban desplazandose por el mástil, pinzando las
cuerdas. en un viaje a ninguna parte. de las notas, de los
armonicos... que iba dejando en su monologo/dialogo (al fin y al cabo
el publico estabamos alli para algo y el voyeur influye sin duda el
discurso del onanista) podrian partir otros tantos discursos
fecundos. sonando fresca, esa guitarra mil veces escuchada en docenas
de discos. ¿improvisaba?, ¿se reinterpretaba?. uf!, eso es
metafisica. yo vi a un señor sesenton, con pintas de haberse dejado
bien cuidado el jardín antes de venirse a la "reunión" y que contra
todo pronostico se dedicaba a tocar la guitarra de forma no muy
ortodoxa. ese señor, al que no se si le gusta la jardineria, es sin
ninguna duda uno de los maestros de la libreimprovisacion europea y
escucharle (teniendolo a poco mas de un metro) en las dos
improvisaciones que nos ofrecio es uno de esos lujazos que uno no
puede por menos que agradecer. así que haciendo gala de bien nacido:
gracias a los iba (ruth, ferran y costa) por la posibilidad de
disfrutar del evento.
>
>
> jesus-moreno@t...
> No hay mejor baile, salada
> que el que se baila en la cama,
> ... pero pa ir cogiendo ritmo
> algo de Fletcher Henderson no está mal.

16/08/08 16:55
freeportugaljazz : Message: Re: bailey a cuatro pasos http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/freeportugaljazz/message/2603

Expand Messages Author Sort by Date

bailey a cuatro pasos Jesus Moreno Nasarre Sep 17, 2002

iba concert 114. derek bailey . concert acustic. sabado 14 de setiembre jesusmorenon... 12:35 am
2002. lugar: domicilio particular (barcelona). aforo: 20 personas. si hay
algo que...

Re: bailey a cuatro pasos franciscogirao2002pt Sep 17, 2002

Jesus Moreno! Boas! Um Muito Obrigado pela tua participaçao neste franciscogir... 10:03 pm
forum.Graças a ti e aos teus conterraneos posso dizer que "viajo" até
Espanha com ...

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freeportugaljazz · FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!

Re: [FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!] Re: bailey a cuatro

pasos

hola
tu no tienes ningun disco de derek bailey pero derek bailey tiene docenas
de
discos, asi que hacer una seleccion es dificil.
cogiendo algunos discos de la estanteria esta podria ser una guia, pero eso,
una de las muchas selecciones posibles.
a solo. pues los clasicos "lace"o "domestic & public pieces" (emanem) en
plan improvisador o las "ballad" (tzadik) en un inhabitual ejercicio de
reinterpretacion.
duos: hay tantos para elegir. con agusti fernandez "barcelona" (hopscotch)
con leandre "no waiting" o lacy <"outcome" (potlatch), con parker "arch
duo"
(rastacan), con prevost, con stevens, la ibarra.......
trios: "trio playing" (incus) con butcher y marshall o "dynamics of the
impromtu" (entropy) con stevens y watts.
grupos de improvbisacion. todos los de la serie company "5" (incus) con leo
smith, braxton, lacy, parker...... con el spontaneous de stevens..... con
la london jazz composers de guy.....
con interpretes de pipa con proyectos de drum ´bass......
hay tanto para elegir que..... tu mismo

jesus-moreno@...
No hay mejor baile, salada
que el que se baila en la cama,
... pero pa ir cogiendo ritmo
algo de Fletcher Henderson no está mal.
----- Mensaje original -----
De: "franciscogirao2002pt" <franciscogirao2002pt@...>
Para: <freeportugaljazz@yahoogroups.com>
Enviado: Miércoles 18 de Septiembre de 2002 12:03 AM
Asunto: [FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!] Re: bailey a cuatro pasos

Jesus Moreno!

Boas!

Um Muito Obrigado pela tua participaçao neste forum.Graças a ti e aos

teus conterraneos posso dizer que "viajo" até Espanha com
frequência.A tua revolta na analise ao concerto do Bailey,faz-me
recordar as historias de amor e o triangulo amoroso: são eternas e
universais.Com uma pequena diferença:vossotros tiveram um concerto do
Bauiley num domicilio.Por aqui isso era inimaginavel.Porque cedemos a
vontade e a criatividade às grandes instituições:Gulbenkian/Camaras.
freeportugaljazz : Message: RE: [FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!] Re: ba... http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/freeportugaljazz/message/2606

Uma confissão:Não tenho nenhum disco do Bailey.(é verdade)Por onde

devo começar?

Gracias!--- In freeportugaljazz@y..., "Jesus Moreno Nasarre" <JESUS-

MORENO@t...> wrote:
> iba concert 114.
>
> derek bailey . concert acustic.
>
> sabado 14 de setiembre 2002.
>
> lugar: domicilio particular (barcelona).
>
> aforo: 20 personas.
>
> si hay algo que repetidamente me ha parecido lamentable es sin duda
el comienzo de toda la serie de crónicas, reseñas (ecos de sociedad,
muchas de las veces, me temo) que se han venido publicando este
verano en la prensa local de mi ciudad sobre las actividades
musicales de diverso signo celebradas en la provincia. es posible que
unas veces el cronista de turno con la muletilla de los "equis mil
asistentes" o el "lleno hasta la bandera" pretendiera equiparar
asistencia y calidad, o quizá solo quisiera crear sensación de
triunfo (agradando orejas institucionales/empresariales), o quizá...
no quisiera hablar de la música.
>
> iba (improvisadores de barcelona asociados) llevan ya 114
conciertos y la seriedad y compromiso de su trabajo no se mide en
los "equis mil asistentes" o los "lleno hasta la bandera". esa
seriedad y compromiso queda reflejada en una continuidad, en una
serie de nombres de la que derek bailey, este sábado pasado era el
último nombre de momento... unos son modestos, otros tienen un cierto
reconocimiento, pero siempre avalados por la calidad de la/su musica.
>
> a los "iba", seguro que les gustaría que sus actividades tuvieran
mayor eco/proyección; que sin llegar a esos imposibles "equis miles"
o "llenos hasta la bandera" la asistencia de publico fuera algo
normalizado que hiciera posible llevar adelante una programación, un
proyecto, unas ideas. pero hablamos de improvisación, y si "escribir
en españa..", improvisar es...
>
> asi que a mal tiempo buena cara y cuando no es posible montar una
actuación en una sala regular pues se monta en un domicilio privado.
por lo que la asistencia queda marcada por las limitaciones de la
sala/casa particular y no por ningún extraño elitismo. el caso es
sacar una idea adelante. de todos modos y pese al escaso numero de
asistentes eso era casi la onu -catalanes aparte, un portugues, un
par de oscenses, uno de leon, unas argentinas.. ¿alguien da más?-.
muestra de lo escasamente elitista del evento es que para franquear
la entrada había que pagar CINCO EUROS, lo que no es ninguna
exageración (supongo). teniendo en cuenta que a la llegada y tras el
concierto había posibilidad de atacar un pequeño picoteo (un vinito,
zumo, café, unas olivas, galletitas, patatas fritas... en fin, esas
cosas) el afortunado confunde las columnas del debe y el haber solo
con pensar en ello. porque la única condición (por llamarla así) para
asistir al evento, era estar al loro de lo que se hace REGULARMENTE y
confirmar la asistencia. así que seguro que los popes del genero
musical, los que trabajan para los medios (importantes) y se enteran
de los eventos a través de los famosos pases de prensa (que no
cuestan ni el trabajo de estar al dia de lo que acontece) pues no se
enteraron, ni los que siguen la escena internacional (pero no lo que
pasa a diario en su ciudad) a la estela de los grandes nombres y
pequeños dioses..y entonces la cosa no fue elitista sino entre
amigos, entre aficionados.
>
> y lo que fue.. pues casi una "tontería". poco después de las cinco
de la tarde, la hora prevista, derek bailey fue presentado brevemente
al publico asistente por parte de uno de los miembros del iba. este
freeportugaljazz : Message: RE: [FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!] Re: ba... http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/freeportugaljazz/message/2606

cogió su guitarra acustica y se puso a tocar. sin solucion de

continuidad sus dedos iban desplazandose por el mástil, pinzando las
cuerdas. en un viaje a ninguna parte. de las notas, de los
armonicos... que iba dejando en su monologo/dialogo (al fin y al cabo
el publico estabamos alli para algo y el voyeur influye sin duda el
discurso del onanista) podrian partir otros tantos discursos
fecundos. sonando fresca, esa guitarra mil veces escuchada en docenas
de discos. ¿improvisaba?, ¿se reinterpretaba?. uf!, eso es
metafisica. yo vi a un señor sesenton, con pintas de haberse dejado
bien cuidado el jardín antes de venirse a la "reunión" y que contra
todo pronostico se dedicaba a tocar la guitarra de forma no muy
ortodoxa. ese señor, al que no se si le gusta la jardineria, es sin
ninguna duda uno de los maestros de la libreimprovisacion europea y
escucharle (teniendolo a poco mas de un metro) en las dos
improvisaciones que nos ofrecio es uno de esos lujazos que uno no
puede por menos que agradecer. así que haciendo gala de bien nacido:
gracias a los iba (ruth, ferran y costa) por la posibilidad de
disfrutar del evento.
>
>
> jesus-moreno@t...
> No hay mejor baile, salada
> que el que se baila en la cama,
> ... pero pa ir cogiendo ritmo
> algo de Fletcher Henderson no está mal.

FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!

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Re: [FREE PORTUGAL, JAZZ!] Re: bailey a cuatro pasos Jesus Moreno Nasarre Sep 17, 2002
hola tu no tienes ningun disco de derek bailey pero derek bailey tiene jesusmorenon... 11:10 pm
docenas de discos, asi que hacer una seleccion es dificil. cogiendo algunos
discos de la...

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16/08/08 16:55
2003, LIVE AT THE VORTEX 2003. Walter Malli, Derek Bailey, Oskar
Aichinger, Hans Steiner, Karl Sayer. Arto, USA. CD Ltd Ed of 100.

@arto

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Walter Malli : soprano sax and drums
Oskar Aichinger : piano
Hans Steiner : bass clarinet
Karl Sayer : double bass.

- 3.59
- 8.45
- 5.06
- 4.56
- 4.33
- 6.01
- 4.42
- 11.56

Recorded live at THE VORTEX Stoke Newington, London.

Mixed at the Moat Studio. Soound engineer Toby Watson

Produced bt Albert Thimann 2002-2003

W ith individually drawn covers by Walter Malli. Featuring Derek Bailey on guitar,
Walter Malli on soprano sax & drums, Oskar Aichinger on piano, Hans Steiner
on bass clarinet and Karl Sayer on double bass. Except for the late Derek Bailey, I
don't know much about the personnel on this disc, except that Oskar Aichinger has three
releases on the Between The Lines label. The Vortex is a small club on the outskirts of
London that has been the home to many gigs for the past few decades from Elton Dean, Paul
Dunmall, Keith Tippett, Evan Parker & Barry Guy. This disc is a live date, yet it has a well-
recorded studio quality sound. It starts with an excellent duo piece by Bailey and Malli on
soprano sax. Aichinger enters on the second piece playing mysteriously inside the piano as
Steiner plays some quiet bass clarinet. For those of us that love that concentrated European
style of free/improv, this is indeed a treat. Mr. Bailey has some sympathetic players here, often
playing in that strange yet calm free-wheeling sound. There is an occasional playful quality to
this, not all of it is too serious, yet it is consistently fascinating. The recently departed Derek
Bailey left a long legacy of recorded material, but sadly his own label, Incus' discs are quickly
disappearing with an uncertain future as to if or when they will be reissued. Hence, there are
less CDs being available as time goes on. Which makes treasures like this one all the more
important. And yes, we do realize that this disc is a bit over-priced [!], not our doing. CD $50

BLG
THE VORTEX JAZZ CLUB - Hall of Fame http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/list.html

THE
VORTEX

The Vortex Hall of Fame

Derek Bailey

Guitarist, improviser, innovator and founder of Incus label

Harry Beckett

Brilliant trumpeter, band leader

Ian Carr

Trumpeter, writer, educator, inspiration to many musicians

John Fordham

Jazz writer (Guardian, Jazz UK and many others)

Carol Grimes

Singer and resolute supporter of The Vortex

John Jack

Bastion of the jazz 'industry' for 50 years, and founder of Cadillac Distribution

Billy Jenkins

Maverick guitarist, brilliant band leader

Evan Parker

Saxophonist, improviser, producer, sage

Stan Tracey

Pianist, "Godfather of British Jazz"

Kenny Wheeler

Leading trumpeter, composer, band leader

Annie Whitehead

Trombonist, band leader (including Vortex Foundation Big Band)

1 sur 1 2/26/06 10:37 PM

2003, POETRY & PLAYING, Paratactile, PLE1116-2 (UK) (CD)
(released in 2003)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar, poetry readings

1. Lyn Hejinian:
from the preface to Writing is an aid to memory (The figures, 1978) 07.52

2. Peter Riley:
The replies, from Lines on the liver, Ferry Press, 1981 10.27

3. Steve Dalachinsky:
pages from A superintendent's eyes, Hozomeen Press, 2000 08.08

Recorded in June 2003 at Downs Road, London.

Design and layout by Karen Brookman and Susy Barnes.

ritish guitar pioneer Derek Bailey’s spoken word tapes have been the stuff of legend

B among his followers for years. Bailey would make cassette tapes of himself, talking
and playing guitar, and send them to friends as letters. Some said he would send one
to anyone who wrote to him. Whoever had one, in any event, no doubt prized it.

Occasional spoken tracks have shown up on record since the early 1970s, but Bailey really
went public with his audio letters a few years back with the cdr Chats, released on his Incus
Records. The letters to Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Kaiser and others were charming and
witty, displaying a different side of the enigmatic improviser. The Appleyard File followed, a
strange piece of yarn recited again by Bailey from behind the 6-string.

Poetry and Playing is the next logical step in Bailey’s turn as orator, with the texts supplied
by three writers - Steve Dalachinsky, Lyn Hajinian and Peter Riley - rather than from off his
own cuff. Of the three, Dalachinsky’s ruminations on life as a building superintendent work
best aloud. His phrases are short and simple, easier to follow against the busy, percussive
guitar. Bailey doesn’t accompany himself exactly – he’s no Oscar to his own Ella – and the
levels are fairly even between the vocal and guitar mikes. Elsewhere, the guitar blisters and $2
words can be hard to absorb. On Hajinian’s “from Writing is an Aid to Memory,” for
example, Bailey matter-of-factly delivers lines a reader would go over several times at least:
“Sometimes beauty turns my attention by endeavor / where action is beyond praise / and
courage is so increased by the time / as if the two were an arithmetical thing and could
increase.”

Ultimately the project makes for a strange addition to Bailey’s burgeoning catalogue. It’s well
done, but the emotive impetus naturally isn’t the same as when the words he’s speaking are
his own.

Kurt Gottschalk

I f you missed out on the obscure Rectangle single a couple of years ago which featured
Wire and STN journalist and poet Ben Watson reading his verse along with Derek
Bailey's guitar, and are still waiting for Watson's forthcoming Bailey biography to
provide more details on the numerous links that exist between British improv and the so-called
Cambridge poetry scene, here is another brief helping of poetry plus improv, this time read by
the guitarist himself. The choice of poets is contemporary and music-related (somehow I can't
imagine Derek reading "Elegy in a Country Churchyard"...): Steve Dalachinsky's contacts
with eminent American jazz musicians are well known, Lyn Hejinian is married to ROVA's
Larry Ochs, and is a friend and collaborator of John Zorn, while Peter Riley is a friend of
Bailey's of long standing, and was responsible for the first published interview with the
guitarist back in 1974. His "Company Week" and "The Musicians, The Instruments" are
worth seeking out as some of the few worthwhile instances of what Nate Dorward describes
as "hybrid poetry/criticism on free improv".

Those familiar with Bailey's spoken voice in the hilarious "George" on Play Backs and the
more recent Chats (available from Incus as a CDR), might have difficulty associating his
laconic delivery with the so-called serious world of poetry, or at least the received notion of
what poetry ought to sound like when read - declaimed, rather - in public (the ranting melodies
of Dylan Thomas, the taut emotion of Robert Lowell...). It's a shame the good people at
Paratactile - RIP the label's executive producer Trevor Manwaring, by the way - couldn't have
come up with extra cash to print the texts in a decent booklet, as the appearance of the poems
on the printed page might suggest more structural cross-connections between the structure of
the poetry and Bailey's inimitable guitar phrasing. (Maybe it's just as well they didn't, though,
as Bailey does misquote the poems on occasion...) Whether he memorised the texts or had
them in front of him while recording is unclear, but hearing Steve Dalachinsky's tales of
junkies and jones read in the guitarist's inimitable Northern English accent sounds about as
culturally mismatched as Kenneth Branagh reading "The Basketball Diaries", or Ginsberg
reading Rupert Brooke.

NDW
2003, SCALE POINTS ON THE FEVER CURVE, Emanem 4099 (UK)
(CD) (released in 2004)

Derek Bailey : guitar with pedal controlled amplification

Milo Fine : B-flat and E-flat clarinets, electronic keyboard, drum set

1. Opening gamut 32.06

2. Extract before 04.34
3. Extract after 05.36
4. Closing gambit 15.41

Recorded at Flim Flam @ Ryans, London on 26 March 2003.

Front cover photogaphs by GUS; design by Martin Davidson.

Excerpts from sleeve notes :

erek Bailey and Milo Fine first corresponded about 30 years ago by what is now

D known as snail mail. Outside of Minnesota, Fine was then best known as a writer -
something he continued to do for the next 25 years - although he was already a
prime mover on the Minneapolis free music scene.

Bailey and Fine first actually met and performed together in 1983, when the guitarist was
touring North America. An April concert in Minneapolis started off with Bailey solo, followed
by the long-standing duo of Fine and Steve Gnitka, concluding with the three playing a trio
set.
Fine first visited London in 1988 as a participant in Company Week organised by Bailey,
where the two performed with the other participants in various combinations, sometimes in the
same grouping, but not as a duo.

Fine's second visit to London (plus Sheffield and Leeds) lasted over six weeks in 2003, and
resulted in over a dozen gigs and private sessions with various musicians. His first
performance on this visit was the one heard on this CD. It was the first time Bailey and Fine
had played as a duo, but since they are both very experienced improvisers, it sounds as though
they have been doing it for years.

Four improvisations were performed that evening - two before the interval, and two after. Their
order is preserved on the CD. The first and last are heard complete, while only extracts from
the second and third have been used.
Martin Davidson, 2003

orn 1/22/52, Milo has played drums since 1961 (informal studies with Elliot Fine);

B piano since 1966 (studies with James Allen 1966-67); B Flat clarinet since 1974; alto
clarinet since 1992; and E flat clarinet since 2002. (He also played bass clarinet from
1989-1997.) His initial contact with the marimba was in 1959, and he returned to it in 1990. In
1980, Milo invented the m-drums, a percussion kit made up of "found objects", broken
cymbals, and the like attached to a practice pad set. In 1987, this kit evolved into the m-drums
II, which incorporates low tech electronics. (Instruments such as the cello, trombone,
accordian, violin, and celeste have also been, and, as regards the latter two, continue to be part
of Milo's arsenal.) He also utilizes low tech electronics in conjunction with the B flat clarinet
and marimba.

T he high priest of British improvisation and innovation launches yet another salvo in
his lonely quest to reconfigure the language and boundaries of contemporary music.
This time out he is joined by one man band, Milo Fine, writer and long time stalwart
of the North American free music scene who, on this occasion, limits himself to clarinets (B-
flat and E-flat), electronic keyboard and drums.
Four pieces of hardcore improvisation on show here (two presented in their entirety and two
shorter excerpts) document Bailey and Fine’s first performance as a duo, which took place in
front of an enraptured crowd in the basement of a small north London pub, one of a series
they played together during a six-week period in 2003.
Whether or not you enjoy this recording pretty much hinges on whether you buy into
Bailey’s take on what constitutes performance and, in this case, a duet. Whereas on his recent
Ballads or archival Pieces For Guitar, there were genuine moments of shimmering beauty, due
fundamentally to the context into which the author places himself – jazz standards and written
composition, respectively – Scale Points On The Fever Curve demonstrate Bailey’s playing at
its most, dare I say, conservative. So, we get to hear (yet again) Bailey’s spidery guitar scrawl,
punctuated by barely audible, yet sometimes sweet harmonics, alongside sudden squalls of
skilfully controlled feedback, while Fine’s accompaniment on drums and clarinet fidget and
splutter frenetically alongside. While this is all very nice and occasionally interesting, it is also
quite predictable. One begins to wonder what exactly the point is of yet another release of this
nature and what it is that Bailey is still trying so desperately hard to pursue or demonstrate.
On Ballads he appeared to be boldly experimenting with melody and color. Here, he is guilty
of repetition, albeit on his own terms.

Spencer Grady. Dusted Reviews.

Excerpts from reviews :

oting the instruments used on an improv record can be pretty pointless, when part of

N the process seems to involve transcending and transforming the sounds a guitar or
saxophone or piano can make. The degree of closeness to its accepted range of
sounds may in fact be one of the things that distinguishes free jazz from free improv. To say
Derek Bailey plays guitar is far too specific a statement. Better say he extracts a performance
from his instrument that is persistently perverse without ever being predictable. This live
recording with Minnesotan multi-instrumentalist Milo Fine finds Bailey playing swelling
chords against Fine's percussion and strangely orchestrated micro sounds behind his
colleague's clarinet. Somehow it always seems just right; never obvious, just right there in that
moment. Like on Opening Gamut where keyboard and guitar combine, moving from utmost
delicacy through an insane parody of ragtime to controlled freak-out. It makes for a music
that's eventful. but not episodic, and successful, but not in any predetermined sense. Closing
Gambit completes the set. It's abstract and impressionistic but there are also melodies and
something like time signatures seems to emerge, if only for a few seconds. I even thought I
heard Bailey playing rock guitar at a couple of points. Now that really would be the 'Sound of
Surprise'.

Duncan Heining, Jazzwise, 2004

ilo Fine is the improvising equivalent of a one man band. He's played drums, piano

M and clarinet since the 60s and 70s and in 1980 he invented the m-drums, made up
of 'found objects' and broken cymbals attached to a practice pad set, later
incorporating low tech electronics. He also plays cello, trombone, accordion, violin, marimba
and celeste, but on this live recording from his 2003 British tour he restricts himself to
clarinets, electronic keyboards and drums. Described as an 'aesthetic absolutist', for Fine, the
avant garde is as suspect as popular music. For Bailey, of course, all music is suspect. Fine's
approach isn't just 'ready to hand' - he's a real virtuoso on his instruments, and the result is
some colourful yet hard-core improv.

Andy Hamilton, The Wire, 2004

actually dislike Milo Fine's apparent attitude to improvisation. In fact, I dislike it so much

I that I find his work absolutely compelling. He betrays little empathy with his fellow
performers, as if constantly trying to upstage them, seems to have an all-or-nothing sense
of dynamics and texture and appears to be afflicted with a near-pathological fear of silence.
And yet, on the few opportunities I've had to hear and see him at work, I've found his
confrontational style fascinating, perhaps because it contrasts so much with the European
approach which, at its least effective extreme, can tip the players' willingness to interact over
into tentative pussyfooting. It was in fact during Company Week in 1988 that I first heard
Fine perform - with a group of the usual suspects in much the same way he plays on this disc:
clattery percussion, a rasping, quacking clarinet and (here, but not then, as I recall) a tumbling,
clangorous piano style vaguely evocative of Howard Riley afflicted with chronic short-term
memory loss.

Bailey, for his part, seems to default into the kind of mildly ironic mode I've seen him adopt
when playing with the likes of Keith Rowe, producing smooth arcs of sound interspersed with
waspish, skittery interjections which have as little to do with Fine's outpourings as possible.
Yet, given a history which, some may argue, has seen the differences in the ways people
improvise being gradually eroded over the years, there should always be room for this kind of
stuff; indeed, this may well be a reason why Bailey wanted to play with Fine in the first place.
This disc is in fact a good antidote to any sense of complacency that might affect improvised
music and its listeners, so do buy it. Extraordinary.

Roger Thomas, Jazz Review, 2004

S taple of jazz records for more than 70 years, recorded meetings between star soloists
moved full fledged into improvised music when it came along. Prominent improvisers
seem to change their playing partners with the regularity of Jennifer Lopez
exchanging paramours though, and it sometimes appears as if each release brings a new
grouping.

Chief serial switcher must be London-based guitarist David Bailey -- grand old man of
Britimprov -- who in his desire to always make things new, seems to record with every
musician he meets. He also revisits partners from time to time -- sort of like Elizabeth Taylor
and Richard Burton -- and this CD is a memento of a reunion gig in London with multi-
instrumentalist Milo Fine. Fine's Free Jazz Ensemble (FJE) has maintained its commitment to
improvised music since the late 1960s from a base in Minneapolis, Minn.

Fine and Bailey first performed together in 1983, then as part of Company Week in 1988.
These 2003 performances however find Fine bringing a couple of clarinets and electronic
keyboard to the gig as well as his more customary drum set.

Guitarist Steve Gnitka is a longtime -- and often the only other -- FJE member, so guitar
legerdemain is no novelty to Fine. The only defect on the four tunes here is that while Bailey
follows a singular path, the American seems insistent on playing any and every one of his
instruments in various ways to try to ruffle Bailey preternatural cool.

Bailey, whose guitar is extended with pedal controlled amplification, appears to be perfectly
serene and composed -- not in a musical sense of course -- throughout, contentedly
strumming and picking with minimum reverb. Sanguinely, he lets notes hang in the air, while
Fine strives to fill every space.

This is most apparent on the two longest and more characteristic numbers that begin and end
the disc. While Bailey relies on pick guard scraping and single-string resonation on "Opening
Gamut", for instance, Fine is off and running with loud cymbal pressure and press rolls. Later,
the older man's short note patterns are so shattered by squeaky, squawky clarinet whimpers
that the guitarist strokes out some speedy chromatic runs to counter this altissimo whistling.
When Bailey returns to individualized flat picking, Fine then counters with nervous runs and
arpeggios on the electric piano. As he scurries busily back-and-forth on the keyboard with an
approximation of Free Jazz stylings, Bailey suddenly lets loose with vibrated amp distortion,
while his harsh picking leaves no doubt that he's playing steel strings. By the end, potent
feedback echoes from guitar to keep up with Fine's bangs and rumbles on the snares and
toms.

When "Closing Gambit" comes around however, Bailey already has upped the distortions and
volume from his pedal-controlled amp a couple of times to meet Fine's weighty piano
chording and screeching reed lines. With the drummer initially restricting himself to scattered
skin slashes and intermittent cymbal strokes, it's Bailey who turns predatory. At one point he
displays the sort of ringing strums that were stock in trade for dance band guitar players in the
1940s and 1950s. Later, he satisfies himself with clumps of downstroke picking and still later
he produces pointed licks extended by delay, that seem to resonate on their own course. As
Fine contents himself with trying to play a military tattoo, the guitarist ends the duet with
scratches on the fretboard and a single, distorted note.

Meetings like this confirm the singular attributes of each player, though this time age seems to
have triumphed over relative youth.

Ken Waxman

erek Bailey's guitar playing stopped being primarily about notes long ago. Although

D he does select pitches in his playing, they seem increasingly to be used as vehicles
for explorations of timbre and texture rather than vice versa. Because that's the case,
and because he uses a hollow-body electric guitar that is connected to a pedal-controlled
amplifier (and therefore is only amplified intermittently, according to Bailey's musical whim),
it's essential that his instrument be carefully mic'ed, with microphones both near the
instrument itself and near the amp, in order for the listener to be able to hear all of the subtle
nuances of his playing. Unfortunately, this was not done at the intimate club gig from which
this recording is taken. The playing of clarinetist, keyboardist, and drummer Milo Fine is also
not quite as consistently audible as one might like, though he pokes his sounds a bit more
aggressively through the mix than Bailey does. That said, those who listen closely will be
treated to some very fine free improvisation by one of America's, and one of England's, most
experienced and accomplished practitioners of the genre. The half-hour long "Opening
Gamut" is perhaps the most exhaustive and impressive, while "Extract After" finds Bailey and
Fine at their most harmonically interesting. Perhaps not essential, but recommended.

Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

ai découvert l'américain MILO FINE (Minneapolis) avec GORGE TRIO à l'occasion

J’ du disque sorti en 2000 sur le label italien Freeland Records. Un type multi
instrumentiste, d'abord écrivain puis clarinettiste, batteur et enfin adepte du synthé
électronique. Ce disque est la retransription d'un concert donné le 26 mars 2003 à
LONDRES, la ville du célèbre guitariste free DEREK BAILEY. Un disque d'improvisation
donc, cherchant l'ambiance à force d'écoute. on se cherche d'abord, puis on se trouve, BAILEY
se faisant tour à tour discret (lorsque FINE est à la batterie) puis plus loquace lorsque
l'américain s'accapare du piano. 1 heure d'improvisation totalement libre à réserver quand
même à ceux qui en ont une grande consommation.

Se Derek Bailey já foi, em tempos, a “wild card” de qualquer contexto de

improvisação, o seu tão pessoal estilo discursivo e a sua abordagem irreverente da
guitarra tornaram-se em algo de tão definido que só quando este grande músico
do nosso tempo “comes back to basics” (como as baladas de «Ballads», precisamente, ou as
suas parcerias sob o signo do ritmo, seja este o drum ‘n’ bass de DJ Ninj ou o free rock dos
Ruins) é possível alguma disrupção. Neste disco tal não se verifica da sua parte, pois
encontramo-lo no “plink-plonk” dos seus habituais tricotados surrealistas, mas é o seu
companheiro de ocasião, o americano (do “provinciano” estado do Minnesota, como ele se
queixa) Milo Fine, que fica com o papel de virar tudo de pernas para o ar. Multi-
instrumentista (aqui em clarinetes, teclado electrónico e bateria - também toca violino, piano,
celeste, marimba, percussão com “found objects”) e escritor, tanto na área da música como na
da literatura um eterno homem das margens (diz que não gosta de ver caras novas na
audiência, pois isso pode ser o sinal de que está a ficar “fashionable”), Fine é um músico
excêntrico, absolutamente sem correntes que o prendam a conceitos estabelecidos, e senhor de
uma lógica expositiva que o distinguem tanto do free jazz americano, caldo de cultura em que
surgiu no final da década de 60, como da livre-improvisação de marca europeia. Se o leitor já
está cansado de ouvir sempre o mesmo, tem aqui algo que lhe revigorará o interesse por estes
sons.

Photograph by Lasse Marhaud

2003, DUO AND TRIO IMPROVISATION, Universal Music. UCCU 9021
(Japan) (Digital Remastered Re-issue CD)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, acoustic guitar

Toshinori Kondo : trumpet, alto Horn
Kaoru Abe : alto sax
Mototeru Takagi : tenor sax, alto sax,
Motoharu Yoshizawa : bass
Toshiyuki Tuchitori : drums, percussion

1- Improvisation 21 09.23
Bailey / Yoshizawa /Tuchitori
2- Improvisation 22 02.28
Bailey / Kondo
3- Improvisation 23 12.04
Bailey / Abe / Takagi
4- Improvisation 24 08.00
Bailey / Tuchitori
5- Improvisation 25 01.59
Kondo / Takagi
6- Improvisation 26 05.41
Kondo / Takagi
7- Improvisation 27 06.16
Bailey / Yoshizawa / Tuchitori
8- Improvisation 28 03.36
Bailey / Takagi / Abe
9- Improvisation 29 05.50
Bailey / Kondo
10- Collective improvisation 1 07.07
Bailey / Abe / Takagi / Kondo / Yoshizawa / Tsuchitori
11- Collective improvisation 2 13.11
Bailey / Abe / Takagi / Kondo / Yoshizawa / Tsuchitori

Track 8-11 are bonus track in the 2003 Digital Remastered Re-issue version only.
Recorded at Polydor 1st Studio (Tokyo, Japan), April 19th, 1978
Remixed at Polydor 2nd Studio (Tokyo, Japan), May 3rd, 1978
Recordiing and Remix Engineer : Akio Itoh
Supervised and Artist cordinated by Aquirax Aida
This is a CD release; previous LP release was on Kitty Music MKF 1034 (Japan)
Re-issued CD : DIW RECORDS (Japan) 1992
Digital Remastered Re-issue : Universal Music (Japan) 2003
Produced by Hideto Isoda

T he re-issue of this Japanese-issued LP on the Kitty label sees British guitarist Derek
Bailey engaged in various settings with Japanese jazzmen. Bailey uses both acoustic
and electric guitar in a total of seven improvisations, either in duet or trio, and in a
variety of settings that use no themes, and even fewer schematics than his work in Europe. All
approaches are immediate and completely unstructured, and are centered entirely on the
personnel's dynamics.

Players include Toshinori Kondo on trumpet, saxophonists Motoharu Yoshizawa and Kaoru
Abe, Motoharu Yoshizawa, and drummer Toshi Tsuchitori.

It is the duet with Tsuchitori that works best here, as on "Improvisation No. 24." Bailey curbs
his own penchant for percussive playing, and relies on a "broken tones" approach to his
plectrum style -- a note or series, seemingly interrupted in the middle, that gives way to a
running commentary from Tsuchitori. In other places, such as "Improvisation No. 22" with
Toshinori Kondo, the work feels interrupted, shortchanged for the quick reflexes rather than
developed ideas, though this is not without some stunning passages. In sum, this is a fine date
with Bailey in an unusual collaboration, rather than in dominant form.
Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
2003, TO PLAY : THE BLEMISH SESSIONS. Samadhi Sound 008 (CD)
(USA) (Recorded in 2003) (Released in 2006)

Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Play 1
2- Play 2
3- Play 3
4- Play 4
5- Play 5
6- Play 6
7- Play 7
8- Play 8

Produced by David Sylvian

Recorded by Toby Hrycek - Robinson at The Moat in 2003
Mixed by David Sylvian at SamadhiSound in 2006
Art direction : David Sylvian
Design/textures : Chris Bigg
Portrait photography : Jake Walters

Thank you : Karen Brookman, Richard Chadwick, Yuka Fuji, Adrian Moltoy, David Toop,
Jake Walters
D erek Bailey died on Christmas Day, 2005, aged 75, leaving behind a lifetime of
collaborations, friendships, and a vast treasure hoard of recordings accumulated in
fifty years during which he was one of the principle figures responsible for the rise of
improvisation in music in the West.

"As fate would have it this was to be the last solo studio session Derek was to record before
the onset of illness," recalls Sylvian. "That might make the session valuable in itself but it's the
quality of the work that's outstanding."

Those familiar with Bailey's angular, spiky, minimal lines on Blemish will be surprised by the
lush, melodic richness and density of Bailey's performance here, which has the same beauty
and playfulness found on Bailey's most popular and accessible recent disk, Ballads.

Presented in a digipak featuring the beautifully and poignant photography of Derek, designed
by Chris Bigg, this release continues samadhisound's commitment to creating beautifully
packaged, stunning music.

“P
laying is really subversive of virtually everything ... And that’s where the life is in
music. It always seems like it’s the vein, the conduit for life in the music. That
appetite seems to me to be always to do with changing things, which is often to do
with fucking things up.” - Derek Bailey.

Derek Bailey died on Christmas Day, 2005, aged 75, leaving behind a lifetime of
collaborations, friendships, and a vast treasure hoard of recordings accumulated in fifty years
during which he was one of the principle figures responsible for the rise of improvisation in
music in the West. One of his final collaborations was an unusual one with Samadhi
Sound’s David Sylvian, who invited him to “provide me with a challenge as a vocalist”.
Thus, on February 18, 2003, Bailey went into Moat recording studio in London and recorded
a solo acoustic and electric guitar session (Sylvian was absent) a significant portion of which
is to be found on this disk. Three tracks from the session were used, more or less unedited,
by Sylvian on his celebrated disk Blemish (Samadhi Sound, 2004) – one of them is included
here.

“I'd always felt the performances were very strong on that session,” comments Sylvian, “and
it'd been my intention to return to the material when time allowed to review it and send the
results to Derek for his opinion with a view to releasing it. I'd starting listening to the material
towards the end of last year unaware of the seriousness of Derek's illness. Consequently he
passed away without ever hearing the result of his work.”

Those familiar with Bailey’s angular, spiky, minimal lines on Blemish will be surprised by the
lush, melodic richness and density of Bailey’s performance here, which has the same beauty
and playfulness found on Bailey’s most popular and accessible recent disk, Ballads. Spidery
flamenco-like runs resolve into minor jazz chords, percussive trebly harmonic sprays of
sound, but with a lovely vitality, a delight in discovering new rhythmic and melodic pathways,
a generosity and spaciousness that refuses any pre-set limits on how To Play. And Blemish of
course hovers like a strange ghost around the music – our own memories of hearing Sylvian’s
vocal responses to Bailey’s work in the Blemish songs, but also the imaginary dialog going
on in Bailey’s mind with an absent vocalist, the spaces for response which he allows for. The
session must have been a challenge for a man so suspicious of recording, and committed to
improvisation as a collaboration happening in the moment of Play. If so, he rose to the
challenge admirably – the recordings have an exposed, intimate feel to them that is
remarkable.
“As fate would have it this was to be the last solo studio session Derek was to record before
the onset of illness,” recalls Sylvian. “That might make the session valuable in itself but it's
the quality of the work that’s outstanding. The conversational quality, the apparent ease of
facility in that ongoing search for what remains elusive. You witness up close the struggle and
fluency, frustration and facility. It's an intriguing dichotomy illustrated so beautifully on this
recording. I'm reminded of the title of that Bill Evans recording Conversations with Myself.
This is an external manifestation of one man's internal dialogue. A struggle for eloquence
using all the considerable skills at his disposal. Always attempting to push beyond the
confines of the vocabulary, even one self-invented for this very purpose. That quixotic mission
necessarily accompanied by plenty of humor and self-deprecation. A means of getting oneself
out of the way, of not taking oneself too seriously but dedication to the process for it's own
sake perhaps?”

To Play’s title was suggested by writer/musician and longtime friend of Bailey’s, David Toop,
after hearing the recordings, which he says are among his favourite solo recordings of the
artist. Toop explains: “after my last face to face conversation with Derek, I was so struck by
his emphasis on 'just playing' as a deep philosophy at the core of his work, and some of the
anecdotes of his early life, that I thought of writing a stage play. My idea was that Derek
would play within the play. I suggested this to him and he seemed agreeable, at least. The idea
came to nothing, partly because of other commitments and partly because I don't have a great
love for most theatre and so couldn't seem to get started on it, but I still like this word Play
(much Beckett in there) in relation to Derek's activity."

To play might mean: to do it now, as you are; to improvise, to use what is at hand; to enter into
a game, not just to act according to someone else’s set of rules, but to invent processes, ways
of doing things, protocols; to imagine new ways of being together, of proceeding. Derek
Bailey did not fuck this up.

Marcus Boon June 06

T o sing along with Derek Bailey: a high bar for anyone to set themselves as a vocalist.
But that was what David Sylvian had in mind when he commissioned an armful of
solo tracks from the grand dojo of guitar improv. Bailey turned up at South London's
Moat Studios in February 2003 and cut eight "Plays" (six acoustic, two electric), two of which
ended up as backing tracks on Sylvian's Blemish album the following year. In the event, it
turned out to be Bailey's final studio session before he succumbed to the motor neurone
disease from which he died on Christmas Day last year.

Sylvian or no Sylvian, it's a fine epitaph, confidently introspective. The opening track's forlorn
mood resembles that other great guitar titan's last recording, John Fahey's Red Cross, but
Bailey quickly takes himself in hand and the bulk of the set is actually pretty vigorous. Bailey
had moved to Barcelona by this time. Perhaps it's fanciful, but do we detect Hispanic notes in
this final vintage? Sometimes in the note-flurry, the light falls on a spectre of flamenco; "Play
3" contains pealing harmonics like the bells of the Barrio Gotic; on "Play 5" Bailey makes
pliable, melting overtones by bending his guitar neck.

The cover photos of Bailey in his Barcelona apartment show Derek's serious and playful
sides, but the abiding mood of To Play is determination, echoed by the cover shot of a
Rembrandt-like Derek on his sofa, unfazed by the shadows creeping in.

Rob Young - The Wire Sept 06

 indsight and emotion can easily overwhelm perception. This is Derek Bailey’s first

H posthumous release, as well as the improviser’s last solo guitar album to be recorded
in a studio. It sits on the discographical timeline between two anomalies: the
accessible Ballads (a return to his earlier repertoire after turning his back on a decent living to
become one of the leading lights of non-idiomatic improvisation) and the heart-breaking
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, on which you can hear him struggling against the desertion of his
motor skills as his fatal neurological illness (initially misdiagnosed, thus the title) progressed.
With his death in mind, it’s tempting to look at the cover image of Bailey in darkness or his
quip that he’d dropped his plectrum at the end of “Play 3” as foreshadowing. Personally, I’d
rather look at the gatefold digipak’s image of the man laughing heartily and just take this as
another typically strong solo album.

David Sylvian commissioned these recordings in 2003 in order to give himself the ultimate
challenge; Bailey’s vocabulary of crab-walking chords, suspended harmonics, and logic-
defying progressions could stymie any singer. Bailey gave him a whole session; Sylvian only
used two tracks, but even before Bailey got sick he nurtured a plan to release the sessions as
an album. Bailey’s playing late in his career showed a bit more of its jazz roots, and that is
true here; you can glimpse them in “Play 6’s” moments of near-swinging strumming and
swelling climactic notes. And there’s none of the overdriven rock distortion or adventures into
extended technique that he indulged on records like “Guitar, Drums ‘n’ Bass” or “Solo
Guitar Volume 1”; the elements of his style on To Play are pretty conventional, they’re just
put together in a singular way. But that’s not to say that he played it straight for Sylvian.
There’s the same Dali-esque sense of space and time, the same left turns down alleys only
Bailey can see, the same sense of rightness to his jagged contours and sudden leaps. To Play
is a strong effort by a master musician.

Bill Meyer, Oct. 1, 2006

n 2003, two years before his unexpected death, Derek Bailey was asked by David

I Sylvian to provide a series of pieces of music over which Sylvian would then sing, for his
Blemish album.

His desire was to be stretched as a vocalist, hence his interest in working with Bailey, one of
the most famous names in the field of musical improvisation. The result was seven pieces of
guitar music that jar the listener (Play 2 is Bailey remarking on dropping his plectrum, talk
about completist!), only one of which was actually used by Sylvian.

They turned out to be Bailey's final recording, the end of a 40 year recording career which
spanned many genres, from Jazz to Jungle. Fittingly it's just him and an acoustic guitar,
strumming, slapping, banging, picking, sliding in and out of key in a glorious demonstration
of what the instrument can do beyond the handful of chords most of us are used to hearing.

I saw Derek Bailey only once, behaving like a slight, short, grey-haired rock god at All
Tomorrow's Parties in 2001, one of his last performances but typical of the breadth of his
ability. Despite the fact that I don't like Jazz, and the word 'improvisation' normally makes my
blood run cold, I was blown away, and not just because the sound was deafening at times.
Bailey's performance grabbed you by the throat and shook you, no two ways about it. It was
brash, it was subtle, it tied your stomach up in knots.

"It's not exactly driving music," my partner commented after the first listen of To Play. And
that's precisely the point. This is music that demands your attention, a form that some people
like to call radical discontinuity. There's no rhythm to nod along to, the chorus won't be round
anytime soon. It swoops and glides and clanks and scrapes along its own wild path.In fact it
does everything possible to confound your expectations of what a guitar can sound like.

Yet the more you listen, the more you appreciate the form of each piece, and come to
understand why Bailey pauses at precisely THAT moment, why he lulls you there, then
suddenly begins plucking sharp, hard notes.

Bailey was known for being open to all sorts of ideas, hence his surprising range of
collaborators. He expanded the guitar's vocabulary, played it whisper soft and thunderingly
aggressively, tried different ways of amplification, experimented with feedback. The pieces on
To Play are not, by his ranging standards, extreme at all. David Sylvian's production of the
album is clean and crisp; he knows when not to meddle.

The result is a raw and comparatively approachable recording which will hopefully open more
people's eyes to why Derek Bailey is regarded as a god among guitarists.

Fiona Jerome

I DON'T KNOW THIS WORLD WITHOUT DEREK BAILEY.

arning: What follows these first few paragraphs is quite possibly the most self-

W indulgent concert review I have ever written, and you are more than welcome to
skip it. The reason it's here is because today, I received a copy of a newly released
Derek Bailey CD, To Play: The Blemish Sessions, just out on David Sylvian's Samadhi
Sound label.

The quick back story is that Sylvian -- formerly of new-wave group Japan, and more recently
the creator of a long string of sublime solo albums, including collaborations with Robert Fripp
and Holger Czukay -- brought Bailey into London's Moat Studios on Feburary 18, 2003 for a
session slated to provide raw material for Blemish, a stark, introspective album Sylvian
released the following year. A solo effort for the most part, Blemish also featured a handful of
wildly ambitious collaborative efforts: "A Fire in the Forest," orchestrated by laptop
soundscaper Christian Fennesz, and three songs in which Sylvian took portions of Bailey's
free improvisations and scripted actual songs that adhered to their contours. The result is one
of Sylvian's most deeply impressive creations.

Some time after Bailey's death on Christmas Day last year (obituary here), Sylvian arranged to
release much of the guitarist's raw session on disc, including one of the performances later
used on Blemish. I've only spun To Play a few times now, so my thoughts about the disc are
still forming. I don't get the immediate sense that it's among the guitarist's foremost solo
efforts, but then, there's no reason to expect that it should be, given that Bailey knew he was
effectively supplying sounds for hire. Still, it's good to have one more late example of his
playing prior to motor neurone disease robbing him of his ability to hold a pick (a condition
to which he responded with his final recording, Carpal Tunnel).

And there are definitely some outstanding moments. Although I believe that at the time Bailey
had yet to move to Barcelona, where he spent his final years, his frenetic strumming in "Play
4" conjures flamenco guitarist and dancer at once. The disc follows six tracks played on
acoustic guitar with two final performances on electric, and it's in that last pair of cuts that the
disc really comes to life for me -- Bailey was always a three-limbed guitarist. Throughout, To
Play is an intimate affair that Bailey's admirers will certainly appreciate, not least for sound
quality surpassing just about anything else that's emerged from the guitarist's final years.
All of that said, please don't hold Derek Bailey responsible for what follows.

My penultimate live encounter with Bailey was in the Company weekend he presented at
Tonic in New York City in April 2001. On April 12, Bailey played solo, then performed with
Loren Mazzacane Connors and Thurston Moore. The room was packed and I didn't stay for
the trio, heading off instead to catch Lamb of God and the Haunted at CBGB. But just over a
week later, Bailey mounted a Company weekend, which he discussed in a fine episodic
interview compiled on the AllAboutJazz website last year.

Bailey's colleagues included a handful of European players with whom he'd been working
recently -- tap dancer Will Gaines, bassist Simon Fell, then-cellist Mark Wastell and harpist
Rhodri Davies (surely the only musician on the planet who has collaborated with both Bailey
and Charlotte Church) -- and a clutch of downtown New Yorkers -- saxophonist John Zorn,
drummer Joey Baron, pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, keyboardist Annie Gosfield and violinist
Jennifer Choi.

As it happened, I was also currently reading Dave Eggers's A Heartbreaking Work of

Staggering Genius. And for whatever reason, when I came home from the first concert I was
seized by the perverse impulse to write a review of the Company performance in some
halfwitted parody of Eggers's style. I sent the review off via the John Zorn mailing list, to
which I was a hyperactive contributor at the time. The responses were overwhelmingly
positive, although the post also had the inadvertent effect of attracting a most peculiar visitor to
that mailing list, who proceeding to cause a stir in the weeks that followed. (If you were there,
you know who I mean.)

I didn't save a copy of that review, and that has bugged me from time to time over the years.
Chalk it up to the sentimental mood brought on by listening to To Play a few times
today...through a bit of diligent Googling, I finally tracked down that review tonight. I'm
posting it here for my own sake more than anything else -- and, as I said at the beginning,
you're welcome to ignore it. I've added links to photos taken the following night by Peter
Gannushkin, proprietor of Downtownmusic.net. Peter apparently didn't shoot Gaines, one of
Bailey's most unusual and inimitable improvising companions, but this page on Peter
Stubley's European Free Improvisation site offers brief video excerpts from Will, a VHS tape
Bailey issued on his Incus label in 1995.

COMPANY IN NEW YORK - First Night

(with apologies to Dave Eggers, but much more to you, the reader)

April 18, 2001

A sizable crowd has convened for the first night of three Company evenings at Tonic in New
York City. Most of the chairs are either on stage or have been pulled out to make more room.
Most of the chairs that remain are taken by friends and family of the ensemble and by Tonic
regulars who bypass the line at the door. It's going to be a long night of standing. I feel like a
curmudgeon before it even starts. But at least, unlike last week's solo set by Bailey, tonight I
can actually see the stage.

A portly gentleman, looking rumpled like Edward R. Murrow, with a beard sans mustache,
gets up to speak. Before he says anything, I can tell he's British. No one wears a beard
without a mustache except hippies and Brits, and the portly, rumpled gentleman is too old to
be a hippy. When he opens his mouth, I'm proven correct in my assumption. His name is
Roger Parry, and he's here to be master of ceremonies. He carries a small bag over his
shoulder, the airline tags still attached.
The first ensemble, Roger Parry tells us, is "Simon's Group," and he introduces the players.
Simon Fell [photo] takes the stage, accompanied by Min Xiao-Fen [photo], Annie Gosfield
[photo] and Joey Baron [photo]. Min and Fell begin to flutter across the necks of pipa and
bass respectively. They play a lot of notes. Their techniques are awesome. Min, however,
seems somewhat mannered. What she is playing doesn't really connect with Fell's broad
strokes and skittering lines. Baron accompanies with slow rubs across his drumheads; Fell
responds with glissandoes while Min continues to scrabble up and down her fretboard,
scraping her frets like a guiro. Gosfield stares at her equipment. She stares at the
soundperson. She stares at the equipment, then the soundperson. No sound comes forth. By
the time Fell, Min and Baron finally lock together, Gosfield is producing the sound of bowed
metal. Then the piece ends. Roger Parry stands up and introduces the players again as they
leave.

Next, Roger Parry introduces "Zorn's Group." Zorn [photo] comes up with Derek Bailey
[photo], Mark Wastell [photo] and Jennifer Choi [photo]. Zorn has a few muted words with
Roger as he takes his stool, then announces to no one in particular, "John Zorn with strings."
He clicks, pops, burbles and squeals. Bailey joins in, playing Derek Bailey music. Wastell
proves quickly that he may possibly be one of the most technically proficient and daring
cellists on the planet. (Jon and Brian have told you that already.) Choi enters with a gigantic
chord that sounds like the opening of a Bach unaccompanied partita. Her fingers fly up and
down the neck of her violin. Her bowing technique is immaculate. No one is speaks the same
language for a time, but it's an agreeable racket anyway.

Roger Parry gets up and announces who we have just heard. Then he ushers onto the stage
the entirety of the ensemble: "Will's group." He announces the players as they come to the
stage, one by one. Will Gaines is the last to come onstage. He surveys the crowd. "I left more
people home in bed," he tells us. Bailey kicks off the performance by simply starting to play.
The others enter, and Gaines begins to dance his impressions of the music. Zorn can barely
contain himself. He mugs and laughs. Baron, too, is visibly beside himself. They are riveted
with amusement as Gaines tries to conduct the ensemble, not unlike Butch Morris, except
Butch Morris seldom tap dances.

Gaines jumps, points, shouts, gestures, tries to shape the chaos unfolding onstage. He largely
suceeds, with a few exceptions. Bailey doesn't see him, because Bailey never looks up. Zorn
has decided quickly that he is going to mess around with Gaines. Gaines holds his hands high
above his head, then brings them down to silence the ensemble. Almost everything is quiet,
except Bailey keeps on playing. Zorn blows a bark at Gaines.

"I liked that last note," Gaines says.

Gaines indicates that he wants Rhodri Davies, Min and Bailey to play together. Bailey obliges,
never looking up. The sounds of the guitar, harp and pipa sound an agreeable accord. It's the
first time anyone can hear the harp. After a moment, Baron bursts in with an eruption of flying
limbs. Bailey lets a note hang in the air, transforming itself into ringing feedback. Zorn
matches the feedback with his sax. Gaines looks on in appreciation, then jumps and waves as
the entire ensemble comes crashing back in. It is a huge wall of noise with funny contours and
edges, and it is beautiful.

Annie Gosfield is apparently playing something. Her hands are moving. So is her hair, which
is large.

Gaines waves the ensemble out. Bailey obliges, not looking up. Gaines performs an animated
duet with Min, who is clearly enjoying it. Zorn and Baron misbehave from the opposite end of
the stage, shooting spitwads of sound in their direction. Gaines waves reproachfully, but the
bad boys will not be scolded. Gaines finally remembers the old maxim: if you can't beat them,
join them. He engages Baron in a drum battle. Of course, Gaines, like the fat, bald American
wrestler Butterbean, isn't here to win any battles. He's only here to entertain the fans. Baron
wins in the first round.

Gaines tries to play with Zorn as well. Zorn pulls his mouthpiece off of his horn, and blows
raspberries back at Gaines. Is this how we show respect for our elders? Bailey, without
looking up, has heard enough. Like a stern schoolmaster, he scolds the two with a resounding
chord. Zorn blows raspberries back at Bailey. Everyone starts to play again, trying to look in
the other direction.

But Bailey's guitar begins to feed back again. The ringing gets louder and louder, and the
other instruments fight to be heard. (Davies and Gosfield appear to be fighting to be heard.)
Gaines gestures for the noise to build and build, until finally jumping up in the air to bring it
all to a halt. Zorn plays a rude note, and Gaines shoots him a smile. Zorn plays another rude
note, and Gaines shoots him another smile. Zorn plays another rude note, and Gaines shoots
him a smile.

Roger Parry stands up and introduces everyone. Everyone leaves the stage, except for Min,
Wastell and Davies, and Gaines. Bailey, from the audience, has to talk Gaines off the stage. It
doesn't happen quickly. Then Roger tells us who is going to play next: Min, Wastell and
Davies. Gaines leaves the stage.

Min, Wastell and Davies play a trio of delicate and indelicate string sounds. The music teams
with life, like a drop of pond water on a microscope slide. Min is playing a smaller pipa than
the one she has used previously. It sounds dryer, lighter, and mixes well with Wastell, who
bows a little brass bell stuck between the strings of his cello. Davies makes sounds with his
harp that sound utterly alien to the instrument. It is delicate and beautiful. It is also hopelessly
marred by some piece of electrical equipment onstage that has decided to buzz loudly
throughout. Someone from the audience who I'll bet money to be Ben Watson jumps up
onstage and fiddles in vain with Bailey's amp. He does it again a bit later. The musicians play
on, unperturbed.

(Roger Parry seems to have forgotten to tell us whose group this was, but through reductive
reasoning, it must be Mark's. "Min's group" and "Rhodri's group" will happen later.)

Next up, Roger tells us (after telling us who we just heard), is "Annie's group." Gosfield takes
the stage with Zorn, Baron and Choi. It's the first all-American group of the night, and they
seem to speak the language a bit more intuitively. But they've got an accent. Gosfield's
sampler makes a pulsating bed of squizzy machine noises. Choi plays demonic music
elegantly, flying up and down the neck of her instrument. Zorn and Baron make Zorn and
Baron noises in reponse. Eventually, they fall into a romping funk pattern. Then they stop, and
make more Zorn and Baron noises, which somehow fit together nicely with the machine
sounds and the demon fiddler.

Roger Parry tells us who we've just heard. Then he tells us who we are about to hear. This
group is made up of Bailey, Choi and Fell. Maybe it's "Jennifer's group," but Roger forgets to
tell us again. Violin, guitar and bass intertwine into a lovely mesh of strings, slow, placid,
maybe even bucolic. Of course, it can't last. Bailey puts an end to "placid," interjecting
dissonant chords. Fell then ends the "slow," taking off like a racer across the neck of his bass.
His fingers scamper up and down the length of the instrument, not just its neck. His technique
is not conservatory-precise like Choi's, but it gets the job done. Choi takes the hint and starts
flying herself. When the CDs are released in a year or two, this will be a highlight. It ends too
soon. Roger Parry tells us who we've been listening to, and announces an intermission.
I want to go out to the lobby, but I'm too afraid of losing my prime, unobstructed view
standing at the end of the bar. So I continue to stand there.

But by now, you're probably not as interested in the second half of the concert so much as
you're wondering whether I will continue this inane imitation of the prose style employed by
Dave Eggers in his much-hyped, bestselling memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering
Genius. As if someone who's only 20-something should be writing a memoir anyway, no
matter how privileged by the right or obliged by the duty of the tragic circumstances of his life
may have made him feel. The answer is, no, I will not. I am far too tired from staying up too
late Wednesday night even after coming home from the first Company night (the one you're
reading about), getting up too early on Thursday morning to see my girlfriend off on a trip,
and attending the second night of Company Thursday night, which, I promise in advance, I
won't review in this particular manner. Anyway, we're talking four hours of sleep, tops. And
now it's after two o'clock in the morning here in New York, and I'm beginning to see little
spots dancing before my eyes. So I can't imagine that I'll be able to type much longer, and of
course, I'm also worrying all the while that you will all hate this essay and will rise up together
and will banish me from the Zornlist completely as a result, which would mean that I would
never get to tell you about the second night of Company in New York, not to mention the third
night or even the cool upcoming releases announced in the new Tzadik catalogs that were
laying around at Tonic tonight. And of course, were I less sleep-deprived, I'm pretty sure that
writing a concert review in the style of a trendy (but still very worthwhile) book would not
have seemed like a good idea. In fact, it already doesn't seem like a good idea, but since I've
written this far, I feel sort of committed to see it through, though I do plan to use some sort of
shortcut very soon so I can go to bed. Otherwise, you might never get my review of the
second night. Or the third night! The third night is tomorrow night. Tonight! It's already after
2 a.m., like I said before. Still, in a sense, you're getting two reviews for the price of one here,
since what I am really doing in this essay is telling you about the first night of Company in
New York, but I'm telling it in the style of a book that many of you might have considered
reading (and in fact one Zornlist member even wrote me personally to ask about the book
when I mentioned it as a "NR" the other day, but that doesn't mean that that particular person -
- let's call him "Xerxes" -- anyway, Xerxes, you needn't feel that you and you alone were the
cause of this post, and that after I myself am banished from the Zornlist, they'll be coming for
you next). When I'm finished with the essay, then, you'll know what the concert was like,
really like (and here I'm wishing that the use of rich text was condoned on the Zornlist, so that
I could have italicized the word "really" just before the parenthesis), and you might also have
some idea whether you might want to read the book, as well, as I myself am doing. I'm
enjoying the book despite its obvious 20-something postmodern snarkiness, not to mention its
whiny defense of same, both of which would render the writer completely obnoxious were he
less talented than he is. And I hope it is clear that I enjoyed the concert as well.

Now. After intermission, Roger Parry got up again, and told us that we were about to hear
"Min's group." The group was supposed to consist of Min (and it's odd, perhaps, that Roger
called it "Min's group," since "Min" is, as I understand it, Min Xiao-Fen's family name, since
her famous pipa-playing father's name is Min Ji-Qian, and everyone else's group was referred
to by their proper name, like "Annie's group" and "Simon's group," so shouldn't the next
group actually be "Xiao-Fen's group"? Just wondering.), Bailey, Fell and Davies. However,
Davies, for some reason, never came to the stage. So "Min's group," or "Xiao-Fen's group," if
you prefer, consisted of Min, Bailey and Fell. And the music they played was another
highlight of the evening, with Min's skittering fingers and Fell's alligator-clipped strings
proved nearly as otherworldly as Bailey's typical Baileyness.

Roger, in case you wondered, told us who we had just heard and who we were about to hear
between each of the following combinations, and most of the time he remembered to tell us
whose group it was as well. But not always. Anyway, these were the remaining combinations
for the evening:

JOEY'S GROUP -- Baron, Zorn, Gosfield and Bailey. Their interplay was reasonably
interesting, including a funky chase to the end by Zorn and Baron. But Bailey must have
heard some potential in it, because he compelled the group to remain onstage for a second
blow (Zorn called for a vote of the audience), which was far more interesting, and contained
Gosfield's first really integrated playing of the evening. Her hardware knocked like a bad
engine and clanked like a foundry.

WILL -- Gaines took the stage for a bit of old-style hoofing. After an impressive display of
tap technique, he sat on a piano bench and proceeded to talk to the audience for a while longer
about his storied past, performing with the likes of Ray Charles and Big Maybelle. He said
that playing with Company was the biggest challenge, but that the challenge was for Bailey to
keep him in line. Gaines kept tapping his feet throughout his little monologue, and it was
impossible not to be moved by it.

JENNIFER CHOI & MARK WASTELL -- An incredible duo of staggering technical

acumen. Choi's style is picture-perfect, Wastell's catch-as-catch-can, but the two meet in the
middle for chamber music of which anyone from Webern to Lachenmann to, dare I say, Zorn
would have been proud.

CHOI, WASTELL & GOSFIELD -- As above, but with a washing machine churning in the
background. Wastell further distinguishes himself in my eyes by being the first cellist I've
ever seen bowing the endpin of his instrument.

RHODRI'S GROUP -- The finale for the evening, consisting of Davies, Bailey, Baron, Fell
and Zorn. The barrage you might expect, for the most part. Zorn, seemingly out of patience,
blew smoky, Spillane-style sax. Davies abused his harp with a tamborine and a little dumbek.
The grouping rocked out at the end. As Zorn packed his stuff, Bailey said, "John wants to do
another one." Zorn replied, "I didn't say nothin,'" but he gamely pulls out his toys. The second
blow by this group was as good as the first, and in some ways even more distinctive. Baron
played a fractured, Beefheartean rhythm over which the rest of the group was content to play
without falling in sync. When Baron exploded into a barrage of noise, only Bailey followed.
The climax was a trio of Bailey, Fell and Baron, the last beating his drums with towels thrown
over the heads. (…)

September 30, 2006

A UNIQUE PORTRAIT.

nvariably, when an artist as well respected as Derek Bailey passes away, a flood of

I material seems to hit the market-- planned releases, reissues cashing on the perceived
short-term boost in recognition, and sessions perhaps not intended for release, but with
new material at an end, suddenly seems more relevent, more critical. "To Play: The Blemish
Sessions" falls into that camp-- Bailey had provided David Sylvian with a set of recordings,
about 45 minutes or so released on here, primarily on acoustic guitar but with a couple pieces
on electric, from which Sylvian derived three fine tracks on "Blemish". This session presents
that material unedited and without Sylvian's overdubs.

While Bailey's playing throughout can be quite enjoyable, there's definitely a hole in the
music-- it's clear he'd intended this to go along with a vocal. "Play 6" for example-- there's so
much space hanging around in this recording that I felt myself subconsciously filling in the
spaces. In it's own way, this is a fine portrait to the genius that is Derek Bailey; a view into
his position in the creative process and a chance to hear him in isolation for a recording
meant as part of a collective. But while the music is certainly interesting from that
perspective, it does feel incomplete.

My guess is that anyone reading this is going to purchase this regardless of what I have to
say. Given this, I should state that I have no regrets about picking this up, but there's
definitely a whole lot better by Bailey.

T
his music constitutes the last recording session Derek Bailey undertook before he
succumbed to motor neurone disease, the illness that was to eventually take his life
on Christmas day last year. The eight pieces are unaccompanied works, specially
recorded for David Sylvian for the singer’s 2004 album, Blemish. Incorporated into that
context, Bailey’s work served to bend and twist its surroundings into forms starker than
Sylvian had hitherto achieved. Heard as it was originally recorded, this music becomes
even more searing in its clarity and refusal to cohere into melody or repetition. Each piece
is like the budding forth of a spiky dream flower, distinct from its siblings, but of a whole.

A snatch of Bailey’s irascible voice is included at the end of the second piece and proves
profoundly moving in its very ordinariness: “… a fortunate ending, I’ll just pick my
plectrum up… I’ll carry on a bit, okay?” I can’t help but associate this music with Samuel
Beckett’s short prose works, similarly hard-won and pared-down but full of possibility;
bleak, but strikingly beautiful and alive with playfulness.

M
uch has been discussed and said about improvisation in every form. In its search
for freedom from conventional and standard forms, improvised music has gone
into all kinds of directions. The results cannot be described in conventional
terms, since musicians headed this direction have done everything they can to subvert and
discard the principles of music theory. While free jazz, which has been associated with free
improv, has often remained anchored by using licks to structure the improvised material,
free improv has given more emphasis to moods and textures, rather than standard forms of
rhythm, harmony or melody. In a way, it represents a culmination of these musicians’s
quest for total and definite freedom, and as such, it falls into a category of its own.

In the same way, Derek Bailey’s music has been generally uncategorizable. It draws from
myriads of genres, and his acceptance of all genres has set him outside jazz music proper.
His style of expression has always been unique, and his idiosyncratic approach makes him
different from guitarists who have preceeded him.

The Blemish Sessions is a collection of solo guitar performances by Bailey, specially

recorded (or improvised) for David Sylvian’s record Blemish (Samadhi Sound, 2003). The
title was suggested by David Toop, a longtime friend of Bailey’s, and was inspired by an
idea of doing a play about Bailey, within which he would have performed.
I l y a bientôt un an, le jour de Noël, l’immense Derek Bailey s’en allait. To Play est le
premier enregistrement posthume du guitariste, sorti à l’initiative de David Sylvian, qui a
mixé et produit ce disque. Pudeur et humilité se prennent la main sur ce que l’on devine
être, de la part de Sylvian, un sincère hommage au musicien défunt, présent sur trois titres de son
dernier album solo, Blemish (2003). C’est d’ailleurs l’ensemble des sessions enregistrées à
Londres pour cet album de l’ex-Japan que l’on retrouve dans ce recueil proche, dans l’esprit, du
superbe Ballads - oeuvre déjà solitaire où Bailey exhumait des standards oubliés. Sobrement
numérotés de “Play 1” à “Play 8”, les morceaux dégagent un sentiment puissant de sérénité, de
grandeur ramassée et de profondeur spirituelle qui dénotent de l’accomplissement des œuvres
majeures sur lesquelles le temps n’a pas d’emprise. Sur la pochette de l’album, une photo nous
montre Bailey, figé dans la pénombre, tel un spectre nous fixant droit dans les yeux. Une
présence habillée d’éternité, qui suggère non le funèbre devenir d’une figure incontournable de la
guitare, mais l’absolue inquiétude débordant d’une musique qui ne cessera jamais d’exister et de
se métamorphoser. Une musique de rythmes, plutôt que rythmée (on peut même entendre ici un
penchant certain pour les rythmes hispaniques), fragmentée, altérée, traversée par des sauts
harmoniques suspendus qui ouvrent le temps et imposent leur mesure, tout autant que leur
démesure. Une brèche temporelle dans laquelle s’engouffre la mélodie, sinueuse et accidentée, de
la vie.

Fabrice Fuentes, le 1er novembre 2006

This is actually the last recording session Bailey undertook before he died on Christmas,
2005. From that session only three tracks were used in unedited form for Blemish, and only
one of those tracks is present here. Sylvian booked Bailey to provide him with material that
would challenge him as a vocalist. The sounds heard from Bailey’s guitar are completely
atonal and arrhythmic, and his approach challenges every standardized music concept. As
always, its main features are total and extreme discontinuity.

The Blemish Sessions is Bailey’s swan song, and although it is a presentation of extended
guitar techniques, one of its great values is that it serves as a document of one guitar
virtuoso’s explorations of his instrument’s limitless tonal capabilities. Some may discard it
as pure garbage, but it's clearly evident that Bailey put his heart into this performance.

Nenad Georgievshi, All About Jazz

Guitar Player - David Sylvian 09/09/06 04:28

CHASING THE MUSE

David Sylvian
By Anil Prasad | July 2005

David Sylvian’s musical journey is one of soul searching and constant change. The British singer/
songwriter’s career began in 1974 with the group Japan. Comprised of Sylvian, drummer Steve
Jansen, keyboardist Richard Barbieri, and bassist Mick Karn, the band’s sound was initially inspired
by glam-rock icons such as David Bowie and the New York Dolls. The group eventually achieved
iconic status itself with its fifth and final studio album, 1981’s Tin Drum, which completed Japan’s
transformation into an adventurous, synth-based pop act full of world-music influences and vivid
textures.

Sylvian quickly established a remarkable solo career after Japan’s demise. His debut album,
1983’s Brilliant Trees, occupied a middle ground between pop sensibilities and more cerebral
territory. It also saw the falsetto vocals of his Japan years evolve into the deep, aural charcoal
that is his natural range. Many impressive records followed, including 1985’s Gone to Earth, 1987’s
Secrets of the Beehive, and 1999’s Dead Bees on a Cake. Each offers a delicate combination of
flickering atmospheres, subtle orchestrations, and intricate imagery. Sylvian’s choice of
remarkable guitarists—including Robert Fripp, Bill Frisell, Bill Nelson, Marc Ribot, and David Torn—
also helped ensure each record possessed a distinct identity.

Sylvian’s most recent studio album, Blemish [Samadhi Sound], is without question his most
challenging. The improvisation-based disc was recorded at his home studio in New Hampshire, and
was released on his own independent label. Half of the record features entirely solo performances,
with Sylvian taking on all of the vocals, guitar playing, and electronic treatments. Experimental
guitarists Derek Bailey and Christian Fennesz contribute to the disc’s other tracks. The album’s
songs are as evocative and fragile as any of Sylvian’s prior work, but housed in fractured
structures that include disquieting buzzes, hums, and clicks designed to provoke listeners to go
beyond the act of complacent listening. Blemish also features Sylvian’s most stark, intense, and
emotionally distressed pieces to date. Also recently released, The Good Son vs. the Only Daughter
[Samadhi Sound], turns Blemish’s material on its head via a series of remixes by avant-garde
musicians and producers, including Ryoji Ikeda, Burnt Friedman, and Yoshihiro Hanno.

Describe your creative process.

For me, the starting point is having a very tangible sense that ideas are beginning to form, or that
there’s a wealth of emotion that needs to find a voice. I think of it as a gestation period in which I
carry the sensation around for a certain period of time, letting it grow and clarify itself. During that
period, I go into sponge mode and selectively absorb ideas from things such as music, novels,
poetry, or travel. I might also work with sounds, but not actually begin writing.

The gestation period may take weeks or months, but once I get to a place where I sense some
form or structure, I’ll sit down with a guitar, keyboard, or laptop, and the material will begin to
take shape very, very quickly. For instance, I had the notion of Blemish kicking around for about a
year prior to actually sitting down and writing the material, but the whole album from writing to
completion of mixes was done in a period of six weeks.

What are your biggest challenges when creating music?

My limited abilities as a musician are the greatest frustration, but they are also the source of
creative solutions. I’m usually trying to write on a guitar or keyboard, but I only have a limited
capacity as a player, and sometimes I want to go further than my technical abilities allow. That
sometimes leads to interesting solutions, and it can mean moving away from traditional
instruments and using synthesizers, samplers, and laptops.

On Blemish, for example, I tried to find fresh ways of approaching the guitar without necessarily
strumming. Sometimes I would strike the strings in different ways, and then treat the sound after
the fact. At other times I’d experiment with radical tunings or employ feedback. Basically, I would
just sit down with the guitar and amp, and try to get sounds out of the instrument. This approach
not only facilitated the whole improvisational aspect of the compositional process, it also allowed
me to work quickly.

It seems as if you flip-flop between just letting things flow and a very studied
approach to overcoming obstacles.
Well, I do have to actively work around my limitations, but, in actuality, the very notion of
craftsmanship is something that tends to alienate me. You see, I’m not a craftsman in the way
some songwriters are, because I don’t aim to find formulas that work for me. I always try to write
from a very impulsive and intuitive standpoint.

What is your overall philosophy as a guitarist?

I’m self-taught, so I’ve always invented my own chords. I’ve had wonderful experiences confusing
guitarists by showing them the shapes I play, and then getting them to work out what the hell they
are. My approach has to do with what I’m familiar with. There’s a wealth of guitars and pedals out
there, and the trick is to learn one or two of them really well, and try to get them to speak for me.
I use an old Ampeg amp, a few pedals, and a handful of guitars—including a Steinberger and a
Klein—and I try to get what I need out of them. Familiarity is an important part of facility, and the
last thing you want to do when you’re getting to grips with writing or recording a piece of music is

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Guitar Player - David Sylvian 09/09/06 04:28

to sit there and open a manual. Nothing will kill the creative spirit faster than that.

I’m also not really a fantastic soloist, and I still struggle to find the right chords on a guitar. I kind
of relearn the instrument every time I pick it up. There are a lot of musicians like me out there—
people who tend to be composers more than they are musicians.

What qualities do you look for in the guitarists you collaborate with?
I’m interested in players that take the instrument that extra mile to develop a vocabulary that’s
entirely their own. I tend to listen to a lot of guitarists, and they’re often in my frame of reference.
Whom I collaborate with depends on the nature of the composition, and, typically, the work cries
out for a particular voice. For example, “Midnight Sun” on Dead Bees on a Cake obviously needed
Marc Ribot. Having said that, I’ve worked with guitarists in other ways, too. For example, on
Blemish, I asked Derek Bailey to present me with a musical challenge that I could respond to as a
vocalist, rather than making a contribution to an existing composition. There was a similar
arrangement when I worked with Bill Frisell on the Dobro pieces we did together for Dead Bees on
a Cake.

Blemish was a radical departure from the more traditional songwriting style of your
previous efforts. What motivated you to go that route?
What I was feeling as a listener—and also as a writer—was that the old forms just weren’t working
anymore. I thought they were too comfortable and overly familiar, and they didn’t necessarily
touch us as deeply emotionally as they once could. We have to redefine the language of musical
composition, and that was what I was trying get to grips with on Blemish. So while making the
record, I sidestepped the issue of structure to some degree to explore and have greater freedom
lyrically.

There was a sense of immediacy in that the lyrics were written on the spot. I recorded them
before they had really taken form—which meant there wasn’t time to ask if a line was good or
appropriate. Whatever surfaced is what I went with in order to allow the full potency of the idea to
come through. From that point onwards, it was a process of piecing the songs together by editing
from a series of performances. But I didn’t allow myself to rework anything. Everything had to
stand on its own at the end of the session, so the discipline was to avoid refining—to leave
everything in a rather raw state.

What appealed to you about having other musicians remix the Blemish material for
The Good Son vs. the Only Daughter?
To be honest, I’ve been very reluctant to delve too deeply into the remix culture just because, for
the most part, the people remixing would rather be creating their own work. Often, they’re really
just doing it on the basis of a commission. It’s a paid job, and, therefore, you’re only getting so
much commitment. Very rarely do these remixes improve or elaborate on the originals, or further
the emotional content. Having said that, I felt the Blemish material offered a unique opportunity
for certain individuals to really rework the compositions in a rather elaborate manner, because,
with the exception of the Derek Bailey-related compositions, the material was recorded over
drones or two chords. On top of that, there was the notion of working with artists I have come into
contact with over the past year or so, and I used the remixes as a way of testing the waters for
possible future collaborations.

How would you characterize your core motivations as a musician today?

My interests lie in the idea of songs for the 21st Century—to speak to “now” in a way that is
somewhat provocative, and not exactly easy listening. The reward for being confronted with this
kind of material is a sense of being alive within the creation of the work. It’s similar to when you
walk into an art gallery, and there’s a new and powerful piece of art on which the paint is hardly
dry. The piece is speaking to now, and you can somehow connect with that work on an equal
footing. It’s very much alive and of its time. It’s an enormous and valuable challenge to attempt to
create work that embodies its time, and speaks to it with a new vocabulary.

We’ve become numb and complacent in the way we approach music. You could just explore the
past, but does it really speak to you in the same way as something created in your time with the
intention of getting across very complex emotions? It’s time for renewal. We need to cleanse the
system and reinvent it so we can really feel again. We need to find and create work that is
provocative. Work that can steal up on us when we’re relatively unaware, and really blow our
hearts and minds wide open.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

Japan
Tin Drum

David Sylvian
Brilliant Trees

David Sylvian
Gone To Earth

David Sylvian
Blemish

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Samadhisound Download Store 29/09/06 22:24

HOME SEARCH BROWSE CONTACT LOGIN YOU HAVE 0 ITEMS IN YOUR BASKET: VIEW

Derek Bailey
To Play: The Blemish Sessions

Entire Album (61Mb) £7.99

01 - play 1 (9Mb) £0.99
02 - play 2 (6Mb) £0.99
03 - play 3 (9Mb) £0.99
04 - play 4 (5Mb) £0.99
05 - play 5 (7Mb) £0.99
06 - play 6 (5Mb) £0.99
07 - play 7 (9Mb) £0.99
08 - play 8 (12Mb) £0.99

We are very pleased to be making the ‘To Play: The Blemish Sessions’ available as a full album download.

In February 2003, Bailey recorded the solo acoustic and electric guitar pieces found on this disc. Parts of this session were
used by Sylvian on his acclaimed ‘Blemish’. As chance would have it, these are sadly Bailey’s last solo recordings: lush,
melodically rich and dense improvisations, with the same beauty and playfulness found on Bailey’s recent ‘Ballads’.

“strikingly beautiful and alive with playfulness” Jazzwise

As well as the full album download, the tracks will also be available as individual, single downloads.

http://sylvian.oxfordmusic.net/product.php?id=12
2003, TO PLAY : THE BLEMISH SESSIONS. (CD)
(RUSSIAN FEDERATION) (Recorded in 2003) (Released in 2006?)

Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Play 1
2- Play 2
3- Play 3
4- Play 4
5- Play 5
6- Play 6
7- Play 7
8- Play 8

Produced by David Sylvian

Recorded by Toby Hrycek - Robinson at The Moat in 2003
Mixed by David Sylvian at SamadhiSound in 2006
Art direction : David Sylvian
Design/textures : Chris Bigg
Portrait photography : Jake Walters
2003, TO PLAY : THE BLEMISH SESSIONS. Opium Arts (CD)
(EU) (Recorded in 2003) (Released in 2006 ?)

Derek Bailey : guitar

1- Play 1
2- Play 2
3- Play 3
4- Play 4
5- Play 5
6- Play 6
7- Play 7
8- Play 8

Produced by David Sylvian

Recorded by Toby Hrycek - Robinson at The Moat in 2003
Mixed by David Sylvian at SamadhiSound in 2006
Art direction : David Sylvian
Design/textures : Chris Bigg
Portrait photography : Jake Walters
C HR I S G O O D E
LOC ATION: LO N D O N N 1 6 , U N I T E D KI N GD OM
F R I D A Y, J A N U A R Y 1 2 , 2 0 0 7

#6 Derek Bailey, To Play

It's now been a little over a year and I still can't get used to the idea that Derek Bailey is
dead: and this being one of the most vital releases of the last year doesn't help much in
reinforcing the finality of his passing. To be honest (and I appreciate this is close to
blasphemy) there are other improvising guitarists I find give me, on the whole, more
listening pleasure: Roger Smith, for example, or the underhailed John Bisset. But
compared to those guys, and indeed to most musicians on the planet, Bailey was, and in a
sense remains, incredibly prolific -- and his recorded output is remarkably consistent in
quality given the diversity of the man's collaborations and the restlessness of his inquiry. I
first heard Bailey as a teenager (me, not him) on the extraordinary Company record
Epiphany and initially found it hard to get along with him; in fact it wasn't until his
Tzadik album with The Ruins, and not long after that the Guitar, Drums and Bass
collaboration with DJ Ninj, that I really started to pay close attention -- or as close as one
could get in trying to keep up. I still find some of his earlier recordings difficult to warm
to (and a particularly sort of seething regret at the crappy sound quality of Music and
Dance, the record of one of his improvising encounters with the great Min Tanaka); but a
great deal of his late work has been of real importance to me: not least the remarkable
Limescale disc, and the widely acclaimed Ballads set a little while back. This, at any rate,
is the last new album we shall have from Bailey, though I dare say other older bits and
bobs will continue to surface for a while yet; To Play is a collection of the recordings he
put down for David Sylvian's use on the latter's excellent (if mildly disorienting) Blemish.
Much has been said about how poignant these last recordings are, but if I find them so it's
only with particular regard to Bailey's occasional spoken interjections at the ends of tracks
("I'll carry on a bit, OK?"). The music itself is so involved and involving, and so
frequently counterintuitive (even after all this time!), that I find it very odd to imagine
listening through or past the music to the man himself: and this despite the excellent
quality of Sylvian's recording, which mics Bailey acutely enough that a real sense of his
own physicality is educed. One surprise for me is that I like the electric playing at the end
of the album even more than the acoustic stuff earlier on -- normally with solo Bailey it's,
for me, the other way about. But of course it's all surprises. To my very great regret I
never heard him live -- there were a couple of conversations about getting him in to CPT
while I was there, but by that time he was mostly in Barcelona and it wasn't possible. The
immediacy of this recording, however, means that, more than ever with Bailey, there's no
shortage of liveness here. This is, I think, one of the best of the recordings I know (I've
probably heard less than five per cent of his records); it's every bit as likeable, as difficult,
as unique as he evidently was. The limitlessly irritating but sporadically necessary Ben
Watson hit the nail on the head when he wrote: "Capitalism embalms successful artists in
cliches which betray their real intent. Bailey never allowed that to happen. For this alone,
his work is worth exploring."
2003, BLEMISH, Samadhi Sound (US) (CD) (released in 2003)

David Sylvian : texts, voice

Derek Bailey : guitar
Christian Fennez : electronics

1. blemish
2. the good son
3. the only daughter
4. the heart knows better
5. she is not
6. late night shopping
7. how little we need to be happy
8. a fire in the forest
9. trauma (japanese release only)

Produced, composed, performed, engineered by David Sylvian.

Except tracks 2/5/7 guitars Derek Bailey. composed by Derek Bailey and David Sylvian.
Track 8 electronics and arrangement by Christian Fennesz.
Mixed by David Sylvian. Recorded at Samadhi Sound Studio feb/march 03.
Derek's session engineered by Toby Hrycek-Robinson at The Moat.
Release date of May 15.
An impromptu suite of songs for guitar, electronics and voice. An emotionally raw, minimal
work, of immediacy and stark beauty with outstanding contributions from Derek Bailey and
Christian Fennesz.
In May 2003 the new solo album from david sylvian was released, his first since Dead Bees
on a Cake. It is the debut release for his own samadhi sound label.

The announcement :
avid set aside a month to write and record the album while taking a break from the

D project that he and his brother, Steve Jansen, are currently working on. He has
created an impromptu suite of songs for guitar, electronics and voice. The
compositions were crafted from improvisational sessions captured live in the studio. Working
almost entirely alone david has created an emotionally raw, minimal work, of immediacy and
stark beauty.

Although there are elements in his previous body of work that hint at the direction taken here
the cd, entitled simply 'blemish', appears to cover new ground in style, content, intensity of
emotion, and in the seemly open ended nature of the compositions themselves. Adding to the
intensity and air of experimentation is the presence of Derek Bailey. Three of the pieces
included on 'blemish' were written with, and feature, the legendary free-jazz guitarist. The final
track of the CD features a haunting electronic arrangement by Christian Fennesz.

The album was recorded in the month of February 03 and mixed in March 03. All aspects of
the recording were handled by David himself.

David has committed to working on a number of projects simultaneously and is currently

continuing work on his album with Steve Jansen, as well as creating sound design work for
the films of photographer Charles Lindsay, developing live performances, and collaborative
sessions with the likes of Christian Fennesz......

The Blemish cd announcement on davidsylvian.com :

An impromptu suite of songs for guitar, electronics and voice. An emotionally raw, minimal
work, of immediacy and stark beauty with outstanding contributions from Derek Bailey and
Christian Fennesz.

Blemish with bonus-track released in Japan

Posted on: Thursday October 23, 2003
The Japanese version of Blemish is released on October 22nd 2003 and features the bonus
track Trauma. Read more about the Blemish release and the promo.
There's even a Russian release!
A very special vinyl version of ‘blemish’, including a BONUS TRACK (“trauma”).
Presented on heavy vinyl, shrink wrapped in a gatefold sleeve and mastered at half-speed at
Metropolis Mastering for superior sound quality, each album is identified as being one of a
run of 2000 manufactured in December 2003.

An impromptu suite of songs for guitar, electronics and voice. An emotionally raw, minimal
work, of immediacy and stark beauty with outstanding contributions from Derek Bailey and
Christian Fennesz.
SIDE ONE 1. blemish 2. the good son 3. the only daughter SIDE TWO 1. the heart knows
better 2. she is not 3. late night shopping 4. how little we need to be happy 5. a fire in the
forest 6. trauma
Produced, composed, performed, engineered by David Sylvian except tracks 2/5/7 guitars
Derek Bailey.
Composed by Derek Bailey and David Sylvian.
Mixed by David Sylvian recorded at Samadhi Sound Studio feb/march 03 Derek's session.
Engineered by Toby Hrycek-Robinson at The Moat.

C omposed, performed and produced in his Samdhi studio over two months, David
Sylvian's new album is the most fully concieved and realised of his twenty year
eclectic solo career - previous collaberations have included avant guitarist Robert
Fripp, kraut rock maverick Holger Czukay and multi-instrumentalist, Ryuichi Sakamoto. With
contrtibutions from jazz guitarist Derek Bailey and electronic composser Christian Fennez,
Sylvian combines shimmering guitars, electronic noise ( pulsing clicks, abrupt skips ) and
hand claps with his signature breathy croon ( which he occasionally distorts electronically ) to
create a unique collection of songs - their playful experimentation sounds both raw-ly
improvised and exquisitely wrought. Sylvian's stripped-down instrumental palette and intensly
introspective lyrics infuse Blemish with a rare somatic and expressive power, particularly the
delicate lyricism of the title track, the reflective intensity of The Heart knows Better and the
narritive simplicity of The Only Daughter.

Jocelyn Clarke (July 24th, 2003). 5 star review for Blemish in The Irish Times review section

D avid Sylvian's Blemish (Samadi Sound, ?14.99) is a one-man affair for more than
half its playing time: just David, some noise-making devices and a large dose of
personal anguish. If you're into electronic introspection, this is cordon bleu stuff,
starting with the sparse, throbbing, 13-minute howl of despair that constitutes the title track.
This is a very strange pop album, make no mistake, but it's oddly affecting. My initial
puzzlement has turned into cautious admiration for Sylvian's blurting "honesty".

Blemish is more crafted than it initially sounds. Even the distortion is beautifully recorded.
And I'm impressed by the way Sylvian has slipped a couple of "singles" into his bleak, avant-
garde catalogue of mid-life crises. Fire in the Forest has Sylvian accompanied by Christian
Fennesz's lushly glitchy electronica, inspiring him to sing with a melodic breadth that recalls
his best 1980s solo material. The song - floating slowly, painfully, over two understated
chords - has the musical and timbral substance to reward repeated listening; it would be a nice
addition to the Radio 2 playlist.

The brief How Little We Need to Be Happy, in which Sylvian is accompanied by improvising
guitarist Derek Bailey, is more suited to the Jazz FM playlist. Only joking! I meant Late
Junction - always in the market for a slice of finely wrought gloom. My tip for the top is the
slow, hypnotic Late Night Shopping, multitracked over long synth %@!#%& notes and off-
beat handclaps. Yet it conforms to many of the conventions of hit singles, with hooks, easily
memorable lyrics, a last verse sung in a "radio voice" and an instrumental break apparently
performed on supermarket trolleys. Plus, it comes in well under the three-minute mark. Some
big star should snap it up for a cover version. You can imagine the ad campaign: "Kylie. Late
Night Shopping."
Atsushi Fukui's cover portrait shows the ghost of a smile hovering around the singer's lips.
Another sleeve image, like a child's storybook illustration, shows him patiently rolling his
shopping cart into a snowy forest. I don't think he's suffering too much - the future looks very
bright for Sylvian.

"Blemish" review from The Guardian. Friday 11th July

y reading about David Sylvian leads me to believe he’s followed a rock avant-garde

M path that includes the inevitable collaborations with Robert Fripp, Bill Nelson, and
other musicians who are usually described as cutting edge. I don’t mean that to
sound dismissive. Those musicians and many of the others Sylvian has worked with can be
maddeningly pretentious, but they are often brilliant and exhilarating (sometimes they’re all
three of those things on the same record).

I’m not going to pretend that I have a wide knowledge of Sylvian’s work, so I’ll just sketch in
some background. He was a founding member of the British band Japan, which recorded
from 1974 until 1982. Their music is somewhat reminiscent of Roxy Music’s, and their later
work seems to show hints of the larger ambitions Sylvian would pursue. Sylvian went on to
work with jazz artists Jon Hassell and Kenny Wheeler, as well as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Fripp,
and Nelson.

Sylvian does the singing and most of the instrumental work on Blemish, which has an
isolated, home-studio feel to it. The very pretty drawings on the CD cover show Sylvian in a
snowbound setting, and the recording sounds like something you’d hear from a musician who
just built a fire, poured some wine, and let his mind wander in the studio. Free-jazz guitarist
Derek Bailey joins Sylvian on three tracks (he gets co-writing credit for them) and Christian
Fennesz helps him on the closing song, but there’s intense individuality to this music.
Sylvian’s vision and musical presence -- especially his voice -- hold things together.

The first sound you hear on Blemish is feedback from an old tube guitar amp set on tremelo.
Sylvian plucks the open strings below the bridge and, as those sounds mingle and sustain, he
adds electronically processed tones. When Sylvian begins to sing, there’s a striking contrast
at first between the odd instrumental background and his dramatic vocals. He sounds very
much like Scott Walker, the expatriate American singer who has spent more than 30 years in
the UK pursuing a life in music with a single-mindedness similar to Sylvian’s.

The sessions on Blemish were improvised and Sylvian later sang over them, presumably
improvising the lyrics and the melodies he sings. After a few plays, the melodies seem to flow
logically with the music. Sylvian sings with tremendous force and emotion, and as a lyricist he
tackles everything from the joys and complexities of love ("Blemish," "The Heart Knows
Better") to the emotional dynamics of family life ("The Good Son"). "Late Night Shopping"
suggests that the mundane details of life can be both meaningful and perilous.

A line from "The Heart Knows Better" captures the careful balance that Sylvian maintains on
the disc between the purely intellectual and the emotional: "The mind’s divisive, but the heart
knows better." Listened to by themselves, the instrumental tracks would probably be
insufferably dry post-modern noise exercises, but Sylvian’s heart and mind cause them to
resonate and connect.

This isn’t easy music to listen to -- you have to adapt to it. If I’m in the wrong frame of mind,
Derek Bailey’s plonkings on the guitar don’t sound that much different from my children’s.
Music that can be broadly defined as avant-garde, whether it’s Cecil Taylor, Captain
Beefheart, PIL, or John Cage, can seem like a con to someone who hasn’t enough patience to
let it find its way. And some of it is a con. The best of it, however, can show us beauty in
sounds that at first seem harsh and ugly. Separating the real from the fake can take several
attentive listens. It took me a few times to catch on to Blemish, but Sylvian’s openness to
sound and to his own emotions is both convincing and moving.

Joseph Taylor, September 2003

E legant and sophisticated are probably the two words most commonly used to describe
David Sylvian’s timeless masterpiece, Secrets of the Beehive. This was a time when
everything appeared to be coming together for him in his music. After the breakup of
Japan (Sylvian’s seminal new wave band), he became even further introspective and began to
approach music from a different angle. Since that time, there have been many hits and misses
throughout Sylvian’s solo catalogue, but Secrets of the Beehive undoubtedly remains his
strongest material yet. A lot has changed since the time of that recording, and Sylvian delivers
one of his most experimental and challenging albums thus far with Blemish.

Utilizing experimental guitarist Derek Bailey and glitch expert Christian Fennesz, it’s easy to
see that their influence here is relentless in coaxing Sylvian to focus on a more “left-field”
experience. The album begins with the title track “Blemish,” a beautiful 13-minute song that
highlights his distinct voice and emanates with the experimental style of both Fennesz and
Bailey. Probably the best track here, things tend to go up and down throughout the rest of the
album. It’s just as much of a letdown in some parts as it is breathtaking in others. “The
Good Son” and “How Little We Need To Be Happy” take the meaning of the word
“improvisation” to the end of the world and hurl it over the edge. The guitar on these two
songs is more distracting than anything. Just as that is said, things appear to come back into
play with songs like “The Heart Knows Better,” “Late Night Shopping,” and “A Fire in the
Forest.” It is here that the focus is more congruent with what we’ve come to appreciate about
Sylvian’s previous work. Unfortunately, when the album is allowed to wander, I am left with
the dissatisfying feeling that this could have been one of this year’s most compelling pieces of
music.

amneziak

t's been a trying time for the former Mr David Batt. Following protracted wranglings

I with a major label he's finally emerged from the legal jungle with head held high and
bearing this, the first of his creative trophies from a plethora of ongoing projects.
Described as 'an impromptu suite of songs for guitar, electronics and voice', Blemish is
initially only available via the internet, yet those who have longed for some forward motion in
Sylvian's career of late would do well to hunt this down immediately.

Mainly improvised solo, excepting three tracks with free jazz guitar icon Derek Bailey and one
with electronica guru Christian Fennesz, Blemish is delineated from the rest of David's work
to date by two points. Firstly: his singular extemporised recording process has freed him from
any previous sense of precious perfectionism. This is a record that burbles, clicks and buzzes
with, well, blemishes, and thus seems more approachable than his most recent work. Secondly:
the voice, while retaining the sub-Ferry vibrato, is closely mic'ed; intimately double tracked for
harmonies; and, most importantly, his lyrics seem remarkably honest.

Whereas previous stabs at profundity often resulted in a scattergun approach (involving

dropping as many erudite literary and artistic references into one song as possible), now the
subjects seem far less oblique. The title track hints at emotional trouble with the opposite sex.
''The Good Son'' seems almost sarcastic in its approach to familial turmoil, and ''The Heart
Knows Better'' wins one over with a frankly simple message of redemption. Most
impressively, ''Late Night Shopping'' contains mantra-like intonations seemingly at odds with
the mundanity of its subject matter (''We can make a list, or something...''). That is, until you
realise the strange sense of agoraphobia that seeps in with the lines: ''We can take the car. No
one will be watching...'' It's both creepy and strangely mesmeric.

Sylvian always knew how to pick collaborators as he struggled to break away from his New
Romantic origins with Japan. Names like Holger Czukay, Robert Fripp, Marc Ribot and
Danny Thompson are just the tip of the iceberg of artists who have allowed his work to escape
its crass commercial roots. Yet this time his choice is particularly inspired and, by stripping
away most of the hip credentials, Sylvian's forged a work that startles with its originality.
Bailey's guitar may often remind you of a roadie falling downstairs, yet it suits this rougher
hewn material down to the ground. Most songs revolve around a single chord but never
remotely approach the territory marked 'drone', with close attention being repaid by a swarm
of insectoid glitches that will endlessly intrigue. Sylvian alone is his most compelling
incarnation yet. Prepare to get close...

Chris Jones

Se «Blemish», o último disco de originais do ex-Japan, já surpreendeu, pelo facto de

incluir os préstimos de duas figuras das "outras" músicas, o improvisador e
guitarrista Derek Bailey e o "laptoper" Christian Fennesz designadamente, este
álbum de "remixes" desse título que nos demonstrou que a canção pop pode conviver com o
experimentalismo volta a contar com nomes grandes das músicas criativas, como Ryoji Ikeda,
Burnt Friedman (David Sylvian começou, aliás, a actuar ao vivo com este e com Jaki Liebezeit,
o baterista dos velhos Can), Akira Rabelais, Yoshihiro Hanno, Readymade FC ou Tatsuhiko
Asano. E quando se fala em remisturas, tenha-se presente que o conceito aplicado é muito lato,
não se limitando a conjugar de modo diferente as pistas gravadas pelo cantor e os seus
colaboradores. Ikeda, por exemplo, junta as execuções de todo um grupo de câmara e ele
próprio intervém ao piano em «The Only Daughter», Friedman convida o clarinetista Hayden
Chisholm para «Blemish» e «Late Night Shopping», e Hanno acrescenta um Fender Rhodes
em «The Good Son», dando a este tema uma feição mais jazzística, inpirada num outro disco
de Sylvian, «Dead Bees on a Cake». Ouvindo os resultados, o também responsável da editora
samadhisound assinalou que os seus convidados conseguiram "destilar" o próprio conteúdo
emocional das canções. Tudo isto com o máximo respeito pelo mundo sonoro do autor,
caracteristicamente suave e pausado, e pela sua voz grave e aveludada. Um mundo, aliás, que
sempre se caracterizou pelo encontro de elementos das mais diversas famílias musicais -
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Holger Czukay (outro ex-Can), Robert Fripp (King Crimson), o pianista
de jazz John Taylor e o trompetista Kenny Wheeler foram alguns dos seus companheiros de
viagem. Depois de uma feliz incursão pela "ambient music" (com «Flux and Mutability», por
exemplo) é agora a electrónica que o descobre, como fica confirmado com este trabalho.
BLEMISH--AUTOGRAPHED http://eil.com/shop/extsearch.asp?DiscTitle=blemish----autographed

DAVID SYLVIAN Blemish (2003 Japanese issue 9-track CD album

£ 32.99
including bonus track Trauma, fold-out digipak picture sleeve with
$ 56.74
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DAVID SYLVIAN Blemish (2004 issue UK 8-track CD album featuring
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DAVID SYLVIAN Blemish (2004 issue limited edition vinyl LP
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£ 85.00
inner sleeve by David in October 2003. A superb item autographed by
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BLEMISH--AUTOGRAPHED http://eil.com/shop/extsearch.asp?DiscTitle=blemish----autographed

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David Sylvian Blemish - Autographed UK CD ALBUM (296233) http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=296233

DAVID SYLVIAN Blemish - Autographed (RARE 2003 CD album on Samadhi Sound which has
been BEAUTIFULLY AUTOGRAPHED on the inner sleeve by David in October 2003. A superb
item autographed by one of the most reclusive artists around!) ** Complete With Certificate
Of Authenticity **.

£ 85.00, USD 146.20, € 120.70 change currency

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David Sylvian Blemish - Autographed UK CD ALBUM (296233) http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=296233

Tracklisting / 1. Blemish
Additional Info: 2. The Good Son
3. The Only Daughter
4. The Heart Knows Netter
5. She Is Not
6. Late Night Shopping
7. How Little We Need To Be Happy
8. A Fire In The Forest
In the 21st century we take for granted the amazing invention that is the
compact disc, which has now been helping to increase our music
collections for over 20 years. Today, every major artist releases their
music on the CD format and the UK is the sales platform that can be the
difference between success and failure. Due to the high number of titles
flooding in to the UK from surrounding European territories the majority of
UK releases now feature bonus or alternative recordings and/or exclusive
enhanced content. Plus a limited edition release is a must for established
artists and debutants alike. This, usually completed with a lyric & picture
booklet, makes the UK CD album the priority purchase for any fan.

Availability: Last Copy In Stock - usually ships within 24 hours!

Artist: David Sylvian (click here for complete listing)
Title: Blemish - Autographed NEW FEATURE
Price: £ 85.00, USD 146.20, € 120.70 change currency
Postage/Shipping: Add item to your basket for a postage/shipping quote
Format: CD ALBUM
Record Label: SAMADHI
Catalogue No: SOUNDCD0001
Country of Origin: U K
Regardless of country of origin all tracks are sung in English, unless
Language:
otherwise stated in our description.
Year of Release: 2003
Additional info: Deleted - A deleted or out-of-print item is one that is no longer
manufactured. However, we stock thousands of out-of-print formats and we
specialise in tracking down out-of-print, deleted and hard-to-find releases.
Condition : All items are in mint or excellent condition unless otherwise stated
EIL.COM Ref No SYLCDBL296233 (quote this reference in any e-mails, letters, faxes or
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Barcode : 824877400127
Genres: 80s Electronic, Male Solo, Rock
Related Artists: D.E.P, Dolphin Brothers (S Jansen), Japan, Masami Tsuchiya, Mick Karn,
Nine Horses, No-Man, Porcupine Tree, Rain Tree Crow (Japan),
Readymade, Richard Barbieri, Russell Mills, Steve Jansen & Richard
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2003, Jiyu No Ishi (Free Will). P.S.F. Co. Ltd. (Book plus CD)

Black and white photography: Yuji Itsumi

Text: Yuji Itsumi, Kawase Megura, Oki Tateo, Iwabuchi Satoshi
Book design: Naga Takeshi
Release date: February 1, 2003
Publisher: P.S.F. Co. Ltd.
Language: Japanese
Edition: 500 Copies, 124 pages, soft cover
ISBN: 4-901478-93-1
Publisher Contact:
P.S.F. Co. Ltd. Terada Building, 2F, 2-45-11 Matsubara, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo 156-0043
JAPAN . email: psfmm@mba.nifty.ne.jp
This book contains photographs of various musicians associated with the PSF label as well as
European and American collaborators. The book is in Japanese only. The book comes with a
cd of exclusive tracks by people whom Itsumi has photographed.

1. Kazuo Imai : percussion 08:23

2. Motoharu Yoshizawa : bass 08:29
3. Yoshihide Otomo : electronics 07:13
4. Derek Bailey : guitar 02:52
5. Toshiaki Ishizuka : percussion 04:48
6. Keiji Haino : voice and sampler 07:36
7. Hiroshi Kawani : voice and more 08:03
8. Chie Mukai : voice, piano, percussion 06:34
9. Kan Mikami & Masayoshi Urabe : voice, guitar & sax 08:03
S oftcover book with bonus CD, 140 pages, edition of 500 (mostly full page b&w
photography; text is in Japanese only). "For the past ten years, Tokyo-based
photographer Yuji Itsumi has taken a series of remarkably evocative B&W photos of
many underground musicians for the PSF magazine G-Modern. Itsumi's intensely intimate
photos capture the musicians off-stage in their everyday lives, but still manage to capture a
sure sense of their music. This book compiles Itsumi's work for G-Modern, along with short
interviews (in Japanese only) with each of the twenty-nine musicians featured. Those pictured
include giants of the Japanese underground like Keiji Haino, Yoshihide Otomo, Motoharu
Yoshizawa, Chie Mukai, Kan Mikami, and Masayoshi Urabe, alongside international doyens
of free-playing such as Derek Bailey, Arthur Doyle, Charles Gayle, Han Bennink, and Peter
Brotzmann. The book comes with a nine-track, hour long CD containing previously
unreleased tracks by Derek Bailey, Keiji Haino, Yoshihide Otomo, Kazuo Imai, Motoharu
Yoshizawa, Toshiaki Ishizuka, Hiroshi Kawani, Chie Mukai, and Kan Mikami with
Masayoshi Urabe."

Alan Cummings
2003, TRISTAN (DUO), Incus CD53 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar, 19-string (approx.) guitar, Waiswich Crackle Box
Tristan Honsinger : cello, voice

1- Massey 1 04.05
2- Massey 2 05.05
3- Massey 3 06.40
4- Massey 4 03.25
5- Massey 5 01.30
6- Massey 6 02.23
7- The visit 03.02
8- Duo (part 1) 04.56
9- Duo (part 2) 11.28
10- Performance 04.12
11- Preparation 06.24
12- The shadow 10.36
13- Exits 03.48

Tracks 1-6 were recorded on 26 October 1975 in Massey, France; other tracks recorded in
London on 6/7 February 1976 (Verity's Place and Tangent Studio) and were previously
released on Incus LP20.

Cover painting by Tony Mostrom; design and layout by Karen Brookman.

I ncus records is historically one of the very first improvised music labels in England.
Originally created by Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Tony Oxley and a fourth person
bringing some money upfront it later became Bailey and Karen Brookman’s affair. It
would be more than one reason for us to listen and study some of their releases and
particularly their vinyl editions in the 70’s which for few of us had reached some sort of
perfection in both content and format. Back to CD and actual activities of the label here are
some more records.

The long awaited re-issue of »Tristan« (Incus CD 53) should fall in all ears if history of
improvised music was to be made sometime. The original 1976 LP, a duet between German
cellist Tristan Honsinger and guitarist Derek Bailey was already one of the toughest albums I
got to hear and just on his own it would already be a fantastic re-issue but they added to it six
tracks from a live tape recorded in some french festival (Massy) the year before (75) that
simply are unbelievable. This whole albums and as far as improvisation is concerned is
literally a bomb in the scene. The level of playing here, from density to sharpness, from
interactivity to speach, from playing for playing is just crazy.

Noël Akchoté. Mon 22. Dec. 2003

H
ere's the story: Tristan Honsinger, born in the States in 1949, headed to Montreal to
escape the Vietnam draft, and then in 1974 wound up in Amsterdam after a friend
introduced him to some of the early documents of the European improv scene ("I
listened to The Topography of the Lungs and I said, 'I think I can play this kind of music..'").
Guitarist Derek Bailey ran into him in 1975 on the streets of Massy, a small town south of
Paris, where the cellist's busking was attracting a crowd of onlookers. Bailey was there to play
at a concert devoted to solo guitar players - "a situation obviously leaving a lot of room for
improvement" - and enlisted Honsinger on the spot for the gig. The previously unissued
Massy concert is paired on Incus CD 53 with a re-issue of their subsequent album Duo
(Incus LP 20, a mixture of studio and live recordings from London in February 1976).

The previously unheard material is nice to have, but it's dimly recorded and Honsinger
overdoes it with the demented vocals; the main attraction here is the original LP, which is
vintage Dadaist farce, at once harrowing and entertaining. Honsinger's bow work is sublimely
vehement and grating; he shouts and jabbers away unpredictably, giving a good impression of
someone with an exotic speech impediment. On "The Visit" his cries startle a dog in the
studio: the track is cut short as it collapses into barking. Bailey hacks away at the
improvisations with a similar ferocity, and on "The Shadow" there's also a welcome showing
of his "19 string (approx) guitar" (he seems to be largely rubbing and scraping the strings)
and the Waisvisz Crackle Box.

Derek Bailey is on record as saying that he'd rather record new discs than re-issue old Incus
discs, but I'm glad he took the trouble to bring this one back in print.

ND
2003, THE MUSIC IMPROVISATION Company, Universal
UCCU 9019 (Japan) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Hugh Davies : live electronics
Jamie Muir : percussion
Christine Jeffrey : voice

1- Third Stream Boogaloo

2- Dragon Path
3- Packaged Eel
4- Untitled No.I
5- Untitled No.II
6- Tuck
7- Wolfgang Van Gangbang

Recorded on August 25, 26, 27 1970 at the Merstham Studios, London

Japanese-only re-issue, packaged in mini-LP jacket, with 24-bit remastering. First time on CD
for this early ECM classic (the labe's 5th release overall), recorded in August of 1970.

T his was originally released in 1970 on ECM, produced by Manfred Eicher. Long
before Keith Jarrett and "The Koln Concert" obviously. Lo and behold here it is from
the Japanese "Hardcore Jazz" label. It may not be jazz but it's certainly hardcore. Not
sure about the remastering status (liner notes in Japanese) but it sounds ok. Nice card
interesting because the sounds themselves are so defamiliarized. Basically these folk were
reinventing their instruments. Hugh Davies adds a lot - his electronic keyboards provide an
array of whirs, hums and distortion drones. Sometimes he gets sounds indistinguishable from
Parker's sax or Bailey's guitar. It's often difficult to tell who is playing what. Vocals can be
problematic in this music but Christine Jeffrey is great - her (brief) contribution seems to
consist of very understated dove-like cooing.

One person who liked MIC was Robert Fripp, who enticed Jamie Muir into KING
CRIMSON for a brief but memorable attempt to scare the wits out of prog-rock fans. Bailey's
next group ISKRA were more radical than MIC, and perhaps made more fully realized (if
more daunting) music. Incus put out a good selection of MIC sessions on CD awhile back
but I prefer this ECM album. It seems more of a summation of the group. Let's hope reissues
now appear of Bailey and Dave Holland's ECM duo album from the same period and Bailey's
Incus duo with Christine Jeffrey.

MUSIC IMPROVISATION COMPANY (MIC) ran from 68-70 and were one of the most
important groups in the development of this type of music. Basically this was where Bailey
and Parker dispensed with the last vestiges of jazz and forged the aesthetic that would
dominate British free improv for years to come. The line up is: Derek Bailey on lottsa
feedback guitar; Evan Parker on bat frequency soprano sax; wildman Jamie Muir on
percussion; Stockhausen survivor Hugh Davies on electronics; woman of mystery Christine
Jeffrey on voice (two tracks only).

The 3 minute opening track "Third Stream Boogaloo" (how droll) starts with fragmented
sounds before Muir flays in on drums like a collapsing house. Bailey hits the feedback and
Parker is off on some high register squealing on the sax - or maybe some of that squealing is
Jeffrey. After this crescendo the music settles back into fragmented pointillism. Subsequent
tracks follow a similar ebb and flow albeit at greater length. The foreplay-climax-plateau phase
dynamic is something of a cliché in improvised music, but the playing here is always
interesting because the sounds themselves are so defamiliarized. Basically these folk were
reinventing their instruments. Hugh Davies adds a lot - his electronic keyboards provide an
array of whirs, hums and distortion drones. Sometimes he gets sounds indistinguishable from
Parker's sax or Bailey's guitar. It's often difficult to tell who is playing what. Vocals can be
problematic in this music but Christine Jeffrey is great - her (brief) contribution seems to
consist of very understated dove-like cooing.

One person who liked MIC was Robert Fripp, who enticed Jamie Muir into KING
CRIMSON for a brief but memorable attempt to scare the wits out of prog-rock fans. Bailey's
next group ISKRA were more radical than MIC, and perhaps made more fully realized (if
more daunting) music.

Incus put out a good selection of MIC sessions on CD awhile back but I prefer this ECM
album. It seems more of a summation of the group. Let's hope reissues now appear of Bailey
and Dave Holland's ECM duo album from the same period and Bailey's Incus duo with
Christine Jeffrey.
2003, GLOBE UNITY ORCHESTRA, Improvisations, Universal
UCCU 9020 (Japan) (CD) (re-issue)

Lovens (drums).
Buschi Niebergall : Bass
Peter Kowald : Bass, Tuba
Tristan Honsinger : Cello
Michel Pilz : Bass Clarinet
Paul Lovens : Drums
Derek Bailey : Guitar
Alexander von Schlippenbach : Piano
Peter Brötzmann : Saxophones : Alto, Tenor, Bass Clarinet
Evan Parker : Saxophones Soprano, Tenor
Gerd Dudek : Saxophones Soprano, Tenor, Flute
Albert Mangelsdorff , Günter Christmann , Paul Rutherford (2) :
Trombone
Kenny Wheeler , Manfred Schoof : Trumpet

Producer - Thomas Stöwsand

Engineer: Martin Wieland

Recorded September 1977, Tonstudio, Bauer/Ludwigsburg

First CD re-issue of this album, recorded September, 1977,Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg;

released on the ECM subsidiary JAPO Records in 1978.
(?)2003, QUANTUM, Trunk JBH 003 (UK) (CD/LP) (released in 2003)

BASIL KIRCHIN

Features :

Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Graham Lyons and Daryl Runswick

Quantum" was spliced together by Basil Kirchin using jazz, field recordings (animals, insects,
trams), his wife and Autistic children. It's all based on Basil's theories of sound, and that when
you slow down or speed up sound, you open up new doors, and new sound is revealed.
Considering thisrecording was made circa 1973, one cannot underestimate the true genius and
musical foresite of the man.

D erek Bailey is not mentioned by name in the notes to this cd, but is presumed to be
present nonetheless. He definitely appeared on an lp recoreded and released under
Kirchin's name in 1971, World Within Worlds parts 1 & 2 (EMI/Columbia SCX
6463). He may also have appeared on an lp released in 1973 or 74, World Within Worlds
parts 4 & 5 (Island). The exact relationship between the World Within Worlds lps and
Quantum is still somewhat vague, as are the recording, personnel and track details of the
second lp.

Peter Stubley.
 Basil Kirchin

QUANTUM
A TRUNK RECORDS RELEASE. THIS IS NOT A RE-ISSUE.THIS IS THE FIRST
TIME THIS DIVINE MADNESS HAS EVER BEEN HEARD. CD AND VERY LIMITED
VINYL RELEASE.

Trunk Records is proud to present "Quantum" by Basil Kirchin, a journey through sound in
two parts. You will never hear anything quite like it again. You may even change as a person
after listening. And yes, I'm being quite serious.
(...)
Back to "Quantum: this is the first ever issue of this recording, and the first Basil Kirchin
recording release for thirty years. It's a unique recording in every respect, afterall Basil is
possibly the UK's most important composer than no one has heard of. This will soon change.

"Quantum" was spliced together by Basil using jazz, field recordings (animals, insects, trams),
his wife, and Autistic children. It's all based on Basil's theories of sound, and that when you
slow down or speed up sound, you open up new doors, and new sound is revealed.
Considering this recording was made circa1973, one cannot underestimate the true genius and
musical foresite of the man.

There are two LPs that Kirchin released in 1971 and 1973. Both called "Worlds Within
Worlds" they explore the same theories as used here in "Quantum", and proved to be a major
influence for artist such as Brian Eno, and the later industrial movements of the mid seventies.
Yet neither Worlds LPs tread in as odd or experimental gardens. "Quantum" has to be the
crowning glory of this mans musical explorations and unique theory. It has remained locked
away for thirty years and has been released now for the first time ever. You have been warned.
I asked Basil for some sleeve notes - there is no point me changing them so here they are
exactly as typed :
 BASIL KIRCHIN 2003

IF SOMEONE COMES AND ASKS YOU TO WRITE ABOUT A MANNED TRIP TO MARS, OUT OF
THE ALMOST INFINITE AMOUNT OF DIFFERENT AREAS AND THEIR RAMIFICATIONS, HOW
ON EARTH DOES ONE SORT OUT WHICH TO WRITE ABOUT...ANY ONE OF THEM WOULD
NEED PAGES..."QUANTUM" PRESENTS THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT, I SUDDENLY CAUGHT
MYSELF THINKING HOW NICE IT WOULD BE IF INSTEAD OF GETTING HUNG UP WITH THE "A
C T U A L I T Y" OF EVERYTHING INVOLVED, I JUST REFLECTED WITH YOU ON SOME OF MY
FONDEST "FEELINGS" BORN OF THE INDESCRIBABLE TRIP IT BECAME...MOMENTS THAT
BRING ME A LITTLE "GLOW" AND WHICH WILL ALSO SERVE TO HELP THE UNDERSTANDING
NEEDED FOR "QUANTUM" BECAUSE THEY WOULD BECOME LITTLE MOMENTS OF
FAMILIARITY WITHIN THE "EN MASSE" AND ALL THE MOVEMENTS / PARTS GUARD
(MUSICIANS), IN PARTICULAR THE FOUR MINDS OF EVAN PARKER, GRAHAM LYONS,
KENNY WHEELER AND DARRYL RUNSWICK...MOST OF WHAT THEY PLAY IS "NOT ON THE
INSTRUMENT", BUT JUST FOR THE RECORD, SOPRANO SAX, BASSOON, FLUGEL HORN AND
BASS...THE SOUNDS MADE BY ALL OUR ANIMALS, AMPLIFIED INSECTS, BIRDS, AND THE
TRAM WHICH ON A RAINY DAY IN ZURICH WHEN TURNING A PARTICULAR CORNER WOULD
BECOME A COMPLETE ORCHESTRA WITH SECTIONS WHEN "BROUGHT OUT"...THE BIRDS
WHO SING "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" (IN AMONG THE OTHERS) AT THE START OF PART
ONE...THE KIDS OF SCHURMATT...SCHURMATT IS IN A VALLEY IN SWITZERLAND WHICH IS
INHABITED ONLY BY AUTISTIC CHILDREN, THEIR CARERS, TEACHERS, AND CONTAINS
THEIR FLATS, SCHOOLS, GYM, SWIMMING POOL, SHOP ETC AND BEFORE I MET HER, MY
WIFE ESTHER HAD A CLASS OF NINE OF HER WON...SPREAD OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS I
SPENT AROUND A YEAR, IN AND OUT, RECORDING THE SOUNDS THESE CHILDREN MAKE
WHEN TRYING TO COMMUNICATE...MUSIC IS SOUND AND AS SUCH IS TOTALLY SUBJECT
TO THE LAWS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS...IF ONE GOES "DOWN AND DOWN" THROUGH THE
MOLECULES ATOMS PROTONS NEUTRONS ELECTRONS TO THE TWO HUNDRED SUB-
DIVISIONS OF QUARKS AND PHOTONS, PLUS ALL THEIR "ANTI'S", WHAT WAS WITHIN THE
PARAMETERS OF THE HUMAN EAR HAS LONG SINCE DROPPED AWAY AND WHAT BEFORE
WAS ABOVE THE LIMITS OF THE HUMAN EAR ARE NOW DRAWN DOWN TO THE LEVEL A
HUMAN BEING CAN HEAR...SO, IN EFFECT ONE IS HEARING THINGS NO HUMAN EARS HAVE
HEARD BEFORE...THEN THERE ARE SOME OF THE "DUET" PARTS...EVANS DUET WITH THE
BIRD AT THE START OF PART TWO, PLUS THE DUET BETWEEN ANREAS (LEFT SPEAKER)
AND GABY (RIGHT SPEAKER)...AGAIN, ANDREAS'S DUET WITH THE ROCK GUITARIST WHO
IN ONE PLACE SOUNDS AS IF HE'S TRYING TO STRANGLE ANDREAS WHO AT THAT PRECISE
MOMENT SOUNDS AS IF HE ACTUALLY WAS BEING STRANGLED...IN PART ONE IN CERTAIN
PLACES THERE IS AN ENORMOUS ARCO TYPE BASS SECTION SOUND, IT'S JUST TWO
HORNBILLS...THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN BASSOON AND GEESE WHERE ONE SIMPLY CAN
NOT TELL WHICH IS WHICH AS THE GEESE FRAGMENT THEIR NOTES PRODUCING NORMAL
HARMONICS AS WELL AS CHAIN REACTION HARMONICS TOO...THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN
BASS, BASSOON AND ONE OF THE KIDS CALLED DORIS...SOME OF THE ACTUAL MELODY'S /
PHRASES SHE INTONES ARE WORTHY OF COLTRANE AND ERIC DOLPHY...THE AMAZEMENT
I STILL FEEL WHEN, HEARING HOW "FREE" IT SOUNDS (YET) KNOWING IT'S ACCURATE TO A
TWENTY FOURTH OF A SECOND, EVERYTHING RECORDED TO CLICK TRACK AND ON FILM,
NOT TAPE INITIALLY, AND IT ALL ACTUALLY STAYS TOGETHER!...THE BEGINNING OF PART
SIC (NOT YET RELEASED) IS SIMPLY ONE BOY, ON HIS OWN NOTHING ADDED, AND WHAT
GOES OFF IN THE HUMAN BODY WHEN WE TALK IS TRULY UNIMAGINABLE...

Update Winter 03

S ince the little release of Basil Kirchin's 'Quantum' the avant garde world has gone even
more bananas. Some are heralding this as a great lost recording, others (like Jim
O'Rourke) has paid $1000 for the Kirchin 'Worlds' original. Just for you lot I have
added some weird Kirchin records to the page - these are the rare and beautiful library
recordings he made for De Wolfe, a compilation of which will be out in 2004. Also coming
up in the new year is the super duper Charcoal Sketches and States of Mind Recordings.
These are both odd and beautiful and more news will follow as and when I get my act
together. The Wire magazine are promising 3,000 words on the great man, an article penned
by Alan Licht, a well established Kirchin fan and member of the intriguing New York
underground musical movement. He knows his onions. Also, if you now google Kirchin there
are loads of things there where there never used to be before, which is great for Basil who is
really enjoying the most attention he's ever had in his life, which was the whole reason behind
issuing the Quantum LP in the first place. So well done Basil at last.

jonny@trunkrecords.com

I first encountered Basil Kirchin (b. 1927) during my film-critic days. Negatives (1968) is
an overheated kinkfest notable, if at all, for a Glenda Jackson on the brink of stardom, but
Kirchin’s orchestral cues nail the aura of sickness and rot. It’s the fifth of nine movie
jobs he took between 1965 and 1973 to achieve the Worlds Within Worlds project, a pileup
of free jazz, field recordings and electronics. Two LPs appeared (1971, ’73), but Kirchin felt
dogged by his label’s meddling. Still, the albums influenced some ambient, industrial and
electroacoustic figures, and have sold for $1,000 on eBay. Quantum (1973) is no reissue, but
the pure realization Kirchin always sought.

That Eno, Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Wound) and ea composer David Dunn each took
something from Kirchin’s example indicates the reach of his discoveries. His jazz soloists
perform at a high level, but receive the same scrutiny as other material. The spotlight falls on
Esther Kirchin, the composer’s Swiss wife, whose childlike voice has cutting authority (I’m
reminded of actress Laura Harris). Early on she intones a verse over synth pads:

Let them think I’m a cloud, ha ha!

Hiding in my little place
No one can find me or see my face
But I am there, you wait and see
Something special will come from me
Something special will come from me
Something special will come from me
Something special.

It recurs as a creepy song at the end, the tune launched by tacky fairground synth. Kirchin has
chosen his title well; the arsenal of tape operations wants to disclose a sound structure inside
what is normally heard.

Part One sends the jazzmen off to the zoo, and Kirchin arranges goose honks into the first
notes of “God Save the Queen” (a bow to the ducks in Stockhausen’s Hymnen?). Moving
everything into the same family is the goal. Parker’s long, chattering sax lines merge with the
bird conferences, and Lyons’ bassoon joins a gaggle of geese. A seeming marimba, or
Bailey’s guitar? Except for some roaring tigers, progress is delicately drawn.

After putting musicians in an aviary, Kirchin goes the other way in the more abrasive Part Two
— treating shards of autistic speech as jazz improvs. Explosive patterns are plumbed for their
value as gesture, and the composer calls one girl’s vocal “worthy of Coltrane and Eric
Dolphy.” He organizes this chaotic utterance into episodes with strong dramatic arcs, rising
in agitation and intensity. The players pitch in, Runswick’s bass scoring from every angle.
The flugelhorn leads of Kenny Wheeler clear a path through the mob, and bursts of unsettling
applause act like cinematic wipes.
Three decades on the shelf haven’t dimmed Quantum’s startling virtuosity. An important
event for ea artists and listeners, though its appeal isn’t limited to them. Trunk has a new disc
of unreleased Kirchin (Charcoal Sketches / States of Mind, JBH 005CD); the music from The
Abominable Dr. Phibes, a 1971 Vincent Price horror orgy, is on Perseverance PRD004. (Not
all of Kirchin’s score is used in the film.)
C
ontrary to popular belief, I've kind of enjoyed every Derek Bailey gig I've ever been to
but let's not re-open that can o' worms. I liked Set#2 (DB and the Brick Woman),
mostly because you could hear what DB was doing a little clearer and Set#4 (the whole
band). The set with no DB I didn't like at all although it seemed to go down best with the rest of
the audience.

I've come to the conclusion that Derek Bailey is the Sir Bobby Robson of the avant-garde, he's
very hard to actually dislike. Plus how often do you get to see a seminal musician (albeit in a
rather attenuated field) perform for five quid (or 2.50 with concessions)?!!?!??! The only other
places you can see legendary musicians for that little are Folk Clubs, which none of the hipster
brigade seem to have discovered (a.k.a. ruined) yet and which New Labour appears to be bent on
stamping out - Come the Revolution!!!!!

Dadaismus (kcoyne3...), August 12th, 2003.

info_page 08/10/06 17:07

AUGUST 11th
BOAT TING PROUDLY PRESENTS A SPECIAL
EVENING FEATURING

DEREK BAILIEY'S
FIVE PIECE BAND
WITH

DEREK BAILEY - GUITAR

SONIC PLEASURE - AMPLIFIED BRICKS
THE DRENCHING - DICTAPHONES
ALEX WARD - CLARINET
TONY BEVAN - BASS SAXOPHONE

return to front page

TONIGHTS SPECIAL EVENT IS THE LAUNCH NIGHT

FOR THE NEW CD BY DEREK BAILEYS FIVE PIECE
BAND - LIMESCALE

http://www.boat-ting.com/info/baileyband.html Page 1 sur 1

2003-2005 (?), ONE PLUS ONE 2 (film)

Anders Edstrom and Curtis Winter 's film about Derek Bailey. Filmed in London in 2003.

Anders Edstrom's film about Derek Bailey, 'ONE PLUS ONE 2', which I saw at the Purple
Institute in Paris this July, was a fabulous document of this sensibility and perhaps my
favourite film of the year. I briefly lapsed into a kind of poetry after seeing it:

T he extraordinary inserted into time sideways;

Massive attention to rubbish renders it important.
Swaying twigs, Derek's wife; shabby London windows.
The old man's trainers, the old man's computer, the old man's
Improvisation. The metaphysics of ugliness. In the audience
Familiar Paris Japanese faces; Hiroshi, Masako, Mayumi...
Everybody slightly older, slightly more themselves.

T onight a party at the Purple Institute. Not really a party;

A film by Anders Edstrom (Experimental Jet Set)
About old man and guitarist, Derek Bailey.
The extraordinary inserted into time sideways;
Massive attention to rubbish renders it important.
Swaying twigs, Derek's wife; shabby London windows.
The old man's trainers, the old man's computer, the old man's
Improvisation. The metaphysics of ugliness. In the audience
Familiar Paris Japanese faces; Hiroshi, Masako, Mayumi...
Everybody slightly older, slightly more themselves.
2004, AT THE SIDECAR, (UK) (Incus CD SG5) (released in 2004)

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1. Mabel, Mabel, take your elbow off the table 06.43

2. You can dance if you like 26.45
3. Think of the others 10.38
4. Last piece 08.00

The CDR presents the full performance as a single track; as there are four quite distinct
pieces, I have indicated this above and given them titles suggested from the recording.

Recorded at G's Club, Sidecar, Placa Reial, Barcelona on 10 February 2004.

Solo Guitar Series Number 5

A series of CD-Rs: minimal artwork, no-fi recording quality, no reviews, no distributors.

Strictly cottage industry.

Cover artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

Incus CDR series

keffer at planetc.com keffer at planetc.com
Tue May 4 12:14:03 MDT 2004
>Solo Guitar Series No. 5
>LIVE AT G's CLUB
>Derek Bailey solo electric guitar
>Recorded at G's Club, Sidecar, Placa Reial, Barcelona
>10th February 2004

>How is this?? I don't think I have ever heard Derek play solo on
>electric guitar, except perhaps a few single tracks +25 years ago.

On some releases that feature Bailey on electric guitar, you hear a different kind of playing
than what you hear when he plays acoustic guitar. For example, Harras (Avant, 1994,with
Zorn and Parker) and Mirakle (Tzadik, 1999, with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston),
you can identify the same "riffs" and these riffs are something that you only hear from an
electric guitar. On other releases, Bailey plays the electric guitar in the same manner as the
acoustic guitar. This solo live show in Barcelona is in the latter vein. It's a mellow, low-key,
enjoyable Bailey solo guitar show, which happens to be performed on an electric guitar. It is
not first and foremost an "electric guitar" show. At least that is what I have heard in it.

David K.

As written on the CD-R

2004, PISA 1980 IMPROVISORS SYMPOSIUM. psi 04.03/4. (UK)
(2 CD set) (re-issue)

Ten leading free improvisors assembled in Pisa in the summer of 1980.

Maarten Altena, Derek Bailey, Barry Guy, George Lewis, Paul Lovens, Paul Lytton, Evan
Parker, Paul Rutherford, Giancarlo Schiaffini & Philipp Wachsmann

Two duos, one trio & two quintets. Re-issue of LP 37 plus 94 minutes of extra material.

Recorded on 26, 27, 28 June 1980, tracks 1, 2 and 3 on CD 1 in the Giardino Scotto open-air
theatre, Pisa; all other tracks in San Zeno Abbey, Pisa. The Rassegna Internazionale del Jazz
was organized in Pisa by the Center for Research into Improvised Music (CRIM). The record
production was made with financial assistance of the Town Council of Pisa.

Cover photographs by Roberto Masotti, Gerard Rouy.

This is a re-issue, with a significant amount of previously unheard music, of Incus LP 37.
Track 4 on CD 1 and tracks 2 and 3 on CD 2 are previously unissued and track 3 on CD 1
and track 1 on CD 2 have been restored to their complete lengths for this CD issue.

T his is a fabulous re-issue of an historic series of two duets, a trio and four quintet
pieces recorded at the San Zeno Abbey and the Giardino Scotto Theatre in Pisa, Italy
on three nights in June of 1980. This double cd includes another 94 minutes of
unreleased music not found on the original single album, inspired by Derek Bailey's
Company Week festivals. The first duo is George Lewis on trombone and Evan Parker on
tenor & soprano sax and is grandly recorded in an open-air theatre. Both George and Evan
blend their distinctive sound and unique approach just right, with magical results. The other
superb duo is Derek Bailey on acoustic guitar and Maarten Altena on double bass, performing
a long and invigorating excursion. The trio is George Lewis, Altena and Paul Lovens on
drums and is another long and immensely impressive combination of strong talents. The first
quintet is Barry Guy on contrabass, Paul Lovens & Paul Lytton on percussion & electronics,
Evan Parker on saxes and Philipp Wachsmann on violin & electronics. Absolutely brilliant
and incredible intense improv feast, a seamless and well woven tapestry. The final quintet is
Altena & Barry Guy both on basses plus the three trombones of Paul Rutherford, George
Lewis and Giancarlo Schiaffini. This quintet explores the bottom end of the sonic spectrum
with more restrained wonders, phenomenal bowed and plucked basses weave with layers
trombone multiphonics, into a grand communion of the spirits. Two hours and 22 minutes of
blessed wonders await.

D erek Bailey's Company concept stands as one of the most important schematics for
freely improvised music. Basically it's the notion of convening players in fresh and
what might on the surface seem incongruous combinations; capitalizing on the
impromptu energy unleashed by these sorts of meetings as a means of extricating the
proceedings from ruts of habit. Enumerable improvisers have employed the strategy since.
The underlying idea that unfamiliarity breeds spontaneity remains a fundamental principle of
free improv.

Evan Parker used a blueprint similar to Bailey's as the basis of the series of concerts he
curated in Pisa, Italy in the summer of 1980. Where he broke with the guitarist's precepts (and
where Bailey himself has often rescinded on them) was in the assembling of colleagues that
had in some cases worked frequently together before. In Parker's own words, reprinted for
posterity: "People sharing a common attitude, a common language". For the Pisa proceedings
there was also an emphasis on reconciling composition and improvisation so that while the
musicians weren't necessarily working off written scores, there were still at times premeditated
elements at play.

Fans well seasoned in improvised music are likely to salivate at the roster of participants in
league with Parker on Pisa 1980: Improvisors Symposium, among them: Bailey, George
Lewis, Maarten Altena, Paul Lovens, Paul Lytton, Barry Guy, Philipp Wachsmann, Paul
Rutherford and Giancarlo Schiaffini. Curiously, at no point do the eight men perform as an
octet. The 142-minute collective running time of the two discs (that's 94 new minutes added to
the original LP) consists of duos, trios and quintets.

Instrumental incongruity is on hand in abundance. Soprano and tenor saxophones converse

with trombone on the pair of opening duets between Parker and Lewis, recorded in an open-
air theatre space. The first piece takes a bit of time in coagulating as the two men audibly draw
each other out. But by the middle of the second piece they've slipped into a beguiling concord,
with Lewis impressively aping Parker's signature cyclic rivulets through his cumbersome
horn. Next up, Bailey's guitar teams with Altena's double bass for a half-hour plus scrimmage
that holds its fair share of knife-edged interplay in the serrated crosshatch of arco and
pizzicato strings. A previously unreleased trio of Lewis, Altena and Lovens, again scraping the
belly of the thirty-minute mark in their excursion, stretches the digital seams of the first disc to
near bursting. This last entry, while tantalizing on paper, yields comparatively fewer sparks for
much of its diffusive duration.

The second disc divides into two quintets, each annexing two pieces apiece. The first, recorded
in the dryly expansive acoustics of the San Zeno Abbey, joins Guy's double bass, the trap kits
of Lovens and Lytton and the Wachsmann's violin with ringleader Parker's reeds. Both Lytton
and Wachsmann also double on electronics, adding even more to the unpredictability. An
undulating escarpment of percussion, strings and keening self-replicating saxophones unfolds
to create a hypnotically nuanced chamber-improv terrain. The final two pieces of the set
feature the bottom-heavy assemblage of Altena, Guy, Lewis, Rutherford and Schiaffini in fully
fleshed salutes to the range of registers achievable through the garrulous union of basses and
trombones.

While the relative success of all that's here is certainly a subjective judgment, the wealth of
music on hand seems undeniable. It was indeed a creatively fecund time that summer nearly a
quarter century ago. Perhaps most promising of all, this re-issue happily suggests that the
long estranged Parker and Bailey have buried their respective hatchets and ceased wishing
them sunk in each other's heads.

Derek Taylor, 13 April 2004

O f these four, not to mention another seven (or was it eight?) compliations that came
my way recently, the one I'm most likely to return to is Pisa 1980, on Evan Parker's
psi imprint. It's another fine example of the saxophonist digging out and reissuing
material formerly available on Incus, the label he ran jointly with Derek Bailey until the two
men fell out spectacularly (hence the decision not to mention the Incus name anywhere on this
or other Parker re-issues resurrected for psi from the Incus back catalogue).

The difference being that this double CD set includes no fewer than 94 minutes of material
that was hitherto unavailable, including a spectacular trio featuring bassist Maarten Altena,
George Lewis and Paul Lovens, bonus tracks by the two quintet line-ups (Barry Guy / Lovens
/ Paul Lytton / Parker / Phil Wachsmann and Altena / Guy / Lewis / Paul Rutherford /
Giancarlo Schiaffini), and restores to its full length - a glorious 33 minutes - the truly
awesome duet between Altena and Derek Bailey.

Altena, nowadays reportedly not in good health and apparently retired from the improv scene
and devoting more time to straight composition (we want to hear some), is truly spectacular,
not only with Bailey but in the "San Zeno Trio" (dull Company-style titles, never mind) with
Lewis and Lovens. Lewis turns in two duets with Parker, both very impressive but if you've
already got "From Saxophone and Trombone" (psi 02.04) you probably know what to expect,
and also goes the distance with two other 'bone monsters, Paul Rutherford and Schiaffini in
two tag wrestling bouts with bassists Altena and Barry Guy. Francesco Martinelli's
informative liners provide useful and interesting background information about the original
event, and Jean-Marc Foussat and Luciano Bernini's excellent original recordings have been
superbly restored and mastered by Parker and Martin Davidson. Hats off to all concerned - if
you missed this one on vinyl first time round, go straight for these two CDs (not that you're
likely to find an original copy of Incus 37 anywhere).

For once, Pisa 1980 is a good example of more is more.

DW
2004, HOWDY, (UK) (Incus CDR7) (released in 2004)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Christopher Williams : double bass

1. Solo bass
2. Solo guitar
3. Duo 1
4. Duo 2

Although four pieces are identified, they actually run together as one 46.04 minute track on
the CDR. Enriched cover with jewels.

Recorded in Barcelona in May 2004.

Cover artwork and design by Karen Brookman.

Not officially on sale on the Incus Internet site.

As written on the CD-R
2004, KENNY WHEELER : Song For Someone (Psi) (UK) (CD)
(re-issue)

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, fluegelhorn

Ian Hammer : trumpet
Greg Bowen : trumpet
Dave Hancock : trumpet
Keith Christie : trombone
Bobby Lamb : trombone
Chris Pyne: trombone
David Horler : trombone
Jim Wilson : bass trombone
Malcom Griffiths : bass trombone
Alfie Reece : tuba
Duncan Lamont : tenor saxophone, flute
Mike Osborne : alto saxophone
Alan Branscombe : piano, electric piano
John Taylor : electric piano
Ron Mathewson : bass
Tony Oxley : percussion
Norma Winstone : vocals
Evan Parker : tenor and soproano saxophone on Causes are events and The good doctor
Derek Bailey : guitar on The good doctor

1- Toot-toot 04.14
2- Ballad two 08.26
3- Song for someone 02.40
4- Causes are events 08.15
5- The good doctor 15:15
6- Nothing changes 04.23
Previously released on LP as Incus 10.

Recorded (with financial assistance from the Arts Council of Great Britain) at Olympic Sound
Studios, London on 10 & 11 January 1973.

F or whatever reason, trumpeter/flugelhornist/composer Kenny Wheeler seems to be

overlooked when one thinks of the greats of this music. Sure, people "know"
Wheeler, though he continues to be ignored when considering "top tier artists". A
master craftsman filled with melodic and technical skills, he certainly has proved his range of
abilities via his musical schizophrenia—he fits in well in many diverse settings. His clarion
tone, considerable technique and incisive attack make him instantly recognizable and have
suited many a band leader. His discography remains slimmer than it should; however, the re-
emergence of Song For Someone on Evan Parker's Psi imprint is a welcome occasion.

Originally released in 1973 on Derek Bailey's Incus label, Song For Someone was Wheeler's
second date as a leader, following on the heels of his debut on Fontana, Windmill Tilter. As a
frame of reference, Wheeler states that the idea behind the record was to "try and get special
musicians from and into different areas of jazz to play together and to try to write music
especially for them". Such aims, of course bring to mind Duke Ellington's penchant for
writing for his band and its distinct musical personalities. However, the overall sound is all
Wheeler—a cross-pollination mixing grace, passion, force, and each musician's proficiency.

As for the assemblage, some of the greats of British Jazz are present, including vocalist
Norma Winstone, the low-profile tenor saxophonist Duncan Lamont, alto saxophonist Mike
Osborne, trombonist David Horler, pianist John Taylor, drummer Tony Oxley and two special
guests, saxophonist Evan Parker and, on one track, guitarist Derek Bailey. Overall, the music
is emotional and moving, largely due to the assembled tone palette (including four trumpets,
four trombones, tuba, two reeds, a vocalist acting as a reedist and rhythm partner). Another
distinctive aspect of the group sound is seen through the utilization of two electric pianos that
add both shiny warmth and rolling tones to underpin the proceedings.

The set starts with "Toot-Toot", a memorable melody that is anchored by Oxley's towering
drums, the heady brass and Winstone's wordless, almost reed-like vocalizations. Commencing
with Wheeler's trademark melancholic introspection, "Ballad Two" eventually finds a mid-
tempo pace that features a clairvoyant trombone solo from Horler and three brilliant minutes
from Lamont's emotive tenor. The pensive title track is up next with Winstone's ghostly vocals
setting the mood. "Causes and Events" rounds out side one (for those familiar with the
original vinyl), carrying on as before until, out of nowhere, Parker's soprano changes the
proceedings entirely, with Oxley following his asymmetrical lead. The opening theme re-
emerges for the second half of the piece but the ions eventually become charged during the
concluding moments.

"The Good Doctor" demonstrates Wheeler's fusing of genres, following on the previous
track's approach with the sole appearance of Bailey, as his sui generis musings inspire smaller
group interactions. Such movement eventually swells to larger, more melodic proportions in
contrast to the soaring soloists. Finally, Winstone takes center stage on "Nothing Changes",
with her passionate delivery leading the ensemble home. Surely, she is one of Britain's best
kept secrets. For those seeking to hear more of Wheeler's genius or care even the slightest bit
about British Jazz should pick this outstanding re-issue up immediately. One can only hope
that Evan Parker might be able to wrest Windmill Tilter from Fontana's clutches to where it
belongs—in print!

Jay Collins, 7 June 2004

T his is long lost studio gem from January of 1973 which features a stellar line-up of
Evan Parker, Mike Osborne & Duncan Lamont on saxes; Greg Bowen, Ian Hamer &
Dave Hancock on trumpets; David Horler, Keith Christie, Bobby Lamb, Chris Pyne,
Jim Wilson & Malcom Griffiths on trombones, Alfie Reese on tuba; John Taylor & Alan
Branscombe on pianos; Ron Matthewson on bass and Tony Oxley on drums, plus guests
Derek Bailey on guitar and Norma Winstone on vocals. Although I have always dug Kenny
Wheeler's trumpet and flugelhorn playing, I find many of his records to be somewhat
inconsistent or even schizophrenic. He has a consistently splendid and often round, warm
tone, yet has long worked with some of the furthest "out" of the British modern jazz
community. This record is a good case in point as it is oddly balanced between both extremes.
"Toot-Toot" is a grand hard swinging opener, this big band is incredibly tight and hot. "Ballad
Two" features two electric pianos gliding nicely around one another. I dig the way Norma's
warm, elegant voice is used another instrument on the title track, no words just a radiant shade.
"Causes are Events" features one of Evan Parker's gnarly soprano sax solos at the beginning,
yet soon starts swinging with gusto once more with some amazing trombone, el. piano and
drums swirling together in the mid-section. "The Good Doctor" starts with some great twisted
guitar and sax dueting from Derek and Evan, but soon the somber horn section glides warmly
over the duo with Kenny's austere charts and rich harmonies being featured. Evan, Tony
Oxley and Derek get a chance to erupt in the later part of this outstanding work. The odd
balance of extremes actually works to their favor on this release, if one is open enough to
accept it. The last song, "Nothing Changes" is only to feature Norma singing her eloquent
lyrics and it is nice way to bring this diverse offering to a grand close.

E pitome of the polite, quiet Canadian, trumpeter/flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler has

now lived in Great Britain for more than a half century. During that time he’s gone
from playing in large dance and bebop bands to working with international free
music ensembles to creating a modified synthesis of all those influences as his own music.

This direct reissue of a 1973 LP may have been when it was first released the most
conventional item on what was then guitarist Derek Bailey’s and saxophonist Evan Parker’s
Incus label. Wheeler had already played free music with drummer John Stevens and was
soon to begin an association with experimenters like American reedist Anthony Braxton and
the German-based Globe Unity Orchestra. But except for a couple of tracks, the pieces he
wrote for this date mostly meld his big band past with his moody, reflective streak. That
low-spirited attitude was artistically best reflected in the trio Azimuth he founded later in the
1970s with pianist John Taylor and vocalist Norma Winstone. SONG FOR SOMEONE’s
present-day fascination comes from how Wheeler, who said “the musicians came first and
then the music”, mixed explorers and mainstreamers without fissure. On one hand are free
musicians like Bailey and Parker, percussionist Tony Oxley, trombonist Malcolm Griffin
and saxist Mike Osborne. On the other are modern mainstreamers like Taylor, Winstone and
a brass section that could have played similar licks on tunes Wheeler arranged for John
Dankworth’s or Maynard Ferguson’s big bands.

To be honest, only one tune, the 151/4-minute “The Good Doctor” can be termed Free Jazz,
and it’s also the only one where Griffin, Parker and Bailey all make an appearance. Parker
also takes a characteristic solo filled with multiphonic trills on “Causes are Events”, though.
But with that theme shaped more by Taylor’s springy, light-fingered electric piano fills and
Winstone’s airy soprano -- not to mention horn riffs that could have been safely played by
To be honest, only one tune, the 151/4-minute “The Good Doctor” can be termed Free Jazz,
and it’s also the only one where Griffin, Parker and Bailey all make an appearance. Parker
also takes a characteristic solo filled with multiphonic trills on “Causes are Events”, though.
But with that theme shaped more by Taylor’s springy, light-fingered electric piano fills and
Winstone’s airy soprano -- not to mention horn riffs that could have been safely played by
Toronto’s Boss Brass -- Parker’s reed interjections would have been linked to 1960s
psychedelic freak outs by most in 1973.

“The Good Doctor” is the real -- free -- thing, however, and begins with a couple of minutes
of squealing circular breathing from Parker and flat-picking from Bailey. Although
Wheeler’s almost heraldic solo and the flattened cymbal work that introduce supple brass
lines sashaying from one side to the other are pretty standard, soon one trombonist --
Griffith? -- breaks through. He double tongues while Taylor double times, and the trumpets
riff out a chromatic counter theme. Exposing a big band vamp in full roar, the other
bandmen then give space to hearty sax solo -- from Osborne perhaps -- that introduces
intense, Booker Ervin-style honks, growls and squeals as Oxley knocks out powerful Elvin
Jones-like rumbles and bounces. By the time the tune ends with a protracted, high-pitched
brass crescendo, Wheeler has proven that he can write a composition that swings as much as
it seeks.

Mostly characterized by brassy trills and chromatic leaps, a walking bass line and
emblematic 1970s tinny electric piano work, the other large ensemble work is more closely
allied to Dankworth (John) than Dixon (Bill). Someone does take a well-paced slurry
trombone solo, and another trumpeter -- Wheeler himself? -- produces some bent. squealing
notes on “Toot-Toot”. But that tune’s resemblance to John Coltrane’s “Cousin Mary” and
the ballad that follows it makes clear that the majority of material could have been played by
any well-constituted large group of the time.

Finally, Winstone’s lyrical soprano and light scatting and humming on “Nothing Changes” -
- an unfortunate title for a date like this – suggests Cleo Laine’s show biz-oriented singing
with Dankworth’s band. Most interesting historically, especially for proof of how creative
Parker and Wheeler were at that juncture, SONG FOR SOMEONE is a valuable addition to
Wheeler’s slim discography. But, especially in comparison to other Wheeler dates of that
era, it shouldn’t be inflated to be more than it was mean to be -- a showcase for self-
expression among friends.

Ken Waxman, April 26, 2004

2004, DEREK BAILEY AND THE STORY OF FREE
IMPROVISATION, Verso Books, 416 pages.

Book by Ben Watson.

Hardcover: 416 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.73 x 9.44 x 6.38

Publisher: Verso Books; (July 2004)

About the Author : Ben Watson is a regular contributor to The Wire, Signal to Noise and
Hi-Fi News, and the author of Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play, Art,
Class & Cleavage: Quantulumcunque Concerning Materialist Esthetix and the novel
Shitkicks & Doughballs.
Book Description : This brilliant biography of the cult guitar player makes you forget
everything you think you know about jazz improvisation, post punk and the avant-garde Derek
Bailey was at the top of his profession as dance-band and record-session guitarist when, in the
early 1960s, he began playing an uncompromisingly abstract music. As the Joseph Holbrooke
Trio, with bassist Gavin Bryars and drummer Tony Oxley, Bailey forged a musical syntax
which has since operated as an international counter to the banality of commercialism.
Refusing to be labeled a "jazz" guitarist, Bailey has collaborated with performance artists,
electronic experimentalists, classical musicians, Zen dancers, tap dancers, rock stars, jazzers,
poets, weirdos and an endless stream of fiercely individual musicians. Today his anti-idiom
of "Free Improvisation" has become the lingua franca of the "avant" scene, with Pat Metheny,
John Zorn, David Sylvian and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore amongst his admirers. Derek
Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation lifts the lid on an artistic ferment which has defied
every known law of the music business. Telling the story via taped interviews with Bailey and
his cohorts, gig reports and album reviews (including an exhaustive discography of Bailey's
vast and hard-to-track output), Ben Watson's spiky, partisan and often very funny biography
argues that anyone who thought the avant-garde was dead simply forgot to listen.

D erek Bailey was at the top of his profession as a danceband and record-session
guitarist when, in the early 1960s, he began playing an uncompromisingly abstract
music. As the Joseph Holbrooke Trio, with bassist Gavin Bryars and drummer Tony
Oxley, Bailey forged a musical syntax which has since operated as an international counter to
the banality of commercialism. Refusing to be labelled a 'jazz' guitarist, Bailey has
collaborated with performance artists, electronic experimentalists, classical musicians, Zen
dancers, tap dancers, rock stars, jazzers, poets, weirdos and an endless stream of fiercely
individual musicians. Today his anti-idiom of 'Free Improvisation' has become the lingua
franca of the 'avant' scene, with Pat Metheny, John Zorn, David Sylvian and Sonic Youth's
Thurston Moore amongst his admirers.

Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation lifts the lid on an artistic ferment which has
defied every known law of the music business. Telling the story via taped interviews with
Baily and his cohorts, gig reports and album reviews (including an exhaustive discography of
Bailey's vast and hard-to-find output), Ben Watson's spiky, artisan and often very funny
biography argues that anyone who thought the avant-garde was dead simply forgot to listen.

CONTENTS:

Introduction: On Freedom
Child and Teenager, 1930-1951
Working Guitarist, 1950-1963
Joseph Holbrooke Trio, 1963-1966
Soloism and Freedom, 1966-1977
Company Weeks, 1977-1994
Improv International
Conclusion: On Improvisation
A Derek Bailey Discography;
An Incus Discography;
Derek Bailey's Complete Invisible Jukebox
Review-Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation | Jazz Studies Online 08-08-18 08:18

Review-Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation

Author: Scott Thomson

One gets the sense that Ben Watson is itching for a fight, given his writerly
penchant for polemic and confrontation. Readers of Derek Bailey and the Publisher: University of
Story of Free Improvisation don't have to wade into his 400-plus page
Guelph College of Arts
biography of the great British guitarist, however, to perceive Watson's put-
Publication: Critical Studies
up-your-dukes method of critical inquiry: The story of "Free in Improvisation, Vol 1, No 2
Improvisation"? (Capital letters and all?) Is it possible for one writer to tie
up decades (millennia?) of multifarious, under-documented, pan-global Artist: Derek Bailey
musical practice in one neat narrative, placing Bailey persuasively at the
Url: Critical Studies in
middle of it all? Watson's strategic title prefigures the foundation of his
Improvisation Web site
tough-toned argument that Bailey's particular approach to music-making is
rigidly exemplary of the (non)idiom of free improvisation, that his PDF: Derek Bailey and the
defiantly anti-compositional, anti-repetitive music is the bastion of the Story of Free Improvisation
perennial avant-garde capable of contesting the hegemony of capitalism
and the commodification of musical culture. On this front, Watson repeatedly suggests, no musical practice comes
close to Bailey's. There is no doubt that the argument stems from a deep passion and commitment to the
revolutionary possibilities of music and a strong identification with his subject. Ultimately, however, it's a tough
argument to swallow, one that begs too many questions about the exclusion of other histories of liberatory music-
making, and one that is tripped up by wayward digressions that ultimately obscure Bailey's story in favour of the
author's polemical rants and political fixations.

Watson is a journalist with a voluble distaste for academia. In his "Introduction: On Freedom," he sets out not only
to describe the impetus for his project, but also to distance himself from scholarly theories of improvisation-
snapshot views from the "Olympia of academia" as he puts it (7). He is cognizant that Bailey himself is suspicious of
theories of improvisation, but he maintains that his book stands apart from others by avoiding "promotional falafel
and the jargon of genius, and talk[ing] directly about aesthetic value, about the success and failure of the music as
music" (8). Thus, he claims to transcend the discourses of journalistic music criticism and their collusion, tacit or
explicit, with the interests of the music industry (popular or bourgeois "avant-garde"). This, Watson claims, keeps
his work in line with Bailey's, and he proceeds to steadfastly refract Bailey's musical life through his own blunt,
Adornoite Marxism. Given Watson's admitted disavowal of any theoretical agreement between author and his
subject, this process leads one to wonder whether the point of the book, beyond "music as music," is to buttress
Bailey's music with Watson's politics, or vice versa. Politics and grand methodological claims aside, a good chunk of
the book, once Bailey's career trajectory becomes clearly defined, reads like a cut-and-paste of journalistic record
and gig reviews, full of the heavy-handed adjectival rhetoric and arcane cultural references that weighed down
Watson's 1994 critical biography of Frank Zappa as well. (Zappa appears far more than one would reasonably expect
in a book about Bailey.) Whether one would consider it to be "promotional falafel" or not, the onslaught of
supercharged name-dropping makes the sequential, blow-by-blow accounts of Bailey recordings and "Company"
performances particularly gruelling to read.

To view the complete resource, download it as a PDF.

© 2005 Scott Thomson. Critical Studies in Improvisation provides open access to all of it content on the principle that making research freely available to the
public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Europe | United
 !!LAUNCH!!
DEREK BAILEY & THE STORY OF FREE IMPROVISATION
by
Ben Watson

6.00pm Thursday 1 July 2004

Ray's Jazz at Foyle's, 119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2

!!FREE ENTRY!!

all friends - and friends of friends - of MilitantEsthetix are welcome

Ben Watson will read from the book accompanied by Simon H. Fell on bass violin

Derek can't be there - he's in Ljubliana - but we will broadcast a message from him

FURTHER CELEBRATIONS AT A SECRET LONDON VENUE

FAR INTO THE NIGHT

ANYONE WHO THOUGHT THE AVANTGARDE WAS DEAD

SIMPLY FORGOT TO LISTEN

PURCHASE YOUR

handsome black hardback

Verso
£20
ISBN 1-84467-003-1

458 pages long

27 photographs (from the Bailey archive, most unpublished)
de-luxe index

24 references to Han Bennink

13 references to Eugene Chadbourne
20 references to John Zorn
1 reference to spanking
2 references to classical music
47 references to Tony Oxley
13 references to Beethoven
13 references to rubbish
1 reference to James Chance

exhausting discographies of the complete Bailey oeuvre & of the Incus catalogue

!!SEVEN YEARS IN THE MAKING!!

another "biography" to idea-storm the literalists

musical criticism as class struggle

save music writing from the blahs!

 HYPE FROM THE BEST:

G uitarist Derek Bailey - currently celebrating his 74th year - has become a by-word
for superlative musicianship and awe-inspiring defiance of musical cliche. He is
idolised by musicians as diverse as Pat Metheny, Sonic Pleasure and Dallas Boner.
Ben Watson, author of Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play, tells Bailey's
story via taped interviews, gig-reports and album-reviews (including an exhaustive
discography of Derek Bailey's hard-to-track recordings). After ten years working himself to
the top of his profession as a dance-hall and session musician, the guitarist committed himself
to Free Improvisation in the early 60s. He has lived to see it become the lingua franca of
today's art-music scene. Bailey won't allow Free Improvisation to be bracketed with American
Jazz: instead, his staggering list of liaisons - which includes existential sound-artists, classical
percussionists and string-players, Butoh dancers and tap dancers, rock stars, jazzers, poets,
careerists, eccentrics, loungecore trendsetters and a host of fiercely individual musicians -
needs to be placed at the centre of current debates about Modern Art. Uniquely among British
music-writers, Ben Watson is equipped for this task. Derek Bailey & the Story of Free
Improvisation lifts the lid on a scene that has flourished by defying every known law of the
music business. This biography - spiky, polemical and often very funny - provides 21st-
century anti-capitalism with an aesthetic manifesto.

Queries to: info@militantesthetix.co.uk.

Ben Watson on Derek Bailey

A ny book purporting to tell the story of free improvisation whose index has almost as
many entries for Theodor Adorno and Frank Zappa combined (42) as it does for
Evan Parker (47) is already off to a bad start. But this particular 443-page tome is
coming at you direct from planet Ben Watson, a Marxist manga world where the forces of
Good and Evil grapple heroically like black and white on a Franz Kline canvas, and Heroes
and Villains - you're either one or the other - gird their loins for the final battle between
Modernism and its deadly enemy Postmodernism. "Let it be stated upfront that [this book] is
DESIGNED to be contradictory, argumentative and unfinished - in short, improvised and
dialectical," writes Watson in his Introduction. "Author and subject haven't reached agreement
about anything, especially Free Improvisation." Presumably, however, they did manage to
agree on one thing: the near-total exclusion of Bailey's long time playing and business partner
Evan Parker. If, as Watson crows, "in opposition to the cosy collusion of the conventional
biography, this glowering gap between author and subject is here proposed as a field of play
for the imaginative and thoughtful reader," one wonders why he couldn't have seen fit to
provide the imaginative and thoughtful reader with some real hard information about the
serious differences of opinion that prompted Bailey and Parker to part company
acrimoniously several years ago. In choosing to sideline Parker (one can only imagine in
deference to Bailey's wishes - surely no writer claiming to be as in love with improvised music
as Watson does would just let the matter drop), Watson also misses out on a golden
opportunity to provide a serious and well-researched history of Incus, whose mail order
manifesto included with the first Incus LP The Topography of the Lungs was a truly
revolutionary blueprint for DIY distribution. There's clearly no love lost between the two men
even today (when I recently asked him when Topography would be re-issued - it's long
overdue - Parker replied bluntly: "When Derek Bailey's dead"), but Parker remains a major
figure in the history of free improvisation and, arguably, in Derek Bailey's life. The lack of
mention of Evan Parker is even more keenly felt when Watson devotes two later sections of
the book to Steve Lacy and Anthony Braxton, both important but not exactly frequent Bailey
playing partners (re-issues excluded, Lacy appears on eight albums with Bailey, and Braxton
seven, compared to over thirty featuring Parker). Compare the thorough discussion of First
Duo Concert with the one cursory sentence on The Topography of the Lungs (despite the
presence on that album of Han Bennink, one of Ben's All Time Heroes) and Company 1.
Parker's is not the only absence, though it is the most notable. There is likewise no mention of
AMM, and very little of John Stevens apart from an anecdote - in all probability made up -
culled from an obscure fanzine called Radical Poetics.

Excluding Watson's introductory and concluding sections, and the three appendices - a Bailey
discography, an Incus discography and the complete unedited transcript of Watson's Invisible
Jukebox with Bailey for The Wire magazine - the book consists of six sections: Child and
Teenager 1930 - 1951 (pp.13 - 32), Working Guitarist 1950 - 1963 (pp.33 - 51), Joseph
Holbrooke Trio 1963 - 1966 (pp.52 - 111), Soloism and Freedom 1966 - 1977 (pp.112 -
204), Company Weeks 1977 - 1994 (pp.205 - 310) and Improv International (pp.311 - 373).
Of these, only the first two actually tell (something of) the story of Derek Bailey's life, in an
informative series of vignettes taken from interviews with the author that took place from 1997
onwards. Luckily for Watson, Bailey is an authentic working class hero from the world of flat
caps, fish and chips, outside toilets and adultery, and his memories of sleeping in pubs,
threatening his divinity teacher and breaking into houses are as well-narrated and entertaining
as an Alan Sillitoe novel.

The third part of the book tells the story of Joseph Holbrooke, Bailey's trio with Gavin Bryars
on bass and Tony Oxley on drums. The reputation of this outfit, based on the evidence of
their only released recording, a ten and a half minute rehearsal tape of "Miles' Mode", seems
to have been exaggerated out of all proportion, and Watson quite happily spins out more
hype. (A properly researched book about the history of free improvisation in Britain should
mention not only Joseph Holbrooke, but other notable early experiments in free playing by
Terry Day, John Stevens, Joe Harriott and AMM, to name but a few. This is not the story of
free improvisation, but a story, one of many.) Tony Oxley, of course, is another of Ben's All
Time Heroes, but if you weren't familiar with the fact and only had this book to go on you
could be excused for thinking he's the single most important drummer since Warren Baby
Dodds, and that the work of every other free improvising percussionist from John Stevens to
Paul Lytton pales into insignificance. Not content with placing the Hero on the pedestal,
Watson has to dig a hole to push the Villain into. So you may be surprised to learn that Paul
Lytton's work "sounds more like conventional drum soloing, lacking Oxley's serialist /
surrealist ability to open up jagged abysses of resonant silence", and, while you're trying to
work out what that last sentence actually means, it's time for Star Trek: "Oxley had found a
way of subdividing time so that he could deal with almost any kind of randomness a band
member might throw at him [..] whereas [John] Stevens was more interested in warping time
itself." Watson manages to all but ignore Stevens' pioneering work, so the uncomfortable
question of free improvisation's relations with jazz can be comfortably sidestepped, along with
Oxley's allegiance to jazz at the time as house drummer at Ronnie Scott's.

That bit about subdividing time refers to the eighteen-quavers-in-a-bar "horizontal concept"
Oxley devised to escape from the tyranny of the beat. "That meant some of the things you
could do without losing the pulse would neither be on the beat or off the beat, because you've
got 18 over 4." Confused? So's Ben, and yet Oxley explains it perfectly clearly: divide the two
half bars into crotchet (quarter-note) triplets (6 against 4) and further subdivide each of those
triplets into triplets. For some reason Watson latches on to this idea like a limpet and starts
hearing subdivided beats where there aren't any beats at all, for example in Iskra 1903's
"Improvisation 11", which "starts as a tight trombone / guitar duet, the two musicians using
the super-divided beat pioneered by Oxley to twirl the music about each other's statements."
Irony of ironies, the album that best reveals Oxley's subdivided beat concept is one that, for
ideological reasons of his own invention, Watson feels compelled to shoot down - John
McLaughlin's Extrapolation. Why Watson feels the need to sell Bailey by dissing
McLaughlin is a mystery: it's like extolling the virtues of fresh fish by comparing it to
drinking chocolate: "What is the real difference between the 'florid, fast and brilliant' guitar
playing of Music Improvisation Company and The Inner Mounting Flame?" (Pause for
dramatic paragraph break.) "The basic difference is harmonic. John McLaughlin's music is
pressed into dramatic modal arpeggios designed to represent the spirit rising towards
transcendence." Ah, the dreaded "T" word. Anathema to a Marxist of course, and to be
regarded with suspicion, hence snidy asides like the following: "Anything tainted by will to
power is evil, so we should all lie on the floor and 'deep listen' while Pauline Oliveros
squeezes her postmodern accordion."

"It is possible to cite a battalion of theorists of radical modernism - Theodor Adorno, Clement
Greenberg, Asger Jorn - to argue why this shows Bailey is free and valuable in a way
McLaughlin is not," continues Watson, and one wishes he would. At least (most of) what they
wrote made sense. When it comes to the politics, you can take or leave Watson's thesis, but
the total lack of any serious discussion of music as music is frankly inexcusable. "To get a
grip on Free Improvisation, music criticism needs a science of the sign, a revolutionary theory.
Anything tainted by existentialism, structuralism or post-structuralism will not suffice," he
intones gravely on p.9. "All that Parisian nonsense was a product of the failure of 1968: neo-
Kantian despair, pseudo-radical Nietzschean sentimentality. We need the theory that emerged
in Russia in the 1920s." Well, instead of the gritty chunk of Valentin Voloshinov's "Marxism
and the Philosophy of Language", how about Associated Board Music Theory Grade III
instead? I'm not asking for Milton Babbitt, Allen Forte and David Lewin, but a brief, cogent
explanation of Schoenberg's dodecaphony would not have gone amiss. Watson happily
recalls how important Webern's music was to Bailey in the mid 1960s, but instead of
confronting the question of serialism head on in a discussion of the Pieces for Guitar, whose
importance to Bailey's output is crucial and completely overlooked, all we get is some sleazy
anecdote about him playing Webern at full volume in a bedsit in Fulham.

At least the interview with Joseph Holbrooke's third member, bassist Gavin Bryars makes for
interesting reading, especially when Watson pushes him to name the bassist - Johnny Dyani -
whose playing he had criticised in a memorable passage in Bailey's book Improvisation: Its
Nature and Practice in Music, and one begins to regret that more recordings of Joseph
Holbrooke haven't emerged (particularly a tape of the trio playing with Lee Konitz that was
recorded in Manchester on 19th March 1966). The anecdotes of Mr Andrew Shone, who used
to take the door money for Joseph Holbrooke upstairs at The Grapes, are revealing but could
hardly be described as top-notch musicology (Q: "Why is Free Improvisation so despised?"
A: "Maybe because it's very hard." Well, blimey..). Watson would have done better asking
other improvising guitarists to comment on Bailey's technical prowess, but as John Russell
(who actually studied with Bailey) is only mentioned later in passing, and Roger Smith
amazingly not mentioned at all throughout the entire book, we'll just have to make do with the
few - too few - choice quotes from Bailey that explain matters with admirable concision. On
p.213: "Tonality is like an argument, and the answers to the questions are always the same.
Play Gmin7, C13, and the next chord has to be one of three or four things. If you're looking
to get away from that kind of thing you have to use a different language." Would that the
book included more such straightforward explanation. Where Watson waffles about
"Webern's timbral serialism" (in point of fact Webern never applied serial procedures to either
timbre or dynamics, as was mistakenly assumed by some overenthusiastic members of the
Darmstadt avant-garde), Bailey's description of his playing technique is crystal clear: "You can
play virtually any note, allowing for octave transpositions, in three basic ways, as a harmonic,
open string or stopped note. You can play the same notes and do a completely different set of
fingerings."
By the time we reach part four, any notion that it is still a biography has gone out of the
window, and the book becomes a kind of soapbox for Watson to stand on and shoot wildly
into the crowd. Among the targets is Miles Davis (why? for employing John McLaughlin?),
whose post-Silent Way work is described as a "crass celebration of electric modernity versus
acoustic antiquity". (Watson backs up his attack with an extract from an interview with
Eugene Chadbourne: EC: "One of my friends got a copy of Pangaea and said, it just sounds
like a Deep Purple album." BW: "But not as good…" EC: "We were critical of the guitar
players and we thought it was nothing compared to Derek Bailey or Hendrix even. We just
thought it was cheesy." Curious, this, coming from a guitarist who in an interview with me
quoted Bitches Brew as one of his all time Top Ten albums, though Eugene is using the past
tense here..) Also caught in the crossfire is Manfred Eicher and ECM records ("smug,
bourgeois, all-labour-screened-off languor [..] which one wag dubbed the sound of the middle
classes falling asleep"), except presumably those on which Tony Oxley plays, Keiji Haino
("an all-thumbs corny thespian who only impresses style victims who think wearing shades,
carrying a staff and dressing in black is some kind of existential statement"), Merzbow ("it
seems extraordinary that anyone so distant from Kurt Schwitters's homely humour should
name himself after his Merzbau [..] Masami should have called himself 'Artaud-in-the-Hole'"),
and, surprisingly, myself, in the context of a discussion of Bailey's Limescale on p.372:
"[T]he intransigence [..] will doubtless annoy those postmodern critics (like Signal To Noise's
Dan Warburton) who deem the jagged, crunchy, unmusical sound of Free Improvisation a
'dead dog'." Not having written anything on Limescale (I don't even own a copy of the album,
you may be horrified to learn), I don't know where the quote comes from, but never mind. At
least when Ben's running the politburo I won't be the only one to be shipped off to break
rocks in Siberia, and look forward to a jolly time in the gulag with many other fine musicians
of my acquaintance including David Toop, Keith Rowe and Steve Beresford.

Avid watchers of the London scene know there's a long-running spat between Watson and
Beresford, who memorably compared Ben to Julie Burchill in a letter published a while back
in The Wire. However, since Watson can't deny the importance of Beresford's work as an
improviser and because Eugene Chadbourne and Mark "Sniffin' Glue" Perry (both Ben
Heroes) express admiration for him, he chooses instead to take him to task as a political
philosopher, of all things. Similarly, it's clear Watson's dying to have a go at John Zorn (I
don't know what Watson means by "postmodern" but it's certainly an epithet I'd use to
describe Zorn's work), but daren't say too much, firstly because Zorn plays his ass off with
Bailey and secondly because it's largely thanks to several high profile releases on Zorn labels
that Bailey's career has really taken off in the past decade. Similarly, Watson is forced to show
respect for Bryars' work in Joseph Holbrooke though you know he's just aching to put the
boot in. On p.169 he criticises Bryars' oft-quoted reservations about improvising, as published
in Bailey's book (p.135 of the Moorland edition): "It is characteristic that Bryars should
appeal to painting, the art form most in hock to bourgeois property relations." This doesn't
stop Watson himself invoking the work of the French Impressionists in his later discussion of
Company Week, but never mind, back to Bryars: "His argument runs counter to a whole vein
of Black Studies that makes a virtue of the griot: the jazzman as the in-person embodiment of
tradition ('in jazz, the musician is the treasure', as Archie Shepp puts it)." Suddenly, after going
to pains in the book to separate the two, comparing free improvisation and jazz is kosher then?
"Although to mention the word 'jazz' to Bailey is to step into a minefield, he actually adheres
to principles established by jazz," Watson writes on p.225. Once more, Bailey's comments on
the subject are refreshingly clear: "For me the real connection between this kind of playing
and jazz is umbilical: the real possibilities start once you cut the cord. John [Stevens]'s view
was diametrically opposed to that. He believed some connection was essential, however
tenuous. He would speak of it as being organic. I loved it when John started using words like
'organic'. It meant we were in for a long night."
Thank goodness for the eminently readable and bluntly honest transcript of the Wire
Jukebox. Bailey's language positively sparkles, but when Watson tries to add some fizz to his
own earnest polemic with some "memorable" imagery, it falls curiously flat: "[T]he duo evoke
mice on speed stashing individually wrapped gorgonzola titbits between the wires of a
stainless steel egg slicer." (Evoke? Why "individually wrapped"?) Compare Watson's put-
down of Parker's trademark soprano circular breathing ("the totalitarian afflatus of his
technique steamrollers specific ambience, turning his music into the kind of dependable
commodity required by promoters and applauded by the general public") with Bailey's matter
of factness: "There's always been this tendency, for the last thirty-five years, to franchise a bit
of this music, chop bits off and turn it into a music."

On and on it goes, with Ben sniping at La Monte Young, Keith Rowe and Eddie Prévost ("his
use of the jargon of 'community' [..] is sentimental, projecting a rural innocence on musicians
who are actually operating in a highly competitive and mediated firstworld metropolis" - hmm,
he has a point there), bemoaning the fact that his beloved Hession / Wilkinson / Fell trio never
got the international tours and kudos that Naked City did (surely as daft a comparison as
Bailey / McLaughlin), and padding the final section out with a tedious compendium of his
own reviews culled from the pages of Hi-Fi News. It's certainly amusing that the majority of
the reviews penned by Watson, a committed Marxist notoriously vociferous in his criticism of
"commodity fetishism", should have appeared in that most commodity-obsessed publication,
and it's an irony he's acutely aware of and tries to squirm away from: "After all the claims
about Free Improvisation as an anti-commodity operation, this slavering response to Bailey's
albums may seem like treachery. However, that depends on whether one's criticism of
commodified music is aesthetic or moral. The problem is not that commodities are immoral -
in capitalism, our very life essence is reduced to a commodity (labour) - but that
commodification has a tendency to weaken and homogenise the music we hear."

One hopes that Derek Bailey is pleased to learn that he too is an Adornoite: "'Works of art
then are deficient, regardless of whether they are immediate entities or mediated totalities'
(Adorno). This deficiency is what makes art a process rather than a product (Bailey's concept
of Free Improvisation is Adornoite without knowing it), and only critical philosophy which
relates art to the totality can understand it." For you to swot up on your critical philosophy,
Watson has thoughtfully included a list of further reading material, but by the time you've
made it to the end of the book you feel like rushing out and buying a copy of anything by
Theodor Adorno you can lay your hands on just for the pleasure of burning it. "Derek Bailey.
What a card." Watson concludes. Card he might be, but Bailey is also one of the most
important musicians to have emerged in the world in the last fifty years, and he deserves
something better than this.

DW
Stirring still: Derek Bailey, 74, cuts free.
(photo: Verso Books)

Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation

F ree improvisation is the automatic writing, the abstract expressionism, or as British

critic Ben Watson most aptly describes it, the "stand-up comedy" of musical
performance. Real-time process takes priority over product, what you hear is what you
get, and in hearing's immediacy lies the promise of escaping, if temporarily, the rules and
boring habits of received musical discourse. (Heckle, however, and risk your life.) Free
improv is thus the royal road to artistic nirvana, and many believe 74-year-old British guitarist
Derek Bailey to be the nonstyle's perfect master. Hearing Bailey, trumpets Watson, "will
shatter your world picture, and cause you to reconsider every fact about twentieth-century
music—and artistic meaning, and politics, and class," and so on. Free Improvisation, sporting
Watson's preferred capitalization, is modernist Marxism in action: "Bailey . . . was convinced
that music is something to be played rather than marketed or even 'enjoyed.' "

Bailey, an extremist's extremist, is a marvel of extended techniques, perpetual novelty, and

uncompromising theory. Hearing him in person is challenging, exciting, liberating, rigorous,
and sometimes even, you know, fun. Yet there's a Beckettian quality to his life and work, a
sense of ascetic renunciation dating back to 1963, when he began working with drummer
Tony Oxley and bassist-composer Gavin Bryars in the Joseph Holbrooke Trio, dedicated to
music that was neither what he denounced as "whitey free jazz" nor "sensational" John
Cageian "avantgarderie." Previously, Bailey had made an increasingly successful living as a
busy touring guitarist in hinterland dance halls before making a gradual segue into a strictly
artistic career."I just loved the fucking provinces," he tells Watson in one of the many
underedited interview transcriptions that comprise a good chunk of this tome.

While Bailey's solo albums are small wonders of spring-wound nerve and microeconomic
muscle memory, he believes that improvising, much like conversation, is most fruitfully
practiced in the company of others. After Holbrooke he worked both solo and with
collaborators such as pianist Anthony Braxton and saxophonist Steve Lacy, and for two years
with the Music Improvising Company. Between 1977 and 1994, Bailey organized annual
events called Company Weeks, which were devoted to re-arranging an invited assortment of
free musicians—and eventually dancers, jazzbos, rockers, and turntablists—into promising ad
hoc groupings. Watson describes each of these, often in lurid detail: "Manual tweaks and jolts
that are literally local and private suddenly open up into cosmic infinitudes: music as sex."

Watson credits John Zorn with introducing Bailey to America, although Bailey arguably
played as large a part in legitimizing Zorn. Free improv may be intrinsically unmarketable, but
Watson does his part by ignoring countless important players, such as Chris Cutler, Greg
Goodman, Lukas Ligeti, the babbling brook outside my window, and the waves breaking on
the beach. Say what you will about groove-based improvisation, but the Grateful Dead played
more punter hours of free music than Bailey and Zorn multiplied.

"Anyone who talks about music today and ignores Free Improvisation is drivelling over a
corpse," whines Watson, whose worst flaw is an annoying polemical tic. "To anyone who
uses their ears to evaluate modern music (that is, not that many), Company 5 makes a
powerful case for Free Improvisation as the supreme method." Don't tell Kim Jong Il. Watson
is a provocative critic with good ears and a knack for Englishing Bailey & Co.'s astounding
sounds. But much of it reads like Watson's own description of a Bailey solo: "a ceaseless
ripple'n'roll over the same spot, like G.W.F. Hegel continually underlining the insufficiency of
stand-alone, unmediated concepts."

What you hear is what you get: Bailey's astounding sounds

Music as Sex
by Richard Gehr. August 24th, 2004 1:05 PM

E ndlessly inventive as an improviser and a superb organizer, guitarist Derek Bailey is

also opinionated, combative, passively aggressive, dogmatic, and often self-satisfied.
Still, the 74-year-old Sheffield, England-born Bailey is pretty much at Ground Zero
when it comes to discussing Free Music, at least in its British manifestation. London-based
critic Ben Watson attempts to explain both the man and his music in this volume. Yet Watson
also tries for much more than standard biographical, chronological, and discographical fact
gathering. He not only ponders Free Music's place among other, more commercial musics, but
also tries to show how experimental sounds reflect musicians' liberation from what he sees as
a class-ridden, capitalist society.

A fascinating read for most of its 443 pages plus index, Derek Bailey and the Story of Free
Improvisation offers impressive insights as well as infuriating opinions. Besides tying
together the various strands of history that created Free Music almost a half-century ago,
Watson interprets many of the events according to his variant of humanistic socialism.
Understand that this is likely the first serious, yet anecdotal book on jazz and improvised
music to come from a Marxist perspective since Frank Kofsky's John Coltrane and the Jazz
Revolution of the 1960s. As Watson writes at one point, "Free Improvisation ? is the
manifestation of socialist revolution in music?practical, collective, anti-ideological and
humanist".

There are times, however, when Watson's admitted bias results in some conclusions that are
more discordant than a Free Music solo. Most off-putting is when his criticism of careerism
takes in such hitherto unconnected players as pioneering fusion guitarist John McLaughlin
and uncompromising saxophonist Evan Parker?once a close associate of Bailey now
estranged. Both these two and many other players are suspect it seems, because they refuse to
accept in toto Bailey's singular theories that the basis of Free Music is selfless collective
improvisation.
Born in a lower working class family in 1930, Bailey was a dance band and studio musician at
a time in Britain when that sort of music-making was considered a craft rather than art?rather
like being a pipe fitter or a blacksmith. Someone who says he probably played every night of
the week at one job or another from 1955 to 1968, the guitarist's no-nonsense work ethnic has
carried over into Free Music. As he tells Watson: "I've never thought I could do
anything?what I do now or playing commercial music?unless I did it full-time".

Although satisfied as a pre-rock commercial musician, Bailey admits he was still looking for a
way to express himself more creatively and was constantly woodshedding during that period.
Although he has had a lifelong admiration for American guitarist Charlie Christian's advances,
because of circumstances, he never described himself as a jazz musician. British jazzers
couldn't play the music full-time, he notes, and that was a violation of Bailey's working class
ethos.

In a perverse way, it was the advent of Beatlemania that drove Bailey and others to Free
Music. No longer did a commercial musician have the freedom to interpret popular songs his
own way; they had to sound exactly as they did on the record. At about that point, Bailey, and
two younger Sheffield musicians, student bassist Gavin Bryars?now a certified composer of
so-called serious music?and Tony Oxley?who later on was house drummer at Ronnie Scott's
famous London jazz club?started searching for their own path.

Impressed by the advances of such Free Jazz stylists as John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Ornette
Coleman, and Scott LaFaro, in 1965 they formed the cooperative Joseph Holbrooke Trio,
named for an early Cockney composer. In short order they went from playing conventional
jazz, to playing an English variant of Free Jazz, to outlining the first stirring of what could be
called Free Music. Later Bailey and Oxley moved to London and began interacting and
exchanging ideas with other early BritImprov experimenters such as drummer John Stevens,
trombonist Paul Rutherford, and saxophonists Trevor Watts and Parker.

It's at this point where the book's chronology and Watson's analysis breaks down somewhat.
Claims and counter claims about which musician developed which way of playing that was
later accepted as Free Improv divided and continues to divide certain parts of the Free Music
world. Certainly the supposed free spirit of the 1960s, when previously experimental groups
like Soft Machine and Pink Floyd had best selling records, encouraged everyone, including
journeymen like McLaughlin?whose breakthrough fusion LP, Extrapolation, featured
Oxley?to try new things. And major record companies even recorded them. Anyone who
nowadays collects Free Music on weirdly distributed CDs on tiny labels can attest to how
things have changed.

But Bailey has remained constant in his collectivist ideas?at least as he sees it. Despite being
part of various playing situations with those men and many other contemporary musical
explorers, Bailey was and is a Free Music purist, and the author describes the guitarist
"formulating his theory of permanent improvisation", a resonance simulacrum with Leon
Trotsky's slogan of "permanent revolution". Always seeking more freedom and less structure,
Bailey is now capable of describing 1968's Karyobin, one of the first certified British Free
Music classics?and one on which he played?as in retrospect sounding like "Whitey Free
Jazz".

Bailey has also peevishly insisted on the irrefutable difference between European Free Music
and American Free Jazz, which seems a bit perverse as years go on. However, this hasn't
stopped him over time from collaborating with American musicians firmly in the jazz sphere
including saxophonists Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, and Lee Konitz, plus bassist William
Parker and pianist Cecil Taylor.
As Bailey's biographer, who constantly interviewed and consulted with the guitarist over a
three-year period as this volume was being written, Watson is also a little too accepting of the
guitarist's point of view. Bailey's stated role as a working class bloke from the provinces who
just happened to stumble upon a way of playing that satisfies him and is somehow accepted
by a few other intelligent fans, seems a bit louche. After all, Bailey has played literally
thousands of gigs throughout the world and has been featured on hundreds of discs over the
years. He, Oxley, and Parker founded Incus, the first British Free Music record label in 1970,
which he continues to run today. In 1980 he turned a series of programs he produced for the
BBC's Radio 3 into the book Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music, and this
seminal volume is still in print and has been updated, republished and translated into other
languages.

More importantly for Free Music's dissemination, from 1977 to 1994, first regularly, then
sporadically, Bailey organized Company Weeks. These musical free-for-alls were concerts
featuring mix-and-match combinations of any number of advanced jazzers, boho classical
types, and dissatisfied rockers playing Free Music. Bailey recorded and released the resulting
either spectacular or disappointing admixtures on Incus.

But little of Bailey's adult personal history is included?we only learn in passing that he has
been in three serious relationships. More seriously, Watson, who can report exactly what V. I.
Lenin said about keeping useless people off the editorial board of the newspaper Iskra in
1903?incidentally the name of another Bailey co-op trio?discloses the guitarist's ongoing
animosity towards Parker without ever probing the reason for the break. Even Bailey admits
that "a lot of my relationships have sundred at the point where somebody thought I was using
them".

Maddeningly as well, the author mostly defines Bailey's improvisation in terms of what it isn't,
rather than what it is. He writes that "Bailey's cool and precise?yet piercing and
aggressive?tone denies the generic associations and pleasures previously associated with the
electric guitar". And later: "The guitar playing of Bailey sabotages merely sonic pleasures,
redirecting attention to the totality of the music. With Bailey, a guitar note is not an end in
itself, but a purposeful contribution to musical development?a question". For Watson as well,
Free Music "articulates the values of socialism as against those of capitalism: life lived as a
dialectical contribution to human history, rather then cowering in positive and defended
comfort".

Part of Watson's challenge may be Bailey's outwardly taciturn blandness. In critical situations,
as when listening to CDs for The Wire's Invisible Jukebox?reprinted in the book?the guitarist
refuses to offer anything but non-committal praise for any musician and music he hears, only
relenting when he extravagantly revels in the music of?surprise!?Charlie Christian.

Luckily Watson hasn't settled for the superficial. Doing his research, he has gone through
masses of published articles and interviewed other observers, including not only Oxley and
Bryars, but also a fan who was at most Joseph Holbrooke gigs. Bailey will probably be
shocked to find the fellow describe the music as "really swinging hard... very powerful like
listening to the [Count] Basie band".

To offer other perspectives on Bailey's sounds, Watson reprints his own and others' reviews
of important Bailey discs and gigs. Though it must be said he seems to prefer those who
praise Bailey rather than those who damn him. Finally, as someone who personally attended
many Company Weeks and was present at many other Bailey playing situations, Watson
offers his own perspective on what did and didn't work in those situations. Again, not
surprisingly though, it most often appears to the author that Bailey's improvisations were the
saving grace in most awkward musical circumstances.
Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation is invaluable for the way in which Watson
situates Bailey's conception and musicality within the worldwide jazz, classical, and pop
scenes of the past 40-odd years. Admirable too is his analysis of the many Bailey projects that
took place while the guitarist was, in Watson's words "waiting for the rest of the world to
catch up". Until someone else with investigative reporting skills and, hopefully no academic or
polemical axes to grind, deals with the other major British Free Music figures in as great
depth, this book will remain a primary source for understanding improvised music from that
country.

Bailey's sometime perverse music and Free Improvisation itself are precious and memorable
for another reason. Watson articulates it at great length near the end of this volume:

"In the late capitalist era, the ability to supply 'quality product' has become the assumed aim of
everyone, from manufacturers of chicken tika to suppliers of industry-friendly graduate
students. The ideology of commodity production means that everything must serve the needs
of the accumulation of capital, or be decried as useless, self-indulgent and anti-social. In such
circumstances, it's no surprise that 'perversity' has become a word for what the bourgeoisie
promised us in its early, heroic, revolutionary epoch: freedom."

Ken Waxman
October 2004
2004, WIRE, September

Words : David Keenan.

Photographs : Jake Walters.

Pages 42 to 49.

On the cover : The Saint goes Marching On.

Q uite a lot of people griping about The Wire here, particularly about them having Derek
Bailey on the cover. My favourite comment came from Dave Stelfox who pointed out
that it needn't be the mirror image of ILM/YourBlogspot to be a worthwhile entity. I
am at sea with the rest of you when it comes to the broad sweep of their coverage. However, I
thought Keenan's Derek Bailey article was great. Bailey comes across as a tremendous
character; never mind opinions of his music:

"The original be-bop was all over the fucking place. They were always falling off a precipice.
You didn't get that in Hard Bop, everyone knew what they were doing. With every music there
is an exciting period when it's coming together and no-one has a clue what it's supposed to
sound like. That's when it's happeneing. And it's authentic. The only way you can get through
stuff is to do it. Once you've learned everything it's over." That's super insight isn't it. And
really applicable to the sceniuses of dance music. It's interesting to note that Bailey thinks
Improv is officially over "so codfied and defined that it's effectively neutered." I'm quite
impressed that Bailey is dedicated to collective playing too, he's apparently not that bothered
who he jams with either as long as they can play their instrument. That runs counter to the
high-snob ethos I've encountered in Improv. Bailey's idealogical rift with Evan Parker seemed
to founder on EP's increasing reluctance to play with others.

And I liked this:

"Bailey is notoriously opposed to saxaphones and saxaophonists. "You cannot play a
saxaphone and make it not sound like jazz," he insists "You simply cannot do it. The guy who
has come nearest to it was Anthony Braxton."

Yes, and further, it's difficult to make the saxaphone sound anything else than deeply dreadful.
If I was doing a list to match Jess's _your favourite sounds in music_ entitled _sounds you
loathe in music_ then I'd put the saxaphone at the top. From "Baker Street", Madness, X-Ray
Spex, The Red Crayola and Eurythmics to 95% of Jazz recordings it's a rubbish instrument in
most people's hands. I have that key Braxton record "For Alto" somewhere, looked for it
forever, and his is indeed an atypical sound.
And again Bailey on Drum and Bass (Was this article a covert stab at Reynolds I ask myself
?!?), particularly on the slightly tepid rhythmic backdrop to his "Guitar, Drums 'N' Bass"
record:

"I would have preferred it if it had been much livelier. Where I live in Hackney is where one
branch of Drum and Bass, when the called it Jungle came up. They had the loudest stations on
my FM band, completely illegal, but they were just down the street from me. So I said to Zorn,
"Listen to this shit" how do you fancy a record?".....He'd never heard it so I sent him a copy
of some of the stuff that I'd taped off the station and he said, Fine. I said "I'll use these local
guys from the radio." And he said, "No you can't, you have to get someone we can hire. I
don't know why. The kids down the street were playing some fantastic shit. Very exciting. I
used to practise with it. That's how I got into it."

Aaah isn't that so sweet! In his late sixties and still rocking the FM dial! Interesting to note
that he WANTED to go with the real thing not the lame copy by Brum's DJ Ninj. Actually I
think Bailey might have been under the impression that the guys on the radio were spinning
their own dubplates, which can only have partially been the case.

And he's always swearing! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucking, fuck. Aah, now I feel much better. Think
I may pick up that "Ballads" CD. Listened to it when it came out and really liked it, but now I
feel I should own a copy.

Posted by Woebot at August 30, 2004 08:41 AM

Somewhere in between / In between1
A film by Pierre Coulibeuf

The experimental film-portrait 'Somewhere in between', a film by Pierre Coulibeuf, is based on

Meg Stuart's creative process. This process starts in real life and moves on to a subjective, mental
level where what has been seen or lived, is reflected and re-interpreted. In the film, Meg Stuart
re-creates the behaviours or gestures of people in everyday life. They are characters in a film,
which balances between humour and gravity. Meg Stuart's imaginations inspired Pierre Coulibeuf
to construct a discontinuous cinematic narrative, as a mental projection.

a film by Pierre Coulibeuf, adapted from a special creation by Meg Stuart

with Meg Stuart
and Michael von der Heide, Christoph Homberger, Christoph Marthaler, Simone
Aughterlony, Graham F. Valentine, Thomas Wodianka, Davis Freeman, Antonija
Livingstone, Benoît Lachambre, Philippe Beloul, Varinia Canto Vila, François Brice, Lilia
Mestre, Ugo Dehaes
music Derek Bailey
image Julien Hirsch
sound Michele Andina, Quentin Jacques
editing Jean Daniel Fernandez Qundez

format 35 mm, colour, Dolby SR

duration 70 minutes

production Chantal Delanoë

co-production Regards Productions (FR), Halolalune Production (B), RBB/ARTE, RTBF,
SF DRS, Mezzo, TV10
with the support of Centre National de la Cinématographie, MEDIA, Ministère des Affaires
étrangères, TV5, Sveriges Television / SVT, NRK Culture, RAISAT, YLE Teema
in collaboration with Damaged Goods

1
In between is the title of the TV version of Somewhere in between.
Pierre Coulibeuf: For me, cinema lies within the mental sphere and, for that reason, I’m
attracted by highly particular places, places that allow me to construct a mental space. So these
are often labyrinthine places, places where one gets lost and identities dissolve. What interested
me with Les Guerriers de la beauté, was to produce metamorphosis, the most profound subject of
Jan Fabre’s work, as well as the very motive of my cinema. In this film, the place continually
changes: the fort has become a heterotopical space, different because worked by cinema: neither
subjugated to its real co-ordinates nor like a utopia. If the site of the film is strange, it’s because I
wanted to create a fantastic place—and at the same time, a very real one. It is an indeterminate
place, as in Lost Paradise, with Jean-Marc Bustamante’s La Maison close in Orléans. The
spectator does not really know where he is—the place he sees has no referent in conventional
reality. That’s what I want to arouse, this ‘undecidability’. In addition, the artists playing their
own role in those places get lost there and, getting lost, they become other, i.e., fictional
characters. Thus my films ask the question: What does it mean to be an artist, a choreographer in
cinema? It is this passage that interests me. In Balkan baroque, Marina Abramovic becomes an
actress, a performer, in a process of continuous splitting that is thoroughly disturbing. As for Meg
Stuart, in the film in progress, her improvisations are inextricably choreographic and cinema. Is
she a choreographer or an actress? Somewhere in between, in point of fact... The shifts of identity
are dizzyingly rapid. Like Marina Abramovic, Meg Stuart merges with this fleeting, uncertain
moment that is rather unstable and where it is (almost) no longer performance or choreography
and (almost) not quite cinema. It’s in this interval, this space—that of the Same and the Other
simultaneously, that of the simulacrum—that cinema constructs itself.
2004, MEANWHILE, BACK IN SHEFFIELD... Discus 21cd (UK) (CD)
(released in 2005)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Mick Beck : tenor sax, bassoon, whistles
Paul Hession : drumset

1. After the Red Deer 32.49

2. Raining 08.23
3. Buckets 11.48

Recorded 27 August 2004 at The Blind Institute, Mappin Street, Sheffield.

A live recording of 'non idiomatic' Derek Bailey's first gig for several years in his home
town. In August 2004 at the invitation of the formidable musical partners Mick Beck
and Paul Hession, Derek Bailey returned to his geographical roots, Sheffield, for a
couple of gigs there, and in Leeds. Bailey now lives most of the time in Barcelona, and
sometimes likes to get away from the heat of its summer. His trip to Yorkshire met this
criterion. Sheffield's meteorological response was dramatic - cold, and so much rain that it
necessitated buckets under a few drips. Possible onomatopoeic resonances from the openings
of tracks two and three can be detected. Fortunately, the Red Deer pub was just round the
corner. Bailey's mainly reflective performance is complemented by Hession's rhythmically
grounded but always creative manipulations of a more or less conventional drum kit, and
Beck's energising explorations with the unusual mediaeval bassoon, along with authoritative
tenor sax, and various inquisitive whistles.
The three tracks, only slightly edited from an excellent recording by Chris Trent, present the
majority of the concert, which was supported by Sheffield's Other Music and staged in the
hall of Sheffield Royal Society of the Blind (a public venue used for a variety of musical
occasions). Despite the rain, and the stageing of the gig in the holiday season, there was a
good audience, whose responses we wish to acknowledge but not to include on the disc.

T here is much less directly jazzy improvisation here than on Marc Ribot's or William
Parker's albums, even though those two look back on musics with strong established
traditions. But, in a more abstract way, the European free-improv scene has a strong
tradition, too: it is now close on 40 years old.

This set represents the return of legendary improv guitarist Derek Bailey to Sheffield at the
invitation of reed-player Mick Beck and drummer Paul Hession in August 2004. Beck's
abstract resources extend to all manner of whistles and squeals, but his tenor-sax playing is a
resourceful development of Evan Parker's, and Hession has as clean, precise and incisive a
take on improv percussion as that scattershot mode of music-making permits. Meanwhile,
Bailey's repertoire of glinting high tones, ambiguous chords and hopping runs is as fiercely
independent as ever.

The title track is a 30-minute evolution through many soundscapes. Raining develops into a
dense ensemble jostle with the raucous entry of Beck's bassoon, and on Buckets, the three
players trade phrases as if hurling a hot coal back and forth. These last two titles celebrate the
apparent passage of the Sheffield rain through the roof - an event sure to convince free-
improvisers that there definitely is a God.

John Fordham. Friday May 20, 2005. The Guardian. ***

From: "Wayne Spencer" <w.spencer@...>

Date: Tue Aug 10, 2004 7:02 pm
Subject: Derek Bailey/Mick Beck/Paul Hession + Sudden Infant + Phil Todd w.spencer@...
Derek Bailey/Mick Beck/Paul Hession + Sudden Infant + Phil Todd
Saturday 21st August 2004
The Termite Club, The Fenton, 161 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 3ED
Doors 8pm, £5/2.50
http://www.qubik.com/termite/events.html

Guitarist Derek Bailey was part of the seminal generation of free improvisers that emerged in
the 1960s. As a member of such ground-breaking groups as Joseph Holbrook (with Tony
Oxley and Gavin Bryars), the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and the Music Improvisation
Company in the late 60s and early 70s, he helped propel improvised music beyond the
boundaries of jazz, and over the course of the ensuing decades his innumerable collaborations
with leading improvisers around the globe and extensive solo work have shown him to be an
iconoclastic player of uncompromising creativity. As the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD puts it,
"A figure of immeasurable importance in contemporary music, Bailey has remained true to a
radical philosophy of improvisation which dispenses with all the conventional parameters of
music: line, rhythm, vertical harmony". On this occasion, his partners are two Yorkshire
players with international reputations for power and subtlety: Paul Hession on drums and
Mike Beck (on bassoon and tenor saxophone).

In their own words, "working in the area of experimental and free music, Sudden Infant is
building up complex noise compositions, using unconventional sound sources, lo-fi
electronics and turntables. Sudden Infant's music has a humorous and highly improvised
character. It's a fragmented field of sound that comes to its own autonomy". For its Termite
Club appearance, the group will consist of Joke Lanz from Schimpfluch-Gruppe on "noise
toys".

Phil Todd is a Leeds-based guitarist with one creative foot in contemporary improvised music
and another firmly planted in the electric swamplands of rock. He is perhaps best known for
his work with Ashtray Navigations.

D erek Bailey can't put a foot wrong these days, but he's often only as interesting as
those he chooses to work with. Back home in Sheffield, he found himself withtwo of
the most sympathetic collaborators he or we could wish for.

Brian Morton, Wire

S till unsettles, still challenges, still demands careful listening, the ghost of a mordant
smil still flickers behind his (Bailey's) interventions.....with partners as powerful as
Beck and Hession".

Barry Withernden, Jazz Review

FRIDAY 20TH AUGUST 2004

DEREK BAILEY : guitar
MICK BECK : bassoon, tenor sax, whistles
PAUL HESSION : drums

Rare visit from one of the giants of the improv world, in various combinations with UK-based
virtuosi.

Blind Institute (SRSB), Mappin Street, Sheffield (West Street Supertram)

8 for 8:30pm, £5/3

T he three players trade phrases as if hurling a hot coal back and forth.

John Fordham, Guardian

B eck's spluttering tenor engages in a comfortable 50 minute dialogue.

Stewart Lee, Sunday Times

L oaded with contrasts and rhythmically diverse articulations. Essential listening for
Bailey’s legion of admirers.

Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz

M EANWHILE, BACK IN SHEFFIELD captures on disc a now-uncommon

occurrence: the first live gig in a decade by that British city’s best-known native
improviser: guitarist Derek Bailey, now a Barcelona-resident. He’s joined by local
Mick Beck on tenor saxophone, whistles and bassoon, and drummer Paul Hession from
Leeds. Both men have played individually with Bailey, but never recorded with him in this
formation. Recorded live – but with audience applause excised – the barely 53 minute
MEANWHILE, BACK IN SHEFFIELD reproduces the concert exactly as it evolved.
Bailey’s hyper-distinctive guitar phrasing is such that while Beck sometimes screams and
squeals through both horns, and Hession unleashes fierce cross-handed textures, the fretman
guides the improvisations. Oh course, whether this happens through tacit musical agreement,
the force of Bailey’s personality or the others’ deference to an elder is open to interpretation.
Showpiece track is “After The Red Deer”, the nearly-33-minute opening salvo. Beginning
with bird-whistle chirps from Beck and understates flams from Hession, it gains its shape
from Bailey’s distinctive strums and string swipes. Soon the saxophonist’s sparrow peeps
swell to crow-like caws as he tops off the body tube with glottal punctuation and tongue-
fluttering. With the drummer limiting himself to nerve beats and wooden concussions, the
guitarist’s irregular patterns, scraping pulsation and quaking reverb match Beck’s spacious
tone expelling, finally diminishing to trilling obbligatos from the reedist and claw-hammer
picking from the guitarist. Asserting himself, Bailey chromatically works his way across his
strings and frets, goading Hession to follow suit with snare press rolls, cymbal slaps and
drumstick-across-the-metal squeaks. Beck’s response in the improvisation’s penultimate
minutes is to bring out his bassoon, showcasing basso quivers, and side-slipping sonority.
Diminishing his own contribution to a dewy mist of spiky notes, the guitarist presages the
ending with highly rhythmic chording. Both other, shorter instant compositions feature more
of the same, with Bailey and Hession sticking to spanked and tapped single note textures.
Meanwhile Beck consolidates his sound, at one point spraying a wailing melody with one
horn as he simultaneously peeps penny-whistle decoration. As a maximalist, his solos often
consumes the entire sonic space.

Ken Waxman, JazzWord

T his is one of those "musician's dream" free for all improvisational free jazz sessions
including an electric guitar, drums, tenor sax, bassoon, and interesting bells and
whistles. It's more music in spirit than in form, but that's the magic of free-form.
Something that wouldn't necessarily be music because of its random nature often takes on a
brand new life when it is surrounded by other wonderful sounds. In this case, I love what
these three guys did. I hear some of the most fruitful experimentation just pouring out of what
they play, what they don't play, and what they create together by not playing together. There's
your subject, now discuss….

Neo-zine
F ree Improv merry-go-rounds, these CDs feature veteran players from the United Kingdom
extending themselves in previously unrecorded trio formations. Oversight and
commitments to other groups are why, after a decade of existence, the fine Free Base trio
debuts on record with THE INS AND OUTS. Conversely, MEANWHILE, BACK IN
SHEFFIELD captures on disc a now-uncommon occurrence: the first live gig in a decade by that
British city’s best-known native improviser: guitarist Derek Bailey, now a Barcelona-resident.
He’s joined by local Mick Beck on tenor saxophone, whistles and bassoon, and drummer Paul
Hession from Leeds. Both men have played individually with Bailey, but never recorded with
him in this formation.

Each player on the other CD has a similar intertwined BritImprov history. After a stint in jazz-
rock drummer Steve Noble was involved in a few of Bailey’s Company Weeks and more recently
played in bassist Simon Fell’s quintet. Fell, Hession and Free Base’s alto and baritone
saxophonist Alan Wilkinson form another longstanding Free Jazz trio. Before that, the ferocious
reed-shredder was in Art Bart & Fargo with Hession and a member of Feetpacket with Beck.
Mario Mattos, who plays bass and electronics in Free Base, is as experienced a player on THE
INS AND OUTS as Bailey is on the other date. The Brazilian-born bassist has worked with every
other musician on both dates in some context or another, while Mattos’ other associations have
ranges from pianist Chris Burn’s Ensemble to sessions with saxophonist George Haslam.

Despite this near incestuous relationship between the trio members, the final CDs are anything
but interchangeable. Again, the divergence arises from the veteran members. Adding his solid
bass work to the coarse textures spewed from Wilkinson’s reeds and the rumble and punch of
Noble’s percussion, Mattos’ presence means that Free Base’s CD leans towards take-no-prisoners
Energy Music. With eight long pieces allowed to germinate during this 72-minute studio session
each player aptly defines his territory.

Recorded live – but with audience applause excised – the barely 53 minute MEANWHILE,
BACK IN SHEFFIELD reproduces the concert exactly as it evolved. Bailey’s hyper-distinctive
guitar phrasing is such that while Beck sometimes screams and squeals through both horns, and
Hession unleashes fierce cross-handed textures, the fretman guides the improvisations. Oh
course, whether this happens through tacit musical agreement, the force of Bailey’s personality or
the others’ deference to an elder is open to interpretation.

Showpiece track is “After The Red Deer”, the nearly-33-minute opening salvo. Beginning with
bird-whistle chirps from Beck and understates flams from Hession, it gains its shape from
Bailey’s distinctive strums and string swipes. Soon the saxophonist’s sparrow peeps swell to
crow-like caws as he tops off the body tube with glottal punctuation and tongue-fluttering. With
the drummer limiting himself to nerve beats and wooden concussions, the guitarist’s irregular
patterns, scraping pulsation andquaking reverb match Beck’s spacious tone expelling, finally
diminishing to trilling obbligatos from the reedist and claw-hammer picking from the guitarist.

Asserting himself, Bailey chromatically works his way across his strings and frets, goading
Hession to follow suit with snare press rolls, cymbal slaps and drumstick-across-the-metal
squeaks. Beck’s response in the improvisation’s penultimate minutes is to bring out his bassoon,
showcasing basso quivers, and side-slipping sonority. Diminishing his own contribution to a
dewy mist of spiky notes, the guitarist presages the ending with highly rhythmic chording. Both
other, shorter instant compositions feature more of the same, with Bailey and Hession sticking to
spanked and tapped single note textures.

Meanwhile Beck consolidates his sound, at one point spraying a wailing melody with one horn as
he simultaneously peeps penny-whistle decoration. As a maximalist, his solos often consumes the
entire sonic space. You might say the same about Wilkinson’s harsh blowing on the other CD.

For instance the almost 131/2-minutes of “Absolute Xero” [sic], finds him spewing out a series of
irregular, nearly reed-melting pitch variations and multiphonic variations. As Noble pounds his
drum tops and exercises the rivets on his pang cymbal, Mattos quickens his pace from slurred
fingering to spiccato tones, eventually resorting to a combination of triple stops and string riffs.
As animalistic cries fly from Wilkinson’s horn, Noble proactively bangs his drum stick together
as if they were castanets and smacks single tones from the cymbals and the wooden parts of his
kit. Appearing to be burrowing ferret-like within the kit, this resolution coupled with the bassist
stretching and scratching his lines sul tasto serves as the climax, with a simple reed timbre as the
coda.

Tunes such as “I Wak [sic] On (for John Lester)” and “Sortie” – unsurprisingly the final number
– show off the Free Jazz-oriented disparity between Free Base’s conception and Bailey, Beck and
Hession’s model. The former begins with a single boppish whack from Noble and swamping bass
runs from Mattos, which sets up distinctive sonorous coloring from Wilkinson’s baritone.
Initially favoring a legato approach to the larger horn, eventually Wilkinson turns to reed-biting
in false registers and bell-muting stops. Measured panting grunts that seem to emanate from his
horn’s bow rather than the mouthpiece, allows him to he produce two different reed textures and
a satisfactory climax. Rubato low-pitched horn obbligatos that despite extended timbres almost
sound Mainstream characterize “Sortie”. Could the saxman have internalized Gerry Mulligan’s
smoothness? Behind him Noble pops his toms and vibrates cymbal tops as Mattos quietly plucks
his base. Then as the tonal centre shifts, the reed lines shatter, side-slip and smear. Sul ponticello
sweeps and drum beats delivered with strength and passion are the responses of the other two.

Conclusive penny whistle-like shrills from the saxophonist, a rare dip into electronic pulses from
the bassist, and bravura floor tom ruffs and constant cymbal pounding combine for a concluding
crescendo.

Many improvisers from the United Kingdom are interconnected through similar playing
experiences. Yet these CDs prove that when it comes tofree sounds different groups easily create
textures as distinctive as the country’s topography.

Ken Waxman, December 5, 2005

Photos by David Clayton taken during the recording of MEANWHILE,
BACK IN SHEFFIELD.
2004, HAUNTED WEATHER, MUSIC, SILENCE AND MEMORY,
Staubgold

Book by David Toop and 2 CD of various artists.

CD 1 - Haunted
1. Christian Marclay - Jukebox Capriccio 3:06
Taken from the album Records (Atavistic, alp62cd)
2. Oval - 8. 2:59
Taken from the album Ovalcommers (Thrill Jockey, thrill 103)
3. Matmos - l.a.s.i.k. 3:52
Taken from the album A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure (Matador, OLE-489 2)
4. Terre Thaemlitz - Resistance to Change Parts 2 & 3 4:04
Taken from the album Means from an End (Mille Plateaux, MP CD 44)
5. Janet Cardiff - The Missing Voice (excerpt) 5:01
Taken from the publication The Missing Voice (Case Study B) (Artangel)
6. Peter Cusack - Flight Path Trace 2:48
Taken from the album The Horse Was Alive the Cow Was Dead (LMC, RES
WOSM1)
7. Yuko Nexus6 - J'adore la Boucle #1/Berlin 1936 4:37
Taken from the album Journal de Tokyo (Sonore, SON-18)
8. Sarah Peebles - Three Active Serves 2:29
Taken from the enhanced CD 108: Walking through Tokyo at the Turn of the Century
(Post-Concrete, P0ST004)
9. Haco - Start Up + No Wave 4:42
Taken from Improvised Music from Japan 2002-2003
(Improvised Music from Japan, IMJ-301)
10. Otomo Yoshihide, Sachiko M, and Günter Müller - Filament 2-5 4:55
Taken from the album Filament 2 (For 4 Ears, CD 1031)
11. Alvin Lucier - Sferics (excerpt) 3:02
Taken from the album Sferics (Lovely Music, LP 1017)
12. Evan Parker - Line 3 (excerpt) 4:44
Taken from the album Lines Burnt in Light (Psi, psi 01.01)
13. Max Eastley and David Toop - Eyelash Turned Inwards 3:16
Taken from the album Doll Creature (BiP_HOp, bleep 25)
14. Tetuzi Akiyama, Toshimaru Nakamura, Taku Sugimoto, and Mark Wastell –
First Fold (excerpt) 5:19
Taken from the alubm Foldings (Confront, 12)
15. Spontaneous Music Ensemble (John Stevens, Nigel Coombes,
Roger Smith, and Colin Wood) –
The Only Geezer an American Shot Was Anton Webern (excerpt) 6:03
Taken from the album Low Profile (Emanem, 4031)
16. Tacita Dean - Aden, Yemen 4am 4:15
Taken from the work Juke Box
17. John Oswald - Lune 2:28
Taken from the album Plunderphonics 69/96 (Seeland, SEE 515CD)
18. Yurihito Watanabe - The Door Practice: Summer Solstice 5:00
Taken from the album Mille Comédies: le Double Inaudible (Airplane, AP1015)

CD 2 - Weather
1. Autechre - Parhelic Triangle 6:04
Taken from the album Confeild (Warp, WARPCD128)
2. Christian Fennesz - Caecilia 3:48
Taken from the album Endless Summer (Mego, 035)
3. Ryoji Ikeda - C7 :: Continuum 5:25
Taken from the album 0°C (Touch, TO:38)
4. Derek Bailey and John Stevens - Reflecters 5:25
Taken from the album Playing (Incus, CD14)
5. Akio Suzuki - Analapos 6:04
Previously unreleased
Recorded by Akinori Yamasaki at Fossil Studio, Tango, Japan, 2003
6. Chris Watson - Vatnajökull (excerpt) 4:56
Taken from the album Weather Report (Touch, TO:47)

7. Pan Sonic - Maa 6:16

Taken from the album A (Blast First, BFFP149CD)

8. John Butcher - Swan Style 3:31

Taken from the album Invisible Ear (Fringes, 12)
9. Kaffe Matthews - Clean Tone Falling (excerpt) 5:31
Taken from the album CD Eb + Flo (Annette Works, Awcd0005-6)
10. Toshiya Tsunoda - Bottle at Park 4:30
Taken from the album The Air Vibration inside a Hollow (Häpna)
11. Taku Sugimoto - Dotted Music No. 1 3:16
Taken from the album Chamber Music (Bottrop-Boy, B-BOY 019)
12. David Cunningham - Two Listening Rooms/Birmingham (excerpt) 3:05
Previously unreleased
Recorded at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK, November 7, 2003
13. Carsten Nicolai and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Duoon 5:40
Taken from the album Vrioon (raster-noton, r-n 50)
14. Keith Rowe and John Tilbury - Cathnor (excerpt) 5:54
Taken from the album Duos for Doris (Erstwhile, 030-2)
15. Jem Finer - Longplayer 13.2.2003 (excerpt) 4:27
Previously unreleased

Curated by David Toop as an audio version of his book, Haunted Weather: Music, Silence
and Memory

Mastered by Dominique Brethes at Wolf Studios, London

Artwork and design by Russell Mills

Includes liner notes in English by David Toop

Japanese release includes liner notes by David Toop in English and Japanese (translation:
Hashim Bharoocha) and by Minoru Hatanaka in Japanese

Released in April 2004 by Staubgold

Released in May 2004 by Headz

I read much of Haunted Weather on holiday, on an apartment balcony overlooking the

kind of Costa del Sol villa-sprawl that provided the setting for J G Ballard's Cocaine
Nights. It's possible to read Haunted Weather through Ballardian spectacles: the latter's
coining of phrases like "the marriage of Freud and Euclid" and "a Krafft-Ebing of geometry
and posture"(both from The Atrocity Exhibition) could apply as a synopsis of Toop's concern
with spatial and uncanny qualities of music, its root in our relation to our own bodies.

Haunted Weather is the latest in David Toop's reports from the sub-culture of improvised
music and sound art. Ocean of Sound, his cultural geography of ambient music, is its closest
precedent and relation. The new book focuses on "the way technology changes our
relationship to the body", arguing that "digital communications have pitched the idea of space
into confusion, so the relationship of sound to space has become an immensely creative field
of research". It cares simultaneously for what could be called the essence of music qua music,
and for how sound provides context for image and environment. Toop's approach weaves
together his musings on theory with critiques of disparate artists from Toru Takemitsu and
Akira Kurosawa through Morton Feldman to Derek Bailey and Pan Sonic.

The back cover of Haunted Weather claims that it "gauges the impact of new technology on
contemporary music" but anyone expecting a broad overview of trends and their projections
would probably finish the book disappointed. At times, the book does adopt the approach of
many a lay science/tech book(like, say, Smart Mobs) in drawing together the work and quotes
of a range of practitioners working in related areas. This works well for the chapter on
generative music. But Toop eschews the sense of cumulation or progress you would get from
a 'straight' study. He mixes sections of exposition with autobiographical reminiscence,
portraits and esoteric history.

This oblique and variegated approach makes, predictably, for a curate's egg. I feel I understand
Feldman and Takemitsu much better now. Toop's conversation with Derek Bailey shows great
humour, and the many references to John Stevens constitute a moving eulogy to this mentor
of Toop's. Meanwhile the book offers few fresh insights in its treatments of John Oswald and
Christian Marclay. Toop enlightens us by showing that it wasn't only the avant-garde that
paved the way for sampling as we know it: the precedents in 'low' culture and novelty records
showed just as many innovations. His passage on the common &mdash; though unlikely
&mdash; threads between Pan Sonic and rockabilly is intriguing but frustrates when the
chapter ends suddenly just as the comparison was starting to build up steam.

"...David Toop has been compared to Brian Eno" reads some of the Haunted Weather
publicity. It's probably unkind to suggest a hint a jealousy in this, as in wishing for Eno's
money and profile. Why isn't David Toop presenting the Turner Prize or being listed by
Prospect Magazine as one of Britain's top 100 public intellectuals, like Eno? Largely because
he's aiming at a narrower audience, writing more for his peers than for a broader public.
There's nothing wrong with that in itself, but sometimes you feel that Toop's vision is
restricted by an in-group set of judgements and references. For example: the literary
references are to W G Sebald and Iain Sinclair; the cultural politics are situationism and
Naomi Klein's anti-corporate globalisation. I have a hunch that these reference points will
make Haunted Weather date quickly, and that Toop would be better served by Eno's more
catholic (if less oppositional) network of influences.

Toop has a sharp critical faculty that he's not afraid to use, as when he writes of "the
experiments of the 1960s when the excitement of process and change could obscure the
imperatives of making music that was worth a second listen." But his non-linear technique
denies him the possibility of developing a sustained critical analysis. I also wish he would
extend his radar beyond the canon that has been defined by The Wire, supplemented by a few
idiosyncratic selections. What does Toop think are the important failures and wrong turnings
in ambient and experimental music? I'd love to know what how he assesses the work of
someone like Todd Machover whose experiments with digital communications and music
grow out of the traditions of the academy.
On page 4 of the book, David Toop writes "trying to listen to everything has almost destroyed
my desire to listen to anything". The low cost of recording and distributing music has vastly
increased the amount of music available on what were the non-commercial fringes. I don't try
to listen to everything, but even I find the quality of my listening affected, possibly
irreversibly, by the sheer quantity of new stuff to keep up with. Toop does not deliver any
resolution of this or other quandaries, but he's not intimidated by confusion, and perhaps his
circuitous technique is a suitable means of expressing it.

When I was about half way through Haunted Weather I had a dream where as part of an
audition or assessment I had to do a reading to a panel that included David Toop. As I am a
confident reader I had no fears, but as I started to read the newspaper article given to me, I
quickly realised that the reading made no sense without the photograph that went with it. I
tried to 'read' the photograph, but how? Should I read each blade of grass in the picture left to
right? Then how would I deal with the tree that punctuated the lawn? Painfully aware that I had
made a wrong turn into a dead end, I reverted to the text. But by now my fluency was
irrecoverable, and I sputtered to a stop.

Posted by David Jennings on 4 July 02004

F ollowing on from the publication of the ground breaking Ocean Of Sound and
Exotica, Haunted Weather: Music, Silence And Memory is the latest book by David
Toop to map the state of contemporary music making. The book, which is published
by Serpent's Tail, explores how new technologies have changed the ways music is perceived,
stored, distributed, consumed and created. A sonic travelogue, recording the ways people work
with and experience sound in the 21st century, Haunted Weather goes deep into the realms of
digital music, performance and technology, from laptop bars to urban soundscaping, and
emerges with suggestions for new ways of listening to the world.

To coincide with the publication of the book, the Staubgold label has released a double CD,
also titled Haunted Weather, which has been compiled by David Toop and contains tracks by
many of the musicians and artists discussed in the book, including Christian Marclay, Oval,
Matmos, Terre Thaemlitz, Janet Cardiff, Peter Cusack, Yuko Nexus6, Sarah Peebles, Haco,
Otomo Yoshihide/Sachiko M/G¸nter M¸ller, Alvin Lucier, Evan Parker, Max Eastley/David
Toop, Tetuzi Akiyama/Toshimaru Nakamura/Taku Sugimoto/Mark Wastell, Spontaneous
Music Ensemble, Tacita Dean, John Oswald, Yurihito Watanabe, Autechre, Fennesz, Ryoji
Ikeda, Derek Bailey/John Stevens, Akio Suzuki, Chris Watson, Pan Sonic, John Butcher,
Kaffe Matthews, Toshiya Tsunoda, Taku Sugimoto, David Cunningham, Carsten
Nicolai/Ryuichi Sakamoto, Keith Rowe/ John Tilbury and Jem Finer.

In the shops, the book will cost £12.99, while the double CD will sell for £14.99. But
subscribers to The Wire can get copies of both the book and CD together for the special price
of just £20 in the UK and Europe, £22 in the USA, Canada and the Rest of the World. NB
These prices include postage and packing.

Orders should be made direct to Serpent's Tail NOT The Wire. This offer is only open to
subscribers to The Wire. You will need to quote your subscription number when ordering.

D avid Toop has written a number of interesting books on a wide variety of musical
styles, including rap, exotica, and ambient. His latest book, Haunted Weather:
Music, Silence, and Memory, examines the musical realm that the BBC's web site
has (more or less) accurately termed "experimental." This is a broad term, indeed, covering as
it does academic compositions, field recordings, and about seventeen different varieties of
electronic music (not to mention stuff that, as yet, has found no categorization). But one of
Toop's gifts as a writer is his ability to ignore the categorizations that generally dominate most
music journalism and to focus instead on describing and exploring the music itself. The music
he examines in this book--and which forms the core of the companion CD collection--is
remarkably diverse, from the digital cut up experiments of Oval to field recordings of water
dripping into a buried bowl, but each work, in Toop's words, attempts "to articulate new
responses to the dramas of social change, technological shifts and upheavals in how to make,
how to show, how to hear with clarity, how to remember, how to move around, how to
maintain poise in a world gone crazy with commercial and informational delirium."

Toop's book is, basically, exploring how technology and information have altered modern life
and modern thought in ways that most people probably don't even realize. Of course, lots of
writers have covered this ground to death. What makes Toop's book different is that he isn't
interested in exploring the problems of modern life; he is, rather, interested in exploring how
musicians have used those problems as creative inspiration. The book, then, is really a travel
narrative through the musical world of the early 21st century, with an emphasis on artists who
are devising new and interesting ways to explore the sounds, memories, and even the silences
of modern life.

To read Toop's book is to gain a rich appreciation for the absolute torrent of interesting,
creative work that has emerged in the digital age. Toop travels all over the world, from Japan to
California to London to South America to Africa to the Middle East and back again, and in
each place he encounters yet another artist doing something absolutely original and absolutely
amazing. And it's these very artists and their interesting, original work that comprise this CD
collection. Granted, some of this work will already be familiar to you. What electronic fan
hasn't heard Fennesz's "Caecillia," from his Endless Summer album? For that matter, what
Chris Watson fan won't know his wonderful field recording from Iceland's Vatnaj_kull? But
this work's true strength is its eclecticism. Sure, you know Autechre "Parhelic Triangle," but
do you know Janet Cardiff's "The Missing Voice"? It's a field recording created for a walking
tour of London's East End. You might know Pan Sonic's "Maa" (from A), but do you know
Toshiya Tsunoda's "Bottle at Park," an amazing recording of eerie whispers and hollowed-out
buzzing made by placing a microphone inside a bottle and leaving it in a park? Or how about
the echoing, mist-filled drones of Yurihito Watanabe's "The Door Practice: Summer
Solstice"?

I could go on and on describing the many fascinating, unusual, surreal, frightening, and
imaginative works that form the bulk of this collection. There are lots of field recordings
(which I, personally, love), many electronic works, some free jazz and improvisation pieces,
some sound installation excerpts, and a whole bunch of music that cannot possibly be
categorized. Normally, throwing so much variety into a single collection isn't a good idea. The
different sounds usually don't mesh together, and the end result is often a fragmented,
disjointed mess. Not here, however. The music has been intelligently ordered and mixed to
resemble a mix CD (so one work overlaps the next). The result is less a collection of tracks
and more a single entity. But, really, the reason this collection works is that it perfectly
complements Toop's book. Let's face it: writing about music is never as satisfying as listening
to music. No matter how eloquent Toop's description of Derek Bailey's experiments might be,
it's much more interesting to hear those experiments for yourself. Hence, I think this
collection is utterly essential for those who want to read Toop's book.

But even if you don't want to read the book, this is still a collection worth buying as it houses
some excellent recordings from a variety of artists, many of whom you have probably never
heard of. I'd never heard of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Peter Cusack, or Tacita Dean,
and if I hadn't bought this CD, I would have missed out on some amazing music.
Haunted Sublimity
By Ben Watson

Ben Watson scratches deep into David Toop’s candy-coated history of 20th century music, Haunted
Weather: Music , Silence and Memory

For several years, David Toop wrote a column for The Wire magazine, and he writes like a columnist:
casual, personable, rambling. His previous book, Ocean of Sound, was about Ambient, and bannered a
pop/avant pantheon on the back (Sun Ra, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Lee Perry, Kate Bush, Ryuichi
Sakamoto, Aphex Twin, Brian Wilson). This one doesn’t say who’s onboard, but promises to answer
deeper questions: ’Is it possible to grow electronic sounds?’ and ’Can the resonance of a room be
played like an instrument?’. On the back, there’s praise for Ocean of Sound from the broadsheets. The
quotes have the sound of relief about them: at last, they imply, someone’s explained what all that
avant-garde/experimental/incomprehensible stuff is about. ’Dive into it too recklessly,’ warns The
Independent on Sunday, ’and there is a slight risk of drowning, but let it lie around the house a while
and it will seep into your brain by osmosis’. In this sense, Toop’s lightweight methodology is
unimpeachable. Any criticism will sound churlish, protectionist, elitist.

Toop pulls the right levers: the rhizomes of Deleuze and Guattari, the joy of Zen gardens, Apple logos
shining from laptops. Here the history of 20th century music is a treasure chest, a horde of wonders.
The avant-garde, so long a byword for aural pain and laughable irrelevance, is suddenly sexy. Chapter
headings are theory driven rather than fan oriented: ’space and memory’, ’sampling the world’,
’growth and complexity’, ’to play’, ’machines and bodies’. However, Toop is no theorist, and skips
among other people’s ideas like a child on a pebble beach: small objects of fascination are quickly
dropped for others. He begins with John Cage’s experience in an anechoic chamber – he heard the
sound of his own body – and free associates from there to various sound installations, concerts and
books. Emails from friends are recycled, the kind of stuff we expect from tourists: ’I like to see
changing view of landscape through a window of a train or an airplane. Especially, the view from
airplane is wonderful.’ (Yoshio Machida)

Something vanishes with tourism: a place’s politics and social tensions. Likewise, the real structuring
problems of modern music are blithely ignored. After 20 pages, Toop’s chatty positivism becomes
cloying, as if he’s simply too blissed-out to do any research, think something through, stick to a
subject. Everything is reduced to chats with Eno on the mobile, an email from Björk, contemplating
blackbirds in his Japanese garden.

Rather than simply complacent, Toop’s politics are left-liberal. He registers skepticism about the
exaggerated mysticism of some musicians, notes when ’marxists’ make protests, feels discomfort
when ethnic musicians perform in western concert spaces, suddenly explodes with indignation that
Van Morrison is honoured above the lead singer from the O’Jays. Yet when he quotes Iain Sinclair
from Lights Out for the Territory (lines about the ’money lake’ of the City), one is startled by the
anger, cuttingness and reality of Sinclair’s words. Obviously, tour guides aren’t supposed to be
polemical, but Toop’s cosiness becomes suffocating, as if the whole world only exists to be
reproduced sonically in a safe domestic haven (also, where’s lust and desire? Haunted Weather must
be the most sexless book on music ever written).

Well, nothing wrong with Mantovani and Nat King Cole and cocoa and slippers. They have their
functions. What is weird is the artists Toop chooses to paint his cosy world picture. A page count
reveals the hierarchy beneath Toop’s rhizomatic sprawl: John Cage (27); Toru Takemitsu (20); Derek
Bailey, John Stevens (16); Christian Marclay (12); Brian Eno (9); AMM, Eddie Prévost, Morton

1
Feldman, R. Murray Schafer, John Zorn (7); Masaki Kobayashi, Evan Parker, Marcel Duchamp (6).
Toop himself is a high flyer: Thames Festival and Whitney Biennale commissions, Millennium Dome
think tanks, curating Sonic Boom at the Hayward (sponsored by Ford). He tracks the technological
cutting edge: USA, UK and Japan are the obvious sites. So no surprise that Cage and Takemitsu, the
USA and Japan’s most famous 20th century composers, top the list. But who represents the UK?
Derek Bailey and John Stevens? You can hear the cry ’But who the fuck are they?’ ringing down the
corridors of Broadcasting House. The unique British class system – a moronic ruling class with no
culture except memories of Empire and Elgar, and a working class with an exceptional input on global
rock and pop – leaves its quaint imprint.

Stevens and Bailey, working class and proud of it, are the founders of Free Improvisation – a name for
site-specific, real-time music making which bucked every tenet of art-world postmodernism in the ’80s
and ’90s. Just when concepts of simulacrum, computerisation and commercial collusion swept the art
schools, Free Improvisation vaunted craftsmanship and actuality – plus extraordinary disdain for
commercial or institutional recognition. Free improvisers like Bailey and Stevens developed new,
highly idiosyncratic languages on their instruments. Bailey used electricity, Stevens didn’t: neither
cared what instrument their collaborators played (trombone or broken hi-fi set, sampler or naked
voice) as long as they could control their sound, keep it lively, responsive, interesting. Modernist
’difficulty’ migrated from the salons of Vienna to upstairs rooms in city pubs. While Minimalism and
’accessibility’ swept the board in the academy, musicians outside made a virtue of the opposite:
collective interaction, contingency, virtuosity, the unrepeatable.

The fact that Free Improvisation - that most prickly and demanding of musical activities - should
figure in Toop’s book is partly to do with his background. A refugee from Hornsey Art College,
collecting glasses at the Roundhouse, he and Paul Burwell needed a gig. In 1971, Stevens gave them
one at the legendary Little Theatre Club in Garrick Yard. Toop admits that as an improvising guitarist
he was no contender, but he loved the experimental, untheorised, practical approach. Toop also loved
pop, and looked longingly at the exposure and sales granted to pop acts. Having written a book on
Rap, in the ’90s Toop was intrigued by Ambient and laptop musics (what Bailey disparagingly calls
’lounge electronica’) which appear to be giving Improvisation a new lease of life. He admits that a gig
he was involved in at the Spitz, which sought to combine veteran improvisers and the new
experimenters, was a fiasco. Following Cage, Toop naturalises sound (’wake up and listen to the
breeze in the leaves ...’), indulging precisely the species of asocial and unhistorical fetishism criticised
by Adorno. Therefore he cannot achieve the socialist explanation of the Spitz fiasco: Free
Improvisation is a revolt against pre-recorded sound management, and off-the-peg laptop software
(’triggering samples’) is a managerial tool.

Although Derek Bailey and John Stevens feature in Haunted Weather as if they’re national figureheads
like Cage and Takemitsu, Toop can’t explain why they’ve worked all their lives beneath the radar of
establishment recognition. Maybe it’s because they play music rather than ’compose’ it, and in so
doing rediscovered – in a practical way – Adorno’s thesis: that far from guaranteeing a shared
vocabulary, a ’community of sound’, bourgeois musical parameters (the tempered system, imposed
abstract tempo, depersonalised musicianship) are obstacles to musical communication. The players’
modernism of Bailey and Stevens – from quite an unexpected angle – confirms Adorno’s musical
Marxism.

Technological fetishism is a ready means for recuperation of avant-gardes. Cubists and Futurists are
equated with designers of Art Deco lamps and wind-up gramophones. Ignoring the fact that samplers
and software encode and impose the parameters of Western music, the 20th century musical
avant-garde is narrated as a dialogue with the machine. This is music understood like the history of
automobile manufacture (remember who sponsored Sonic Boom?), a gradual ’ascent’ to the prone

2
posture of the ’comfortable’ consumer (as Devo would put it). Toop’s techno-fetishism prevents him
understanding the real history of the 20th century: a struggle between the collective possibilities
brought about by socialised production and the ideology of the family and nation state. The sound of
this struggle is far more interesting than that of mere technological advance.

The surprise is that Toop remains aware enough of objective musical values to move on from Ambient
and pay attention to Free Improvisation, for which consumer gadgetry (unless obsolescent, dirt cheap
and therefore surreal) is anathema. As usual, the bland, blind sublimity of ’curatorship’ – that weasel
word for buying in the labour of others – is haunted by the social actuality of production. Toop’s book
will appeal to working musicians much less than listeners. a

Haunted Weather: Music, Silence and Memory, David Toop, London: Serpent’s Tail, 2004 £14.99

Ben Watson runs

http://www.militantesthetix.co.uk with Esther Leslie, and has just published Derek Bailey & the Story
of Free Improvisation (Verso)

3
2004, CECIL TAYLOR, ALL THE NOTES, (USA) (DVD)

A video biography of Cecil Taylor

With:

Billy Bang
Derek Bailey
Amiri Braka
Elvin Jones
Nathaniel Mackey
Mal Waldron
Al Young

A film by Christopher Felver.

Director's cut. 73 minutes.

2004, MY FAVORITE STRINGS, Isinaz 1002 (Italy ?) (CD)
(released in 2004)

Luciano Margorani in fourteen mostly guitar duets with : Derek Bailey, Elliott Sharp, Henry
Kaiser, Eugene Chadbourne, Nick Didkovsky, Davey Williams, Waedi Gysi, Mike Johnson
(Thinking Plague), Roberto Zorzi, Franco Fabri [the known pickers] and [the lesser known]
Angelo Avogadri, Giorgio Casadel, Roberto Zanisi and Frank Crijns. Luciano plays acoustic
and electric guitars, samples, loops, zurna (double reed?) and assorted objects.

What he has done is take 14 solo guitar or bass improvisations from each of the players
involved, sent through the mail and then reconstruct pieces by adding or layering his own
playing or processing.

The pieces were recorded over four years (1999-2000), except for the Derek Bailey improv
that came from 1991.

uciano does a fabulous job of framing or placing each solo within a structure of some

T sort by adding a bass line, rhythm sample and/or snippets/solo of other guitar parts.
In many ways this sounds like a great solo effort, since the pieces are so focused and
seamlessly connected, but never too busy or dense. A number of these guitarists, including
Luciano himself, sound influenced by Fred Frith, so Fred's older sustain tone hovers like a
great smiling ghost above the rest of the collection. Speaking of Fred Frith, Luciano covers an
incredibly rare Henry Cow (Fred's old band) song called "Would You Prefer Us to Lie?",
which was never officially released by the band, as a bonus track and it is done with taste and
care. A few of these tracks feature some melting, warped guitars, but never go on for too long
after they've established a thoughtful mood or setting. Very well done throughout and
certainly a must for all experimental guitar fan-addicts. Check out the review in the Wire, if
you require further proof.

A guitar player and "instant composer", the forty-something Luciano Margorani has
been professionally active since the eighties, first with the "Rock In Opposition"
group called La1919, then as a solo artist. Maybe given the present times - which
could be charitably defined as being "not very favourable" to the kind of music he plays - he
has decided to stick to a CD-R-based, home-made label, BoZo. Which is a pity, really, since
an album like Solo Concert, which he released last year - simplifying a bit: echoes of Fred
Frith, a homage to Phil Manzanera, a pinch of Fripp - would have deserved many more
reviews than those made possible by its "virtual" status.

A problem that should not apply to My Favorite Strings, an album of duos that's at times quite
brilliant. These are long-distance collaborations with guitar players who are stylistically quite
diverse - and the fact that the album sounds good as a whole, as a listening experience, speaks
volumes about the many virtues of Margorani, some of which are maybe not so apparent at
first (besides playing an assortment of guitars, Margorani is also featured on basses, loops,
sampled drums and various devices).

My Favorite Strings could in a way be said to be the sequel - the Volume 4 - to the Fred Frith-
initiated series called Guitar Solos, which was for many a revelation when it comes to names
and approaches way off the beaten path. Here the list of participants is long and prestigious:
we have historic names like Derek Bailey and, from the U.S.A., Eugene Chadbourne, Davey
Williams, Elliott Sharp, Henry Kaiser; we have Nick Didkovsky of Doctor Nerve and Mike
Johnson of Thinking Plague; Wädi Gysi from Switzerland; and from Holland, Frank Crijns
of Blast. There's a little group of Italian colleagues: Angelo Avogadri, Giorgio Casadei, Franco
Fabbri, Roberto Zanisi, Roberto Zorzi. In truth, I think that some cuts that seem to go nowhere
in particular - for instance, Astéroïde B 612 and Jimmy Il Fenomeno - would have been better
left on the cutting floor, since they could bore the listener, usually not very keen when it comes
to the "miscellaneous CD" category.

And that should be a pity, since this album has many winning tracks. Starting with its literal
starting point, A Little Walk With Tomba, with an exuberant performance by Gysi. The
rhythmically jumpy Incontri Casuali, with Crijns, is quite beautiful. Also beautiful are the
Frithian arias of Sogni Ad Occhi Aperti, with Avogadri. It's quite easy to find traces of
Chadbourne in The King Of Parmesan and of Mike Johnson in the post-prog of City Circus.
An elaboration of a track by Derek Bailey that had already been released on Solo Guitar
Improvisations, Vol. 2 (1992), Mr. Jack Russell easily demonstrates Margorani's musicality:
here he brings to the surface some harmonizations and counterpoints that were potentially
implicit (can we say "present in absentia"?) in the original guitar solo - which I obviously had
fun listening to again after listening to this version. I'd call Didkovsky's contribution on Half
Awake, Half Asleep "quite stimulating, of course".

Closing the CD, as a bonus track, we have Would You Prefer Us To Lie? - a song written by
Chris Cutler and John Greaves that Henry Cow had played live in 1977-78 but which is still
unreleased on record. Here Margorani plays all the instruments, while the vocals (in a way
quite reminiscent of Dagmar Krause) are by Carla Sanguineti.

© Beppe Colli 2004

CloudsandClocks.net | April 6, 2004

T ui suona la chitarra ma, insomma, ciò che ne viene fuori non è proprio quello che ci si
aspetta da un chitarrista normale. Il suono delle sue canzoni, che poi non sono
neanche canzoni, è storto, angolare, bislacco, contorto. Sembra venga da chissà dove,
invece che da una chitarra. Mah.

Luciano Margorani brilla. Brilla per la sua assenza testarda dalle scene musicali (da tutte) e
per la sua lontananza dai “giri” (da tutti), e non perché preferisca rintanarsi nel suo
monolocale in cima alla torre, quanto per quel suo sentirsi a disagio nei salotti con la bella
gente che tutto conosce e tutto ha già sentito. Brilla, Luciano. Brilla per i salti mortali di genio
delle sue registrazioni che rende pubbliche solo raramente, quasi fossero profezie, o stelle
comete: è uno di quelli che bisogna cercare, e che non si fanno trovare dove te li aspetteresti.

Prendiamo adesso questo suo lavoro recente; senza contare un incredibile cd-rom dal vivo
autoprodotto e casalingo e mai circolato al di sopra dell'orizzonte, l’altro suo cd da solista
Home recording is killing studios mi sembra sia uscito nell’89, e sono di prima ancora gli
album del suo gruppo LA1919 (magari qualcuno dalla memoria lunga si ricorda dei loro nodi
sonori inestricabili su F/Ear this!).

My favorite strings è un titolo che accarezza Coltrane per abbandonarlo subito dopo su una
piazzola dell’autostrada, titolo divertente e irrispettoso appiccicato a un cd anche questo
introvabile nei negozi soliti.

È il documento di quattordici diverse collaborazioni più o meno a distanza, definibili come

rimaneggiamenti e rimescolamenti incrociati ad opera di Luciano e di un diverso compagno di
chitarre, da Franco Fabbri ad Elliot Sharp, da Eugene Chadbourne a Roberto Zorzi più altri
dieci.

Come dire, alcune tra le dita migliori che abbiano mai accarezzato/strappato/amato/pestato
corde in quest’ultimo quarto di secolo (manca solo Fred Frith… però peggio per lui).
Il progetto, di una semplicità organizzativa disarmante, in altre mani potrebbe rischiare di
trasformarsi in un becero dépliant d’agenzia immobiliare, o in un sampler da palestra con
trionfo di bicipiti e abbronzature artificiali.

Per sua e soprattutto nostra fortuna, invece, il Luciano Margorani non ci casca, e offre musica
come offrisse cibo ai suoi amici, che in cambio gli hanno offerto sorridendo altra musica-
come-cibo: la loro. Il risultato è, più che luminoso, abbagliante.

Finché non lo ascolterete, vi lascio solo immaginare la gioia pura che si prova ad accorgersi di
tutti questi nuovi riflessi, di tutte queste nuove onde del suono. Da questo cd escono spettri,
fumi, risate (molte), macerie e finalmente musiche nuove e distanti.

Immaginate il Grande Vecchio Derek Bailey trattato da compagno di briscola invece che da
santino col lumino acceso davanti. Immaginate chitarre con la voce di scoiattolo, di giornata
libera, di nebbia in Valpadana. Immaginate tutto questo come un grande gioco di scambi ed
abbracci che porta divertimento e spalanca le finestre della mente e vi cambia l’aria ferma in
testa.

Voi, che amate ascoltare i chitarristi: dopo una sola dose di questa musica dimenticherete Eric
Clapton e come-si-chiama-quello-lì-dei-Dire-Straits… (ecco, dimenticato: ve l’avevo detto).
Cercate questo cd come si cerca il mattino dopo una notte nera lunga quindici anni (contatti:
Luciano Margorani, corso 22 Marzo, 61 20129 Milano).

Marco Pandin

L avoro di sovrapposizioni e stratificazioni quello di Luciano Margorani (area post-

progressive milanese, già chitarrista di La1919), che con questo My Favorite Strings
probabilmente corona il sogno di ogni musicista serio: quello di poter suonare in duo
con i propri musicisti di riferimento. In questo caso stiamo parlando di chitarristi e di rango
molto elevato. Estrapoliamo dall'elenco: Derek Bailey, Nick Didkovsky, Elliott Sharp, Franco
Fabbri, Eugene Chadbourne, Frank Crijns, Mike Johnson, Henry Kaiser, tanto per limitarci ai
più noti. L'idea del progetto è semplice ed economica: contattare le proprie corde preferite,
scambiarsi i pezzi via mail, sovrapporre le tracce e, attraverso un rapido feedback, remixare il
tutto per farne un disco. L'effetto volutamente posticcio sembra porgere il destro alla
consuetudine delle produzioni virtuali, tuttavia l'idea regge in tutti quindici i brani per merito
anche di una non pianificata legge di compensazione che determina un ordine inconscio. Ci
riferiamo a una sottile dialettica che si determina all'interno della maggioranza dei duetti. Là
dove il chitarrista di riferimento suona sporco e informale, scatta un istinto di forma e pulizia,
come nel caso del duo con Chadbourne (al solito scazzato e pasticcione), in cui Margorani
tesse trame ordinate con giri di basso quadrati e drumloop in 4/4. In altri casi ci si perde in un
totale deriva tecnologica, spesso asettica tra delay e harmonizer, ecco allora scattare un forte
istinto vintage per rafforzare il contrasto analogico/digitale.

L'atmosfera generale del lavoro incontra a quell'aura art-rock di nobile lignaggio: pur
mancando dal progetto, c'è molto Fred Frith (chissà, forse non ha dato la propria
disponibilità...), ma anche un po' di Mike Oldfield (quello Virgin, sovrappositore di intere
orchestre) e una diffusa trasversalità che accomuna drum'n'bass, impro ed elettronica ambient.
Un'aria "Recommended" comunque viene confermata dalla trattenuta cover Would you prefer
us to lie?, che rinnova la splendida canzone di marca Cutler/Greaves, risalente al periodo Henry
Cow '77-'78. Una costruzione, nel suo complesso, messa a punto con molto sudore digitale.

© altremusiche.it / Michele Coralli

F
eaturing fourteen mostly guitar duets with Derek Bailey, Elliott Sharp, Henry
Kaiser, Eugene Chadbourne, Nick Didkovsky, Davey Williams, Waedi Gysi, Mike
Johnson (Thinking Plague), Roberto Zorzi, Franco Fabri [the known pickers] and
[the lesser known] Angelo Avogadri, Giorgio Casadel, Roberto Zanisi and Frank
Crijns. Luciano plays acoustic and electric guitars, samples, loops, zurna (double
reed?) and assorted objects. What he has done is take 14 solo guitar or bass improvisations
from each of the players involved, sent through the mail and then reconstruct pieces by adding
or layering his own playing or processing.

The pieces were recorded over four years (1999-2000), except for the Derek Bailey improv that
came from 1991. Luciano does a fabulous job of framing or placing each solo within a
structure of some sort by adding a bass line, rhythm sample and/or snippets/solo of other
guitar parts. In many ways this sounds like a great solo effort, since the pieces are so focused
and seamlessly connected, but never too busy or dense. A number of these guitarists, including
Luciano himself, sound influenced by Fred Frith, so Fred's older sustain tone hovers like a
great smiling ghost above the rest of the collection. Speaking of Fred Frith, Luciano covers an
incredibly rare Henry Cow (Fred's old band) song called "Would You Prefer Us to Lie?",
which was never officially released by the band, as a bonus track and it is done with taste and
care. A few of these tracks feature some melting, warped guitars, but never go on for too long
after they've established a thoughtful mood or setting. Very well done throughout and certainly
a must for all experimental guitar fan-addicts. Check out the review in the Wire, if you require
further proof.

DMG
2004, HAMBURG '74 (Globe Unity Orchestra and The Choir Of The
NDR-Broadcast): ATAVISTIC, ATA 248 (CD) (re-issue)

Manfred Schoof : trumpet

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet
Gunter Christmann : trombone
Paul Rutherford : trombone
Peter Brotzmann : reeds
Rudiger Carl : reeds
Gerd Dudek : reeds
Evan Parker : reeds
Michel Pilz : reeds
Derek Bailey : guitar
Alex Von Schlippenbach : piano
Peter Kowald : bass, tuba
Han Bennink : drums, percussion, clarinet
Paul Lovens : drums, percussion
+ Choir of the NDR-Broadcast conducted by Helmut Franz

1.Hamburg '74 : Overture (Schlippenbach) 26:29

a.Interlude
b.Ovation
c.Fusion
d.Kollision + Explosion
e.Free Jazz
f.Epistrophen
g.Special Coda
2.Kontraste Und Synthesen (Schoof) 19:11

November 19, 1974; 105th NDR Jazz Workshop, Funkhaus Hamburg

T he collective energies of the Globe Unity Orchestra were at a high-point in the mid
1970s, at which time the group was known both for its earth-shaking power and the
deep thinking of its instigator, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. In 1974, as a
radio project for NDR JazzWorkshop, Schlippenbach composed a piece for his orchestra and
the NDR Choir. Hamburg '74 was, as he has explained subsequently, Schlippenbach's
'contribution to humor in the music'. It is an unusual and beguiling piece, an side-long
encounter between classical voice, improvised music whisper and free jazz yowl... Remastered
from the original tapes, Hamburg '74 is a lesser-known classic of European free music,
available for the first time on CD." 2004 release of 1974 material.

A LONG with Holland’s raucous ICP Orchestra, led by pianist Misha Mengelberg
since the late 1960s, Globe Unity Orchestra are the most consistently flattening
European big band. They were formed in 1966 by pianist Alex von Schlippenbach
and built on the blueprint for ensemble improvisation laid by John Coltrane on his epoch-
making 1965 recording Ascension, alternating huge polyphonic blasts with passages of free-
form solo thought. Hamburg ’74 is the latest instalment from the Unheard Music Series’
FMP Archive Edition, an imprint dedicated to making available some of the key sides released
by the great German label Free Music Productions. It pitches a classic Orchestra line-up –
including Derek Bailey on guitar, Peter Brötzmann and Evan Parker on sax, bassist Peter
Kowald and drummers Han Bennink and Paul Lovens – against the Choir Of The NDR-
Broadcast. This generates some absurd musical theatre that falls somewhere between the
dialectics of Frank Zappa, the performance of Cornelius Cardew’s Scratch Orchestra, an
apocalyptic European Third Stream and a demonic progressive rock opera. It’s always fun to
hear avantists like Bailey and Brötzmann wrestling with conventionally tonal baggage and
Bailey is inspired here, with a sound that veers from celestial to washboard at the drop of a
pick.

By David Keenan. Bigger is better

Sunday Herald - 10 October 2004
Copyright © 2004 smg sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088
2004, Guitar Series Volumes I & II, Table Of The Elements (no number)
(2 CD re-issue of various guitarists)

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar and voice

Part of a 2 CD set of various improvising guitarists.

1- New Year Message 1

2- New Year Message 2
3- New Year Message 3
4- New Year Message 4

Recorded January 1, 1994; London

This is a double CD version of Table of the Elements' notorious Guitar Series Vol. I and II,
originally released as six seven-inch singles in 1994. The packaging includes a black paper
sleeve with a silver and black silkscreened CD; four hand-printed, letterpress-embossed
inserts on black paper with silver ink; and a black-lacquered wood box, also with silver ink.
The notes contain an essay by journalist Steve Dollar. The audio has been remastered. Each
boxed edition is hand-numbered, limited to less than 100 promotional copies, and is not being
offered through retail or distribution channels.

TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS GUITAR SERIES

GUITAR SERIES VOL. I

TOE-SS-5 Keith Rowe City Music for Electric Guitar. 1993

TOE-SS-6 Davey Williams Firing Up the Old Sikorsky b/w
Requiem for Bosnia. 1993
TOE-SS-7 Jim O’Rourke Muni b/w Michel Piccoli. 1993
TOE-SS-8 Hans Reichel Variations on Jay. 1993
TOE-SS-9 KK Null Cryonics/Winter Solstice b/w
Memes. 1993
TOE-SS-10 Henry Kaiser Delirium b / w Homesickness. 1993

GUITAR SERIES VOL. II

TOE-SS-11 Derek Bailey New Year Messages 1-4. 1994

TOE-SS-12 Keiji Haino Guitar Works I-VIII. 1994
TOE-SS-13 Paul Panhuysen The Galvanos 7. 1994
TOE-SS-14 Lee Ranaldo Smoke Ring #5 b/w Travis 4,5. 1994
TOE-SS-15 Loren Mazzacane Connors Five Points. 1994
TOE-SS-16 Thurston Moore Starfield Wild b/w Earth/Amp. 1994

As auspicious cultural moments go, this one was a little sneaky. No one really knew
it was coming. Now, it looks suspiciously like something that had to happen – a
cool idea, and like all cool ideas, a little ahead of its time, yet very much of its
time, if you were given to wearing the right kind of wristwatch. The year was 1993 – a lifetime
ago in pop terms, still the very early Clinton Era, plenty of dreams yet to unwind, and the final
commodification of Alternative Nation waving from the near distance – and an independent
record label had just set up shop in Atlanta, Georgia. Not exactly the grand locus of avant-
garde activity, but still Dixie enough to nourish a little ruckus-raising. And that, from the get-
go, was the purpose of Table of the Elements – a fact announced with its very first releases, a
collection of 7-inch singles which featured twelve masters of the electric guitar. Not
noodlesome masters, or Southern boogie masters, or jazz-wank masters, or new-folk revival
masters or any of that. This was more imaginative, more dangerous, more weird, more fun.
Here, guitars were not merely played. They were also abused, cheated, lied to, exalted,
obliterated, teased, tricked up, toyed with impetuously, trained to jump through flaming hoops,
obliged to sit up and behave, targeted for death, elected President, taken for a reckless betting
spree at the dog track, used in ways and for purposes few could possibly have imagined. It
was like something out of De Sade or D.W. Griffith. If either of them had an affinity for
stringed instruments, amplifiers and the act of lunging sun-drunk into the wild thickets of
bliss and blister that constitute the realm of free improvised music.

No one would easily have predicted that this was a harbinger of so much to come, a quiet
revolution in noisy music (or music about noise, or noise as music, or “rock-based
minimalism,” or post-rock, or anti-guitar, or sine waves from Planet X). Table of the Elements
was the first of its kind on the block, the first American label of its era, to really root itself in a
deliberate (yet playfully vague) aesthetic that embraced avant/outsider/iconoclast/overlooked
genius musical stirrings while also conjuring a slyly self-conscious philosophical identity that
was clearly and cleverly expressed in the way its discs were designed and packaged. There
was a whiff of conspiracy about them, a mystique of sorts, that implied a Dispatch from
Someplace Else. It’s the type of record label that Thomas Pynchon or Don DeLillo might
dream up, as a way to give face to the fact that the world we think we know – the histories they
tell us we should accept – is only parallel to many other worlds, each containing other
histories. That which appears to be a recondite hymn in one could easily be the populist
anthem in another, and Table of the Elements arose on the premise of flipping that script. But
with a fine degree of subtlety, elegance even. These releases were curatorial. Like individual
pieces of a larger-scale art project, one whose fuller, lasting image would reflect variations on
the notion of what music should do (after Cage or after Hendrix or after Ayler), particularly in
the hands of performers so peculiarly individualistic that it’s hard to imagine all of them
fitting comfortably under any umbrella, let alone sharing one.

The Guitar Series was the square root of what has become one of the most impressive and
daring catalogs going. It’s a road map, in a sense, not only towards the label’s subsequent
triumphs and gambits, but also of much that would come to greater prominence in the nearly
10 years since its first releases. At the time, the notion of inviting a perversely eclectic array of
improvising guitar heroes (some legendary, some unknown) to record for 7-inch vinyl – a
genuine, jukebox-friendly single – and not make a full-length CD, was offbeat. Capricious,
even. On one hand, there was yet no Vinyl Renaissance in effect. On the other, how
subversively tweaky indeed was any gesture that consigned such frequently gnarly, square-
peg eruptions to the ultimate in disposably round-hole pop formats, the 45 rpm (or,
occasionally here, 33 rpm) record. Was this the arcana, to paraphrase Claes Oldenberg, that
helped budding hipsters get across the street?

It proved to be a great dinner party, one whose guest list sparked with unexpected chemistry.
Like the Algonquin Round Table, argued with Orange amplifiers.

Volume One boasted British table-top guitar pioneer Keith Rowe (of AMM fame), the very
model of the postmodern-day avant-garde heavyweight, and Henry Kaiser, a slide-guitar
master adept at recreations of Pacific island musics whose travels far and wide had made him
a true cult figure; from Japan, the monstrous noise icon Kaziyuki K. Null, making an
extremely rare appearance on a U.S. label, and from Alabama, the unjustifiably obscure
improviser Davey Williams, a marvelously wicked player who has done much to strip away
pretense from the façade of “the scene” with his irreverent Southern sensibility. Germany’s
Hans Reichel weighs in, a radical innovator from the early 70s’ First Wave of free
improvisation; and here, also, is Jim O’Rourke, truly a household name these days thanks to
his prolific work as a producer, peripatetic collaborator and singer-songwriter, although the
Guitar Series single was then only his second solo U.S. release – pre- Gastr del Sol, pre-
Sonic Youth, pre- Wilco, pre- Ubiquity, pre- Et Cetera. Quite a prescient call.

Volume Two of the series (assembled at the same time as Volume One and released a few
months later – April 23, 1994, to be precise, at the label’s near-mythic Manganese Festival)
was equally visionary. Derek Bailey, another legend whose pathbreaking procedures utterly
reinvented guitar language, shows up in a surprisingly whimsical mood, putting the lie to the
cliché that all improv must be dry and high-falutin’. Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo and Thurston
Moore also make their presence felt, lending their downtown NYC seal of approval to the
project-at-large, and indulging in the kind of mischievous clamor they’ve made an enduring
stock-in-trade. Another New Yorker, melancholic mood-scaper Loren Mazzacane (later known
by the appended surname Connors) offers his distinctively low-key sonic imprint, one that
would come to wider appreciation in the years to come. Paul Panhuysen, interpreter of “long
string” instumental installations, forecast his future full-length ToTE release. And, in one of
those artistic coups that can justify such an exhaustive effort on its own terms alone, the
magnificent Keiji Haino makes his U.S. recording debut, certifying for neophytes and addicts
alike the vengeful grace of extremely amplified guitar – one roaring with the mystery of a man
who fell to Earth, only to hijack its strangest frequencies.

Taken individually, these recordings offer fascinating asides and insights into the creative
process of some of the most original musical thinkers of the 20th century, post-Elvis division.
Each performance is like a phrase of audible graffiti, an instance of working-out that can either
be heard as a response to a novel proposal – record a “single” – or the seizure of a moment
in which radical style is given imperious free rein: an E-ticket ride in the Six Flags of Sound.

That, in and of itself, is remarkable. But heard as a cumulative shockwave of amplified

ingenuity, these short pieces suggest something more, well, elemental. Beneath the surface
noise of contemporary culture, the lockstep groove of technology and advertising, the jittery
pulse of global anxiety and the new world disorder, there is something unabashedly liberating
about cranking the volume behind some deviant fretnoise. Electric guitar, as someone once
said, is the enemy of the state. Long live the revolution.

Steve Dollar, New York City, 2002

O n the second collection, Derek Bailey provides the highlights of both these
collections. His New Year Messages 1-4 are light-fingered and playful in a deeper,
little explored sense of that word. Notes fall like sweet flakes from his fingertips,
blown about in dazzling zigzags. Vivacious and un-spartan, this is the pleasure of the string in
full effect and a riposte to those who regard him as some weird, dessicated purveyor of
deliberate anti-music. The layer of verbal Improv he adds on the fourth track is a crowning
delight, a fractured but well-wishing communiqué that functions as a comentary on his own
methods and intentions. He, more than anyone else, rises to the opportunity and occasion
offered by Table Of The Elements here.

Selected from The Wire, issue 246, August 2004, page 48

TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS discography http://reveille.org.uk/tote/

I II III IV V VI VII -------- VIII -------- IB IIB IIIA IV

1 1.008
1 H
Hydrogen
3 6.941 4 9.012 11 22.99 5 10.81 61
Derek Bailey
2 Li
Lithium
Be
Beryllium
Na New Year Messages 1-4 B
Boron
C
Car
Sodium
11 22.99 12 24.31 13 26.98 14 2
3 Na Mg Al S
Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Sili
19 39.10 20 40.08 21 44.96 22 47.88 23 50.94 24 52.00 25 54.94 26 55.85 27 58.47 28 58.69 29 63.55 30 65.39 31 69.72 32 7
4 K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga G
Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germ
37 85.47 38 87.62 39 88.91 40 91.22 41 92.91 42 95.94 43 98.91 44 101.1 45 102.9 46 106.4 47 107.9 48 112.4 49 114.8 50 1
5 Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In S
Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium T
55 132.9 56 137.3 57 138.9 72 178.5 73 180.9 74 183.9 75 186.2 76 190.2 77 190.2 78 195.1 79 197.0 80 200.5 81 204.4 82 2
6 Cs Ba La * Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl P
Cesium Barium Lanthanum Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury Thallium Le
87 (223) 88 (226) 89 (227) 104 (257) 105 (260) 106 (263) 107 (262) 108 (265) 109 (266) 110 (271) 111 (272) 112 (277) 113 114
7 Fr Ra Ac ** Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Uuu Uub Uut Uu
Francium Radium Actinium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Unununium Ununbium Ununtrium Ununq

58 140.1 59 140.9 60 144.2 61 144.9 62 150.4 63 152.0 64 157.3 65 158.9 66 162.5 67 164.9 68 167.3 69 168.9 70 173.0 71
*
Lanthanides Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb L
Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lu
90 232.0 91 (231) 92 (238) 93 (237) 94 (242) 95 (243) 96 (247) 97 (247) 98 (249) 99 (254) 100 (253) 101 (256) 102 (254) 103
** Actinides Th Pa U Np Pu A m C m Bk Cf Es Fm Md No L
Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Law

this is obviously completely unofficial - see the official site

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everything that isn't someone else's ©2004-5 reveille

1 sur 1 3/23/06 7:09 PM

2004, 291 GALLERY. 17 August

Derek Bailey, Ashley Wales, John Edwards, Mark Sanders, Tony Bevan, Orphy Robinson

N o catchy, collective name for these musicians, their birthnames will suffice thank you
very much. The evening begins with the inimitable Mr Bailey seated in the semi-
darkness alone in front of the audience; his hair haloed by a strong orange spotlight,
his familiar (semi-acoustic) nestled against his midriff. Your correspondent has just learnt that
the guitarist has recently upped sticks and become a denizen of Barcelona. I’m still trying to
assimilate this news, encountering the inevitable difficulty of picturing him in bright
Mediterranean sunlight. He’s inextricably linked – at least to me - with two rather less popular
tourist destinations: Sheffield, whose accent has never deserted him and the east end of
London because that’s where I’ve always heard him play and where his Incus record label has
served records from for the past umpteen decades. Although he’s escaped the English weather
and headed for a more hospitable climate, tonight he’s close to his old haunts at the 291
Gallery, a former church now secular arts centre. The music is immediately familiar: pedal-
sustained long notes, sudden flurries, jagged shards – Bailey’s unpatented spiky dream
shapes. Although strangely, the overall effect proffers a softer orthodoxy than memories of
past performances. Perhaps it’s the unsympathetic acoustics of the venue which blur
everything with reverb, resulting in an unwelcome lack of definition.

After a few minutes Derek Bailey looks up to survey his audience. Momentarily it seems as if
a mad Catalan barber has inflicted a radical mohican cut upon his septagenarian head, but it
turns out – somewhat disappointingly - to be only a trick of the halflight. He makes a
comment to which the audience, at least those close enough to catch it, murmur in amusement.
He’s strumming a few comedic bars as if to underline the humour of his aside and the
impression this conveys is almost vaudevillian. Then he’s back to sculpting those memorably
angular shapes. Ashley Wales, one half of Spring Heel Jack and an increasingly common
sight on the London improv circuit, silently seats himself at a small rack of electronics.
Shortly afterwards limnal hums and burred tones gradually insinuate themselves behind
Bailey like diffident shadows. The duo quickly swells to a trio as Orphy Robinson taps and
strokes a steel drum, then drummer Mark Sanders appears and makes it a quartet. His
presence on drums steers proceedings away from penumbral waters, a move completed when
John Edwards begins to thrum the double bass and Tony Bevan wields his bass saxophone.
There they all are at last in a line, almost all of them facing outwards towards the curve of a
surprisingly large audience (perhaps eighty or a hundred people all told). The music gets
louder, beginning to gain momentum until it sounds like a stormy night: close your eyes and
lanterns might swing to and fro behind your eyelids and if you’re feeling particularly
imaginative your face might be buffeted by wind and rain. The ensemble reach a natural pause
and after a long moment of silence the crowd applaud appreciatively.

This time as they navigate their perennially uncharted waters, the group conjure a sense of
doomed pursuit which quickly blossoms into an awful, almost terrible majesty which triggers
associations with Jerry Goldsmith’s soundtrack to the original Planet Of The Apes.
Someone’s repeated camera flash adds an air-raid frisson to proceedings. The music is full of
bangs and knocks, rattles and strums. As Mark Sanders repeatedly strikes the side of a drum
with a stick in his right hand while simultaneously lifting his left leg for no apparent reason,
he looks like a strange pigeon, and suddenly all the musicians appear like a menagerie of
eccentric creatures, each intent upon originating concerted new calls, charges, trumpetings.
Ashley Wales sits closest to our vantage point. From time to time he swigs from a bottle of
Corona and puffs on a cigarette while managing to remain absolutely intent on what’s going
on around him. A brief sax figure appears and repeats a few times – is Tony Bevan playing or
does it originate from Ashley? This simple question prompts the following train of thought.
All the other players are tied umbilically to their instruments. It’s clear where each sound is
coming from, however far it wanders from the median line of sounds which, say, a double
bass usually produces: thus that high-pitched squeak is clearly the result of John Edwards’
wet fingers dragged down the varnished wood of his instrument. A sampler wired up to an
amplifier and speakers distributed around the group betray this apparent honesty. Ashley can
play the thief and if he’s subtle enough, he might never get caught. One moment he could be
Derek Bailey, the next Orphy Robinson. He has at his fingertips the opportunity to confuse
and mislead. Why would he want to? To agitate, to raise people’s awareness. After all,
however wonderful these musicians undoubtedly are, their music is hardly the sound of
surprise (which of course it has never been meant to be). With that fact comes the danger of a
certain cosiness which perhaps explains Bailey’s initial comic aside. Ashley Wales hardly
indulges this role at all during the course of the evening, but it’s distinctly there as a
suggestion. It does beg the question as to whether such methods would be at all problematic
in the context of ‘traditional’ free improvisation. Would it be tantamount to a betrayal of the
honesty of normal practice. Even without sampling, it’s often difficult to tell what Wales’s
contribution is from his movements and the fact that certain sounds are difficult to trace to
their source already places him to some extent in the role of suspect – one more step and he’s
an underminer, a threatener of the constructions assembled by his colleagues.

As the music stops suddenly, Tony Bevan steps to the centre of the space and disappointingly
states “That’s it”. Tellingly, as he introduces the players he holds a hand out and says
“Ashley Wales on... ” and there’s a moment’s awkward silence “... er, sounds... ”
Colin Buttimer

Published by Me
291 Gallery - Current Programme http://www.291gallery.com/291/dbpages/eventdetail.asp?id=287

Tony Bevan & Orphy Robinson with Derek

Bailey
Starts: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Ends: 17 August 2004
Artists: Orphy Robinson, Tony Bevan, John Edwards, Ashley Wales and featuring Derek Bailey
Entry: £7

This concert at the 291 Gallery is a rare chance to hear the legendary Guitarist Derek Bailey - (Guitar) now
resident in Barcelona, play in the UK. Playing with Derek are four of the country’s leading musicians:- Orphy
Robinson - (Vibraphone, Marimba, Percussion) one of this country’s best known vibraphone players, with a CV
that includes Tomorrow’s Warriors, Courtney Pine, Andy Shepherd, Jazz Jamaica All Stars. His music
combines Jazz, Contemporary Classical music, African, funk and improvising music Tony Bevan - (Tenor &
Bass Saxophone) is best known for his playing on the rare and mighty Bass Saxophone, on which he is one of
the world’s best performers. He is a member of the legendary Sunny Murray’s Trio, as well as Derek Bailey’s
Limescale, the Anglo-Chicago Quartet with Vandermark Alumni Jeb Bishop and Michael Zerang, plus his own
groups. "Tony Bevan is one of the unsung heroes of British Music" (Hi-Fi News). John Edwards - (Double Bass)
is one of the most celebrated Bassists in modern British music, playing with Evan Parker, Elton Dean, Veryan
Weston, modern composer John Wall, Sunny Murray, Peter Brotzman, Frode Gjerstad, Paul Lovens and many
others. Ashley Wales - (Electronics) is a founder member of Spring Heel Jack, the Electro-Acoustic Drum ‘n’
Bass/Improv pioneers.

1 sur 1 3/23/06 2:26 PM

2004, BRUISE WITH DEREK BAILEY, Foghorn, FOGCD006, (UK),
(CD) (released in April 1, 2006)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Tony Bevan : bass saxophones
Orphy Robinson : steel drum, marimbula, percussion, electronics, trumpet
John Edwards : double bass
Ashley Wales : soundscapes & electronics
Mark Sanders : drums & percussion

Track Listing :
1. Search
2. Locate
3. Destroy

Recorded live at the 291 Gallery, Hackney Road, London E2 England by Ashley Wales

Post-production and Mastering: Asa Bennett at sonic studios.

All Compositions by:

Bailey (compatible recording & publishing ltd),
Bevan (PRS),
Robinson (PRS),
Edwards (PRS),
Wales (Chrysalis Music)
and Sanders (PRS).
c & p foghorn records (uk) 2006. www.foghornrecords.co.uk
manufactured in the eu.
Design by: Paul Dunn at diablo www.diablodesign.co.uk based on original artwork by Ashley
Wales

Thanks to Karen, George and Sultana

Dedicated to the memory of my dear friend Derek. "Search, locate and destroy" was Derek's
motto.

"Gig of the year - Derek Bailey's return in triumph from Barcelona to East London"
Phillip Clark, "Jazz Review"

S onically this is maybe not the best document – a straight-to-DAT recording from a gig
at London’s 291 Gallery, acoustically somewhat muddled though quite acceptable –
but it’s essential listening for Derek Bailey fans. As usual, the guitarist sought out the
company of younger players – in this case, the acoustic/electronic (not “electroacoustic”)
quintet responsible for Bruised, one of last year’s best and most overlooked improv records.
The new disc is, among other things, the final chapter in the longstanding relationship between
Bailey and bass saxophonist Tony Bevan. It’s hard not to hear real poignancy in Bevan’s
playing here, which is stripped down so far it’s as if he’s trying to make an entire musical
language out of achingly isolated notes. There’s also the tickle of hearing Bailey with the
blue-chip UK free-improv rhythm section of John Edwards and Mark Sanders. The off-
balance recording makes it harder to parse the electronic input from Orphy Robinson and
(especially) Ashley Wales, but they’re certainly responsible for the haunting, elusive
soundscaping (I was also surprised at the closeness in timbre between Robinson’s steel
drums and Bailey’s distorted guitar).

Derek Bailey was the kind of player an Oulipian would love, someone for whom obstacles
were occasions for necessary creativity. By the time this disc was recorded in August 2004 he
was already suffering from what was initially diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome but later
turned out to be degenerative motor neurone disease. In response, he simply went calmly
about refashioning his entire approach to the instrument. I’ve always loved the spacious,
floaty interludes that occur on his discs, when isolated sound-events – a slow-swelling
discord, a quiet scrape over the length of a string – are dropped into silence like pebbles cast
in a well. His playing throughout this album is like an album-length exploration of that
particular corner of his music. His tone on the instrument is much softer than before – by this
point he was playing without a pick – and his improvisations are constructed out of quiet,
separately twisted fragments. There’s nothing overtly valedictory about the music – the three
tracks are called “Search”, “Locate” and “Destroy”, after all – but it is nonetheless hard not
to be moved by a few moments here. Bevan’s soft-spoken duet with Bailey near the end of the
album, in particular, serves as an achingly beautiful farewell to his mentor, so much so that it’s
almost a relief when the full band regroups for a final pummelling blowout.

ND "ParisTransAtlantic"

G uitarist Derek Bailey made his last UK appearance with saxophonist Tony Bevan's
Bruise, playing at London's 291 Gallery in August 2004. In his final years, Bailey
had settled in Barcelona, making trips to his old haunts much scarcer. Band member
Ashley Wales (also of Spring Heel Jack) recorded the occasion, and Bevan has released the
results on his own label.
Orphy Robinson is becoming increasingly interested in hardcore improvisation, but he and
Wales are here for environmental sculpting reasons, with bassist John Edwards and drummer
Mark Sanders the next in sonic line below the compulsively bullying Bevan and Bailey.

The three extended pieces are "Search", "Locate" and "Destroy", which was apparently
Bailey's motto. Bevan specialises in the bass saxophone, a rarely-sighted beast, due to its
unwieldy size. As the first section opens, he clacks antlers with the cranked-up Bailey. The
venue has a uniquely industrial acoustic, and this informs the sonic texturing that ensues. The
enlarged reverb imposes an exciting sense of loading-bay bleakness, creaking and groaning
with a taut suspension of stark minimalism.

Martin Longley
2004 ( ?), THE COMPOSER'S CUT, AUD 01303 (Italy ?) (CD) ( ?)

Maurizio Marsico selected and assembled tracks by different contemporary musicians:

Marsico/Tich
Prati/Wyatt
Margorani/ Bailey
Musicamorfosi/Feldman
Leddi, Harrison, Mariani,
Cavallanti, Harries, Chatham

1- Light My Firebird (M.Marsico/A.Tich)

Maurizio Marsico/Andrea Tich. Previously unreleased.
2- 1st Variation on ìThe Duchessî (W.Prati/R.Wyatt)
Walter Prati/Robert Wyatt. From the EP ìThree Variations on ëThe Duchessí ì.
3- Piece for 4 Pianos (Morton Feldman)

MCM musicamorfosi: Saul Beretta, Andrea Zani, Giuseppe Olivini, Stefano Nozzoli,
pianoforti elettronici Francesco Zago, sound engineer. M.Feldman is published by
Peters © 1962. Previously unreleased.
4- (Excerpt from) New York Dresser (Daniele Cavallanti)
Jazz Chromatic Ensemble. From the album ìSkydreamsî (1995).
5- Revealing the Commas (M.Harrison).
Michael Harrison. Recorded live at Lincoln Center, October 2001. From the album
Revelationî.
6- A Penguin Is a Penguin (M.Marsico/A.Tich)
Maurizio Marsico/Andrea Tich. Previously unreleased.
7- Nei puri silenzi (Massimo Mariani)
Recorded live in Darmstadt, 1992. Ferienkurse Ensemble with Pierre-Yves Artaud,
bass and octobass flute.

PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

8- Song from ìEndingsî (Music: Guy Harries/Words: Zelda)

Guy Harries, melodica, Anna Levenstein, voice. Previously unreleased.
9- Veli Alba (T. Leddi)
Tommaso Leddi. Previously unreleased.
10- Mr. Jack Russell (D.Bailey/L.Margorani)
Luciano Margorani: ambient guitar, bass, barking Jack Russell terrier. Piero
Chianura:mixing and editing. Derek Bailey originally published his guitar part in
ìSolo Guitar Improvisation, vol. 2.
11- The Farmerís Wife (M. Marsico)
Maurizio Marsico. Previously unreleased.
12- The Kings of Edom, Whose Crowns Are Not (R. Chatham)
R. Chatham: Trumpet and Electronics. Previously unreleased.
2003 © Rhys Chatham (p) Post Minimalist Music Publishing Company (BMI)

T he Composerís Cut è il titolo di una serie di CD in cui un compositore viene invitato a

scegliere e assemblare diversi brani di altri musicisti come anche di propri, seguendo
queste semplici regole indicate dal produttore: almeno tre autori non italiani, ma
almeno cinque autori italiani; non più di dodici brani, di cui tre composti dal curatore della
compilazione.

The Composer's Cut is the title of a CD collection where a composer is invited to select and
assemble different tracks, both by other musicians as well as his own, following these simple
rules set down by the producer: at least three non Italian authors, but no less than five Italians;
no more than twelve tracks, where three are by the compilationís curator.

BIO

M aurizio Marsico. Musicista milanese (n. 1960), dopo gli studi con Paccagnini,
Gaslini e DíAndrea, dal 1980 realizza i primi dischi e inizia a produrre musica per
la pubblicità (tra i suoi clienti: Alitalia, Zegna, Costa Crociere, RAI, Mediaset,
Medusa Cinematografica, Moschino, Piaggio, La Repubblica). Si esibisce live insieme ai
disegnatori della rivista Frigidaire (Pazienza, Tamburini, Liberatore e Mattioli) in allegato alla
quale pubblica (100.000 copie) il disco ìcultî Invito a Cena come Monofonic Orchestra.
Partecipa come DJ a serate Hip Hop ante litteram e realizza líEP RapíníRoll (1983). In
sodalizio, tuttora attivo, con Andrea Tich, produce vari dischi e concerti dove il sound
elettronico si integra con strumenti acustici, e la sperimentazione più estrema con líeasy
listening. Si esibisce a Parigi, Vienna, Londra e New York, partecipando a numerose rassegne
(Suoni e Visioni, Wiener Festwochen, Art in Italy). Attualmente compone prevalentemente
musica strumentale.

Progetta un pezzo di musica da camera, ma non ha ancora deciso per quale camera.
T he composerís cut' è un progetto ideato dalla Auditorium Edizioni e curato da Claudio
Chianura. Per ogni capitolo di questa collana un compositore viene invitato a scegliere
e assemblare diversi brani propri e di altri musicisti seguendo alcune regole: almeno
tre autori non italiani, almeno cinque autori italiani, non più di dodici brani, di cui tre composti
dal curatore della compilation. Per questo primo capitolo è stato scelto Maurizio Marsico:
musicista milanese attivo dagli anni í80 con alle spalle alcune collaborazioni pubblicitarie e
diversi dischi. Per questo capitolo Marsico ha scelto alcuni brani scritti da Robert Wyatt,
Daniele Cavallanti, Tommaso Leddi e altri ancora. Sue tre composizioni

Rockol, mar 04

M arsico selected and assembled tracks by different contemporary musicians,

including: Marsico/Andrea Tich; Walter Prati/Robert Wyatt; Luciano
Margorani/Derek Bailey; Morton Feldman; Tommaso Leddi; Michael Harrison;
Massimo Mariani; Daniele Cavallanti, Guy Harries and Rhys Chatham.

Great album. A collection where a composer is invited to select and assemble different tracks,
both by other musicians as well as his own, following these simple rules set down by the
producer: at least three non Italian artists, but no less than five Italians.
2004 (?) WATCH OUT. Incus, unnumbered CD-R

From the discography published by Ben Watson.

CD-Rs enabled Bailey to respond quickly to current affairs. The attack by Bush on Iraq in
March 2003 resulted in Watch Out, a three-and-a-half minute speaking-improv where
Bailey’s anger – ‘if you see the Axis of Idiots waddling towards you, watch out’ – put a new,
sinister rasp into his voice. This wasn’t listed in the catalogue, but mailed to colleagues,
friends and loyal customers.

From Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation, Ben Watson.
Music, Violence, Truth http://www.andyw.com/publications/music_violence_truth/

(www.militantesthetix.co.uk). The current publishers found it there and decided to issue it in pamphlet form: it was
expanded for that purpose in May 2002 (hence the inclusion of a Taylor/Oxley/Bang-On-ACan concert review).
Thanks to Harry Gilonis for the quotes from Julia Spinola's article ‘Monstrous Art’ from Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung, 18 September 2001.

After the devastation in Manhattan on 11 September 2001, what can radical music mean?
Einstürzende Neubauten - whose name translates, prophetically, Collapsing New Buildings - earned
their avantgarde stripes in Britain by applying pneumatic drills to a stress-bearing beam at the
Institute of Contemporary Arts.

After 11 September, such transgressions surely pale into insignificance. Indeed, any comparison
might seem offensive. At No Future, an academic conference on Punk held in Wolverhampton in
late September 2001, an American delegate announced that after 9-11 the relationship of music to
violence and shock needed to be rethought. The whole Punk and Noise ‘transgressive’ aesthetic,
one he'd subscribed to throughout his youth, needed revision. Like watching the late Linda
Lovelace, born-again and demure, denouncing porn and sex-before-marriage on a TV chat show,
such reversals in ideology cannot be taken at face value. These rifts and contradictions indicate a
clash of tectonic plates at a more fundamental level, something violently mismatched in the
relationship of music to truth and conscience.

Musically, America responded to the pain and loss of 9-11 with a fund-raising telethon which drew
on the sombre substratum of hymn-singing which underlies corporate pop, and which unites
country, soul and reggae. Music written for church performance - unmediated, involving, communal
and local - inevitably became kitsch and false when delivered by top-selling super-stars for
international broadcast. These songs are made for internal reflection, not personal adulation. The
economics were hypocritical too: the artists may have waived their fees, but as with Live Aid, it's
obvious that the global exposure they're achieving is worth more than any fee. However, in such a
context of harmonic maturity and low-key sentiment, the concept of ‘audio terrorism’ does appear
silly and adolescent. Should the noisy end of the avantgarde shut up, and confess its
misdemeanours were all a ruse?

The avantgarde registered its own peculiar response to the disaster. Rushing in where angels fear to
tread, Karlheinz Stockhausen voiced what some may have felt in the instant, but none dared say. For
him, the crashing planes and collapsing towers felt like art: "What happened there is - now you
must re-adjust your brain - the greatest work of art imaginable for the whole cosmos. Minds
achieving in a single act what we in music can only dream of, people rehearsing like mad for ten
years, preparing fanatically for a concert, and then dying. You have people who are that focused
on a performance and then 5,000 people who are dispatched to the afterlife, in a single moment. I
couldn't match it. Against that, we - as composers - are nothing." Surely the guy is crazy? In
Stockhausen's defence, he did go on to admit the attack was a crime, because part of the
‘audience’were ‘not consenting’. This demur didn't soften Gyorgy Ligeti's retort: "Stockhausen
should be locked up in a psychiatric hospital".

A comment by one TV reporter - that the image of the planes crashing into the towers "repeated in
the memory like a nightmare loop" - was distinctly strange. You didn't need to repeat the images in
your head, TV did nothing else for days on end. As usual, the mass media materially create the
psychic conditions which they then proceed to moralise. But what should artists do when reality
outdoes them? Stay quiet? Admit anti-art destructivism was just a tease? Confess that these
tumultous, apocalyptical events we call ‘radical’ were really just conjury with lutes and viols, a
luxury product ornamented with frissons of phony danger?

Such evasions smack of the brittle repression of married couples who banish their teenage metal

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and pop albums to the attic and call their yen for music a ‘passing phase’. For us, giving up on
extreme music can't be the answer. Quite the opposite: it's by paying closer attention to the internal
structure of radical music - ‘violence’and all - that its historical and social meaning might be
decoded. Stockhausen's equation of art and terror
- "this leap from security, from what's ordinary, from life" - may be poor consolation for
inhabitants of Manhattan who have lost loved ones, or now feel desperately insecure. However, his
weird outburst did touch on something deep. Why is it that, since the modernist revolts of the early
twentieth century, composers and improvisors have continually shouted noise, crisis and violence?

The crucial point is that art is an attempt to tell the truth about the world, the whole world, not
simply to provide baubles for those in the comfort-zone of privilege. The economic pressures and
national conflicts that create world wars and mass starvation and genocide are still in operation. The
operations of global capitalism, and its political face-savers, those blue-suited bastards Bush and
Blair and Berlusconi, mean that the inhabitants of Burundi, Beirut, Belfast and Baghdad (I use
alliteration to limit the list) have long suffered the terror and chaos which the suicide hijackers
brought to Manhattan. Edgard
Varèse brought the noise of sirens and bombs into music in the 1920s, a response to the terrors of
World War I. His Hyperprism predicted the Nazi strategy of the Blitz, when civilian populations
first became long-distant targets of military hardware. Unlike his ‘objectivist’ follower Iannis
Xenakis, Varèse bent the shapes he heard into organic ovaloids which speak for the suffering ear.
This is why, of all the pre-war orchestral composers, only Varèse has a non-salon, yet humanist
ruggedness: a realism that moves the blood and shakes the entrails. Sonically, Varèse can stand
comparison to Coltrane and Hendrix, who provided lasting testimonials to a different noise: a
struggle against racial oppression in America and genocidal war in Vietnam.

These moments of musical truth weren't easy to achieve, nor were they facile, attention-seeking
stabs at ugliness or excess. They were not the sound of George Antheil seeking to be a ‘bad boy’
of the avantgarde by slamming his fists on the pianoforte keyboard, or of the japanese Noise artist
Merzbow producing fashionably catatonia-inducing, all-enveloping drones (to steal a name from
Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbau and then recycle the shocks of a degraded surrealism deserves some
kind of critique). According to his wife Naima (talking to C.O. Simpkins, his best biographer),
John Coltrane systematically studied scales from all over the world, and tried to pack every musical
system into his music. If the results sound ugly, that is because you are too wedded to your partial
musical identity, to your comfort- blanket of familiar harmony: heavenly universality sounds like
hell to closed-in ears. For his part, Hendrix was intensely loyal to classmates who had been drafted
and to 101st Airborne, the regiment he'd served in. Eric Burdon was amazed at his rightwing stance
on the Vietnamese war when he reached England in 1967. Music journalist Karl Dallas challenged
him in print. Reaching an anti-US position was painful and slow, yet by Machine Gun, it happened.
Hendrix's rainbows of audio-feedback revelled in spaces which brought pain to the repressed and
rigid: in the ears of GIs, they were incitements to immediate pleasure, to disrespect for authority,
and to outright mutiny (‘fragging’).

Coltrane and Hendrix did not invent this dialectic between musical shock and political liberation. It
had been the major theme for Beethoven and his followers. Romantic music was a call to revolution
that now languishes under the idiot term ‘classical’. The exhilarating allegri of the symphony - the
hoofbeats, the jangling bridles, the crack of loading musketsare not about hunting, as Roger Scruton
fondly imagines. They are about bourgeois revolution - "to arms, citizens!" - discovering common
aims, seizing the castle keep, liberating the prisoners, letting in the light of reason, sweeping away
the cobwebs of feudal reaction. After 1848, when the bourgeois class made its historic pact with
state power and landed interests, the excitement turned sour. In March 1871, the French state
slaughtered the Communards in tens of thousands, and drove the voice of universal truth and reason
underground. In Wagner, massive chromatic transitions invoke myth and fate: surrender to the
madness of the stock market as to a natural force. By Mahler, the revolutionary allegri are
hollowed-out, febrile, a nostalgic memory that relates to erotics rather than history. But this radical

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subjectivity had consequences.

By rationalising the brain-bending chromaticism of Wagner and Mahler, Schoenberg and Webern
forged a music whose freedom of note combination rejected the respectable, bourgeois world of
repression and exchange. Their negation of tonality in Twelve Tone, born through logic, is painful;
its parallel in the Blues, itself born through pain, is alluring. These twin attacks on the tempered key
system stalked each other through the twentieth- century, fighting, aiding and abetting, fusing and
swapping places (see Muhal Abrams, Frank Zappa, James Blood Ulmer, Derek Bailey). The
struggle for authentic music resembled political resistance to war and inequality and mass
starvation. Its history is likewise fugitive and unofficial: stark glimpses of a different order in a
black night of violence and lies. When Mark Sinker, writing in The Wire (no 211, September
2001),worried that the offensive volume of rock can be mobilised to confirm conservatism, he
needed to pay more attention to the music's economic base. Noise organised for extraction of
surplus value isn't noise, but silence at high volume: rock as spectacle blocks its liberating essence,
its democratic release and insurrectionary energy (hence the necessity of Punk etc.) As usual in
bourgeois thought, idealism links to positivism: Sinker's decibel-counting cannot handle the fact
that ‘noise’ in music is an aesthetic fact concerning collective human experience and individual
response, not a quantitative measure.

Take the example of Cecil Taylor. In carrying out zappologist Marco Maurizi's dictum that the
dialectic of Modern Art is "mediation criticised by immediacy", Taylor explodes the meaning of the
piano - that prime embodiment of bourgeois tonality - from within, seemingly bending notes which
the machine was designed to deliver straight and even, transforming pianistic mastery into a
battlefield of physical tensions and clashes. Taylor has reduced pianism to lightning rhythmic
nuance and bounding sonic volume. Encyclopedic harmonic knowledge is balanced like an inverted
pyramid on the nose-tip of the moment, causing a frictive density and horrid power which make
lovers of civilised tinkling flee the room.

Why this cataclysm at the heart of musical creativity? Because the reputation of the classical
‘masterpiece’, this civilisation, is the accumulation of the sweated labour of legions of composers,
musicians, concert organisers and concert-hall builders, all those who have worked to make these
moments possible. Taylor's intent is to inject the spontaneity of the instant - his actual presence at
this moment in front of you now in this particular hall - into the frozen monolith, to explode the
tempered key system into a million scintillating fragments, to make the process of playing the point
of us gathering, and not the congealed kudos of the past. Taylor is the most refined and gentlest of
people - to underline the point, he even recites poetry and wears pink fluffy slippers at recitals - yet
ears trained by radio and film musics, used to music which fails to address the listener directly,
shout "Violence! Violence!! Violence!!!" every time they hear it.

A recent performance at the Barbican (13 May 2002) is a case in point. Invited to write a concert
piece for performance by Bang On A Can All-Stars ("a fiercely aggressive group, combining the
power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble" according
to the New York Times, who appear to have swapped genuine music criticism for promotional
falafel), Cecil
Taylor questioned the fetish of the written masterpiece by appearing in person with the group. His
‘score’was an A4 photocopy of some derisory doodles containing randomly scattered letters and
musical signs. His ‘rehearsal’ consisted of a thirty-minute seance at which the musicians were
instructed to make “no sound” while Taylor explored the limits of the auditorium by slowly
moving up the aisle (the pianist tinkles some notes and is admonished, leading to a backstage war in
which she is finally banished from the performance). Then the musicians were themselves sent into
the auditorium to test the space, exhale air and pronounce a word. When they turn this into a clever
improvised event, cooing and chirping at each other (as they do ‘downtown’), Taylor upbraids them
and tells them to slow the tempo to near silence. Worse even than gagging the All-Stars, he imports
drummer Tony Oxley, insisting Oxley is "the best drummer on the planet" (thus bouleversing

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decades of careful negotiation between Black Nationalism and American patriotic hard sell to make
’Jazz’a global cultural hegemon).

In their performance, Taylor and Oxley upset any notion of received harmony or rhythm, forcing
the three members of Bang On A Can who dared show up to improvise what they are rather than
what they know. The improvisation tore spaces in the fabric of ‘community’, and created a
genuinely new and unheralded musical construction with the materials to hand. Like a John Cage
piece performed in the midst of a set of new minimalist hack- works, Taylor and Oxley proved that
all the careful notations by Tan Dun, Hermeto Pascoal and Don Byron (pieces which had occupied
the first half) were so much tepid filmscore twaddle, trivial evasions of what playing music in front
of people really is.

The rhythmic relationship of Taylor and Oxley brought in something vocal and authentic that was
completely lacking in Bang On A Can's finicky reproduction of strategies from Henry Cow, Curlew
and the Mike Post Coalition. The fusion of ‘rock power’and‘chamber clarity’ promised by the
New York Times proved to be ersatz class-reconciliation, a postmodernist sales pitch indicating a
consummation devoutly to be wished by harrassed arts promoters (ie ‘bums-on-seats’ plus ‘high-
class tone’), but nothing at all in terms of musical micro-substance in the hearing. Bang On A
Can's clumsy attempts at rock and samba were exceedingly ugly, notes as illustrations of the idea
rather than the thing-for-itself, cluttered and awkward. Their performance revealed the absolutely
empty character of academic musical values: all the music said was "we can play these dots", there
was no motive force, no message to the bowels, no meaning.

For musicians to deliver "the word with its theme intact, the word permeated with confident and
categorical social value judgment," they must also provide the next term in V.N. Voloshinov's
argument: "the word that really means and takes responsibility for what it says" (these are the
closing words of Marxism and the Philosophy of Language, 1929). This means developing a
personal voice on your instrument which sheds the chameleon- like pseudo-universality of the
competent orchestral interpreter - the musical equivalent of the polite dinner-party chatter which
pretends to talk freely of anything, but remains scared witless by economic or sexual reality - and
risks genuine expression: what Leroi Jones called the ‘stance’ which defines the authentic jazz
saxophonist.

Taylor and Oxley provided ‘stance’in such abundance that their presence felt like a volcanic
eruption of directness and immediacy, sending the Bang On A Can musicians into gibbering recall
of adolescent Halenesque electric-guitar (the artificiality and fragility of the sexual equality induced
by classical training was revealed when the two female members of Bang On A Can failed to show
up; this was a punch-up any female free improvisor would have loved, and shone in... fans of
trombonist Gail Brand's amazing performance at the V&A Merz Nite riot were reduced to
imagining what she could have done in this context).

However, just because musical truth sounds violent and unacceptable to the status quo, it doesn't
follow that literal devastation and violence are art. Stockhausen's enthusiasm for the Trade Center
attack could just as well be the futurist Filippo- Tommaso Marinetti praising war ("the world's only
hygiene"). Stockhausen combines Baader-Meinhof's elitist concept of spectacular political action
with neo- Wagnerian megalomania: he doesn't realise that art and revolution are not a physical
force, a firestorm (despite the images currently used by halfwits to promote ‘Ecstatic Jazz’), but
powers mediated via human intellect and will. In other words, the ‘power’of great music is its truth
content, its proposed relation to the totality of society and the cosmos, not brute force. Music is not
real violence, but a discourse of affective states, one that creates opportunities for judgment about
feelings. The split between intellect and emotion is transcended. This can't be done with a bludgeon,
any more than revolutionary seizure of the state by the proletarian class can be achieved by
individual acts of anarchist violence (Trotsky's critique of Narodnik terrorism still stands).

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Varèse and his handful of authentic orchestral inheritors - namely James Dillon, Simon H. Fell,
Iancu Dumitrescu and Ana-Maria Avram - make music which short-circuits merely intellectual
appreciation (the tight clean shape of a Haydn Quartet or a pop song), and at moments speaks
directly to the body. It maps out the flow of blood, the rustle of nervous synapses, the creak of
bone. Yet these musics don't neglect the intellectual thrill of graphing such biological realities, nor
twinges of anxiety and guilt. This emotional science steels the brainpan, giving us the resolve to
regard the world in its true colours. The political corollary is not aesthetic awe before the actions of
suicidal hijackers, but comprehension of the motives that drive global conflict. Not Deleuze &
Guttari's facile and rhetorical "surrender to the primordial Other", but Enlightenment: Freud's
"Where Id was, Ego shall be".

9-11 was not radical music, but an atrocity inflicted by conspirators trained by the CIA for
destabilisation projects in foreign countries. They applied what the CIA had taught them in pursuit
of their leader's power struggle with the Bush dynasty concerning the price of oil (Cecil Taylor cites
the fact that San Franciso's mayor was warned not to fly on 11 September, maintaining that Bush
organised the attack to consolidate a lost-in-fact election: you can hear Taylor's tough,
Burroughs-like disassociation from liberal unctuousness in every note he plays). Even if they
inevitably gain the applause of arab populations suffering under US-backed repression, Al-Qaeda
have no plan beyond revenge, using the civil populations of the enemy state as targets (they're like
the USSR backed with a ‘people's bomb’ that will wipe out the workers of the world they should
be uniting with). Al-Qaeda's actions do not help to create an independent working- class politics
which could overthrow capitalism, but instead invoke the logic that led to the bombing of retreating
Iraqi troops on the road to Basrah, and deaths in tens of thousands. Al-Qaeda are no more to be
supported than Cecil Taylor's alternative ‘axis of evil’(George Bush, Wynton Marsalis and Philip
Glass, as if you couldn't guess).

Political violence conceived as conflict between national or religious blocks is a species of psychic
repression, akin to conceiving sex in terms of individual gratification, or music in terms of a
quantitative measure (‘genius’, ‘outreach’, ‘sales’). It fails to find any agency for saving the human
race (isn't it funny how the well- heeled are so prone to political despair?) It reduces history and
culture to a spectacle that is no longer carried out by people capable of reason: for example, the
myth that the Arab/Israeli conflict is the fruit of thousands of years of difference (one peddled in a
recent headline by the supposedly progressive french newspaper, Libération), rather than a US
strategy to put pressure on Arab states and keep down the price of oil. Religious and national
pseudo-explanations obscure the rational dynamic of capital and its reproduction (mangetouts from
Kenya, silicon chips from South Korea and the multi-coloured metropolis are all highly explicable
phenomena), naturalising anglo wealth and afghan poverty. Alice Coltrane's millionaire mysticism
retains the worst part of John Coltrane's legacy: its living part is its global integration of musical
codes, its refusal of religious and national divisions. Free music is the song of the New
International.

By facing the horrors of an unbalanced world, by making us experience its terror and violence and
sorrow, radical music offers the satisfaction of truth rather than the blandishments of comfort. It
arms the psyche for reality. This will become increasingly necessary as the weaponry and
trade-deals sold by the First and ex- Communist Worlds to the Third send us their refugees, their
anger and their despair. The grief-stricken of Manhattan should be allowed to bury their dead in
whatever manner they wish, but sombre hymns and TV-studio candles are not the final word: only a
courageous assessment of global realities - musical and political - will allow us to shape a future
worth hearing.

May 2002

Ben Watson

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Music, Violence, Truth http://www.andyw.com/publications/music_violence_truth/

June 2002

Copyright: Ben Watson, 2002 contact www.militantesthetix.co.uk

Published: Ian Land and Andy Wilson

The Dolphin Pub, Hackney, London, 2002 contact andyw@dircon.co.uk

4/6/06 3:35 PM
2004 ( ?), Towards the Bowels of the Earth

Book. Paul Roquet.

Excerpt from the book :

(…)

In butoh I realized I was meeting a movement form that paralleled these listening
adventures. In fact, music had brought me to that first performance in Tokyo. In
high school a friend lent me a compact disc of improvisational duets by
improvisational guitarist Derek Bailey and butoh dancer Tanaka Min1 (1997). On the cover a
man with muscular legs crouched naked against a concrete wall, visibly full of energy about
ready to explode. In the music on the CD, Bailey’s guitar jumped with outbursts of atonal
picking and scraping. All I heard from Tanaka was the occasional thump or slap of body
hitting wall, body hitting floor. Bailey seemed to thread his sounds tightly around Tanaka’s
movement, even pausing for lengths to let Tanaka improvise with the sound of the rain falling
on the roof overhead. Or at least this is what I imagined while listening. Tanaka’s thumping
became my first clue to butoh. A dance soft enough to dance with the falling rain. By the time
I traveled to Tokyo for a summer job in 2001, four years had passed since my friend lent me
the CD, but the memory lingered on. I was determined to see a butoh performance for myself.
Within a few weeks of arriving in the city I found a show listing tucked away in the
classifieds, and eagerly boarded a train across the city. There I encountered the woman
collapsing into and out of death. The silence and the violence, the emotional tension of the
man leaning naked against concrete, now swooned before me in all dimensions. But this was
just the beginning.

(…)
2004, Tony Bevan & Orphy Robinson with Derek Bailey in Concert

Starts: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Ends: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Time: 20:30
Artists: Orphy Robinson, Tony Bevan, John Edwards, Ashley Wales and featuring Derek
Bailey
Participating Artists: Special guest Derek Bailey

T his concert at the 291 Gallery is a rare chance to hear the legendary Guitarist Derek
Bailey - (Guitar) now resident in Barcelona, play in the UK. Playing with Derek are
four of the country’s leading musicians:- Orphy Robinson - (Vibraphone, Marimba,
Percussion) one of this country’s best known vibraphone players, with a CV that includes
Tomorrow’s Warriors, Courtney Pine, Andy Shepherd, Jazz Jamaica All Stars. His music
combines Jazz, Contemporary Classical music, African, funk and improvising music Tony
Bevan - (Tenor & Bass Saxophone) is best known for his playing on the rare and mighty
Bass Saxophone, on which he is one of the world’s best performers. He is a member of the
legendary Sunny Murray’s Trio, as well as Derek Bailey’s Limescale, the Anglo-Chicago
Quartet with Vandermark Alumni Jeb Bishop and Michael Zerang, plus his own groups.
"Tony Bevan is one of the unsung heroes of British Music" (Hi-Fi News). John Edwards -
(Double Bass) is one of the most celebrated Bassists in modern British music, playing with
Evan Parker, Elton Dean, Veryan Weston, modern composer John Wall, Sunny Murray, Peter
Brotzman, Frode Gjerstad, Paul Lovens and many others. Ashley Wales - (Electronics) is a
founder member of Spring Heel Jack, the Electro-Acoustic Drum ‘n’ Bass/Improv pioneers
2004, IMPRO ET POÉSIE À MARSEILLE :
DEREK BAILEY & JOHN GIORNO. Concert.

Du 16 au 21 décembre 2004

L es Marseillais ont bien de la chance: pour fêter ses 25 ans, le Grim (Groupe de
Recherche et d’Improvisation musicales) organise un Festival Nuit d’Hiver dédié à la
guitare dans tous ses états et à ses relations avec la poésie, la vidéo, et plus si affinités.
Seront présents notamment, parmi d’autres guitar heroes du troisième type, Noël Akchoté,
Jean-François Pauvros ou Jean-Marc Montera. Mais on attendra avec une curiosité
particulière la rencontre entre l’Anglais Derek Bailey, qui à 74 ans demeure le plus radical et
le plus savant des terroristes de la six-cordes, et l’Américain John Giorno, vieil ami de
William Burroughs, poète expérimental qui déteste les «lectures depoésie» et a toujours
considéré le disque comme un médium parfait pour la poésie. Il a d’ailleurs fondé dans ce but
un label, Giorno PoetrySystems, qui a sorti quelques performancestrès rock’n’roll de
Burroughs, Patti Smith ou Jim Carroll...
Le 16 décembre, espace Montevideo, Marseille; 04-91-04-69-59.
Bernard Loupias

mu.Les pros de l'impro Session Grim à Marseille

Les 6, 7 et 8 février, Montévidéo, à Marseille, accueille une session de GRIM placée « sous le
signe de l'écrit sur l'improvisé », autour du guitariste Derek Bailey. Des journées à suivre, et
pas seulement parce que plusieurs collaborateurs d'Octopus y sont conviés.
Le GRIM (Groupe de Recherche et d'Improvisation Musicales) de Marseille est toujours
aussi actif sur le front de la création musicale. Voici déjà sa deuxième session depuis le début
de l'année, qui se tient cette semaine autour du thème de l'« écrit sur l'improvisé » à
Montévidéo, espace dévolu «aux créations contemporaines, théâtre, musique et écriture» que
dirigent Hubert Colas et Jean-Marc Montera. Ces rencontres sont axées autour de la figure de
l'Anglais Derek Bailey, 72 ans, qui n'est pas seulement un grand guitariste, mais aussi le
fondateur du label Incus Records (avec Evan Parker et Tony Oxley)l'auteur d'un ouvrage paru
aux éditions Outre Mesure : L'Improvisation, sa nature et sa pratique dans la musique – en
somme, comme le dit le programme, « l'un des pères fondateurs de la musique improvisée
européenne ».

Comment se livrer à l'improvisation, la pratiquer et s'y adonner ? Et, partant, comment parler de
cet art difficile, funambulesque et éphémère ? C'est à ces questions, qui ont donc trait au «
discours musical » au sens le plus large du terme, que visent à répondre ces trois journées qui
se déclineront en concerts, ateliers (d'écoute et de pratique), rencontres et discussions. A ces
dernières seront notamment associés plusieurs collaborateurs, passés et présents, d'Octopus, le
supplément Musiques de Mouvement : Gilles Tordjman, Philippe Robert, Théo Jarrier... En
forme d'apothéose, c'est un concert mettant aux prises Derek Bailey et le percussionniste Ingar
Zachb qui clôturera les débats, que l'on espère positivement houleux.
David SANSON Publié le 07-02-2003
.Les 6, 7 et 8 février .Montevideo
3 impasse Montevideo
.Marseille
.04 91 37 97 35 .
Festival Nuit d’hiver #2 – guitare
Ce festival fêtera les 25 ans du GRIM

Concerts, Bouche à oreilles, masterclass, conférences, films

Avec :
ABS (.) HUM, Noel Akchoté, Paolo Angeli, Derek Bailey, Olivier Benoît, Julien Blaine,
Marco Cappelli, Mike Cooper, Nicolas Dick, Marc Ducret, Ferran Fages, John Giorno, Hervé
Gudin, Guitar Week-end Trio, José Le Piez, Jean-Marc Montera, Jean-François Pauvros,
Hans Reichel, Nuno Rebelo, Dominique Repecaud…

Le guitar héros, troubadour ou rocker, est de toujours la figure de l’insoumis et du désir. En

marge de ces grandes pages de romantisme, on trouve évidemment l’anti héros, l’anti guitare
héros, celui qui détourne les codes, qui invente son histoire le long des fils électriques, qui
taille le son dans les bois... Nuit d’hiver sera, l’espace de quelques jours, le lieu de rendez-
vous de quelques-uns de ces découvreurs bien timbrés. Manu Holterbach animera une série
de conférences sur l’histoire de la guitare et Marco Cappelli donnera une masterclass.
2005, THE GOOD SON VS THE ONLY DAUGHTER : The Blemish
Remixes, Samadhisound, ss005. (UK) (CD) (released in 2005)

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 composed by David Sylvian; tracks 5 and 7 composed by David

Sylvian and Derek Bailey (guitar)

1. The Only Daughter 5:49

Remixed by Ryoji Ikeda
Fabienne Dussenwart: flute
Pascal Moreau: French horn
Wilbert Aerts: violin
Domenica Eyckmans: viola
Jean-Paul Zanutel: cello
Ryoji Ikeda: piano
2. Blemish 4:50
Remixed by Burnt Friedman
Hayden Chisholm: clarinet
3. The Heart Knows Better 5:29
Remixed by Sweet Billy Pilgrim
Alphonse Elsenburg: clarinet
4. A Fire in the Forest 5:05
Remixed by Readymade FC
5. The Good Son 4:33
Remixed by Yoshihiro Hanno
6. Late Night Shopping 2:51
Remixed by Burnt Friedman
Hayden Chisholm: clarinet
7. How Little We Need to Be Happy 4:35
Remixed by Tatsuhiko Asano
8. The Only Daughter 5:28
Remixed by Jan Bang and Erik Honoré
Nils Petter Molvaer: trumpet
9. Blemish 10:10
Remixed by Akira Rabelais
Produced by David Sylvian
Art direction by David Sylvian
Design by Chris Bigg
Cover artwork by Atsushi Fukui
Released in February 2005

T he Good Son Vs The Only Daughter presents nine remixes of songs originally
recorded for 2003’s Blemish. That album was a significant departure from the
template established by its predecessor, Dead Bees On A Cake whose adaptation of
traditional forms hinted at an uncertainty as to musical direction. Four years later, Blemish
authoritatively embraced the influence of contemporary electronic explorers such as Christian
Fennesz and Autechre as well as continuing the practice of collaborating with noted
instrumentalists, in this case the guitarist Derek Bailey. Blemish was a stringent brew, redolent
of Samuel Beckett or Scott Walker’s Tilt at the same time as it recaptured some of the
singularity of “Ghosts”, the swansong of Sylvian’s former group, Japan. A number of
people have been invited by the singer to provide remixes of those songs, including Japanese
minimalist Ryoji Ikeda and German shapeshifter Burnt Friedman alongside less familiar
names Readymade FC and Sweet Billy Pilgrim. There are two versions of “Blemish” and
“The Only Daughter”, but the repetition doesn’t annoy because, rather than sounding
fragmentary or incoherent, the music flows together and impresses as a suite of songs. The
remixes succeed in binding together Blemish’s oblique narratives into richly detailed
palimpsests. The opulence of the production at times suggests twinkling fireflies borne on the
night air or mirrors spotted with age, in which Sylvian’s familiar silhouette can still clearly be
spied. He occasionally worries at a phrase as if rubbing at a random pebble plucked from the
beach, the dull mattness of its surface examined for a last trace of the shine of seawater, for the
feeling behind the words. “And the mind’s divisive, but the heart knows better.” David
Sylvian convincingly argues for an honest engagement with feeling and on tracks like “Late
Night Shopping” subtly satirises the spiritual vacancy of contemporary values. This music is
a gorgeous set of variations and, unlike so many remix projects, can be recommended
unreservedly.

© Colin Buttimer, Published by e/i Magazine

2005, GOOD SON VS. THE ONLY DAUGHTER (Japanese promo)
PVCP-8779

Promo front Promo back

Promo disc Regular disc with SAMPLE text

Press-sheet

Released : 01-2005

image The Good Son vs. The Only Daughter by David Sylvian
Tracklist :

1- The Only Daughter: remixed by Ryoji Ikeda

2- Blemish (Remixed by Burnt Friedman)

3- The Heart Knows Better (Remix by Sweet Billy Pilgrim)

4- A Fire In The Forest (Remix by ReadyMade FC)

5- The Good Son (Remix by Yoshihiro Hanno)

6- Late Night Shopping (Remix by Burnt Friedman)

7- How Little We Need To Be Happy (Remix by Tatsuhiko Asano)

8- The Only Daughter (Remix by Jan Bang & Erik Honore)

9- Blemish (Remix by Akira Rabelais)

There are actually 2 promos released in Japan to accompany the release of The God Son vs.
The Only Daughter.

1. CD-R with custom sleeve

The CD-R, with no printing on it, is packed in a plastic sleeve with a custom printed inlay
(folded). The front of the sleeve is like the album. The back contains release info, tracklist and
information about P-Vine.

2. Regular Japanese release with 'sample' CD.

This promo is equal to the commercial Japanese release with the difference that the disc has
the text 'SAMPLE' on the inner side.

Part of the promotional releases is a 3 page (A4) press-sheet with album info and in depth
descriptions of the participating remixers (all in Japanese) Related items and subjects:
2005, GOOD SON VS THE ONLY DAUGHTER (Japanese) P-Vine
PVCP-8779

Good Son vs The Only Daughter (Japanese)

Good Son vs The Only Daughter (Japanese)

OBI

Good Son vs The Only Daughter (Japanese) Good Son vs The Only Daughter (Japanese)
inlay sheet disc

Japanese version released on P-Vine. Released : 01-2005

Blemish Remixes :

Tracklist :
1- The Only Daughter: remixed by Ryoji Ikeda

2- Blemish (Remixed by Burnt Friedman)

3- The Heart Knows Better (Remix by Sweet Billy Pilgrim)

4- A Fire In The Forest (Remix by ReadyMade FC)

5- The Good Son (Remix by Yoshihiro Hanno)

6- Late Night Shopping (Remix by Burnt Friedman)

7- How Little We Need To Be Happy (Remix by Tatsuhiko Asano)

8- The Only Daughter (Remix by Jan Bang & Erik Honore)

9- Blemish (Remix by Akira Rabelais)

The Japanese version features the very same tracks as the SamadhiSound version. So, no
bonus tracks!

Differences can be found in the packaging.

The Japanese version has the good old obi and contains an inlay sheet with some liner notes
by Headz/Fader.

The disc itself is different from the original version. Much darker artwork but with the same
copyright text as the original.

Art direction: David Sylvian

Design: Chris Bigg
Cover artwork: Atsushi Fukui
Artist Liaison: Yuka Fujii
2005, AIDA. Dexter's Cigar. DEX 05 (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : solo acoustic guitar

1- Paris 19.00
2- Niigata snow 06.00
3- An echo in another's mind 14.00

Released: March 14, 2005

R epresses of some key re-issues on the new defunct O'Rourke/Grubbs -ignited

Dexter's Cigar label. Aida is a re-issue of a long-gone Incus album, originally issued
in 1981 (recorded in Paris & London, 1980). "AIDA is possibly the finest of Derek's
several solo LPs, records that forever changed what it meant for a guitarist to play alone. He
transforms the guitar into a small orchestra of strings and percussion; the music is
simultaneously lyrical and aggressive...rated 'Number One' in Robert Nedelkoff's 'Top 100
LPs of the 80s'."-Forced Exposure

A re-issue of the Aida album from improvised music giant Derek Bailey, and possibly
the best of all his solo releases. Three extended tracks with Bailey transforming his
guitar into a small orchestra of strings and percussion. Remastered by John Golden,
and packaged with a beautiful metallic ink design using the long-lost original LP artwork.

E ven in an enormous catalog of solo, combo, and ensemble recordings, AIDA stands as
one of Derek Bailey's definitive statements. This live Paris recording, first issued by
Incus in 1981 and long a coveted item among improv enthusiasts, finds the
improvisational guitarist at the top of his game. Like any great improviser, Bailey has his own
language. His flurries of arch jabs, cascading fingering, raked chords, percussive accents, and
recurrent harmonics posses a rigorous internal logic that has earned Bailey an eternal
referendum in the jazz / not-jazz debate. Bailey's style denies easy reference points, but pianist
Cecil Taylor's contorted clusters and dramatically shaded textures certainly inform these
brilliant six-string expositions. The fiercely scribbled calligraphy of "An Echo in Another's
Mind" and "Niigata Snow" is geometrically involute yet completely asymmetrical, adhering to
a deeply personal script that mandates the striking of every possible point on the fretboard
during each performance. As with all Bailey recordings, AIDA's most surprising quality is the
musician's sincere, mordant English wit. "Paris" features a typically priceless Bailey moment
when an insistent wristwatch alarm (set beforehand?) forces the guitarist to abbreviate the
performance--in the middle of an especially exquisite phrase--at exactly 19 minutes.

A ida, consisting of two live recordings from 1980, captures Derek Bailey on the cusp
between his early-career thorny and more drastic explorations of the outer limits of
guitar playing and the subtler, softer (though no less idiosyncratic) approaches he
would often employ later on. Throughout his career, Bailey has championed what he calls
"non-idiomatic improvisation," an attempt to improvise without reference to any pre-existing
musical styles. While perhaps impossible to achieve 100 percent, he has certainly made it
difficult to describe his work with the normal allusions and comparisons to that of others. The
first track on Aida, "Paris," is a gorgeous and relatively smooth excursion in Bailey's sound-
world. One imagines that if England had a tradition of koto accompaniment for Noh plays, it
might sound something like this. Not that there is an overt Asian influence, but the sparseness
and careful choice of notes gives one a slight sense of both Eastern asceticism and luxury
within that asceticism. Though he has professed to not particularly enjoying solo playing, that
circumstance is often the easiest introduction to Bailey's work. Aida is a remarkably beautiful
entry to one of the world's masterful musicians. Indeed, he sounds like no one else.

Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide

2005, THE LONDON CONCERT DEREK BAILEY & EVAN PARKER,
psi 05.01 (UK) (CD) (re-issue)

Derek Bailey: guitar

Evan Parker: saxophones

1. First half solo 04.16

2. Part 1 14.54
3. Part 1A 05.50
4. Part 2 03.51
5. Part 2A 10.24
6. Second half solos 10.26
7. Part 3 11.54
8. Part 4 06.56

All of the music from the 1975 Wigmore Hall (London) concert by this duo then nearing the
mid-point of their twenty years of work together. On CD for the first time. Re-issue of Incus
LP 16 plus 31 minutes of extra material.

H istoric is a very overused word in many contexts, so much so that it is devalued and I
am loath to use it here. Nonetheless, it fits this release perfectly. Consider the facts:
Derek Bailey and Evan Parker are without doubt the two most prolific, influential,
and renowned improv players in the history of the music. They first came together at the birth
of improv in the SME in 1967, together set up Incus records (along with Tony Oxley) in
1970, and continued playing together until they fell out in 1987, after which they have gone
their separate ways. So this concert from Valentine’s Day of 1975, at the Wigmore Hall,
originally released on Incus, dates from near the middle of their twenty-odd years playing
together.

This release adds over half an hour of music to the original LP release, Incus 16. The concert
consisted of two halves, each including solo features which make their debuts here. In the first
half Parker plays soprano sax, in the second half tenor. Bailey mainly uses his stereo guitar
with two speakers controlled by volume pedals, apart from his extraordinary solo feature in
the second half where he plays a modified guitar with (approximately!) nineteen strings.
Because of this, many listeners will find this solo almost unrecognisable compared to modern
day Bailey, but close listening reveals his usual trademarks, not least his total avoidance of
clichés, licks, or anything smacking of pre-preparation. On soprano or tenor, Parker is
instantly recognisable as the precursor to his modern day self.

But it is the chance to hear the two masters interacting and bouncing ideas off each other that
makes this release historic; it also emphasises the sadness of that day in 1987 when they
parted company, seemingly never to play together again. Our loss.

John Eyles

F ew rifts in improvised music have been as lasting as that between Evan Parker and
Derek Bailey. The reality that the catalyst of mutual estrangement is decades past
raises doubts as to whether either man even remembers its particulars. Their row may
have robbed listeners of recent meetings, but consolation lies in several concerts the duo
recorded before their split. As Parker succinctly puts it in the notes to The London Concert:
“when I resigned as a director of Incus Records in 1987, I took with me the tapes and the
rights in all my recordings for that label. Since we had recorded two duo albums, we agreed to
take one each.”

Martin Davidson’s notes expertly toe the line of neutrality, describing the summary details of
the London event in dry, poker-faced prose that leaves his loyalties to both camps unscathed.
Parker plays soprano for the first half, tenor for the second. Bailey sticks predominantly to a
two-speaker stereo guitar set up enhanced by his customary volume pedals. The exception
arises in his solo section of the second half where he straps on a custom-built 19-string
acoustic, a spindly contraption that sounds like a fork-tined zither.

Recording clarity remains quite clean and close for much of the duration with Bailey’s
shimmering tonal icicles well-preserved alongside Parker’s striated lineaments. Bailey’s
ability to shape sound collages that are at once brusque and spiny and yet oddly lyrical fits
with his partners’ similarly penetrating temperament. Parker isn’t one to mince notes or tones
either. His sharply suspirating soprano sorties draw blood just as easily as Bailey’s taloned
plectrum. Tenor proves just as petulant. Parker voices percussive reed stutters and trills that
match the unstable angularity of Bailey’s own fervently-percolating patterns.

Playing it straight or orthodox simply isn’t a viable option, though the Parker’s elongated
tones toward the middle of the segment marked “Part I” hint at the outlines of parabolic
melody. Bailey answers with ricocheting echoes that whir with the voltage of livewire
electricity. The brittle fracas reaches an apex as the pair burrow into the figurative innards of
their respective implements, Parker breathing acidic recycling gusts and Bailey abrading his
strings and frets with hard-pecking gesticulations. Parker’s supreme level of embouchure
control is often such that slaps to the forehead in awed disbelief are frequent. His “Second
Half” solo salvo deploys with enough force to punch pneumatic holes in the ceiling tiles of
Wigmore Hall and leaves the impression that attendees were brushing heavy layers of plaster
dust off their pates by the end of the performance.

Despite the hard-won congruence of their respective vernaculars, it’s also evident that
interpersonal tension was cardinal tinder for the creative spark. There’s deep listening going
on, but neither man seems willing to cede too much of in the way of sympathetic niceties. And
so they barrel forward together, tumbling and tangling in a tandem that remains engrossing
from start to finish even as it eschews easy exposition.

Also of note in the all too finite Bailey-Parker folio is Arch Duo, a Berkeley studio date taped
in October of 1980 that is a notch below this one, but still stocked with plenty of bracing tête-
à-tête. I haven’t yet heard Compatibles, the Incus duo recording in Bailey’s possession taped
ten years after its sibling. If it’s even close to on par with this earlier outing I’m putting it onto
my shortlist of “must procures.”

Derek Taylor
Bagatellen. Posted by derek on June 12, 2005 06:40 PM

Comments :

N ice write up of a great album, Derek. The first solo guitar track (not on the original
release) is awesome, vintage Derek (Bailey!), Lot 74 style. You don't have to be a
guitarist to be blown away by the pedal technique. And Parker sounds so gnarly and
sinewy too - play this one back to back with Evan's new Leo September Winds CD (about
time you came out of retirement and REVIEWED IT Walto :)) to see just how much EP has
mellowed over the years. (Not that many people would describe what he's doing today as
"mellow"..)

I nteresting too to hear DB & EP in the resonant acoustic of the Wigmore Hall (a classy
venue just north of Oxford Street usually used for classical music recitals, chamber
music) instead of a cramped, sweaty pub / club. I know many of my fellow musicians
would rather lose a limb than release an album with REVERB on it, but it's just perfect here.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at June 12, 2005 10:12 PM

H ey Derek, this one really impressed me to. I agree that listening on the gig is
subserviant to ... some other concern. Parker in particular has astonished me time
and time again with his ears and consequent lightning-fast reactions. A very welcome
reish indeed.

Posted by: marc at June 13, 2005 10:41 PM

A nyone actually heard Compatibles & care to comment? I've always wanted to hear it
because of the Peter Riley connection....

Posted by: ND at June 13, 2005 11:43 PM

N ot to mention the fact that they used the original jacket image... that horrible black
thing from the '80s was pretty offensive. You know, the one with the label sticker in
the center? I'd almost rather it have been a Slick Rick 12".

Posted by: clifford at June 15, 2005 08:04 AM

onsidering this long overdue re-issue of Incus 16 in the light of the subsequent split

C between Derek Bailey and Evan Parker might be a tempting proposition, and Parker's
brief footnote in the liners perhaps invites listeners to do just that ("When I resigned
as a director of Incus Records in 1987, I took with me the tapes and the rights in all my
recordings for that label. Since we had recorded two duo albums, we agreed to take one
each."), but The London Concert still stands as perhaps the most impressive collaboration
between these two towering figures of European Improvised Music. Now that almost every
single release that comes our way from Messrs Parker and Bailey is hailed as a major piece of
work, even if it isn't, it's all too easy to forget how utterly unprecedented and dangerous this
music must have sounded when it burst forth 30 years ago into the hallowed auditorium of
London's Wigmore Hall, a venue traditionally associated with polite (accomplished yet
boring) recitals of genteel lieder and fusty chamber music. Martin Davidson's splendid
recording restores the concert to its original length, apart from some "theatrics" at the
beginning of each half of the concert, and the CD contains four previously unreleased tracks,
including the opening "First Half Solo", just over four minutes of unaccompanied Bailey, and
an astonishing demonstration of his mastery of the volume pedal easily on a par with the
celebrated solo outing Lot 74.

When I was a kid, the people who lived across the street had an ageing and slightly diseased
Border Collie called Shep that would stand behind the front door and bark itself hoarse every
time its owners went out. My father, driven to distraction by the incessant yapping, threatened
on many occasions to soak a sponge in gravy and slip it through the letterbox. He never did,
but I often wondered what a dog choking to death on a meaty sponge might sound like. I
think I now have an idea. Back in 1975 Evan Parker's soprano and tenor had yet to go their
separate ways, the former towards the now-legendary circular breathing extravaganzas, the
latter back to its gruff roots in Coltrane-era free jazz. Play this back to back with recent
outings like the Leimgruber / Demierre / Phillips reviewed below or Stefan Keune's Sunday
Sundaes on Creative Sources, and it's no exaggeration to say Parker was three decades ahead
of his time. The London Concert is quite simply indispensable (ha, how many times have you
heard that?), and even if the music weren't so astounding it'd be worth the price of admission
for the photo of Bailey and Parker standing patiently in a queue at a London bus stop.

DW – Paris TransAtlantic July 2005

L e saxophoniste Evan Parker explore ses tiroirs, et sort sur son propre label
l’enregistrement d’un concert qu’il donna en 1975 à Londres, en compagnie du
guitariste Derek Bailey. L’improvisation portée par deux de ses plus brillants
représentants et théoriciens ; en public, il y a trente ans.
On retrouve là quelques gimmicks : attaques sèches et étouffées, mouvements oscillatoires, de
Bailey ; couacs incandescents et nappes apaisantes de Parker. Tandis qu’en solo le guitariste
se laisse porter par un flux insatiable et quelques accélérations internes (Part 1), il lui arrive de
décider d’assauts étouffés de tirants et de cordes distendues pour tout accompagnement
(Second Half Solos).
Inspiré, Parker multiplie les figures, jetant d’imperméables rauques dans des cascades
fiévreuses (Part 4), affinant des fulgurances aigues qui implorent l’écoute (Part 2), ou
dissolvant de 1000 manières quelques phrases répétées dans cet unique but (Part 1A). Porté
par les volutes déployées jusqu’à saturation de Bailey, le saxophoniste peut aussi se contenter
de trouver discrètement le répondant (Part 3).
Manuel de mise en condition dans la pratique de l’improvisation, The London Concert aborde
aussi les questions de l’écoute réciproque et de l’inspiration à gérer seul. Elaboration
réfléchie, traitée sans diktat, conseils dispersés et exemples à l’appui. Assez probant, en plus,
pour convaincre qui doutait encore : l’enregistrement, en musique improvisée, n’est pas que
document.
Chroniqué par Grisl

T here is some bitter irony in the fact that, almost two decades after their breakup,
probably far more people know about the notorious rift between Evan Parker and
Derek Bailey than have actually heard the music they played together. For such a
longstanding duo, they only released three recordings in a duet format (and one of those came
out after their break) and a handful more in trios with various other musicians. Since most of
these are long out-of-print or tricky to find, this re-issue of their live recording from a 1975
concert at Wigmore Hall is particularly welcome.

In Parker’s terse liner notes, he states “When I resigned as a director of Incus Records in
1987, I took with me the tapes and the rights in all my recordings for that label. Since we had
recorded two duo albums, we agreed to take one each.” Luckily eminent archivist Martin
Davidson was there to record the concert and he returned to the tapes to remaster them and
add over 30 minutes of previously unissued material to this spectacular release.

Listening to this it’s hard to imagine how radical it must have sounded three decades ago. In
the intervening years, Bailey’s desiccated shards and Parker’s serpentine lines and shattered
multiphonics have virtually defined the vocabulary of countless musicians. And their spitfire
spontaneous interactions have become as much a strategy for improvising as bop’s harmonic
refractions of standards. But listening to these two as they push at the edges of discovery still
sends shivers of excitement.

The two sets contain superlative solos that are models of concentrated abstraction (particularly
Bailey’s opening section, full of fractured intervals and masterfully controlled sustain). But it
is the duet interactions that make this such an essential document. The two move in parallel
arcs—sometimes playing off the other, sometimes perversely heading off obtusely—only to
jab back in with lightning strikes. Bailey’s dry wit pokes out continually, but never
overwhelms Parker’s more earnest intensity.

It is particularly intriguing to hear Parker in this seminal stage of his playing. The circular
breathing and split multiphonics are all in place. But without the intervening decades of
experience, there is more of a sense that his lines could snap at any minute. Sometimes, when
legendary recordings finally see the light of day, they don’t quite measure up to the hype. If
anything, The London Concerts surpasses expectations.

Michael Rosenstein. 19 September 2005

T
he London Concert, recorded in the mid-'70s, is a historical document which preserves
mature manifestations of Bailey's sound, which continues to shape British improv.
The Psi reissue adds thirty-odd minutes to the previously released 1975 LP version
on the Incus label, boosting its length to more than 69 minutes. Still in their honeymoon
period, Bailey and Evan Parker offered both solo and duo material, with the reedman playing
soprano and tenor saxophones and Bailey playing a stereo guitar with volume pedals, as well
as a modified nineteen-string guitar.

Despite the hardware, there are no signs of prog rock, electronica or—as Bailey would
probably insist dogmatically—jazz. That's open to debate, but what is noticeable in this
context is how each of the eight tracks seems to be moderate and unhurried. There's no
mistaking Bailey's plinking, slightly flattish tone and attack, whether he's using the so-called
stereo guitar or the nineteen-string mutant.

”Part 1,” for example, is almost fifteen minutes of constant plectrum plink and plucks
intersected by masticated curt note patterns and duck squawks from Parker's soprano. As the
piece develops, so do the saxophonist's jagged snaps, slurs and smears, while the guitarist's
steady rhythmic guitar fills include additional vibrations. With the pedals allowing him to play
an unusual vibrating pulsation, Bailey's contrapuntal display is matched by trills within the
body tube, shrill pennywhistle tones and undulating columns of colored air from Parker's axe.

Seemingly mumbling to himself and evidentially concentrating on what rhythm can be

constructed by stroking strings on the guitar neck, the guitarist leaves space for Parker to buzz
his reed and bubble lip forms. For the finale, the reedist contorts his snarls to a legato tone,
then showcases his characteristic circular breathing as Bailey plucks away.

Although thirty years later it may sound standardized, this duo performance is invested with
the novelty and excitement of musical discovery, and it should attract anyone who desires a
deeper insight into the musical currents of those times.

Ken Waxman

L P version of 1975’s THE LONDON CONCERT (Incus 16), which now boosts its
length to more than 69 minutes. Still in their honeymoon period, Bailey and Parker
offered both solo and duo material, with the reedman playing soprano and tenor
saxophones and Bailey a stereo guitar with volume pedals and a modified 19-string guitar.
Despite the hardware, there are no signs of ProgRock, electronica or – as Bailey would
probably insist dogmatically – jazz. That’s open to debate, but what is noticeable in this
context is how each of the eight tracks seems to be moderate and unhurried compared to the
urgent staccato of the Stevens’ trio work.

There’s no mistaking Bailey, plinking, slightly flattish tone and attack, whether he’s using
the so-called stereo guitar or the 19-string mutant. “Part 1”, for example, is almost 15
minutes of constant plectrum plink and plucks intersected by masticated curt note patterns
and duck squawks from Parker’s soprano. As the piece develops so do the saxophonist’s
jagged snaps, slurs and smears while the guitarist’s steady rhythmic guitar fills include
additional vibrations. With the pedals allowing him to output an unusual vibrating pulsation,
Bailey’s contrapuntal display is matched by trills within the body tube, shrill penny whistle
tones and undulating columns of colored air from Parker’s axe. Seemingly mumbling to
himself and evidentially concentrating on what rhythm can be constructed by stroking
strings on the guitar neck, the guitarist leaves space for Parker to buzz his reed and bubble
lip forms. For the finale the reedist contorts his snarls to a
legato tone, then showcases his characteristic circular breathing as Bailey plucks away.

Previously unreleased, Bailey’s strategy on “Second Half Solos” find him demarcating
sharp, single-note friction on the 19 strings as the crinkling vibrations add rattling hum and
tone resonation. For his part, Parker reveals a nephritic shout as repeated tongue slaps, pops
and diaphragm vibrations expand to multiphonics and usher in “Part 3” from the original LP.

Spectacularly, shredded split tones and irregularly pitched vibrations then explode all over
the aural space, causing Bailey to turn to harder plectrum interface, as node response swells
into unique counter patterns. Soon you start to feel like a spectator at a particularly frenetic
tennis game, with the ball constantly in motion, jumping, soaring and bouncing from one to
another. Each man is concentrating on an individual strategy, but as polyphony emerges, so
does the shape of the cooperative contest. Climatically, Bailey announces a variation change
as his flat-picking suddenly clangs like an egg timer. Parker vibrates ghostly slurs beneath
him, as if he was playing a chanter, with a renal squeak for a coda. Elsewhere the two
intertwine harmonies that include glottal punctuation and staccatissimo overblowing from
Parker and distorted finger-tapping and harsh, scraped fret actions from Bailey.

Although 30 years later what they did then may sound standardized, the duo performance is
invested with the novelty and excitement of musical discovery. So too is the trio set. Both
prime slabs of interactive improv, these CDs should attract anyone desirous of a deeper
insight into the musical currents of those times.

Ken Waxman, October 31, 2005

First version of the complete( ! ) discography.
Jonquiere, Québec, January 6, 2005

Dear Sir,

You will find attached to these few words a pdf document (The Lost Chord). I sent you a copy
on CD a few weeks ago and I was pleased with some of the presentation… and I found some
dumb mistakes I made… anyway.

Here is a new version… it will stay that way for a while i think.
I only hope that I am not bothering you with that stuff… if so please accept my apologies.
I received your new DVD… quite interesting. It is nice to see and hear you play… sadly it
was’n a 4 hour gig… nice humour too.

If you find that the document may be useful to anybody feel free to give it… I did’t do that
for the money… it is fun.

Why don’t you publish some of your exercises as an ebook ? It is cheap and it saves trees.
But I am being impolite I am sure.

Thank you again for your music

Sincerely yours

Carol Dallaire
2005, TO CAROL FROM D. Private recording. (Spain) (CD-R)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars, voice

1. Carol from D. : 12.16

Recorded in Barcelona around February 12, 2005

Recording by and from Derek Bailey

following acknowledging the reception
of the first version of the discography
project titled The Lost Chord and
talking about the way and the difficulty
he had playing the guitar at that time.

Hand-written on the CD-R :

Carol from D.
Dear Sir,

I know, you would prefer that I use dear Derek, but for me, out of respect, your will always be
dear Sir.

I just got your CD. I am deeply touched by your kindness. I am really moved by the fact that you
took time to record that message. It is un humbling experience to hear you play and talk. For sure,
your sound has changed and you play slower now that you are using your right thumb but I kind
of like the different roundness of the sound you are getting. It is not mellow, maybe less
agressive, more reflective, kind of a like a gentle walk (gee!!! Soon I will write mushy poetry if I
am not careful)… you are now in Barcelona, kind of fun not to be in a hurry there. I have been
there for a week a few years ago for some conference at the University, and my wife and I had so
much fun walking for hours in the little streets… too much to eat, too much, to drink but who
cares… beautiful city for sure.

Enjoy the sun, here today, it is minus 14 degree, it will be winter still for a few months but it is
sunny.

You talked about some kind of syndrome in your right arm… I had a surgery a couple of years
ago for my left arm and hand… I had some kind of ulnar nerve syndrome because of a badly
broken arm… anyway my fretting hand was getting more and more paralyzed up to the point of I
was making a Django out of myself with barely only two working fingers. To make a short story,
I had surgery and now I regain my hand, I can play guitar and saxophone… it keeps improving
and I had no more pain. It was fun for a while trying to find my way around the problem but
nobody has to be masochistic about it. Sorry if I am being impolite.

Just for the fun of it, I am sending you a photograph of the last show of Les Radicaux Libres. We
played on the location of a film just before the place was destroyed. From left to right Chantale
Boulianne is playing some weird kind of percussions out of whatever we find before the show,
Denis Bouchard was playing that day an home-made invented instrument called Poubellophone
(TrashCan’ophone) and I was the straight guy playing acoustic guitar and soprano sax. We had a
nice time with the public.
Anyway, I am sincerely touched by your music and your generosity. Please continue to play
music.

I wish you the best, take good care of yourself

Carol Dallaire
2005, CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME. Tzadik Key Series 7612 (USA)
(CD) (released in 2005)

Derek Bailey : acoustic and electric guitars

1. explanation & thanks 10.34

2. after 3 weeks 08.56
3. after 5 weeks 05.40
4. after 7 weeks 08.29
5. after 9 weeks 09.26
6. after 12 weeks 06.58

Producer : Derek Bailey

Executive producer : John Zorn
Associate producer : Kazunori Sugiyama
Recording : 200 by Derek Bailey, Barcelona, Spain
Mastering : Scott Hull at Jigsaw Sound, NYC
Design : Heung-Heung Chin
NOTE :

T he first piece explanation & thanks, 10.34 in lenght on this recording is for the most part
the same as the one he sent me as a personnal recording, entitled Carol from D. That
original version is 12.16 in lenght was recorded around February 12, 2005 in Barcelona.
The difference between the two pieces is Derek Bailey moving from acoustic guitar to his electric
ES-175 and playing a bit more.

Carol Dallaire

Q uite literally one of the most original and influential guitarists on the planet, Derek Bailey
has completely revolutionized the language of guitar music in the twentieth century.

His work has been championed by almost every cutting edge guitarist : Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell,
Marc Ribot, Buckethead, Jerry Garcia, but his influence reaches far far beyond the insular world
of guitar freaks, to classical composers such as Brian Ferneyhough and Karlheinz Stockhausen,
creative musicians Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Leo Smith, jazz players Dave Holland,
Steve Lacy and Milford Graves, rock bands Sonic Youth, Fantomas and so many more.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, his first solo recording since the best selling Ballads album of 2003,
finds Derek again in a wistful romantic mood, and these three musings for solo guitar are some of
his most soulful and emotional documents ever. Essential late recordings by a man who has
helped improvisation change the world.

M ost commentary on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome fails to mention guitarists among the
commonly afflicted. It's an odd omission as their susceptibility to repetitive stress
injuries makes sense, especially someone like Derek Bailey who’s made a career out
of torquing and twisting his strings and ligaments in all manner of contortionist directions. Bailey
finally fell prey to the debilitating condition in early ’05 and sought the counsel of various
doctors who advised surgery as the best strategy to combat further damage. Incorrigible as ever,
he opted against an invasive remedy and decided instead to devote his energies toward “trying to
find a way around it.”

Adaptation is a bulwark of improvisation. On Carpal Tunnel Bailey sets about the task of
retooling his celebrated tactics to the new circumstances with enthusiasm and wry humor. Certain
of his fingers may be enfeebled, but the guitarist’s mental faculties are as sharp as ever. Feet
intact, his facility with volume pedal remains undiminished too.

“Explanation and Thanks” is just that, a discursive monologue where he recounts his illness and
peppers his matter-of-fact remarks with instructional punctuations of sparse, stippled guitar.
These snippets are tottery in spots and reveal a reliance on thumb in plectrum’s stead as well as a
preference for brevity over sustained strumming. But Bailey’s musings on both his condition and
recent relocation to Barcelona are both enlightening and unexpectedly endearing in their candor.
The album’s other pieces carry titles corresponding to spans of time, presumably as correlates to
the onset and advance of Bailey’s condition. A cluster of brittle banjo-like tones almost identical
to those that open the album announces “After 3 Weeks.” “After 5 Weeks” feels almost slo-mo in
its extemporaneous design. Bailey’s ornamentations are measured to the point of methodical in
places, but the absence of linear velocity yields a palpable amount of nuance through sharp-
witted use of space. Pedal shimmer coats bent notes and a lattice takes shape like a spider’s web
revealed only by the dew droplets that cling to its gossamer girders.

Remaining tracks travel trajectories of disarming delicacy. Moments of dulcet lyricism are
surprisingly many, such as the opalescent swells and quavering harmonics that arise on the
otherwise angular “After 7 Weeks.” There's no Ruins-ready shredding to speak of, but Bailey’s
relative reticence becomes an asset rather than an encumbrance. The recital winds up with a
single sustained tone that strains the mic and dissolves into silence- an aural mirror to the tingling
and numbing of limbs? Tzadik’s packaging and design are customarily first-class with medieval
medical drawings and clever typefaces complementing the histological catharsis of the music.

Django made do with just eight functioning digits, fashioning one of the most influential fretting
styles in improvised guitar music. Pat Martino was forced to completely relearn his chops after a
brain aneurysm robbed them from his mind. Bailey’s found himself in a similar boat and the
adage “whatever doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger” seems apropos. He may not be stronger
physically, but the challenge presented by his ailment has opened fresh avenues of expression.
Consequently, this album comes rich in captivating content.

Derek Taylor
Posted by derek on July 27, 2005 04:57 PM

I t's a bit difficult to understand how, after more than four decades of playing guitar, Derek
Bailey developed a debilitating case of carpal tunnel syndrome. It's not like holding a pick
was something new to him, but the condition (fortunately confined to his right hand) made it
such that he was no longer able to hold a "plectrum." This fact comes out in "Explanation &
Thanks," the introductory piece to the album entitled Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an audio letter
dictated/played by Derek to someone named "Carol." He goes on to describe his playing as
"desultory and inaccurate" as a result, having to relearn to play with his thumb instead of a pick,
but "not using a plectrum has turned out to be quite interesting for me." He says that while
"medical people" insist he should have an operation, he's "more interested in...trying to find a
way around it," claiming at that moment to be "only partly successful." Thus the stage is set for a
fascinating aural documentary. Here you have a man who single-handedly changed the
vocabulary and future of guitar decades ago, having to relearn how to play his own instrument.
Never afraid of a new situation, Bailey documents his progress after that "letter" with pieces
recorded over the weeks following his diagnosis. He actually explains some of the problems he's
having in the first piece (while simultaneously demonstrating them), giving the listener some
guideposts to the challenges he's facing. His playing at the beginning sounds somewhat hesitant
and a bit clunky, and the harmonics don't quite ring they way they probably should. As the tracks
progress, the playing gets more and more deliberate, and swells of volume and distortion start to
enter the mix again until it's clear that Bailey has largely overcome this rather serious hurdle.
Although musicians have come back strong from what could have been career ending medical
issues (Sun Ra, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Tom Petty come to mind), few would have the
courage to actually release their baby steps to the public. His music has not changed
tremendously as a result, but on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome you hear Derek Bailey figuring out
how to sound like Derek Bailey again, and succeeding in every way.

Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide

T he last few years have been particularly eventful for legendary guitarist/free improvisor
Derek Bailey: he moved to Barcelona after decades in England, turned 75, and contracted
carpal tunnel syndrome in his right hand. “When I consult medical people about this, they
all say I should have an operation,” Bailey says during Carpal Tunnel’s opening track,
“Explanation and Thanks.” “But I’m more interested in trying to find a way around it.” Playing
without a pick for the first time in ages, Bailey devises a thumb-heavy method with familiar
results: detuned plucks, abrupt stops, truncated strums, and an unwavering ability to avoid
predictable patterns.

What sets Carpal Tunnel apart is less tangible. While Bailey’s basic tools remain intact, his
approach is understandably muted. Whether it’s out of concern for aggravating his injury or a
continuation of the subtle patience he displayed on 2003’s Ballads, something has Bailey in a
hesitant mood. Carpal Tunnel’s ability to avoid rashness while remaining spontaneous is
intoxicating.

The tracks were recorded in two-week intervals. “After 3 Weeks” is timid and deliberate, with
dislocated plucks strung together the way stars seem to intentionally form constellations. “After 7
Weeks” explores reverberation, with Bailey more interested in echo than initial burst, and the
album’s high point, “After 9 Weeks,” gently pokes at the gaps between lone notes and clustered
strums. By the end of Carpal Tunnel, Bailey’s physical limitation, like many of the challenges he
has given himself, has somehow freed his music even further.

Marc Masters, 10/12/2005

I have many of Derek's recordings, he hates records, but this one is unique. His care to space
and pitch are so special, and his humor regarding his hand condition is the best. Only Derek
Bailey could make this record, and we are the ones who get the goods. O, please pick up
Aida. Lace. Music@Dance. Guitar@bass.-all great records -are you listening Derek!

J. Bewley "mbewley2002" (San Diego, CA)

FROM AMAZON.COM
Buy this CD!!!! Not 3 stars, 55555 stars.., August 15, 2005
D
erek Bailey is someone whose music I'm somewhat unfamiliar with-- he has performed
with a number of musicians whose work I enjoy (John Zorn, Cecil Taylor, David
Sylvian), and a few years ago I purchased one of his records that I didn't really care for.
More recently though, it seems I've been listening to a lot more of Bailey's work, and after having
recently read a revelatory interview him (in The Wire I think) where I realized that if nothing
else, we were kindred spirits in our taste in music, I decided to give it another try. As such, I am
approaching my review as an outsider rather than an insider.

"Carpal Tunnel", conceptually, is an interesting record. Bailey has been diagnosed with carpal
tunnel syndrome, rendering him unable to correctly hold a plectrum. This recording, presented as
a letter to "Carol" (I have no idea who that is), is a demonstration of Bailey exploring his new
guitar technique-- fingerpicking. Evidentally, Bailey has worked pretty much exclusively with a
plectrum ("pick") in developing his unique vocabulary. This record documents his exploration,
opening with a voice-over-disjoint guitar track to thank Carol for sending something and explain
what this recording is (it's positively revalatory in learning about the man in its own way),
followed by several tracks, each documenting how long it's been since some event related--
whether this is his diagnosis with carpal tunnel syndome, his decision to explore fingerpicking, or
when he recorded the opener, I really don't know.

Either way, its a fascinating portrait of the man's music-- his style (and Bailey was always a
stylist) is readily apparent. At 75, he's lost none of his fire as a player. The earlier recordings on
the record find him a bit tentative, exploratory to be sure, and definitely feeling his way around,
but what's amazing is that even early on it starts to cook. By "After 7 Weeks", it's quite got your
attention, and the tracks improve as they go on.

All in all, it's quite an enjoyable record, definitely worth the investment to pick up.

Michael Stack (Chelmsford, MA USA)

3 out of 5 stars An interesting record., August 15, 2005

B
ritish guitarist Derek Bailey has been long associated with the avant-garde jazz scene for
nearly 40 years. His unique approach to guitar playing is instantly recognisable with its
abstract melodies, atonal runs, feedback, harmonics and volume swells.

With "Carpal Tunnel", his latest disc, we find the 75-year old guitarist performing with a minor
handicap. All of the pieces were recorded and performed while Bailey was suffering from carpal
tunnel syndrome in his right hand. Each of titles of the pieces refer to how many weeks had
lapsed since he was first inflicted with CTS. There is even an introductory explanation at the
beginning of the disc in which Bailey somewhat randomly explans the idea behind the music
while improvising guitar phrases over his speech.

Upon listening to the music, you would be hard pressed to think that there was anything wrong
with Bailey as he was performing this music. All of his musical trademarks are in tact without
any sign of being sluggish. In the end, it is a typical Derek Bailey solo guitar album.
While much of his music (including this CD) is somewhat difficult to sit through, long time fans
of Derek Bailey will no doubt be intruiged by "Carpal Tunnel". He definitely overcame a huge
obsticle by being able to record this album.

In the end, it's not a fantastic CD but definitely one that is par for the course.

Louie Bourland (garden grove, ca United States)

D
erek Bailey est atteint du syndrome Carpal Tunnel à la main droite, étant guitariste
depuis près de quarante ans, visionnaire ayant imposé de nouvelles manières de jouer,
on peut comprendre à quel point cette nouvelle est terrible. Ceci est expliqué dans le
premier morceau, "Explanation & Thanks", cette introduction est une lettre orale joué par Derek
Bailey et dédié à une certaine "Carole" (sic). Il décrit son jeu, "décousu et imprécis" et se propose
de réapprendre à jouer trouvant ça plus intéressant que de se faire opérer. Cet album est un
émouvant documentaire suivant semaines après semaines l'évolution du réapprentissage de Derek
Bailey. Sur le deuxième morceau "After 3 Weeks" Bailey nous explique ses problèmes et les
illustres montrant donc le challange qu'il s'impose. Son jeu du début est hésitant et les
harmoniques ne sonnent pas tout à fait comme elles le devraient normalement. Au fur et à mesure
de la progression de l'album son jeu est de plus en plus libéré, les nuances réapparaissent, la
distortion reprend sa place. Il est clair qu'au final, on peut dire que Bailey a en partie surmonté ce
sérieux obstacle. D'autres musiciens ont, avant Derek Bailey eu de sérieux problèmes médicaux
les contraignant à stopper leur carrière mais peu ont le courage de montrer leurs nouveaux
premiers pas au public. Cet album est magnifique, une réusite a tout point de vu.

par dUX

N on content d’avoir influencé PAT METHENY, BILL FRISELL, MARC RIBOT, JIM
O’ROURKE, JERRY GARCIA, THURSTON MOORE et tant d’autres guitaristes,
DEREK BAILEY a mis le monde musical sans dessus dessous depuis les années 60.
Lors du premier morceau, le guitariste nous explique comment il a récemment dû faire face aux
désagréments d’une main ankylosée, récalcitrante aux écarts et aux étirements. Chaque morceau,
enregistré au fil des mois qui suivirent, fait état des progrès de sa rééducation et des solutions
créatives qui vinrent transformer son jeu. Doutait-on que ce dernier en eut encore besoin ? En
voici une réponse magistrale.

http://www.orkhestra.fr

L a pratique acharnée de l’improvisation peut avoir des conséquences concrètes au point de

frôler le terre-à-terre. Le syndrome du canal carpien, par exemple, pour le guitariste
Derek Bailey. Forte douleur ressentie au niveau du poignet, elle provient de la répétition
de mouvements semblables, et, pour disparaître, nécessite rééducation.
Puisqu’il est, pendant le traitement, vivement conseillé d’économiser les mouvements de flexion,
Bailey aura dû attendre la fin de la rééducation pour reprendre ses travaux de guitare. Et l’idée de
lui venir d’en fabriquer un album concept, qu’inaugureraient des précisions récitées sur fond
d’improvisation forcément prudente, comblant parfois même les silences obligatoires
(Explanations and Thanks).

Carpal Tunnel prend ensuite la forme d’un relevé pratique des progrès effectués. Se pose alors la
question du document, autant que de l’enregistrement. Dès After 3 Weeks, Bailey aborde
l’improvisation comme il a l’habitude de le faire tout en gérant un réapprentissage mécanique. A
la fois moins lourd de sens et chargé d’un pathos permettant l’optimisme, le morceau gagne en
diversité, testant sans cesse les gestes d’avant premier symptôme - coups rêches, accords et
glissandos.

Retrouvant peu à peu de son énergie perdue, le guitariste profite du mieux de son état et, rassuré,
peut se permettre de jouer ensuite avec les volumes (After 5 Weeks) ou les harmoniques (After 7
Weeks). Presque comme si de rien n’était, Bailey renoue avec l’expérimentation sonore (After 9
Weeks).

Le suivi médical se termine après 12 semaines, le patient enchaînant les accords avec plus
d’assurance, multipliant les déviations et s’amusant du bonheur retrouvé à grands coups de
larsens expéditifs. Le plus dur, enfin fait, se trouve enregistré, et consigné dans un album solo où
l’intérêt revêt différents habits. Où l’on prouve aussi que l’émotion peut être gage de qualité.

Chroniqué par Grisli

I t seems master guitar improviser Derek Bailey was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome
and decided to work around his disability in his playing rather than undergo surgery. This
CD documents his attempts in recordings made every few weeks after the diagnosis.
“Explanation and Thanks” (#1) features Bailey explaining the situation while accompanying
himself on guitar like a folk balladeer just before breaking into song. I'd rather stick with the solo
guitar myself. The music is mostly quiet, ambling electric guitar with little processing other than
a volume pedal and occasional clipping. Played like a pro.

Breakthrough In Grey Room. September 2005

A new set of almost audio-verité styled home recordings from one of the most consistently
inventive and personally revelatory guitarists of the modern age. Recorded after a
diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, this set sees Bailey working without a plectrum on
both electric and acoustic guitar, with a spidery, almost metallic/flamenco fingerpicking style
replacing his usual high-velocity attack with the result that there are long moments of lugubrious
single notes left to simply flash in the air and you can really follow the liquid logic of his
movement from point-to-point. First track features his patented monologue-with-guitar-
accompaniment style as a way of contextualizing the whole experiment. File this one alongside
Aida, String Theory and Ballads as one of his most personally affecting works. “When I consult
with medical people they all say I should have an operation, but I’m more interested in trying to
find a way around it.” Amen to that. Highest recommendation.

H ere's the third solo Derek Bailey album released by big Bailey fan John Zorn's Tzadik
label, and as the title sadly suggests, this disc is in part a document of the legendary (and
now rather elderly) British free improv guitarist's bout with the painful condition that's
the bane of office workers everywhere. Bailey didn't get it from too much mousing and
keyboarding of course, it's the fretboard that did it to him. And that's no laughing matter, a
guitarist suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome -- yet somehow you can imagine that if any
guitarist could persevere through a crippling hand/wrist ailment, Bailey could. In fact, due to his
usually rather abstract and atonal sound, some might (unfairly) say that we'd never notice...
Certainly, despite the carpal tunnel, these tracks are full of all the stark, scrabbling, skeletal
beauty that Bailey fans appreciate in his work. Ringing, scraping sounds with occasional
alarming jumps in volume that threaten to feed back. Should we imagine gentle cries of pain?

The first track, "Explanation & Thanks", features Bailey's voice as well as his precariously
plucked guitar. He's not singing, but rather speaking, in a very personal tone as if to some friends
(who may have been present?). It's kinda nice, really, the feeling of his warm and halting talking
perhaps influencing how you'll hear his guitar playing on this and subsequent tracks, full of
human personality rather than being the alienating skronk for which some might mistake it.

W ith his aptly named and tongue in cheek new album title, the man who launched the
UK free improvisation scene in the mid 1960s pokes fun at his own crippling hand
condition which, it seems, he isn't about to let get the better of him and stifle his
creativity. Here you will find six solo improvisations - arranged over three months of gradual
physical deterioration.

But what could have been morbidly self-indulgent is instead, refreshingly life affirming and
positive. In the first track he croons "the medical people say I should have the operation" but I'm
more interested in just trying to find a way around it.

The rest, as they say, is just pure magic.

N
early a decade ago, Derek Bailey lamented his own longevity: “The longer you play, the
worse it gets. You have more reliable devices, and they become more offensive in some
way.” He was referring to the psyche, but his body must have sympathized. After a
lifetime of peculiar contortions, Bailey was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome earlier this
year. Though advised to undergo minor surgery on the right hand, he chose to acknowledge the
inevitability of this degeneration and use the disability as an innovation. Unable to use a pick, he
began to rehearse odd fingerings and strumming effects in order to recreate the pioneering atonal
investigations he first developed in the late 1960s. Carpal Tunnel, a document of his progress
over the span of three months, is therefore an anomaly in an anomalous career, evading technical
precision in favor of alarmingly personal affect.
This means that the initial experiments are muted, timid, and only intermittently engaging. His
trademark chromatic patches are dull and muddy. The hesitancy is particularly striking given
Bailey’s ferocious stoicism over the last several years. In the late 1990s, his solo gigs seemed
mythic to the point of parody. A lone revolutionary, eyes shielded by collegiate frames, crouched
in a wooden chair with a blood-red guitar, terrorizing his own limbs and instruments, effortlessly
presiding over every aspect of his performance: the disfigured finger movements, the fractured
harmonics, the crackling reverb. For someone who crowed about the invaluable merits of free
improvisation, he often appeared indomitable and scrupulously prepared. On his albums, he
toggled tirelessly between volcanic funk (Mirakle, Tohjinbo) and ominous delicacy (Viper, the
solo CD-Rs).

After this admirable period, it’s disarming to hear him begin an album with an admonition:
Prepare yourself for “inaccurate” or “partly successful” passages. Surely he’s being somewhat
facetious, since all his conventional sounds are rendered faithfully (however uncertainly) in the
very first track. Framed as a letter to a friend, Bailey recounts the details of his disorder over a
slab of spectral drones and steel filaments. It’s a strange conjunction: Wiry clatter splashes
against the back of his throat amidst ramblings on Quebecois topography. His voice and
performance tend to get more nervous or sporadic when he alludes to his debilitation, as though
his damaged wrist also impedes his thoughts. The playing may be restricted and untrained—
halfway between a guitar lesson and belabored noodling—but it also compresses his concerns
into a strangulated series of tones and distortions.

Two weeks in, arpeggios and scales appear fleetingly. The strumming takes on new duration and
dexterity, and a deliberate proficiency emerges gradually. In five weeks, his facility with the
volume pedal is as nuanced as it ever was. At times, his notoriously inscrutable playing even
makes some brief nods to the proto-bop of Charlie Christian. By the end, his serrated anti-riffs
are faster, clearer, louder, polyvalent, and virtually indistinguishable from his pre-Carpal
recordings. In short, the charm of this album lies mostly in its sequence and process; the concept
sounds better than it sounds.

Obviously, this is not the first album to chronicle various obstructions to technical virtuosity.
Django Reinhardt became the most influential jazz guitarist of the twentieth century, even though
he laid claim to two non-functioning fingers, a hobble, two paralyzing addictions, and a penchant
for hedgehog meat. Peetie Wheetstraw once mauled murderous piano dirges with a broken arm
while praying to Satan and partaking in lethal train races. Even Def Leppard’s drummer had a
concept-album comeback. And yet, listening to Carpal Tunnel, the strongest resemblance may be
to Alvin Lucier’s I Am Sitting In a Room, in which Lucier transforms his jagged stutter into a
miasma of melting atmospherics and elegant oscillations. On both albums, a moderate liability
becomes an oversized virtue. In retrospect, perhaps all of Bailey’s recordings are about the
body’s limitations. More than any other performer, his techniques elicit an amplified and visceral
understanding of how he plays: rotating joints, stretched ligaments, muscular contractions,
calcified skin. I expect to see strings indelibly etched into my hands every time I hear this album.
My only fear is that Bailey will further mutilate his body to challenge himself and his listeners.
Lord knows the improv scene doesn’t need any more fetishes.

Reviewed by: Alex Linhardt. Reviewed on: 2005-11-03

A s indicated by the title of Derek Bailey's latest solo album, the celebrated 75-year-old
guitarist has recently been stricken with a case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in his right
hand, a condition which has left him unable to hold a plectrum. While the onset of such
an affliction would likely have most guitarists-- of any age-- thinking about retiring to other
pursuits, for Bailey it has simply presented another new opportunity to continue his lifelong
exploration through the possible vocabularies of his instrument. Following his diagnosis, Bailey
chose to forgo invasive surgery and instead, in attempt to "find a way around it," began the slow
process of teaching himself to play using his right thumb and fingers instead of a pick.

And so it is that Carpal Tunnel, Bailey's first solo record since 2003's Ballads, comes to closely
resemble a patient's journal, monitoring the progress of his self-prescribed therapy. The album
contains six brief improvisations that were each recorded three weeks apart, giving the listener an
unvarnished aural timeline of Bailey's development as he painstakingly masters his new
technique. Understandably, this all makes for an occasionally hesitant and rather scrappy affair,
but one that should prove to be a rewarding document for established fans (and, I guess, for
physical therapists with an academic interest in hand injuries).

The album commences with "Explanation and Thanks", something of an audio letter addressed to
an unidentified "Carol", on which Bailey wryly explains the project and issues a preemptive
apology for his "desultory and inaccurate" playing. Of course, given Bailey's legendarily
idiosyncratic playing style, very few listeners will be able to detect exactly which of his eccentric
notes the guitarist considers to be inaccuracies. Throughout his career Bailey has exhibited a
unique ability to simultaneously treat the guitar as both a familiar and an alien object. And with
its tracks liberally seeded with his characteristic atonal, non-idiomatic digressions, pick or no
pick Carpal Tunnel proves him to be incapable of sounding like anybody but Derek Bailey.

On this opening track, as well as the following "After 3 Weeks", Bailey's playing is slow and
methodical, stroking out one note at a time like he's dropping pebbles into a jar. Each of these
early tracks opens with a similar Eastern-tinged figure, with his crisp, dry tones sounding very
close to the twang of a banjo or even a Japanese koto. As the weeks advance, he becomes audibly
more assured in his technique, and by "After 9 Weeks" has begun to incorporate more electricity
into his playing, using his familiar volume pedal to variously dissolve and sustain his carefully-
chosen notes, and allowing "After 12 Weeks" to close the album out on a satisfied wave of
feedback.

Over the years, Bailey has famously professed an aversion to recordings of improvisational
music, which seems somewhat ironic considering the dozens and dozens of available titles in his
back catalog. And though Carpal Tunnel can hardly be considered the most essential item in this
vast discography, it might well prove to be his most revealing work, as it seems the purest
distillation yet of his musical personality: ornery, inventive, comic, and above all, persistent as
the tides.

Matthew Murphy, November 4, 2005

A
s indicated by the title of Derek Bailey's latest solo album, the celebrated 75-year-old
guitarist has recently been stricken with a case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in his right
hand, a condition which has left him unable to hold a plectrum.

http://www.arthritis-pain-and-cure.com/page7.html

B ailey’s last album on Tzadik is worth pursuing, it came out just a couple of months ago, I
believe. It documents his struggle with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and how he found new
ways to continue to make beautiful sounds. Highly recommended. An artist who works
solely in the moment, whether by himself or with others, is rare these days.

Craigger White — 12/27/2005 @ 5:03 pm

I
knew he had carpal tunnel syndrome, which I found out by seeing this record in the shops a
few months ago. That's when I realized also that the last time I saw him at a concert a few
months prior to having that rec in my hands (at the 291 gallery playing w/a septet: maybe
the last time he ever player in this country?) that his decision not to use a pick up was due to
illness and not some concious decision to just push himself. It was really fuvking remarkable he
pushed himself (his mind, body, playing - same thing) in this way, and also sad that there wasn't
much beyond the odd review...there was so much more said about 'Ballads'. But even at the time I
saw him perform a solo without the pick up during that gig I never thought anything about it - it
seemed so natural to me that he'd play it really differently from one day to the next, whatever he
was doing. Of course I wish I had noticed now because when I saw him having a quiet beer by
himself round the interval I thought of going up to him and start chatting (or better arguing about
something) but I didn't know how to start. I guess I wanted to always say 'thanks' but I never
knew how. But thanks for what?! I still don't know...

But anyway, I'm sure he is belligerently plucking away somewhere. My thoughts are w/Karen.

Julio Desouza (juli...), December 26th, 2005.

S ince founding the British free improvisation scene in the mid-1960s, the septuagenarian
guitarist Derek Bailey has consistently defied expectations, and he isn’t about to let the
crippling hand condition carpal-tunnel syndrome restrict his creativity. Here are six solo
improvisations, arranged over 12 weeks’ gradual physical deterioration, but what might have
been a morbid project instead becomes life-affirming. “Medical people say I should have an
operation,” Bailey says absent-mindedly during the first track, “but I’m more interested in trying
to find a way around it.” The sustained tones of the closing track burn brightly and briefly like
little shooting stars. 5/5 stars.

Stewart Lee. Source: The Sunday Times. Posted by Simon

I n 1977, suffering complications from a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk made his way to Regent Sound Studios in New York to record what
would become his final album, Boogie Woogie String Along For Real. Having long since
devised a way to play saxophone with one hand (the technique he used to play three or more at
once), Kirk had been able to find a way to play again, despite the limitations of his impairment.

It wasn't his best record, but it’s a good one and notable for two reasons. First, Kirk seemingly
made it knowing it would be his last. Producer Joel Dorn recounts in the liner notes that Kirk
gave details on how he wanted the album packaged after the session was complete and then
walked out; Dorn writes that he knew at that moment he’d never see Kirk again. Second, it’s not
a record filled with grief, melancholy, anger or sorrow. As always, Kirk approached the date with
a joyous enthusiasm for what he called “Black Classical Music.”
Those same qualities also make Carpal Tunnel, the last recording by Derek Bailey to be released
before his death on Christmas Day, 2005, invaluable. Like Boogie Woogie String Along, it
doesn’t show the guitarist at his best. Still, it’s not only his final but quite literally his ultimate
release. Like Kirk, for his last recording Bailey didn’t back away from that to which he’d
committed his life—not jazz in his case but free improvisation, a distinction he spent much of his
life emphasizing. He doesn’t try to create a pathos, at least not one that wasn’t always in his
work. It is, as to be expected, a visceral, textural exploration of the guitar.

Bailey does something on the record that Kirk didn’t, however. He lets the listener in on his
condition. The opening track, “Explanation and Thanks,” is an audio letter to a friend explaining
the state of his life at the time of the recording (no recording dates are given, but it was likely
early or mid-2004). He and his wife Karen Brookman are in the process of moving to Barcelona
and he, unable to hold a guitar pick, is experimenting with using his thumb to strum. Doctors
have recommended surgery, but Bailey—ever focused on the process of music-making—is more
interested in learning to play with the disability. He’s not seeking sympathy. If anything, he’s just
relating what he seems to see as an interesting turn of events.

The rest of the six tracks were recorded in several week intervals after the open letter and titled
by that timeline (“After 3 Weeks,” “After 5 Weeks” and so on). While it seems that Bailey’s
point was to document his abilities as they slip away, the record doesn’t come off as such. Were
he trying to play compositions or familiar tunes it might be apparent, but Bailey was such a
personal musician that what comes through is deeper than that. Attentive listening does reveal
declining dexterity, but focusing on that aspect of the disc—despite the titles—takes away from
the beauty of it, which is simply Bailey’s evocative playing.
It’s rare to get such an opportunity with a great musician. Fans build close and often necessarily
one-sided relationships with the artists they love. With Carpal Tunnel, we get the chance to spend
a few final minutes with a beloved player.

Kurt Gottschalk, All About Jazz

Derek Bailey: Carpal Tunnel (Tzadik - 2005) - Le son du grisli http://grisli.canalblog.com/archives/2005/09/19/7475863.html

lundi 19 septembre 2005

Derek Bailey: Carpal Tunnel (Tzadik - 2005)

La pratique acharnée de l’improvisation peut avoir des

conséquences concrètes au point de frôler le
terre-à-terre. Le syndrome du canal carpien, par
exemple, pour le guitariste Derek Bailey. Forte douleur
ressentie au niveau du poignet, elle provient de la
répétition de mouvements semblables, et, pour
disparaître, nécessite rééducation.

Puisqu’il est, pendant le traitement, vivement conseillé

d’économiser les mouvements de flexion, Bailey aura
dû attendre la fin de la rééducation pour reprendre ses
travaux de guitare. Et l’idée de lui venir d’en fabriquer
un album concept, qu’inaugureraient des précisions récitées sur fond d’improvisation
forcément prudente, comblant parfois même les silences obligatoires (Explanations and
Thanks).

Carpal Tunnel prend ensuite la forme d’un relevé pratique des progrès effectués. Se
pose alors la question du document, autant que de l’enregistrement. Dès After 3
Weeks, Bailey aborde l’improvisation comme il a l’habitude de le faire tout en gérant un
réapprentissage mécanique. A la fois moins lourd de sens et chargé d’un pathos
permettant l’optimisme, le morceau gagne en diversité, testant sans cesse les gestes
d’avant premier symptôme - coups rêches, accords et glissandos.

Retrouvant peu à peu de son énergie perdue, le guitariste profite du mieux de son état
et, rassuré, peut se permettre de jouer ensuite avec les volumes (After 5 Weeks) ou
les harmoniques (After 7 Weeks). Presque comme si de rien n’était, Bailey renoue
avec l’expérimentation sonore (After 9 Weeks).

Le suivi médical se termine après 12 semaines, le patient enchaînant les accords avec
plus d’assurance, multipliant les déviations et s’amusant du bonheur retrouvé à grands
coups de larsens expéditifs. Le plus dur, enfin fait, se trouve enregistré, et consigné
dans un album solo où l’intérêt revêt différents habits. Où l’on prouve aussi que
l’émotion peut être gage de qual

1
2005, PROGRESSIONS : 100 YEARS OF JAZZ GUITAR. 4 CDs.
Compilation. Columbia Legacy 517612, Sony BMG.

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar on one track

(from Takes, fakes and dead she dances)

Compilation. Original Release Date September 27, 2005

Legacy/Columbia; ASIN: B000AP2Z62

Disc: 1

1.St. Louis Tickle- VESS OSSMAN

2. Chain Gang Blues- SAM MOORE
3. Savoy Blues- JOHNNY ST. CYR and LONNIE JOHNSON
4. You're The One For Me- SOL HOOPII
5. Add A Little Wiggle- EDDIE LANG
6. Clowin' The Frets- EDDIE BUSH
7.California Blues- BENNY "KING" NAHAWI
8. How'm I Doin' / Dinah- ROY SMECK
9. Who's Sorry Now- EDDIE CONDON
10. Danzon- CARL KRESS & DICK McDONOUGH
11. China Boy- OTTO "COCO" HEIMEL
12. Minnehaha- SAM KOKI
13. Swingin' On The Strings- INK SPOTS
14. Honeysuckle Rose- DJANGO REINHARDT
15. Guitar Swing- CASEY BILL WELDON
16. Love Me Or Leave Me- EDDIE DURHAM & FREDDIE GREEN
17. Whispering- OSCAR ALEMAN
18. Pickin' For Patsy- ALLAN REUSS
19. Little Rock Getaway- GEORGE BARNES
20. Solo
21. Flight- CHARLIE CHRISTIAN
22. Buck Jumpin'- AL CASEY
23. Twin Guitar Special- LEON McAULIFFE & ELDON SHAMBLIN
24. I'm Walkin' This Town- TEDDY BUNN
25. Palm Springs Jump- SLIM GAILLARD
26. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You- OSCAR MOORE
27. Red Cross- TINY GRIMES
Disc: 2

1. Ol' Man Rebop- BILL DE ARANGO

2.On Green Dolphin Street- BARNEY KESSEL
3. What Is This Thing Called Love- GEORGE VAN EPS
4. Body And Soul- JIMMY RANEY
5. My Baby Just Cares For Me- CHUCK WAYNE
6. Runnin' Wild- LES PAUL
7. Mountain Melody- CHET ATKINS
8. Yardbird Suite- TAL FARLOW
9. The Boy Next Door- JOHNNY SMITH
10. Tocata- LAURINDO ALMEIDA
11. I've Got You Under My Skin- JIM HALL
12. Aguas De Marco [Waters Of March]- JOAO GILBERTO
13. Bluesette- TOOTS THIELEMANS
14. Midnight Blue- KENNY BURRELL
15. Unit 7- WES MONTGOMERY
16. Naptown Blues- HERB ELLIS
17. Move- HANK GARLAND
18. Easy Living- HOWARD ROBERTS
19. Jean de Fleur- GRANT GREEN
20. Night And Day- JOE PASS
Disc: 3

1. Clockwise- GEORGE BENSON

2. Just Friends- PAT MARTINO
3. A Taste Of Honey- LENNY BREAU
4. How Insensitive- CHARLIE BYRD
5. Gypsy Queen- GABOR SZABO
6. June 15, 1967- LARRY CORYELL
7. As We Used To Sing- SONNY SHARROCK
8. Should Be Reversed- DEREK BAILEY
9. Manic Depression- JIMI HENDRIX
10. Birds Of Fire- JOHN McLAUGHLIN
11. Coral- MICK GOODRICK
12. Ralph's Piano Waltz- JOHN ABERCROMBIE
13. The Prowler- RALPH TOWNER
14. Bright Size Life- PAT METHENY
15. Aqui, Oh- TONINHO HORTA
16. Midnight In San Juan- EARL KLUGH
Disc: 4

1. Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)- CARLOS SANTANA

2. Inner City Blues- PHIL UPCHURCH
3. Thumper- ERIC GALE
4. Spiral- LARRY CARLTON
5. Captain Fingers- LEE RITENOUR
6. Mr. Spock- ALLAN HOLDSWORTH
7. Race With The Devil On Spanish Highway- AL DIMEOLA
8. Cause We've Ended As Lovers- JEFF BECK
9. Church- JAMES BLOOD ULMER
10. Ron Carter- BILL FRISELL
11. Hottentot- JOHN SCOFIELD
12. Postizo- MARC RIBOT
13. Fat Time- MIKE STERN
D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey: January 2006 02/10/06 22:59

D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey

Friday, January 27, 2006

D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.192 - The Artful Bodger What is D.E.A.F.?

Bad art is worse than no art at all. Who is Derek?

Derek Bailey (1930 - 2005) was an
(Oscar Wilde) improvising guitarist.
Some of us believe he is the 4th
Painting for Dummies person of the trinity.
..............................
I am your humble D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T.
Distant people have no eyes (Post Rational Anarchic Team-leader).
Distant trees have no branches
Distant mountains have no rocks The nature of the bulletin is
to reflect the wide ranging
These are the secrets
serendipitous nature
of Mr Bailey's world view.
In stones one sees three faces
In paths one sees two ends D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T.,
(D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.10, 2 May 2002)
In water one sees the wind's footprints
These are the methods
(Wang Wei (701-761) - Secrets of the study of Painting)
Contributors
Making a visual display of myself
............................................ s
There have been many fine tributes to Derek Bailey,(slightly rabid leeK
strange considering the 'outsider' nature of his music),and Deaf Prat
should you wish to see mine, click here:
http://deafprat.blogspot.com/2006/01/db-collages.html
(click on images to enlarge) Links
The gent in the top middle of the picture is Anton Webern,who
was a large influence on Bailey (and on all European avant-garde D.E.A.F. : w e b

composers of the 50's and 60's). Anton looks rather glum

LATEST D.E.A.F. Bulletin
due to the fact that he was accidentally shot in 1945 by an
American soldier. Min Tanaka is on the right (with Derek in the D.E.A.F. Bulletins 1 - 97
background) strutting his stuff through a violent thunderstorm.
d.e.a.f.:w e b technical updates
The cubist guitar at the centre is of course by Picasso. Although
this was made in 1912 it will undoubtedly still appear avant-garde
to many in 2006, which is a sad comment on the state of art Incus Records
education.
Opprobium Online Issue (1)
This collage was originally done as a comment on Derek's tenacity Interview with Derek Bailey
of purpose when he relearned the guitar following what he thought
was carpal tunnel syndrome.His death turns the piece into European Free Improvisation
Pages
something quite different.However I've decided to keep the same
title,which still seems strangely appropriate; " Take My Hand,I'm a The Wire Index Second Century
Stranger in Paradise"
Texts on improvised and
experimental music
The Little Flowers of St Derek
from Resonance Magazine
..........................................
A student asked Mr Bailey "What is improvisation?" The Bailey Papers
In reply Mr Bailey struck him on the head.However
Music and Dance:
the student struck back. Mr Bailey said "There is a a classic Bailey recording
reason in your striking me,but there is no reason with Min Tanaka, naked dancer
in my striking you." The student was silent,where-
upon Mr Bailey struck him again and chased him

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D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey: January 2006 02/10/06 22:59

from the room.

Contact
Stairway to Heaven
............................
email D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T.
"I used to play to nobody at the Little Theatre Club. themdirtyblues@hotmail.com
Anyway,when you've carted an amplifier up four flights
of stairs you're not going to not play,right?" report broken links to Rabid leeK
ye_rabid_leek@hotmail.com

D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T. (www.geocities.com/deafprat)

posted by s at 19:22 | 0 comments

Saturday, January 21, 2006

db collages

posted by s at 17:00 | 0 comments

Friday, January 13, 2006

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D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey: January 2006 02/10/06 22:59

D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.191 - Moonshine Sonatas

Quit
now.

Cascade your promises

like unfulfilled
stars.

(from Flame Ode -Barry MacSweeny)

Dark Days
..............
"Eighty year-old John Catt served with the RAF in the Second
World War.
Last September he was stopped by Brighton police for wearing an
'offensive'
T-shirt which suggested that Bush and Blair be tried for war-
crimes.He was
arrested under the Terrorism Act and handcuffed. He is awaiting
trial."
(John Pilger)

No Place Like Home

............................
"One summer ten years ago,when I taught at Princeton,a large
spider
appeared in the urinal of the men's room near the Philosophy
department.
It was trapped and spent much time trying to avoid the periodic
flush.
Somehow it survived,presumably feeding on tiny insects and was
still
there with the arrival of Winter.Feeling sorry for the creature one
day,
I removed it to a safe spot. The next day I found it in the same
place,
his legs shrivelled in that way characteristic of dead spiders.The
corpse
stayed there for a week,until they finally swept the floor."
(The View From Nowhere - Thomas Nagel)

The Tell-Tale Heart

...........................

Unenlightened detective: "How did you know there was a woman

in the room?"

Blind Zen Master: "Obvious! I heard your heart beating faster."

(Mr Monk vs.the Cobra - BBC 2)

Eroic Gestures
.....................

SILAS: "Ludwig, my name's Silas I.Podmeister, Chairman,Verging

Records.
In case you're wondering, we've brought you back from the dead.
Our recent
survey in California indicates that two out of every three citizens
think
you are

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D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey: January 2006 02/10/06 22:59

the British PM. So we intend to raise your profile and make us ,I

mean you,
lots
of money."

BEETHOVEN:" Pardon?"

SILAS: "Of course! You're deaf! Look,put this state of the art
digital
hearing aid
into your ear."

BEETHOVEN:" Pardon?"

SILAS:"I'll do it....there!"

BEETHOVEN:" Pardon?"

SILAS: "Anyone know how to switch this frigging thing on? O.K.
that's
better."

BEETHOVEN: " Bloody hell! I can hear,I can hear!"(jumps around

singing 'Ode
to Joy'.)

SILAS:" O.K, O.K.!! That's enough. Time is money. I've been

reading about
you.
Apparantly you used to bang your head on the keyboard in order
to feel those
good vibrations. You're in luck.That's just the sound we're looking
for. See
this
piano, just bash your head on it."

BEETHOVEN: (Uncomprehendingly obliges)

SILAS:" Thanks Ludwig and goodbye.Have a nice day.(Pulls the

plug and
Beethoven
vanishes). O.K. guys, send this sound sample over to Emanem's
people.Should
be
another chart topper!"

Bogey Boogie
...................
Mozart wrote a piano piece which required the use of the nose.

Derek Bailey Tribute

.............................
It's ironic that the man who once played a suite of guitar solos
entitled 'The only good jazz composer is a dead one' should be
the subject of an extended tribute on the BBC'S 'Jazz on 3'.
So if you haven't heard a serenade between guitar and leaking
roof,or a duet between guitar and amplified bricks or Derek's
take on drum'n'bass (at the age of 70!) what are you waiting for?
BBC Radio 3, Friday 20/1/06 23.30pm - 1.00am.

D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T. (www.geocities.com/deafprat)

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D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey: January 2006 02/10/06 22:59

posted by s at 17:29 | 0 comments

Friday, January 06, 2006

D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.190 - Going Ape

Consciousness is an overrated concept.

(Marvin Minsky)

More Monkey Business

...............................
So we went to see K. Kong. The received wisdom was that the
first hour was
slow
followed by 2 hours of earth-shattering,ground breaking, totally
amazing
cinematic-
history -in-the-making. Actually the first hour wasn't uninteresting
although I suppose
that if your definition of a great movie is one full of exploding
buildings/cars/bodies
then it was slow. And the rest? What is the point of spending
billions of $
to
make computer phantasms look real when they are then used in
such grossly
unrealistic ways. When Wile E.Coyote gets flattened,chopped into
small pieces,burnt to a cinder and nevertheless survives,it's funny
because,after all,
that's what cartoons do. The dinosaur stampede in Kong had less
to do with
good
cinema than showing off 'computer state of the art.' The reality it
was
trying to
project should have decimated the entire cast!
However,the 'attack of the insects' was well paced and therefore
effectively
realistic,
and for my money was easily the film's best moment.
What can I say about the ending? We all know what's going to
happen,don't
we?
So that's pretty boring, isn't it? And the infamous closing line by
Jack
Black is spoken
with all the panache of a dead haddock.

Derek Lives
.................

Interviewer: Are you surprised by the reactions of the audience?

Derek: I am surprised that they are there!

Interviewer: What happens to time awareness during

improvisation?
Derek: The ticks turn into tocks and the tocks turn into ticks.

Derek: I've always liked the effect of having someone in the group
who hadn't the faintest idea what was going on.

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D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey: January 2006 02/10/06 22:59

Derek: I mean,this is a high risk business!

Byteing the Dust

.....................
The life of a CD is approximately 100 years.

D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T. (www.geocities.com/deafprat)

posted by s at 17:31 | 0 comments

Sunday, January 01, 2006

D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.189 - Derek Bailey

Sadly I've just heard that derek died of motor- neuron

complications
on Christmas Day.

Derek Said
...............
Don't talk about me when I'm gone.

Some of us will. Rest in peace.

D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T. (www.geocities.com/deafprat)

posted by s at 21:41 | 0 comments

D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.188 - Ends and Odds

Stormy Weather
........................
A storm is blowing from Paradise; the storm irresistably propels
him into
the future
to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him
grows
skyward.
This storm is what we call Progress.
(Walter Benjamin)

Boxing Clever
...................
The practical man, having received many presents and wanting to
protect them
from thieves,will put them into a box which he is then careful to
secure
with a lock.
However when the thief comes in the night and puts the box onto
his back to
carry away,he also prays that the lock will hold.
(slightly adapted from Chuang Tzu)

Goodbye to all that

...........................
It was New Years Eve. Arcy was slumped in front of Natasha
Koplinsky.The
tree
in the corner was looking rather tired,having toppled over several
times and

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D.E.A.F. : with added Derek Bailey: January 2006 02/10/06 22:59

the
cards, which had previously been positioned so precisely,were in a
state of
disarray.
On the floor by his feet was Harold Pinter's Nobel acceptance
speech which
he had
been trying to read for several days. With only a little difficulty he
fell
into a troubled
sleep. He dreamed he was in a winter wonderland,which strangely
reminded him
of the Library. A wardrobe appeared and out stepped the Ice
Queen who gave a
Queen's Speech about more sensible financial restrictions and the
judicious
use
of paperclips for the coming year.Suddenly Arcy was whisked
away to the
Turner
Prize which he had won with a bent paperclip expressing the
symbiosis
between Man and paper. A loud bang woke him up. The fridge
door had fallen
off.
Happy New Year!

You Ask the One-Handed Gardener

.................................................

Dear Sir,this Christmas I received the present of a garden.

Measuring 2 X 3
inches
it is a minature zen garden with white sand and three black
stones,which can
be
endlessly rearranged.Unfortunately no matter how hard I try,I
cannot reach
enlightenment and only get sand all over the carpet.What should I
do?

Answer: Seagulls in the East and the wind cries Mary.

Derek Says
................
Darn it! Unanswered questions AND flying dragons.

D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T. (www.geocities.com/deafprat)

posted by s at 17:32 | 0 comments

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2005, LIKE A RUG IN A LAKE, Freedom From, FF171 (CD) (USA)

Derek Bailey : guitar

And al.

1 Wagstaff Ribbons
2 Minutemen Ack Ack Ack / Ain't Talkin' Bout Love
3 Alastair Galbraith 1 Bit Of Wishes
4 Spam Allstars Miami
5 Deerhoof Sexy 44
6 Ian Nagoski The Green And The Red
7 El Salvadorian Duo I'm Happy Today
8 Morbid Opera Female Trouble
9 To Live And Shave In L.A. Arabeque 'Lectrique (Revuux Via Bo)
Featuring - Mikey Wild
10 Bostorfex Borders
11 Noggin Please Accept This Excerpt
12 Kim Kohler Starlanding Road
13 Wolf Eyes Earthmaker
14 King Felix Transmission
15 Jetty It Started With A Kiss
16 Cock E.S.P. Heey Idiot Did You Call Pryia
17 Bo And Roxy Ruined Vegetables
18 Mr. Quintron* Hurricane
19 Thin Ensemble* Busted
20 Julian Dashper / Marco Fusinato Babe In A Neckbrace
21 Sprinkle Genies Kind Bub
22 Who Needs Punch Carbomb Mix
23 Tibetan Beefgarden Spacetimecinderblock
24 Derek Bailey Live Solo
25 Bob Fay and Friends Let's Party Tonight
26 Monostadt 3 Live At Churchills
27 Trash Monkeys Magic Dog
28 Cavity (2) Slug
29 Lionel Goldbart Lock-A-Cock
30 Kaliedapy Frequency Of The Devil
31 Late (4) Late Dies...
32 Jalopaz Rock Godz...
33 Akash Pantie Sniffer
34 Reynols Lo Cuapolo Bolomo Mesame Uno
Cachuba
35 Rosebowl Queens A Southern Rock Alien Soap Opera
36 Sonic Youth Making The Nature Scene
37 Harry Pussy I Hate Myself
38 Azalia Snail Untitled
39 Orchid Spangiafora/Don Van Vliet CB In Hi-Fi
40 Universal Indians ?
41 Alzo Boszormeigni/Terry Reid Solo Project, The Oh Its The Wrong One
42 Temple of Bon Matin Todi
43 Velvet Cactus Society I Thought My Hair Was My Girlfriend
44 Duo Night Games
45 Pumice Like Vultures
46 Outhern Acific Live Organ (excerpt)
47 Funyons I Hate Food
48 Ashtray Navigations Resin Smoke For Pryia
49 Antipope Live
50 Ceramic Hobs Klu Klux Kleveys
51 Kreamy 'Lectric Santa No More Room In History

Booklet mentions 52 tracks, although CD contains only 51.

To Live And Shave In LA are marked as To Live And Shave Amanda Green in the tracklist.

C ollection of experimental, pop-noise, lo-fi, electronics, jazz and more. The proceeds go to
Kreamy ‘Lectric Santa’s Priya Ray and spinal cord injury research.
Jonquiere, Québec, Décember 6, 2005

Dear Derek

You will find included a pdf document (The Lost Chord). I sent you a copy last January. It
was an OK version but not that good.

Here is a new version… expanded is the word I think… with articles about some of your
shows, a more precise discography with more precisions on re-issues, some interviews. It
seems to me to make more sense but it is still not perfect. Working on that made me realize
how important your music is… words will never replace your music but they may help some
people in the future to understand a bit more about what it is all about… the pleasure of
practicing and playing over the years… maybe my poor theory is too simple… maybe not.
Anyway, doing that work I realized that while listening to your music one can discover a lot of
other musicians with whom you have played… that is where a real treasure can be found : the
dialogue between different voices.

It is nice to listen to the recording of Carpal Tunnel. You worked hard to improved. To do that
someone must have inner strenght for sure.

If you find that the document may be useful to anybody, feel free to give it … I still did’t do
that for the money… it is fun and it has its own reward : I learn a lot doing this.

Please accept my best wishes for the Christmas Holydays and a Happy New Year. Thank you
again for your music and please take good care of you

Sincerely yours

Carol Dallaire
December25
,2005
 DEREK BAILEY 1930-2005
On December 25th, avant/jazz/guitar legend Derek Bailey passed away at the age of 75. He
suffered what was at first diagnosed as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for the past few years and
eventually succumbed to motor neuron disease. He was living in Barcelona, Spain for the past
few years, but was back in London when he flew from this world.

Derek Bailey was perhaps the most influential and adventurous experimental guitarist to come
from England, evolving out of the trad-jazz scene of the fifties into the avant/jazz scene in '60s
London. By the late sixties he was a member of the Joseph Holbrooke Trio (w/ Evan Parker
& Gavin Bryars), Spontaneous Music Ensemble (w/ John Stevens & Trevor Watts) and
Music Improvisation Company [with Parker, Hugh Davies, and Jamie Muir], which later
became the amorphous Company under his leadership. These groups were at the birth and
center of the British free-jazz scene. Derek Bailey and Evan Parker started their own record
label called Incus in the early seventies, one of the first artist-run outfits. Although Derek and
Evan had long since parted ways, the Incus label continued with 60+ releases, many of which
are now sadly unavailable.

Derek's playing was absolutely unique and idiosyncratic - nobody sounded quite like him.
His style was constantly evolving and, when playing electric, he developed a distinctive way of
using feedback. Although he played with the best members of the British free/jazz scene, he
also forged relationships with a number of European players like Han Bennink & Peter
Brotzmann, Japanese free players like Kaoru Abe, Toshinori Kondo and Motoharu
Yoshizawa, as well as American improvisers like Anthony Braxton, George Lewis and John
Zorn. Derek organized an annual festival called Company Week in the 80's & 90's, which
brought together a unique group of international improvisers from varied backgrounds.

What set Derek apart is that he was always 'game' to play with just about any "interesting"
player, no matter where they were coming from. Due to his friendship with John Zorn, Derek
had performed and recorded with an unlikely cast of characters: The Ruins, Haino Keiji,
Jamaaladeen Tacuma & Calvin Weston, Tony Williams & Bill Laswell, et al. Over the past
decade, Derek & Zorn organized a few Company festivals at Tonic, again putting together
unrelated musicians for their first time. At the last of these festivals a few years back, Derek
brought the members of IST (Simon H. Fell, Mark Wastell & Rhodri Davies), as well as the
veteran tapdancing legend Will Gaines.

Although Derek enjoyed playing with other avant guitarists (Eugene Chadbourne, Henry
Kaiser, Fred Frith, Noel Akchote & even Pat Metheny), he has played more duos with
drummers than any other combination. Check out this list: Tony Oxley, Louis Moholo. Han
Bennink, John Stevens, Eddie Prevost, Cyro Baptista, Gregg Bendian, Susie Ibarra, Jamie
Muir, Ingar Zach, Shoji Hano & Michael Welch. Other amazing duos would include Cecil
Taylor, Steve Lacy, Evan Parker and Joelle Leandre.

Almost exactly four years ago, Derek Bailey played a solo acoustic guitar concert at our old
store on 5th Street. It was one of the proudest moments for me in the near 15-year history of
DMG. It was captured on video and released on DVD by our pal Robert O'Hare and it makes
me smile whenever I view it.

Derek told a story at that performance about working in a record/musical instrument store that
was pretty hilarious. He had such a dry yet gentle wit. Morever, his playing will always be a
constant source of inspiration to adventurous musicians and listeners the world over. He will
be sorely missed. – BLG
 Derek Bailey is dead. Long live Derek Bailey.

Sunday, December 25, 2005

rip derek bailey 1/29/30 - 12/25/05

W ord hasn't gotten out about how, but Bailey passed away today in Barcelona, Spain,
his adopted home during the past few years. Bailey passed away in London this
morning from his battle with motor neuron disease, according to an email from
Martin Davidson. Quite hard to put into words short of a book about all he has
done/meant/stood for, especially when Bailey didn't even speak the same language as any of
us -- just created his own. Since the early 60s he nearly created a wholly singular take, and
possibly the root, of improv music and thought. All the flows, ebbs, and electrifiers that keep
the heart pumping/body breathing somehow was condensed in Bailey's fingers and let free to
pour from his guitar. The one time I saw him, a few years ago in Chicago, he easily heaved
gigantic sheets of beauty/noise through his amps, just mile lengths of glass panes shattering
and being pieced together again with his every-other to every-thirtieth melodic notes. He
looked at ease, smug, dead-on foucsed throughout the set. Once I return from a small holiday
will do another post with some early Bailey material. Aida of course, being one all should
hear.

Surely in the next day or so more information on Bailey's passing will be posted at his Incus
Records, Emanem, or the European Free Improvisation Pages. Here is good bit from All
Music Guide, in case you didn't know:

At first glance, Derek Bailey possesses almost none of the qualities one expects from a jazz
musician -- his music does not swing in any appreciable way, it lacks a discernible sense of
blues feeling -- yet there's a strong connection between his amelodic, arhythmic, atonal,
uncategorizable free-improvisatory style, and much free jazz of the post-Coltrane era. His
music draws upon a vast array of resources, including indeterminacy, rock & roll, and various
world musics. Indeed, this catholic acceptance of any and all musical influences is arguably
what sets Bailey's art outside the strict bounds of "jazz." The essential element of his work,
however, is the type of spontaneous musical interrelation that evolved from the '60s jazz avant-
garde. Sound, not ideology, is Bailey's medium. He differs in approach to almost any other
guitarist who preceded him. Bailey uses the guitar as a sound-making, rather than a "music"-
making, device. Meaning, he rarely plays melodies or harmonies in a conventional sense, but
instead pulls out of his instrument every conceivable type of sound using every imaginable
technique. His timbral range is quite broad. On electric guitar, Bailey is capable of the most
gratingly harsh, distortion-laden heavy-metalisms; unamplified, he's as likely to mimic a set of
windchimes. Bailey's guitar is much like John Cage's prepared piano; both innovations
enhanced the respective instrument's percussive possibilities. As a group player, Bailey is an
exquisitely sensitive respondent to what goes on around him. He has the sort of quick reflexes
and complementary character that can meld random musical events into a unified whole.
Guerillabeatz: Derek Bailey is dead. Long live Derek Bailey! http://guerillabeatz.blogspot.com/2005/12/derek-bailey-is-dead-long-l...

Guerillabeatz
The daily ins-and-outs of life as a musician in Madison, WI.

12.27.2005

Derek Bailey is dead. Long live Derek Bailey!

I wasn't planning on posting another entry here until

after the New Year, but the news of Derek Bailey's death
came as a shock to me. I haven't followed his career that
closely, but his book Improvisation had a huge impact on
me. I'm not sure how it holds up as a scholarly work, but
being shown how the thread of improvisation is woven
throughout the history of music was a revelation for me.

I checked out some of his early recordings last night and

I had another realization. Listening to his early recordings
I finally was able to draw a line between his work and Bill
Frisell's playing. This came as a complete surprise to me
as I'd always wondered what Bill was channelling on the
segues between tunes on his live trio album from the
80's. That album was a huge influence on me, both my
approach to the instrument and conceptually. I'm still
trying to figure out how to capture the beautiful abandon
and angular melodicism displayed on that recording. This
gives me another piece of the puzzle!

Rest in peace, Derek!

A Forma do Jazz: Derek Bailey (1930-2005) http://aformadojazz.blogspot.com/2005/12/derek-bailey-1930-2005.html

2005/12/26

Derek Bailey (1930-2005)

A época de festas é ensombrada com a notícia triste do falecimento de Derek Bailey. Genial
guitarrista, inovador incontestável, foi uma figura essencial na história do free jazz e música
improvisada europeia. Foi um dos músicos que mais ouvi durante 2005, repeti incansavelmente os
discos "Ballads" (2000) e "Carpal Tunnel" (2005), para além de outros álbuns: "Topography of the Lungs"
(1970), "Aida" (1980), "Mirakle" (com Jamaaladeen Tacuma e Calvin Weston, 2000), "Figuring" (duo com
Barre Philips, 1988). Era um dos mais importantes músicos do nosso tempo e pessoalmente era dos
meus músicos preferidos de sempre. Hoje é um dia triste. Que descanse em paz.

posted by Nuno Catarino @ 17:16

 Derek Bailey (1930-2005)

ot a surprise, his passing (I’d heard he was terminally ill), but it’s still very sad to

N think he’s gone. I think that anyone who’s encountered his music vividly remembers
the exact recording or performance that they heard: it’s not music you soak up
passively or gradually, but, rather, music that forces you to hear things in a completely new
way, whether you want to or not. (I saw him once, a concert in Cambridge at the CCCP poetry
festival in the mid-1990s.) He opened up new musical worlds for countless musicians &
listeners, whether or not they were even all that keen on free improvisation. He was an iconic
figure of the avant-garde, but I suspect his influence was diffused much more widely — he
may well be one of the more influential figures in late 20th century music, in that sense, even if
you’ve never heard a note he played.

My favourite albums remain:

Drop Me Off at 96th, a solo acoustic disc with some great 1930s-style rhythm guitar on
“Bunn Fights”

Dart Drug with Jamie Muir of King Crimson

just about every Company album

and the amazing The London Concert now available on Psi, a duo with Evan Parker.

I suppose one reason why I feel such a personal connection to Bailey is that he was very
much a ironical speaking presence on his own albums, as he often recorded monologues to
the accompaniment of his guitar. Playbacks isn’t a terribly good album but Bailey’s
monologue on his fondness for the name George there is a classic example of this side of his
music. And maybe (given the season of his passing) I’ll go now & dig out one of his “Xmas
card” recordings he would make for friends, some of which have been issued on record.

As he aged he began to look uncannily like Samuel Beckett (indeed I have no idea what Bailey
looked like as a young man: he preferred to leave his early career as a conventional dance-
band/session guitarist obscure, and so the earliest photos one tends to see are from his late
30s and early 40s). And his music ultimately has the same kind of mix of vaudeville,
hyperprecision, austerity and intimations of mortality as you find in Beckett.
 lunedì, dicembre 26, 2005
Derek Bailey (1930 - 2005)

IL giorno di Natale si è spento a Barcellona Derek Bailey. Nato nel 1930 a Sheffield
in Gran Bretagna, è divenuto fin dalla fine degli anni '60 uno degli improvvisatori
più radicali della scena jazz, o forse non solo di essa visto che lo swing e il senso
del blues in lui sono pressoché asse
nti.
Infatti il fare musica di Bailey, privo com'è di caratteristiche facilmente identificabili, è di
difficile collocazione e di altrettanto difficile ascolto dato che si muove in un ambito atonale
privo di precise melodie e ritmi, privilegiando la costante ed ossessiva ricerca timbrica ottenuta
con i mezzi e le tecniche più svariati, dalle distorsioni più stridenti ottenute con la chitarra
elettrica alla cupa dolcezza dell'acustica.

Qualcuno ha paragonato la sua chitarra al "prepared piano" di John Cage: creazione di

"suoni" più che di "musica" e particolare sfruttamento della componente percussiva dei
rispettivi strumenti.

Le collaborazioni di Bailey sono moltissime e molto diversificate: nel jazz d'avanguardia sono
Tony Oxley, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, John Zorn, Antony Braxton, Han
Bennink e Steve Lacy i musicisti più frequentati, ma vanno indicate anche collaborazioni in
ambiti jazz più "tradizionale" come quella con Pat Metheny o incursioni nel pop meno
commerciale, non ultima quella nel 2003 con David Sylvian nel suo Blemish.

Bailey lascia una discografia imponente, composta da una serie impressionante di dischi tra i
quali è difficile muoversi. Per chi volesse avvicinarsi alla sua musica credo potrebbe partire da
qualcuno dei suoi dischi per la Tzadik come Ballads o Pieces for guitar o l'ottimo Mirakle, dai
due, peraltro piuttosto ostici, Solo guitar per la Incus (il volume 1 è del 1971 il volume 2 del
1992) o da Duo + trio improvisation (1992 DIW) soprattutto per il duo con il trombettista
giapponese Toshinori Kondo. Il tutto, comunque, da prendere a piccole dosi.

permalink | scritto da Francesco : 2:54 PM

Comments:
Ultimamente leggendo i tuoi posts musicali mi sento veramente di un'ignoranza indecente...ne
conoscessi uno!!!Mah, sarà meglio che mi occupi della cena di capodanno con le
bloggerfanciulle ;))
# scritto da cannella : 12/27/2005 11:53 AM

Tranquilla. Derek Bailey lo conoscono proprio in pochi e di questi pochi ancora meno hanno
ascoltato i suoi dischi! Ecco perché ne parlano in tanti! :-)
# scritto da Francesco : 12/27/2005 5:49 PM
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Derek Bailey... 1/29/30 - 12/25/05... a personal appreciation...

Derek Bailey – An appreciation...

never managed to get to a live Derek Bailey gig... which is a great hole in my aesthetic

I life. I had planned that in 2006 I was going to make an effort to go and see him
somewhere – maybe in Barcelona where apparently he had made his home – or
anywhere within geographical reason. Now – this will not happen. I first heard him on one of
Charles Fox's radio three shows – 'Jazz Today' if I remember correctly, sometime back in the
late 70's or very early 80's. Playing several solo pieces mainly on acoustic guitar. It was unlike
anything I had ever heard – and by then I had been following the jazz avant garde for years.
Maybe that was the point – that Derek (along with his cohorts in the sixties improv
underground) went beyond 'jazz', 'white jazz', the tradition he came out of (passing throught
the danceband and session years, the guitar vocabulary used in those areas very much rooted
in the practice of jazz) and had essayed into the uncharted oceans of what he called in his
superb book 'Improvisation etc' 'non-idiomatic improvisation.' As a guitar player, he had a
profound effect on me and inspired my own fumbling attempts to free my playing up – I
taped the show and somewhere have the old cassette – (if I can find it I'll copy it into mp3
format and put it out)– and listened to it over and over down the years.

Bailey was a formidable guitarist who, paradoxically, seems to have travelled back to the very
ur-basics of music to explore the materiality of his instrument - wood and steel and the
collisions of fingers and mind with these - and forwards at the same time, sending the notes
spinning and skittering out into the world, conscious in the knowledge of what had gone
before as he forged new sound spaces. I do not want to explore the technical side of his music
too deeply here (maybe at a later date?) just to say that he was someone with wide ears and a
conscious deep knowledge of the tradition – inside jazz and in the classical/serious world as
well – hence the nuances of Webern, to clutch for a quick correlative.

There is a surface steely and difficult brilliance to his playing. (Maybe he was our English
Cecil Taylor?) But give it the space it deserves and you can hear the depth of it: the technique
certainly – whatever sounds he brought forth they were never fumbled or accidental in the
execution but ring with the austere clarity of the sonorities of Thelonious Monk, say. The
humour – unlike many on the avant-garde side and certainly the author of the recent book
about him (a figure from the dead realms of Late Marxism it seems), he has something of the
deadpan stand-up about him. The generosity - think of Company, the yearly festival he
established to bring an amazing variety of players from many different disciplines together
into a sprawling vibrancy in which he subsumed himself – famously saying on several
occasions that he preferred playing with other musicians rather than solo – and a soloist
supreme at that. Last of all – the essential integrity of the true questor. Uncompromising in
days of extreme compromise musically and elsewhere and rescued from any sense of
pomposity thereof and therein by the other qualities I have listed above – especially, maybe,
humour. One section I remember from that old 'Jazz Today' radio shot was a 'suite' of
interlinked pieces he called 'The only good jazz composer is a dead one.' Mordant and very
funny.

RIP Derek Bailey...

posted by Rod... at 5:10 AM
2 Comments:

dave said...
I never got to see him live either, though I do have The Company in Japan video and the
recent dvd... watching the latter , it suddenly all made perfect sense...I've been listening to
him since Iskra 1903 but I wouldn't say I ever really understood his playing in a real
sense... I read his book on improvisation and didn't understand that either... but watching the
dvd it all fell into place : he was the music he was playing, it was all of a seam with his life and
was just so natural and good-humoured...I played Solo Guitar Vol 1 this morning to celebrate
his life...

7:24 AM Taxi Driver said...

Sad news indeed. May he rest in peace.

5:45 PM
Farewell, Bailey!/Achtung baby! http://drugie.here.ru/achtung/news/baileyrip.html

Derek Bailey died...

Source of information:
Derek Bailey died aged 75 in London in the early
hours of December 25. He had motor neuron
decease.

Martin Davidson, London, UK

The news just came in from a common friend who

was really close to Bailey - the guy's also a
doctor, and had helped him and Karen with all the
medical stuff during the last month, since neither
of them spoke a word of Spanish. I haven't dared
to ask what the cause was, but I suspect it must
have been something pretty sudden.

He wasn't really doing anything lately. He spent

the last months flying to and fro between
Barcelona and London for medical tests, etc. So,
unfortunately we didn't have the chance to see
him doing some of the intimate shows he gave
during the first year he lived here. We had been
warned that he probably would never play again some months ago. He certainly played with
local musicians, but certainly time was all too scarce.

Bailey had been diagnosed with a sclerosis several months ago. The carpal tunnel syndrome
was, unfortunately, the first sign of that degenerative illness. Last thing I heard was that he and
Karen Brookman were back in Barcelona and that Bailey was pretty OK and refused to go back to
London, even if his doctors were there and he didn't speak Spanish or Catalan at all. He was
seemingly quite stubborn.

Efren del Valle, Barcelona, Spain, Apr 2005

Quotation:

This cult guitar player makes you forget everything you think you know about jazz
improvisation, post punk and the avant-garde Derek Bailey was at the top of his profession as a
dance-band and record-session guitarist when, in the early 1960s, he began playing an
uncompromisingly abstract music. As the Joseph Holbrooke Trio, with bassist Gavin Bryars and
drummer Tony Oxley, Bailey forged a musical syntax which has since operated as an
international counter to the banality of commercialism. Refusing to be labeled a "jazz" guitarist,
Bailey has collaborated with performance artists, electronic experimentalists, classical
musicians, Zen dancers, tap dancers, rock stars, jazzers, poets, weirdos and an endless stream of
fiercely individual musicians. Today his anti-idiom of "Free Improvisation" has become the
lingua franca of the "avant" scene, with Pat Metheny, John Zorn, David Sylvian and Sonic Youth's
Thurston Moore amongst his admirers (from book description: "Derek Bailey and the Story of

3/3/06 2:22 PM
Farewell, Bailey!/Achtung baby! http://drugie.here.ru/achtung/news/baileyrip.html

Free Improvisation").

Biography:

Derek Bailey
Born: Jan 29, 1932 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Free Improvisation, Avant-Garde Jazz, Experimental
Rock, Free Funk, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde
Instruments: Guitar

At first glance, Derek Bailey possesses almost none of the

qualities one expects from a jazz musician - his music does not
swing in any appreciable way, it lacks a discernible sense of
blues feeling - yet there's a strong connection between his
amelodic, arhythmic, atonal, uncategorizable
free-improvisatory style, and much free jazz of the
post-Coltrane era. His music draws upon a vast array of
resources, including indeterminacy, rock & roll, and various
world musics. Indeed, this catholic acceptance of any and all
musical influences is arguably what sets Bailey's art outside
the strict bounds of "jazz." The essential element of his work,
however, is the type of spontaneous musical interrelation that evolved from the '60s jazz
avant-garde. Sound, not ideology, is Bailey's medium. He differs in approach to almost any
other guitarist who preceded him. Bailey uses the guitar as a sound-making, rather than a
"music"-making, device. Meaning, he rarely plays melodies or harmonies in a conventional
sense, but instead pulls out of his instrument every conceivable type of sound using every
imaginable technique. His timbral range is quite broad. On electric guitar, Bailey is capable of the
most gratingly harsh, distortion-laden heavy-metalisms; unamplified, he's as likely to mimic a
set of windchimes. Bailey's guitar is much like John Cage's prepared piano; both innovations
enhanced the respective instrument's percussive possibilities. As a group player, Bailey is an
exquisitely sensitive respondent to what goes on around him. He has the sort of quick reflexes
and complementary character that can meld random musical events into a unified whole.

Bailey came from a musical family; his grandfather

and uncle were musicians. As a youngster living
in Sheffield in the '40s, Bailey studied music with
C.H.C. Biltcliffe and guitar with George Wing and
John Duarte. Bailey began playing conventional
jazz and commercial music professionally in the
'50s. In the early '60s, Bailey played in a trio
called Joseph Holbrooke, with drummer Tony
Oxley and bassist (and later renowned classical
composer) Gavin Bryars. In the course of its
existence, from 1963-66, the group evolved
from playing relatively traditional jazz with
tempo and chord changes, to playing totally free.
In 1966 Bailey moved to London; there, he
formed a number of important musical
associations with, among others, drummer John

3/3/06 2:22 PM
Farewell, Bailey!/Achtung baby! http://drugie.here.ru/achtung/news/baileyrip.html

Stevens, saxophonist Evan Parker, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, and bassist Dave Holland. This
specific collection of players recorded as the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, which served as a
crucible for the sort of egalitarian, collective improvisation that Bailey was to pursue from then
on. In 1968, Bailey joined Oxley - another musician interested in new possibilities of sound
generation - in whose sextet he remained until 1973. In 1970, Bailey formed the trio Iskra with
bassist Barry Guy and trombonist Paul Rutherford. Also that year, Bailey started (with Parker
and Oxley) the Incus record label, for which he would continue to record into the '90s. In 1976,
Bailey founded Company, a long-lived free improv ensemble with ever-shifting personnel,
which has included, at various times, Anthony Braxton, Han Bennink, Steve Lacy, and George
Lewis, among others.

The 1980s saw Bailey collaborating with many of the aforementioned, along with newer figures
on the scene such as John Zorn and Joelle Leandre. Solo playing has always been a particular
specialty, as have (especially in recent years, it seems) ad hoc duos with a variety of associates.
Bailey later recorded an uncompromising three-disc set with a group that included the usually
more pop-oriented guitarist Pat Metheny. Bailey's extreme radicalism makes for a difficult
music, yet there's no doubting his influence; his methods and aesthetic have significantly
impacted the downtown New York free scene, though many (if not most) of his disciples are
little known to the general public. In 1980, Bailey wrote Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice,
an informative and undervalued volume on various traditions of improvised music. - Chris
Kelsey.

Just words:

Here's a story from Derek's liner notes to 'One

Time,' with John Stevens on drums and mini
trumpet, Kent Carter on bass and Bailey on
electric guitar. He doesn't give a date for the
event described.

'John Stevens, Kent Carter and I first played

together in one of Steve Lacy's bands in, I think,
1973. After that our paths crossed and
re-crossed at various times and places, primarily
in different incarnations of John's Spontaneous
Music Ensemble.

One of these SME's had a concert in Spain... We

played what Kent used to call insect music. He
was probably referring to combination of
ceaseless activity and virtual inaudibility which
characterised some of the stuff we played.

The gig was prestigious and the setting bucolic: a

big festival in San Sebastien, an open-air
amphitheater, a warm moonlit evening and an
audience of some 4,000 people. (Or People, as
they were referred to in those days.)

The outfit on before us was a gospel group called

The Stars of Faith. They were a sensation. The People loved them and cheered and shouted and

3/3/06 2:22 PM
Farewell, Bailey!/Achtung baby! http://drugie.here.ru/achtung/news/baileyrip.html

stomped until they got a string of encores....

Unlike The Stars of Faith, we didn't use the PA...

We had been playing for maybe 3 or 4 minutes -- quite intense, fast playing -- when the People
seemed to detect that something was happening. How much they could actually hear of what
we were playing wasn't clear but it was enough to convince them that they didn't like it. They
let us know they didn't like it.

I don't know if you have ever experienced the synchronized hatred and derision of 4,000
people. It can be a considerable distraction. Slow hand claps, boos, shouts, jeers, hoots,
screams - we were treated to the complete vocabulary of hysterical rejection.

Although still playing -- by now at a terrific rate -- we, the SME, had become, of course,
completely inaudible within the general tumult and this seemed somehow to infuriate the
People even more. But, it wasn't until I produced a rubber fish from the sound hole of the guitar
and dangled it on the end of a guitar string in front of the noses of the front row that they, The
People, went completely beserk.

Suddenly we were engulfed -- 'joined on stage', as they say -- by what appeared to be a bunch
of assorted psychos. We carried on playing -- faster if anything. A particularly
murderous-looking psycho grabbed one of John's drum sticks and threatened him with it.
John -- beautiful John -- carefully selected his trumpet, put it to his lips and delivered a terrific
blast right into psycho's face. Psycho fell back, appalled, John carried on blasting -- now you
could certainly hear HIM -- and we carried on scratching and squeaking and plinking and
plonking..... {and the Spanish police moved onto the stage}': (Derek Bailey)

Reaction:

...For me Bailey coined the terms "true to one's vision". Whether one likes or dislikes him, his
stature in the world of improvisation and guitar playing in general is undeniable. He had
hundreds of tapes with unreleased material at home. I hope either Karen or whoever can find
the funding to put all of that stuff out. A recording with John Zorn remained pending since July
due to the latter's aeroplane arriving too late in Barcelona. All those missed opportunities are
specially sad right now.

...Oh my. What sad news for Christmas Day. I had always respected him as an artists over the
years, but really grew to love his music. Saw some wonderful duos with Susie Ibarra at Tonic on
two different occasions. That, ans a duo with Greg Bendian may have been my only times
hearing him live.

...Damn, this is truly sad news. What a terrible loss. One of the very great ones.

...There are few musicians who can call themselves originals in art, Derek was one who could.

...One of those artist that i would love have seen live but never had the opportunity to do so. RIP
Derek, you will be missed.

...He was an excellent writer as well. His book on improvisation is a must read.

...RIP to one of the very few real originals.

3/3/06 2:22 PM
Farewell, Bailey!/Achtung baby! http://drugie.here.ru/achtung/news/baileyrip.html

...I'm really shocked by this, although of course I knew that he'd been in bad health for quite
some time. I'm glad I got to see him as much as I did, a crucial component of musical history for
the last 40 years. I'm going to tell Otomo (Yoshihide) when I see him in a few hours, maybe he'll
dedicate his solo guitar sets tomorrow. R.I.P., Derek. :[Otomo dedicated Lonely Woman during
both his solo acoustic guitar set and solo electric guitar sets tonight to "Derek Bailey, the
master improviser"...]:

...Now comes the time when I regret having missed some of his very intimate performances at
the photographer's studio (20 people max.) he mentioned in The Wire interview. It was like
"he'll be playing next week with somebody anyway".

...Back around '73, a recovering King Crimson addict, having recently become vaguely aware of
the uncharted territories represented on the fledgling ECM label, noticed the presence of KC
percussionist Jamie Muir on an arcane looking release by a group with the rickety name, The
Music Improvisation Company. Picked it up and was fairly baffled though there was something
about it I enjoyed, including the scratchy guitar work. Sort of. A couple years later, after having
been wowed by Frith's "Guitar Solos" recording, I bought the compilation, "Guitar Solos, Vol
2." which included a few tracks (with voice) by Bailey. I found them utterly charming and
strange and came back to them often over the years, but never really followed up...

In the meantime, I plunged headlong into all things avant-jazz, especially the AACM and
off-shoots and, somewhat influenced by several awful (at least I thought so at the time)
performances at Environ by Euro-jazzers, essentially eschewed that entire "school" for a long,
long time. By the beginning of the 90s, having begun to find most new jazz lacking and starting
to grow a little tired of the downtown NYC scene, I figured it might be time to seriously
re-investigate these rascally Brits and Euros (which I'd been doing sporadically through the
80s but not really latching into anything).

Intrigued by its lovely cover and recalling my fond memories of those solo tracks, I picked up
"Solo Guitar, Volume 2" on Incus. It was revelatory. For the first time, I think I understood what
was going on in his music and, consequently, in much of the other music I'd given relatively
short shrift to earlier on. I was soon fortunate enough to catch him in performance, the first
time at the old Knit with Zorn, Frith and (I think) Laswell, later on in several situations including
a couple of times with Susie Ibarra and, perhaps most memorably, in the ferocious duo with
Cecil Taylor. His level of concentration was always extraordinary and very self-possessed (and
never without a tinge of humor). You got the impression that absolutely every sound he
produced, from roars to the quietest squeaks, was exactly what he intended at that moment.

Thanks again, Mr. Bailey.

Constrained links:

Site of Derek Bailey

Forum about Derek Bailey

3/3/06 2:22 PM
 INDYMEDIA SOMEWHERE
Derek Bailey has died
Herby Spiral 2005-12-26 11:49
Derek Bailey 29/1/30 - 25/12/05 RIP
I've just learned through wikipedia that pioneering experimental musician and free improvising guitarist Derek Bailey
passed away at his Spanish home during Xmas day. There doesn't seem to be anything about this on the mainstream media
sites as yet but a number of Blogs are carrying the news.
Wikipedia article on Bailey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Bailey
See also http://justforaday.blogspot.com/2005/12/rip-derek-bailey-12930-
122505.html
http://www.jazzcornertalk.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?p=442189
http://soundsandtexts.blogspot.com/2005/12/derek-bailey-is-dead.html
He was a great and a true original. What a rotten Xmas.

Derek Bailey pictured playing in Hackney, circa 1991

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/ennull330538.shtml

[Indymedia does blah. Content is good, and free to use for non-commercial purposes under the Open
Content license. if you have questions, email someone.]
1
life after god: Derek Bailey (1930-2005) http://scottblifeaftergod.blogspot.com/2005/12/derek-bailey-1930-20...

27 December 2005

Derek Bailey (1930-2005)

Kellie and I saw Bailey play an incredible 2 hour set

at the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) in 1984. It was
one of the highlights for me from the Cartoon
"theft-tour" that (obviously) had some horrific
low-lights.
Though he played music that is usually tagged and
interpretted as "challenging", Bailey had one of the
most beatiful acoustic guitar tones I have ever
heard, then and ever since.
How could I possibly imagine 21 years prior that
both Kellie and Mr. Bailey would pass the same day,
one year apart. Life is so unpredictable and so
precious.
Posted by ScottB at 4:22 PM

2
Independent Online Edition > Obituaries http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article335441.ece

30 December 2005 16:21

Home
> News
> People
> Obituaries

Derek Bailey
Avant-garde jazz guitarist
Published: 29 December 2005

Derek Bailey, guitarist: born Sheffield 29 January 1930; twice married (one son); died London 25 December
2005.

Oddly, for an avant-garde player whose music was so intense and uncompromising that his following was
devoted but small, the guitarist Derek Bailey appeared at the 1968 Royal Command Performance. In his time he
also worked as an accompanist to Gracie Fields and Kathy Kirby - and it should be pointed out that for the royal
concert he was in the pit band.

He turned his back on commercial music and rose to become the most renowned member of the British free-form
jazz movement.

Bailey had an uncompromising philosophy that involved exterminating music that he had already played. It led
him rigorously to move on from one group of musicians to the next: he believed that familiarity bred predictability.
He was perhaps at his happiest in his metamorphosis to solo guitar player. Paradoxically his improvisations were
recorded many times and the resultant albums were much sought by his followers across the world.

He believed in turbulence and musical aggression, although it was notable that, when more conventional
musicians like Tony Coe or Steve Lacy were drawn into his orbit, he softened to form exquisite musical
partnerships that led non-believers to wonder at what could have been. In his regular conversations with his
audiences he showed a beguiling sense of humour that perhaps didn't chime with the density of the music.

But Bailey, like the musicians he mixed with, was a man convinced and possessed. From his playing he stripped
out rhythm and conventional harmony and cast aside anything recognisable as jazz tradition. Over the years he
withdrew from group playing and played without accompaniment. He worked often on the Continent, mostly in
Germany, but chose to stay in England.

"He was rapidly arriving at the stage where he saw the nearest parallel to his own role in those of a writer or a
painter," wrote the trumpeter Ian Carr, who described Bailey as "fastidious and ascetic" in his music:

He is austere, uncompromising and formidably committed to exploring and expressing his own interior vision . . .
With monastic vigilance he tries to avoid the habitual side of playing.

Bailey was a key figure in the 13-hour concert played in Camden Town, London, in the summer of 1978 by the
London Musicians Collective - this was in itself a compromise, because the saxophonist Evan Parker, a close
comrade of Bailey's, had planned for the musicians to play around the clock.

Derek Bailey's grandfather was a professional banjo player and his uncle a professional guitarist. He took to the

1 sur 2 12/30/05 4:22 PM

Independent Online Edition > Obituaries http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article335441.ece

guitar when he was 11 and became a professional musician in Sheffield during the Fifties, working mostly at
music that he didn't like. But, before leaving for London in 1966, he formed his own avant-garde band that
included the like-spirited drummer Tony Oxley.

In London Bailey fell in with Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Barry Guy and other free-form players and played
regularly with the drummer John Stevens's Spontaneous Music Ensemble. He joined the London Jazz
Composers' Orchestra and formed the trio Iskra 1903 with the trombonist Rutherford and bassist Guy, whilst he
was also a member of the Music Improvisation Company. His frequent partnerships with Evan Parker gained him
fame across Europe and he was soon working with musicians on the Continent and with visiting Americans
including Anthony Braxton and Steve Lacy.

With Rutherford, Guy and Bailey's wife Karen, Bailey in 1970 founded the record company Incus, the first
musician-run label in Britain, to distribute their music. He eventually came to own the label himself and continued
its policy of never deleting albums. In 1976 he formed Company, an ensemble bringing together groups of British
and international improvisers. An annual Company week was held for 17 years until 1994. Bailey was a member
of Kenny Wheeler's band in 1978 but from then on mainly played as a soloist or at best in duos.

He made an exception during the Eighties when the avant-garde Ganelin Trio came from Russia to work in Britain
for a period. Bailey worked happily with them until the leader, the pianist Vyacheslav Ganelin, emigrated to Israel.

Bailey influenced guitarists as far away as Japan and in 1997 worked with the avant-rock Japanese duo Ruins.
In that period he also played with the drummer Tony Williams and the guitarist Pat Metheny.

His book Improvisation: its nature and practice in music (1980) led to the Channel 4 television series On the
Edge (1989-91).

Steve Voce

© 2005 Independent News and Media Limited

2 sur 2 12/30/05 4:22 PM

david fenech ([info]david_f) a écrit,
@ 2005-12-26 10:33:00
Previous Entry Add to memories! Next Entry

Derek Bailey est mort

d erek bailey est mort hier : c'était l'un des plus grands. j'adorais son style, son humour et
son sérieux pas si sérieux. il a littéralement réinventé son instrument , comme django,
wes ou jimmy. il reste une discographie abondante, des tonnes de disques sur son label
incus... et le souvenir de cet homme toujours à la recherche de quelque chose de nouveau.

Derek Bailey (1930-2005)

T riste notícia, que nos apanha de chofre no meio das Festas: acabo que saber pelo amigo
Juan Barranco, que ontem, 25 de Dezembro, morreu Derek Bailey. RIP.

Funeral e cremação terão lugar dentro de uma semana. Em Nova Iorque, John Zorn está a
organizar um concerto em memória de Bailey.
 Obituary
Derek Bailey
Restlessly creative guitarist forever pushing at the boundaries of music

John Fordham
Thursday December 29, 2005
The Guardian

O n and off over the past decade, I would meet Derek Bailey in the same Chinese
restaurant in Dalston, north London. As well as being a wonderful raconteur, the
Yorkshire-born guitarist regularly blew holes in convenient wisdoms sitting smugly
on some shelf in my head. His provocativeness was not oneupmanship, or a parade of
erudition; it was the way his brain was wired. He had done the same for musicians and
listeners all over the world for 40 years or more as a free-player and a freethinker, a Frank
Zappa for the world of spontaneous performance.

Bailey, who has died aged 75 of complications from motor neurone disease, was a guru
without self-importance, a teacher without a rulebook, a guitar-hero without hot licks and a
one-man counterculture without ever believing he knew all the answers - or maybe any at all.
With his passing, the world has lost an inimitable musician and an implacable enemy of
commercialised art.

Bailey once described his friend John Zorn, the American avant-garde composer and
improviser, as "a Diaghilev of contemporary music" for his catalytic influence. But he could
as easily have been describing himself. He worked with performers as different as free-jazz
piano legend Cecil Taylor, cool school saxist Lee Konitz, Harlem bop-and-swing hoofer Will
Gaines, naked Japanese improvising dancer Min Tanaka, fusion guitar star Pat Metheny and
the drum virtuoso Tony Williams. In later years, he collaborated with Japanese art-of-noise
rock band the Ruins, and - when he had already passed 70 - with young drum and bass DJs.

Singlemindedly devoted to unpremeditated improvisation, Bailey published a book on the

subject in 1980 called Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music. Twelve years later, it
led to Jeremy Marre's revealing Channel 4 four-parter On the Edge: Improvisation in Music,
an ambitious venture that Bailey both scripted and presented. The project tracked the
improvising impulse through the most radical interpreters of Mozart, the methods of the
organist at the Sacré Coeur, Paris, in baroque music or the blues, and in locations from the
Hebrides to the Ganges.

Bailey was born to George and Lily Bailey, in the Abbeydale district of Sheffield. His father
was a barber, his uncle a professional guitarist who gave the boy his first instrument and some
haphazard lessons. By a process of osmosis from musicians he met, sustenance from odd
jobs, record-listening (bebop guitar pioneer Charlie Christian was his early model) and some
later self-education in theory and arranging, Bailey became a pro on the UK dance-band and
studio circuit in the early 1950s. By 1965, he was playing Blackpool seasons for Morecambe
and Wise.

By that time, he had begun rehearsing regularly with two adventurous younger players in
Sheffield - classical percussionist turned jazz drummer Tony Oxley and bassist (later to
become classical composer) Gavin Bryars. The three formed the group Joseph Holbrooke
(named after an obscure British composer whose work they never played), and, from 1963 to
2005, R.I.P. LINK WRAY AND DEREK BAILEY: PLUTONIUM
NIGHTS, (Podcast) (Dec. 30th 2005)

R.I.P. Link Wray and Derek Bailey: Plutonium Nights from Dec. 30th, 2005

We mourn the recent loss of two of music's heaviest heavyweights, guitar legends Link Wray
and Derek Bailey. Both changed the way guitar music is thought of, and both will be sorely
missed.

Music played :

1- Toca Joga (from Cyro) 05.25

Derek Bailey : guitar
Cyro Baptista : percussion

2- Improvisation On Guitar Piece No. 2 (from Pieces for Guitar) 04.05

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

3- Dead She Dances (from Takes, Fakes and Dead She Dances) 07.32
Derek Bailey : Gibson ES-175 electric guitar and recitation of a fragment of a poem
by Peter Riley.

4- An Echo In Another's Mind (from Aida) 14.00

Derek Bailey : solo acoustic guitar

Podcast Date: Dec 30, 2005 12:00:00

http://uraniumcityrecords.com/plutoniumnights11.mp3
1966, its jazz beginnings in John Coltrane and the Bill Evans Trio were crossbred with ideas
from John Cage, Stockhausen, serialism, Oxley's labyrinthine rhythm variations, and much
more. Gradually, the group moved from jazz into a non-idiomatic approach - free-
improvisation.

From 1966, Bailey began visiting the Little Theatre Club, a West End bolthole where the
drummer John Stevens ran all-comers' sessions and young improvisers (including Evan
Parker, Trevor Watts and Paul Rutherford), jazz virtuosi (Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler) and
contemporary classical players like Barry Guy gathered. With various versions of Stevens'
Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Oxley's sextet, the Music Improvisation Company (electronics,
percussion and Parker's sax) and the trio Iskra 1903 (with trombonist Rutherford and bassist
Guy), Bailey began to build a completely new vocabulary for the guitar.

Though he never abandoned the conventional instrument, he was mixing warped chordal ideas,
serialism's lateral melodies, Cage's elevation of silence, pedal-operated electronics and a brittle
attack borrowed from percussionists. From 1970, he also ran the Incus Records label, first
with Oxley and Parker, then with his partner (and later third wife) Karen Brookman - their
Hackney flat is still the Incus HQ.

Bailey's Diaghilev qualities came to the fore in 1976, when he began his Company project, an
improvisers' festival that involved 400 players each year up to 1994 in Britain, the US and
Japan, with Zorn, Lee Konitz, saxist Steve Lacy, classical violinist Alexander Balanescu,
bassoonist Lindsey Cooper and composer/saxist Anthony Braxton among those taking part.
He also invited dancers, performance-artists, electronica-specialists and avant-rockers to join
in, with the artists deciding who would improvise with who.

He likened improvisation to spontaneous relationships and conversation - full of accidental

harmonies, misunderstandings, passion and indifference. Though a sophisticated
instrumentalist himself, he did not mind playing with people who had comparatively few
skills; something interesting might always happen. He worked with bassist Bill Laswell and
drummer Tony Williams in the trio Arcana in 1995, and collaborated with Pat Metheny and
two percussionists on The Sign Of Four in 1996.

He described that encounter to me thus: "The equipment I use I bought in Canal Street 15
years ago. Pat's sitting in the middle of what looks like the console of a 747, with four guitars
and a distortion unit that could be used for dispersing mobs. There were two guys with huge
percussion kits, and I'm making a lot of noise, and then he switches this thing on, and it's like
there's three dogs playing around a little, and suddenly an elephant lands on top of them."

Yet for all that raw-noise energy, Bailey continued to be a delicate acoustic improviser, often
unaccompanied or in duets. Just in time, he was caught by the ideal biographer, Ben Watson,
in the book Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation. And, though his combativeness
never left him, he seemed to take heart from the musical eclecticism and dissolution of
idiomatic differences he had done so much to encourage.

"The kids don't mind whatever it is these days," he told me once. "Maybe there's a lot of stuff
out there now that is by its nature odd. But they seem to be able to take anything. Which is
great to somebody like me. I find it very comfortable. In an uncomfortable sort of way."
Karen survives him, as does Simon, the son of his second marriage.

Richard Williams writes: The least typical recording Derek Bailey ever made also turned out
(not that he would have appreciated the compliment) to be one of the great jazz recordings of
the last 40 years. Titled simply Ballads, and recorded in 2002 for John Zorn's Tzadik label, it
consisted of solo guitar meditations on 14 songs from the standard repertoire, including
Laura, Body and Soul, What's New, Stella by Starlight and You Go to My Head.

Although this was the last project one might have expected from a professed enemy of
composed music, it was no surprise to discover that in these songs - their musical and
emotional contours long since flattened by overuse - Bailey found brand new angles and
meanings, thanks to the application of his highly personal imagination and unique
instrumental language. Extraordinary renditions, indeed, and utterly spellbinding.

By the time he recorded another solo CD for Tzadik, entitled Carpal Tunnel, three years later,
his refined technique had all but disappeared. No longer able to grasp a plectrum with his
right hand, he adapted by striking the strings with his thumb. The album's title came from the
condition, carpal tunnel syndrome, that was said by doctors to explain his reduced dexterity.
In fact, it marked the onset of the motor neurone disease from which he died.

In these pieces, the spiky elegance of Ballads is replaced by a halting delicacy reminiscent
both of Japanese koto music and of the last paintings of Willem de Kooning, when illness had
robbed the great abstract expressionist of the power to do anything other than trace a haunting
shadow of the shapes and colours that had once burst from the canvas.

Derek Bailey, improvising guitarist, born January 29 1930; died December 25 2005
American Garage

Subject: Derek Bailey

From: "eric"
Dec 27 2005 11:56AM Derek passed away on Christmas Day after a long illness. Peace.
eric np: "The Sign of the Four"
Messages: ADD A NEW MESSAGE
From: "alanmarshall"

Dec 28 2005 11:24AM i am deeply saddened by this news. Derek was unique. I will dig out
some of my cds of his and play them again. dereks stuff was like a really good film, you
could always go back to it time and again and find new things.

From: "Bob Meyrick"

Dec 28 2005 10:26AM Very sad. I think the word "uncompromising" was coined just for
him. He was a true pioneer, sticking to his vision, and he expanded the vocabulary of the
guitar immensely. I'd find it hard to say I liked a lot of what he did, rather that I respected it. I
was fortunate to see him play live a couple of times, once with Kenny Wheeler's big band in
the late '70s, and once playing a solo acoustic concert at Nottingham's Central Library maybe
ten years ago. The range of sounds he got from that acoustic guitar was staggering; it would
be foolish to say what he played was noise, since that implies randomness, and Derek Bailey
organised the sound meticulously. Listening to his improvisations requires a certain amount
of effort on the part of the listener, but that's not a bad thing.

From: "LNP"
Dec 27 2005 08:55PM Eric, have you heard any other info? Very sad news.
From: "Scottie"

Dec 27 2005 06:09PM A true original. Rest in peace.

Posted by brooklynvegan on December 25, 2005 05:58 PM

TrackBack URL for this entry:

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Comments

I had the good fortune to discover Derek Bailey in 1972, when he was playing at the Unity
Theater. Over the next twenty years i saw him at many gigs with musicians as diverse as
Vinko Globkabar to Han Benink from Steve Lacy to Tristan Honsinger. These gigs remain
some of the most moving and absorbing music I have ever heard.I first played with Derek in
1976 and last time in 1990.Playing with him brought home just how quick and fertile was his
mind. I play soprano saxophone, and on one occasion at a Company gig in London ( I was in
the audiance ) I had a conversation with Steve Lacy who was on the gig. Derek came into the
disscussion. Steve Lacy said " The amazing thing about Derek is no matter how many times I
play with him he always amazes me. I agreed. I count Derek as the most exceptional person I
have ever met, socially he was full of wit and wisdom musically he was the Charlie Parker of
his time.
I can't remember the first time I heard British guitarist Derek Bailey, but I do remember
being utterly perplexed at the arid, unsettling chaos his music seemed to present. A
pioneer in the European free-improvisation scene of the late '60s and early '70s, Bailey
was among the foremost proponents of a... style? genre? Okay, a territory of performance that
took its formative leads from a potent mix of American free jazz and the experimental
composition of John Cage and his peers.

Bailey combined a workmanlike ethic honed in British dance bands with a cussed
revolutionary streak; the music he and early peers such as John Stevens, Tony Oxley, Evan
Parker and Gavin Bryars created was the sound of spontaneous creation, unregulated by
notions of structure or genre. In its ideal form, European free improvisation was -- and
remains -- an instance of deep listening and fleet reaction, a musical conversation that unfolds
in real time. Karyobin (Island, 1968; reissue Chronoscope 1993, likely out of print), by
Stevens's Spontaneous Music Ensemble, provides a gracious, eminently listenable example of
the movement's birth pangs, which would provide momentum for such Bailey collectives as
Joseph Holbrooke (a trio with Oxley and Bryars, named for an obscure British composer of
Wagnerian leanings) and the Music Improvisation Ensemble (with Parker, instrument-builder
Hugh Davies and percussionist Jamie Muir -- the last of whom would shortly defect to King
Crimson.)

Throughout his life, Bailey railed against complacency; when regular mates became too
familiar, offering the easy path of rote response, Bailey responded with Company, a semi-
regular meeting of performers from differing musical backgrounds, most of whom had never
encountered one another. A fragmentary list of Company participants extends well beyond
Fred Frith and John Zorn to take in Lee Konitz, Ursula Oppens, Don Byron, Diamanda Galas
and veteran tap dancer Will Gaines. Practically to the very end of his life, Bailey continued to
seek out new encounters: with jazz icon Tony Williams, with free-jazz percussionist Susie
Ibarra, with pipa virtuoso Min Xiao-Fen, with Japanese prog-punk duo Ruins and with a
steady stream of young drum-and-bass DJs. A substantial portion of Bailey's activity, and that
of his peers, was documented by Incus, the hardy little cottage label he founded with Parker
and Oxley (of which he later became sole proprietor); many of those aforementioned later
encounters, equally important, were captured on John Zorn's labels Avant and Tzadik.

But back to the beginning: While the kinetic excitement of Evan Parker's saxophone playing
was immediately affecting, Bailey's crabbed chords, splintery lines, ringing sustained tones
and glowering feedback washes took longer to assimilate. I don't remember the point at which
it all fell into place for me, but I suspect it might have been a 1993 performance at Roulette
with Gregg Bendian, Paul Plimley, Tomas Ulrich and others. It was my first time to actually
see Bailey perform live -- and somehow the intensity of the setting, and the ability to connect
sound to action and reflex, made the guitarist's work seem transparent, magisterial, inimitable.
(Not that there haven't been imitators; in fact, I'd hazard to state that Bailey is probably the
most influential guitarist of the late 20th century, after Jimi Hendrix -- at least in avant-garde
circles.)

After that event, I became a Bailey fanatic, collecting probably more than 80 percent of his
available recordings even as I acknowledged that his was an art best encountered live. Greater
familiarity brought on an intense realization of just how much his art changed over the years,
despite a similarity of surface contours. Those skittering figures and tolling tones amounted to
a language, a distinctive personal utterance, as well defined and recognizable as that of any
great musician in history -- whether it be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Louis Armstrong,
Anton Webern, Albert Ayler, Tony Iommi or Toshimaru Nakamura.

Bailey's final decade of recording presented evidence of a renewed appreciation of formal

structure, certainly in a solo setting -- Drop Me Off at 96th (Scatter, 1995, out of print), for me
the greatest of Bailey's solo albums, is as deftly balanced in terms of its weights and valences
as any through-composed symphony. One performance on that disc, a funny example of
Bailey's droll accompanied chats, included a brief snatch of "I Didn't Know What Time It
Was" -- incandescently shocking in context. That moment provided a precursor to Bailey's
most controversial late recording, Ballads (Tzadik, 2002), in which John Zorn coaxed the
guitarist to etch cubist takes on standard songs such as "Stella by Starlight," "Rockin' Chair"
and "Gone with the Wind." It was with this disc that Bailey came full circle, transfiguring the
material he might well have been called upon to play during his apprentice years.

Ballads wasn't Bailey's final studio document; at present, that would be Carpal Tunnel (Tzadik,
2005). Following some amount of inexplicable trepidation, I finally picked this up about two
months ago. To call it perhaps Bailey's most painful record would be meaningless without
some amount of explanation: The guitarist, who had moved to Barcelona for the last few years
of his life, explains in a spoken introduction that he'd recently been diagnosed with the
condition that lent the disc its title, and as a result could no longer play with a pick. Each of the
subsequent selections tracks his convalesence, at two- to three-week intervals. It was a heroic
effort, and not a bad record -- although Bailey's speaking voice had never sounded so utterly
aged to my ears as in his intro.

Having attended the majority of Bailey's New York City appearances since that original 1993
encounter -- although not the epochal meeting with Cecil Taylor at Tonic in 2000, alas -- I'd
been biding my time since May 2002 awaiting his next visit. Like everyone else, I'd long heard
rumors of failing health. But after reading Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation
(Verso, 2004), Ben Watson's alternatingly admirable and risible biography, I allowed myself
the luxury of believing that Bailey would indeed return -- after all, many of the men in his
family lived well into their 90s. Zorn apparently agreed with me; I know that he planned to
have Bailey curate a month of performances at the Stone in 2006.

As it happened, carpal tunnel syndrome was an early manifestation of the motor neuron
disease that claimed Bailey's life on Christmas morning in Barcelona. That long-awaited
reunion, I'm forced to admit, will never happen. And I just don't want to. Despite not knowing
Bailey personally (though I've enjoyed several conversations with his longtime partner, Karen
Brookman), despite having exchanged no more than two sentences with him, despite my hand
having been engulfed in his massive paw only once, I miss him deeply, and sharply.

It's hard to know where to direct a newcomer curious about an artist as singular yet
multifarious as Bailey -- not to mention one so vastly represented in the recording catalog.
Were Drop Me Off at 96th still available, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to recommend that
disc. Another oft-cited solo recital, Aida (Incus, 1980; reissued Dexter's Cigar, 1996), also
appears to be out of print. Incus mail order might still have copies of both titles, but probably
won't be available for at least a while, I'd have to imagine. LACE (Emanem, 1996) is another
fine example of Bailey's solo art, while Fairly Early with Postscripts (Emanem, 1999) offers a
valuable overview of early-'70s solo performances as well as a few more recent tracks.

But for my money, the richest recent example of solo Bailey is In Church, the first in a series
of home-burned CD-R solo-guitar releases available exclusively from the Incus website. All
the hallmarks of Bailey's questing art can be found in these two performances, recorded in
resonant chapels in 1994 and 2001. So, too, are a patience, a warmth of feeling, a breadth of
utterance and a quiet dignity that are all hallmarks of late Bailey.

Among Bailey's encounters with other musicians, The London Concert (Incus, 1975; reissued
Psi 2005) is a crucial document of Bailey's relationship with Evan Parker, before it was
sundered by business differences and personal animosity. Yankees (Celluloid/OAO, 1983;
several reissues available) offers a spirited encounter with Zorn and trombonist George Lewis.
Village Life (Incus, 1992), with drummer Louis Moholo and percussionist Thebe Lipere, is
seldom cited as crucial Bailey, but I love its seductive sound world. Soho Suites (Incus, 1997)
offers an illuminating pairing of duo concerts with percussionist Tony Oxley from 1977 and
1995, while Joseph Holbrooke '98 (Incus, 2000) is a highly successful latter-day reunion of
Bailey's seminal trio with Oxley and Gavin Bryars. Two late intersections with different
drummers, BIDS (Incus, 2002) with Susie Ibarra and Sevens (Incus, 2002) with Ingar Zach,
are varied and always engaging. Of Bailey's later intersections with unlikely rhythm teams, all
are intriguing, but the ones that most reward investigation are Saisoro (Tzadik, 1995), the first
encounter with Ruins, and Mirakle (Tzadik, 2000), recorded with the muscular harmolodic-
funk team of Jamaaladeen Tacuma and G. Calvin Weston. Finally, controversial or no, an
exploration of Bailey's art can't be considered thorough without a dip into the abovementioned
Ballads.

Despite my having gone on at length, I still feel that nothing I could write would be sufficient
to truly honor Derek Bailey, nor to give voice to the deep and genuine void I feel at his loss.
Here, then, is a list of additional resources for information on an unreplaceable artist.

Incus Records.

John Fordham's heartfelt, informative obituary in the London Guardian.

The Derek Bailey index on Peter Stubley's comprehensive European Free Improvisation
website.

Richard Shapiro's exhaustive Derek Bailey sessionography, housed on Stubley's site and still
commanding despite not having been updated since November 2004.

December 29, 2005 | Permalink

Comments

Beautiful essay, Steve. Thanks for taking the time & energy to craft it.

Posted by: derek | December 29, 2005 at 10:02 PM

Nice obit Steve. You said a lot that I have a hard time saying.

Posted by: David Beardsley | December 29, 2005 at 11:06 PM

Very nicely done, Steve. Thank you.

Jesse

Posted by: Jesse | December 30, 2005 at 12:22 AM

Splendid obit, Steve. Just one point: Derek died in London (according to the email I received
from Martin Davidson).

Posted by: Dan Warburton | December 30, 2005 at 12:52 AM

Playlist for John Allen (web only) - December 26, 2005 http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/17495

Playlist for John Allen (web only) - December

26, 2005
Mondays 6am - 9am on WFMU 91.1 fm 90.1 fm wfmu.org

"I listened yesterday. It's no reflection on you but I could'nt see where you were
going or what you were going for. This early seventies thing did'nt get noticed the
first time and you talk about friends of like Dealney and Bonnie who had records
out like we're supposed to remember who they are. Then you play this long winded
free jazz stuff that really grates on my nerves. And that noise without a beat and
sounds like someones being pinched. Then you play a reggae song, I think you
called it Dub, to what, be cool? You seem to really fetishize the whole folk thing
too which is obnoxious to us who don't even care. I liked it when you played that
punk song though. I like Joe Belock a lot." (This program is broadcast only on the
internet. JM in the AM is heard in this time slot on 91.1 and 90.1 fm.)

Listen live to WFMU:

[Realaudio] [Windows Media Player] [24k AAC+] [32k MP3] [128k MP3] [40k Ogg]
Visit our audio streaming page for help

December 26, 2005: Derk Bailey (1930-2005)

This playlist is still being updated

You can Listen to this show (RealAudio)

You can Listen to this show (MP3 (128K))

Approx. start
Artist Track Album time
derek bailey improvisations 1974
derek bailey, kent carter, john 0:23:15 (Real |
a bit of the crust
stevens M P 3)
derek bailey, kent carter, john 0:25:12 (Real |
a bit of the dumps
stevens M P 3)
derek bailey, trevor watts, john 0:27:38 (Real |
impromptu dynamics
stevens M P 3)
0:45:30 (Real |
derek bailey the last post
M P 3)
0:54:03 (Real |
derek bailey & han bennink who is that
M P 3)
0:59:30 (Real |
derek bailey dnjbb (cake mix)
M P 3)

1 sur 2 12/30/05 5:19 PM

Playlist for John Allen (web only) - December 26, 2005 http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/17495

1:12:48 (Real |
derek & the ruins
M P 3)
1:18:55 (Real |
derek bailey w/ sasha frere-jones sasha
M P 3)
an echo in anothers 1:27:07 (Real |
derek bailey aida
mind M P 3)
1:41:54 (Real |
derek Bailey & joelle leandre no waiting
M P 3)
derek bailey & jamaaladeen 1:51:00 (Real |
nebeula
tacuma & calvin weston M P 3)
1:58:33 (Real |
derek bailey & fred frith
M P 3)
2:17:27 (Real |
derek & o'rourke & loren m
M P 3)
2:24:31 (Real |
derek bailey stella by starlight
M P 3)
2:30:11 (Real |
derek & min xiao-fen
M P 3)
2:35:00 (Real |
derek & christine jeffrey
M P 3)
2:39:44 (Real |
derek & noel akchote
M P 3)
2:48:06 (Real |
derek & steve lacy
M P 3)
2:51:36 (Real |
derek bailey & evan parker
M P 3)

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2 sur 2 12/30/05 5:19 PM

Derek Bailey, 75, Guitarist and Master of Improvisation, Dies
By BEN RATLIFF
Published: December 30, 2005

D erek Bailey, the English guitarist who helped to form a fractured style and a cohesive
philosophy for European free improvisation, died at his home in London on Sunday.
He was 75. The cause was complications of a motor neuron disease, said Martin
Davidson, a record producer and friend.

Mr. Bailey explained his art unpretentiously, often simply as a matter of personal choice, but
his style of playing guitar was a kind of reaction against all systems in music. By the 1970's it
had become a system unto itself - a virtuosic, physical one, of clicks and chimes and
harmonics and aggressive bursts of volume, arrhythmic and nonlinear but still coherent and
powerful.

Despite his roots in jazz and his professional relationships with many jazz musicians - he
played with the drummers Tony Williams and Paul Motian, the saxophonist Steve Lacy and
the guitarist Pat Metheny - Mr. Bailey was not playing jazz, nor pretending to. He often
referred to his work as "nonidiomatic improvising," meaning that it did not refer to any
particular idiom or style. Over time it became its own idiom, and he sought to perform with
artists from nonimprovising traditions, like the drum-and-bass producer DJ Ninj and the
Chinese pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, and even with nonmusicians, like the Butoh dancer Min
Tanaka and the tap dancer Will Gaines.

Born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Mr. Bailey grew up in a working-class family, the son of a
barber. An admirer of the jazz guitarists Charlie Christian and Oscar Moore, he started guitar
lessons as a boy, inspired partly by an uncle who played guitar and worked in a music shop.

In 1950, after brief service in the British Navy, he began work as a professional musician,
playing jazz in pubs and restaurants in Sheffield. He often worked in dance halls, and one of
his jobs was in the pit band for Morecambe and Wise, the popular English comedy team.
More and more, he said later in interviews, he would begin to practice his own ideas on the
bandstand, quietly, so the rest of the band could not hear.

By the mid-1960's, having become successful enough as a commercial musician to buy a

house in Manchester, Mr. Bailey had met the bassist Gavin Bryars and the drummer Tony
Oxley. Together they formed the Joseph Holbrooke Trio, named after a British composer who
had died a few years earlier. They began playing a freer kind of jazz, sometimes basing it on
the music of John Coltrane's quartet and Bill Evans's trio but also trying to upend jazz
conventions.

Mr. Bailey at the time was heavily influenced by Anton Webern and wrote pieces for solo
guitar in Webern's style. He soon abandoned composition and began practicing smaller units
of sounds and notes, which he would fold into improvisations.

After about 1967, Mr. Bailey did not compose in the traditional sense; he only improvised
from scratch, using all the tiny bits and phrases that he had been working on. He became
involved in an improvising group, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, but after that his music
became more concentrated and personal. He performed and recorded continuously, making
more than 100 albums, alone, in duets or in the various assemblages of musicians that he
finally organized into a regular event, Company, held in various cities from 1976 to 2002.
In 1970 he helped start a record label, Incus, with the saxophonist Evan Parker, one of his
frequent musical colleagues until the mid-1980's. Between Incus, which released 30 of his
own recordings and still functions, and his regular Company performances, Mr. Bailey kept
busy through the 1990's, playing with seemingly every major and minor figure in the world of
experimental improvised music.

In 1980 he wrote an influential book, "Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music,"
exploring improvisation in Indian music, flamenco, jazz, rock and Baroque music. The book
was adapted as a television series for England's Channel Four in 1992.

Several years ago Mr. Bailey and his wife, Karen Brookman, began living part time in
Barcelona, Spain. They moved after Mr. Bailey started having problems with his hands, a
development he made public earlier this year with his final record, "Carpal Tunnel."

He is survived by Ms. Brookman, of London and Barcelona, and a son, Simon Bailey, of San
Diego.

Some of Mr. Bailey's most celebrated albums were made in the last decade for Avant and
Tzadik, the New York saxophonist John Zorn's labels. One of them was entirely
counterintuitive for a musician who became famous for playing no written music: called
"Ballads," it consisted entirely of ballads favored by jazz musicians, played in bursts of
suggestion, in his craggy, unsentimental, highly personal style.

J ust returned from Barcelona to discover Derek Bailey has died. Oddly, the last time I
saw Bailey was in Barcelona, playing Abaixadors Deu with the percussionist Susie
Ibarra. I saw them having coffee and xocolata on La Rambla the next day, and wish I'd
had enough courage to say hello and pass on my thanks ... More so now. He was a hugely
important musician, a tireless organiser and figureheard for improvised music, a witty
Sheffield man, and writer of one of the great books on improvisation, and music in general.
Well played.
December 29, 2005

D erek Bailey UK improv godfather Derek Bailey has left us at age 75, apparently
having suffered from Lou Gehrig's Disease. Simply put, Bailey invented an entire
new approach to electric and acoustic guitar playing that shunned categorization; his
was a method of iron dedication and reinvention of vocabulary that only expanded into
uncharted realms of his own ability as he aged, and there has never been anyone like him in
music. Starting out in 1951 in a more traditional setting of orchestras and dancehall bands,
Bailey took apart the rulebook in 1966 exploring textures in playing that can only be called
true free music. He took his approach into performances both solo and with groups (notably
the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the late 1960's), founded the first truly independent UK
free music label, Incus, with Evan Parker and Tony Oxley, and peeled off tons of records ever
since while doubling as a major proponent (both in interviews and writing) for improvisation.
His biggest rule: the past is the past.

While his solo material is dense and amazing within itself, his collaborations really allowed
him to step up to the plate and carve out some real uncharted terrain. Whether it was pipa
musician Min Xiao Fen, Japanese heavies the Ruins, UK Drum N' Bass DJs, or tap dancer
Will Gaines as sparring partners, Bailey listened intently and threw out endless shapes to
counter the sounds that were being offered up, and never did he step up to the role of being a
"lead guitarist", hogging a spotlight, or relying on cliches. He excelled at slipping in to the
mood of the room, the atmosphere of the accompanying music, and making the music one
organic entity no matter how fast, slow, or heavy his collaborators were. And most of the time
he was without any effects aside from a volume pedal or perhaps a slight distortion; the first
time I saw him play solo at the old Knit back in the late 80's I was initially disappointed at the
dry quality of the playing; figuring as a lauded figure in experimental guitar he was going to
pack the volume like Keiji Haino, or dazzle with crazy gadgetry ala Gary Lucas, but the music
that came from the guitar was raw and human and an unfettered link between his mind and the
sound emitted from the amplifier. It quickly made sense to me and I've been a huge fan ever
since.

This clip (53 MB mpg) is from a 1993 Incus video called Mountain Stage, where Bailey
performs for schoolkids on a sun-drenched Japanese hillside reacting not only to the buzz of
crickets around him, but to the moves of Butoh dancer Min Takana, who himself creates his
art via channelling the environs, sights, and sounds around him into energy and physical
movement. This is a pretty stunning performance, and if you want to hear more of his
recorded sounds, Incus, Tzadik, Emanem and Forced Exposure are a few places you can seek
them out; his latest release is a disc antitled Carpal Tunnel, which is a truly inspiring document
of Bailey's playing while battling the crippling hand disorder during his last year alive in his
adopted home of Barcelona. John Allen did an entire three hour tribute to Bailey on the 26th
here on WFMU if you want to check it out, and I played an array of varied recordings on the
27th here (you can click on individual tracks to hear in Real Audio).

Posted by Brian Turner on December 29, 2005 at 12:46 PM in Brian Turner's Posts, Music,
Video Clips | Permalink
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DECEMBER 30 - JANUARY 5, 2006

In Memoriam: Derek Bailey, 1930–2005

by GREG BURK

D erek Bailey died on Christmas at age 75. It seems strange that such a pleasant,
thoughtful Englishman was one of the most radical improvisers on his instrument,
the electric guitar. But trailblazers are not always terrors.

I interviewed Bailey by phone from his London home four years ago, when he was scheduled
to appear locally. He didn’t come — partly because of his health, and then there was that 9/11
thing, which had just happened. He said he was terrified to fly.

Artistically, though, he was never afraid. In the mid-’60s, at a time when the straight jazz he’d
been playing was obsolescent, Bailey gradually changed over to free music. He found a few
like-minded souls, and honed an approach that bucked every notion of swing in favor of
instant invention, tone refinement and harmonic reconstitution (noise, said less perceptive
listeners). In 1980, he published a book of interviews with improvisers from various musical
disciplines. For many years, he helped put together a worldwide concert series called
Company. And over time, people began to know who he was.

When he began getting free, though, he was a lonely inquirer. Ornette Coleman had rethought
sax; Thelonious Monk, Lennie Tristano and Cecil Taylor had rethought piano. But rethinkers
of the guitar? “There weren’t many, that’s for sure,” said Bailey, “and I didn’t know who
the others were, if there were any.”

The free-improv community he built in ’60s England, unlike America’s, didn’t mix its
radicalism with drugs. “I was in my mid-30s, and the people I met were usually in their early
20s. Unless you’ve been 36 in 1966, you don’t know what ageism is. I’d been working with
musicians for 15 years at that point, but not like these. And one of the things that struck me
was how clean they were. They didn’t take drugs, usually they didn’t smoke, they didn’t
drink, they didn’t eat meat or drink coffee. Quite militantly straight. Which was unusual for
that time. But they were unusual people anyway.”

Bailey always appealed to the young. “There does appear to be a different kind of audience
now,” he said, “but that’s probably due to the general state of, let’s say, non-mainstream
music, which seems to be a kind of goulash. I’m able to find a place in that.”

Do modern audiences understand him better? “They’re more curious,” he said. “At one time
this music clung onto the edges of jazz; it was barely tolerated. But now there are these people
who seem to be prepared to listen to almost anything. I don’t assume even at this point that
there are many people taking notice, but there are certainly more than there used to be.”

One who always took notice was L.A. guitarist Nels Cline. “He was one of the most
important sonic innovators on any instrument in the last 50 years,” said Cline when he heard
of Bailey’s passing. “When I saw him last year in Barcelona, I thanked him for being such a
courageous and tenacious seeker, and for making it possible for cowards like me to benefit.”
 DEREK BAILEY, DERNIERE DISSONANCE
Mort du guitariste britannique de jazz, féru d'expérimental et
d'improvisation.
par Eric DAHAN
QUOTIDIEN : samedi 31 décembre 2005

R ien n'avait prédestiné Derek Bailey à embrasser le jazz libertaire des années 60. A la
veille de se distinguer comme un improvisateur «avant-gardiste», il cachetonnait
encore comme requin de studio et accompagnateur de variétés. Fils d'un barbier de
Sheffield, Bailey avait eu pour professeur de musique un oncle lui-même guitariste, un peu
d'enseignement scolaire, des livres de théorie musicale et les premières cires de Charlie
Christian. Il improvisait donc déjà be-bop et connaissait l'harmonie au moment où il décida de
renoncer aux formules et acquis pour traquer l'instant musical absolu, dans l'inédit et le
déroutant, transformant en atout le fait de n'être ni frais émoulu du conservatoire, ni américain
ni noir.
Contre-culture. Son premier laboratoire s'appelle Joseph Holbrooke : un trio jazz comptant un
percussionniste classique reconverti au ternaire et un bassiste et futur compositeur nommé
Gavin Bryars. Dès 1963, Bailey a l'intuition d'un style expressif tirant parti des stridences
mystiques de Coltrane, des bruits préparés d'un John Cage, des processus sonores et
conceptuels de Stockhausen et de l'avant-garde sérielle européenne. Ce style, il reste à
l'éprouver en situation. Ce sera au Little Theatre Club, où des séances d'improvisation
permettent à des débutants comme Evan Parker, Trevor Watts ou Paul Rutherford de se frotter
aux maîtres Dave Holland ou Kenny Wheeler, à des solistes de musique contemporaine, ou à
des musiciens électroniques.
Dix ans plus tard, Bailey devenu gourou d'une contre-culture jazz britannique, adoubé entre
autres par Cecil Taylor, créera son propre laboratoire d'expérimentation : le Company Project.
Jusqu'en 1994, il va réunir tous les ans 400 musiciens dont les phares du free jazz, d'Anthony
Braxton à Steve Lacy, mais aussi des rockers et performers de tous continents et ethnies,
invités à croiser leurs talents pour produire des événements scéniques. Ce festival qui se tient
cinq jours durant à Londres et visite l'Europe, les Etats-Unis et le Japon, est la vitrine
médiatique du label Incus Records, qu'il a cofondé en 1970 et qui, en plus d'offrir l'occasion
de l'entendre jouer de la guitare à dix-neuf cordes, est le premier label indépendant lancé par
un musicien anglais.
Volcan bruitiste. Lorsque Company cessera au milieu des années 90 pour raisons
économiques, Bailey enchaînera avec le trio Arcana, Bill Laswell à la basse et Tony Williams à
la batterie ; puis Sign of Four, volcan bruitiste orchestré avec le guitariste électrique star Pat
Metheny et deux percussionnistes amplifiés. Ces dernières années, Bailey continuait de
surprendre en publiant un disque d'improvisation sur rythmiques jungle puis un autre de
standards de jazz, intitulé Ballads : exercice paradoxal pour ce briseur de moules apôtre d'une
expression libérée des atavismes, mais s'avérant à l'écoute fidèle à sa ligne. Ses écrits mais
aussi une série de documentaires télé sur Channel 4, en défense et illustration de
l'improvisation à travers les continents et les âges, en faisaient un passeur, à la Frank Zappa
introduisant le public rock à Webern ou Varèse.
Atteint de dégénérescence neurologique, Bailey avait enregistré un autre disque pour le label
de son ami John Zorn. Il y transcendait la perte de ses capacités digitales en tirant de son
instrument des sonorités proches du koto japonais. Derek Bailey est mort à Noël. A la veille
de ses 76 ans, il se disait «à l'affût de jeunes musiciens, même inexpérimentés» dont
l'enthousiasme excite suffisamment son désir de jouer.
bailey - 闲人一只 - 博客大巴 http://0753.blogbus.com/tag/bailey/

the Derek Bailey Day

2007-12-24
Tag：bailey

(1930-2005)
the one and only Derek Bailey will never be forgotten....I miss you, sir.

yoh 发表于23:55:26 | 阅读全文 | 评论 0 | 编辑 | 推荐

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 CENTER
for
DYSL EXIST ENTIAL
STUDI ES
VO IC E S F R O M TH E
F I C T I O NA R Y / A M P L I F I E D B I C Y C L E

28. 12 . 05

Guitarist Derek Bailey Dies December 25,

2005

Here's a group email

I received from
Portland improviser
JP Jenkins, a guitar
player carving his
own niche in a wall
of dried rosepetals.

Derek Bailey died of

motor neuron disease
(Lou Gehrig's
disease) in
London on the
morning of the 25th
I can only say that he is one of my heroes and if you don't
know his
music you should try listening to it.
luv JP

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are

cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."
Bertrand Russell
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London.

Dear Derek,

Free improv fans are a funny lot. They attach so much importance to making pilgrimages to see their
heroes in the flesh at least once, but it's always a crapshoot to catch a free improvisor in the combination
of players that tickles a particular person's fancy. We blithely make all kinds of elaborate private
predictions about which gigs will be worth trekking out to, despite the genuine unpredictability of these
things and the futility of expectations about moments that can't be determined ahead of time. So some
years back I was checking the listings for one of your multi-day affairs at Tonic and thinking I really
needed to make the three-hour trip into the city for at least one of them. But for a wide-eyed improv
fanboy looking at all the big names it's like being a kid in a candy shop and it's a bit of comically
baroque dilemma to choose. Thank goodness for intuitions, though, because when I saw an evening
where you and Susie Ibarra would play as a duo I just knew it was the one for me. I'd never seen her
play either and I was only passingly acquainted with her playing from a record or two, but, gee, you
know I really like strings and percussion. It wasn't the flashiest or most star-studded night in the series,
but the best stuff often comes with the least fanfare.

Sometimes nothing flies out and hits you in the face as a little nugget of musical gold, but every sound
just seems to flow from some other sound like it's part of a timeless, basic biological process we can
easily observe but not really understand. When you played with Susie it was a case where there was
nothing on my mind but sounds. The normal passage of time was suspended, and when it was over I
knew something had happened but it was entirely unclear what it was. Every sound seemed to belong
exactly where it wound up, but was slightly surprising when it happened. Motion, stillness, pauses,
textures, miniature arches, the whole works. Well, anyhow, I don't think I could've heard you in a better
way than that night. Everything was right with the universe that night and I knew I had shared an
experience with a community of people who cared about it as much as me. It was the precise and full
realization of the musical and human promise of this crazy idea you and your colleagues got back in the
60s to make music in a different way, renewed yet again, an eternal proposition about the musical and
human moment.
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

So some months later I saw that you were hopping the pond again and would be playing in various new
combinations, but there was a duo with Susie listed again. A logical free improv fan decision would be
to hear you in a different situation, but I remembered how I felt that night during and after that gig and
drove up to see the duo again. You work in the unrepeatibility business, so I felt a little silly going for a
second helping of that singularity, but amazingly enough the same thing happened. I guess I should say
"equivalent", and not "same", but you know what I mean. I guess all the rhythms and melodies and so
on were different, but every sound felt like a gentle revelation about how sounds could move along, just
like the time before. It was just as understated and ecstatic. I thought, gosh, these two are really on to
something. Then sometime in the next year you had yet another duo gig with Susie at Tonic, and by that
point l was entirely compelled by the forces of sensible living to make the journey again. This was
becoming a routine, something loosely periodic like a holiday. I was convinced that this was my
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

personal "ideal Derek Bailey experience". I knew I was pressing my luck, but I was not about to take a
chance of missing the sort of experience I'd had those two times. I know a lot of people would have a
hard time believing this is true, but at least we know it's true that it did indeed happen again, the same
goldmine of moment-by-moment magic. We had quite a streak going there. I'll remember those three
gigs for the rest of my life, not the actual sounds of course, just the elation. As far as the sounds
themselves, I suppose it's best to dispense with them once they've done their job, just like cells in a
living organism come and go in the endless cycle of repetition and differentiation.

I suppose it was probably this third time that I finally got up the courage to impose on you for a bit of
conversation and share my observations about this happy state of affairs. It wasn't an especially
crowded evening and there was a relaxed atmosphere at Tonic as a small group of people lingered after
the gig. You remarked upon the the curious and anomalous aspect of your duos with Susie and how it
had recently occurred to you that among all the musical partners you'd had in the past few years, you'd
played with her more often than anyone else, something like four or five times in a two-year period.
Something like that. Not exactly a lot of gigs, but more than you'd had with any one other musician. One
way or another, it's pretty amazing that someone could perform in public as often as you and so rarely
repeat your collaborations. Your generosity in testing new playing situations was hard to fathom,
especially since you'd been at it for a good few decades. You taught the world new lessons about the
way a life could be spent making music. But like any great teacher, you offered hints and examples,
leaving the real knowledge to be constructed and completed anew by each student.

I think the lessons apply as much to non-musicians like me as your fellow improvisors. In my last year
of high school I'd been soaking up free jazz for about a year, thrilled by its challenges to safe and
repeatable musical structures. That's when I read your book and I saw the big picture about
improvisation and the possibility of making music that didn't refer to idioms or traditions, but rather
invited me to decide for myself how sounds could be organized into music. You really laid it out in that
book. I'd still not heard any non-idiomatic free improv to speak of at that point, but everything you said
made sense and I soon found opportunities to experience your ideas first-hand with recordings and
concerts. I really admire you for talking about your art in a straightforward, honest way and not trying to
shroud it in mystery. A little self-understanding goes a long way. I reread that book just a few years ago
and found passage after forgotten passage that renders subsequent discourse as wheel-re-invention. I'm
looking forward to someday passing my copy along to a grandchild in a formative period of musical
curiosity.

As much as I've enjoyed your music, I feel like I'm trying to thank you for an entire worldview here,
which seems rather momentous to me. After all, a person only acquires new worldviews a few times in
life. I want to convey the pleasure of meeting you, but also the amusing irony of being awestruck by a
person who seeded a worldview in which the whole business of being awestruck by "stars" is obsolete.
I want you to know that even though I was a naive, wide-eyed kid in his mid-20s feeling rather out of
place talking to you, I do understand, at least in theory, that you were a regular fellow with counterparts
all over the world that can do a similarly fine job of tending the musical moment. I'd like to say a little
more about what this idea means to me in practice to reassure you I'm really not a victim of idol worship
or whatever, but let me relish the irony a little further because there's pleasure in even the most mundane
aspects of a person. I haven't met many English/British (I don't know what the socio-linguistically
correct word is) people in my life, so I want to say I think I learned from you what people mean when
they talk about "gracious, charming British gentlemen" or the like. I'll always get a good chuckle
thinking about how dumbstruck I was when you earnestly offered to buy me a drink as we sat at the
bar, as if I was some okay fellow you were happy to be passing time with at a pub and not the nervous,
utterly intimidated kid I actually was, entirely unsure of how I ought to be disposing of myself. I
suppose I'm lucky to be a lifelong teetotaller, because I haven't the slightest experience in that kind of
social ritual and hopefully could've been excused for not being the one who offered a drink! I'm sure
this was nothing but an ordinary life moment for you, a scenario repeated thousands of times, but it was
a disarming, befuddling, and utterly comical moment for me I'll always carry with me as a memory of
you as a person aside from a master musician. I don't know if I've ever met a more gracious person,
though I won't deny the possibility that I simply don't get out often enough.
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

Hopefully entertaining confessions of a socially inept schmuck aside, I want you to know that your
example of anti-pretentious music-making and community experience is truly being followed and I don't
just sit at home listening to Incus records and ignoring the folks who are honoring your music the most
by retaining its methodology and not its specific sounds. There's no point in trying to simulate the
experience of being around in the 70s to hear you around town in London with ten other wayward
listeners. Your world was a different time and place than mine, and I hope you'll be delighted to know
that I've found master musicians I can go out and listen to live on a regular basis in my own time and
place. I even found a fellow named Jack Wright who I think has a depth of musicianship and conceptual
commitment to non-idiomatic free improvisation just like yours. I hope you'll be relieved to learn that I
regularly banter around with him as if he were just a friend or an uncle even while holding him in the
highest possible esteem as an artist like you. I feel I can state with certainty that the cultural possibilities
you did so much to set in motion will thrive indefinitely. Folks like Jack are the proof in the pudding.
You made the world a permanently better place and ennobled some of the most fundamental aesthetic
impulses of humans. Now more than ten years after discovering your world I fully realize that
non-idiomatic free improvisation has permanently become more than just a kind of music I enjoy more
than most others at a purely aesthetic level, but a pivot around which my life revolves as a social and
ideological commitment to reclaim art for unrepeatable moments and communities away from museum
artifacts and institutions. Also, I rather agree that "musical scores" should be regarded as little more than
an esoteric branch of literature, though certainly deserving of a little niche as a diversion from
improvisation. Thanks for hitting that nail on the head in your book. Ink schmink.

Anyway, this week I'm gonna pull out a few of your albums and not take this whole "different world"
thing too seriously! There will always be a place for other times and places to be preserved and
cherished alongside all the great moment-replenishing scattered around in countless pockets of the earth.
Probably I'll start with the duo with Susie, because it's most sentimental to me, but then I think I'll go
back to the feedback disc (String Theory) because I had that on just a few months ago thinking about
how ahead-of-its-time it was in relation to some recent directions improvised music seems to be taking.
Then I'll savor that video with Min Tanaka again because it's a special favorite I have often reflected on
after seeing combinations of music with post-butoh. It's rare to have a visceral, unequivocal experience
of beauty while simultaneously being prompted to reconsider the very nature of beauty. Usually it's only
one or the other. Next chance I get I'll finally buy a copy of your video with Will Gaines, because
happily I made it out to some of your gigs besides the Susie duos and probably my favorite was when I
saw you with that astonishing tapdancer. It was an explosion of rhythms and I remember how happy
you looked playing with him, like it was challenging you. More than anything, your sheer pleasure in
the act of playing music with other people was unmistakable. In my mind you represent the undiluted
joy of music as a physical activity at least as much as anyone.

One more thing. I was at a free improv gig last night when I experienced something for the first time--a
conversation about you that didn't make my eyes light up with joy at the prospect of exchanging lively
opinions with another listener. It was the kind of conversation a person can never be prepared for, sort
of brief and unsuited to elaboration. When the next set kicked in I found thoughts of you lingering
longer than they ever had before, a lot of thoughts. I figured I would jot some down because I know
there are a lot of people thinking about you right now. It's funny how music sometimes isn't something
to listen to, but a space to be inside of while a mind attends to other matters. There's all kinds of stuff
more important than sounds. I'm glad I had some sounds to bathe those thoughts in. Also, by random
chance I bumped into one of your close friends at the gig last night who I remembered from those Tonic
gigs, so I passed on the news that you'd retired from music earlier in the day. She was one of many
people in the room who love you and were thinking of you. Some of your pals from Japan were there,
Yoshihide Otomo and Tatsuya Yoshida among them. We will remember you forever in our many
countries.

A fan in Pennsylvania,
Mike
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

I took these photos at one of the Derek Bailey and Susie Ibarra duo gigs at Tonic, but I don't have any
exact date available for them. I don't think these have ever been seen anywhere except I do recall
bringing copies of the prints to a following gig to give to Sir Bailey and showing them to Stephanie
Stone, Steve Dalachinsky, and a few others at the time, so it's likely from the 2nd duo gig I saw.

~Michael Anton Parker

Posted by maparker on December 26, 2005 5:56 PM

Comments

Bailey died in London, not Barcelona.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 26, 2005 9:27 PM

Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

Thanks Dan, looks like there was a mixup among sources on that point... I changed the title from
"Barcelona" to "London"...

Posted by: Michael Anton Parker at December 26, 2005 10:20 PM

Otomo dedicated renditions of Lonely Woman during both his solo acoustic guitar and solo electric
guitar sets tonight to "Derek Bailey, the master improviser", very moving. I think one audience member
actually broke into audible tears near the end of the acoustic one.

Posted by: jon abbey at December 26, 2005 10:37 PM

"I rather agree that "musical scores" should be regarded as little more than an esoteric branch of
literature, though certainly deserving of a little niche as a diversion from improvisation. Thanks for
hitting that nail on the head in your book. Ink schmink."
Oh, it's time to have a go at composers again, is it?

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 26, 2005 11:23 PM

Derek Bailey was a composer. His method was improvisation. I'm not going back to the dark ages on
this terminology stuff.

Posted by: Michael Anton Parker at December 27, 2005 12:05 AM

Derek Bailey was a guitar player.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 27, 2005 12:09 AM

If we keep accumulating truths at this pace, Dan, we'll have a bio on him done in a few short months...
:-)

This is a good time to bring attention to the beautiful review of Carpal Tunnel written for Bags by a
different Derek.

Posted by: Michael Anton Parker at December 27, 2005 12:18 AM

Oddly enough I was listening to that on Saturday and found it a rather sad experience - even if the guitar
playing is as fresh as ever, Bailey's voice sounds old and weary. This is probably not the moment to ask
Bags punters for a Derek Bailey Best Of, but my own personal listening tribute to DB will be 1970s
vintage. With reference to Jon's tale of teary Otomo fans, I rather suspect Bailey would have little time
for such sentimentality (as in "sentiment in excess of the facts"). I hope our man in Vienna Noel
Akchoté will soon be able to share some of his more hilarious DB anecdotes with us. Meanwhile, it's
950am here which means it's now OK to blast my neighbours with Topography The Lungs. Cheers
Derek!

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 27, 2005 12:51 AM

"master improvisor, composer, guitar player"

essayist, humorist, crank
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

it was derek's interest in webern's miniatures that made me see (at seventeen, at long last) that even the
the shortest event of improvisation had all (if not exceeding) the complexities of a composition. this kind
of analytical approach to improvisation was a real offset from cage's indetermincay for me where, in my
early reading of it, essentally the cosmos plays the musician through the medium of numbers. and oddly
it was derek's book that piqued my interest to attend feldman's lectures in buffalo (precisely when i
should have become a rabid improv fundamentalist?), not cage's. that the guitar was itself a composition
filled with variable subsets that offered to open into the as yet unsounded came to me from him. derek's
gift i think was the trust in the situation that all the music depended on you, what you do. what skills to
combat with anti-skills (which become skills). what do you do? it's sad occasion on which we come to
make these kind of assessments. it only means something else is being born. does anyone know more
precisely the time of his death?

Posted by: j.ff gb.r.k at December 27, 2005 4:39 AM

Thanks for this piece, Mike, very touching, I very much enjoyed reading it. Now I think I'll dip into
some of my favourite Bailey recordings, the solos, 'Drop Me Off At 96th' and 'Lace'.

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 27, 2005 5:41 AM

Bailey's dying comes a shock to me. I didn't realize he'd been sick.

I too, caught Bailey with Ibarra (in NYC, along with the redoubtable Brian O.) My own take (not
shared by Brian, as per usual) was that DB's playing was a little too subtle for Susie that night. Nice gig,
though.

Posted by: walto at December 27, 2005 8:04 AM

Seems like that Tonic gig could have been quite a Bagatellen conference, had any of us known the
others back then. I was there, too, and also caught him in a (rather less successful) quartet with Zorn,
Joey Baron, and I-forget-who on bass. That was in 2002, shortly after the Jazziz interview that yielded
the quote that appears below this entry on the main page.

Daedal is one of the two Bailey/drummer duo discs I own, the other being Ore with Eddie Prevost. I
dug 'em both out yesterday, along with a few of his sideman gigs - Nipples, More Nipples, and Manfred
Schoof's European Echoes.

I'll always remember Bailey as one of the best interviews I ever got - smart, funny, and never for a
second condescending to an idiot kid who had (and still has) only the sketchiest impression of his vast
discography. (A lot of his fans could take a lesson from the man himself in that regard.)

Posted by: pdf at December 27, 2005 8:47 AM

"With reference to Jon's tale of teary Otomo fans, I rather suspect Bailey would have little time for such
sentimentality"

a momentary outburst is all it was, Dan, I'm not even a hundred percent sure it was tears. it was a pretty
intense feeling in the club, I don't see any reason to minimize that.

Posted by: jon abbey at December 27, 2005 9:30 AM

Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

I was fortunate enough to see Bailey a half dozen or so times, though never solo, something I regret
(despite Bailey's well-known antipathy toward such engagements!). I always had the opinion (and
essentially still do unless someone can disabuse me of it) that, when he found himself in the company
of, shall we say, musicians who weren't quite up to his calibre (or far, far short of it), he simply thought
of their contributions as white noise to play off of and against, perhaps similar to the way he would, as I
understand it, play alongside radio broadcasts. I had that impression a couple of times (as when I saw
him with Ruins) though, who knows? maybe he was thoroughly enjoying it.

But seeing him with Cecil Taylor at Tonic a few years back was a special thing. He even managed,
through sheer orneriness, to get Taylor to bend a little bit in his direction. A performance that had the all
the makings of a titanic and disastrous clash of egos resulted in a momentous event. As always, seeing
him perform, his level of pure concentration was massively impressive.

Too sad that he's gone.

Dan, fwiw, my fave Bailey tends to be solo, things like "Solo Guitar, Vol 2", "Takes Fakes and Dead
She Dances", "Drop Me Off at 96th", "Aida", "Music + Dance" (well, sorta solo). But also, of course,
"Iskra 1903".

Posted by: Brian Olewnick at December 27, 2005 9:49 AM

I don't post much here (I am not one of the petit clan), but I do read Bagatellen regularly. And when I'm
able to wade through on of Mr. Parker's incredibly long musings, I occasionally enjoy bits and pieces.
But his comment about written composition being somehow inferior to improvisation (that is the gist of
it, at least) once again leads me to question how seriously I can take him.

As for Mr. Bailey, RIP. For me, he was a musician whose ideas--like Cage's--were sometimes more
interesting on the page than in practice, but he was nonetheless clearly an original. I do think he needed
strong musicians to play with, people with their own voices (the session with Steve Lacy was the first
that made me really dig Bailey). His genius, in the end, may be that of someone able to shed light on the
hidden corners in other players' music.

Posted by: Paul B at December 27, 2005 12:21 PM

my favorite bailey memory was in may or june of 2001 when i went to see him guest with tony bevan
and john edwards and i think someone else. not realizing that times listed for improv shows in london
are usually early by at least an hour, i showed up twenty minutes early and was told to go upstairs
(which was outside and up a staircase) to the function room. As i was walking up the stairs, bailey's
sound became immediately recognizable, so you can imagine my shock when i got to the top and there
was no one else in the place. i just sat at the empty bar (not even a bartender) and sipped the pint i
bought downstairs out of nervousness of not seeing any jazzers around, and listened to him play for
about twenty minutes. very moving for me, just another day for him.

Posted by: unwrinkled at December 27, 2005 3:11 PM

Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

It's a sad day. Derek's passing hit me as hard as Sonny Sharrock's [pre-mature] death just over a decade
ago.

My favourite [non-live] Bailey moment was a tape I'd received in the mail over a decade ago from Paul
Haines [a good friend of Bailey's - check out "Darn It!"] with a recording of Bailey's New Year's
greetings [single that was released on Table of the Elements]. Must be one of the most hilarious Bailey
moments committed to tape.

Posted by: Tom Sekowski at December 27, 2005 5:31 PM

Yeah, that New Year Message is great, though "George" from Playbacks is my pick for DB at his most
hilarious (I'll be playing both during my all-Bailey radio show this Thursday, 10am-12:30pm Central @
wnur.org).
I too saw Bailey with Ibarra in NYC, though it was at Roulette, not Tonic. It was pretty great, though as
with many of my first-time experiences seeing a "legend" in person, the voice in my head saying "Wow!
That's Derek Bailey!" probably prevented me from listening as closely as I should have. Too bad I won't
have a second chance - that was one iconoclastic, inspiring bloke.
Bailey in a listening test upon hearing Conlon Nancarrow: "What is this? A furniture demonstration?"
:)

Posted by: Jason Guthartz at December 27, 2005 11:29 PM

Apart from hearing his brilliant music for years, one of my favorite moments was at the Huddersfield
Festival in the mid 90's. He persuaded 30 grumpy "new music devotees" to join in his set with Louis
Mholo by leaving their spring loaded chairs in a non idiomatic way.
And in about 1974 he mused "... sounds like McLaughlin" during a solo.
I failed in my attempt to set up a tour for the two greatest guitar players - Derek and John Fahey. I'll
always regret that. Just listen and/in wonder.
And my sympathies to Karen and Derek's family and friends.
PK

Posted by: Paul Kelly at December 28, 2005 2:37 AM

he paved a good part of the path...

Posted by: future*now at December 28, 2005 3:21 AM

Hello Paul! Bailey & Moholo at Huddersfield eh? Was that recorded, I wonder?

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 28, 2005 4:49 AM

PK: "I failed in my attempt to set up a tour for the two greatest guitar players - Derek and John Fahey."

Ah, but you managed to do the biz for Fahey, and he was worth the price of entry on his own. Thanks
for that.

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 28, 2005 6:34 AM

Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

Derek and Moholo and Thebo Lipere at Huddersfield - it might have been recorded by the Festival. It is
the equivalent of the rain storm [and coughing] on "Music and Dance". There is an CD 'Village Life',
just get some grumpy folk to leave while you're listening.

Hi Dan - sad to meet under these circumstances.

And Brian - thanks.

Posted by: Paul Kelly at December 28, 2005 8:30 AM

We've lost so many great musicians over the past few years that I've become a bit numbed to hearing
new passings. Losing Derek Bailey has brought back a little of my humanity I guess. When I was
listening with virgin ears I cut my teeth on Brotzmann, the LJCO, Dunmall, and the likes. I knew of
Bailey back then as a current (and still revolutionary) musician but had no idea my investigation of
European improv would lead me directly to him. All roads led to the Music Improvisaiton Company and
Iskra. In my mind he is the lowest common denominator in an extremely important area of music. He
revolutionized the guitar and its implications in improvised music. He developed a language of its own
that has inspired and influenced countless musicians, and for that we've lost a fucking monolith.

Michael, very nice and touching piece.

Posted by: al at December 28, 2005 9:48 AM

[Phil] Seems like that Tonic gig could have been quite a Bagatellen conference, had any of us known the
others back then. I was there, too, and also caught him in a (rather less successful) quartet with Zorn,
Joey Baron, and I-forget-who on bass.

[Mike] I'm pretty sure that would've been Reggie Workman on doublebass, because I remember a friend
telling me about that gig and saying that it seemed like Workman was kind of at a loss to keep up with
the other three because they were in hyper-intense mode... Workman is a brilliant player and composer
and very open about music, but the idea was he'd bitten off more than he could chew in with those
guys... Overall the gig was reported to be in the "fucking amazing" category...

There were 3 Tonic gigs with Ibarra/Bailey and Jason reports on a Roulette gig. When I was writing the
bit above I didn't make much effort to find out dates and exact details because it doesn't seem important.
I googled a little bit and didn't come up with much. I honestly can't even remember what years these
were in. Probably 2001 or 2002 or so... Boy, my memory sure is fuzzy!

Posted by: Michael Anton Parker at December 28, 2005 2:57 PM

The Bailey/Ibarra gig at Roulette was in November 1999.

BTW, does anyone know if the TV series based on "Improvisation" is or will be available on home
video? I'd love to see it.

Posted by: Jason Guthartz at December 28, 2005 3:18 PM

Yeah, nice piece, very nice. I am really drugged about our losing Derek's corpus, though there is
certainly more than enough music - commercial recordings, bootlegs, live concert memories for the
lucky - to keep us enchanted for several lifetimes.

I was going to write up my thoughts on Derek's music for a sister publication, but it is such a drag that I
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

find it a bit hard. I am upset over this, still.

Only had a brief interaction w/ him at Tonic sometime in 2000 when he was with Ibarra. Nice gig,
though, and he seemed far friendly than Evan Parker, with whom I minced words not long ago.

And I'm not even going to get into the composition-improvisation debate. Fuck that, who gives a shit?

Posted by: clifford at December 28, 2005 4:30 PM

Don’t really have much to add to what’s already been posted. Bailey was a hero of mine & I’m proud to
share his first name (just as I'm proud to share the surname of a certain leotard-wearing pianist). His
passing comes as a blow, but as Cliff notes there’s a trove of treasure left behind. I’m hoping that the
(jazz) media chooses to give him his proper due, but even if they turn a blind collective eye his legacy is
unassailable.

First-class piece of correspondence, Mike. Thanks much for posting it (& thanks to Phil for posting that
JT quote/pic).

Far as mine own favorites: Lace; Iskra 1903; London Concert; Outcome; Cyro; Village Life; Pieces for
Guitar; Improvisations for Cello and Guitar and Mirakle.

Posted by: derek at December 28, 2005 8:23 PM

There's an obituary in today's Guardian, available at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1674695,00.html

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 29, 2005 1:42 AM

Here another, this time from the Independent, impersonal and and rather inaccurate:

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article335441.ece

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 29, 2005 3:02 AM

The Guardian piece is fair enough, though this got me chuckling: "Just in time, he was caught by the
ideal biographer, Ben Watson, in the book Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation." The other
obituary's a piece of tosh written by someone who'd never even heard of Bailey let alone heard him.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 29, 2005 3:56 AM

Even after all these years, free improvisation, as practised by Bailey, is still not understood. Jazz had
almost nothing to do with it, and the terms of reference that apply to jazz are inappropriate to describe
his music. And to open up the discussion somewhat . . . the argument that the music is non-idiomatic is
years (if not decades) out of date: free improv has become an idiom, as recognisable and (all too often,
alas) predictable as any other music. What made Bailey so distinctive was how he fought against
laziness and easy options in his playing, he genuinely tried not to repeat himself, and that's why the
music from all periods of his 'career' still sounds vital. Will he be missed? Sorely missed? You bet!

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 29, 2005 4:22 AM

Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

Perhaps I should point out that the author of the Independent obituary is a jazz writer who may well
know his jazz inside out, but apparently he knows nothing about anything else. My initial comments
above were written in seething response to this obit, which, as Dan says, is a piece of tosh. It'll be
interesting to see what's said about Bailey's life and work in jazz-haunted North America.

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 29, 2005 4:31 AM

That Independent obit is shocking. I had wondered what had happened to Steve Voce; well, he's
certainly not been widening his listening. Or doing his research.

Posted by: Alastair at December 29, 2005 4:44 AM

Good point, Brian re: Bailey’s tenuous (at best) ties to ‘jazz’. But there’s a larger ‘jazz press’ than an
‘improv’ one for worse rather than better, esp. in North America, as you note. I fear it’s largely going to
fall on them to spread the news of Bailey’s passing to the public &, pessimistically-speaking, they’re
probably going to fail in the assignment.

Posted by: derek at December 29, 2005 6:46 AM

By the way, what I wrote wasn't meant in any way to disparage jazz, which is a music of considerable
importance to me, nor of the people who write well about it. Nor, for that matter, is 'jazz-haunted'
intended to be a pejorative phrase, simply an observation that America, the home of jazz, has much
stronger ties to it than we Europeans have, and improvisation seems to be more often seen as a closely
orbiting satellite of jazz than as a distinct planetary body.

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 29, 2005 7:10 AM

Hmmm.... I don't know, there's still a ton of jazz there in Bailey's playing, even if it's turned inside out
(there's a memorable savaging of "Stella by Starlight" on Fairly Early with Postscripts, for instance).
Wasn't it Steve Beresford who called him "a great bebop guitarist"?

Best memorial I've seen yet has been Steve Smith's. I'm glad he singles out Drop Me Off at 96th as his
greatest solo album, as (thinking of the dozen or so solo Bailey albums I have) I think I'd have to agree.
It's a crime that it's o/p.

Posted by: N.D. at December 29, 2005 6:06 PM

Steve's piece is here:

http://nightafternight.blogs.com/night_after_night/2005/12/derek_bailey_19.html

Scatter was a great label, one of the first to work with live electronics in free improv. anyone know who
ran that? I know it was Scotland-based.

Posted by: jon abbey at December 29, 2005 6:30 PM

"Wasn't it Steve Beresford who called him "a great bebop guitarist"?" Think that was Lol Coxhill who
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

said that, Nate.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 29, 2005 9:56 PM

I agree, Nate. But a few jazz chords (and occasional tunes) sprinkled throughout a 40-year career don't
make Bailey a jazz guitarist, nor fundamentally should he be considered as such. As I said in an earlier
comment: "Jazz had almost nothing to do with it."

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 30, 2005 2:59 AM

I've just learned about Bailey's death and I'm shattered to bits about this. His recordings of the past few
years (on Tzadik) with a great variety of "groups" sound fresh indeed and point to many directions for
his music to express itself. I'm new to this site, as a Wire reader I recognize a few writers/musicians'
names. The piece on DB in last year's Wire was wonderful --what a great interviewee. Could someone
tell me if Bailey ever played/recorded with Wadada Leo Smith?

Posted by: David Cristol at December 30, 2005 4:56 AM

DC: "Could someone tell me if Bailey ever played/recorded with Wadada Leo Smith?"

Not to my knowledge, David, but some of the North American contributors to Bags may know better.

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 30, 2005 5:14 AM

DC: "Could someone tell me if Bailey ever played/recorded with Wadada Leo Smith?"

May 25-27, 1977; ICA, London

LS/MR/DB/TH/AB/SL/EP 25:39
EP/HB/DB 5:30 [part of a longer piece]
HB/AB/DB 8:39
TH/MR/SB/HB/DB 10:29
EP/LS/DB - second of four pieces 4:19
Leo Smith[LS]: trumpet; Maarten Altena[MR]: bass; Derek Bailey[DB]: guitar; Tristan Honsinger[TH]:
cello; Anthony Braxton[AB]: clarinet, flute, alto sax, soprano sax; Steve Lacy[SL]: soprano sax; Evan
Parker[EP]: soprano sax, tenor sax. Han Bennink[HB]: drums; Steve Beresford[SB]: piano;

Company 5 [Company]: Incus (UK) 28 (LP) 1978 [track 1]

Company 5 [Company]: Incus (UK) CD41 (CD) 2001 [track 1]
Company 6 [Company]: Incus (UK) 29 (LP) 1978 [tracks 2,3]
Company 6 & 7 [Company]: Incus (UK) CD07 (CD) 1991 [tracks 2,4,5]
Company 7 [Company]: Incus (UK) 30 (LP) 1978 [tracks 4,5]

Note: The Company records contain further performances from the same set of dates. They're not listed
here because they didn't include Bailey as a participant.

Posted by: bjoern at December 30, 2005 5:27 AM

Yeah, it sure ain't jazz! but I just find that it's too easy to claim that Bailey left that body of music behind
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

or that it's not at all present in his music. Similarly I get a little peeved by the commonly expressed idea
that his music is "atonal" & "meterless". Re: the former, given (e.g.) his fondness for guitaristic
circle-of-fifths patterns in many of his recordings, the harmonic picture is far more treacherous &
complex. & there is sometimes an implied meter too (on Drop Me Off at 96th there are long passages
you can tap you foot to, if you're patient & not flummoxed by the ametrical interludes & occasional
adjustments of tempo).

Enough of my pedantry. Time to pull out some of DB's discs for another listen. Peter Stubley once
kindly dubbed me some of the hard-to-get 1970s solo albums & I think I'll start there. -- The first one I
bought was Village Life, anyone have a fondness for that one? Like (admittedly) many Incus releases,
the recording/balance is rather off (One Time is another instance), but it's gorgeous, almost-subliminal
music with a shimmering array of percussion from Louis Moholo & Thebe Lipere. Great stuff.

Posted by: nd at December 30, 2005 8:01 AM

Nate, I'm sceptical about the tonality claim. But maybe your hearing is just more acute than mine.
Anyhow, because it comes from you, I intend to test it with a couple recordings over the next few days.

Incidentally, if you're correct, my sense (though I could be wrong) is that Bailey would have considered
his hanging about a specific tonal center a failing on his part. I would have thought that that was
something he tried to resist.

I'm less interested in the rhythmic claim--to the extent that I can understand it. In any case, I don't see
any necessity for there be a meter in order for something to be "foot-tappable."

Posted by: walto at December 30, 2005 8:23 AM

We're just approaching the subject from different angles, Nate. All I'm saying is that if one views
Bailey's music through the jazz prism one gains only a partial and rather distorted image of his
achievements.

I've just been revisiting the Iskra 1903 recording, which is absolutely amazing. This trio shared the bill
with the Parker/Lytton duo at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne in, as I recall, 1972. I
went with a friend who'd heard free improvisation and thought I might like it. I came out of the concert
utterly perplexed but thoroughly intrigued and eager to learn, a combination that's stood me in good
stead for more than three decades, so I'm very grateful to messrs Bailey, Guy, Rutherford, Lytton and
Parker.

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 30, 2005 8:48 AM

"Scatter was a great label, one of the first to work with live electronics in free improv. anyone know
who ran that? I know it was Scotland-based."

It was Liam Stefani from Glasgow. Don't know what he does now.
I believe that the guy who runs the french label Textile knows him. Probably Dan W. should know that
better than me.

Posted by: Jacques Oger at December 30, 2005 12:32 PM

Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

I don't know, actually - but I can ask Benoit Sonnette at Textile if he does. Seems everyone's got this
Bailey solo disc except me! Grr!

Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 31, 2005 12:07 AM

liam still lives in glasgow. the label ceased activity a few years back. he has been working recently at a
record store called 'monorail'. he makes a visit to london a couple of times a year and always pops into
sound 323 to say hello. very nice chap indeed!

Posted by: mark wastell at December 31, 2005 1:42 AM

Yet another obit, this one's from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/30/arts/30bailey.html

Posted by: Brian Marley at December 31, 2005 3:24 AM

"a great bebop guitarist"?" Think that was Lol Coxhill who said that,

Lol says it often indeed ........

is there a Death or a Life possible BESIDES the "Record" OBJECT ?

Posted by: Noel Akchote at December 31, 2005 4:45 AM

I added the photos today.

[Paul Kelly] And in about 1974 he mused "... sounds like McLaughlin" during a solo.

[Mike] This has got to be the most hilarious one-liner about him ever!!! I'm practically rolling on the
floor in stitches... And maybe the best possible one-liner to remember him with?! Thanks for sharing
this and the hilarious chair story.

Posted by: Michael Anton Parker at December 31, 2005 7:11 AM

Brian, you said "Jazz had almost nothing to do with it" but Mr. Bailey's professional jazz stint sounds
like it heavily informed his own take on the guitar, a take that still emphasized virtuosic playing ability
and the whole looking-at-something-from-a-bunch-of-different-angles propulsion that kept jazz
interesting.

It doesn't seem like such a big leap from Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker to Derek Bailey. ---- Three
of the great ear-openers, to be sure!!! (wouldn't that be a trio?)

Posted by: 7thHarm at January 1, 2006 10:57 PM

I agree with that. Derek Bailey went to great pains to dissociate himself from the dreaded J word, which
is perfectly understandable (though I still take issue with all the "non-idiomatic" stuff in his book - to
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

my way of thinking there's no such thing as non-idiomatic) but jazz standards were his bread and butter
for many years, and the memory of that kind of phrasing and timing was written in the muscles, whether
he wanted it to be or not. You don't - can't - unlearn what you've spent years of your life learning. You
can try - and it's fun - but as Fred Frith says, improvising is about playing everything you've ever done
in your life. Derek Bailey SWINGS, god damn it.

Posted by: Dan Warburton at January 1, 2006 11:56 PM

"but as Fred Frith says, improvising is about playing everything you've ever done in your life. "

hmm, I'd say that truly improvising is about forgetting everything you've ever played previously in your
life, at least on one level. obviously no one can really totally do this, but that doesn't mean it's not a
platonic ideal of some kind.

Posted by: jon abbey at January 2, 2006 12:22 AM

My argument wasn't fundamentally about what Bailey played but about how he'll be (mis)perceived by
jazz obit writers such as Steve Voce. And, as I said earlier, the non-idiomatic business, which was
largely correct or at least arguable when Bailey wrote his book, is now incorrect, yet people keep trotting
it out year after year like a gospel truth.

Posted by: Brian Marley at January 2, 2006 2:41 AM

Just found this clip : Derek with dancer Tanaka Min. Superbe !

http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/BT/derekmin.mpg

Posted by: Jacques Oger at January 2, 2006 3:04 AM

Another one too I already mentionned some months ago :

http://www.dunoisjazz.info/TRESOR1.htm

Posted by: Jacques Oger at January 2, 2006 4:15 AM

Direct link :
http://www.dunoisjazz.info/CLIPS/1983/bailey.wmv

Posted by: Jacques Oger at January 2, 2006 4:17 AM

"is there a Death or a Life possible BESIDES the "Record" OBJECT ?" -Akchote

"as Fred Frith says, improvising is about playing everything you've ever done in your life"
-Warburton

"truly improvising is about forgetting everything you've ever played previously in your life" -Abbey

"there ain't no life nowhere"

--Pat Metheny (or Pat Travers, was it?)
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

"The silence of death from the side of the still living---we know nothing of the loudness of death from
the side of the now-dead---is painful precisely because it is silent, it is the end of the question...Thus the
dead pass into the realm of secrets. Is this not beautiful? Are we not maddened by the question, by the
relentless exchange? The dead have ceased to exchange.
--Howard Barker

I can say nothing pro or con about Mr. Howie Woofer's plays but his essays have a few things to
ruminate.

If only Fred really meant something more like "we remake what we have done in our life in sounds"

then we'd have a different tack

robin trower? ..."there ain't no life nowhere"

who said that, damn...

Posted by: j.ff gb.r.k at January 2, 2006 4:19 PM

Brian O. wrote:
"I always had the opinion (and essentially still do unless someone can disabuse me of it) that, when he
found himself in the company of, shall we say, musicians who weren't quite up to his calibre (or far, far
short of it), he simply thought of their contributions as white noise to play off of and against, perhaps
similar to the way he would, as I understand it, play alongside radio broadcasts. I had that impression a
couple of times (as when I saw him with Ruins) though, who knows? maybe he was thoroughly
enjoying it.”

Jeff replies:
“…shall we say, musicians who weren't quite up to his calibre (or far, far short of it)”

Brian,
let’s please please not say that, however having already doneso. “caliber” is among the worst metaphors
in the bag.
You can only know if a musician thinks this way if you ask him or her. But you don’t ask generally
because it’s impolite and even a bit tacky. Most people won’t talk in such a way unless they are
well-oiled in the company of long time friends and if they have half a conscience they will regret doing
so later. (Einstein doesn’t sit back saying ah I am the great Einstein who had better ideas than me. And
yes, there is a Neils Bohr and a Hermann Weyl and a Heisenberg etc. all of which you know had their
best ideas just like you: almost by accident after longs weeks of running through other people’s old
ideas ---sounds a bit like jazz, hmm, or just Frith?---. But ideas are alive only in as much as they help us
grasp what is happening in the world.) I’d like to examine this issue without this metaphor and taken
away from the strictly musical context. Think about his work with dancers. They are almost not of the
same species as you and I but they are often faster. Back when Philip Gayle was living still in Houston
he showed me a video of Derek working with Min Tanaka. I must say that Min, who I think of as
among the toughest nails in the world, frighteningly aware of himself and his environment, looked
beyond silly. Derek flashed between ironic smile and poker-face and let out scurries and clusters of
notes here and there. No evidence of disrespect. It was hard to tell if Min was deliberately doing a mock
modern diva dance (no one was laughing as I recall) but given that I have heard him say that he can
hardly ever watch a video of himself performing without thinking it’s bullshit, I am inclined to think he
was just having a very hard time finding something meaningful to do on that occasion. I consider Min
among the few artists who come out of the long dead movement of Butoh to be doing something always
worth seeing. Amazing that Derek didn’t just step in to “make it happen” or “steal the show”. It was on
the mountain stage in Hokushu. I didn’t see or hear Derek doing something that hadn’t seen/heard him
do before. Scrape the strings, flurry a bit then hard clamping down into jagged pizzicati. Issue a clear
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

silence of waiting. No volume pedal for those birds in the trees. It was not really great. It was okay. You
had to wonder a bit why this document, certainly not the first or last meeting between the two, was ever
released. Then Phil changed to a video of Derek working with a tap dancer the name I forget but that he
sat in a chair always stays with me. The man switched rhythmic patterns and tempi with extraordinary
fluidity and the flecks and cracked arpeggios from Derek mingle with the clattery taps and it went into a
strange stochastic ballet to polyrythmic schizophrenia to eventually take on the semblance of a box of
glass shards swirling in a can agitated by one of those paint mixer machines. There was a great coming
together of sounds. Reflection: the body often works in silent ways that a music made of only sounds
cannot make a bridge to. Two great improvisors can fail to meet. The best music is made not only of
well-organized sounds. I don’t really care to change your opinion Brian, but maybe Derek could only
reply to what he heard in the Ruins in kind and it may be that their way of playing music is a couple
generations removed from his own and he could not hear them the right way to participate. Derek was
great but he was not all things in the world. Each music we make demands something specific from us.
Ruins are a bit heavy handed for my taste (I love melt bannana unabashedly however) but Ruins sure
can fill a club with young folks. Why did Derek choose to do the Ruins concert? I would suggest: as a
test of what could be done, to see what would happen. The experiment attracted my attention. I think I
was in NYC then but I didn’t have enough money to go.

“he was a musician whose ideas--like Cage's--were sometimes more interesting on the page” —Paul B

and this for me shows that he had idea resources that were not executable in his own playing perhaps
nor in his own time. Ideas in writing are clearly not “for me” (the writer) but for others to work with.
This is true also where, as in performances where we don’t quite “get it” when we first hear it, an artist
gives more than what he has been called upon to give. Derek certainly always did this. Except when he
didn’t.

enuff

Posted by: j.ff gb.r.k at January 2, 2006 4:47 PM

I didn't realise at first that this clip with dancer Tanaka Min is an extract from a video "Mountain Stage"
available on Incus catalogue.

Posted by: Jacques Oger at January 2, 2006 11:36 PM

FWIW, I like Bailey's recording with Ruins. Way more than Mirakle, anyhow.

(Hmmmmm. Doesn't somebody ALWAYS show up who likes something most people think everybody
knows is terrible? It's annoying, really.)

Posted by: walto at January 3, 2006 4:25 AM

You saw my Mattin review, yes? :-)

Posted by: Brian Olewnick at January 3, 2006 5:37 AM

Hey, I liked both of them! (but I liked Mirakle a lot more).

Posted by: nd at January 3, 2006 5:58 AM

Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

"I didn't realise at first that this clip with dancer Tanaka Min is an extract from a video "Mountain Stage"
available on Incus catalogue." -jacques o

so the clip is probably from the video i am talking about above. but i wonder what you think is superbe
about it? upon reflection of course i realized that for the "toughest guy in the world", a person who has
the reputation for (years ago) running a kind of bootcamp for existentialist art (upon whose grounds i
have actually trod) to show himself as a silly prancing swooping bowing bending piece of post-human
putty is perhaps a nice one trick pony ride out of an encounter with a great musician...but i have seen
him, and bailey, more than just this once on video. and i recall min saying they had worked together a
few other times. i guess the clip is not the whole performance...i can't download it for some
reason...good thing, because then i might have to reconsider my opinion...

Posted by: j.ff gb.r.k at January 3, 2006 6:06 AM

You saw my Mattin review, yes? :-)

Yes, but I stopped at the word "lambent" which I was too lazy to look up.

Posted by: walto at January 3, 2006 6:29 AM

Funny, I debated using the word in a musical context, but I just liked the evocation:

1. gleaming: softly gleaming or glowing

2. playing over surface: flickering or playing as a flame over a surface without burning it

Posted by: Brian Olewnick at January 3, 2006 6:38 AM

Jeff: "but i wonder what you think is superbe about it?"

suspension of time ... strength and quietness... maturity and simplicity and many others

Posted by: Jacques Oger at January 3, 2006 7:18 AM

Could someone possibly post a copy of the NEW YORK TIMES obit, referred to repeatedly here? You
can't get to it via the NYT site without registering...

Posted by: harry at January 3, 2006 7:47 AM

December 30, 2005

Derek Bailey, 75, Guitarist and Master of Improvisation, Dies
By BEN RATLIFF

Derek Bailey, the English guitarist who helped to form a fractured style and a cohesive philosophy for
European free improvisation, died at his home in London on Sunday. He was 75.

The cause was complications of a motor neuron disease, said Martin Davidson, a record producer and
friend.

Mr. Bailey explained his art unpretentiously, often simply as a matter of personal choice, but his style of
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

playing guitar was a kind of reaction against all systems in music. By the 1970's it had become a system
unto itself - a virtuosic, physical one, of clicks and chimes and harmonics and aggressive bursts of
volume, arrhythmic and nonlinear but still coherent and powerful.

Despite his roots in jazz and his professional relationships with many jazz musicians - he played with
the drummers Tony Williams and Paul Motian, the saxophonist Steve Lacy and the guitarist Pat
Metheny - Mr. Bailey was not playing jazz, nor pretending to. He often referred to his work as
"nonidiomatic improvising," meaning that it did not refer to any particular idiom or style. Over time it
became its own idiom, and he sought to perform with artists from nonimprovising traditions, like the
drum-and-bass producer DJ Ninj and the Chinese pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, and even with
nonmusicians, like the Butoh dancer Min Tanaka and the tap dancer Will Gaines.

Born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Mr. Bailey grew up in a working-class family, the son of a barber. An
admirer of the jazz guitarists Charlie Christian and Oscar Moore, he started guitar lessons as a boy,
inspired partly by an uncle who played guitar and worked in a music shop.

In 1950, after brief service in the British Navy, he began work as a professional musician, playing jazz
in pubs and restaurants in Sheffield. He often worked in dance halls, and one of his jobs was in the pit
band for Morecambe and Wise, the popular English comedy team. More and more, he said later in
interviews, he would begin to practice his own ideas on the bandstand, quietly, so the rest of the band
could not hear.

By the mid-1960's, having become successful enough as a commercial musician to buy a house in
Manchester, Mr. Bailey had met the bassist Gavin Bryars and the drummer Tony Oxley. Together they
formed the Joseph Holbrooke Trio, named after a British composer who had died a few years earlier.
They began playing a freer kind of jazz, sometimes basing it on the music of John Coltrane's quartet and
Bill Evans's trio but also trying to upend jazz conventions.

Mr. Bailey at the time was heavily influenced by Anton Webern and wrote pieces for solo guitar in
Webern's style. He soon abandoned composition and began practicing smaller units of sounds and
notes, which he would fold into improvisations.

After about 1967, Mr. Bailey did not compose in the traditional sense; he only improvised from scratch,
using all the tiny bits and phrases that he had been working on. He became involved in an improvising
group, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, but after that his music became more concentrated and
personal. He performed and recorded continuously, making more than 100 albums, alone, in duets or in
the various assemblages of musicians that he finally organized into a regular event, Company, held in
various cities from 1976 to 2002.

In 1970 he helped start a record label, Incus, with the saxophonist Evan Parker, one of his frequent
musical colleagues until the mid-1980's. Between Incus, which released 30 of his own recordings and
still functions, and his regular Company performances, Mr. Bailey kept busy through the 1990's,
playing with seemingly every major and minor figure in the world of experimental improvised music.

In 1980 he wrote an influential book, "Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music," exploring
improvisation in Indian music, flamenco, jazz, rock and Baroque music. The book was adapted as a
television series for England's Channel Four in 1992.

Several years ago Mr. Bailey and his wife, Karen Brookman, began living part time in Barcelona, Spain.
They moved after Mr. Bailey started having problems with his hands, a development he made public
earlier this year with his final record, "Carpal Tunnel."

He is survived by Ms. Brookman, of London and Barcelona, and a son, Simon Bailey, of San Diego.

Some of Mr. Bailey's most celebrated albums were made in the last decade for Avant and Tzadik, the
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

New York saxophonist John Zorn's labels. One of them was entirely counterintuitive for a musician
who became famous for playing no written music: called "Ballads," it consisted entirely of ballads
favored by jazz musicians, played in bursts of suggestion, in his craggy, unsentimental, highly personal
style.

Posted by: Brian Olewnick at January 3, 2006 7:51 AM

"suspension of time ... strength and quietness... maturity and simplicity and many others"

i saw this rather in the mountain and not so much in the men...

and i appreciate your sincere reply

jg

Posted by: j.ff gb.r.k at January 3, 2006 7:58 AM

on that particular occasion, i mean.

(looks bad to say that outide of the context on the other side of the solemnity of the obit-- which was
good to read)--but

it was my feeling
at the time...

r.i.p. derek

Posted by: j.ff gb.r.k at January 3, 2006 8:25 AM

Just thought I'd mention that, re: one of the above comments and for any other interested parties, the
complete TV series, "Derek Bailey -On The Edge- Improvisation In Music", is up on the Uknova
bittorrent tracker as a tribute.

RIP.

Posted by: Walker at January 12, 2006 11:14 AM

Just adding a few more items for reference and tying up some loose subthreads...

There's a piece over on One Final Note about Bailey's passing. Of special note is John Eyles' brief essay
because he is from the same neighborhood Bailey lived in for decades.

Pasted here is a short tribute written by Bruce Lee Gallanter for the 12/30/2005 edition of the weekly
Downtown Music Gallery newsletter. There are probably few Americans who've seen Bailey play as
many times as Bruce and he's been a hardcore supporter of Bailey's music and free improv in general for
decades. (His terminology reflects his roots in a wide range of American and European avant-jazz and
avant-improv, which for him are all organically connected by his listening experiences. Even in his own
record collection he doesn't separate the jazz from the other kinds of improv.) That DVD of the in-store
performance is still readily available for sale from Bruce's shop, a really fine performance in which
Bailey was still getting to know a hollow-body guitar he'd just acquired and was very excited about.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

DEREK BAILEY 1930-2005

On December 25th, avant/jazz/guitar legend Derek Bailey passed away at the age of 75. He suffered
what was at first diagnosed as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for the past few years and eventually
succumbed to motor neuron disease. He was living in Barcelona, Spain for the past few years, but was
back in London when he flew from this world.

Derek Bailey was perhaps the most influential and adventurous experimental guitarist to come from
England, evolving out of the trad-jazz scene of the fifties into the avant/jazz scene in '60s London. By
the late sixties he was a member of the Joseph Holbrooke Trio (w/ Evan Parker & Gavin Bryars),
Spontaneous Music Ensemble (w/ John Stevens & Trevor Watts) and Music Improvisation Company
[with Parker, Hugh Davies, and Jamie Muir], which later became the amorphous Company under his
leadership. These groups were at the birth and center of the British free-jazz scene. Derek Bailey and
Evan Parker started their own record label called Incus in the early seventies, one of the first artist-run
outfits. Although Derek and Evan had long since parted ways, the Incus label continued with 60+
releases, many of which are now sadly unavailable.

Derek's playing was absolutely unique and idiosyncratic - nobody sounded quite like him. His style was
constantly evolving and, when playing electric, he developed a distinctive way of using feedback.
Although he played with the best members of the British free/jazz scene, he also forged relationships
with a number of European players like Han Bennink & Peter Brotzmann, Japanese free players like
Kaoru Abe, Toshinori Kondo and Motoharu Yoshizawa, as well as American improvisers like Anthony
Braxton, George Lewis and John Zorn. Derek organized an annual festival called Company Week in the
80's & 90's, which brought together a unique group of international improvisers from varied
backgrounds.

What set Derek apart is that he was always 'game' to play with just about any "interesting" player, no
matter where they were coming from. Due to his friendship with John Zorn, Derek had performed and
recorded with an unlikely cast of characters: The Ruins, Haino Keiji, Jamaaladeen Tacuma & Calvin
Weston, Tony Williams & Bill Laswell, et al. Over the past decade, Derek & Zorn organized a few
Company festivals at Tonic, again putting together unrelated musicians for their first time. At the last of
these festivals a few years back, Derek brought the members of IST (Simon H. Fell, Mark Wastell &
Rhodri Davies), as well as the veteran tapdancing legend Will Gaines.

Although Derek enjoyed playing with other avant guitarists (Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Kaiser, Fred
Frith, Noel Akchote & even Pat Metheny), he has played more duos with drummers than any other
combination. Check out this list: Tony Oxley, Louis Moholo. Han Bennink, John Stevens, Eddie
Prevost, Cyro Baptista, Gregg Bendian, Susie Ibarra, Jamie Muir, Ingar Zach, Shoji Hano & Michael
Welch. Other amazing duos would include Cecil Taylor, Steve Lacy, Evan Parker and Joelle Leandre.

Almost exactly four years ago, Derek Bailey played a solo acoustic guitar concert at our old store on 5th
Street. It was one of the proudest moments for me in the near 15-year history of DMG. It was captured
on video and released on DVD by our pal Robert O'Hare and it makes me smile whenever I view it.

Derek told a story at that performance about working in a record/musical instrument store that was
pretty hilarious. He had such a dry yet gentle wit. Morever, his playing will always be a constant source
of inspiration to adventurous musicians and listeners the world over. He will be sorely missed. - BLG

Derek would have turned 76 this coming January 29th

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Paul B] I don't post much here (I am not one of the petit clan), but I do read Bagatellen regularly. And
when I'm able to wade through on of Mr. Parker's incredibly long musings, I occasionally enjoy bits
and pieces. But his comment about written composition being somehow inferior to improvisation (that
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

is the gist of it, at least) once again leads me to question how seriously I can take him.

[Mike] Well, since I was echoing Bailey's own view clearly presented in his book, if you don't take me
seriously then at least I'm in good company!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[7thharm] Brian, you said "Jazz had almost nothing to do with it" but Mr. Bailey's professional jazz
stint sounds like it heavily informed his own take on the guitar, a take that still emphasized virtuosic
playing ability and the whole looking-at-something-from-a-bunch-of-different-angles propulsion that
kept jazz interesting.

[Mike] Both of these qualities are universally present in the idiomatic improvised music of dozens of
cultures having no relation to jazz, a point made most eloquently by none other than the man of honor in
this discussion. His book cites ragas, flamenco, etc. There is a charming pathos to people missing
Bailey's basic messages and imputing a jazz aesthetic to his music even as he is eulogized. I agree with
Marley on this "jazz" matter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeff, I really enjoyed reading your comments here and elsewhere recently, like the post on the other
Bailey thead... Thanks! Yours is truly a lively mind with riches to be shared! I do partially disagree with
your thoughts about the electronics/laptop thing in the Eubanks thread though... Really wanted to jump
in there at some point, but I'll let it pass...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Brian Marley] ...the argument that the music is non-idiomatic is years (if not decades) out of date: free
improv has become an idiom, as recognisable and (all too often, alas) predictable as any other music.

[Dan] I still take issue with all the "non-idiomatic" stuff in his book - to my way of thinking there's no
such thing as non-idiomatic

[Brian Marley] And, as I said earlier, the non-idiomatic business, which was largely correct or at least
arguable when Bailey wrote his book, is now incorrect, yet people keep trotting it out year after year
like a gospel truth.

[Mike] This is hardly the place to take up such a serious topic, but I'll just register my disagreement with
you guys on this point. I quite seriously consider Bailey's concept of non-idiomatic improvisation to be
just as valid now and in the future as it was decades ago, while also acknowledging that tremendous
subtleties lurking below the terminology. Besides the fact that free improvisation is used by musicians
with vastly differing instrumentation and basic structural dispositions, to the point where it cannot be
said to be generally recognizable, methodology and idiomaticity are totally separate concepts being
conflated here. For a thumbnail sketch of my take of non-idiomaticity, see my review of Jack Wright's
Places to Go. As that was the first piece I ever contributed to Bagatellen, I suppose it's only fitting to
come full circle with it here on my day of resignation from any association with the site, which I will
explain momentarily in the "civility" thread. I hope to take up this theoretical topic of idiomaticity with
you guys at another time and place...

Posted by: Michael Anton Parker at January 14, 2006 9:22 PM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/index.shtml

A BBC tribute/documentary on Derek Bailey that you can listen to for about another week. Features a
Bagatellen: 29 January 1930, Sheffield. 25 December 2005, London. http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/frontpage/001107.html

Music Improvisation Company recording from the BBC archive etc. Well worth a listen.

Posted by: matt at January 22, 2006 1:16 PM

musician tributes from the Wire:

http://www.thewire.co.uk/web/unpublished/derek_bailey.html

Posted by: jon abbey at January 22, 2006 1:18 PM

Well worth a read:

http://www.dispatx.com/issue/05/en/syntactics/01.html

Posted by: Dan Warburton at August 6, 2006 6:17 AM

Liam Stefani is my brother-in-law!!!! He still lives in Glasgow. He's still involved in music and is now
making his own.

Posted by: John at August 24, 2007 2:18 PM

Liam Stefani is my brother-in-law!!!! He still lives in Glasgow. He's still involved in music and is now
making his own.

Posted by: John at August 24, 2007 2:19 PM

c h r i s t i a n k i e f e r: December 2005 http://xiankiefer.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html

C H R I S T I A N K I E F E R
B U T T H E N , W H Y T H E H E A R T H S? - J O S E P H C A M P B E L L

W E DN E S DA Y , DE C E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 0 5

Derek Bailey

I talked some
about Derek
Bailey in my
December 22
podcast. Three
days later he was
dead--on
Christmas day no
less. A fitting end
for a working
class hero.

What a great gift he gave to music--a rare musician who essentially

created a new approach to his art, to his world, to sound itself. I
never met him, nor was I ever in a position to hear him play live, but
his influence on me was profound just the same, as it was on a whole
generation of musicians.

Farewell, great man.

PO ST E D B Y CH R I STI A N AT 1 : 05 A M 0 CO M M E NT S
Gavin Bryars
Saturday December 31, 2005
The Guardian

I was a 19-year-old philosophy student, and starting to play the jazz bass, in Sheffield
when I first met my friend, the improvising guitarist Derek Bailey (obituary December
29 2005) in 1962. Along with drummer Tony Oxley, our trio - called Joseph Holbrooke
- developed during the next four years an original and experimental approach to improvisation
that led us away from jazz into the uncharted areas of collective free playing. Virtually no
recordings exist of this work apart from a few transitional rehearsal tapes. The group
disbanded, quite suddenly, in 1966.

I moved away and became a composer - in fact my first commissioned piece was from Derek
for the second album released on his Incus label. He later played on the Obscure Records
recording of my piece, Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet, and said that he had had more
drinks bought for him on the strength of this than for any other reason!

The trio was eventually reunited in 1998 for a concert organised by German radio as part of a
weekend-long celebration of Tony Oxley's work. This live trio performance was issued on
CD (Joseph Holbrooke 98).

We then spent three days shortly after making studio recordings that now, some seven years
on, are about to emerge into the public domain.

Our final date was across the North Sea, in Antwerp, Belgium, in January 1999 and we
considered it possible that we might play together again. It was unfortunate that this was never
to happen.

Ironically, I received the long-lost cassette recording of that Antwerp concert in the post on
Christmas Eve, shortly before Derek died, and I listened late into the night to guitar playing of
staggering virtuosity and invention. Derek was indeed one of the most original and
idiosyncratic musicians I have ever known.
T o start, very briefly, on a personal note. I went to an Arts Lab "Jazz Evening" in
Birmingham in the autumn 1974, wholly on spec; and caught Derek Bailey solo, plus
the Evan Parker/Paul Lytton duo. Both wholly altered how I listened, and permanently
so. I remember particularly Lytton's amplified drum-kit - including a whole, contact-miked,
bicycle. It is worth stressing the astonishing effect of this material at the time. This was I think
the first music I met with a seemingly explicit implicit politics (can't put it clearer). It
suggested the ludicrousness of heirarchies, the necessity of collaboration, the fatuity of
enforced formal models. It foregrounded the liminal, the between, could give noise parity with
pitch. If I (or anyone) could *write like this music plays...! Thirty years and more on, it was
sad to say goodbye to Derek Bailey, who died on Christmas Day 2005.

His funeral took place on an initially bright but then bitterly cold morning at City of London
Cemetery on the edge of Epping Forest; it was much less grim than such things can be. The
opening of the proceeding was enlivened hugely by a piece of magically Baileyesque
contingency - the Crematorium DJ using the 9:30 or the 10:30's CDs for our 10:00
appointment. Those present were treated to, firstly, a snatch of Simply Red's "If You Don't
Know Me By Now"), and then a snippet of The O'Jays "Love Train" ... and then, finally,
some Derek solo (I think it was from Derek's CD LACE (Emanem 4013)
<http://www.emanemdisc.com/>, the track "Which Bit Would You Like Again?" - *not a
question you'd relish hearing from Mr Hucknall or an O'Jay).

The bass player Gavin Bryars, who played with Bailey in the mid-60s, stood up and said he
didn't think it would be right to read from something written in a room-full of improvisers;
and then did a very fine impromptu history of their group Joseph Holbrooke, perhaps telling
us a little too much about the recorded legacy of the trio - there's a big batch about to appear
on CD - and a little too little about Derek. But that's the price of winging it, I suppose.

The comedian Stewart Lee - who has previously recorded his fondness for Derek's work, both
solo and with The Ruins, in The WIRE spoke next, ending with a piece of apposite music-hall
repartee which fell curiously flat. I suppose it wasn't the place for stand-up, really.
<http://www.richardherring.com/newsletters/newsletter.php?nlid=75>

Some more Bailey solo followed, ending up with one of the Derek/Amy/Denio/Dennis Palmer
gospel songs, which was I suppose the nearest thing to playing "Didn't He Ramble" as would
have been appropriate for a non-jazz musician's passing. Here's A Reviewer on the piece:

"After a short spoken invocation in the slowed down drawl of a surreal Southern preacher,
Denio and Palmer harmonize the verses of Albert E. Brumley's "Let the Little Sunbeam In"
over Bailey's sometimes tonal, sometimes way-out distorted electric guitar. Denio's vocals are
clear as day, sounding very much like the star of modest country church, and the trio keeps the
original harmonies intact. Bailey's accompaniment is perfect, elegantly suggesting the original
chord progression with spiked drones and the occasional shard of dissonance."
<http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/b/bailey_derek/gospel-record.shtml>

We filed out slowly into the carpark, where the bright earlier sun had been replaced by a bitter
cold; were slowly sped by minibus to the Inn on the (side of Victoria) Park, arriving before it
opened; a few of us were there until nigh-on when it closed.... There was a good crowd. Karen
Brookman and brother, Derek's son Simon and family, doubtless others I wouldn't have
known and didn't meet. Musos included Gavin Bryars, Steve Beresford, Tony Bevan, John
Bisset, Marie-Angelique Buletter [Sonic Pleasure], Chris Burn, John Butcher, Stu Calton
[T.H.F. Drenching], Rex Casswell, Lol Coxhill, Martin Davidson, Angharad Davies, Rhodri
Davies, Phil Durrant, John Edwards, Simon Fell, Will Gaines, Paul Hession, Joelle Leandre,
Marcio Mattos, Hugh Metcalfe, Neil Metcalfe, Phil Minton, Steve Noble, Eddie Prévost, John
Russell (a niftier dancer than you might think), Mark Sanders, Paul Shearsmith, Ian Smith,
Roger Smith, John Tilbury, David Toop, Roger Turner, Phil Wachsmann, Alex Ward, Mark
Wastell, Alan Wilkinson and, all the way from Norway, Ingar Zach... also a scattering of long-
standing non-player enthusiasts (Stephen Becker of the Leeds 'Termite Club', Tim Fletcher,
Stewart Lee, Richard Leigh, Esther Leslie, Helen Maleed, Peter Riley, Gerard Tierney, Victor
Schonfield, Gina Southgate, Peter Stubley, Ben Watson - and me). I've doubtless not
recognised or not remembered others.

I don't have much to report on the wake; there was good food a-plenty, and good beer a-
plenty, and good conversation a-plenty, and at one point there was a brief outing for Mr Will
Gaines's "Duracell-powered feet" (Stewart Lee's phrase). Those who stayed late got to see
John Russell dance, amongst other splendours. It was a good send-off.

Harry Gilonis
Le PUNkoloGUE and FoOD noT BomBs - DereK Baily est mort... http://foodnotbomb.aceblog.fr/derek_baily_est_mort__b37176.html

Le PUNkoloGUE and FoOD noT

BomBs
Description
DereK Baily est mort...
Mes gens, mes gens, un peu
de reflexion autour de cette Rien n'avait prédestiné Derek Bailey à embrasser le jazz libertaire des années 60. A la veille de se
culture musicale... One distinguer comme un improvisateur «avant-gardiste», il cachetonnait encore comme requin de studio
PlaNET, ONe PeoPLe and it et accompagnateur de variétés. Fils d'un barbier de Sheffield, Bailey avait eu pour professeur de
thE ONLy WaY iT cAn BE... La
musique un oncle lui-même guitariste, un peu d'enseignement scolaire, des livres de théorie
vie est une trainée de miel
musicale et les premières cires de Charlie Christian. Il improvisait donc déjà be-bop et connaissait
dans la concavité d'une
bétonnière.. Get drUnk... STaY l'harmonie au moment où il décida de renoncer aux formules et acquis pour traquer l'instant musical
PuNK.. NoT BOmBs absolu, dans l'inédit et le déroutant, transformant en atout le fait de n'être ni frais émoulu du

conservatoire, ni américain ni noir.

Contre-culture. Son premier laboratoire s'appelle Joseph Holbrooke : un trio jazz comptant un
percussionniste classique reconverti au ternaire et un bassiste et futur compositeur nommé Gavin

Bryars. Dès 1963, Bailey a l'intuition d'un style expressif tirant parti des stridences mystiques de
Coltrane, des bruits préparés d'un John Cage, des processus sonores et conceptuels de
Stockhausen et de l'avant-garde sérielle européenne. Ce style, il reste à l'éprouver en situation. Ce
Mes Liens sera au Little Theatre Club, où des séances d'improvisation permettent à des débutants comme Evan
* Accueil
Parker, Trevor Watts ou Paul Rutherford de se frotter aux maîtres Dave Holland ou Kenny Wheeler,
* Mon profil
à des solistes de musique contemporaine, ou à des musiciens électroniques.
* Archives du blog
* Amis Dix ans plus tard, Bailey devenu gourou d'une contre-culture jazz britannique, adoubé entre autres

par Cecil Taylor, créera son propre laboratoire d'expérimentation : le Company Project. Jusqu'en
1994, il va réunir tous les ans 400 musiciens dont les phares du free jazz, d'Anthony Braxton à Steve
Lacy, mais aussi des rockers et performers de tous continents et ethnies, invités à croiser leurs

talents pour produire des événements scéniques. Ce festival qui se tient cinq jours durant à Londres
et visite l'Europe, les Etats-Unis et le Japon, est la vitrine médiatique du label Incus Records, qu'il a
cofondé en 1970 et qui, en plus d'offrir l'occasion de l'entendre jouer de la guitare à dix-neuf cordes,
est le premier label indépendant lancé par un musicien anglais.

Volcan bruitiste. Lorsque Company cessera au milieu des années 90 pour raisons économiques,
Bailey enchaînera avec le trio Arcana, Bill Laswell à la basse et Tony Williams à la batterie ; puis
Sign of Four, volcan bruitiste orchestré avec le guitariste électrique star Pat Metheny et deux

percussionnistes amplifiés. Ces dernières années, Bailey continuait de surprendre en publiant un

disque d'improvisation sur rythmiques jungle puis un autre de standards de jazz, intitulé Ballads :
exercice paradoxal pour ce briseur de moules apôtre d'une expression libérée des atavismes, mais

s'avérant à l'écoute fidèle à sa ligne. Ses écrits mais aussi une série de documentaires télé sur
Channel 4, en défense et illustration de l'improvisation à travers les continents et les âges, en
faisaient un passeur, à la Frank Zappa introduisant le public rock à Webern ou Varèse.
Atteint de dégénérescence neurologique, Bailey avait enregistré un autre disque pour le label de son

3/3/06 2:48 PM
Le PUNkoloGUE and FoOD noT BomBs - DereK Baily est mort... http://foodnotbomb.aceblog.fr/derek_baily_est_mort__b37176.html

ami John Zorn. Il y transcendait la perte de ses capacités digitales en tirant de son instrument des
sonorités proches du koto japonais. Derek Bailey est mort à Noël. A la veille de ses 76 ans, il se
disait «à l'affût de jeunes musiciens, même inexpérimentés» dont l'enthousiasme excite

suffisamment son désir de jouer.

Posté : 16:30, 2/1/2006

3/3/06 2:48 PM
B ack around '73, a recovering King Crimson addict, having recently become vaguely
aware of the uncharted territories represented on the fledgling ECM label, noticed the
presence of KC percussionist Jamie Muir on an arcane looking release by a group
with the rickety name, The Music Improvisation Company. Picked it up and was fairly baffled
though there was something about it I enjoyed, including the scratchy guitar work. Sort of. A
couple years later, after having been wowed by Frith's "Guitar Solos" recording, I bought the
compilation, "Guitar Solos, Vol 2." which included a few tracks (with voice) by Bailey. I
found them utterly charming and strange and came back to them often over the years, but
never really followed up....

In the meantime, I plunged headlong into all things avant-jazz, especially the AACM and off-
shoots and, somewhat influenced by several awful (at least I thought so at the time)
performances at Environ by Euro-jazzers, essentially eschewed that entire "school" for a long,
long time. By the beginning of the 90s, having begun to find most new jazz lacking and
starting to grow a little tired of the downtown NYC scene, I figured it might be time to
seriously re-investigate these rascally Brits and Euros (which I'd been doing sporadically
through the 80s but not really latching into anything).

Intrigued by its lovely cover and recalling my fond memories of those solo tracks, I picked up
"Solo Guitar, Volume 2" on Incus. It was revelatory. For the first time, I think I understood
what was going on in his music and, consequently, in much of the other music I'd given
relatively short shrift to earlier on. I was soon fortunate enough to catch him in performance,
the first time at the old Knit with Zorn, Frith and (I think) Laswell, later on in several situations
including a couple of times with Susie Ibarra and, perhaps most memorably, in the ferocious
duo with Cecil Taylor. His level of concentration was always extraordinary and very self-
possessed (and never without a tinge of humor). You got the impression that absolutely every
sound he produced, from roars to the quietest squeaks, was exactly what he intended at that
moment.

Thanks again, Mr. Bailey.

Brian Olewnick
Pangloss
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Jersey City, NJ
W e at the twangCORP collective have just heard the sad news concerning one of the
all time musical innovators, and legendary guitar god, Mr Derek Bailey.

One of the collective often tells the tale of supping tea with Mr Bailey before a Company gig
at the Roundhouse, London 1977. Certainly we were all mesmerised by his invention,
precision and execution on the many times we have had the privilege of seeing him play in all
sorts of settings. Arguably one of the greatest British guitarists, he was certainly one of the
few genuinely original musicians from UK shores to establish a much deserved international
reputation. He also played silences like no other.

We are extremely fortunate that Derek has left a rich recorded legacy over the decades as both
solo and group player. Although it is probably as the essential creative catalyst that guided the
ad hoc free-improvisational ensemble, Company, that he will be best remembered, his work
spans five decades and abundant riches can be found wherever his name appears on the cover.

We remember also a wonderful dry wit that always informed his music contributions (check
out his version of 'the lost chord') which was so wonderfully glimpsed in a reply he gave to
Musics magazine when discussing the awareness of time when improvising (Musics 10,
1976). In amongst the many long and tortured dissertations DB's contribution was typically
direct:

'The ticks turn into tocks and the tocks turn into ticks'

Alas, Derek's ticks and tocks are now silent. But silence is all the richer for his contribution to
our understanding of it. A sad day.

With deepest respect.

Hinksman
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1
BBC - Radio 3 - Jazz on 3 - Derek Bailey http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzon3/pip/itpk0

Home

Jazz on 3
Derek Bailey
Friday 20 January 2006 23:30-1:00 (Radio 3)

Jez Nelson presents a special tribute to a true great of British

contemporary music, guitarist Derek Bailey, who died on Christmas
Day.

Duration:
1 hour 30 minutes

Playlist
Artist Derek Bailey
Title Improvisation 5
Label Incus
Cat No. CD10
LP Title Solo Guitar Volume 1

Artist Derek Bailey

Title Writing is an aid to memory
Composer Bailey / Hejinian
Label Paratactile
Cat No. PLE1116-2
LP Title Poetry and Playing

Artist Joseph Holbrooke

Title Miles Mode
Composer J Coltrane
Label Incus
Cat No. CD Single 01
LP Title In rehearsal 1965

Artist Music Improvisation Company

Title Painting
Composer Jamie Muir / Hugh Davies / Evan Parker / Derek Bailey
Label Incus
Cat No. CD12
LP Title 1968-71

Artist Derek Bailey and Evan Parker

Title Part 2A
Label PSI
Cat No. PI 05 01
LP Title The London Concert

Artist Derek Bailey

Title Tap 2c
Label Corti
Cat No. Corti 10
LP Title Incus Taps

Artist Paul Rogers / Alexander Balanescu / Buckethead

Title PR / AB / BK

13/08/08 22:55
BBC - Radio 3 - Jazz on 3 - Derek Bailey http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzon3/pip/itpk

Composer Paul Rogers / Alexander Balanescu / Buckethead

Label Incus
Contact Us Cat No. CD17
LP Title Company 91
Like this page?
Send it to a Artist Derek Bailey / Pat Metheny / Gregg Bendian / Paul Wertico
friend! Title Untidy Habits
Label Knitting Factory Works
Cat No. KFW 197
LP Title The Sign of 4

Artist Derek Bailey / DJ Ninj

Title PIE (amatosis mix)
Composer Derek Bailey
Label Avant
Cat No. Avan060
LP Title Guitar, Drums n Bass

Artist Mirakle
Title Present
Composer Derek Bailey / Jamaaladeen Tacuma / Calvin Weston
Label Tzadik
Cat No. 7603
LP Title Mirakle

Artist Derek Bailey, Amy Denio, Dennis Palmer

Title Let The Little Sunbeam In
Label SRR
Cat No. SRRCD001
LP Title The Gospel Record

Artist Derek Bailey

Title Please don't talk about me when I'm gone
Label Tzadik
Cat No. 6707
LP Title Ballads

Artist Derek Bailey, Alex Ward, Sonic Pleasure, THF Drenching

Title Visitors Book
Label Incus
Cat No. N/A
LP Title Visitor's Book

Artist Derek Bailey

Title After 12 Weeks
Label Tzadik
Cat No. 7612
LP Title Carpal Tunnel

Artist Music Improvisation Company

Title In The Victim's Absence
Composer Muir / Davies /Parker / Bailey
Duration 10'34"

Jazz on 3 recording at New York's Tonic in 2000:

Artist Derek Bailey / Alex Ward

Title Improvisation
Composer Bailey / Ward
Duration 20'23"

Artist Derek Bailey / Susie Ibarra

Title Improvisatioin
Composer Bailey / Ibarra
Duration 7'47"

13/08/08 22:55
BBC - Radio 3 - Jazz Legends - Derek Bailey http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzlegends/pip/a21s

Home

Jazz Legends
Derek Bailey
Friday 2 June 2006 16:00-17:00 (Radio 3)

A celebration of the work of guitarist Derek Bailey, with composer

and Bailey collaborator Gavin Bryars joining presenter Julian
Joseph to guide us through Bailey's work.

Duration:
1 hour

Playlist

1.
Title: MILES MODE
Artist: Joseph Holbrooke
Composer: J Coltrane
Album: CD Single - Joseph Holbrooke in rehearsal 1965
Label: Incus
Number: Incus CD Single 01

2.
Title: JAJA
Artist: Derek Bailey and Jamie Muir
Composer: Derek Bailey and Jamie Muir
Album: Dart Drug (on LP cover). Dark Drug (on LP Label)
Label: Incus
Number: Incus 41

3.
Title: tba
Artist: Derek Bailey
Composer: Derek Bailey
Album: Takes Fakes and Dead she Dances
Label: Incus
Number: Incus (UK) CD31

4.
Title: RAPPIN'
Artist: Will Gaines
Album: Rappin' and Tappin'
Label: Incus
Number: Incus CD55

5.
Title: JESUS BLOOD NEVER FAILED ME YET
Artist: Gavin Bryars
Composer: Gavin Bryars
Album: Sinking of the Titanic; Jesus blood never failed me yet.
Label: Virgin/Venture
Number: CDVE938

6.

13/08/08 22:55
BBC - Radio 3 - Jazz Legends - Derek Bailey http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzlegends/pip/a21s3/

Title: N/JZ/BM (Re-Mix)

Artist: Derek Bailey and DJ Ninj
Contact Us Album: Guitar, drums'n'bass
Label: Avant (Japan)
Like this page? Number: Avan 060
Send it to a
friend! 7.
Title: CAMPO
Artist: Joseph Holbrooke Trio
Album: The Moat Recordings
Label: Tzadik
Number: TZACD76162

8.
Title: EXPLANATION & THANKS
Artist: Derek Bailey
Composer: Derek Bailey
Album: Carpal Tunnel
Label: Tzadik (US)
Number: TK 7612

9.
Title: AFTER 12 WEEKS
Artist: Derek Bailey
Composer: Derek Bailey
Album: Carpal Tunnel
Label: Tzadik (US)
Number: TK 7612

10.
Title: LET THE LITTLE SUNBEAM IN
Artist: Derek Bailey, Amy Denio, Dennis Palmer
Album: The Gospel Record
Label: SRR
Number: SRRCD001

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13/08/08 22:55
2005, ROD SMITH READS FROM "SOME SNIPS & AND FEW
GHOST BRAINS (FOR DEREK BAILEY)". Croissant Factory
Jan 12, 2006

Recorded by Kaplan Harris at the DC Poetry Group Reading on December 29, 2005.

4 min 43 sec

See <www.dcpoetry.com>; for details.

documentarian: Kaplan Harris

poet: Rod Smith

2006, TRIBUTE TO DEREK BAILEY, Rialta Santabrogio

with :

Burkhard Beins
Mike Cooper
Elio Martusciello
Sabina Meyer
Fabrizio Spera
Sabina Meyer

january 24th, 2006, Rome - Italy

- El Universal Online - Opinion http://www.el-universal.com.mx/columnas/54549.html

Territorio sonoro
espectaculos
07 de enero de 2006
El pasado 25 de diciembre falleció el guitarrista inglés, pieza
fundamental de la música improvisada del siglo XX. "Toco con
cualquiera que sea capaz de arrastrar su instrumento hasta mi
estudio", dijo en una de sus múltiples entrevistas.

La noticia no hizo mucho eco en la prensa internacional. A pesar de

buscar insistentemente, el fallecimiento de Derek Bailey no fue
tomado como nota por gran parte de los medios especializados. Caso
extraño, si se toma en cuenta que el guitarrista nacido en la ciudad
de Sheffield el 29 de enero de 1930 es un punto clave para acercarse
a la música improvisada del siglo pasado. Sin embargo, es algo que a
Bailey parecería tener sin cuidado, "estoy bastante feliz sin salir y
tocando en algún pub para cuatro personas".

Su gran cantidad de colaboraciones y proyectos, que van desde el

trío Joseph Halbrook, Spontaneous Music Ensamble Company,
pasando por toda la camada de los más importantes improvisadores
del mundo así como su acercamiento con otros géneros como la
electrónica y el rock, dan a Bailey la oportunidad de reflexionar en
torno de su música y al encuentro con los demás, "su música va bien
conmigo y con lo que hago. Aunque no me gustaría unirme a ellos,
tocar lo que hacen habitualmente, sino tocar a mi manera y hacer que
funcione. Así que ellos son el objeto de la situación. Por ello toco
con cualquiera que sea capaz de arrastrar su instrumento hasta
aquí".

Autor del libro Improvisation. It´s nature and practice in music, texto
sobre la libre improvisación y el papel que lo improvisado tiene en las
diferentes músicas, Bailey también se encontraba interesado en
estilos populares como el blues y el flamenco -para el que se
consideraba "tradicionalista"- lo cual da pie a establecer las
diferencias con los libre improvisadores.

"Hay una diferencia entre un guitarrista de blues y uno de free. El de

blues, el de flamenco o lo que sea, tiene una tradición de la que
servirse. Pero ¿una tradición para un músico de free? ¿Qué es eso?
Lo único que se me ocurre es la autenticidad. Y para mí la
autenticidad consiste en insistir."

Otro de los logros más importantes del guitarrista es haber fundado,

junto al batería Tony Oxley y el saxofonista Evan Parker, la primera
marca disquera manejada por músicos: Incus. Sello liderado por
Karen Brookman, viuda de Bailey, y en el cual existen cientos de
grabaciones, algunas disponibles y otras descontinuadas.

"Si todos los discos estuviesen disponibles, tendríamos que salir de

- El Universal Online - Opinion http://www.el-universal.com.mx/columnas/54549.html

casa. Tener otros 50 discos sería absurdo. De hecho, los discos

antiguos me interesan muy poco. Esa visión retrógrada de las cosas
me parece un poco estúpida."

Los últimos años de su carrera, Derek Bailey y su mujer los pasaron

en Barcelona, donde se les vio en algunas ocasiones en la sala de
baile La Paloma.

"Karen y yo llevábamos siete años intentando vivir aquí. En Londres,

la música en la que yo me muevo está muy estructurada. Hay
organizaciones, festivales. Aquí no hay nada así; todo está
empezando, es una situación muy interesante."

(oscar_adad@yahoo.com.mx)

El Universal| Directorio| Contáctanos| Avisos Legales| Mapa de sitio

© 2006 Copyright El Universal-El Universal Online, México.
PageOne http://www.pointofdeparture.org/archives/PoD-3/PoD-3_PageOne.html

Page One

Derek Bailey
1930-2005

“In all its roles and appearances, improvisation can be considered as the celebration of the moment. And,
in this the nature of improvisation exactly resembles the nature of music. Essentially, music is fleeting; its
reality is its moment of performance. There might be documents that relate to that moment – score,
recording, echo, memory – but only to anticipate it or recall it.

Improvisation, unconcerned with any preparatory or residual document, is completely at one with the
non-documentary nature of musical performance and their shared ephemerality gives them a unique
compatibility. So it might be claimed that improvisation is best pursued through its practice in music.
And that the practice of music is best pursued through improvisation.

I believe the above to be true. But improvisation has no need of argument and justification. It exists
because it meets the creative appetite that is a natural part of being a performing musician and because
it invites complete involvement, to a degree otherwise unobtainable, in the act of music-making.”

“Limits and Freedom” from Improvisation: its nature and practice in music (2nd edition; 1992; The
British Library)

1 sur 2 20/08/08 08:43

2006, THE MAGUS OF IMPROVISED GUITAR - A TRIBUTE TO
DEREK BAILEY

Including :

Keiji Haino : vocals

Yukihiro Isso : nohkan
Kazuo Imai : guitar
Wataru Okuma : clarinet
Shonosuke Okura : taiko
Otomo Yoshihide : guitar
Sam Bennett : percussions
Ryuichi Onoue : guitar
Takuya Takahashi : guitar
Kenichi Takeda : taisho koto
Min Tanaka : dance
Koichi Makigami : vocals
Tatsuya Yoshida : drums

Talk: Hisato Aikura, Gen Hirai

Plan B, Nakano Fujimicho, Tokyo

start: 15:00

cost: 3000 yen in advance (reservations limited to first 50), 3300 yen on the door

info: 03-3384-2051
Titel hierher: | Nachrichten auf ZEIT ONLINE 08-08-21 10:13

ZEIT ONLINE
Startseite » Musik

Musiklegenden

Töne aus dem Karpaltunnel

von Sebastian Reier | © ZEIT online, 30.12.2005

Schlagworte:
CD-Liste
Liste
Pianist
Portrait

Derek Bailey ist tot. Der britische Extrem-Gitarrist und Kauz befreite die populäre Musik von den
vorgeschriebenen Formen. Noch seine Krankheit inspirierte ihn zu einer neuen Spieltechnik. Ein Nachruf

Wenn man von Derek Bailey erzählt, dem großen britischen Gitarristen und Musikphilosophen, dann fragen
Menschen, die ihn nicht kennen, nach wenigen Sekunden: »Ach so, das ist Jazz?« Wenn man ihnen aber seine
Musik vorspielt, so rufen sie: »Also, das könnte ich auch!«. Derek Baileys Gitarrenstil steht schräg zum
Üblichen. Er kommt ohne Melodien aus, es gibt auch keinen erkennbaren Rhythmus. Seine Platten klingen
zerhackt, widersprüchlich, stolpernd, dabei so einfach wie filigran. Im ersten Moment erscheint ihre Ästhetik
willkürlich, Zuordnungen fallen schwer.

Diese Musik fühlt sich keinem Genre verpflichtet. Sie nennt sich „Freie Improvisation“ oder „Non-Idiomatische
Improvisation“. Bailey hat diesen Begriff geschaffen, da man auf viele Arten improvisieren kann: Blues, Jazz,
Rock, jede Richtung taugt für spontane Einfälle. Bailey aber wollte Improvisation an sich, frei von Hintergrund.
Mit der jazztypischen Jamsession hatte das so gar nichts so tun. Wenn in diesem Sinne frei improvisiert wird,
kommt es nicht so sehr auf die technischen Fähigkeiten an. Der Charakter wird wichtig, die Fähigkeit zu
erzählen, das Verhältnis zum Instrument. Letztlich weist diese Art zu spielen weit über das hinaus, was
eigentlich Musik genannt wird. Improvisatoren wenden gern ungewöhnliche Techniken an, um ihr Instrument aus
einer anderen Perspektive zu betrachten und zum ganz eigenen Ausdruck zu gelangen. Derek Bailey ist ein
brillianter Gitarrist, aber für seine auf Ideen beruhende Musik ist das zweitrangig.

Bailey, 1930 in Sheffields Arbeitermillieu geboren, greift mit zehn Jahren zur Gitarre. Da er nicht in einer Fabrik
arbeiten will, schlägt er sich nach der Schule als jazzender Unterhaltungsmusiker in Tanzclubs und Bars durch,
später als Studiomusiker. 1966 zieht er nach London und gerät in das Umfeld höchst unkonventioneller Musiker
wie John Stevens, Barry Guy, Lol Coxhill, Keith Rowe und Dave Holland. Gerade entsteht der europäische Free
Jazz, so individuell wie intellektuell, als Gegenpol zum amerikanischen Free Jazz, der spiritueller und geselliger
http://www.zeit.de/online/2006/01/bailey_nachruf
Titel hierher: | Nachrichten auf ZEIT ONLINE 08-08-21 10:13

Jazz, so individuell wie intellektuell, als Gegenpol zum amerikanischen Free Jazz, der spiritueller und geselliger
ist. Mit dem Schlagzeuger Tony Oxley und dem Saxophonisten Evan Parker gründet Bailey 1970 Incus Records
<http://www.incusrecords.force9.co.uk/xhistory.htm> , die erste von Künstlern betriebene Plattenfirma der Insel. Auch bildet
sich das LMC, das London Musicians Collective. Über siebzehn Jahre hinweg organisiert Bailey Company, eine
mehrtägige Konzertveranstaltung, bei der an die zehn Musiker in unterschiedlichen Konstellationen
improvisieren. Einander bislang Unbekannte mischen sich mit alten Freunden, große Momente mischen sich mit
Scheitern, denn diese Musik ist unberechenbar und als solche immer riskant.

Im Jahr 1980 veröffentlicht Bailey sein Buch Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice, in dem er die Philosophie
der Improvisierten Musik manifestiert. Längst ist Freie Improvisation ein eigenes Genre, ganz entgegen der
ursprünglichen Absicht. Aus selbstorganisierten Strukturen sind Institutionen gewachsen, und manche Musiker
erheben die »non-idiomatische« Freiheit zum Dogma.

Meistgelesen

Peking, Tag 12: Bolt läuft Weltrekord über 200 Meter »

<http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/34/olympia-hoehepunkte-2008> Spanien : Mehr als 150 Tote nach
Flugzeugunglück in Madrid » <http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/34/flugzeugunglueck-madrid>

musik

Russendisko: In den Ohren fiept's » <http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/34/rock-in-moskau> Echolot:

Alice Schwarzer in hübsch » <http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/34/echolot>

Bildergalerien

Lebensmittel: Hüftgold im Müslipelz » <http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/26/bg-kalorien> Mera-Luna-

Festival: Der Tod ist bunt » <http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/33/bg-mera-luna>

Bailey hingegen öffnet sich weiter. 1996 bringt er auf Avant Records das Album Guitar, Drums and Bass heraus,
mit DJ Ninj, einem Drum’n’Bass-DJ. Monatelang hatte er zu den Klängen eines Londoner Piratensenders dafür
geübt. Um Purismus schert er sich wenig. 2002 veröffentlicht er sogar eine in ihrer Staubtrockenheit furiose
Balladenplatte, Ballads, www.tzadik.com, die den Kreis zu seinen Anfängen als Lounge-Musiker so wunderbar
schließt, als sollte sie sein letztes Werk sein.

Gelangweilt von der Verfestigung der Londoner Szene und aus Furcht vor dem zwanzigjährigen Jubiläum seiner
Company-Reihe zieht Bailey 2003 nach Barcelona. Der 73jährge ist begeistert: »A lot of very good guitar
players, good bassists, all very young. It’s all so unorganised here too. The musicians have tried to set up some
kind of organisation but it just doesn’t work, which is great.“

Eine Nervenerkrankung macht ihm zu schaffen, er kann sein Plektrum nicht mehr halten, die kleine Scheibe, mit
der Gitarristen ihre Saiten anschlagen. Doch selbst davon läßt er sich nicht aufhalten. Statt auf Therapien zu
hoffen, beschließt er, »einen Weg drumherum zu finden« und bringt sich eine neue Technik bei, mit der er die
Saiten mit dem Daumen anschlägt. Seine Fort- und Rückschritte dokumentiert er im August 2005 auf seiner
letzten CD Carpal Tunnel <http://www.tzadik.com/> [Sehnenscheide], die sein mehrere hundert Veröffentlichungen
umfassendes Oeuvre auf frappierende Weise beschließt. Am 25. Dezember 2005 stirbt Derek Bailey in London.

http://www.zeit.de/online/2006/01/bailey_nachruf Page 2 sur 5

Titel hierher: | Nachrichten auf ZEIT ONLINE 08-08-21 10:13

Zum Thema
ZEIT online 21/2007: Rebell am Horn

Am 24. Mai 2007 wird Archie Shepp 70 – der amerikanische Saxofonist, der seine Musik stets als schwarz und
politisch verstand. Ein Porträt mit Audio-Interview [...]»

ZEIT online 25/2006: Die drei Gesichter des Robbie W.

Mr. Williams auf Welttournee: Den Auftakt in Dublin hat er verpatzt. Kommt der populäre Entertainer jetzt an
seine Grenzen? Maskenhaftes Posieren kann selbst ein ergebenes Publikum auf Dauer nicht begeistern.
Ziemlich hinterm Mond auch Roger Waters – Unsere Musikpresseschau [...]»

ZEIT 21/2006: Das spontane Herzilein

Till Brönner, der berühmteste deutsche Trompeter, ist ein perfekter Dressman der Musik [...]»

ZEIT online 18/2006: Ein verspäteter Trompeter

Roy Hargrove wähnt sich in der falschen Zeit. Er hätte lieber vor sechzig Jahren gelebt, dann wäre seine Musik
die Avantgarde gewesen. Was für eine Rückwärtsgewandtheit – der Mann ist doch noch so jung! [...]»

ZEIT online 47/2005: Das A-Wort mag er nicht mehr

Avantgarde ist gar nicht so einfach: Wie man als Free-Jazz-Musiker alt wird. Ein Porträt zum 70. Geburtstag des
amerikanischen Posaunisten Roswell Rudd [...]»

ZEIT 46/2005: Ich habe nie falsch gespielt

Der 75-jährige Saxofonist und Komponist Ornette Coleman wird mit einem Konzert und einer
Wiederveröffentlichung zum Jazzereignis des Jahres [...]»

ZEIT 20/2005: Der Eintänzer

Keith Jarrett kehrt nach sieben Jahren mit Piano-Solokonzerten zurück. Ein Fest zu seinem 60. Geburtstag [...]»

ZEIT 19/2004: Ich sage, das ist Jazz

Mit neuer Platte nach Deutschland – Bugge Wesseltoft, Musikverkünder aus Oslo [...]»

ZEIT 07/2004: Wild, hymnisch, spirituell, revolutionär

... und zuweilen ganz schön schräg. Diese Musik gefällt nicht jedem. Dabei ist ihre Geschichte so schön. – Eine
Genreübersicht [...]»

ZEIT 07/2004: eJazz

Nach langem Zögern verbinden sich zwei Sphären: Electronica und Jazz [...]»

ZEIT 24/2003: Meister des leisen Schreis

Jimmy Giuffre ist die Vaterfigur des freien lyrischen Jazz. Er spielte "Americana", als noch keiner davon sprach,
und ist noch immer ein Geheimtipp [...]»

http://www.zeit.de/online/2006/01/bailey_nachruf Page 3 sur 5

Titel hierher: | Nachrichten auf ZEIT ONLINE 08-08-21 10:13

ZEIT 43/2002: Werthers Echte

Der Jazz von Brad Mehldau verbindet Bonbonsüße mit neuer Innerlichkeit [...]»

ZEIT 44/2001: Sensationeller Sündenfall

Sollte es je ein erotisches Vorspiel in der Musik gegeben haben, dann hier: Eng schmiegt sich der Bass ans
elektrische Piano, sie bewegen sich im Gleichklang, während das Schlagzeug in ruhigen Wirbeln die Spannung
in der Schwebe hält. "And The Wind Cries Mary" weht durchs offene Fenster herein, ein Hauch von Jimi
Hendrix, doch noch immer lässt das Thema warten - jetzt! denkt man, wenn sie langsam im Blues schaukeln,
und dann doch wieder die verzögernde Stille, noch einmal der vertraute Tonschritt, bis - jetzt! endlich nach drei
Minuten jener Trompetenton einsetzt, der dieser Musik seinen Namen gibt: Miles Davis. [...]»

ZEIT 16/1998: Musikalische Wiederentdeckung durch Grabfrevel: Die verfemten

elektrischen Jahre des Miles Davis erweisen sich als Musik zur Jahrhundertwende

[...]»

ZEIT 29/1996: CD-Kritik: Myth-Science: Love In Outer Space

[...]»

http://www.zeit.de/online/2006/01/bailey_nachruf Page 4 sur 5

2007, IMPROVISATION, Strange Days Records (CD size album replica)
Japan (re-issue)

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1- M1 01.30
2- M2 02.32
3- M3 04.13
4- M4 03.40
5- M5 02.40
6- M6 02.05
7- M7 01.40
8- M8 02.18
9- M9 04.42
10- M10 02.46
11- M11 02.08
12- M12 04.04
13- M13 04.12
14- M14 03.55

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Art direction by al.sa sas; photographs by Roberto Masotti.

Comes in mini-LP style paper sleeve, with obi, duplicate of original printed inner sleeve, and
insert of notes in Japanese. Part of the Cramps Label Collection.
DEREK BAILEY http://onesdecrom.podomatic.com/entry/2007-04-03T16_13_30-07_00

ONES DE CROM
RADIO CASTELLAR 90,10 FM

Repàs de la carrera del revolucionari guitarrista

d'improvisació britànic. Escoltarem treballs
des de finals dels 60 com "Pieces For Guitar"
o "Drops" (amb Andrea Centazzo), "The
Topography of Lungs" (1970) amb Evan
Parker i Han Bennink, "Improvised Music
From New York" (1981) i "Yankees" (1982)
amb John Zorn així com altres col.laboracions
amb músics com Pat Metheny, Keiji Haino,
Noel Akchoté, Thurston Moore dels Sonic
Youth o el projecte de funk i improvisació
MIRAKLE. De la seva darrera etapa sentirem
temes de "Ballads" (2002), "Carpal Tunnel"
(2005) i el pòstum "To Play: The Blemish
Sessions" (2006). Un recordatori a la
memòria d'aquest gran músic que ens va
deixar al desembre del 2005.
2007, FICTIONS, Company (bootleg : flac and lame)

Company :
Misha Mengleberg : piano, celeste, voice
Lol Coxhill : soprano saxophone, voice
Steve Beresford : piano, toys, voice
Derek Bailey : guitar, voice
Ian Croall : voice

The 1st Hackney Scroll consisting of:

1- Theology 06.37
2- Otology 05.30
3- Speak up, lad 07.18

The 2nd Hackney Scroll consisting of:

4- So few, so many, so so, so what and so long 22.40

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Art direction by al.sa sas; photographs by Roberto Masotti.

Comes in mini-LP style paper sleeve, with obi, duplicate of original printed inner sleeve, and
insert of notes in Japanese. Part of the Cramps Label Collection.
Printed inner bag features b&w photos of Bailey.

An early improv purchase , thats long out of print and hasn’t seen cd reissue.

This is an often misunderstood album.. almost universally panned by critics who tend to miss the
pervasive whimsy and obvious self parody.
In part it stems from the fact that each of the group read from Derek baileys book ‘improvisation
its nature and practice in music’ as the music unfolds.

Nothing portentious or even remotely self important here though at times they appear to be
hamming serious pretense..

Mengelbergs solo and interaction with coxhill( in particular) on side 2 where he builds an
incredible solo which incorporates quotes and dissections of several Beethoven sontas,(including
the’ hammerklavier’) seemingly tossing them all in a rhythmic blender.
Beautiful stuff.

Great to hear bailey, mengleberg,and coxhill together, I hadn’t listened to this in years .. what a
joy !!!

1009 said...

Thank you so much for this one! I am a huge Bailey fan -- both the playing and the writing.
That said, the man had a fantastic sense of humor, as evidenced on the final track of his *Incus
Taps* record, entitled "Interview." For those who don't know, it's a fictitious interview in wich
DB attempts to explain just what he does, but in wch he carefully manages to avoid saying
anything at all. Wonderful, Beckettian stuff.

(Incidentally, if anyone can confirm that *Taps* is oop I'd be happy to post.)
8 December 2007 9:32:00
hideo said...

thanks sotise for this--have a couple of company rips from volkan and they're all lots of fun

"taps" appears to be scarcer than hen's teeth if not OOP here in the states
8 December 2007 19:33:00
jazzme said...

Please advise of how you can link this to download thx .Taps is in print in the states
9 December 2007 19:51:00
jazzme said...

google cortical foundation it's cataloge # is ( organ of corti 10 )If anyone can advise me on
how to load these new listings i would appreciate it .
9 December 2007 19:55:00
romy said...

many thanks for this post. my daughter was listening intently and referred to this as 'free
improvisations 101'!:))
11 December 2007 16:56:00
ghostrancedance said...

Thanks!!!!!
10 January 2008 21:10:00

Printed inner bag features b&w photos of Bailey.

Du spectacle: juin 2007 http://www.en-uniforme.com/charly/blog/archives/2007_06_01...

Du spectacle

Voici en quelque sorte une suite à ma précédente compilation "Service minimum", mais accentuée
sur le jazz contemporain, au sens très large. Beaucoup de jazz européen, quelques touches de
musiques traditionelles, pas mal d'exotisme et quelques incursions vers la musique pop. Hmmm
présenté comme ça, ça sonne un peu cheap, mais toute cette musique est très belle, je vous le jure.

Liste des morceaux :

01. Nils Landgren & Esbjorn Svensson - Calling The Goats

02. Giovanni Mirabassi, Flavio Boltro & Glen Ferris - Les Oiseaux De Passage
03. Jacques Mahieux - Lonely at the Top
04. Aldo Romano, Louis Sclavis & Henri Texier - Les Petits Lits Blancs
05. David Krakauer's Klezmer Madness - The Gypsy Bulgar
06. Marc Perrone - Velverde
07. Les Primitifs du Futur - La java viennoise (Louis le Gambilleur et la fille du Dr Freud)
08. Richard Galliano & Michel Portal - Libertango
09. Louis Sclavis - Divinazione moderna II
10. Workshop de Lyon - Chant Bien Fatal
11. John Greaves - The song
12. Gary Lucas - If I'm without you
13. Derek Bailey - When Your Lover Has Gone
14. Vincent Courtois - I Carry Your Heart

Télécharger :
- les mp3 un par un

6 sur 8 27/08/08 09:19

John Butcher - The Geometry Of Sentiment http://www.discogs.com/release/1310821

John Butcher - The Geometry Of Sentiment

Label: Emanem
Catalog#: 4142
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 2007
Genre: Jazz
Style: Free Improvisation
Credits: Saxophone - John Butcher
Notes: Recordings from 2004 an

Tracklisting:

1 First Zizoku (8:00)

2 Second Zizoku (11:06)
3 A Short Time To Sing (5:58)
4 But More So (For Derek Bailey) (7:02)
5 Action Theory Blues (12:42)
6 Soft Logic (4:56)
7 Trägerfrequenz (9:08)

Discogs™ website Copyright © 2008 Discogs Terms of Service Privacy Policy

Henritzi, Michel: Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism: Squidco http://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&S...

Henritzi, Michel Label: Mattin

Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism Country: UK

Product Information:

Label: Mattin
Catalog ID: roweImperialism
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2007
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardstock Sleeve

Taku Unami's track had been recorded at

hibari studio in Tokyo (November 2006)
Mattin's track had been recorded at the
Burger of Christ in Berlin (October 2006).
Bruce Russell's track had been recorded at
the Temple of Music, Lyttelton, NZ
(October 2006). Shin'ichi Isohata's track had
been recorded by md at Isohata's house in
Kobe (September 2006). Michel Henritzi's
tracks had been recorded at the Black
Room, Theatre du Saulcy, Metz (October
Description: 2006)

"Four pieces dedicated to Derek Bailey in a non-standard

package and a postcard sized booklet that muses, in a
language that is almost English, very interestingly and
Personnel:
passionately on improvisation and its loss of power (the
difficulties of language probably aid concentration on the
Michel Henritzi-acoustic guitar, hammer,
text, which has not been corrected by anyone with English
electric saw, jack plug
as a mother tongue but, somehow, in the whole context, this
seems to contribute to the overall impact of the package).
ShinÕitchi Isohata-guitar
The improvisations are all virtual duos with Henritizi. The
other participants, Shin'itchi Isohata (guitar) in Kobe, Bruce
Bruce Russell-guitar
Russell (guitar) in New Zealand, Mattin (guitar) in Berlin,
and Taku Unami (laptop) in Tokyo sent their contributions
Mattin-guitar
to France, where Henritzi recorded his acoustic guitar,
hammer, electric saw and jack plug. The results are radical,
Taku Unami-laptop
the first three pieces especially - each strong in itself and, as
a set, varied and convincing. I find the last piece, with
laptop and jack plug, the least interesting - laptops are very
often a problem for me; there's a certain passivity; a
Track Listing:
narrowness and lack of character in the sound, so that the
jackplug playing stands out by contrast. Still, that's not
1 - Improvisation
enough. Nonetheless, a persuasive and serious
release."-Chris Cutler, ReR Megacorp

right channel : Michel Henritzi - turntable

left channel : Shin'ichi Isohata - Gibson

Johnny Smith 1965, playing acoustical

2 - Feedback
Henritzi, Michel: Keith Rowe Serves Imperialism: Squidco http://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&S...

right channel : Michel Henritzi - guitar

left channel : Bruce Russell - guitar

3 - Independance

right channel : Michel Henritzi - hammer,

electric saw & acoustic guitar
The Squid's Ear

© 2002-2007, Squidco LLC

left channel : Mattin - guitar

4 - Action Directe

right channel : Michel Henritzi - jack

left channel : Taku Unami - computer

Thelmo Cristovam - Trombone http://www.discogs.com/release/949061

Thelmo Cristovam - Trombone

Label: Krakilsk
Catalog#: kra019
Format: CDr
Country: Norway
Released: 05 Apr 2007
Genre: Non-Music
Free Improvisation, Noise,
Style:
Avantgarde, Experimental
Notes: Mono recorded, direct to minidisc,
and edited in
january/february 2007 at v(g)erme
home studio,
Olinda, Pernambuco, Brasil.

All the sound sources are from a

valve trombone,
no process, no effects, no
electronics.

Thanks to Daniela Valois Monteiro.

To Derek Bailey

Tracklisting:

1 Untitled (19:52)
2 Untitled (18:42)
3 Untitled (18:12)

Discogs™ website Copyright © 2008 Discogs Terms of Service Privacy Policy

Vandermark 5 - Target Or Flag http://www.discogs.com/release/772946

Vandermark 5 - Target Or Flag

Label: Atavistic
Catalog#: ALP106CD
Format: CD
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Jazz
Style: Free Jazz, Jazz-Rock
Credits: Bass - Kent Kessler
Clarinet, Saxophone [Tenor] - Ken
Vandermark
Composed By - Ken Vandermark
Drums - Tim Mulvenna
Engineer - John McCortney
Saxophone [Tenor] - Mars Williams
Trombone, Guitar - Jeb Bishop
Notes: Recorded October 25 and 26, 1997
and mixed December 6, 1997 at
Airwave Recording Studios.
All compositions by Ken
Vandermark.

Tracklisting:

1 Sucker Punch [For Phelps (Catfish) Collins] (7:18)

2 Attempted, Not Known [For Derek Bailey And George Lewis] (11:19)
3 The Start Of Something [For Ellen Major] (8:11)
4 Super Opaque [For Cecil Taylor] (8:59)
5 Last Call [For Eddie Hazel] (8:02)
6 New Luggage [For Shelly Manne] (8:35)
7 8K [For Peter Brötzmann] (6:45)
8 Fever Dream [For Dan Grzeca] (8:46)

Widgets

Discogs™ website Copyright © 2008 Discogs Terms of Service Privacy Policy

Derek Bailey, 1930-2005 http://www.mladina.si/tednik/200602/clanek/kul--in_memoriam-i...

9. januar 2006

in memoriam

Derek Bailey, 1930-2005

Iskalec svobode v glasbi
Mladina 2 /
2006 "Improvizatorji so neobičajno glasbeno družabni. Radi muzicirajo v
kar najrazličnejših kombinacijah - od duetov do nerazložljivo velikih
Načinu igranja godbe
ansamblov." Derek Bailey je tole oznako za glasbenike freely
je pripel izraz
"posebnega kova" zapisal leta 1980 v svoji pionirski improvised music,
knjigi o improvizaciji - Improvisation, ki je danes klasika. Za svobodno
svojstvenega Angleža, ki je po daljši bolezni umrl 25. decembra v improvizirana
Londonu, ne bi mogli reči, da je "klasik glasbene improvizacije". godba. Pretanjeni
Verjetno bi to cinič no zavrnil. Sprejel pa bi opis, ki bi bil kitarist, mislec
zgodovinsko in dejstveno točen in ne bi opletal s privlačno berljivo glasbe, pisec in
besedno šaro: da je eden začetnih praktikov svobodne improvizacije v avtor sijajnega
glasbi v Angliji in Evropi od sredine šestdesetih let. Nač inu igranja filmskega
dokumentarca o
godbe je pripel izrazfreely improvised music, svobodno
pojavnostih
improvizirana godba. Pretanjeni kitarist, mislec glasbe, pisec in avtor
improvizacije v
sijajnega filmskega dokumentarca o pojavnostih improvizacije v
glasbah.
glasbah jo je vedno ločeval od free jazza in drugih glasbenih slogov, ki
jih med drugim odlikuje tudi improvizacija. Copyright (c) 2006
Mladina d.d.
Toda Derek Bailey ni bil sektaški. Čeprav je vztrajal pri "neidiomski"
improvizaciji in pri raziskovanju zvenenja, to še ne pomeni, da ni igral Razmnoževanje ali
tudi z glasbeniki z drugih vetrov, z jazzovskimi, rockovskimi,uporaba besedila ali
dela besedila je
tradicionalnimi azijskimi glasbeniki, z elektrofoniki, didž eji in tudi z
prepovedana, razen o
učenimi "klasiki". V zadnjem desetletju svojega življenja celo vse
pisnem soglasju
pogosteje. Tako je zagodel z artrockovskim dvojcem Ruins, Mladine d.d.
razbremenil je kitarista Pata Mathenyja in iz njega iztisnil sijajnega
improvizatorja, v avanturo se je pognal s pianistom Cecilom
Taylorjem ali s prijateljem, pokojnim saksofonistom Stevom
Lacyjem. V zadnjih letih ga je v newyor ške loge nekajkrat zvabil
skladatelj John Zorn. Za njegovo založbo je leta 2002 posnel ploščo
jazzovskih balad, kar je bil pravi šok. Kitarist, ki se je svoje dni v
Angliji v modernistični maniri umikal od jazzovskih vzorcev in
standardnega repertoarja, je za osnovo vzel komade, kakršna sta Body
and Soul in My Melancholy Baby. Njegov način bogatenja
harmonskih osnov z nenavadnimi intervali in razstavljanja kontur
skladb je nosil znač ilen mojstrov podpis.

Derek Bailey se je rodil leta 1930 v Sheffieldu v delavski družini. Imel

se je za glasbenega samouka, čeprav so ga v glasbeni uk vzeli različni
učitelji. Klasična glasba, ki so jo poučevali v šoli, je bila zanj le

3/3/06 2:41 PM
Derek Bailey, 1930-2005 http://www.mladina.si/tednik/200602/clanek/kul--in_memoriam-i...

obvezna reč in ne prava glasba. Kot najeti glasbenik se je skoraj deset

let prež ivljal z igranjem v plesnih dvoranah, jazzovskih klubih in na
radijskih snemanjih. Odločilen premik v smer igranja in razmišljanja
je bil trio Joseph Holbrooke, imenovan po obskurnem britanskem
skladatelju s preloma stoletij, ki so ga v skladateljskih krogih klicali
cockney Wagner. Trio je ustanovil leta 1963 z bobnarjem
Tonyjem Oxleyjem in basistom Gavinom Bryarsom. Začeli so z
igranjem konvencionalnega jazza, pred razpadom leta 1966 pa so igrali
povsem improvizirano ali delno improvizirano godbo. Kombinacija
treh glasbenikov je izdajala glasbene vire in okolja, iz katerih se je
formirala svobodnjaška scena v Angliji in Evropi. Bailey je bil
komercialni glasbenik, vešč jazzovskih in popevkarskih slogov,
Bryars je bil skladatelj in ga je privlačila tedanja sodobna umetna
glasba, Oxleyja pa je vleklo v sodobna jazzovska strujanja. Toda
Bailey je kasneje pošteno opozoril, da ni šlo za premišljeno dejanje,
marveč bolj "za čustveno, če ne kar instinktivno iskanje logičnega in
pravilnega v glasbi, ki bi nadomestilo podedovano hvaličavo,
umirajočo in formalno glasbo". Glasbeniki so tipali za svežim v
glasbi, opuščali značilen jazzovski pulz in rahljali harmonsko
ogrodje. Značaj godbe je bil atonalen, tok igranja pa prekinjan in
epizodičen. "Odkritje" skupine je bilo odpiranje prostora v toku
muziciranja in iskanje pravšnjega občutenja tišine v igri. Tony Oxley
je pojasnjeval: "Glasba se je začela iz tišine, iz skupinsko sprejete
tišine. Zato je vsak gib dobil poseben pomen. Za tolkala je to
fantastično, saj so se osvobodila swingovske zapovedi."

Leta 1968 je Bailey igral v novi trajnejši združbi, ki se je imenovala

Music Improvisation Company, skupaj z dolgoletnim
prijateljem, sopransaksofonistom Evanom Parkerjem,
elektrofonikom Hughom Davisom in tolkalcem Jamiejem
Muirom.

Anglija in z njo London je postajala eno od središč sodobnih glasbenih

snovanj. Svobodna improvizacija je postajala upoštevanja vreden
princip ustvarjanja glasbe tudi v "resnih" glasbenih krogih. Za to je bil
zaslužen nadarjeni upornik iz njihovih vrst Cornelius Cardew z
glasbeniškim kolektivom somišljenikov Scratch Orchestra. Skladatelj
je prelagal odgovornost na glasbenika, ki nenadoma ni bil več samo
"izvajalec".

Po drugi strani so črnski glasbeniki iz Združenih držav Amerike, ki so

svobodno improvizirali, na svoje muziciranje gledali predvsem kot na
podaljšek in širitev jazzovske forme. Obe sopotni praksi, ki sta izšli iz
jazza in akademske glasbene trdnjave, sta imeli političen podton.
Bailey je zapisal:"Za glasbenike, ki so hoteli ohraniti
integriteto in z njo neposreden vpliv na glasbo, je bila
svobodna improvizacija beg iz togosti in formalizma
njihovih glasbenih ozadij."

Leta 1970 je Bailey skupaj s Parkerjem in z Oxleyjem ustanovil prvo

3/3/06 2:41 PM
Derek Bailey, 1930-2005 http://www.mladina.si/tednik/200602/clanek/kul--in_memoriam-i...

neodvisno založbo v lasti glasbenikov v Veliki Britaniji,Incus

Records. Namen založ be je bil skromen, izdajanje lastne glasbe.
Toda sčasoma je izdajala vse več plošč prihajajočih generacij
improvizatorjev in prerasla lokalni okvir. Bailey je založbo vodil do
smrti.

Leta 1976 je v Londonu prvič postavilCompany. V družbo je na

enotedensko igranje povabil improvizatorje z različnih celin.
Naslednjih sedemnajst let so Company, ki je postajal eden osrednjih
mobilnih mednarodnih dogodkov improvizirane godbe, vabili na
Japonsko, v Združene države, Evropo. Dobro dokumentirana serija
plošč Company kaže, kam se lahko poda skupinsko igrana godba.

Bailey je medtem postal glasbeni guru nove, širši javnosti skrite in

skrivane glasbe. Ostal je kitarski posebnež in inventivni strunar, za
katerega sta celo kolega in sošpilavca Hans Reichel in Fred Frith na
pol v obupu, na pol občudujoče dejala, da jima niti najmanj ni jasno,
kaj in kako to po čne. Njegovi kolegi iz prve generacije
improvizatorjev so se na pol upokojili ali pa so se vse bolj vračali k
jazzovskemu idiomu.

Leta 1990 je med pogovorom v avstrijskem Nickelsdorfu o trendu

prihajajočega časa dejal:"Živimo v ultrakonservativnih časih, kar se
je moralo izraziti tudi v glasbi. Nič čudnega, da spet čislajo
kompozicijo, kar je, milo rečeno, neresno."V Ljubljani ni nastopil.
Dvakrat je odpovedal koncert, na Drugi godbi in na jazzovskem
festivalu. Enkrat zaradi muhavosti, drugič zaradi bolezni.
Mainstreamovski svetovni mediji novice o njegovi smrti niso
objavili. Zato pa je hitro zakrožila po vzporednih kanalih, neodvisnih
medijih, med glasbenimi občudovalci, kitarskimi adepti, prijatelji,
kritiki, iskalci svobode v godbi.

Derek Bailey je bil star 75 let.

Ičo Vidmar

3/3/06 2:41 PM
Derek Bailey, 1930-2005 http://www.mladina.si/tednik/200602/clanek/kul--in_memoriam-i...

Komentarji vsebujejo mnenja bralcev Mladine in uporabnikov spletnih

strani www.mladina.si. Komentarji in odgovori delavcev in sodelavcev
družbe Mladina d.d. so posebej označeni. Možnost komentiranja na
spletnih straneh www.mladina.si je namenjena spodbujanju javne
debate, izmenjavi mnenj in odzivom na članke in druge prispevke v
tedniku Mladina.

Uredniš tvo spletnih strani si pridržuje pravico zavrniti objavo

komentarjev ali delov komentarjev v primerih, ko so ti žaljivi, če
spodbujajo kakrš nokoli nestrpnost, so v nasprotju s predpisi v
Republiki Sloveniji ali navajajo oziroma napotujejo na protipravna
dejanja in ravnanja. Uredniš tvo spletnih strani odloči o času in načinu
objave posameznega komentarja.

Mladina d.d. ne odgovarja za objavljena mnenja in

komentarje bralcev in uporabnikov spletnih strani
www.mladina.si.

3/3/06 2:41 PM
2006, FRANKFURTER AHNUNG, Sonic Arts Network, CD compiled
by Ben Watson. (UK)

1. “Baggie Dogs” 01:16

2. Marc Guillermont “Make A Blues Noise Here” 01:52
3. Lol Coxhill “The Desk” 01:38
4. “A Right Cutter” 00:29
5. Derek Bailey “1/28 Sliverfish Macronix” 02:41
6. Jaworzyn/Wilkinson/Fell “Art 3” 03:30
7. “No Ne Tanto” 00:12
8. Ian Stonehouse & Sebastian Lexer “Instant Events #1”0 4:16
9. “Are You An Anarchist, Gamma?” 00:31
10. Diary “The Old Git Song” 02:54
11. Marie-Angélique Bueler: Ensamble Rosario Cond. Marisol Gentile “Dust Parade” 08:40
12. “I Didn't Know It Segued That Way” 00:39
13. Derek Bailey “Watch Out” 03:20
14. “M. Le Président Sur La Guerre” 00:18
15. Sean Bonney “This Speech Made By Mr. Blair, Glasgow, Feb 15th 2003 ...” 02:14
16. Out To Lunch “Mouth Poem” 02:16
17. “But If You Got Rid Of All The Space ...” 00:14
18. The Prime Time Sublime Community Orchestra “A Day At The Mall” 09:35
19. Lendormin “Phlegmosaurus” 02:08
20. Evil Dick & The Banned Members “Hair Spider Stuck To Sock” 07:13
21. “That's Because He's Not Human” 00:31
22. Brendon Burton “It Depends How I Feel On The Day” 05:39
23. “Pril & Iris” 00:14
24. T.H.F. Drenching “Ian Howard” 07:47
25. “Esemplasticists?” 00:48
26. Winifred Atwell “Blue Sunset” 02:40
27. “Lopped” 00:16
28. Kenny Process Team “Girls” 02:54
29. “Baggie Dogs (Reprise)” 00:10
Designed by Sonic Arts Network

B en Watson — Critic in his won lunchtime (opinions currently too crisp and
mirthinducing for the actually-existing music press) — has complied a CD of music
which actually matters. Asked to explain himself, he shot back: “My finely pressed
gang of musical irritants — a.k.a. the Esemplasm — take issue with the Neo-Kantian precepts
underlying cultural conditioning today. Frankfurter Ahnung actively inkles that the oh-so-
knowing circuits of defusion and confusion which degalvinise the frog-leg salad of the
contemporary farce are not the limitless gambits of Sir Brain End. Historical materialism will
rise again to embalm you in your sleep, running sores of festooned market system!”

B en Watson was born in 1956, and studied English Literature at Gonville & Caius
College Cambridge 1976-1977. His poetry, published under his punk name Out To
Lunch, includes 1-2-3-4 (Leeds SWP Roneo, 1980); 28 Sliverfish Macronix
(Equipage, 1992); Turnpike Ruler (Equipage, 1994) and Benison Fence-Off (Barque, 1999).
He contributed to Iain Sinclair's Conductors of Chaos (Picador, 1996). In 1983, he had a
nervous breakdown, and was sectioned to Highroyds Mental Hospital in Leeds. This
experience has provided him with food for endless thought. He found that the writings of
Philip K. Dick and Iain Sinclair were more helpful than any drugs or talking therapy offered
by the state. An enthusiastic member of the Mad Pride movement, the campaign group
founded to improve the social status and political confidence of mental health users, he helped
edit Mad Pride: an Celebration of Mad Culture (Spare Change Books, 2000), a collection of
mad people's reminiscences and opinions. John Plant (vocalist with punk-rock/story band
Diary, and contributor to the Trotskyist journal Revolutionary History) said Watson's
contribution reminded him of a Coxhill solo, which suggested this collaboration for CCCP14.
Madness as an interface between poetics and politics informs Watson's theory book Art,
Class & Cleavage (Quartet, 1998), and its novelisation Shitkicks & Doughballs (Spare
Change, 2003). His Derek Bailey & the Story of Free Improvisation will be published by
Verso in July 2004. He lives in Somers Town with Benjamin scholar Esther Leslie, with
whom runs he runs the www.militantesthetix.co.uk website.
Derek Bailey, avant-garde guitarist|14Jan06|Socialist Worker http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=8065

> archive > 14 January 2006 | issue 198

Reviews

Derek Bailey, avant-garde guitarist

Ben Watson looks at the life and work of
guitarist Derek Bailey who died at Christmas.
Derek Bailey, born in Abbeydale, Sheffield, in 1930, died in the
early hours of 25 December in Clapton, east London. In his 75
years, he made a name for himself as the most fastidious and
intransigent member of the musical avant-garde.

He questioned every cliche of the music industry. His dry,

determinate guitar notes — the opposite of the blur and twang
associated with rock — have become highly prized, even by the
likes of rock band Sonic Youth.

His insistence that improvisation is the wellspring of musical

creativity was a polemic against the classical score and chart
pop. For Bailey, music wasn’t about buying records or
downloading files, it was about active playing. He rewrote the
rules of music from the point of view of the working musician.

Bailey grew up in an era when jazz was inseparable from pop

music. His early inspiration was Charlie Christian, Benny
Goodman’s guitarist.

Bailey learned his trade by ear, accompanying showbiz acts such

as Winifred Atwell, and Morecambe and Wise. He emerged as a
top session player. However, keenly aware of the new, free music
pioneered by Bill Evans and John Coltrane, he maintained a
distance from the commercial scene.

In Sheffield in the early 1960s, playing with Tony Oxley on drums and Gavin Bryars on bass, he developed
Derek Bailey
a way of playing jazz that was full of pregnant pauses and explosive eruptions.

When he relocated to London and found kindred spirits, the music found a name — “free improvisation” —
and a politics. This was musician’s music, violently opposed to the corporate labels and their attempt to
shape all musics in the mould of the pop explosion.

Bailey was probably the most fluent and skillful guitarist of his generation. His decision to keep playing
countless gigs in unprestigious venues, where no backstage pass was necessary for a chat or an
invitation to play, made him highly influential among the next generation.

The US singer Eugene Chadbourne learned from his example, fusing free improvisation with political
songmaking in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs and Tom Lehrer.

Whereas the political statements of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen have always been tainted by their
collusion with the music industry, Bailey showed Chadbourne the way to a more convincing anti-capitalist
stance.

In the late 1990s, Bailey was championed by John Zorn, whose economic clout allowed him to realise
some amazing Bailey releases. These were Harras, Viper, Mirakle, and the last release on Tzadik,
referencing the Motor Neurone disease which killed him, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

However, his most extraordinary late work was released on his own label, Incus. Called Limescale, it
found Bailey surrounded by younger musicians and revelling in their rap-influenced rhythmic urgencies.
Capitalism embalms successful artists in cliches which betray their real intent. Bailey never allowed that
to happen. For this alone, his work is worth exploring.

Ben Watson’s biography Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation is published by Verso.
Frankfurter Ahnung, a CD just out from Sonic Arts curated by Watson, includes two Bailey tracks

© Copyright Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the
original and leave this notice in place.

top of page

4/3/06 11:17 PM
derek bailey died http://ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=6559046

derek bailey died

http://www.jazzcornertalk.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?p=442189

Sad news.

:-(

-- Turangalila (sonorousvessel...), December 25th, 2005.

Answers
Awww, fucking Christ. Rest in peace, Derek. You will be missed.

-- roger (vlad62...), December 25th, 2005.

rough holiday :(

-- Stephen C (qwerty733...), December 25th, 2005.

:-0

-- vahid (vfoz...), December 25th, 2005.

RIP.

-- Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (pfunkbo...), December 25th, 2005.

very sad news indeed. spirits as musically restless, and generous, as his do not
frequently alight on our planet. he will be missed, and remembered, for a very long
time to come.

-- tate (apt...), December 25th, 2005.

Wow. It's been some years since I listened to him with any regularity, but the impact
he (and his wonderful book on improvisation) had on the way I wrote and listened to
music was immeasurable. Very sad.

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-- Naive Teen Idol (matthew.weine...), December 25th, 2005.

A terrible loss. He had a vision that was really all his.

-- Mr Straight Toxic (straightu...), December 25th, 2005.

Very sad news. The few discs I have of his (Daedal with Susie Ibarra, Ore with Eddie
Prevost and the two with Ruins, plus the Brötzmann sessions he played on) are all
great. I got to interview him once, for Jazziz, and he was a terrific, friendly, easygoing
guy who didn't blow off any of my stupider questions.

-- pdf (newyorkisno...), December 25th, 2005.

Oh no! Ah, he'll really be missed. Saw him several times (w/ Alex Ward, Ruins, Peter
Brotzmann, solo etc) - what an astonishing guitarist. Saw him blow an awful John
Zorn quartet offstage at the Barbican a few years ago which was maybe the best time I
saw him. Even in his 70's he was pushing forward, finding new contexts to play in.
Shame he never made it up with Evan Parker but he seemed to be pretty ornery when
he felt like it. RIP.

-- Matt #2 (matt-hoj...), December 25th, 2005.

:-( i'm really shocked by this, for some reason, even though i hardly know his music at
all.

-- toby (toby_insertmysurnameher...), December 25th, 2005.

This is terrible. I just spent the last year immersing myself in his music, all the while
hoping I would get a chance to see him live. He fastly became one of my favorite
guitarists. The music world becomes a degree more bland with his loss.

-- Brooker Buckingham (brooker...), December 25th, 2005.

!!!!!!!!

-- Amateur(ist) (amateuris...), December 26th, 2005.

holy shit, what a shock.

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derek bailey died http://ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=6559046

:(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

-- mark p (mark.p****...), December 26th, 2005.

Fuck...
RIP, DB.

Time for a little Topography of the Lungs.

-- rh (crump...), December 26th, 2005.

Wow, that was unexpected and sad. I never did get to see him -- one of those dudes
that I just thought would be around forever; the search never stops. Someone
recommend an album to me.

-- mcd (srmcd...), December 26th, 2005.

topography of the lungs

-- rssl (rs...), December 26th, 2005.

Respect & RIP: DB.

A real loss. Not just a brilliant musician, but a great thinker too.

-- jon dale (worldsofpossibilit...), December 26th, 2005.

What the fuck?!! I am not going to be respectful about this. I don't want to be
respectful and write "RIP" because when I do that feels too detached. I don't want to
talk about him like he's a serious artist because it makes it feel like he lived 300 years
ago. this is sad on a real, REAL level for me. What the fuck; as honest as I can put it. I
hope this doesn't become a small niche thread where his few fans flutter about how
great he is, although I know it will be and should resign myself to this truth. it doesn't
seem right is all.

-- Sorry Mr with the rings (fkjfk...), December 26th, 2005.

very shocked by this, for one reason or another

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take care DB

-- cozen (skiplevel...), December 26th, 2005.

I knew he had carpal tunnel syndrome, which I found out by seeing this record in the
shops a few months ago. That's when I realized also that the last time I saw him at a
concert a few months prior to having that rec in my hands (at the 291 gallery playing
w/a septet: maybe the last time he ever player in this country?) that his decision not to
use a pick up was due to illness and not some concious decision to just push himself.

It was really fkn remarkable he pushed himself (his mind, body, playing - same thing)
in this way, and also sad that there wasn't much beyond the odd review...there was so
much more said about 'Ballads'.

But even at the time I saw him perform a solo without the pick up during that gig I
never thought anything about it - it seemed so natural to me that he'd play it really
differently from one day to the next, whatever he was doing. Of course I wish I had
noticed now bcz when I saw him having a quite beer by himself round the interval I
thought of going up to him and start chatting (or better arguing abt something) but I
didn't know how to start. I guess I wanted to always say 'thanks' but I never knew how.
But thanks for what?! I still don't know...

But anyway, I'm sure he is belligerently plucking away somewhere. My thoughts are
w/Karen.

-- Julio Desouza (juli...), December 26th, 2005.

I was just talking about his "subtle, rough" guitar lines on my blog on Wednesday. I
was also very impressed by Anders Edstrom's film about Derek, one PLUS one 2. It
seems he went out at the peak of his credibility, which happens to very few artists over
60.

-- Momus (nic...), December 26th, 2005.

That's terrible. (Hopefully this is one of those 'DYLAN IS DEAD' hoaxes that come
around every once in a while.) I loved his irascible dogmatism, his constant desire to
seek out new people to play with, and his shunning of the recording in favor of the
performance.

I'm ashamed to say that after the shock, my first thought was 'what's going to be on the
two-CD best of?' I think I spend too much time reading ILM.

My favorites: Dart Drug, Aida, Incus Taps, Topography, Compatibles. One of those
bits of him playing along with jungle pirate radio should be on there too.

-- Brakhage (cognitivebia...), December 26th, 2005.

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RIP

-- RJG (RJ...), December 26th, 2005.

I was lucky enough to see him play in duet with Tony Oxley at the Knitting Factory in
1995 (later released as half of Soho Suites). I was completely transfixed. I met him
after the show and he was very nice and friendly. A very sad loss.

-- Lawrence the Looter (cw_190...), December 26th, 2005.

his credibility: sort of reached a plateau in the 1990s yeah, where it stayed
forevermore? he always had his naysayers. i think after all rather than complain they
just turned indifferent or perhaps grudgingly admiring in the face of his persistence.

a very jazzlike (nonrock) knotty discography huh? one performance after another.

-- Amateur(ist) (amateuris...), December 26th, 2005.

this was the first thing in my inbox when i got home today. sad. RIP DB.

-- u saved me (wt...), December 26th, 2005.

Damn, that's a bummer. Just one more to add to the list of 2005's deceased... RIP, son.
jam with hendrix and ayler, kthx.

-- Special Agent Gene Krupa (dr.carl.saga...), December 27th, 2005.

Does anyone have a link confirming this sad news?

-- Naive Teen Idol (matthew.weine...), December 27th, 2005.

man.

-- Stormy Davis (electrifyingmoj...), December 27th, 2005.

wtf? I am optimistically calling bullshit. Someone please corroborate!

-- Dr. Gene Scott (butiplayoneont...), December 27th, 2005.

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it's unfortunately definitely true, he died of motor neuron disease (Lou Gehrig's
disease) in London on the morning of the 25th. both Martin Davidson (who runs
Emanem) and Noel Akchote (a good friend) have sent around bulk mail notices to this
effect.

supposedly his ashes will be scattered on the Lower East Side of Manhattan as part of
an homage concert that Zorn is arranging. the obvious followup question is "why New
York?", and while I'm not so close to the situation, from talking to people, it seems as if
Derek had grown disgusted with London late in his life, and would have moved to
NYC instead of Barcelona if he and Karen could have afforded it.

-- jon abbey (erstrec...), December 28th, 2005.

We'll miss him. Even those people who didn't dig what he played respected his
dedication and commitment to his life as a guitarist, Carpal Tunnels is such a
remarkable example of going forward while ones body is going backwards. How
many artists would have the courage to do that instead of feeling sorry for themselves.
Great musician, great person too. The friend who first turned me onto him, said "You'll
dig him, he's like the Samuel Beckett of the guitar".

-- steve ketchup (stvketchu...), December 28th, 2005.

the first actual press report I've seen:

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3246,36-724902@51-725095,0.html

-- jon abbey (erstrec...), December 28th, 2005.

Sorry to get off topic, but - did you ever live in Alaska, Jon?

-- Austin Still (austin.swinbur...), December 28th, 2005.

http://www.taz.de/pt/2005/12/28/a0175.nf/text

-- Tobias Rapp (tobias.rap...), December 28th, 2005.

very sad.

-- stirmonster (jd_*!!!!...), December 28th, 2005.

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"Sorry to get off topic, but - did you ever live in Alaska, Jon?"

nope, sorry.

-- jon abbey (erstrec...), December 28th, 2005.

Nice tribute from WFMU here:

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/17495

-- mcd (srmcd...), December 28th, 2005.

Different Jon Abbey, then. Frankly, he seemed an unlikely candidate to be you

anyway.

-- Austin Still (austin.swinbur...), December 28th, 2005.

Obituary from the guardian.

-- Julio Desouza (juli...), December 29th, 2005.

Company is correctly identified as the centre of what he did...

-- Julio Desouza (juli...), December 29th, 2005.

Just seen this.

:(

I never saw him play and can't pretend to have ever really listened to any of his
recordings either, but I read Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music while at
Uni in the mid 80s. I can't think of any other book that made me think differently
about music more than that one. RIP.

-- Jeff W (cworrel...), December 30th, 2005.

I think I'd also just assumed he'd live forever. Damn. He really changed the way I
thought about the instrument.

Not an obit but a pretty good article:

http://www.habitsofwaste.wwu.edu/issues/1/iss1art5.shtml

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-- Sundar (sundar_subramanian200...), December 30th, 2005.

RIP

totally sucks

-- Dominique (d_leon...), December 30th, 2005.

this bonk clang rip pluck ting is for you derek!

m.

-- msp (...), December 31st, 2005.

Terrible news. The Lou Gehrig's diagnosis puts me in mind of Woody Guthrie, and
somehow they seem to go well together - perhaps its etiology has something to do with
a terrific independence of mind.

There are a couple of streamable tributes on WFMU - besides the long one already
mentioned, by John Allen, there's a six-track tribute at the end of Brian Turner's show:

http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/17517

In both cases you can stream the tracks individually or together. Turner's includes
those amazing recordings of Bailey playing along to drum & bass pirate DJs.

-- carl w (cwilso...), December 31st, 2005.

Sorry! Also meant to say that there's a tribute post up on WFMU's blog that links to
this clip of DB playing on a hillside for schoolkids in Japan while Min Tanaka (a
butoh dancer) improvises along with him:

http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/BT/derekmin.mpg

-- carl w (cwilso...), December 31st, 2005.

That link to the video with Min Tanaka is much appreciated (had never seen him in
action, only heard him doing his thing through the tapping and flapping on "Music and
Dance"), but now I feel like a complete dick for cracking up watching the dancing; I'm
gonna have to go listen to "Aida" or something to atone and be respectful...

-- C.D. (ce...), December 31st, 2005.

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i've always wanted to like derek's guitar playing more than i could. i think he's boring
on record. would've liked to see him perform w/han bennink. i really identified with
parts of improvisation, particulary the stuff where oxley and bryars (maybe it was just
bryars) described their experiences playing in joseph holbrooke, and how they tried to
"avoid the pulse"

-- rssl (rs...), December 31st, 2005.

hoax.

he's not dead.

-- mpd (mpd20000...), January 3rd, 2006.

radio 3 has a tribute here - evan parker chats a bit, this link might not be there
tomorrow (programmes only archived for a week):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/index.shtml

-- Julio Desouza (juli...), January 26th, 2006.

About Carpal Tunnel by Derek Bailey :

I think it can be interesting for you to know that the first piece from CARPAL
TUNNEL (explanation & thanks), 10.34m in lenght on the Tzadik recording, is for the
most part the same as the one he sent me as a personnal recording, entitled Carol from
D (handwritten in black ink on a white CD). That original version is 12.16m in lenght
and was recorded around February 12, 2005 in Barcelona . He acknowledged the
reception of the first version of the over 700 pages discography project I sent him
(now near 1000 pages) titled THE LOST CHORD (based at first on the one by Peter
Stubley, I did it and continue to work and expand it on the fun of it). As you know,
Mr. Bailey is talking about the way he was playing the guitar at that time. I was very
moved by that recording, and still am, as you can guess.

The difference between the two pieces is Derek Bailey playing a bit more electric at the
end of the recording he sent me.

-- Carol Dallaire (dallca...), March 21st, 2006.

Still missing him. He would have loathed the idea of being anybody's musical hero but
he was certainly the nearest thing I've ever had to a musical idol - everything I think
about music, my whole approach to listening to and responding to it, everything that
didn't stem from my dad stems from DB. Marcello Carlin, Ma rc h 21 s t , 2006.

M
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December-25th-2005,
#1
03:47 PM

efrendv Derek Bailey RIP

Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2005

Hi,
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 82
I just got the sad news that Derek Bailey passed away
today, Dec 25th.

Best,

Efrén del Valle

December-25th-2005,
#2
03:50 PM

Brian Olewnick Ah, terrible news. What a wonderful musician.

Pangloss

Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: Jersey City,
NJ
Posts: 9,485

December-25th-2005,
#3
03:53 PM

kedoane This is very sad indeed.

Registered Jazz DJ

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Join Date: Apr 2003

Location: In the
Jazzshack
Posts: 1,023

December-25th-2005,
#4
03:57 PM

gnhrtg
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: France
Posts: 1,940

December-25th-2005,
#5
03:59 PM

letchhausen This is truly sad news. I recently read that recent WIRE
blabbermouth article and was interested to hear what avenues he was
cooking up in a foreign land.......well I guess after I get
through with the Bach Cantatas I'll be throwing on some
Bailey discs......

Join Date: Jun 2005

Posts: 527

December-25th-2005,
#6
04:04 PM

MRS Terrible news. I was playing Pleistozaen w/Water last night.

Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2003

Posts: 3,435

December-25th-2005,
#7
04:06 PM

efrendv He wasn't really doing anything lately. He spent the last

Registered User months flying to and fro between Barcelona and London for
Join Date: Apr 2005 medical tests, etc. So, unfortunately we didn't have the
Location: Barcelona chance to see him doing some of the intimate shows he

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Posts: 82 gave during the first year he lived here. We had been
warned that he probably would never play again some
months ago. He certainly played with local musicians, but
certainly time was all too scarce.

December-25th-2005,
#8
04:08 PM

Jon Abbey Efrén, I know you're very reliable, but can I ask you how
Registered User you heard this? thanks...

Join Date: Apr 2003

Posts: 10,482

December-25th-2005,
#9
04:16 PM

Captain Hate Terrible news for sure. He leaves behind an incredible

Game Over recording legacy.

Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: Dar al Harb
Posts: 4,899

December-25th-2005,
#10
04:18 PM

efrendv Sure, Jon. The news just came in from a common friend
Registered User who was really close to Bailey- the guy's also a doctor, and
Join Date: Apr 2005 had helped him and Karen with all the medical stuff during
Location: Barcelona the last month, since neither of them spoke a word of
Posts: 82
Spanish. I haven't dared to ask what the cause was, but I
suspect it must have been something pretty sudden.

December-25th-2005, #11
04:19 PM

Derek Taylor
Everlasting Gobstopper

What Jon said. Man, I'm hoping against hope that this isn'
so.

Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: Minneapolis,

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MN
Posts: 959

December-25th-2005, #12
04:21 PM

Derek Taylor Damn.

Everlasting Gobstopper

Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: Minneapolis,
MN
Posts: 959

December-25th-2005,
#13
04:24 PM

Jon Abbey damn. thanks, Efrén. I'm really shocked by this, although
Registered User of course I knew that he'd been in bad health for quite
some time. I'm glad I got to see him as much as I did, a
crucial component of musical history for the last 40 years.
I'm going to tell Otomo when I see him in a few hours,
maybe he'll dedicate his solo guitar sets tomorrow.

R.I.P., Derek.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 10,482

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December-25th-2005, 04:34
#14
PM

Squaredancecalling Sad news. A unique artist.

Steve
Magic Transfer & Nothing

Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: Healdsburg, Sonoma
County, California
Posts: 6,049

December-25th-2005,
#15
04:37 PM

MRS Quote:
Registered User
Originally Posted by Jon Abbey
I'm going to tell Otomo when I see him in a few hours,
maybe he'll dedicate his solo guitar sets tomorrow.

Join Date: Mar 2003

Posts: 3,435
One of my Amateur Night's resolutions is going to be
actively trying to get transferred to New York.

December-25th-2005,
#16
04:37 PM

efrendv For me Bailey coined the terms "true to one's vision".

Registered User Whether one likes or dislikes him, his stature in the world
Join Date: Apr 2005 of improvisation and guitar playing in general is
Location: Barcelona undeniable. He had hundreds of tapes with unreleased
Posts: 82
material at home. I hope either Karen or whoever can find
the funding to put all of that stuff out. A recording with John
Zorn remained pending since July due to the latter's
aeroplane arriving too late in Barcelona. All those missed
opportunities are specially sad right now.

December-25th-2005,
#17
04:38 PM

efrendv Of course, Yoshihide playing for Bailey would be a great

Registered User tribute, no doubt.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 82

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December-25th-2005,
#18
04:41 PM

Joe Christmas wow, how terrible. The language Bailey developed for guitar
feh. will live on and on.

Join Date: Mar 2003

Location: Waikele, HI
Posts: 1,641

December-25th-2005,
#19
04:46 PM

Jesse I got to see Bailey play a solo set and in a trio with
Registered User Gnitka/Fine here in '81, his only foray to Mpls. I am aware
of.

Yes, despite news of poor health, somehow it seems like a

suprise.

Best wishes to Karen.

Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: mpls/mn
Posts: 3,890

December-25th-2005,
#20
04:49 PM

Daniel one of my heroes

Registered User

i feel sick

Join Date: Aug 2004

Posts: 89

December-25th-2005,
#21
04:51 PM

Frisco Oh my. What sad news for Christmas Day. I had always
Admitted User respected him as an artists over the years, but really grew
Join Date: Mar 2003 to love his music. Saw some wonderful duos with Susie
Location: Detroit Ibarra at Tonic on two different occasions. That, ans a duo
Posts: 757
with Greg Bendian may have been my only times hearing
him live.

I'll definitely put together a radio program in his honor,

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either for this Tuesday (which would be on tape due to

Hanukkah party) or for next Tuesday Jan.3

December-25th-2005,
#22
04:51 PM

kyrre_laastad This is really sad. I was just getting into him. He meant and
Registered loser lived his music. A great loss.

Rest in peace, Derek.

My condolonces to everyone involved.

Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: Trondheim,
Norway.
Posts: 334

December-25th-2005,
#23
05:08 PM

SilentKnowledge He will surely be missed.

Statement of an Antirider

He was a true innovater indeed.

Regards,

Join Date: May 2004

Alexander
Location: Cuckooland
Posts: 237

December-25th-2005,
#24
05:09 PM

Cem Oh man! Really, really sad. One of the gutsiest players,

Fixed. most original voices ever! Never got to hear him live...

Rest in peace, Derek!

Join Date: Apr 2003

Location: Vancouver
Posts: 3,091

December-25th-2005,
#25
05:10 PM

7/4 I feel he made my life richer. RIP Derek.

Registered User

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Join Date: Jul 2003

Location: Saturn
Posts: 47

December-25th-2005,
#26
05:25 PM

Martin Oh no. I can't find any words for this at the moment. It's
Registered User terrible.
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Kulmbach,
Germany
Posts: 272

December-25th-2005,
#27
05:50 PM

LeMo RIP Derek Bailey.

Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2003

Posts: 979

December-25th-2005,
#28
06:13 PM

Richard Sad, sad news. RIP Mr Bailey

Pinnell
Registered User

Join Date: May 2005

Posts: 216

December-25th-2005,
#29
06:31 PM

Face of the This is the saddest Christmas I can remember. Our family
Bass found out this morning that my aunt (who had been sick)
Not for pleasure alone passed away early this morning, now this.

But really, this should be more of a celebration for a great

artist who has left us with a rich legacy. We are all in his
debt.

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Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: The United
States of America
Posts: 42

December-25th-2005,
#30
07:42 PM

Salvador Dali ... i rarely feel bad when someone i've never met dies, but
Lama this is horrible. hits me in the chest this time... i didnt even
Registered User know he was sick. he was a consummate artist. i had just
gotten around to ripping some bailey for the ipod last
night.. tonight it will be all bailey, all night.

Join Date: Mar 2003

Posts: 1,128

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Friday, January 6th, 2006 ... 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

First show of the new year! Not counting the Prog Rock special with Ragnar on Jan. 2 ...

It's my first show since the passing of Derek Bailey on Christmas Day, so I've devoted a lot of time to
different elements of his work. Fun stuff -- both his music and the idea of weaving him throughout the show,
especially with the challenge of tossing in mainstream jazz along the way.

Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)

Derek Bailey and Joelle Leandre -- "No Waiting, One" -- No Waiting (Potlatch, 1998)

* Derek Bailey -- "After 5 Weeks" -- Carpal Tunnel (Tzadik, 2005)

A CD of slower tracks, recorded after Bailey had been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (speculatively, this
might have been not carpal tunnel, but the early symptoms of the neurological ailment that he eventually died of).
Rather than get surgery, Bailey chose to adjust his playing style, recording some of the results for this disk. He's
more careful and deliberate than before, probably reflecting the adjustments he's having to make. Interesting
document.

* MTKJ Quartet -- "I Hate Your Teapot" -- Day of the Race (Nine Winds, 2005)

Group out of Southern California that's done a few releases together; this one's the best yet. Some nice
compositions and great solos -- very enjoyable stuff. Their press materials say they're going to be called the
"Empty Cage Quartet" from now on. Took me a few seconds to figure out why -- it's clever.

* Taxonomy -- "Exaust Utopias" -- A Global Taxonomical Machine (Ambiances Magnetiques, 2005)

* Steve Lehman -- "Vapors" -- Demian As Posthuman (Pi Recordings, 2005)

* On Ensemble -- "Gengakki" -- Dust and Sand (self-released, 2005)

Fantastic local group that puts traditional Japanese music through lots of modern paces. Taiko drumming is at the
heart of things, but they've also got some vocals, lots of other percussion, and even thumb pianos for one track.

* Jane Ira Bloom -- "Vanishing Hat" -- Like Silver, Like Song (Artistshare, 2005)

Derek Bailey -- "Tunnel Hearing" -- Fairly Early, with Postscripts (Emanem, 1999; recorded 1980)

An acoustic track that shows Derek's propensity for talking during his performance. Nearly shouting over a loud
segment, he explains that he talks to himself to "keep the left brain occupied," likening it to smoking or drinking in
others. Not sure that makes sense, but it's kinda cool.

* Homler Liebig Duo -- "House of Mars" -- Kelpland Serenades (pfMentum, 2005)

* The Redressers -- "Anchor" -- To Each According ... (Free Porcupine Society, 2004)

* Tryptych Myth -- "A Time To" -- The Beautiful (AUM Fidelity, 2005)
 -- 4:00 p.m. --

Derek Bailey, Pat Metheney, Gregg Bendian, Paul Wertico -- "A Study in Scarlet" [tracks 1-3 of 9]
-- The Sign of 4 (Knitting Factory, 1997)

Oh man. The centerpiece to my Derek Bailey tribute, a loud loud loud session to contrast the acoustic stuff I'd
played until now. Pat Metheney really lets loose here -- too much, many have said, as his overly loud and
aggressive playing forced everyone else to follow suit, washing out the subtle interplay that's supposed to
happen in these improvised kinds of sessions. Yeah, I can see that. This is good noisy fun nonetheless. "Study in
Scarlet" takes up an entire CD; it's followed by a second live CD of shorter pieces and a disc of studio work.

* Martin Tetreault and Otomo Yoshihide -- "Orleans No. 2" -- 3. Ahhh (Ambiances Magnetiques,
2005)

* Alexander Von Schlippenbach, Paul Dunmall, Paul Rogers, Tony Bianco -- "Salamander"
[excerpt] -- Vesuvius (Slam Productions, 2005)

Really nice free-improv session, a quartet led by Von Schlippenbach on piano. The CD is two long cuts, each with
lots of dynamics and a rich group sound. Impressive stuff from four veterans of the craft.

*! Petracovich -- "The Ultrasound" -- We Are Wyoming (Red Buttons, 2005)

Quick pop song with piano, morose.

* Marty Ehrlich -- "News on the Rail" -- News on the Rail (Palmetto, 2005)

-- 5:00 p.m. --

! Lou Rawls -- "Sweet Slumber" -- Portrait of the Blues (Manhattan, 1994)

The album closer, a soaring sentimental track. We'll miss you, Lou.

Derek Bailey, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Calvin Weston -- "What It Is" -- Mirakle (Tzadik, 2000)

The funky side of Derek! Tacuma's electric bass lays down some great funky lines that Weston complements well -
- but all in an untethered free-jazz kind of context. Great stuff, often played at middling tempos that let you savor
what's going on. This is an awesome and surprising session that almost draws (gasp) normal melodies and rhythm
out of Derek Bailey's guitar. Big fun, and not a bad place to start if you're just getting initiated to Derek Bailey.

* Andrew Bishop -- "Fragments on a Curve, To Find" -- Time and Imaginary Time (Envoi, 2005)

* Anthony Braxton and Wolter Frank -- "Improvisation 2" [excerpt] -- 4 Improvisations (Duets) 2004
(Leo, 2005)

-- "Sky" -- Radiophonics: 1995 Soundscapes Volume 1: Live in Argentina (Discipline Global

Mobile, 1996)
 08/06/06 22:07

Soaring, pretty soundscape. Played it because I'd seen a news item that Fripp is doing some soundscapes to go
along with the Windows Vista OS release that's due out from Microsoft in ... who knows when. Anyway, good
excuse to give a soundscape a spin. Red West, who did the show before mine, coincidentally ended his program
with a soundscape off the David Sylvian/Robert Fripp album The First Day . And he didn't even know about the
Vista thing. Plate o' shrimp.

Derek Bailey and Steve Lacy -- "Input #2" -- Outcome (Potlatch, 2000)

Bailey did duo CDs with just about everybody, and this is one of my favorites. Steve Lacy just has such a strong
melodic pull, and the contrast with Bailey's prickly, atonal style makes for some engaging improvisation here. In
fact, they're most effective when they don't try to match each other's styles or direction; the best moments come
from contrasting styles carefully played against each other. It does not sound as if you're playing a solo Lacy
record and a solo Bailey record simultaneously; there's some real dialogue here. This track starts with 5 minutes of
solo guitar (which I had to skip, for time purposes) and then 8 minutes of duetting with some of Lacy's best
playing on the CD.

* Cuong Vu -- "Brittle, Like Twigs" -- It's Mostly Residual (self-released, 2005)

http://www.bayimproviser.com

http://www.sonic.net/~ctm/2006/060106.html
Preto Londrina - Novidades http://www.ranulfopedreiro.com.br/news.php?cod=406

Novidades
18/01/2006 - Máquina do Som
Enviada por Preto.

Derek Bailey

Um dos grandes
guitarristas de jazz
morreu no dia 25 de
dezembro: Derek Bailey,
aos 75 anos.
Desconhecido no Brasil,
encontrei apenas uma
nota na imprensa
nacional, que dizia
desleixadamente que
Derek Bailey tocava com
Pat Metheny. Não é bem assim. Na verdade, era
Metheny que tocava, às vezes, com Bailey.

Derek Bailey é um dos pilares da livre improvisação, um

estilo que é encaixado meio a fórceps no conceito amplo
de jazz. Também é difícil chamar o que Bailey vinha
fazendo de “jazz” – está muito mais próximo dos
extremos da música contemporânea. Por essas e outras,
a música de Bailey não é das mais fáceis de se ouvir.
Mas, uma vez afeiçoado a ela, entende-se a magnitude
do instrumentista.

Há um álbum de 2002, “Ballads”, em que Bailey toca de

forma convencional, como que para provar que sabia
fazer música dentro da tradição de melodia, hamonia e
ritmo. Em “Ballads”, Derek Bailey destrincha temas
como “Stella by starlight”, “Body and soul” e “Georgia
on my mind”. Começa a maioria com a apresentação
melódica, dando referência para a desconstrução que se
segue.

Ou seja, Bailey toca arranjos belíssimos, prova que sabe

tocar e, depois, retorna à abstração. Seu procedimento
musical fica evidente no disco: a melodia vai ganhando
angulações, a harmonia vai entortando até que tudo se
funde em um delírio que se livra da estrutura tonal e do
ritmo.

Alguém comparou a guitarra de Bailey com o piano

preparado de John Cage. Faz sentido, levando-se em
conta a infinidade de timbres e sons que Derek Bailey
arranca de todas as partes do instrumento. Para muitos,
o que Bailey faz não é música. Discordo dessa opinião,
mas a compreendo. Nem todo mundo é obrigado a
gostar do radicalismo experimental de Derek Bailey.
Talvez a origem de “Ballads” esteja aí, na necessidade
do instrumentista em se aproximar do convencional
para provar que é bom. Além de ser um disco excelente,
“Ballads” é uma porta de entrada para a livre
improvisação.

1
bowieNet.discourse.blogs 02/10/06 23:23

The guitarist and improvisationist Derek Bailey regularly blew holes in convenient wisdoms
sitting smugly on the shelves of accepted comtemporary music. His provocative qualities
were not a case of one-up-manship, or a parade of erudition; this was the way his brain was
wired. He had done the same for musicians and listeners all over the world for 40 years or
more as a free player and a freethinker, a Frank Zappa for the world of spontaneous
performance.

Mr. Bailey was a guru without self-importance, a teacher without a rulebook, a guitar-hero
without hot licks and a one-man counter-culture without ever believing he knew all the
answers. He once described his friend John Zorn, the American avant-garde composer and
improviser, as "a Diaghilev of contemporary music" for his catalytic influence. He could just
as easily have been describing himself.

Derek Bailey worked with performers as different as free-jazz piano legend Cecil Taylor,
cool school saxist Lee Konitz, Harlem bop-and-swing hoofer Will Gaines, naked Japanese
improvisational dancer Min Tanaka, fusion guitar star Pat Metheny and the drum virtuoso
Tony Williams. In later years, he collaborated with Japanese art-of-noise rock bad Ruins, and
-- when he had already passed 70 -- with young drum and bass DJs.

Single-mindedly devoted to unpremeditated improvisation, Mr. Bailey wrote a book on the

subject in 1980, Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music. Twelve years later, it led to
the British television series On The Edge: Improvisation in Music, an ambitious venture that
Mr. Bailey both scripted and presented. The project tracked the improvising impulse
through the most radical interpreters of Mozart, the methods of the organist at Sacre Coeur,
Paris, in baroque music and in the blues, and in locations from the Hebrides to the Ganges.

Derek Bailey was born to George and Lily Bailey, in the North of England. His father was a
barber, his uncle a professional guitarist who gave the boy his first instrument and some
haphazard lessons. By a process of osmosis from musicians he met, sustenance from odd
jobs, record-listening (bebop guitar pioneer Charlie Christian was his early model) and some
later self-education in theory and arranging, Mr. Bailey became a pro on the British dance-
band and studio circuit in the early 1950s. By 1965, he was playing Blackpool season for
comedians Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.

By that time, he had begun rehearsing regularly with two adventurous younger players in
Sheffield -- classical percussionist turned jazz drummer Tony Oxley and bassist (later to
become classical composer) Gavin Bryars. The three formed the group Joseph Holbrooke
(named after an obscure British composer whose work they never played), and, from 1963 to
1966, its jazz beginnings in John Coltrane and the Bill Evans trio were crossbred with ideas
from John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, serialism, Mr. Oxley's labyrinthine rhythm
variations, and much more. Gradually, the group moved from jazz into a non-idiomatic
approach -- free-improvisation.

From 1966, Mr. Bailey began visiting the Little Theatre Club, a West End venue where the
drummer John Stevens ran all-comers' sessions and young improvisers (including Evan
Parker, Trevor Watts, and Paul Rutherford), jazz virtuosi (Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler)
and contemporary classical players such as Barry Guy gathered. With various versions of
Steven's Spontaneous Company (electronics, percussion adn Mr. Parker's sax) adn the trio
Iskra 1903, Mr. Bailey began to build a completely new vocabulary for the guitar.

Though he never abandoned the conventional instrument, he was mixing warped chordal
ideas, serialism's lateral melodies, an elevation of silence, pedal-operated electronics and a
brittle attack borrowed from percussionists.

Mr. Bailey's Diaghilev qualities came to the fore in 1976, when he began his Company
project, an improvisers' festival that until 1994, involved 400 players each year in Britain,
the United States and Japan, with Mr. Zorn, Lee Konitz, saxist Steve Lacy, classical violinist
Alexander Balanescu, bassoonist Lindsey Cooper and composer/saxist Anthony Braxton
among those taking part.

He likened spontaneous relationships and conversation -- full of accidental harmonies,

misunderstandings, passion and indifference. Though a sophisticated instrumentalist himself,
he did not mind playing with people who had comparatively few skills; something interesting
could happen. He worked with bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Tony Williams in the trio
Arcana in 1995, and collaborated with Pat Metheny and two percussionists on 'The Sign of
Four' in 1996.

"The equipment I use I bought in Canal Street 15 years ago," he once said of the encounter.
"Pat's sitting in the middle of what looks like the console of a 747, withe four guitars and a
distortion unit that could be used for dispersing mobs. There were two guys with huge
percussion kits, and I'm making a lot of noise, and then he switches this thing on, and it's like
there's three dogs playing around a little, and suddenly an elephant lands on top of them."

Yet for all that raw-noise energy, Mr. Bailey continued to be a delicate acoustic improviser,

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often unaccompanied or in duets. Just in time, he was caught by the ideal biographer, Ben
Watson, in the book 'Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation'. And, though his
combativeness never left him, he seemed to take heart from the musical eclecticism and
dissolution of idiomatic differences he had done so much to encourage.

"The kids don't mind whatever it is these days," he once said. "Maybe there's a lot of stuff
out there now that is by its nature odd. But they seem to be able to take anything. Which is
great to somebody like me. I find it very comfortable. In an uncomfortable sort of way."

The least typical recording Derek Bailey ever made also turned out to be one of the great jazz
recordings of the last 40 years. Titled simply 'Ballads', and recorded in 2002 for John Zorn's
Tzadik label, it consisted of solo guitar meditations on 14 songs from the standard repertoire,
including 'Laura', 'Body and Soul', 'What's New', 'Stella by Starlight', and 'You Go To My
Head.' Entirely counterintuitive for a musician who became famous for playing no written
music, it was played in bursts of suggestion, in his craggy, unsentimental, highly personal
style.

Although this was the last project one might have expected from a professed enemy of
composed music, it was no surprise to discover that in these songs -- their musical and
emotional contours long since flattened by overuse -- Mr. Bailey found brand new angles and
meanings, thanks to the application of his highly personal imagination and unique
instrumental language. Extraordinary renditions, indeed, and utterly spellbinding.

Several years ago Mr. Bailey and his wife, Karen Brookman, began living part-time in
Barcelona, Spain. They moved after Mr. Bailey started having problems with his hands, a
development he made public earlier this year with his final record, 'Carpal Tunnel'. With it
came the conviction that his refined technique had all but disappeared. No longer able to
grasp a plectrum with his right hand, he adapted by striking the strings with his thumb. The
album's title came from the condition, carpal tunnel syndrome, that was said by doctors to
explain his reduced dexterity.

Derek Bailey was bron in Sheffield, England, on January 29th, 1930. He died of
complications from motor neurone disease on December 25th, 2005. He was aged 75. He is
survived by Ms. Brookman, of London and Barcelona, and a son, Simon Bailey, of San
Diego.

|
2006, DEREK BAILEY, The Wire 264, February 2006

Derek Bailey

A full collection of tributes to the late musician, including a number of pieces which were not
published in the magazine

On Christmas Day 2005, Derek Bailey died, aged 75, from complications arising from motor
neurone disease. David Toop charts his determinedly nonidiomatic approach to guitar playing
through a career that spanned television showbands backing comedians like Morecambe &
Wise, the birth of European free improvisation, and the founding of the pioneering
independent record label Incus. Plus, artists, colleagues and friends offer their personal
tributes to one of free music's most enduring, radical figures
The Wire: Adventures in Modern Music: Article http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/42/

Derek Bailey
Issue #264 (February '06) | In Writing
By: David Toop | Featuring: Derek Bailey

A full collection of tributes to the late musician, including a number of pieces which were
not published in the magazine.

On Christmas Day 2005, Derek Bailey died, aged 75, from complications
arising from motor neurone disease. David Toop charts his determinedly
nonidiomatic approach to guitar playing through a career that spanned
television showbands backing comedians like Morecambe & Wise, the birth of
European free improvisation, and the founding of the pioneering independent
record label Incus. Plus, artists, colleagues and friends offer their personal
tributes to one of free music's most enduring, radical figures.

Han Bennink
Dearest Derek, Trying to get away from the yearly xmasstreefuss, I went to Addis Ababa
to play with Jimmy Jimmel Mohammed and the legendary Getatchew Mikurya. I had a
great time, but... Everything changed by the second Christmas Day when Mary phoned
me and told me that you said goodbye to us. OK, I did not see you for a year or so,
but!and!!NOW!!!WHAT? All memories came up: staying at the houseboat and you
knocking politely on the door asking, 'May I have one of those little oranges, love?'
Making our first duo album, ICP004. By the way, Evan was the one who introduced you to
us - you both coming in a Morris Minor with Gavin Bryars to Wuppertal - we all played in a
large group (Machine Gun) with Brötzmann, and Paul Rutherford was there too. The work
with ICP, especially Misha and also Wim T Schippers - man, we had such a great time! I
r emember meeting your mum and Simon. On the duo tours in England you always
booked in very cheap B&Bs and a couple of times including Leeds you didn't rent a drum
kit for me because you told me, 'There are plenty of chairs and tables to play on!' The
recording by Evan, Topography Of The Lungs. The many variations from Company.
Unbelievable! You did soooo much for the music. The book about improvised music, the
TV series, it seems endless. 'Bullocks!' you would answer. Later, when Karen came into
your life it was another peak. Staying on Downs Road. I think that the last idea was 'Air

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Mail Special' - another great item. Thank you so much for everything. I will miss you
very much. Lots of luv, Han

Steve Beresford (Unpublished)

When I think of the guitar, I hear Derek.

John Butcher
Around 1974, BBC TV aired a programme spotlighting British jazz. It ended with an
awkward Spike Milligan introducing a few minutes of Bailey/Guy/Rutherford with
something like, 'And now folks, you probably won't like this, but they're pushing forward
musical boundaries.' I did like it. It was puzzling but extraordinary, and the fact that, 30
years on, the boundaries remain well and truly shoved, owes much to Derek Bailey's
incisive thinking and profound musicality. Playing with him was terrific, but I also have a
fondness for peripheral moments; a late lunch after a recording session, courtesy of the
'Incus expense account'; a 3am walk through the Lower East Side after a Tonic gig, with
Derek at 70, full of energy. He was a man who repelled pretension, refused to be
shoehorned into comfortable categories, and played amazing guitar.

Martin Davidson (Emanem Records)

Some Derek Bailey anecdotes from the 1970s: Driving across London to make a solo
recording at my house and unloading his gear to discover that he'd brought one amplifier,
two speakers, three pedals and numerous cables - everything, that is, except a guitar.
Handing out a (Michel Waisvisz) Crackle Box to audience members to accompany a solo
concert. Confusing a provincial audience expecting a 'pleasant' guitar concert, by
starting off with a football that was supposed to hit an amplified thunder-sheet, but which
hit the audience instead. Showing his boredom with someone else's group by putting his
guitar aside, attaching a contact mic to his throat and eating an apple.
Pulling an enormous (Gavin Bryars?) score across the whole stage, thereby hiding his
playing partner (Han Bennink) from view.
Setting up his guitar and practice amp in the Wigmore Hall so that he could play an
encore without leaving the dressing room.

THF Drenching
Discovering free improvisation, and particularly Derek, revolutionised my musical
thinking. At the time I joined Limescale I was a guitarist, and proud that my
instrumental technique was once compared unfavourably to that of a cat. Free
improvisation dissolved these abstract musical moralisms. Here was music where
instrumental proficiency no longer meant flaccid selfaggrandisement. And it wiped the
floor with the composerly prejudice for abstract thought, proved you could knock out
something like Stockhausen's Zugvogel sieben Tagen a week in a room above a pub.
Much is often made of Derek's formidable purism. I think of him as a musician who
pushed his own purism to its breaking point. So much so that it actually becomes
strikingly impure, wonderful and heterodox. There's no hairshirt on this shit. Full of
chats, jokes, bird recordings, beauty, rubbish and invention spread out like an assault
course for his guitar to negotiate. His only prerequisite was surprise, and the opportunity
to play.

Agustí Fernández
I consider one of the greatest privileges to have shared music with Derek Bailey. The last
time we played together was at a concert, 12 May 2005 in Barcelona, at La Pedrera,
Gaudí's emblematic building. I knew Derek was very sick and I was ready for a solo
concert in case he didn't show up. The organisation was also alerted. But he came to the
venue and played with exquisite devotion for the whole set. Fantastic music. After the
concert Derek was exhausted but very happy. His last words before getting in to the taxi
were: 'Big ears! Big ears!' Some months later, on 24 December, I bought Carpal Tunnel,
Derek's last solo recording. I listened to it on the 26th, just before I knew he had died on

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the 25th. I don't know what to think of this sequence of facts.

Fred Frith
Back in the 80s I took part in a Channel 4 programme dedicated to unorthodox guitar
playing. Keith Rowe, Hans Reichel and I were invited, along with a couple of others and,
of course, Derek. His response was wonderful: he would be happy to participate if the
programme was only about him! Derek and I had hit it off from the moment I was the
only audience member at a concert of his in 1971. He invited me home for tea, and we
ate pork pies and talked about cricket. Meeting Derek changed my life, actually. His
encouragement and support gave me the feeling that I was doing something that
mattered. He came to Henry Cow gigs and radiated enthusiasm while unfailingly and
cheerfully complaining that we weren't improvising enough. As a player Derek had a
fearless and resolute clarity, and because he was so curious, and so willing to challenge
himself, you never saw him perform without hearing things differently. Which made
improvisation the most exciting and logical thing to be doing.

Will Gaines
I first met DEREK BAILEY in the early 60s, working with his group, in Sheffield &
Cheshire, with TONY OXLEY, BUNNY THOMPSON... MAN, they were the swingingest
musicians I'd heard since coming to Britain. In America, I'd been working with people
like ERIC DOLPHY, THELONIOUS MONK & CHICO HAMILTON. DEREK & the group were
the best heard since arriving in Europe... And that's saying something!!!! Along with
JOHN STEVENS, DEREK was an energy, a spearhead, a futurist, a pulse of life, which
won't die. What can I say about DEREK? In one word, CREATIVE!! I used to say to him,
YOU PLAY IT MOTHER, I'LL DANCE IT!! I next came across DEREK when he booked me
for a week in London with Company... THAT was an experience!! He then asked me to go
to Sweden, Switzerland, then four days in New York. No gig was the same, except the
NY venues in the middle of nowhere. I recorded a CD with DEREK, Rapping With Will.
Another of DEREK'S ideas. Man, he was a one-off! I kept saying to him, 'I'M JUST A TAP
DANCER'. He must have seen or heard something he liked. We did have the same sense
of humour. RIGHT ON BABY!!!!!!

Keiji Haino
My greatest happiness comes when I experience rock from a new source. Derek Bailey
once gave me such happiness. It was in London, when we were recording a radio show in
the BBC studios, him on guitar and me on vocals. I made one request to him before we
started - rather than one long track, I wanted us to divide the time into shorter
segments. It was between these segments that I felt the vibrations of happiness. I was
standing in front of the mic, a little behind Mr Bailey so I could see his back. Just before
he started playing I could see him shake his shoulders slightly, marking out a rhythm.
Involuntarily, my heart shouted out, 'Rock exists here, even here!' This happened
several times during the set.
Someone once told me that when Mr Bailey was asked what he thought about me in an
interview, he replied, 'He's just as strange as I am'. I took great pride in that. I dedicate
these next words as my own prayer for the repose of his soul:
That, which while enfolding this now and present perfume, speaks, 'I will use to the
fullest this form bestowed upon me' and blurs into the firmament - ah, where and in what
form will it next be devised

Toby Hrycek-Robinson (Moat Studios)

In more than 30 years of recording music, I have never met anyone with Derek's charm,
elegance and flair - as a performer and a person. Most people who heard him play were
changed by the experience. My wife Kasia, having previously never heard a note of
improvisation, beamed for days after hearing Derek play for the first time. She couldn't
explain why. She simply felt uplifted. Work would invariably stop in our studios when
Derek came to the Moat to record. Musicians of every genre would drop by from other

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rooms - initially to sneak a quick listen, mostly to end up staying all day. Derek had the
great gift of making what can be an impenetrable form of music readily accessible to
anyone with even half an ear open to something new.
But more than the enjoyment I got from recording Derek's music over many years is my
pleasure in the man himself. Erudite, witty and plain-speaking, yet equally instinctive
and profound, Derek was someone who never failed to delight me with his presence. I
will miss him terribly.

Susie Ibarra
Derek was a true original, a romantic with a great sense of humour. From his
dentist-gum guitar picks to his uncanny background of playing in a Latin salsa band, he
always brought a presence of great pleasure, beautiful and outrageous music, and a
soulful, childlike existence. I miss the white wine and fish dinners and long evenings of
great conversation. I miss the great concerts of the unexpected and delightful surprises.
I miss the dear friend who, with his wife, Karen, shared their passion and love of life with
everyone. With a cigarette and dark shades, Derek has stamped an impression of one
mean guitarist in my head... and heart.

Jak Kilby (photographer)

It must have been in the early 1970s. Usually I have the time and place logged in my
picture files, but this was one of those instances when that did not happen, since, for a
variety of reasons, I took no photographs. But John Stevens had roped me in to drive to a
gig, in any case usually a pleasure. Lol Coxhill had organised this one and it was an
oddball even as such things went at that time. Lol, together with John and Derek Bailey,
were going to play free improvised music at an English boys' public school, somewhere in
the Home Counties, and give a talk on this to those eager students.
During a verbal interlude, Lol and Derek ganged up on John, announcing to the attentive
boys that their Uncle John Stevens would now entertain by tap dancing! Now, John had a
childhood history of this art since his father was a tap dancer, but here he was wearing
plimsolls (in those pre-trainer days). And John did dance, as hard as he could to get a
sound to the free and fragmented accompaniment of Lol's soprano and Derek's guitar.
And I just caught sight of that rare wry grin on Derek's face (which it later took me years
to photograph!).

Joëlle Léandre
I met Derek in 82 in New York. I had received a French grant to be there, take time, play,
meet people... Great time! I saw Derek's name in The Voice and I contacted him. We
played all day and drank tea! It was fantastic; the only thing I remember in this place
was a small matelas, a table and a huge pile of Incus discs on the floor... and we played
and talked, drank and played. 'Le gentleman à la guitarre', I could call Derek; I learned a
lot with him; later in New York, he invited me to Company, then we played in England,
the BBC where we recorded, then we played quite a lot in duo in Europe and recorded
again until the last time in duo, also in Liverpool, two or three years ago...
Derek was a great 'elegance' person, with a lot of spirit, very funny sometimes and a
'strong' individualism, all his playing, his life and his musical life was an 'elegance': only
this simplicity to be, to be a musician without any hierarchy in sounds, aesthetic,
gentle, just 'making music together'... It's rare!!! We never talked about music after
concerts!! But I learned this jubilation, this freedom to be 'you' and responsible. In any
case Improvisation is a collective music (even if we sometimes like to play as soloist)
but just play this unique result like a 'foods' is natural; this unique result can ask us a lot
of questions, but also sometimes transcend us! Merci Derek, nous sommes un peu
orphelins maintenant... so long.

George Lewis
Everyone who plays with Derek tells a different story, because he seemed to play
differently with each person. For me, I imagined that a speeded-up recording of Derek

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would sound like white noise, with equal power at all frequencies. I would improvise a
responsive multimodal filter, wrestling an octopus that seemed to anticipate everything
you were doing - although Derek was anything but a Calvinist. Free will (and free
improvisation) is largely about listening, something that Derek did supremely well while
tempting the border separating tenacity and style from obstinacy and stasis. His
landmark book on improvisation proved that musical experimentalism could engage a
wide audience across many fields with issues of vital importance to humanity. Derek
jumpstarted a new field of inquiry and inspired a new generation of organic
musician-intellectuals, using nothing less than his musical approach, executed via other
means - in which everyone came away telling a different story.

Alan Licht
I saw Derek perform numerous times in New York since 1990, including the notorious
encounter with Pat Metheny at the Knitting Factory, but for me the most memorable
concert was a duo with James 'Blood' Ulmer one afternoon at Tonic. The two had never
played together before; Ulmer did a very nice, droney solo guitar set, and then Derek
came on for the duo. Ulmer stayed in simple, tonal mode; Derek played a couple of
pleasant sounding, empathetic jazz chords and then, for the next hour, played nothing
but the most discordant clusters possible. It wasn't an attack - his manner, both during
and after the concert, was utterly genial, as it tended to be, no matter where in the
musical spectrum he'd been dropped into. It was a statement of purpose and of
commitment to the alternative approach to the guitar and playing music with other
people he'd pioneered since the 60s. That low-key determination was one of Derek's
essential characteristics, and very, very inspiring.
I also recall Thurston Moore introducing Derek to The Stooges' Ron Asheton after a set at
Tonic by Thurston, Derek and Loren Connors. 'Oh, I've heard a lot about you,' Derek said
to Ron. 'Especially today...'

Oren Marshall
Derek was a big inspiration to me. He was a fantastic example of how open a musician
can be. I played Company Week in 1992 and there was one night when everybody was
playing at the same time. After a while I thought, 'What's the point? All this large group
Improv stuff just ends up sounding the same.' I just stopped playing and went and sat in
the audience. And then Derek came out and sat next to me. 'Are you all right?' he asked.
'Well, I just feel there's nothing I can really contribute.' And he said, 'You've just got to
bathe in it.' And that completely changed my perception of improvising in that context
and also gave me another way of looking at living in London. Rather than using up so
much energy trying to decode or take on everything that's happening, just bathe in it.
That was quite inspiring to see that level of openness in somebody as time-worn as
Derek.

Tony Oxley
I find it difficult to contemplate 43 years of friendship and musical experiences in such a
short time. I will say Derek was and remains THE UNCOMPROMISED CONSCIENCE OF
IMPROVISED MUSIC. It was my privilege and pleasure. Thank you, Derek.

Eddie Prévost
I have known Derek Bailey for most of my adult life. 40 years ago or so we first met
during the Little Theatre period and later we worked together in the Musicians'
Cooperative. And, although we rarely performed together over the intervening years, I
am pleased that we made a duet recording in 2000. However, we had different affiliations
and a differing slant on the nature of improvisation. These differences do not obscure for
me the impact that Derek had upon the development and continuity of a form of music
that we call free improvisation.
Derek's passing has already been described as an end of an era. But I think that this
proposition diminishes the effect and the value of Derek's music. I do not subscribe to

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the idea that free improvisation began or ends with any individual. This only suggests
that somehow the music Derek made was so individualistic that it failed to communicate
anything beyond personal expression. Given that the impact and the practice of
improvised music is far wider now than it was in the 1960s, when this particular
initiative began to gain momentum, Derek's music clearly has more punch than that: for
we are undoubtedly not at the end of an era. Free improvisation is certainly impoverished
with the demise of Derek Bailey. It would have been a greater pity if his music had not
had the undoubted effect that it had (and will continue to have) upon others.

Keith Rowe
Derek... a towering presence 'I get jetlagged walking to the end of the road', was Derek's
response to my enquiring after his health. Although Derek and I rarely saw each other,
hardly ever played together (just once, I think), there was a certain comfort in knowing
that there was this guy somewhere out there who took care of an aspect of guitar playing
that (for me) summed up all the guitar playing that came before him. In Derek I found
what I find in every great artist... He had developed his own language, something in the
world is now missing, something irreplaceable. Something unique.

Paul Rutherford
Derek's musical and human input were totally incompatible with the prevailing twisted
social dogma of Thatcherist/Blairism. Hardly surprising, in a warped society of
subhuman puffballs. They merely survive, extravagantly. HE LIVES. Art, Music and
Humanity are up for sale and privatisation. DEREK IS NOT. AND NEVER WAS.

David Sylvian
Derek was a no-nonsense poet. Mischievous, provocative, elemental. He spoke a
language recognised by many but with a syntax all his own. A discomforting amalgam of
the elemental Hughes, Beckettian reductionism and Celan-like compounds and fractures,
and it says something of his achievement that he appears to have been so many things to
so many people (it's fascinating, judging from the numerous online testaments written
since his death, that to facilitate discussion of his work and its impact, Derek is often
compared, without pretension or aggrandisement, to artists working in mediums other
than his own). A towering giant of the guitar. Singular, unique.

Alex Ward
Without Derek's initial encouragement and help, I might not be doing what I do now at
all, and I'm sure fewer people would know I was doing it. However, the start he gave me
is only part of what I have to thank him for. Both when playing with and listening to him,
I've received more inspiration over the years from Derek's playing than from that of any
other musician I can think of - not to mention sheer enjoyment. Nor has anyone been
kinder to me or more of a joy to talk (and eat and drink) with - his humour, blunt honesty
(his response to someone who praised a duo gig we'd just done: 'Yeah, it works all right
when we don't get into that flowery shit', followed by a list of occasions when we'd
perpetrated this), and sheer conviviality will be as missed by me as his irreplaceable
guitar sound.

Mark Wastell
Simon Fell and I had just arrived in New York to take part in Company 2001. We knocked
on his apartment door at the now famous Soho Suites Hotel and were greeted by Derek
wearing his comfortable slippers and holding a tea towel. 'Cup of tea lads? Karen, where
are the biscuits?' A few hours later we're on stage with Derek, John Zorn, Rhodri Davies,
Joey Baron, Will Gaines, Annie Gosfield, Jennifer Choi and Min Xiao Fen. In front of a
Derek-worshipping capacity crowd at Tonic, we played two sets a night for four nights. I
have to keep reminding myself it wasn't a dream. A wonderful memory for me, another
wonderful week at the office for Derek.

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Alan Wilkinson
I first met Derek in the mid-80s in Leeds when I was running the Termite Club. He and
Han Bennink did a fantastic gig for us at a pub called the Cardigan Arms (later released on
Incus as Han). On another visit to our usual venue at the Adelphi, we all arrived to find
the room double-booked. Without further ado, another pub within walking distance was
phoned and the entire gig moved lock, stock and barrel up the road. Derek, landlord of
new pub, audience, indeed everyone had a very memorable night at the new venue.
On these numerous visits to Yorkshire, the local musicians were encouraged to play by
Derek, who made it very much part of his 'raison d'être' to check out new musicians
wherever he went. It was as a result of this I received a gobsmacking invitation to play
in a small Company line-up playing in Switzerland and Italy.
To an improvisor, that's like being asked to join John Coltrane's Quartet, The Rolling
Stones, or something similarly momentous. The line-up included Derek, Barre Phillips,
Ernst Reijseger, Steve Noble and myself. Ernst couldn't do the first gig in Geneva, and
over dinner before the gig Derek suggested we start with him and Barre in duo and Steve
and I in duo. I suggested we start with a quartet, since I'd only met Barre five minutes
before, but was of course in awe of his reputation. Derek's immediate reply was, 'OK,
we start with Barre and Alan in duo and Steve and I.' He always wanted to throw you into
the deep end and enjoy watching you not drown, because he knew you wouldn't.

Davey Williams (Unpublished)

"Derek was more important than even he knew, or cared about to begin with. Anyway, I
was watching him play solo at some gig in south London. Several college student-looking
people, who clearly weren't liking the music, exited the auditorium. As they passed the
front of the stage, they angrily threw their ticket stubs onto the stage at Derek's feet.
Totally nonplussed, Derek remarked, "Yes, well I figured it was about time for a
clear-out."
Derek was a fellow who did what he did (which was massively innovative), not because
he thought he'd be famous or admired, but because he wanted to do it. As it turned out,
he was both famous and admired, not that it made any difference to him. And that in
itself is to be admired."

Otomo Yoshihide
His improvisation was his way of life. Living daily life like his improvisation. That I learnt
from Derek et al best. And it is the most important philosophy for me Improvisation
looks as though it always disappears somewhere. However, it incessantly is succeeded
and is alive in our way of life.

Ingar Zach
I met Derek Bailey for the first time in at his house in Hackney in January 2000. A couple
of months before, I rang him up to ask if I could stop by for a play and a chat. I had heard
CDs with Derek in 1998-99, and I was totally taken by his music. I was just starting up
with improvisation and I just knew that I had to play with him. For me, the most
important side of Derek was his honesty, both as a person and in music. He didn't care
about success, being famous and all that. He was a musician who was in constant
search for his music. That's why his music always sounded so fresh and strong. I got to
know him in the last five years of his life. Although it was a short time, I felt that I got to
know him, just by playing with him. I am very grateful to have had the chance to know
Derek and his music. I will miss him.

Who has had a subscription to The Wire for

over 15 years, Matt Groening or Thurston Moore? Answer here.
© The Wire Magazine 2008 | Privacy Policy | Advertisers | Contact | Newsfeeds | About Us | Directory | Back to top

15/08/08 14:45
2006, THE WIRE TAPPER 16, Issue 274, december 2006 (Compilation
CD) (UK)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Et al.

1 Drone (10) Spiderhead (Green Man) 04:09

2 Dave Phillips Justice Is An Artefact Of Custom (Wire
Edit) 04:02
3 Alan Vega 13 Crosses, 16 Blazin' Skulls (Edit) 03:40
4 Phillip Bimstein EatDrinkGambleSex 03:06
5 Carter Tutti So Slow The Knife (Excerpt) 03:54
6 radicalfashion Shousetsu 03:48
7 Walter & Sabrina Rimble Man 03:17
8 Xela Drunk On Salt Water 04:25
9 Kotra & Zavoloka Cool Eyes 02:42
10 Pansonic* Machinist 02:49
11 Huntsville The Appearance Of A Wise Child 04:23
12 Fluorescent Grey A Peruvian Shaman Sits Down To
Make IDM On His Laptop 03:20
13 Derek Bailey Play 4 03:25
14 Tulipomania Same Old Song 04:01
15 Dave Swain Media Monkey 03:08
16 aMute Hit My Computer (Edit) 03:59
17 Califone The Orchids 02:57
18 Inch-time Take Care, O Pilgrim (Edit) 04:10
19 White Magic The Light 03:28
20 Slits, The Earthbeat 03:50
21 Anthony Kelly (2) & David Stalling Sometimes You
See A Tree 03:06

Artwork By [Distorded Rectangle Pattern] - Richard Rhys

Compiled By - Andy Tait , Shane Woolman
Mastered By - Toby Hrycek-Robinson
Notes: Given away free with the Wire issue 274, December 2006

Track 13 : DereK Bailey : Play 4 from the CD tribute « To Play », Samadhi Sound label.

The latest volume in our ongoing serie of new music compilations.

oak street films http://oakstreetfilms.com/thejarrodwhaleyprogramme.shtml

the jarrod whaley

programme
(2006, 22 min., color)
>films

The Jarrod Whaley Programme : Images: (click to enlarge) >view all images
DVD -> Coming soon from
Incus Records.
.
Streaming Low Resolution, via
(clip) -> YouTube

Download Low Resolution (real)

(clip) ->
Clip:
View in browser: Download:
all content ©2002-2007 oak Low Resolution - via YouTube Low Resolution (real)
street films.
design.oakstreetfilms.com
DVD:
From Incus Records:
Coming soon.

The Jarrod Whaley Programme is a short comic documentary on

the Shaking Ray Levi Society, Derek Bailey, folk artist Rev. Howard
Finster, and their respective roles in 1987's
FAH-SAH-LAH-CAH-LOH Festival at Finster's Paradise Gardens in
Pennville, GA.

The documentary is presented as an episode of a fictional talk

show--thus the title. The Jarrod Whaley Programme is a
co-production of Oak Street Films, The Shaking Ray Levi Society,
and Incus Records. It was produced for inclusion on a forthcoming
Incus Records DVD of Derek Bailey's performance at the festival in
1987.

Music:
Derek Bailey Bailey, Palmer, & Stagner
Bailey, Denio, & Palmer Finster, Palmer, & Stagner

With:
Jarrod Whaley Dennis Palmer
Turkey Bellysmeller Kenneth Burnap

Screenings:
JJ's Bohemian, Chattanooga, TN, Feb. 22 2007.
Daremes - Unrealesed Pieces http://www.discogs.com/release/1120764

Daremes - Unrealesed Pieces

Label: Bleeding Ear
Catalog#: BE2
Format: CDr, Album
Country: Czech Republic
Released: 2006
Genre: Rock
Alternative Rock, Noise, Indie Rock,
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Post Rock,
Shoegazer, Experimental
Credits: Guitars, Bass, Electronic Drums -
Daremes

Tracklisting:

1 Intro (2:16)
2 Sonicology (2:26)
3 No Wave Rage (2:09)
4 Intermezzo (1:30)
5 This Is B Minor (For Derek Bailey) (3:22)
6 RNR Damage (2:12)
7 There's Something Horribly Wrong With You (0:51)
Voice - William S. Borroughs

8 This Tram Leads To Hell (14:08)

9 Sonicology 2 (2:09)
Chris Comer Radio Interviews - Derek Bailey Tribute 1-10-2006 364/12/Saturday 11h20

Derek Bailey Tribute

January 10, 2006

Featuring Comments From Fred Frith And An Interview

With Derek Bailey Originally Broadcast May 23, 2000.

Vanguard guitar pioneer Derek Bailey passed away the day after
Christmas 2005 at age 75. Chris Comer broadcast his tribute to the
legendary improvisor a couple of weeks later, with help from Fred
Frith via a distorted phone call. The tribute includes an interview
Chris did with Derek in 2000, calling from the basement of the NYC
jazz club Tonic, which was hosting Derek Bailey's annual INCUS
Festival at the time. Fred Frith discusses Bailey's guitar playing,
the impact Derek made on his own music and the avant-garde scene that
Derek Bailey helped to create and influence. The interview with Derek
from 2000 is friendly and revealing. Derek Bailey's recorded legacy
will certainly be revolutionary and inspiring for generations to come.

http://www.incusrecords.force9.co.uk/

Fred Frith

content © 2006 Chris Comer / art & design © Aaron Butler

http://www.chriscomerradio.com/derek_bailey/bailey1-10-06.htm
2006, BEN WATSON READING FROM AND DISCUSSING HIS
RECENT BOOK DEREK BAILEY AND THE STORY OF FREE
IMPROVISATION.

photo by David Clayton

MUSWELL HILL BOOKSHOP

72 fortis green road
muswell hill
n10 3hn

thursday 16 march 7.30pm

illustrated by unreleased musical examples

admission free + refreshments

Sound Projecting 13/01/06 - Derek Bailey RIP 364/12/Saturday 11h29

Listen out for Sound

Projecting - a regular radio
slot, on Resonance 104.4
FM every Friday, from 5.30
to 7pm UK time. Hosted by
Ed Pinsent, Sound Projecting
is a sort of 'aural appendix'
to the magazine. Ed plays
choice selections from CDs
and LPs sent to or reviewed
in the pages of the mag.

Listeners outside London -

tune into the webcast at
http://www.resonancefm.com.
A regular playlist will be
compiled and posted here
on this page.

Playlist for 13th January 2006

Theme: 'Derek Bailey (RIP)'
1 . Derek Bailey / Evan Parker / Han Bennink, 'Titan Moon' (1970)
From The Topography of The Lungs, UK INCUS RECORDS INCUS 1
LP (1977)
2 . Derek Bailey, 'A bit of the crust' (1973)
From Fairly Early with Postscripts, UK EMANEM 4027 CD (1999)
3 . Derek Bailey / Evan Parker, 'NYC: E&K' (1985)
From Compatibles, UK INCUS RECORDS INCUS 50 LP (1986)
4 . Spontaneous Music Ensemble, 'Seeing Sounds & Hearing Colours -
Movement 1' (1967)
From Withdrawal (1966-7), UK EMANEM 4020 CD (1997)
5 . Derek Bailey, 'Together' (1974)
From Lot 74. Solo Improvisations, UK INCUS RECORDS INCUS 12
LP (ND)
6 . Derek Bailey / Franz Hautzinger, 'Weather'
From Derek Bailey / Franz Hautzinger, GERMANY GROB 425 CD
(2002)
7 . The Music Improvisation Company, 'Third Stream Boogaloo'
From The Music Improvisation Company, GERMANY ECM RECORDS
ECM 1005 ST LP (1970)
8 . Derek Bailey, 'Taps 1b' (1973)
From Incus Taps, USA ORGAN OF CORTI 10 CD (1995)
9 . Derek Bailey / Tristan Honsinger, 'Duo part 2'
From Duo, UK INCUS RECORDS INCUS 20 LP (1976)
10 . Derek Bailey, 'Unity Theatre' (1976)
From Domestic & Public Pieces, UK EMANEM 4001 CD (1995)
11 . Derek Bailey, 'In Joke Take 2'
From Lot 74, op cit.
12 . Derek Bailey, 'First' (1975)
From Domestic & Public Pieces, op cit.
13 . Steve Lacy et al, 'Swishes' (1974)

http://www.thesoundprojector.com/radioshow_060113.html
Sound Projecting 13/01/06 - Derek Bailey RIP 364/12/Saturday 11h29

From Saxophone Special +, UK EMANEM 4024 CD (1998)

14 . Derek Bailey / Anthony Braxton, extract from 'The second set part 2'
From Duo 2, USA EMANEM RECORDS 3314 LP (1975)
15 . Derek Bailey, 'Where is the Police?' (1971)
From Solo Guitar Volume 1, UK INCUS RECORDS CD10 CD (1992)
16 . Han Bennink / Derek Bailey, 'The song is ended'
From Company 3, UK INCUS RECORDS INCUS 25 LP (1977)
17 . Derek Bailey, extract from 'Six fairly early pieces' (1971)
From Fairly Early with Postscripts, op cit.
18 . Derek Bailey, 'Paris' (fade)
From Aida. Solo Guitar Improvisations, UK INCUS RECORDS INCUS
40 LP (1980)
19 . Derek Bailey, 'Roots' (1976)
From Domestic & Public Pieces, op cit.
20 . Derek Bailey, 'The Lost Chord' (1976)
From Domestic & Public Pieces, op cit.
21 . Derek Bailey, 'A bit of the dumps' (1973)
From Fairly Early with Postscripts, op cit.

http://www.thesoundprojector.com/radioshow_060113.html Page 2 sur 2

East Village Radio 359/12/Monday 21h50

derek bailey Search

Found 20 matches for your search for derek bailey:

1. "the london concert - part 4" by derek bailey, evan parker played on 10.24.06 on
Just Music with Casey and Jeff

2. "tunnel hearing" by derek bailey played on 08.11.06 on "The Frosted Cone"

Brad Frost with Steveo

3. "fur peter b and peter k" by evan parker,derek bailey,han benink played on
04.18.06 on Just Music with Casey and Jeff

4. "fixed elsewhere" by evan parker, derek bailey, han bennink played on 02.07.06
on Just Music with Casey and Jeff

5. "HK d&b(with henry kaiser)" by derek bailey played on 01.29.06 on The

Continuous Mammal with Niall

6. "what it is" by derek bailey/calvin weston/jamaaladeen tacuma played on

01.22.06 on The Continuous Mammal with Niall

7. "the lost chord" by derek bailey played on 01.20.06 on "The Frosted Cone"
Brad Frost with Steveo

8. "improv 102 b" by derek bailey played on 01.20.06 on "The Frosted Cone"
Brad Frost with Steveo

9. "12 weeks" by derek bailey played on 01.01.06 on The Continuous Mammal

with Niall

10. "area 4 (solo)" by derek bailey played on 12.27.05 on Just Music with Casey
and Jeff

11. "book two(excerpt)" by 13 ghosts with thurston moore and derek bailey played
on 10.30.05 on The Continuous Mammal with Niall

12. "explaination and thanks" by derek bailey played on 10.23.05 on The

Continuous Mammal with Niall

13. "senyor parellada" by agusti' fern.ndez & derek bailey played on 09.27.05 on
Just Music with Casey and Jeff

14. "hanabi" by derek bailey/henry kaiser played on 07.24.05 on The Continuous

Mammal with Niall

15. "what is it" by derek bailey/jamaaladeen tacuma/calvin weston played on

06.24.05 on The Continuous Mammal with Niall

16. "the first set - area 1" by antthony braxton & derek bailey played on 06.21.05 on
Just Music with Casey and Jeff

17. "Body And Soul" by derek bailey played on 05.29.05 on The Continuous

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/modules.php?name=evrsearch
East Village Radio 359/12/Monday 21h50

Mammal with Niall

18. "the dwarf willow/facicles...resin canals...the nutlike seed" by thirteen ghosts w/

derek bailey played on 04.10.05 on The Continuous Mammal with Niall

19. "" by derek bailey, evan parker, leo smith played on 03.15.05 on Just Music
with Casey and Jeff

20. "this time" by derek bailey/jamaaladeen tacuma/calvin weston played on

11.14.04 on The Continuous Mammal with Niall
The Friday Riff » Blog Archive » December 22, 2006: The Music o... http://riff.coolmojo.net/archives/13

The Friday Riff

KCSB-FM 91.9 in Santa Barbara • Fridays from 12pm-1pm PDT

December 22, 2006: The Music of Derek Bailey

“Improvisation is a muddy ditch; it’s where things can grow.” –Derek Bailey

In memoriam of the late Derek Bailey, who passed away on December 25, 2005, we explore his music and his contribution to the
jazz genre. This show was also replayed on December 29, 2006. Includes selections from a wide range of Bailey’s projects, from
the Joseph Holbrooke Trio, to duets with Susie Ibarra, to his “Guitar, Drums n’ Bass” album, and more!

Standard Podcast [62:05m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Downloads 4

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 30th, 2006 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the
RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Bill Smith : imagine the sound: DEREK BAILEY (1930 - 2005) http://vancouverjazz.com/bsmith/2006/03/derek-bailey-1930-2005.html

Bi ll Sm ith : im ag ine t he
sou nd

March 8, 2006

DEREK BAILEY (1930 -

2005)

Christmas Day again. The e-mail from Martin Davidson

simply read - "Derek Bailey died aged 75 in London in the

early hours of December 25. He had motor neurone

disease". I had been thinking of him, knowing
ill, but still the finality of this sad news came as a shock. He

had for some time suffered from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,

crippling his hands to such a degree that he was forced to
develop a whole new system of playing, utilizing his thumb

to strike the strings. With his usual dry wit he titled his last
recording "Carpal Tunnel".

My companion had cautioned me on occasion of the

tendency to over familiarize, to use the description friend in
much too casual a manner, and so I would be more inclined

to describe my close-on 40 year association with Derek

Bailey as a comrade in improvised music. In many ways I

barely knew him: a luncheon once on a visit to London at a

1 sur 4 20/08/08 18:39

Bill Smith : imagine the sound: DEREK BAILEY (1930 - 2005) http://vancouverjazz.com/bsmith/2006/03/derek-bailey-1930-2005.html

vegetarian restaurant on Greater Newport Street, which had,

long ago in my youth, been the premises of Studio 51, the
first jazz club I ever visited; the occasional letter, one
suggesting that we both lived on islands, he in Hackney and

me on Hornby; several meetings at various musical events,

a rare e-mail, but little actual personal connection between
us. Ultimately it was the music that had drawn us together.

As with all original artists his music required serious

investigation, an attentiveness to the new details he was

proposing, especially as the concept he was putting forward

was relatively unknown territory. A concept that he would
describe as non-idiomatic music. Improvisation, when

considered in the environment of an evolving music has, in

certain situations, not remained as a part of a process, such
as in the traditional concept of jazz music, but has become

the music in total. The reference point of playing tunes,

which must be considered an art in its own way, has been
shed, and in doing so has immediately made, for the

listener, a more difficult task. The composition was always a

recognizable familiarity that could readily attract the more

simplistic portions of our mind. But it has always been

improvisation that was the predominant strength of jazz
music. Its musical structure has other rigid systems, or

recognizable identities such as chords, time signatures, and

the legendary idea of swing. In the process of Derek Bailey,
all these elements were not separated, not ignored, but

rather brought together in a most personal way and utilized,

in the way history can be, into a unique and original art.

There has always been a system of judgement placed upon

art that has introduced innovation to a previously occupied
position, often hindering the acceptance of a new genius.

Intimating that it is not yet a completed form, that there are

not enough discernible historical directives on which to base
an opinion, and suggesting that it can be a process that is

simply self-indulgent. As it is completely based in new

technical areas, far removed from previous improvised
standards, there is no clear pathway to critical analysis. I

found after continuous listenings, that Derek Bailey became

a most unique phenomenon in that what he presented was

2 sur 4 20/08/08 18:39

Bill Smith : imagine the sound: DEREK BAILEY (1930 - 2005) http://vancouverjazz.com/bsmith/2006/03/derek-bailey-1930-2005.html

very open and sensitive, a sharing of a personal idea that

was never quite the same. Surely something that all

intelligent people strive for. Because he presented each
event as a situation that was not predetermined, the

experience of listening became more focused on the idea of

the system of structure he employed. There was the
possibility of hearing his logical attitudes to improvisation as

an infinitely detailed ongoing process, so successive recitals

had the feeling of having occurred in a logical sequence.
This indicated that there was indeed a quite clear structure,

it just belonged to a new, more personal system of

performance, a performance that because of its lack of
connection with the past, required, on the part of the player,

a most positive attitude, a necessity to be totally confident

in the realization that what he had discovered was truly
unique. In some ways, it is not possible to judge Derek

Bailey’s music as it is totally improvised, so perhaps there is

no good or bad performance, just different situations, and
all you really have to do is be open to enjoy whatever you

can take from it.

Although his early history includes dance bands, studio work,

and theatre work with the likes of Gracie Fields and the
comedy team of Morecambe & Wise, his reputation is as an

improviser performing and promoting the concept of

non-idiomatic music. From his earliest recording in 1965 with
Tony Oxley and Gavin Bryars with the group they called

Joseph Holbrooke (a 10-1/2 minute rendition of John

Coltrane's composition "Miles Mode" on an Incus single) until
the 2002 release of "Ballads" on the Tzadik label, he rarely

if ever played tunes.

By 1966 he was visiting the Little Theatre Club at 23 Garrick

Street in London's West End theatre district, a venue which

was organized by drummer John Stevens. There he was
able to develop his unique ideas with the likes of Trevor

Watts, Paul Rutherford, Evan Parker, Dave Holland, Kenny

Wheeler, Barry Guy etc., many of whom played in various
combinations over the ensuing years as the Spontaneous

Music Ensemble, the Tony Oxley Quintet & Sextet, the Music
Improvisation Company and Iskra. In 1970 Derek Bailey,
Bill Smith : imagine the sound: DEREK BAILEY (1930 - 2005) http://vancouverjazz.com/bsmith/2006/03/derek-bailey-1930-2005.html

Tony Oxley and Evan Parker would form Incus Records, the
first independent musician-owned record company in Britain.

A 1974 series of radio interviews with musicians from

various idioms, resulted in the publication, in 1980, of his
influential book "Improvisation - its nature and practice in

music". From 1976 until 1994 he organized his Company

projects in London and various outreach locations —
including Vancouver — where he invited a stylistically

wide-ranging group of players to improvise together. A list

too long to note, but including players that would normally
be considered outside of the world of improvisation.

His devotion to pure improvised music led him down many

and varied paths including interaction with American legends

as conventional as Lee Konitz, as inventive as Steve Lacy

and as avant garde as Cecil Taylor; the historic tap dancer

Will Gaines, with whom he made a video, fusion jazzer Pat

Metheny, noise rockers and anything else that tickled his
fancy. There will never be another like him.

Recommended Recordings:
Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1968) – Karyobin –

Chronoscope CPE2001-2
Tony Oxley Quintet (1969) – The Baptised Traveller –
Columbia 494438

Anthony Braxton & Derek Bailey (1974) – First Duo Concert

– Emanem 4006
Derek Bailey solo (2002) – Ballads – Tzadik TZ-7607

posted by Bill Smith at 9:52 AM

Derek Bailey hommage - organissimo jazz forums - The best jazz dis... http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=24465&m..

organissimo jazz
forums - The best jazz
discussion forum on the web! > Music Discussion > Jazz Radio & Podcasts

Derek Bailey hommage, by ubu roi

Jan 16 2006, 04:12 AM

(IMG:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Bailey1.jpg)

Derek Bailey (Sheffield, England, Jan. 29, 1930 - London, England, Dec. 25, 2005)

Here's last night's radio show, dedicated to the late great Derek Bailey:
http://195.210.0.134:554/ramgen/lora/archi...o%20LoRa%2097,5
(I hope the link works, I cannot check it, being at work.)

You'll hear Bailey in solo, in duos with Evan Parker and Joëlle Léandre, in trio with
Frode Gjerstad & John Stevens and with Paul Rutherford & Barry Guy, plus an
excerpt of a Company live show with John Zorn, Keshavan Maslak, Peter Brötzmann,
Fred Frith, Léandre, Bill Laswell & Cyro Baptista (bad sound quality, alas).
In between you'll hear your humble king giving some biographical details and all, as
usual in our own strange idiom... my friend was stuck somewhere else, so I had to do
the show on my own, and this being a live show and me never having handled the
technical stuff before I was pretty nervous, but it seems the show turned out quite
ok, in the end.
I'd appreciate any kind of feedback - we may follow up with a second show next
month.

And thanks to brownie, P.L.M., gnhrtg (in no particular order, btw!) for helping me pull
together a wealth of material!

(edited to fix link)

This post has been edited by king ubu: Jan 16 2006, 04:13 AM

15/08/08 11:20
blog.myspace.com/sheepteeth 359/12/Monday 22h14

SHEEPTEETH
Thursday, January 19, 2006

DEREK BAILEY TRIBUTE

DEREK BAILEY 1930-2005

“It’s not a question of why be a free improviser. It’s a question of what else? It
offers more playing per cubic second than any other type of music making.”
Last Updated:
Nov 26, 2006

Derek Bailey was described in a newly published

biography as ‘a guitar fetishists ultimate guitarist’ and
in a recent obituary as ‘the most influential and
experimental guitarist’. Anthony Braxton said ‘There is
nobody on the planet who plays like Derek Bailey’.
He has since the sixties been a leading light on the international improv scene
and developed a playing style which was completely unique and expanded the
language of guitar into areas most people could not imagine, let alone
comprehend. ‘I’ve been listening to you for 20 years, and I still don’t know what
the fuck your doing’ remarked his son.
Extremely prolific, being featured on over 1000 recordings, his CV reads like a
who’s who of free improv - John Zorn, William Parker, Eugene Chadbourne, Kaoru
Abe, Bucket Head, Thurston Moore, Anthony Braxton and Han Bennink, to name
but a small few.
Born in Sheffield, his musical career began around 1950 playing in the pubs and
music halls of Britain, which included a stint on the ‘Morcambe and Wise Show’.
His first foray into free improv came in the late fifties with the Band Joseph
Holbrooke, which included Tony Oxley on drums and Gavin Bryars on bass. In this
line up they quite happily shit on the chest of common conceptions of tonality
and rhythm. The 60’s amongst other things saw him play in John Stevens’
Spontaneous Music Ensemble at the Little Theatre (often hailed as the true
birthplace of free improv), producing the seminal recording ‘Karyobin’, which at
the time was available in Woolworths, a sad sign of how the major corporations
have strangled the diversity out of music.

Always an unapologetic champion of free improv, he co-organized the annual

showcase ‘Company Week’ in London for 17 years (1977-1994), which over it’s
lifetime saw contributions from Jim O’Rourke, Ikue Mori, Phil Wachsmann, and
Alexander Balanescu. The programme often involved Bailey ‘introducing’ the
musicians to each other in a series of trios and duos before progressing on to a
full ensemble jam.
His book and BBC series – ‘Improvisation: it’s theory and practice in music’ was
and still is an essential document for anyone interested in exploring the dark art.
In 1970 he founded the Incus record label with saxophonist Evan Parker, who he
was later to have a ‘less than acrimonious split’.

Bailey saw his improvising style as a way of smashing musical genres and
boundaries.
This open mindedness led to some interesting and unlikely collaborations with the
likes of DJ ninj, tap dancer Will Gaines, and Japanese hardcore legends Ruins.
Though recently moved to Barcelona he had returned to London at the time of
his death from motor neuron disease on December 25th.

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blog.myspace.com/sheepteeth 359/12/Monday 22h14

SOME DEREK BAILEY QUOTES

The following are some quotes from the man himself on free improvisation:

“There is no real birthplace of free improv”

“I don’t know what I was improvising on. I wasn’t improvising on the melody or
the chords. It was just some feeling about the tune…you can’t articulate it”

“I might play guitar in a way which nobody else plays but I play guitar…I like the
construction of it…harmonics, open strings, fourths”

“For me the real interest is in starting from nothing…and see what happens. You
don’t start from an idiom like rock or jazz”

“It’s OK to have a compass…not a map”

“Listen to it once then forget it” (on the subject of recording improv.)

“I don’t like drone. I like speed”

“I quite like the situation in free playing now”

4:18 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

©2003-2006 MySpace.com. All Rights Reserved.

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blog.myspace.com/soundnotmusic 020/01/Saturday 21h39

a truck passing by a factory

Seth Gordon
Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Derek Bailey
Category: Music

Derek Bailey... what can you say?

Derek Bailey passed away on Christmas. I just found out today.
There's enough obituaries out there explaining who he was, what he
did, what his music was like... what can I write but my own personal
impressions?

I was travelling with a friend one day to Vermont, driving up I-95,

Last Updated: on our way to a music festival of unknown hippie jam bands. This
Nov 16, 2006 was 1989 or so - the retro fad for groups like Phish, etc., was just
Send Message beginning to creep to life. Jerry Garcia was still alive. And we're
Instant Message cruising along in his clunky old Volkswagon bus listening to local
Email to a Friend
Subscribe college radio, whatever we could find, and we came across a jazz
show - some station out of Amherst, if I remember right.

I was still dabbling in serialism back then, and my fascination was

for music that was complex on paper. Still, there was something
about the whole serialist / modernist school that just didn't speak to
me. On an intellectual level, there was something fun about it - but
on a purely visceral level, it was lacking.

And then I heard something that night.

It was so... organic. There was no concern for such things as

melody, harmony, rhythm. Just guitar and drums - but like nothing
I'd ever heard. This was no hippie jam.
You could tell these two guys - whoever they were - had some kind
of simpatico that was truly rare and beautiful. Anticipating each
other's moves, smoothly moving from one emotion to another -
angry, tense, and what stood out most of all - silly. These guys took
themselves seriously, no doubt, but there was a gentle humor to it
all.

I sat in rapt silence throughout - getting lost in the music, letting it

take me where it did. Did it "groove"? In a way. Something about it
let the audience "in" in a way that the purely composed music I'd
been poring over didn't. It didn't require study, or acclimation. It
was what it was, and took you along for the ride.

The set ended and I listened for the name - Derek Bailey and Han
Bennink. ?? Who were these guys? This was in the days before the

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internet. I'd never heard these names before.

I demanded we pull over to a rest stop so I could call the radio
station. I talked to the DJ for a few minutes - I don't remember for
the life of me her name, but she schooled me with a three-minute
crash course in free jazz. I'd heard some already - Ornette and late
period Coltrane. Some worked for me and some didn't. But there
was something different about this stuff. Was it even jazz? She gave
me a few names to check out, pointed me down the path. We got
back to the van in time to hear her introduce another track - just
for me! - a Cecil Taylor / Max Roach duet that just killed.
I never spoke to her again, but I will marry that woman someday.

After we pulled in to our campsite, I was feeling inspired. I pulled

my banjo out of the back and began plonking away, much to the
dismay of our campsite-mates. I suppose it's bad enough hearing
someone who doesn't know what they're doing play free jazz. But to
do it on a banjo... I needed some work, but I knew I'd found a
direction to explore, something that spoke to me.

And so I began. Derek Bailey was not exactly common in music

stores, but finally I found some at Cutler's Music in New Haven CT.
The two albums I picked up - the one I'd heard, simply titled Han,
and a solo album called Aida - couldn't have been more different. I
knew right off the bat I loved these guys. That humor I'd heard was
right there on the cover of Han - a cartoony drawing of a destroyed
guitar neck with two hands coming in from either side - one with a
saw, in the other, wire cutters.

Aida was a different kind of revelation: It had it's aggressive side,

sure, but it was sparse and subtle too. It made sense to me. I
listened to it constantly, getting lost in the spaces between the
notes, the outbursts. And the way he played - there was only guitar
listed, but it sounded like no guitar I'd ever heard. It was like some
combination of a guitar, koto, and one of Cage's prepared pianos,
but... there was nothing prepared about it.

The more I listened, the more I read about him, the more fascinated
I became. I'd had no idea, but this guy was legend among his
peers. It seemed odd I'd never heard of him before, but then all his
recordings were on obscure European labels, mostly on a tiny label
called Incus he owned himself. I worked in a music store myself at
the time, but we had no distributor who carried this stuff. Most of it
was, to my knowledge, out of print. But bit by bit I found more and
more: classics like Cyro, his album of duets with Brazilian
percussionist Cyro Baptista. Or the bizarre and funny Yankees, a
meditation on baseball with George Lewis and John Zorn. And the
indescribably beautiful Lace, another solo outing. One of the (many)
great things about Bailey was the list of musicians he worked with.
Through him (along with Bennink and Cecil Taylor, whose catalogs I
was exploring with equal relish), I was introduced to so many other
players they worked with: Lewis, Tony Oxley, Louis Moholo, and the
incomparable Evan Parker. The younger guitarists he influenced read
like a who's who of experimental guitar heroes: Fred Frith, Henry

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Kaiser, Marc Ducret, Eugene Chadbourne, and countless others.

I had trouble with this music as "jazz", though it certainly bore
some relation - you can hear, at times, the influence of Django
especially. But there was a touch of what seemed like Webern in
there too. It was even further removed - further "out" than Ornette.
I read later that Bailey himself wasn't really down with the term
"jazz", and preferred to simply call his music "non-idiomatic" - a
term which manages to be ridiculously vague yet describes his
music better than any other I've heard.

John Allen on WFMU had a tribute show a couple days ago, which
you can check out online here . There's some great stuff there. The
duet with Fred Frith is particularly astounding, and there's wonderful
tracks with Bennink and Parker of course.
What else is there to say? You can't describe Derek Bailey in words.
Words are for suckers. Just listen.
Currently Listening :
Lace
By Derek Bailey
Release date: By 08 December, 1999

11:33 AM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

You should be commended for writing a better obituary than the

Rudy Guardian ever did. Nice. It's definitely sad news to know that we
lost one of the brilliant minds in music, and on Christmas Day, no
less. Lump of coal, that was...

Best,

Rudy

Posted by Rudy On Friday, January 06, 2006 at 4:45 PM

[Reply to this]
Pau Torres
Hi...I´m from barcelona ( where derek lived the last three years)... I
had the chance to see him playing in small bars a couple of
times..... I really gonna miss such a great musician !!!!!! Fuck.
Pau.

Posted by Pau Torres On Tuesday, January 10, 2006 at 6:35 PM

[Reply to this]

kauffman
derek bailey

nice

Posted by kauffman On Friday, March 10, 2006 at 6:04 AM

[Reply to this]

©2003-2006 MySpace.com. All Rights Reserved.

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2006, THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LUNGS, PSI 06.05 (UK) (CD)
(re-issued from Incus LP 1, 1970)

Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones

Derek Bailey : guitar
Han Bennink : percussion

1- Titan moon 20.48

2- For Peter B and Peter K 04.32
3- Fixed elsewhere 05.05
4- Dogmeat 12.18
5- Found Elsewhere 1
6- Found Elsewhere 2.

Recorded in London on 13 July 1970.

The Topography of the Lungs is finally re-issued. Considered by many to be a key recording
in the history of improvised music, it brought together three musicians who then continued to
develop the genre in the intervening three decades: EVAN PARKER (soprano & tenor
saxophones), DEREK BAILEY (guitar) and HAN BENNINK (percussion, etc).

Reissue of LP 1 plus over 9 minutes of extra material from the same 1970 session

riginally released in 1970—with catalogue number Incus 1, thus launching Evan

O Parker, Derek Bailey & Tony Oxley’s famous label—this is a long awaited and
historic reissue. When Parker and Bailey went their separate ways in 1987, Parker
took his Incus recordings and other archived material with him. Since the advent of Psi, most
of his Incus recordings have been re-released there, with others mooted (Circadian Rhythm?).

However, there was a long-standing agreement between Parker and Bailey—at the latter’s
request—that this recording would not be released as long as Bailey remained a director of
Incus, which he did until his death last December. Fittingly (and touchingly, given the Bailey-
Parker rift), this release bears the dedication, “In memoriam Derek Bailey 1930-2005.”

The 21-minute “Titan Moon” (which occupied the whole of side one of the LP release)
immediately sets the scene. Although free improvisation was at least five years old by the time
this album was recorded, the trio's playing still shows clearly discernible links to free jazz. It is
already a long way forward from, say, Joseph Holbrooke or even early SME, but still light
years away from Company with its deliberate avoidance of jazz vocabulary and syntax. In
1970, free jazz and free improv were still joined by an isthmus, albeit one that was rapidly
being eroded.

“Titan Moon” would fox many a listener in a blindfold test: Parker’s playing clearly shows a
debt to Coltrane; crucially, Han Bennink’s remorseless drive gives the music an irresistible
pulse and a sense of boundless energy and forward momentum; maybe most surprising,
Bailey’s guitar is in transition from a traditional (mainly supportive) role within the trio to
something more iconoclastic.

Both ”For Peter B and Peter K” (the title acknowledging the vital influence of the Berlin
scene) and “Fixed Elsewhere” are similarly transitional. Again, Bennink propels them along
with typical verve—but with few traces of his lovable eccentricity. Only on “Dogmeat,”
which closed the original album, are there clear signs of future developments into improv as it
would become. The three players seem to have no model of how the piece will develop—it is
shaped by their reactions to each other and consequently it is ever-changing in its focus, its
tempo and its energy levels. Tellingly, Bailey’s profile is higher here than in the preceding
pieces.

The original master takes of the album are now lost, so this CD has been remastered from the
best LP version available (a virgin Japanese pressing, not surprisingly). But fear not, the
sound is high quality throughout. Two previously unissued pieces have been added to the
original material, and while it is nice to hear them, they provide no great insights beyond the
original LP.

Given its legendary status—brought about by decades of scarcity (and awesome auction
prices)—it is inevitable that this release has a sense of anticlimax for some; nothing could live
up to their expectations. Nonetheless, as well as being an illuminating historical snapshot, it is
thoroughly excellent and still sounds remarkably fresh, in the pole position for reissue of the
year.

John Eyles

F rom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Front cover

The Topography of the Lungs was the first release on Incus Records, the record label founded
partly by Derek Bailey. It is a milestone of the free improvisation genre. It was recorded in
London on July 13, 1970, by Derek Bailey (guitar), Evan Parker (tenor and soprano
saxophone), and Han Bennink (percussion).
The album consists of four tracks: "Titan Moon" (covering all of side one of the original LP),
"For Peter B & Peter K", "Fixed Elsewhere", and "Dogmeat".

Original copies of the album came with a typed letter that stated:

"The bulk of the revenue from any Incus recording will go directly to the musicians....
Once the basic cost of each record is recovered,
thus providing the finance for the next,
the vast bulk of all income will be paid in royalties to the artists.
Incus has no intention of making profits in the conventional sense."

The album's back cover is also interesting for the presence of a collage of Encyclopedia pages
and brief phrases such as "Frederick Rzewski writes about free improvisation and makes
sense" and "If you like to draw or paint, this booklet could help change your life."

L ong-awaited reissue of this relative ground-zero for European free improvisation,

dubiously recast as an Evan Parker album. Topography Of The Lungs was recorded
in 1970 by the trio of Derek Bailey, Han Bennink and Evan Parker and was the
inaugural release on the Incus label. With little love lost between Parker and Bailey and
Bailey's refusal to see it back in print as long as he was the director of Incus, it was never
likely to be reissued during Bailey's lifetime and its subsequent rarity has meant that it
remains more talked about than actually heard. This new edition comes courtesy of Parker's
own Psi imprint and includes two bonus unissued tracks and is actually dedicated to Bailey,
which goes some way to addressing the kind of equivocal feelings that most people have
expressed regarding its release. But it still sounds great and remains an essential listen for
anyone interested in the roots of the modern improvisatory alphabet. It's a tough sounding set
and the way that Bailey and Parker grip their instruments is as single-minded as their
contemporaneous work with Peter Brôtzmann. New artwork too.

A t the end of the 1960s, for some inexplicable reason, A&R types at the major labels
thought free improvisation might be The Next Big Thing. John Stevens'
Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Tony Oxley, Howard Riley and others were duly
signed up, shafted, and dropped like hot potatoes, their albums deleted virtually as soon as
they were released. Hence the formation, by Oxley, Evan Parker and Derek Bailey, of Incus,
the UK's first musician-owned imprint, which was still going strong under Bailey's sole
ownership until the guitarist's death last year. The Topography of the Lungs was the label's
first release in 1970, and it's one of the legendary free improv discs, often more talked-about
than heard owing to its prolonged unavailability (after Parker and Bailey’s acrimonious 1980s
split the guitarist requested that it not be reissued during his lifetime). But here it is at last in a
spiffy new edition, remastered from vinyl rather than the original tapes, alas (one of the
downsides of the 1970s small-label efflorescence seems to be a surprising number of
misplaced masters), and augmented with two extra tracks from an original "three hours of
acceptable tapes" (is this all that’s left? what a shame!). For some reason the CD is now
credited as an Evan Parker album [not on this site it isn't – DW] rather than a collaborative
trio, but if you want the original artwork and credits, fold the booklet inside out and
contemplate Alan Johnston’s memorable collage, featuring a nude 19th-century chap with
lungs neatly labelled, and a pageful of miscellaneous Victoriana dotted with a few new phrases
(you may need a magnifying glass), my favourites including "Frederick Rzewski writes about
free improvisation and makes sense” and "Real tortoiseshell plectra".

The original album contained four tracks: the 21-minute "Titan Moon" (itself a collection of
brief episodes) on Side A, and three shorter cuts, "For Peter B and Peter K", "Fixed
Elsewhere" and "Dogmeat", on Side B. This is prime-cut Bennink, the all-out trash can thrash
rivalling his best work with Brötzmann, his triumphant foolery perfectly integrated into the
music (I love the cymbal clangs that ironically mimic a boxing match bell on a couple tracks).
Parker and Bailey are at their most radically atomistic, seeking out some kind of limit-point of
the smallest possible sound still individually perceptible and manipulable. It’s a particularly
good example of how Bailey treats sonic detritus – tiny scratches, chokings, near-pitchless
attacks and plings – not as expressionist noise but as units as precise as traditionally pitched
notes. If his playing seems centripetal, constantly folding its material back on itself, working
self-negation into the heart of the music, Parker’s is centrifugal, more inclined to violent flare-
ups and excitable feedback-loops, conveying an at times brutal emotional and physical force.
It’s probably superfluous to say it – I’m sure most readers added this to their shopping list
the moment it appeared on the Psi reissue schedule – but The Topography of the Lungs is a
disc every self-respecting improv fan should have, not simply for its historic import but
because of its undiminished strength. For sheer spine-chilling power – not to mention as an
early instance of Bailey's ability to rock out, decades before Saisoro and Mirakle – the closing
moments of "Dogmeat" are hard to beat. Even Sergio Leone couldn't have dreamed up a three-
way showdown as gripping as this.

ND College Publisher Network

Paris Transatlantic: Selected Letters to the Editor

Jean-Michel van Schouwburg writes:

Dear Dan,

Kudos for your nice work (the Tristan Murail text is a great read) as a critic. Just a "little"
commentary about your aside in Nate Dorward's review of The Topography Of The Lungs
("For some reason the CD is now credited as an Evan Parker album [not on this site it isn't –
DW] rather than a collaborative trio"): I think that Topography is more an Evan Parker
recording session than a working group, or even a collaborative project. Evan thought about it.
He organised the session and booked the studio, conceived and commissioned the cover art,
and even glued the first edition cardboard sleeve himself (as he did with Paul Lytton for
Collective Calls). He wrote the notes for the LP that were included inside the sleeve on a
separate sheet of paper. And he repressed it in 1977 himself when they issued the MIC
album. As a former biology student well versed in anatomy, it was also Evan who came up
with the name of the label, Incus, which is one of the three internal ear bones.

If you'd followed Incus closely from its inception or even the middle vinyl period, you would
have known that a big part of the business of promoting the label, sending LPs to buyers,
making agreements with other companies (such as ICP, FMP, Center of the World) and
distributors and sending them the packages, was done by Evan from his home(s) in
Twickenham (both addresses were featured on the LP covers). I ordered and received all my
Incus LPs over the years directly from Evan, with his handwriting on the packages and his
personal comments inside. He sent me Derek's albums and the Company LPs as well as his
own stuff, and even recommended I buy one or two of Derek's albums instead of his when I
couldn't afford everything! Even some of the Company LPs were actually made by Evan, and I
often saw him selling Company 1 and Company 2 after concerts around 1977. If you add up
the Dereks and Evans in the Incus vinyl catalogue you'll see that there were fewer EP
recordings issued with his own projects. And although Parker plays on seven Company
albums, these were first and foremost Derek's projects and reflected his musical philosophy.
Five other Company albums without Parker were issued and many Derek duos, but there were
only two "collective" projects of Evan's (Pisa 80 and Circadian Rhythms), in addition to his
four solos, three duos with Lytton and Lewis and two groups with Lytton and Guy in the 80s.
Many of the other artists who recorded for Incus – John Russell, the SME, Barry Guy, Roger
Turner and Gary Todd and the young Coombes/ Russell/ Beresford/Solomon on Teatime –
were invited to do so by Evan (Derek of course agreed, but he did refuse to release one
recording of the Toop / Burwell duo, which Evan Parker actively supported – cf. his 1977
interview in Impetus, the "Company Issue"). Today, on his PSI label Evan continues to release
recordings of other artists in the way he did with Incus (Rudi Mahall, Furt, Paul Rutherford,
Adam Linson, Agusti Fernandez, Peter Evans..).

So I think it's perfectly legitimate that Evan Parker put his name on this reissue. Topography
is a recording of individuals working together at the request of Evan Parker, not a working
outfit. Derek and Evan shared Music Improvisation Company and had their duo, and Derek
and Bennink had their duo. I believe that if it had been a question of Bennink and Bailey
wanting to have Evan in their duo as a guest, the music would have sounded quite different,
and the cover art would have looked different. I have listened so many times to Incus 9, the
Bennink / Bailey material recorded at Verity's Place (and glared at the Mal Dean cover), and
well remember hearing that duo twice in the 70s and once in the 80s. It seems clear to me that
on Topography the B's are definitely following the mood and spirit of Evan who was (at that
time) and still is a more "collective group" player and a "constructive" improviser. (Even in
1970 the B's were more contrarian spirits – which produced fine music too – and the way they
interacted was well expressed by the Mal Dean drawing, which is happily reproduced on the
Organ of Corti re-issue: two people fighting in very bizarre way linked by the feet to each
other with the ground opening up beneath them.)

Talking of other regular working groups, I'm sure anyone who's played with Han and Misha
in an ICP outfit in Holland at their invitation will confirm that it's no collective thing either. If
you play in ICP you have to work in a certain way – theirs – which would not be the same
thing as if you met Han and Misha in a neutral environment or invited them yourself. The
same was true of John Stevens: the SME was his thing and reflected his ideas, so much so
that Derek said that John devised/conceived the style Evan invented playing with him in the
SME duo around 67/68. You could say also that Derek's ECM album with David Holland,
Improvisations for Cello and Guitar, was a SME recording without John Stevens (I think
Martin Davidson, who is perhaps the greatest authority on the SME, would agree with me
there). If David and Derek had recorded this duo outside the Little Theatre club – John
Stevens's place – in another country or town than London, it would have been slightly
different. By the way, we should make a distinction between two kinds of of SME recordings:
those by regular working groups and those originating in special meetings for the purpose of
recording.

Derek Bailey didn't like to be part of regular groups; he wanted to be free from the "pressure"
of his colleagues' ideas and feelings (and wasn't too keen on sharing life on the road, waiting
in restaurants, bars, backstage, people's homes and cars etc.) in order to bring what he wanted
inside the music. Evan Parker has always had a totally different approach: he values the
permanence of fixed, regular working groups over the years. But both men put the same
invaluable amount of love and dedication into the music and in their relationships with their
musical partners. Both attitudes are equally valid, I think; it's up to you to enjoy the music.

Many thanks for this thoughtful letter, which answers many more questions than Martin
Davidson's brief explanation on Bagatellen did. That said, I still think the re-crediting required
acknowledgement and explanation in the album notes: would that have been so hard to do? I'm
not in doubt about Parker's role in putting together this session or in doing much of the
gruntwork in running Incus; but this doesn't change the fact that the album was issued without
hierarchical distinctions between the players in the ensemble, went through several repressings
without the credits being altered, and has been known in discographies and biographies as a
collective trio for three and a half decades. Not something to change without comment.

ND

T he Topography of the Lungs was first released in 1970 to inaugurate Evan Parker and
Derek Bailey's Incus Records, but it was long out of print and has never been on CD
until now. This trio recording features Englishmen Parker and Bailey on saxophones
and electric guitar, and Dutch drummer Han Bennink. Like most European free improvisation
from this time period, very little here resembles jazz or even American free jazz. Nothing was
worked out in advance-there are no themes or overarching structures. Bennink never swings
or grooves, Bailey never plays anything approaching a "normal" guitar part, and Parker's
saxophone playing shies away from melody.
The musicians communicate so well on this recording that the improvisations organize
themselves. The relentless 20 minute opening piece, "Titan Moon," occasionally gives way to
more reflective, spacious passages that often feature Bailey exploring feedback and timbral
effects on his guitar or Parker exploring the overtones of his saxophone. Bennink comments
throughout with ululations alongside his explosive drumming. Form also arises as musicians
drop in and out, changing the density as the trio becomes a duo or one musician plays
unaccompanied for awhile.
Most of this album is incredibly aggressive and abrasive. Some of Bailey's solo music at this
time was dissonant yet quiet, but his playing here is loud and distorted throughout, matching
the mood of the other players. Bennink likes to stop suddenly, leaving a big space for the
others to fill, but most of his playing is dense. Two previously unreleased bonus tracks added
to this reissued CD show that all three musicians were in top form for it and add to the
importance of this album.

Ian Douglas-Moore
2006, DROPS. ICTUS 122. (Recorded 1977, released in 2006 as part of
Ictus Records' 30th Anniversary Collection. SKU: ICTUS141. (CD)

Derek Bailey : electric & acoustic guitars

Andrea Centazzo : percussion

1. DROP ONE 2.38

2. RECAPITULATION, REITERATION AND RABBITS 2.50
3. HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON 4.23
4. DROP TWO 4.18
5. TUTTI CNATABILE 5.28
6. DROP THREE 2.51
7. DROP FOUR 2.41
8. SING, SING, SING, SING 5.34
9. JIM NEVER SEEMS TO SEND ME PRETTY FLOWERS 7.53

All improvisations/compositions by Centazzo/Bailey

Recorded and mixed by Andrea Centazzo at Centazzo Studio Moruzzo (Italy) - 3 & 4 April
1977

Originally released as DROPS- ICTUS LP 003 and as CD on Ictus Reissue Series #5.

All tracks Warner Chappell Italy Publishing

All Tracks Digitally Re-Mastered and Edited By Andrea Centazzo 2005

Cover photo and art by Andrea Centazzo

Produced by Andrea Centazzo

British guitarist Derek Bailey was the first musician to give a new sound to the jazz guitar,
breaking the rules of traditional playing and improvising. Recorded in 1977, Drops has often
been defined one of the best performances of Derek Bailey, in the Seventies, acclaimed for its
explosive clarity, dialogic energy and overflowing imagination.

Behind all this is an operative praxis that we have tried to use in producing records of so-
called improvised music. This praxis involves organizing the improvisational process by
channeling it into more or less open structures. The kaleidoscopic quality of Drops was
created by this restraint of performing limits, i.e. the choice of instrumental
timbres, dynamics and metronome speeds to suit each piece.

We explored some aspects of our improvisational art, gleaned the best elements from our
baggage of music memories and exposed them clearly and confidently.

Therefore these are compositions of... improvised music.

Mémoires d'un Condottière

D ans l’histoire des musiques créatives au XXème siècle, il faut dire l’importance des
labels discographiques créés puis gérés par les musiciens eux-mêmes. La liste est
longue, qui fait défiler les noms d’artistes un jour confrontés aux sourdes oreilles ou
aux sceptiques monomaniaques de la rentabilité, mais assez sûrs de leur fait pour décider
enfin de tirer un trait sur les intermédiaires d’un business établi. Conséquence naturelle, même
si l’exercice de la gérance est souvent difficile, les concessions artistiques faites jadis
disparaissent de concert, les gestes retrouvent un peu de leur autonomie. Et de la nécessité
émerge par enchantement un atout, qui jouera en faveur d’intérêts multiples : musical, bien sûr
; philosophique, aussi ; politique, parfois.

En 1976, le percussionniste italien Andrea Centazzo choisit d’avoir accès à ce champ des
possibles. Sur le modèle des moins résignés et des plus audacieux des jazzmen américains de
l’époque, et comme certains de ses pairs européens oeuvrant en faveur de l’improvisation, il
décide de se charger lui-même de la diffusion de sa musique. En compagnie de Carla Luigi, sa
femme, Centazzo met sur pied Ictus, premier label italien consacré à la musique improvisée,
dont le catalogue est inauguré par Clangs, enregistrement d’un concert donné avec Steve Lacy.
Dès lors, Centazzo multipliera les collaborations précieuses avec quelques-unes des plus
importantes figures de la scène improvisée, qu’elle soit européenne ou américaine. Jusqu’en
1984 ; cette année-là - comme s’il fallait une preuve de plus que le public ne poursuit pas
toujours de ses assiduités la qualité faite œuvres, et les lois économiques régissant à Rome
comme à Wall Street les activités même honnêtes -, Centazzo ne pourra faire autrement que de
mettre un terme aux ambitions de son label. Qui auront tout de même permis, le long de 8
années, un grand nombre de rencontres musicales exigeantes - parfois même radicales - et
d’enregistrements distingués.

Entre 1995 et 2001, 12 d’entre eux ont pu être réédités, élus parmi l’ensemble, passant, pour
permettre qu’on ne les oublie pas, du statut de vinyle à celui de CD. Or, s’il n’existe plus
d’amateur assez exigeant pour n’être comblé que lorsqu’il peut tout embrasser, d’aucun
aurait pu regretter que la sélection faite s’attache plus à éclairer la présence des musiciens
incontournables que l’on y trouvait que la somme de travail considérable abattue par Andrea
Centazzo au profit du projet global qu’était son label. Pour cela, il aura fallu attendre l’heure
d’une célébration particulière, celle du trentième anniversaire de la création d’Ictus. 2006,
donc. Cette fois, c’est à une autre introduction au label que nous convient Andrea Centazzo et
le producteur Cezary Lerski. Présentée sous un angle plus historique, animée par le désir que
rien ne lui échappe, celle-ci fait figure de condensé irréprochable – en 12 disques tout de
même - d’une collection complète. D’essentiel, voire, Centazzo ayant lui-même décidé de la
forme à attribuer au programme d’un mémento fait célébration.

Ainsi, le parcours débute comme tout a commencé : avec Clangs. Si le disque immortalisait un
concert donné en février 1976 par le duo Andrea Centazzo / Steve Lacy, il était, plus encore,
l'origine de tout : de l'existence d'Ictus comme de l'évidence, pour le percussionniste italien,
d'avoir son mot à dire en musique. Mais pas de précipitation pour autant. En effet, l'écoute de
Clangs semble d'abord nous révéler les doutes légers d'un Centazzo qui chercherait les raisons
à son refus poli de ne pas laisser Lacy à un exercice qu'il apprécie pourtant, l'enregistrement
en solo. Et puis, oubliant les hésitations charmantes, le voici qui range ses interrogations au
moyen naturel de ses interventions, soulignant ici à merveille l'envolée du soprano, ou
participant auprès du maître à l'élaboration d'un blues moderne et grinçant sur "The New
Moon". Transmettant à son partenaire ce qu'il avait reçu de Monk, Lacy dévoile à Centazzo la
méthode première à appliquer en concert : "Lift The Bandstand", ou se laisser emporter.

Par la suite, les deux hommes mettront en musique leurs retrouvailles, qui donneront lieu à
presque autant d'enregistrements pris en charge par Ictus : In Concert, album sur lequel
Centazzo et le contrebassiste Kent Carter offrent au saxophoniste l'appui irréprochable d'une
section rythmique engageante, sur "Stalks" ou "Feline", notamment ; Tao, sur lequel on
retrouve le duo le long d'extraits choisis de concerts organisés en 1976 et 1984. Et Centazzo
de révéler devant Lacy la couleur particulière sur laquelle il aura, entre temps, mis la main, au
son des résonances des percussions de "Tao #4", morceau qui prend acte de la transformation
de l'inédit en véritable identité.

Ne restait plus à Andrea Centazzo qu'à partager un savoir-faire dès lors incontestable. Sur le
champ improvisé, le percussionniste s'engouffre en compagnie du Rova Saxophone Quartet, et
démontre avec The Bay d'autres prédispositions encore : celles de leader, et de styliste
fantasque. Quand "Trobar Clus" expose une musique contemporaine tranchante, "O ce biel
cisciel da udin" transforme un pseudo-folklore décomplexé en free jubilatoire. C'est l'avantage
de l'improvisation, qui ne peut se satisfaire longtemps de prendre l'apparence d'un seul et
unique genre, et préfère se plier aux règles de l'exercice de style ou, encore mieux, à celles de
la perte de références. Jeu que Centazzo apprécie plus que tout autre, pas effrayé de se frotter
ici ou là à l'expérimentation la plus radicale.

Sur The New York Tapes, par exemple, où, en pleine ère No Wave, il décide d'enregistrer en
sextette des pièces d'un bruitisme différent et faste. Se glissant dans l'amas des fulgurances
collectives, les solos introspectifs de Polly Bradfield, Eugene Chadbourne, Tom Cora,
Toshinori Kondo ou John Zorn instiguent sous les coups de leur visiteur une propagande de
l'intuition, inflexible et frondeuse. Un peu plus tard, entre 1978 et 1980, Centazzo retrouvera
certains de ces musiciens au sein de formations plus réduites. Aux Etats-Unis, toujours, où il
multipliera les enregistrements en duos et trios, dont The US Concerts propose un panorama
superbe. Aux côtés de Cora, Chadbourne et Kondo, mais aussi en compagnie de Vinny Golia,
John Carter ou Ladonna Smith, il confectionne des improvisations sensibles qui, si elles
versent dans l'expérimentation, ne l'empêchent pas de glisser ici ou là un peu de la subtilité des
percussions japonaises qui accompagnent le déroulement d'une représentation de kabuki.
Passeur éclairé, Centazzo n'est rien moins que le maître d'oeuvre d'une rencontre entre deux
mondes qui n'ont pas besoin de traités écrits pour s'entendre.

Comme l'Italien n'a pas besoin de terres lointaines pour rêver à de nouveaux échanges.
D'autres voyages, plus courts, feront l'affaire, autant que l'accueil chaleureux qu'il réservera à la
fine fleur des improvisateurs européens de passage en Italie. Le prouvent deux ouvrages
enregistrés en 1977 : Drops, sur lequel le percussionniste donne de la rondeur aux impulsions
de Derek Bailey sur "Drop One", ou instaure avec le guitariste un dialogue d'une élégance rare
le temps d' "How Long This Has Been Going On" ; In Real Time, le long duquel le trio qu'il
forme avec le pianiste Alvin Curran et le saxophoniste Evan Parker part, acharné, à la
recherche de la phrase juste sur "In Real Time #1" ou, au contraire, prend ses aises sur la
progression aérienne et envoûtante qu'est "In Real Time #5".

Venant compléter un aperçu déjà fécond des collaborations efficaces, Thirty Years from
Monday et Rebels, Travellers & Improvisers font figures de florilèges conclusifs. Sur le
premier disque, Alvin Curran, Carlos Zingaro, Lol Coxhill et Gianluigi Trovesi prennent place
l'un à la suite de l'autre près de Centazzo, pour une série de duos enregistrés en 1977 et 1983,
qui mettent au jour un monde de métal réverbéré, planant et bientôt poussé, sur "Mantric
Improvisation", jusqu'à la vision poétique insaisissable. Soit, un résultat assez proche de celui
de Rebels, Travellers & Improvisers, autre témoin des mêmes années, qui compile les preuves
d'une façon d'improviser dirigée sur la voie d'une musique contemporaine désaxée. Défendue
en sextette - où prennent place Evan Parker et Lester Bowie - aussi bien qu'en trio, avec Lol
Coxhill et le trompettiste Franz Koglmann.

Ainsi, Andrea Centazzo nous permet de constater une nouvelle fois que les frontières sont
minces qui délimitent le jazz, les musiques improvisées et contemporaine. Et l'expérimentation
ingénue ayant déjà montré qu'elle pouvait sans faillir briguer la respectabilité accordée
généralement à l'érudition démonstratrice, de trouver grâce à lui de nouveaux exemples. Parmi
ceux-là, les enregistrements réalisés entre 1980 et 1983 rassemblés sous le nom de Doctor
Faustus. Sur ce disque, le Mitteleuropa Orchestra - formation à géométrie variable qui a vu
défiler Enrico Rava, Albert mangelsdorf ou Gianluigi Trovesi - dessine 7 interprétations
monumentales, sphère musicale sereine capable de virer soudain à la valse déstructurée ("Lost
in the Mist") ou progression lente arrêtée de temps à autre par quelques schémas intrusifs
tenant de l'électron libre ("Doctor Faustus"). Aux commandes, à chaque fois, un Centazzo
aussi habile que Barry Guy lorsqu'il mène ses grands ensembles. Et le parallèle ne s'arrête pas
là : à l'image du contrebassiste, la ténacité anime le percussionniste, qui remettait encore en
2005 ses prétentions sur le métier. En trio, cette fois, aux côtés du pianiste Anthony Coleman
et du guitariste Marco Cappelli, pour trois nouvelles improvisations confectionnées en
alambics. Présentées sur Back to the Future, en introduction à cinq autres enregistrements
réalisés 25 années auparavant avec Davey Williams et Ladonna Smith. Façon judicieuse de
boucler la boucle de cette rétrospective, de rapprocher le passé d'un présent consacré à la
célébration d'un anniversaire, et d'inviter l'avenir à ne pas en rester là.

Au siècle dernier, le poète André Suarès écrivait : « Il en est de l’Italie légendaire comme des
palais toscans : chargés de six ou sept cents ans, ils demeurent ; mais où sont les architectes
qui les conçurent, et les maçons qui les bâtirent ? où, les princes, sobres et forts, dignes d’y
vivre ? » Ictus n'a pas encore atteint l'âge de ces palais-là ; mais il en est un autre, plus jeune, et
d'une forme artistique différente. Grâce aux 12 disques choisis du coffret Ictus Records'30th
Anniversary Collection, Andrea Centazzo et Cezary Lerski nous en ouvrent les portes, pour
que nous ne puissions plus rien ignorer de ses fondations, et que ne nous abandonne jamais
les noms de son architecte, de son maçon, et des princes nomades qui y trouvèrent refuge.

© Guillaume Grisli Belhomme, musician (gypsophile), auteur (infratunes.com)

© 2006 All Rights Reserved ICTUS Records

2006, ICTUS RECORDS' 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION.
SKU: ICTUS141. (12 CDs).

STREET DATE: April 2006

$129.99
PRE-ORDER IT NOW FOR $99.99 ONLY WITH SHIPPING INCLUDED
(offer good until March 31, 2006) to receive this special discount all orders must be prepaid

This beautifully realized set includes 12 separate CDs, housed together in one-of-its-kind
unique box. Comprehensivebooklet with many personal insights by ICTUS creator, rare
pictures and essays from critically acclaimed critics complement the whole set.
$129.99 price includes shipping via media mail (7-10 days) and insurance for customers
within the United States.
Expedited shipping is available for additional $10.00

$149.00 price for all international (outside of the United States) orders
2006, INTRODUCTION TO ICTUS RECORDS' 30TH ANNIVERSARY
SKU: ICTUS 141. (CD)

Comprehensive selection from the creative music event of 2006 featuring Steve Lacy, Derek
Bailey, Kent Carter, Anthony Coleman, John Zorn Kent Carter, Alvin Curran, Evan Parker,
Rova Saxophone Quartet, John Carter, John Fisher, Vinnie Golia, Tom Corra, Toshinori
Kondo, Jack Wright, Ladonna Smith, Davey Williams, Eugene Chadbourne, Franz Koglmann,
Gregg Goodman, Polly Bradfield, Radu Malfatti, Albert Mangelsdorf, Mitteleuropa Orchestra,
Carlos Zingaro, Lol Coxhill, Martin Joseph, Melvin Poore, Gianluigi Trovesi, Marco Cappelli,
Teo Jorgesmann, Lester Bowie, Tony Oxley and Andrea Centazzo.
2006, SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE, QUINTESSENCE,
Emanem 4217, CD, UK (re-issued)

John Stevens : percussion, cornet

Evan Parker : soprano saxophone
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar
Kent Carter : cello

A1 - FORTY MINUTES (part 1) 19:32

A2 - FORTY MINUTES (part 2) 20:39
A3 - THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES (part 1) 25:42
A4 - THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES (part 2) 08:56
B1 - TEN MINUTES - 10:07

John Stevens : percussion, voice

Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone
Kent Carter : double bass

B2 - RAMBUNCTIOUS 1 18:36
B3 - RAMBUNCTIOUS 2 04:47
B4 - DAA-OOM trio version 05:05
John Stevens : percussion, voice
Trevor Watts : soprano saxophone

B5 - CORSOP 11:08
B6 - DAA-OOM duo version 10:19

All analogue concert recordings made in London by MARTIN DAVIDSON :

A1 - B1: ICA Theatre - 1974 FEBRUARY 3

B2 - B4: Little Theatre Club - 1973 OCTOBER 18
B5 - B6: Little Theatre Club 1973 OCTOBER 11

Total time 135:35

A1 - A2 originally issued in 1986 as Emanem LP 3401 - reissued in 1997 on Emanem 4015

A3 - B1 originally issued in 1986 as Emanem LP 3402 - reissued in 1997 on Emanem 4016
B2 - B4 originally issued in 1997 on Emanem 4015
B5 - B6 originally issued in 1997 on Emanem 4016

Excerpts from sleeve notes:

T he eight-five minutes of totally improvised music produced at the 1974 ICA concert
are so cohesive that it sounds as if this quintet had worked together for some
considerable time. However, apart from a brief sound check earlier that day, this was
the only occasion that these five musicians performed together. Derek Bailey, Evan Parker),
John Stevens) and Trevor Watts had been part of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble for a few
months in 1967 [heard on WITHDRAWAL - Emanem 4020], which performed a
transitional music that had departed from Free Jazz.

What became the SME type of Free Improvisation arose later that year when the group had
reduced to the duo of Stevens and Parker [SUMMER 1967 - Emanem 4005]. After a
personnel change in 1968, Stevens and Watts became the nucleus of the SME until 1976. In
the meantime, Bailey and Parker often performed together in various settings, and Bailey sat
in with the SME from time to time.

Kent Carter, on the other hand, first visited Britain in mid-1973 as a member of a special
Steve Lacy Quintet that also included Bailey, Stevens and Steve Potts [SAXOPHONE
SPECIAL + - Emanem 4024]. He also played with Watts and Stevens in a very different,
short-lived Free Jazz quartet led by Bobby Bradford [LOVE'S DREAM - Emanem 4096].
Although he came from a different background, Carter fitted in with the SME very well.
Another indication of his breadth came later in 1974 when he recorded his first collection of
solos and multi-tracks [BEAUVAIS CATHEDRAL - Emanem 4061]. For most of 1973, the
duo SME performances of Stevens and Watts were very austere, concentrating on
performances of the hyper-minimalist piece FLOWER. This piece was performed on
October 11, and can be heard on FRAMEWORKS (Emanem 4134). The two duo pieces that
preceded it that evening, reveal other aspects of their repertoire. CORSOP may well be a
version of LACE, Stevens' piece inspired by Steve Lacy's sucking sounds. Note the section
exploring the threshold of audibility - an area that became fashionable some two decades
later. (Other musicians such as Paul Rutherford were also then exploring such quiet and
tranquil areas.)

DAA-OOM, is a loose composition inspired by the music of both the central African
pygmies and Albert Ayler. This was designed to be performed by a trio, as happened a few
days later. Even decades later, the rawness of these pieces is still somewhat startling. When
firstissued, a famous musician described Stevens' vocal work as 'virtuosic', whereas an
infamous writer called it 'ghastly'. In the months prior to the quintet concert, there had been
several trio performances at the Little Theatre Club. Bailey joined the Stevens/Watts duo
there on at least four occasions [DYNAMICS OF THE IMPROMTU - Entropy 004]. There
was a trio session with Parker (which does not seem to have survived on tape) following on
from his participation in an Amalgam session, which was just about the first time that he had
worked with Stevens for several years.

The results of an informal trio session on one of Carter’s visits to London are heard here.
Three pieces were performed. The first, RAMBUNCTIOUS 1, is heard in its entirety - it is
perhaps the closest thing to Jazz on these two CDs. The second, RAMBUNCTIOUS 2, was
similar but less successful, so only the ending is included here. The third was based on
Stevens' loose composition DAA-OOM, which takes its name from the bass part (missing in
the earlier duo performance). The performance ran out of steam after about five minutes, so
only the opening is heard. (When this session was first released, a reviewer wrote that this
trio comprised Bailey, Carter & Stevens, and even went so far to compare it with that trio's
later record!)

In the eighty-five minute ICA concert, all five musicians managed to both sound like
themselves and sound like a group - a paradox that all good improvisers solve by listening to
what the others are playing, and responding accordingly. This music is not an example of
everyone going all out for themselves regardless of everyone else. When John Stevens put
this quintet together, he had envisioned that Derek Bailey would play acoustic guitar and
Kent Carter cello. This instrumentation never happened in practice, since Bailey only used
his unamplified '19-string (approx)' guitar during the second quarter of THIRTY-FIVE
MINUTES whilst Carter was playing double bass, which he did for the first half of that
piece. For the rest of the concert, Bailey used his 6-string guitar with two-pedalcontrolled
stereo amplification, and Carter played cello.

John Stevens' percussion kit comprised small cymbals and small drums with some bells and
woodblocks. Both Evan Parker (heard on the left) and Trevor Watts (on the right) just(!)
played soprano saxophones.
The first half of the concert consisted of one improvisation, FORTY MINUTES, which is
included in full. The second half consisted of two improvisations, which are presented in the
order performed. THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES has been edited very slightly in order to
remove two brief moments of untogetherness - the total amount excised being less than one
minute (the same as on prior releases). TEN MINUTES is complete as performed.

Even after listening to this music many times, it is still full of many surprises - very pleasant
surprises, that is. However, the unexpected is what one expects when one puts five seasoned
and original improvisers together. Certainly, anyone who likes all music to be completely
predictable will get very little satisfaction here.

A few weeks after this concert, there was an unrecorded quartet session - Carter having by
then returned to France. (There was also a trio performance by Bailey, Carter and Stevens at
the Unity Theatre sometime that year, but it seems to have been forgotten since it was both
untogether and unrecorded.) Some two years later, the SME underwent a drastic change in
personnel, so that none of the musicians heard here were group members any more, apart
from John Stevens.

Martin Davidson (1986, 1996, 2006)

O ne of the most beautiful EMANEM CD's ever!! Fantastic music, incredible

clear and finely detailed quality recording work and beautiful presentation. It's
a perfect product!! A quintessence!

KRIS VANDERSTRAETEN - private email 2007

N ever was an album so aptly named. Recorded on February 3rd 1974 at

London's ICA, these 85 minutes of music created by John Stevens
(percussion, cornet), Derek Bailey (guitars), Kent Carter (cello and bass)
and soprano saxophonists Evan Parker and Trevor Watts stand as one of the greatest,
perhaps the greatest, documents of free improvisation, full stop, period. Some might
marvel that this was the first time all five men had actually played together, though
considering that they'd already worked with each other in various combinations for
several years, the extraordinary near-telepathic interplay between them and the quality
of the music it helped create should come as no surprise. In improv, sometimes it
happens, sometimes it doesn't. Most of the time it's better when it is happening, but
even if it isn't it can be fun; mistakes, wrong turns down blind alleys, slight
misunderstandings or even cussed bloody-mindedness can lead to some great music,
and improvisers as different as Misha Mengelberg and Jack Wright have created a
lifetime's worth of fine music by thriving on such tension. Others prefer to nurture
longlasting relationships, Evan Parker being the most obvious example - his trio with
Barry Guy and Paul Lytton has been around for about a quarter of a century, and the
Schlippenbach Trio with Alex von Schlippenbach and Paul Lovens a decade longer
than that. But however one choose to plan out one's career, or whoever one chooses to
play with, it all boils down to the same thing: improv is created in the moment, and in
QUINTESSENCE there is, as the old cliché goes, never a dull moment. Never.

I could make quite a long list of such moments and attempt to draw your attention to
what's going on in each of them ('check out Bailey and Carter at 16:45 in Forty
Minutes (part 1) etc.) but what would be the point? You know how to listen, for
Chrissakes. Or least you should do by now - if not what are you doing with this album
in your CD player? But if by chance you don't, or you're coming to free improvisation
for the very first time, these gentlemen will show you how to listen. And you'll listen
hard - give this music the attention it deserves and you'll be as exhausted and
exhilarated after it's over as these guys must have been that memorable night 33 years
ago.

Davidson originally released QUINTESSENCE as two LPs in 1986, and again on CD in

1997. With his typical concern for filling up the compact disc with as music as can
comfortably contain (there's so much information on an Emanem disc you often think it
might spontaneously combust), this double CD package also includes performances
from the Little Theatre Club in October 1973 - three trio tracks featuring Stevens,
Watts and Carter (on double bass this time) and a couple of gems by the Stevens /
Watts duo, including the amazing Corsop, whose explorations of tiny twitters and
tweets often at the threshold of audibility seem to point forward to the lowercase
improv that became à la mode over two decades later (drop the needle near the end and
you could swear it's nmperign). The trio version of the raw, Ayler-inspired Daa-Oom
(Stevens' wild yodels were described variously as 'ghastly' and 'virtuosic' - you decide
which adjective best applies) apparently 'ran out of steam' after five minutes, but it's a
hell of a five minutes, and makes for a fine comparison with the ten-minute duo version
that rounds off the disc.

This is real Desert Island Discs stuff, and I'm left wondering why it didn't make it to the
awfully self-indulgent Top 40 I compiled for these pages nearly four years ago. Remind
me to put that situation right for 2013's Top 50. Meanwhile, I could quite happily listen
to these two discs for the next six years, secure in the knowledge that I'll be as surprised
and moved by the thrilling music they contain at each subsequent listen. Make sure you
are too: if you missed out on the earlier releases of QUINTESSENCE, please don't miss
out on this.

Dan Waburton - Paris Transatlantic, 2007

A fter releasing this music on two LPs and then on two CDs, Emanem now re-
release it on a double CD. In the process, the performances are put into a more
sensible order. The vast bulk of their 1974 ICA concert (seventy-five out of the
eight-five minutes) is now together on one CD. This concert featured the 'superstar'
line-up of John Stevens, Evan Parker, Trevor Watts, Derek Bailey and Kent Carter, not
the usual SME line up of the time. Forty Minutes is frequently cited as one of the best
free improvised group performances ever, and it is not difficult to hear the reason. Each
of the five players is instantly recognizable and distinguishable from the others, and
each is playing near the top of his form. However, the level of group empathy and
interaction is such that one could imagine it was the product of long periods of
rehearsal. Extraordinarily, this was the only time that the five ever played together.
Stevens' drums are placed right in the centre of the stereo mix, making everything else
seem to revolve around him. But this is not true musically. While some of his devices
are in evidence - for instance, there is an obvious 'sustained piece' towards the end of
the track - this comes across as a group without an obvious leader, a group of five
equals. The remainder of the concert, Thirty Five Minutes and Ten Minutes,
maintains the same high standard, making the entirety a very stimulating experience,
one that has stood the test of time and continues to deliver.

The album is completed by duo and trio pieces recorded at the Little Theatre Club in
October 1973. While these do not reach the heights of the ICA concert, they are far
more than fillers. Rambunctious 1, by Stevens, Watts and Carter, successfully spans
the jazz-improv border. The bass and drums retain the status of equal partners in the
trio, whilst the saxophone constructs passages more like conventional solos. The track
has an appealing intimacy, as a mike occasionally picks up throwaway comments of
appreciation and shouts of enthusiasm (possibly made by Stevens).

Daa-Oom (in both duo and trio versions) sets Stevens' yodelling and yelling voice
against Watts' soprano sax, with each mirroring the other and occasionally attempting
to outdo each other both in volume and coarseness of tone. Corsop features a similar
duo, this time for cornet and saxophone. It also contains a contrasting section with
playing at barely audible levels.

For those who already own this music, the repackaged and reformatted version
represents a distinct improvement. For those who don't this is a welcome opportunity to
experience the music for the first time.

John Eyles - All About Jazz, 2007

Q UINTESSENCE compiles three dates from 1973 and 1974, most importantly an
85-minute quintet gig from the ICA Theatre by one of the finest SME lineups:
aside from John Stevens (playing cornet as well as drums), there's the
extraordinary pairing of Trevor Watts and Evan Parker on soprano saxophones, as well
as Derek Bailey on guitar and the visiting American cellist/bassist Kent Carter. Though
the music is so eventful it's like watching an agitated cloud of tiny insects, it is never
haphazard: cup your hands and momentarily trap one of the creatures flying about, and
you'll discover a perfectly formed micro-melody. Stevens's typically dry, barebones
drum kit yields an extraordinarily rich and controlled range of sounds, from delicate
taps to lopsided hi-hat gnashings. Parker and Watts fashion countless throwaway Lacy
melodies from a reduced palette of chirps and twitters, while Bailey and Carter add
slower, richer brushstrokes behind them. The other two sessions on the set – a
Watts/Stevens duo and a trio with Carter - are well worth hearing but less achieved; the
quintet gig, though, is one for the ages.!
Nate Dorward – Coda, 2007

I still remember picking up SME's EIGHTY-FIVE MINUTES on LP almost 20 years

ago. The intense, prickly interaction of Stevens, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Trevor
Watts, and Kent Carter was revelatory. Like The Music Improvisation Company on
ECM and Parker, Bailey, and Han Bennink's TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LUNGS, here
was an approach to improvisation that posited a new vocabulary; a new way of group
playing. While this had been available on CD at one point, QUINTESSENCEreissues
the two LPs in their entirety, placing the two long improvisations on one CD and the
shorter 10-minute coda on a second CD. By the early '70s, SME fluctuated between
mid-sized groups and more austere settings, often with just Stevens and Watts. These
two sets bring Bailey and Parker back in to the fold, adding bassist Kent Carter, who'd
visited London several times in the mid-'70s. Here are five masters pushing each other
while ever mindful of the collective aspect of the ensemble. While there are many areas
of full-on intensity, one is struck with the open sound of the group and the constantly
shifting dynamic planes of the music. The reissue is filled out with two sets from 1973,
a trio with Stevens, Watts, and Carter, and a Stevens, Watts duet. The trio setting
results are a bit uneven. Never one to skimp on filling out his CDs, Davidson includes
two more pieces from a '73 duo set from the Little Theatre. The first piece pairs breathy
blats and pinched microtones from Watts' soprano and Stevens' cornet. The final piece
with shredded raw reed preying against Stevens' ululating vocals makes for unnerving
listening. Even if the second disc isn't essential, it's great to have the quintet music back
in print.

Michael Rosenstein - Signal To Noise 2007

Q UINTESSENCE is a consistent collection, containing what many define as one

of the best documents ever of improvised music - the 1974 concert at the ICA
theatre by John Stevens, Evan Parker, Trevor Watts, Derek Bailey and Kent
Carter - plus a clutch of interesting material that, in typical fashion, range from the
viscerally absorbing to the almost irritating, always stimulating a reaction from the
listeners who can't possibly remain in standstill mode when fronting this kind of
impromptu expression. The ICA performance is alone worth of the whole set. The
interaction between reeds and strings is often phenomenal, the ability of the players to
maintain single-minded lucidity amidst ruptures, outbursts and yells totally impressive.
In the most 'regulated' sections the quintet reaches Webernesque concentrated
fragmentariness while maintaining a stunning cohesion throughout, Stevens hitting at
the different parts of his instrument with elegant informality and genuine recklessness,
Carter and Bailey pummelling, tickling and caressing the wood and the metal, Parker
and Watts in reciprocal recognition, constant imitation, total abandon. Conjuring up
words for music so dramatically intense is difficult to the level of pointlessness; a
classic case of 'let the sounds do the talking'. The second disc presents chronicles from
the trio (same personnel minus Bailey and Parker) and the duo (Stevens and Watts).
This is unmistakably a wholly dissimilar proposition, at times slightly weaker but still
comprising passages that clock-punching musicians can only hope to play once or twice
in a lifetime while, for artists of this calibre, this is just another beer at the pub. Stevens
uses vocalisations - very much in a shaman-like approach - in the two versions of Daa-
Oom, his interaction with Watts an acrid symbolism of earthly energies, and in
Rambunctious 1; be warned that if this sort of concoction is an unusual presence in
your life, patience could be seriously tested. But a piece like the above mentioned
Rambunctious 1 features levels of interplay that most jazzbos will dream of, a fierce
autonomy tasted with every morsel. As for other SME releases on Emanem, an
obligatory stop for those who are serious in studying the laws of free playing."

Massimo Ricci - Touching Extremes, 2007

REMEMBERING DEREK BAILEY
By Henry Kaiser in Guitar Player Magazine, April 2006

On Christmas day, 2005 Derek Bailey died in his hometown of London, England. He was 75
years old. Known as the father of free improvisation, he was one of the most creative guitarists
ever, in terms of both his music and the innovative new techniques that he brought to the
instrument. Free improvisation (conceptually something like “making it up as you go
along”), was a musical approach that arose in the English and European jazz communities
shortly after the birth of Free Jazz in America in the early ’60s.

Responding to the rigors and demands of creating spontaneous music, Bailey developed a
new guitar language and extended techniques for playing the instrument. Perhaps most
obvious was his total command of harmonics. Bailey charted all of the harmonics, over and in-
between all of the guitar’s frets, and combined them with fretted notes and open strings to
create complex voicings that western musical theory does not have names for. He also strung
together lightning fast runs, combining harmonics, open strings, and fretted notes into
arrangements of previously undiscovered tonality.

Bailey also mastered the use of the volume pedal. Not content with simple swells, fade-ins,
and fade-outs, he could produce a dozen different dynamic levels with a single plectrum
stroke, as well as producing extreme dynamic changes within rapid sequences of
notes—effects unlike anything heard on the guitar before.

Bailey began as a jazz, show band, and studio musician in the ’50s, and was said to sound a
bit like Jim Hall. On a recent recording,

Ballads: Derek Bailey, he plays jazz standards employing his unique style. Bailey was a
master of space and silence, and you can hear how the tradition quickly warps beyond any
other jazz player’s imagination in the space of a few notes, as well as the spaces between the
notes.

Bailey was also a master of musical interaction, and appeared on hundreds of recordings. A
few of his more notorious collaborators include Anthony Braxton, Pat Metheny, Tony
Williams, Bill Laswell, Buckethead, Cecil Taylor, Paul Motian, John Zorn, Eugene
Chadbourne, Steve Lacy, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Evan Parker, John Stevens, and Fred
Frith. Many fine recordings on the Incus label documented the birth and growth of the
English free improvisation scene, as well as Bailey’s development as a guitarist.

From the recordings currently in print and available in the USA, the best for the uninitiated to
explore Bailey’s music are Aida, Improvisation, Arch Duo, Mirakle, and Lace. Ironically the
last recording released in his lifetime, Carpal Tunnel, documented what was thought to be a
bout with carpal tunnel syndrome, and Bailey’s forced discarding of the plectrum and initial
explorations of playing purely fingerstyle. Sadly, the carpal tunnel syndrome turned out to be
a misdiagnosis of motor neuron disease, the complications of which resulted in his death.

You can read some of the stories of free improvisation’s history in Bailey’s excellent book
Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music. And although a Bailey biography by Ben
Watson, Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation, is generally reviewed as a work of
poor and incomplete scholarship, it’s invaluable for its numerous quotations and interviews
with the man himself—a restless explorer who never quit asking questions and working on
his technique and music.
../mediateletipos))) / Oro Molido, nº 16 http://www.mediateletipos.net/archives/2131

Oro Molido, nº 16

Oro Molido, nº 16

info

El número 16 del fanzine tiene marcado contenido baileyiano…. Derek Bailey se nos fue de este mundo en
las primeras horas del 25 de diciembre pasado.
¿Qué aficionado a la música improvisada no es sensible a los sonidos de la guitarra de D B? ¿Quién,
interesado en la improvisación libre, artistas y especialistas de toda índole, no ha recurrido alguna vez
para consultar, citar o rebatir los análisis y pensamientos del músico puestos por escrito en las páginas
de su libro Improvisation. Its nature and practice in music? ¿Alguien que conozca la trayectoria de D B
duda de su legado e influencia?
Siempre hemos visto de obligada necesidad que el debate sea permanente en / por los sectores
implicados que reclaman una música viva, que exista una capacidad de reacción en la escucha, una
respuesta coherente en la discusión, una sólida carrera en los argumentos sonoros. Estas son / fueron
ideas muy claras para Derek Bailey.
Nuestra misión en ORO MOLIDO es escribir en 80 páginas, cada 4 meses, aquello que consideramos
importante para los lectores. La noticia del fallecimiento, que supimos casi de inmediato gracias a
Francesc, hizo que diferentes secciones habituales del fanzine, junto a colaboraciones, fotos y contenidos
ya previstos, hubiera que retirarlas o quedaran, finalmente, en un segundo plano. Notificamos el deceso a
colaboradores y amigos, músicos que tocaron o no con DB. Este primer correo, tan incrédulo todavía hoy,
fue respondido rápidamente. Los testimonios quedan recogidos según fueron llegando, aquí, hasta
completar varias páginas y horas antes de cerrar el número.
También gran parte del contenido de este número viene determinado por dos excelentes artículos de
debate, muy en consonancia con rasgos de identificación en la música de improvisación libre actual.
Ambos han sido publicados recientemente en la revista francesa Improjazz: al primero,
Sub-reduccionismo y cismas consanguíneos, firmado por el músico australiano Jim Denley, le sigue el
artículo de respuesta Querido Jim, escrito por el músico y crítico belga Jean Michel van Schouwburg. Este
último texto contiene una parte final, añadida e inédita, acerca, precisamente, del libro de Derek Bailey.
Para finalizar, ORO MOLIDO nº 16 ofrece la entrevista exclusiva realizada a Mattin, a finales del pasado
mes de junio, previo a su primer concierto en Madrid, en la sala Cruce. Además de un mayor
conocimiento de la obra de este joven representante vasco, Mattin amplía este análisis de las tendencias
en las nuevas generaciones y sus principales representantes en la improvisación en los artículos
anteriormente citados.
Otra de los objetivos claros del fanzine es dar a conocer campos creativos en la música. Nuestro
colaborador Juan Carlos Pérez Dávila nos envió dos entrevistas con artistas a quienes conoce muy bien en
su obra: Andrew Poppy y James Wood, tan singulares y sensibles como sus trayectorias en el campo
compositivo.

1 sur 3 16/08/08 17:08

2006, DOMO ARIGATO DEREK-SENSEI!, Balance Point Acoustics 202
(CD)

This is stunning heartfelt tribute to Derek Bailey, the grand-daddy of freely improvised guitar
music who passed away on Christmas day of last year. Henry Kaiser, who was greatly
influenced, as well as a friend and collaborator with Mr. Bailey, performs solos, duets and
trios with the following :

Derek Bailey : guitar

Toshinori Kondo : trumpet
Sang-Won Park : chango
Davey Williams : guitar
Motoharu Yoshizawa : contrabass
Larry Ochs : soprano sax
Greg Goodman : piano
Andrea Centazzo : percussion
Damon Smith : bass
Mototeru Takagi : tenor sax
Henry Kuntz : tenor sax
Kiku Day : shakahachi
Charles K Noyes : percussion

H enry fills this long disc with some 15 tracks challenging improvisations. Henry also
speaks about Derek as he performs on a few tracks, something that Derek often did
instead of writing letters to friends. Henry also explains and demonstrates some of
the techniques to Derek helped invent. What I dig most about this extraordinary disc is that
the spirit and influence of Derek Bailey flows through this entire, wonderfully organized
collection of music from folks who owe a debt to this marvelous and sorely missed innovator.

BLG

"A t least Henry Kaiser's honest: if it hadn't been for Derek Bailey he probably
wouldn't have picked up a guitar in the first place. ("Would you have become a
scuba diver instead?" wonders Damon Smith.) So there are few people better
placed to curate a Bailey tribute album than Kaiser, especially since, just glancing at the photos
in the digipak interior, it looks as if he's got every record the man ever made, including of
course his (Kaiser's) own duet outing with Bailey, the splendid Wireforks (1993, Shanachie).
[...] Wait a sec, how come Derek Bailey gets to play on his own tribute album? Easy - because
his track was recorded in 1993. In fact, as you've probably guessed while casting your eye
through the list of featured musicians, many of whose names come as something of a blast
from the past (Centazzo, Noyes..), the pieces on offer span Kaiser's entire recording career,
from 1978 - the duos with Kondo and Centazzo - to this year's duo with Smith and
"Metalanguage Trio" with Goodman and Ochs. As well as doing a pretty nifty Bailey
imitation when he wants to, Kaiser has also adopted the late guitarist's habit of telling a story
while he plays, so that the album is as much a spoken tribute to Bailey as a musical one. For
the most part the spoken bits are of the order of fan mail ("So what does Derek Bailey mean
to you? What do you get from him?" he asks Smith), and Kaiser can't resist having a go at the
Ben Watson biography (though he recommends people read it nonetheless), but the music is
what matters most. There's some fabulous playing here, most notably of course by Kaiser,
who despite being a self-professed Baileyphile has always cultivated his own idiosyncratic
approach to the instrument. A fresh and touching act of homage to a great musician."

Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic

2006, DEREK : LIVE AT TONIC, Amulet 023, (USA) (CD)

Derek Bailey : guitar

Cyro Baptista : percussion, vocals

Blessed by one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of the twentieth century.
Special packaging; limited edition series.

S naking through unknown musical landscapes, discovering paths and creating new
dialects along the way, these two masters have a connection unparalleled in the new
avant-garde world, and they celebrated it for the last time at legendary New York
performance space Tonic. Twenty-one years ago, Derek Bailey asked Cyro Baptista to record
an improvised duet session and soon after released Cyro–one of Bailey’s first titles on his
own independent Incus label.Three years ago, Bailey and Baptista had a reunion concert at
NYC club Tonic to celebrate their creative musical partnership, and Bailey gave Baptista his
blessing to release this special edition CD on Amulet several months before his untimely
death last year. Derek Bailey is one of the icons of the avant-garde musical community. A
fiercely independent artist, he has influenced many musicians throughout a career that spans
over five decades. He has released hundreds of recordings, many on his own Incus label as
well as on John Zorn’s Tzadik. He has collaborated with Fred Frith, Anthony Braxton, John
Zorn, Cecil Taylor, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Suzie Ibarra, Bill Laswell, Tony Williams, Han
Bennik, and The Ruins. Cyro Baptista has recorded with a wide range of artists including
John Zorn,Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Paul Simon, Cassandra Wilson, and
Trey Anastasio.

“[Cyro Baptista is] the man the stars call when they want that otherworldly flavor in the
mix.”

Time Out New York

“[Derek Bailey] casts a giant shadow over improvised music … being treated with huge
respect and affection by several generations of free improvisers. It is virtually impossible to
imagine what this music would be like without the influence he has exerted over the past
thirty-five years.”

All About Jazz

SATURDAY, MAY 6TH, 8 PM & 10PM

Cyro Baptista and special guests

Cyro Baptista and special guests. Cyro and Billy will pay tribute to the great guitarist
Derek Bailey. Some of illy B's video will be projected as a backdrop to the show
{ Signals : Poetry Magazine } http://www.signalsmagazine.co.uk/3/riley.htm

Derek Bailey's Funeral

Peter Riley was born 1940 The plucked string resounds but the finger no longer plucks it.
near Manchester and now
lives in Cambridge. Author I was in Paris when Derek Bailey died, on Christmas Day 2005.
of some twenty books and
pamphlets of poetry, his A falling away of sound, a hardening, a silence -- the final victory of
Passing Measures, a matter, its return to inertia.
selection of poems
1966-1996, appeared from
Carcanet in 2000. Since In Paris it snowed lightly, a fine powdery snow that was scattered here
then his principal books and there on the ground among all those light-coloured buildings, all that
have been: Alstonefield (a pale stone, white between white, on grey.
long poem) Carcanet 2003,
The Dance at Mociu (a In Barcelona the parakeets squawk in the umbrella pines in the parks,
book of Transylvanian each for as long as it is able and then passes the duty on to another. A
prose sketches) tall thin man of 75 and his younger wife pass beneath the squawking pine
Shearsman 2003, trees regularly, day after day, each time moving more slowly, moving less
Excavations (prose poems)
Reality Street Editions 2004
and less, like a vibrating string no longer renewed.
and A Map of Faring
(Parlor Press, USA) 2005. No recording can deliver us from the new silence, the stiffness of the
The Gig (Toronto) issue 4/5 fingers, the hardening of the arteries, the hand that can no longer grasp a
2000, was devoted to plectrum, the music that can no longer speak.
discussion of his poetry,
with a detailed bibliography.

© Peter Riley 2006

1 sur 1 14/10/07 15:12

3 guitars for DB (derek Bayley) le 26 mai à la Rotonde - Jazz à Paris http://jazzaparis.canalblog.com/archives/2006/05/23/1938844.html

23 mai 2006

3 guitars for DB (derek Bayley) le 26 mai à la Rotonde

Info transmise par la liste du fennec

Rotonde de choc (Grande Salle)

26 mai 2006 à 20 H 30 à l'Espace Jemmapes

3 guitars...for db hommage à Derek Bailey

Roger Smith, Sharif Sehnaoui, Pascal Marzan

(le concert commence à 20 h 45)
photo www.wikipedia.org

Roger Smith sera à Paris pour un concert unique le 26 mai

2006. Ce sera un premier passage en France de ce
musicien trop rare, qui fait de ce concert un événement
absolument unique. Faut-il le rappeler, Smith a fait parti
des toutes premières mouvances d'improvisation libre en
Angleterre à la fin des années 60. Après de brèves études
avec Derek Bailey, Smith rejoint le Spontaneus Music Ensemble au sein duquel il
évoluera 20 ans jusqu'à la mort de John Stevens au milieu des années 90.
Smith, Stevens et Nigel Coombes resteront les trois membres essentiels du
SME.Si Derek Bailey ne lui a pas apporté son amour pour l'improvisation, il l'a
aidé à y mettre de la discipline. Roger Smith pratique ainsi quotidiennement la
guitare acoustique en solo et a atteint une rare maîtrise technique de cet
instrument (une guitare espagnole aux cordes en nylon) tout en gardant toute
l'imprévisibilité de l'improvisation. Ses quatre disques solo sur Emanem en
attestent parfaitement: "Spanish Guitar" (1980/92/97) "Unexpected Turns"
(1993-6) "Extended Plays" (1993-7) et "Green Wood" (2002). Le solo est
aujourd'hui la forme d'expression principale de Smith mais on peut aussi noter
son très beau duo avec le batteur Sud-Africain Louis Moholo-Moholo.
Sharif Sehnaoui se consacre à l’improvisation libre depuis prés de 10 ans,
jouant parallèlement de la guitare électrique ou acoustique. Il partage son
temps entre deux villes, Paris et Beyrouth, où il a largement contribué au
développement de la scène d’improvisation Libanaise en créant l’association
MILL avec Mazen Kerbaj et Christine Sehnaoui en 2000 et en organisant le
festival annuel « Irtijal ». Il s’occupe aussi du label Al Maslakh, seul label
d’improvisation de la région qui documente la scène libanaise. Il a collaboré
entre autre avec des musiciens tel que Stéphane Rives, Michael Zerang, Axel
Dörner, Jean Pallandre, Ingar Zach, Le Quân Ninh, Nikos Veliotis, Wade
Matthews, ou encore le danseur buto Atsushi Takenoushi.

Pascal Marzan vit entre Paris, Budapest et Londres. Après des études de
guitare classique consacrées essentiellement au répertoire du XX ème siècle
puis à l'enseignement de la guitare dans différentes écoles de musique de
Budapest en Hongrie, il se tourne vers la pratique de l'improvisation libre. Ses
collaborations les plus récentes sont les enregistrements en quartet avec Phil
Wachsmann/Teppo Hauta-Aho/Roger Turner, le duo de guitare avec John
Russel, "Prendre le Large" avec Fred Wallich et des concerts avec Steve
Beresford, le Steve Beresford Ensemble " Graffiti Composition " (Christian
Marclay), le London Improvisers Orchestra et le trio avec Benjamin Duboc et
Didier Lasserre (prochainement le 25 mai à l'Olympic Café).
The Stone Calendar http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1

The STONE
artistic director John Zorn

About | Calendar | Support the Stone

May 2006 at the Stone

SCHEDULE 2005 curated by Derek Bailey and Karen Brookman
may

june MEMORIAL FOR DEREK BAILEY

july Derek Bailey loved New York City. He loved playing here and he loved being here. It was his hope to
come back to New York to both curate and play at The Stone for the month of May. Alas, it was not
august
to be. Drawing largely from his original list, Karen Brookman has helped realize his vision. Many of
september the players are travelling great distances to participate in this month long tribute to one of the
october
greatest musicians of the twentieth century—a man who helped change the world through
improvisation. We all miss him.
november

december

SCHEDULE 2006

january
5/2 Tuesday
february 8 pm
march Christian Marclay and John Zorn
april Christian Marclay (turntables) John Zorn (alto sax)
• may •
10 pm
Erik Friedlander and Ikue Mori
Erik Friedlander (cello) Ikue Mori (electronics)

5/3 Wednesday
10 pm
Alan Licht
Alan Licht (guitar)

10 pm
Tim Barnes
Tim Barnes (percussion)

5/4 Thursday
8 and 10 pm
Richard Teitelbaum and George Lewis
Richard Teitelbaum (electronics) George Lewis (trombone, electronics)

5/5 Friday
8 pm
William Parker
William Parker (bass)

10 pm
Shaking Ray Levi Society
Dennis Palmer (voice, synthesizer) Bob Stagner (drums)

1 sur 5 4/3/06 1:44 PM

 John Zorn
John Zorn  saxophone
George Lewis  trombone
Bill Laswell  bass guitar
Gavin Bryars  double bass
Tony Oxley  drums and percussion
Milford Graves  drums percussion and vocals
Tribute to Derek Bailey
Mike Patton  vocals The Barbican in London
June 17, 2006
[Broadcast on Radio 3
June 23, 2006]
MP3 Version

Picture posted on the internet by andynew

Derek Bailey
January
  to
December


 01. Artists: John Zorn, Tony Oxley, Gavin Bryars, George Lewis

John Zorn
Tribute to Derek Bailey 2006
Title: Improvisation 1

02. Artists: John Zorn, Milford Graves, Bill Laswell

Title: Improvisation 2

03. Artist: Tony Oxley

Tribute to Derek Bailey 2006

Title: The Advocate

04. Artists: Milford Graves, Tony Oxley, John Zorn, Gavin Bryars,
Bill Laswell, George Lewis, Mike Patton
Title: Improvisation 3
John Zorn

Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog

Trade Freely. Not For Sale.

2006, TRIBUTE TO DEREK BAILEY, (no label, 1CD), (Live at the
Barbican, London)

John Zorn : saxophone

George Lewis : trombone
Bill Laswell : bass guitar
Gavin Bryars : double bass
Tony Oxley : drums and percussion
Milford Graves : drums, percussion and vocals
Mike Patton : vocals

01 Improvisation 1 John Zorn, Tony Oxley, Gavin Bryars, George Lewis

02 Improvisation 2 John Zorn, Milford Graves, Bill Laswell
03 The Advocate Tony Oxley
04 Improvisation 3 Milford Graves, Tony Oxley, John Zorn, Gavin Bryars, Bill Laswell,
George Lewis, Mike Patton)

Live at the Barbican, London, June 17, 2006; broadcast on Radio 3, June 23, 2006

D erek Bailey died on December 25, 2005 and in June 2006, avant-garde musician John
Zorn, who shared a 25-year friendship with the master improviser, held a tribute concert
in London in his honour. This is what was reported in the English Times: "Opening with
a quartet in which Zorn’s twittering, stuttering alto saxophone was joined by the trombone of
George Lewis, with Bailey’s old cohorts Gavin Bryars on the bass and Tony Oxley at the drums,
the evening quickly settled into a pattern in which musical landscapes were opened up, briefly
occupied and then abandoned. There were constantly effective moments, such as a chance
encounter when the alto and trombone locked notes as if a single player was producing
multiphonic tones. There were echoes of Bailey himself in the electric bass playing of Bill
Laswell – who had to explain when he came on that a temporary loss of power was not part of the
event. "As often in these events, the tender, reflective moments were the most memorable.
George Lewis produced some beautiful lyrical melodies in the trombone’s high register over the
bowed bass of Bryars. Oxley’s drum solo, with electronic effects, conjured up a mysterious
soundscape, before the vocalist Mike Patton added his effects to a final all-out climax in the true
Barbican - John Zorn - A Tribute to Derek Bailey http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=4298

John Zorn - A Tribute to Derek Bailey

Featuring Bill Laswell, George Lewis,
Milford Graves, Tony Oxley & Gavin
Bryars.
17 June 2006 / 19:30
Barbican Hall
Part of John Zorn In Residence

Tickets: £15 £20 £25 sold out

subject to availability

Derek Bailey and John Zorn shared a close friendship

following their first meeting over 25 years ago. The fruits of their
collaboration were born out in CDs such as Yankees, Harras,
Mirakle, Saisoro and Ballads.

Tonight, Zorn brings together a group of creative spirits from the

USA and the UK, including Bill Laswell, George Lewis, Milford
Graves, Tony Oxley, Gavin Bryars and Zorn himself – all of
them closely associated with Bailey, and all of them
massively influential in the evolution of contemporary
improvised music.

Together they pay tribute to Derek Bailey, a master improviser

and one of the most important musical brains of the twentieth
century, whose recent death in no way diminishes his
continuing influence on today’s music.

Produced by the Barbican in association with Serious

1 of 2 10/19/06 6:50 PM
John Zorn's Tribute To Derek Bailey - London 2006

John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer and saxophonist/multi-

instrumentalist. Zorn was born in New York City, and as a child played piano, guitar and flute.
He studied at Webster College (now Webster University) in St. Louis, Missouri, where he
discovered free jazz. Dropping out of college and moving to Manhattan, Zorn gave concerts in
his small apartment, playing a variety of reeds, duck calls, tapes, etc. He eventually became a
major participant in the fertile "Downtown" experimental music scene. His breakthrough
recording was perhaps 1985's The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio
Morricone, wherein Zorn offered a number of often radical arrangements of Morricone's famed
songs from various movies. The Big Gundown was endorsed by Morricone, and incorporated
elements of traditional Japanese music, soul jazz, and other diverse musical genres.

Zorn owns the Tzadik record label and has worked with a large number of experimental
musicians, particularly in improvised music. He is inspired by other artists and different musical
styles. He has a special attraction to underground artists and musical styles that are extremely
loud, wild, or creative. He is perhaps best known for his work with Masada, with Joey Baron
(drums), Dave Douglas (trumpet), Greg Cohen (bass); Masada is an Ornette Coleman-influenced
band playing compositions based on Jewish scales. The Masada songs are part of the songbook
with several different arrangements. These include the Masada String Trio, Bar Kohkba, and
Electric Masada. He has also played with Painkiller (a mix of grindcore and free jazz in which he
is joined by Mick Harris of Napalm Death) and Naked City (an often aggressive mix of jazz, rock
and thrash metal). He has also worked with musicians such as Bill Frisell, Gary Lucas, Wayne
Horvitz, Derek Bailey, Cyro Baptista, Trevor Dunn, Mark Feldman, Fred Frith, Erik Friedlander,
Keiji Haino, Bill Laswell, Arto Lindsay, Mike Patton, John Medeski, Ikue Mori, Robert Quine,
Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, Kenny Wolleson, and the Violent Femmes.

On his recent stop in London Zorn bring his tribe and paid tribute to Derek Bailey.

JZ001Line-up:
John Zorn - saxophone
George Lewis - trombone
Bill Laswell - bass guitar
Milford Graves - double bass
Tony Oxley - drums and percussion
Milford Graves - drums, percussion and vocals
Mike Patton - vocals

SETLIST
Title Improvisation 1
Artists John Zorn, Tony Oxley, Gavin Bryars, George Lewis
Title Improvisation 2
Artists John Zorn, Milford Graves, Bill Laswell
Title The Advocate
Artist Tony Oxley
Title Improvisation 3
posted by zazafromjohor at 9:53 AM
The Stone Calendar http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1

5/6 Saturday
8 pm
Cyro Baptista and Billy Martin
Cyro Baptista (percussion) Billy Martin (percussion)

10 pm
Cyro Baptista and Billy Martin
Cyro Baptista (percussion) Billy Martin (percussion) and many special guests

5/7 Sunday
8 and 10 pm
John Zorn Improv Party to Support The Stone
John Zorn (alto sax) Shanir Blumenkranz (bass) Cyro Baptista (percussion) Ikue Mori (electronics)
Anton Fier (drums) Tim Barnes (percussion) Erik Friedlander (cello) and special guests
a Stone benefit—TWENTY DOLLARS

5/9 Tuesday
8 pm
Julian Kytasty
Julian Kytasty (bandura)

10 pm
Jennifer Choi and Shelley Burgon
Jennifer Choi (violin) Shelley Burgon (harp)

5/10 Wednesday
8 pm
Thurston Moore Solo
Thurston Moore (guitar)

10 pm
Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore (guitar) and special guests

5/11 Thursday
8 pm
Lisle Ellis's Audible Means
Pamela Z (voice) Rudresh Mahanthappa (saxophone) Kathy Supove (piano) Guillermo E Brown
(drums, electronics) Lisle Ellis (bass and circuitry)

10 pm
J.D.Parran
J.D.Parran (flute, clarinet, percussion) Mary Halverson (guitar) Steve Haynes (trumpet)

5/12 Friday
8 pm
George Lewis
George Lewis (electronics, trombone)

10 pm
Joe Morris
Joe Morris (guitar) Michael Evans (percussion, electronics) Daniel Levin (cello) Daniel Blacksberg
(trombone) Michael Winograd (clarinet, alt sax) Joe Moffett (trumpet) Jeff Kimmel (bass clarinet)
Dana Jessen (bassoon) Adam Dotson (euphonium)

2
The Stone Calendar http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1

5/13 Saturday
8 pm
Wadada Leo Smith Solo
Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet)

10 pm
Wadada Leo Smith
Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet) and special guests

5/14 Sunday
8 pm
Eugene Chadbourne and John Zorn
Eugene Chadbourne (guitar) John Zorn (alto sax)

10 pm
Eugene Chadbourne Solo
Eugene Chadbourne (guitar)

5/16 Tuesday
8 pm
Jim O'Rourke Solo
Jim O'Rourke (guitar)

10 pm
Marc Ribot Solo
Marc Ribot (guitar)

5/17 Wednesday
8 pm
Carla Kihlstedt and Zeena Parkins
Carla Kihlstedt (violin) Zeena Parkins (harp)

10 pm
Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins (harp)

5/18 Thursday
8 pm
Suzie Ibarra, Min Xiao-Fen and Okkyung Lee
Suzie Ibarra (drums) Min Xiao-Fen (pipa) Okkyung Lee (cello)

10 pm
Ikue Mori
Ikue Mori (electronics)

5/19 Friday
8 pm
Robert Musso
Robert Musso (guitar) Shanir Blumenkranz (bass) special guest (drums)

10 pm
Remembrances of Derek
Karen Brookman and friends
Stories, music and remembrances about Derek by his friends and colleagues.

3
The Stone Calendar http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1

5/20 Saturday
8 pm
Mark Dresser Solo
Mark Dresser (bass)

10 pm
Mark Dresser
Mark Dresser (bass) and special guests

5/21 Sunday
8 pm
Fred Frith Solo
Fred Frith (guitar)

10 pm
Fred Frith and Bill Laswell
Fred Frith (guitar) Bill Laswell (bass)

5/23 Tuesday
8 pm
Duck Baker Solo
Duck Baker (guitar)

10 pm
Duck Baker and friends
Duck Baker (guitar) and special guests

5/24 Wednesday
8 pm
Steffanie Stone
Steffanie Stone (piano, voice)

10 pm
Sylvie Courvoisier
Sylvie Courvoisier (piano)

5/25 Thursday
8 pm
Elliott Sharp Solo
Elliott Sharp (acoustic and electric guitars)

10 pm
Chad Taylor
Chad Taylor (drums)

5/26 Friday
8 pm
Henry Kaiser and John Zorn
Henry Kaiser (guitar) John Zorn (alto sax)

10 pm
Invite the Spirit
Henry Kaiser (guitar) Sang-Won Park (kayagum) Charles K. Noyes (percussion)

5/27 Saturday
8 pm

4
The Stone Calendar http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1

Shelley Hirsch, Ikue Mori (electronics) and Okkyung Lee

Shelley Hirsch (voice) Ikue Mori (electronics) Okkyung Lee (cello)

10 pm
Arto Lindsay
Arto Lindsay (guitar, vocals) and special guests

5/28 Sunday
8 pm
Annie Gosfield
Annie Gosfield (keyboards) Roger Kleier (guitar)

10 pm
Kramer
Kramer (keyboards, guitar, bass, tapes, voice)

5/30 Tuesday
8 pm
Steve Dalachinsky and Loren Connors
Steve Dalachinsky (poetry) Loren Connors (guitar)

10 pm
Trevor Dunn, Shelley Burgon and Mary Halverson
Trevor Dunn (bass) Shelley Burgon (harp) Mary Halverson (guitar)

5/31 Wednesday
8 pm
Jim Staley
Jim Staley (trombone)

10 pm
Miguel Frasconi
Miguel Frasconi (glass instruments)

piano courtesy of yamaha

the stone is a project of hips road
support freedom of expression by supporting the stone

5
A Tribute to Derek Bailey
Concert:
Tickets

Barbican Centre

P r i c e s : £15.00 to £25.00
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Dates
17th June 2006 19:30
Details
John Zorn (Performer)

Venue Details
Name Barbican Centre
Address Silk Street
West End
Greater London
EC2Y 8BQ
Internet Website
Telephone 0845 120 7550
Train Barbican (LT)
Description See also The Pit. Opened 1982. Member of the Society of London Theatre. Also home to
the London Symphony Orchestra.
Find out What's On at the Tolbooth...

WHAT'S O
FOR DEREK BAILEY WITH STEVE NOBLE & ALEX WARD
starts. Saturday, 27, May, 7.30pm
ends. Saturday, 27, May, 9.30pm
costs. tbc entry

Le Weekend Festival

In 1989 at the Third Eye Centre in Glasgow during the Jazz festival a young shy clarinet
player edged out into the cauldron of improvisation with his mum and dad proudly
listening in the audience. This was a 15 years old Alex Ward. Accompanying Alex with
arythmic strums and angular plucks of an old Gibson Guitar was one of contemporary
music’s most recognisable and venerated performers, Derek Bailey; and on drums, bugle
and things was the improvise scenes newest hot blood, Steve Noble. I was out in the café
selling their records. I didn’t sell many but that night was such a memorable music
experience it didn’t matter.

Alex Ward has since plundered his way through the free music scene playing with all
sorts of players and developing his own take on what music is. No genre is safe. Equally
adept on guitar and clarinet Alex was a member of one of Derek Bailey’s last forays into
group playing in the band Limescale. With his recently released Help Point CD Alex
makes stronger the belief that Mr Bailey had in him all those years ago.

From drumming with the last incarnation of wayward pop mavericks Rip, Rig and Panic to
head to heads on turntables with Otomo Yoshihide, Steve Noble brings a commitment to
music making that brims over with inspiration. His musical journey from the duos with
Alex Maguire is an ongoing quest for musical purity.

Tonight’s performance pays tribute to one of Britain’s great musical practitioners.

3. Vivamelodica

5. Geoff Muldaur

6. The Velvet and The Mink

11. Huun-Huur-tu

12. ReLOADED

13. Adem

16. Aberfeldy
 18. John McSherry's at First Light & The Chris Stout Quintet

19. Rapture Theatre Present The Collection by Mike Cullen

20. Body Surf Scotland Present No Kidding & Ongoing Featuring

Turntable Maestro Philip Jeck

26. Le Weekend

26. SPKE

26. Wastell / Korber / Makurji / Nakamura

26. Max Richter - The films of Derek Jarman

27. Des Enfants Terrible

27. For Derek Bailey with Steve Noble & Alex Ward

27. Mattin

27. The Tobias Delius 4tet

28. Film Screenings: The Magic Sun / Ornette Coleman Trio

28. Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet

Tolbooth, Jail Wynd, Stirling, FK8 1DE, UK

tolbooth@stirling.gov.uk
:: dispatx art collective : the plague of language :: 21/06/06 16:23

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]

The Plague of Language Search Site

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Syntactics - Dominic Lash [1/7]

One of the most common (one might reasonably say overused) metaphors
employed in discussing improvised music is the analogy with language. To talk of
an improvising 'language', or of a particular improviser's 'vocabulary' is so
commonplace among those involved with the music as to have come to seem
almost transparent. Other terms such as 'syntax' or 'grammar' are less common but
still used frequently. The great improvising guitarist Derek Bailey, who very sadly
died on Christmas Day 2005, frequently employed this analogy. This essay aims to
investigate and interrogate it, through an investigation of Bailey's music and writing.
My enquiries have been greatly assisted by a conversation with the poet Peter Riley,
held on the 17th of May 2006 (1). Riley had a long involvement with Bailey's music
as an audience member, record reviewer and writer, and provides a highly informed
view on the subject from the perspective of one whose business is actually - not
analogically or metaphorically - to work with language. The pun present in the title
is probably too obvious to need much explanation. What I would like to emphasise,
however, is how the technical resources of Bailey's guitar playing are directly linked
to, or perhaps better, constitute the methods he employed to engage with other
S
musicians. In other words, the way Bailey improvised, and the way he developed the
material with which he improvised shared a common goal. His syntax was developed
with his tactics in mind and vice versa. [...]
Syntactics : Derek Bailey and the Linguistic Metaphor
Dominic Lash

One of the most common (one might reasonably say overused) metaphors employed in discussing
improvised music is the analogy with language. To talk of an improvising 'language', or of a particular
improviser's 'vocabulary' is so commonplace among those involved with the music as to have come to
seem almost transparent. Other terms such as 'syntax' or 'grammar' are less common but still used
frequently. The great improvising guitarist Derek Bailey, who very sadly died on Christmas Day 2005,
frequently employed this analogy. This essay aims to investigate and interrogate it, through an
investigation of Bailey's music and writing. My enquiries have been greatly assisted by a conversation with
the poet Peter Riley, held on the 17th of May 2006 (1). Riley had a long involvement with Bailey's music as
an audience member, record reviewer and writer, and provides a highly informed view on the subject from
the perspective of one whose business is actually - not analogically or metaphorically - to work with
language. The pun present in the title is probably too obvious to need much explanation. What I would like
to emphasise, however, is how the technical resources of Bailey's guitar playing are directly linked to, or
perhaps better, constitute the methods he employed to engage with other musicians. In other words, the
way Bailey improvised, and the way he developed the material with which he improvised shared a
common goal. His syntax was developed with his tactics in mind and vice versa.

Developing a Vocabulary keeping perhaps with a generally permissive late sixties

atmosphere. Rather, his first attempts to improvise freely
Bailey's own statements about the development of his occurred in the rather non-swinging surroundings of early-
improvising language fall into two main categories. On the Sixties Sheffield, with the bass player Gavin Bryars and
one hand he emphasises the process of improvising itself, drummer Tony Oxley. Their attempt to find a new way to
and how his interactions with other musicians have improvise was cool and deliberate, and involved much work
themselves determined the nature and development of his with compositional devices. The only widely available extant
guitar playing. In an interview in the Wire in September 2004, recording of the group is a ten-minute improvisation on John
for example, he commented 'I have a style, yeah, but that Coltrane's piece 'Miles Mode', released by Incus records in
has come out of the music'. On the other hand, he has also 1999. This was recorded in 1965, and illustrates the first of
emphasised how when he began improvising freely he the two quotations from Bailey above. At the beginning and
wished, quite consciously, to develop an appropriate range of end of the piece the guitar playing can be heard to come very
devices. In an interview with Nick Cain from 2000 (published clearly from the jazz tradition, though with the wilful
in the magazine Opprobrium) he stated 'I never thought that introduction of elements that the jazz mainstream would have
playing free was satisfying enough if I used conventional found hard to understand, such as seemingly motiveless
techniques and material. If I was using conventional pauses. In the middle of the track, however, Bailey can be
techniques and material, I would sooner play conventional heard exploring areas that have more in common with his
music'. A longer statement to similar effect can be found a later work - muted sounds, scratches and scrabblings that
statement of Bailey's from 1972, included as a note to his CD are driven not by a compositional agenda but by the desire to
Domestic and Public Pieces: 'I don't use a lot of conventional improvise with his colleagues using timing and timbre more
techniques on the guitar. But then, I'm not interested to play than harmony and rhythm.
in the areas those techniques were developed to serve. It
wouldn't be any good for my purposes to do a sort of Bailey could have remained in this area but it did not satisfy
imitation of Charlie Christian or something. People can refer him. His next activity illustrates the second of my two
to that, say, as conventional guitar playing. But it isn't. It's quotations. In 1966 and 1967 he recorded some of his solo
conventional jazz guitar playing of a certain period. To certain playing for his personal study, which were released by John
people, the only way to play a guitar is in a flamenco style, Zorn's Tzadik label in 2002 under the title Pieces for Guitar.
which I think is quite beautiful, incidentally. These are taken Here we can see Bailey exploring the resources of the guitar
to be sort of standard conventional techniques - but, actually, so as to enable him to occupy the kind of territory he
they're techniques that serve certain purposes.' discovers in the middle of 'Miles Mode' without having to
begin from a jazz platform. He was, one could say,
Free improvisation for Bailey was not a philosophical consciously attempting to develop a new language for the
experiment, a plunge into a simplistic idea of 'freedom', in guitar. So, for example, 'Three Pieces for Guitar' are brief
compositions using serial pitch organisation, inspired by common stock of material - a vocabulary - which takes place
Webern and an attempt to develop resources for playing when a group of musicians improvise together regularly'.
intervallically rather than harmonically, as is usual in jazz. [Bailey, Improvisation, 2nd edn, p. 106] Though this process
(The fact that Coltrane and Webern are the two musicians was exactly what had happened with Joseph Holbrooke, he
other than Bailey I have mentioned so far would, I suppose, came to see it as a limitation. He even argued in an interview
support to some extent the slightly too neat, but commonly with Jean Martin in 1996 that 'in freely improvised music its
expressed, view that freely improvised music had its roots in roots are in occasion rather than place'. This was in a sense
a combination of free jazz and serial and post-serial Western not true about Joseph Holbroke. As Gavin Bryars told Bailey,
composition.) He can actually be heard improvising on two of 'I think the fact that we were isolated, musically, helped us. . .
these pieces at the end of the CD. Using a method in some . Had we been playing in London, say, some area with a
ways strikingly reminiscent of his return to jazz material on large musical community, most of the developments would
the 2002 CD Ballads, Bailey plays the compositions, when he have been nipped in the bud.' [Improvisation, 2nd edn, p. 92]
reaches them, in a straightforward way, and does not attempt But as Riley points out, 'more and more as free improvised
to improvise 'on' each section of them, but rather to use their music did seem to be sort of spreading through the world', he
general atmosphere to inform the way he improvises, could begin to f! eel that occasion superceded place in
particularly when he is directly approaching the composition. importance.
Elsewhere on the CD one can hear small motifs ('Bits') that
Bailey would actually write down for himself. He continued On the Spontaneous Music Ensemble's 1968 recording
this practice throughout his life, the aim being to develop a Karyobin, Bailey seems to focus mainly on denaturing the
range a improvisational resources, but not to combine them guitar by using his volume pedal either to swell the sounds in
into compositions - their use was intended to be entirely in (removing the attack - often using minor seconds or other
improvisational contexts. This approach might be seen to close intervals to obtain a distinctive shimmering sound) or to
closely parallel the writing down of vocabulary lists when remove any sustain, also muting the strings, so as to negate
learning a new language - one does not actually intend to the pitch content of the sound. In this way he subverts the
reel off the lists in conversation, but rather to gain instant basic nature of the guitar - that it is plucked string with a firm
command of ones resources so that when the conversation attack and fairly rapid decay. The way he does this is of
seems to require a certain item of vocabulary it can be called course also dependent on the musical context - drummer
upon immediately. Finally, Bailey can be heard on John Stevens' SME was predicated on a fast interweaving of
'Practising: Wow and Stereo' to explore timbral aspects of the independent but mutually acknowledging and not soloistic
guitar using its amplification not merely to increase volume playing, and this way of articulating the guitar fitted in
but as a musical resource. He employed both a wah-wah perfectly. Later, on the Incus record Solo Guitar Vol. One, or
pedal and a stereo set-up using two amplifiers. with Barry Guy (bass) and Paul Rutherford (trombone) in
Iskra 1903, Bailey can be heard moving even further from
Bailey's work over the next few years seems to me to work conventional guitar sound, using all parts of the strings (such
its way though the implications of his discoveries in the mid- as behind the bridge or beyond the nut), and employing his
60s. Having come to be interested in the possibilities of freely amplification to produce shrieks, metallic scratches and
improvised music making, and then become dissatisfied with controlled feedback - which enabled him to sustain sounds
the jazz based resources at his disposal, the conscious indefinitely, something else a conventional guitar is incapable
attempt to develop a more appropriate vocabulary was put to of. By the mid-seventies, however, some more identifiable
the test in a number of improvising ensembles. He found this guitar string sound made its way back into Bailey's playing,
an essential part of the process. Peter Riley told me how and it is this that I identify as the beginning of his mature
Bailey told him about some younger musicians who were period.
'now trying to do it without vocabulary', but that he 'didn't
think you could do that'. (2) By the mid 1970s Bailey had Bailey explained this in the first edition of his book, published
arrived at his mature style, I would argue - though of course in 1980. The differences between this and the second
his playing continued to vary and develop over the next thirty edition, published in 1992, are for the most part small, but
years. (For example, he was at this time still using stereo where Bailey discusses his own playing, they are marked.
amplification and sometimes a second guitar with additional They shed fascinating light on his changing attitudes to his
strings, both of which he later abandoned; Riley told me that own improvisational resources and the linguistic analogy. As
there was even a period later on where he 'worked out a I have said, it was in the mid-Seventies that Bailey turned to
scale that he was using for this improvisation, and stuck to it solo improvisation as his main focus, having for the previous
through the improvisation'!) It was also at this point that he decade been almost exclusively involved in group
stopped playing in regular groups and focussed heavily on improvisation. He explained this in the first edition of his book
solo playing, intending to avoid what he saw as the ossifying as a very conscious attempt to examine his improvising
process that begins to take place in groups that improvise language, analogous I take it to that he undertook in the mid-
together regularly. Indeed, in his book Improvisation: Its Sixties, as documented on Pieces for Guitar. I quote at some
Nature and Practise in Music, Bailey introduces the idea of length because the original edition of Improvisation is not of
language by saying that 'the analogy with language, often course widely available any more:
used by improvising musicians in discussing their work, has a
certain usefulness in illustrating the development of a
 'It was having to deal alone with this type of situation - the prevalence of the 5th in their overtone structure, which
blank areas, the creative deserts, which in a group perhaps begins to imply tonality.
improvisation are covered by the collective impetus and
dialogue character of the music - which I hoped would
Bailey went on in a footnote in the original edition of
demand a strengthened and extended vocabulary. I looked
to the enormous reduction in outside information and the
Improvisation to actually list some of the ways he attempted
increased responsibility for overall continuity to demand to develop non-tonal pitch manipulation:
and 'force' the development of a more comprehensive and
complete improvising language. As described earlier, for 'A list of the types of measures which proved successful
me, as for many improvisers, the tonal organisation of pitch would include:- combining pitch with non-pitch ('preparing'
seemed of little use in free playing. Gradually it became it but not using a fixed preparation), constructing intervals
clear that an! y system which depended on systematic from mixed timbres, a greater use of ambiguous pitch (e.g.
pitch organisation removed too much of the explorative the less 'pure' harmonics - 7th onwards), compound
aspect of the activity. One could approach the unknown intervals, moving pitch (which includes glisses and
with a method and a compass but to take a map made it microtonal adjustments), coupling single notes with a
pointless to go there at all. So it became necessary to 'distant' harmonic, horizontally an attempt to play an even
reject all tonal, modal and atonal organisation in order to mix of timbres, unison pitches with mixed timbres -
leave the way free to organise only through the powers of elements of this kind, and many others, proved useful. But
improvisation. And to facilitate this the vocabulary had to the appearance of these elements in a list is misleading. A
be built up from what I can only describe as non-tonal vocabulary only achieves whatever significance it might
materials. Earlier I had almost discarded pitch except as a have through its use as part of a language.'
means of creating atonal effects. [I would identify this [Improvisation, 1st Edn, p. 128]
particularly with the Solo Guitar Vol. One/Iskra 1903 period
discussed above.] But I found that playing solo - having to Most, if not all, of these devices could still be heard in
assemble a vocabulary that was complete - I needed all Bailey's playing right up until his death. With the last
the help I could get. So pitch had to take a greater part in sentence of the footnote, however, Bailey again highlights his
the language, for without it I didn't have sufficient sensitivity to the nature of the linguistic metaphor.
resources. [One of the ways he 'forced' this was by more
acoustic playing, denying himself the additional resources
his creative use of amplification afforded him - such as on
The Implications of the Vocabulary
the beautiful 1980 album Aida.] And I had by this time
realised that to deliberately eschew the use of pitch, one of The section in Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music
the most manipulative of musical elements, would be, for marked 'language' (a subsection of the chapter on solo
an improviser, perverse. But all my previous uses of pitch - improvising, which he admits he bases almost entirely on his
tonal, modal or atonal - had been too specific and own practice), begins, as we have seen, 'The analogy with
unhelpful. So pitch had to be utilised but its grammatical language, often used by improvising musicians in discussing
constituent had to be neutralised. It had to be non-tonal.' their work, is useful to illustrate the building up of a common
[Improvisation, 1st Edn, p. 127]
pool of material - a vocabulary - which takes place when a
group of musicians improvise together regularly.'
Bailey here uses the analogy with language as vocabulary [Improvisation, 2nd Edn., p 106 - 1st Edn. p. 126] This leads
extensively. But he is aware of its limitation. Language also us to the most contentious area of Bailey's use of a linguistic
implies grammar - sequential argument, even - and this is too metaphor, the idea of non-idiomatic improvisation. This idea
deterministic for his purposes. Hence his desire for non-tonal, was proposed by Bailey many times throughout his career,
rather than atonal, use of pitch (a fascinating distinction and and was just as often dismissed or ridiculed. Percussionist
one that, for all its apparent simplicity, does not appear to Eddie Prevost, in his book Minute Particulars, writes: 'The
have entered much into the range of analytical tools for general consensus [is] that once a form of music making
contemporary music). Bailey has spoken of the same issue becomes recognisable as such (for example Derek's own
elsewhere. In Ben Watson's biography, Derek Bailey and the guitar playing) the! n it has developed its own idiomatic
Story of Free Improvisation, Bailey is quoted as saying in framework and references.' More pointedly, in a paper
1987, 'Tonality is like an argument, and the answers to the entitled "De Motu" for Buschi Niebergall, Evan Parker
questions are always the same. Play Gmin7, C13, and the delivered the opinion that 'Certainly by the time a theoretical
next chord has to be one of three or four things… Atonality is position is arrived at in which it is thought the term "non-
a way of moving from one point to another without answering idiomatic improvisation" is the best description of something
questions - almost a series of isolated events. Atonality has a as instantly recognisable as Derek Bailey's guitar playing we
non-grammatical quality, a non-causal sequence to it.' [p. have reached what E.P. Thompson called in another context
213] (Bailey seems to have forgotten his own excellent "the terminus of the absurd".'
distinction here!) Saxophonist Evan Parker made a similar
point on a tribute to Bailey broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on There is clearly a commonsense truth in these observations,
20th January 2006, saying that Derek's avoidance of open but what is notable is that they both refer only to Bailey's
strings (cf. Improvisation, 2nd Edn. p. 94, 'the sort of electric guitar playing, not to the music he made with other
guitar open string sound I was at pains to avoid' - this again, I musicians. Originally, of course, part of Bailey's meaning was
think, refers more to the earlier period of Bailey's career, as that he wished to develop a music that did not refer to
they became quite prevalent later on) was partly due to the existing, established genres. As Peter Riley said to me, 'he
was doing something which didn't have an antecedent, so he musical language. 'Non-idiomatic', for all its limitations,
was quite entitled to call it that. It doesn't prevent it becoming highlights the malleable, fluid nature of the musical
idiomatic to later generations, I suppose, does it?' Bailey was exchanges Bailey became most interested in. Indeed, he
indeed conscious of developing his own 'language', or 'style', stated in a number of interviews that he lost interest in solo
or perhaps even 'idiom', as we have seen. However, his playing (he told John Eyles in September 2001 that 'Solo
intention in doing so was to be able to engage with musicians concerts are murder, I find; I don't like doing them'), although
from whatever background that wished to improvise with him. economic and logistical constraints meant that he continued
So there is a sense in which Bailey's own playing is clearly to play solo frequently throughout his career. The reason he
idiomatic, even if that idiom is characterised by 'the concepts established Company, and the Company Week, was so that
of unpredictability and discontinuity, of perpetual renewal and musicians who did not play together regularly - or perhaps
perpetual variation first introduced into European composition had never even met - could improvise together and work
at the beginning of the 20th century.' [Improvisation 2nd Edn. through the process of developing something shared. He
p. 107; 1st Edn. p. 128] He was interested in playing admitted in a forum on improvisation published in
appropriately for a freely improvised, malleable context. And Perspectives of New Music that 'even those [participants in
so he was not interested in referring to other styles of music. Company] who are interested primarily, in fact entirely, in
(Going back to the earlier quote about tonality being like an working with improvisation, they'd want to be working with
argument, it is not of course quite true that Gmin7, C13 can people who had things like language or material in common
only be followed by three or four things - one can deliberately with them. So I suppose the only person for whom it's their
follow them by something inappropriate, as improvisers who first choice of working situation is me, and I get the others to
might loosely at times be characterisable as 'post-modern', indulge my inclinations.' Bailey had a radical drive to avoid
such as John Zorn, Steve Beresford or Eugene Chadbourne stagnation - he even stopped arranging Company events in
might be prone to do. However, such playing relies on the last decade of his life because he felt they had become
reference to known genres - a supplementary semantic layer too predictable. His practice was open, but never
to the music if you like, of the sort that Bailey had no, or very indiscriminately so. For all his claims to wanting a clash of
little, interest in dealing with in his own music.) But he also languages, he did wish for a certain understanding between
lost interest in improvising with the same people for a long himself and his playing partners. Peter Riley related an
period of time - Iskra 1903, which came to an end in the mid anecdote to me: 'Probably about 1980 or so I remember one
1970s, was the last group of a set line-up in which Derek person, I don't know who it was, came who played the vibes
played for any considerable length of time. (As he said about and wanted to play with Derek because he played free, like
his group Limescale in the 2004 interview: 'it's at a very he thought. But Derek couldn't play with him. I mean they did,
interesting stage because nobody knows the music yet. I but Derek didn't enjoy it, and one time stopped and said 'Do
mean the people in the group don't know what the fuck it you think you could groove a bit less?' (laughter) Which is
should sound like. So they're working on their ears all the part of vocabulary really, because groove is idiom. And
time, they're reacting. That's the way it should be.') And so by though this man was playing free there was obviously
using the concept of non-idiomatic improvising he was really something very jazz-related about what he was doing, a bit
concerned to point out features of group improvisation where too much for Derek.' I see two main implications of this story.
the goal is not to establish an predetermined 'idiomatic' One is that he saw 'non-idiomatic' playing as being to some
sound (as it is in most jazz, for example, or perhaps in some extent defined as a negative (the absence of recognisable
long-running improvising ensembles). generic forms or material) but also that he was interested in
having some rhythmic language, at least, in common with his
When interviewed by Jean Martin in 1996, Bailey commented collaborators. Of course later in his life he did work in some
that highly rhythmic contexts (in the conventional sense), such as
'[African drum music or South American music (these were with drum'n'bass DJs or with Ornette Coleman's electric
the examples offered by the interviewer)] are formed by an rhythm section of Jamaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston.
idiom, they are not formed by improvisation. They are Riley wondered whether 'his attitude towards that changed.
formed in the same way that speech vernacular, a verbal
Or perhaps it became more acceptable if it was a bit more
accent, is formed. They are the product of a locality and
society, by characteristics shared by that society… In
aggressive, and more of a machine-like rhythm.' This may
freely improvised music, its roots are in occasion rather well be true to an extent, but another factor must surely have
than place… There are plenty of styles - group styles and been the continuing desire to avoid stagnation, to prevent an
individual styles - found in free playing but they don't over-familiarity with the rules of the game. As he said in a
coalesce into an idiom. They just don't have that kind of postscript to an Invisible Jukebox in the Wire 'The musical
social or regional purchase or allegiance. They are end product is where interest starts to flag. It's a bit like
idiosyncratic. In fact you can see freely improvised music jigsaw puzzles. Emptied out of the box, there's a heap of
as being made up of an apparently endless variety of pieces, all shapes, sizes and colours, in themselves
idiosyncratic players and groups. So many in fact, that it's
attractive and could add up to anything - intriguing. Figuring
simpler to think of the whole thing as non-idiomatic.'
out how to put them together can be interesting, but what you
finish up with as often as not is a picture of unsurpassed
So Bailey acknowledges the presence of many, if you will,
banality. Music's like that.' [reprinted in Watson, p. 440]
micro idioms, but questions whether the word is useful when
it does not refer to any real shared, geographically based,
So it seems that non-idiomatic improvisation was almost a told me that 'a repertoire feels as if it represents a smaller
goal of Bailey's own working practice. Having taken great number of options, whereas vocabulary represents a very
care to develop an improvising language with the qualities he large number… It's certainly not like putting bricks together,
himself desired from his music, he then became interested to the object itself is more fluid.' We have seen how Bailey
work with it. The vocabulary itself was not the focus, it was deliberately developed his vocabulary at the microlevel so
the process of improvising with others. Hence he replaced that it could be combined in as many ways as possible at the
the technical information about his guitar playing in the first macrolevel. This raises the interesting question of, as Riley
edition of his book, as it no longer seemed to him to get to put it, 'what constitutes a piece in improvisation'. He
the heart of the matter (evidence of the dialectical nature of wondered whether 'there can be particular technical sound
his practice, perhaps). In the same place in the second production things which will characterise - largely
edition, Bailey wrote: characterise - even a quite long improvisation.' On the other
hand Mark Wastell and Brian Marley, in the introduction to
'But this 'improvising language' was, of course, the book they recently edited, Blocks of Consciousness and
superimposed upon another musical language; one the Unbroked Continuum, explain the origin of their title. The
learned, also empirically, over many years as a working first part refers to Morton Feldman, but the second 'arises
musician. Working musicians, those found earning a living
from something Derek Bailey said in, if memory serves, the
in night clubs, recording studios, dance halls and any other
place where music has a functional role, spend very little
latter half of the 1970s, during a Melody Maker interview. He
time, as I remember it, discussing 'improvising language', described how a record producer had taken tapes of some
but anyone lacking the ability to invent something, to add long improvisations of his and then subjected them to radical
something, to improve something would quickly prove to pruning. The producer started at the beginning of each piece,
be in the wrong business. In that world, improvisation is a and as soon as he'd heard enough of Bailey's music he cut
fact of musical life. And it seems to me that this bedrock of the tape at that point. Bailey seemed remarkably unfazed by
experience, culled in! a variety of situations, occasionally the way his improvisations were being chopped into smaller
bubbles up in one way of another, particularly playing solo. pieces. He also said, perhaps in a different interview, that he
Not affecting specifics like pitch or timbre or rhythmic
felt his improvising was continuous, broken only by the
formulations (I've yet to find any advantage in quoting
directly any of the kinds of music I used to play) but
moments when he set down his guitar.' [p. 6] Bailey said he
influencing decisions that affect overall balance and pace - was not interested in 'instant composition' - the overall
judging what will work. The unexpected, not to say the architecture of his improvisations could be left to take care of
unnerving, can also occasionally appear. Recently, it themselves. More like a conversation than an improvised
seems to me, some reflection of the earliest guitar music I soliloquy, perhaps - hence support for the linguistic analogy!
ever heard occasionally surfaces in my solo playing; music Mention of conversation turns our attention to something I
I have had no connection with, either as listener or player, have previously neglected, by considering language more in
since childhood.' the abstract - the spoken language, the voice. This takes us
[Improvisation, 2nd Edn., p. 108]
straight into the realm of sound and so in immediate
relationship to music. The word 'tone' becomes interesting
While in 1980 Bailey might have felt too close to his work as here. There is the idea of 'tone of voice', but it is also a
a commercial guitarist to have seen any value in it, an musical term, meaning either 'note' or the particular timbral or
additional decade's perspective enabled him to see the acoustic qualities of a sound or instrument. This is crucial to
underlying reliance on improvisation as a more important link improvised music. In jazz, players aim for a personal sound
between his activities than the difference in vocabulary was a (at least in theory!) - the instrumental sound as direct self-
point of contrast. expression. Bailey had a highly recognisable sound, but not
within the same framework of the subjective voice. Riley has
When I began this project, I intended to pursue the limitations thought deeply about this: 'there's something about space
of the linguistic analogy further than I have ended up doing. which is difficult to describe. A kind of realism, it's to do with
As I investigated the subject the limitations began to seem the tone of Derek's playing. Apart from the actual notes,
rather obvious and not so illuminating as I had imagined. A which could even have a sort of melodic function, sometimes,
linguistic vocabulary clearly has semantic content while a there's often a sound area, which he did with electronics or
musical vocabulary does not, as such. But the fundamental just with reverberation behind it which often has a sort of
idea of a range of possibilities that can be chosen from is bleak feeling about it. There's a somewhat dehumanised
clearly conveyed. All language when applied to a subject sense of space there. You know he was very keen on
such as music has an analogical or metaphorical aspect. Beckett?… Because it was often a discordant… and at the
What word could replace 'vocabulary', anyway? One same time rather empty sounding aura which he could
possibility would be 'repertoire'. John Corbett has written that create… He'd be happy to produce a motif, say, or a
an improviser improvises 'by developing and employing a fragment or something and then forget it, really. And yet in
repertoire or possibilities in order to risk the unknown.' the best improvisations, in the longer ones it's, I don't know,
['Ephemera Underscored: Writing Around Free Improvisation' perhaps it's taken up - something about it is taken up, if not
in Jazz Among the Discourses] This sounds like an excellent the actual chord group, but something about the tone of it or
description of Bailey's work, except that of course 'repertoire' the way it was produced would be there again.' He also
brings a host of unhelpful associations of its own - plus it thought that speech might have influenced the rhythmic
implies a longer fixed sequence than vocabulary does. Riley structure of Bailey's playing: 'I always thought his rhythms
were closely related to the rhythms of the spoken language… material, rather than the sound - one can only manipulate
And it's not as though he's got a regular pulse in his head, sound by manipulating the instrument. Peter Riley highlighted
which he's diverging from - syncopation - in fact. Well, I mean how Bailey's investigation of this physicality could contribute
sometimes it is but sometimes it's just not that, it's not to the sense of the music, for a listener present at a concert
dependent on that sense of a regular pulse at all, for a long (or, perhaps, watching on DVD or video(3)): 'I mean, there's
time sometimes. My theory is that it's bound to be, that if it's a sound produced down there which couldn't come at! a
not metricated, it's going to be related to the spoken different place because of the time it takes him to get down
language. It's naturally what you'll fall back on, I suppose.' there. And that sort of thing. And it's done in a different way
The way Bailey uses but subverts or plays with this idea can and from a different angle, and all these things have got to
be heard on a number of tracks (including the entirety of the change.' The physical construction of the instrument plays a
Incus CDR Chats) where Bailey speaks while improvising on fundamental part in determining the very sequence of sounds
the guitar. His musical 'voice' is heard simultaneously with his that constitute the music. Perhaps, reductively, one could say
actual voice, and the rhythmic interplay between the two is that Derek Bailey played improvised music using a personal
fascinating (and often very funny). vocabulary he developed though an investigation of the
grammar of the guitar.
One point remains - that of grammar. I quoted Bailey earlier
as arguing that atonality had a 'non-grammatical' quality.
Perhaps it would be better if he had referred to a 'non- (1) A transcription of the interview is available on
syntactical' quality. Syntax refers to the rules for sequential www.dispatx.com. It also includes fascinating reflections on
sentence construction; it was tonality's musical analogues to Bailey's influence upon Riley's poetry, which unfortunately I
these rules that Bailey felt constrained an improviser could not incorporate into this essay.
unacceptably. Grammar, however, is a much larger linguistic
concept, covering morphology as well as syntax - even (2) Riley described the music Bailey was referring to as
phonology. To say that the improviser's material is his follows: 'It was tending towards silence, in certain areas. And
vocabulary and the grammatical content is solely provided by there were these people in Bristol, they were a nice crowd.
interaction with other musicians will not do - clearly there are Will Menter is one of the names I can remember. And they
'grammatical' connections between different items of had a little scene there, they put on quite big concerts
vocabulary; the goal of having all elements equally available sometimes, used the Arnolfini gallery occasionally for things.
at all times must remain something of an aspiration rather And there was a percussionist, a guitar, another sax, and
than a reality. While of course ones previously accumulated various others, and they traveled round, they played in
habits (combined with a conscious desire to escape, or at London and things. It reached the stage with them
least interrogate, them) provide part of the answer, I would sometimes that somebody would walk on to the stage
like to suggest that another comes in the form of the physical carrying a trumpet and put it down on the floor next to him
construction of the guitar itself. and not touch it for the whole evening. And sit there and
occasionally like drop a sponge on the floor or wind up a little
Bailey indeed observed that this could be an important toy, and let it scuttle across the stage, you know all that kind
feature in idiomatic musics as well. In a 1998 interview with of thing was going on. And I suppose they did other things
Richard Leigh (published in Opprobrium) he observed: 'And but they could spend quite a lot of time doing that, and at
of course there are umpteen musics where it forms an some point there'd be something a ! bit louder and more
integral part of the music - blues, flamenco, much of rock - massive going on. I can't remember that but I suppose they
musics where the guitar is a kind of structural part of the must have done. They can't have actually spent the whole
music'. Opposed to the idea of music as conceived by the evening sitting on a chair winding up toys.'
musician, then executed on the instrument, Bailey points out
that the reality is much more entangled. Much of the harmony (3) There is film of Derek available at http://tinyurl.com/rwf3k,
in flamenco, for example, stems directly from the physical at http://tinyurl.com/p3kop or on the DVD Playing For Friends
construction of the guitar - chords that would seem bizarre or on 5th Street, available from Incus Records or from Sound
nonsensical on the piano are straightforward on the guitar. In 323.
his freely improvised music, Bailey pushed this materialist
conception of music making (what he termed 'instrumental
improvisation' - using particular gestures to play a particular
instrument at a particular time) much further. As he says in
the 2004 Wire interview, 'I might play the guitar in a way
which nobody else plays but I play guitar, I wouldn't do what I
do on any other instrument. It's very specific. I like the
construction of it and the basic tuning, like fourths and a
major third. That plays a significant part in what I play,
harmonics, open strings, fourths.' He was not alone in this
focus - Steve Lacy is quoted in Improvisation as saying 'the
instrument - that's the matter -the stuff - your subject'. [p. 99]
Indeed in a literal way the instrument is the improviser's
Bibliography:

Bailey, Derek - Interview with Nick Cain, Opprobrium, August 2000 - link available online at efi.group.shef.ac.uk
Bailey, Derek - Interview with John Eyles, September 2001, available at www.allaboutjazz.com
Derek Bailey - Interview with Jean Martin, 16 August 1996, available at efi.group.shef.ac.uk
Bailey, Derek - Improvisation, Its Nature and Practise in Music, First Edition, 1980
Second Edition, The British Library, 1992
Corbett, John - Ephemera Underscored: Writing Around Free Improvisation in Jazz Among the Discourses, ed. Krin
Gabbard, Duke University Press 1995
Keenan, David, 'The Holy Goof' in The Wire, issue 247 (September 2004), pp. 42 – 49
Marley, Brian and Wastell, Mark, eds., Blocks of Consciousness and The Unbroken Continuum, Sound 323 2005
Parker, Evan - "De Motu" for Buschi Niebergall, available at efi.group.shef.ac.uk
Prevost, Eddie - Minute Particulars, Copula 2004
Forum: Improvisation in Perspectives of New Music, Fall-Winter 1982, Spring-Summer 1983 double issue
Watson, Ben - Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation, Verso 2004

Recordings:

Joseph Holbrooke '65, Incus CD single 01

Derek Bailey - Pieces for Guitar, Tzadik TZ 7080
Derek Bailey - Ballads, Tzadik TZ 7607
Spontaneous Music Ensemble - Karyobin, Chronoscope CPE 2001-2
Derek Bailey - Solo Guitar Vol One, Incus Records CD10
Iskra 1903 - Chapter One, Emanem Records 4301
Derek Bailey - Aida, Dexters Cigar dex5
Derek Bailey - Domestic and Public Pieces, EMANEM CD 4001
Derek Bailey - Chats, Incus CDR
Derek Bailey/DJ Ninj - Guitar, Drums'n'Bass, Avant CD 060
Derek Bailey/Jamaladeen Tacuma/Calvin Weston - Mirakle, Tzadik CD 7603
Limescale - Incus CD56
Derek Bailey - Playing for Friends on 5th Street, DVD
οὐδὲν οἶδα: Derek Bailey 08-08-14 18:34

οὐδὲν οἶδα
"I know nothing," lifted from the quote attributed to Socrates, Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα, "The one thing I
know is that I know nothing," which I have tattooed on my left forearm.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2008

Derek Bailey
I accidentally discovered Derek Bailey twice. The first time was in the late
90’s, when a fellow musician told me I should drum more like Paul
Wertico. Today I know better than to listen to stupid, even potentially
devastating advice such as this, but at the time, as I had never heard of
Paul Wertico before, I sheepishly went out and bought some of his
albums. By “some,” I mean ten or so. Possibly because of the
circumstances under which I was coerced into listening to him, I found
Paul’s drumming to be excruciatingly uninspiring. He played on a lot of
tedious albums with the soulless guitarist Pat Metheny. Of all the albums
I bought, the only one I didn’t almost immediately sell back was a creepy
and seemingly anarchic album that I bought not only because Paul
Wertico was on it, but also because it was an incredibly cheap 3 disc set
that had a Sherlock Holmes theme. The Sign of 4 could be considered a
double duet, with Pat Metheny and percussionist Gregg Bendian in one
channel and guitarist Derek Bailey and Paul Wertico in the other. Paul
occasionally uses egg beaters on it, and that inspiration (egg beaters sound
cool!) made the brief study of him worth it, even if it was the only thing I
stole/learned from him. The Sign of 4 recordings are bizarre and
obnoxious, and I’ll often play them on Halloween to freak out the trick-or-
treaters (in honor of one of my earliest memories of refusing to ask for
candy at a house because creepy music was emanating from it).

Approximately two years later, shortly after I had moved to the San
Francisco bay area, I was rifling through the “experimental” section at
Amoeba Music and discovered an album with an intriguingly sparse cover
of a naked man leaning on a wall with the title Music and Dance. The
name of the artist mentioned on the spine, Derek Bailey, sounded
familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

I immediately put Music and Dance in my car’s CD player (actually a

discman hooked into the cassette deck) and listened to it as I drove home.
Suddenly, I was having an experience that I’ve had while driving a couple
times before, such as when returning from the movie theatre after
watching The Matrix and Fight Club, whereby everything becomes blurry,
surreal and confused. My entire psyche was being disoriented by this
acoustic guitar solo. But it wasn’t a solo, it was a duet with the butoh
influenced dancer Min Tanaka, and his presence is very much felt on the
audio recording. The disc consists of two live performances inside an
abandoned blacksmith forge with a glass roof, and a brief downpour
occurs in the middle of the first one. Derek’s interaction with the
downpour is probably the most sublime thing I have ever heard.

My life’s trajectory has been altered a few times by chance encounters

such as these; accidental discoveries which can never be predicted. There
is no way to describe Derek Bailey; one can only listen to his music. He
was an absolute master at finding the perfect balance between listening to
his environment and ignoring it while playing. Many of his recordings (he
was a co-founder, along with Tony Oxley, Evan Parker and Michael
οὐδὲν οἶδα: Derek Bailey 08-08-14 18:34

Walters, of the Incus record label, which has put out arguably the greatest
European music of the twentieth century) are in a duo format, and he
preferred spontaneous meetings with truly improvised playing to
rehearsed groups. He was an uncompromising explorer of microtones,
harmonics, extended technique and discontinuity. He occasionally used
sparse electronic effects, such as running a guitar through two speakers
and using a volume pedal for swells, and occasionally experimented with
“prepared” guitars, affecting the sound of the guitar with tools such as
chains and paper clips, but I am partial to him simply playing a hollow-
body electric or acoustic guitar with his bare hands or a pick. Derek also
started the highly influential improvisational collective Company and
wrote an enlightening book entitled Improvisation.

Today, when asked about my influences, I always mention Derek Bailey

first, and sometimes exclusively. For a time, my principal goal in playing
music was the hope that one day I would be able to play with Derek
Bailey. I was crushed when he died on Christmas Day of 2005.
Posted by oudev oida at 2:08 PM
Labels: experiences , musicians

8 comments:
James said...
Here's a good collection of Derek's performances. Once in a while, I
find some splendid entries on MySpace. Derek was a music innovator;
a master of the polytonal guitar.

A number of years ago, I reviewed a CD that he made with Carlos

Bechegas, who lives in Portugal. That review may still be posted on the
internet, somewhere.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=300702526
January 27, 2008 10:50 AM

oudev oida said...

cool, thanks for that. this myspace account acts as a good introduction,
but remember, derek bailey actively recorded for 40 years with
hundreds of musicians, so this is hardly all-encompassing.

in my posts, i try to find a balance between informing and encouring

readers to discover for themselves. specifically, on this post, i decided
against compiling a list of derek bailey albums i like (I own about 25).
it's better for others to discover him for themselves over time than
accept my or any one else's recommendations as definitive.
January 27, 2008 3:55 PM

James said...
You're welcome. I can't speak to the poster's intentions, but that
documentary short featuring Derek's music is highly instructive; the
straight dope, in the composer/performer's own words.

We're losing too many of these senior-level musicians. I used to

scramble out to shows here, once upon a time.
οὐδὲν οἶδα: Derek Bailey 08-08-14 18:34

January 27, 2008 9:19 PM

oudev oida said...

in my previous comment, i typed a fragment from an internal dialogue
which i now regret. i was not intending to comment on the myspace
posters intentions, simply explicating my own and choosing a poor
time to do so, as it was entirely irrelevent to everything.

i haven't watched the documentary but will do so shortly....

January 28, 2008 2:28 PM

oudev oida said...

okay yeah, a couple brilliant statements in that documentary, well
insofar as they echo my own, ha ha.

first, i am firmly interested in PLAYING, and not at all interested in

performing or (he doesn't say this part) practicing.

second, improvisations are interesting not necessarily because of the

resultant music but for the process of the interactions themselves.
January 28, 2008 2:38 PM

James said...
Exactly! The processes are very important. Compare Derek's work with
someone like Chick Corea. Now, Chick is someone I can respect; a
veteran of multiple scenes, across several decades.

Earlier, I was listening to one of Chick's newer trio pieces, which is in

a complex, rhumba style; two-beat, with an emphasis on eight-note
lines.

The other members of the trio were ticking right along with the piano,
with slick, surgical precision. This is the sort of music that might be
heard at places like Yoshi's.

However, I got the sense that if any of these detailed rhythms were
missed, someone wouild bring the proceedings to a grinding halt. Of
course, this is supposition on my part.

By way of contrast, I don't think Derek would have haggled over these
things. It wouldn't matter if something got riffed out that sounded
jagged or dissonant. His forms exist to serve the musical content. Does
any of that make sense?

Perhaps there's a tendency to lose track of this "ugly beauty", for lack
of a better term. Bartok's music is full of extreme dissonance and
contrasting, atmospheric effects. Which is why I can continue to work
on his scores after so many years.
January 28, 2008 5:16 PM
οὐδὲν οἶδα: Derek Bailey 08-08-14 18:34

oudev oida said...

yeah, it's a good example of intent. are you hoping to entertain an
audience through the implementation of hypnotic distraction or
explore the potentials of musical creativity and interaction?

those two interests will yield very different results. it's not just about
ability- chick corea is an extremely adept improvisor and musical
explorere when he wants to be and derek bailey recorded some
superbly precise interpretations of overtly entertaining traditional
european classical works.
January 31, 2008 1:53 PM

James said...
off topic re: that infamous rehearsal group at San Jose State, circa
2001

I kid you not -- one evening, a bona fide surf guitarist sat in with the
group; Dick Dale meets Cecil Taylor. The proceedings were taped on
the leader's micro-cassette recorder.

I pray that master tape never sees the light of day.

February 1, 2008 8:37 AM
2007, THE ADVOCATE, (USA) (Tzadik, Key Series) (recorded in 1975
and 2006)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Tony Oxley: drums, electronics

1. Sheffield Phantoms 13.57

2. Medicine Men 03.52
3. Playroom 12.24
4. The Advocate 09.54

P ut out earlier this year on Tzadik, this is three studio-based duets, all recorded in 1975 and
now receiving their first proper release. The three tracks clock up to around half an hour of
improvised music, plus the disc is supplemented by a ten-minute Tony Oxley solo—The
advocate, for Derek Bailey—recorded at last year’s John Zorn-curated Derek Bailey tribute
concert. (That piece—and most of the rest of the concert—was in fact originally broadcast last
summer by the BBC’s Jazz on 3 programme… Hmm… I must have a tape of that lying around
somewhere!) The duets were pretty much what I thought I’d expect; tight fractured playing from
Bailey, with wide and varied percussion from Tony Oxley. (When he was playing with Cecil Taylor
at the Royal Festival Hall a few years back, I remember his kit being pretty gigantic… Has it always
been that big, or is it just something he’s built up slowly, over time?) Oxley also does some
electronics I think, and it’s great just what a wide range of sounds he’s capable of producing…
However, for the most part, this disc seems like something of a run-through; totally accomplished,
totally swinging, great music but not really pushing it out… In fact, it’s the final Oxley solo piece
that I find is the real stand-out track. He sculpts sound, producing something intense but with an
engaging rhythmic drive (and something more directly rhythmic than the duo tracks). Not a bad disc
at any rate (and it’s only the third-ish of Bailey’s that I own) it’s just that I’m sure that there’s
probably a lot more out there on which they both have much more to say.

O
ne of the most important musical partnerships in English Free Improvisation was the
duo of Tony Oxley and Derek Bailey. Their long standing friendship began as early as
1963 with the group Joseph Holbrooke (including composer/bassist Gavin Bryars) and
lasted over forty years. These recordings were created in the studio in 1975 and catch
them at their peak. Also included is Oxley’s touching tribute to Bailey, a dynamic new piece for
electronics and percussion recorded live at the recent Bailey tribute concert at the London
Barbicon, 2006. Exciting and vibrant improvisations—never before released—by two pioneers of
the genre.

E n 1963, en compagnie de Gavin Bryars, le guitariste Derek Bailey et le batteur Tony

Oxley inaugurent au sein du projet Joseph Holbrooke une collaboration longue d’une
quarantaine d’années mise au service d’une musique improvisée et radicale. Enregistré à
Londres en 1975, The Advocate donne la mesure de l’acuité de leur dialogue. Frénétique, le duo
mêle les précipitations percussives à des accords de guitare laissés en suspens, tente de tirer partie
d’interventions électroniques jugées sur l’instant (larsens, notes découpées et traitements sonores
divers) ou préfère tout sacrifier à une tension sèche, au son des arpèges étouffés de Medicine
Men. Pour renouveler leur propos, Oxley et Bailey jouent ailleurs, et entre autres façons, de
silences et de discrétion appliquée à leur jeu (Playroom). En guise de conclusion, Tony Oxley
revient seul avec The Advocate, pièce enregistrée en 2006 en hommage à un partenaire
récemment disparu. Là, le batteur multiplie les phases convulsives, qu’il cloisonne à l’aide de
déconstructions à la dérive – grincements de cymbales, saccades électroniques et recours
privilégié à une acoustique sous tension. Et referme, magnanime, un document à plus d’un titre
de premier ordre.

T
he late English guitarist Derek Bailey often said he enjoyed playing withdrummers the
most—his antic exchanges of constant subversion with Dutch percussion-collector Han
Bennink are storied documents of European free improvisation's halcyon days.
Countrymen John Stevens and Tony Oxley were among his regular foils; Oxley was,
along with bassist-composer Gavin Bryars, one of Bailey's first partners in jazz via the Joseph
Holbrooke group. Bailey collaborated on Oxley's first four leader dates, though oddly they never
released anything commercially as a duo. The Advocate, unearthed 1975 recordings (plus one 2006
Oxley solo piece), present exactly what that sounds like. Bailey was more of a colorist in Oxley's
heavily organized compositions; it's no surprise, then, that Bailey seems muted in comparison to the
kinetic slinging (both acoustic and electronic) that Oxley produces here. On “Sheffield Phantoms ”
it's a gradual blend as Oxley's rimshots, wooden clink and contact mics edge in and devour Bailey's
slower, decentralized rhythms before slinking off into a gauzy field of volume pedals, long tones
and delicate prods. ”Playroom ” finds Bailey's strums and flecks teased by a range of electronic
hum and garble, in keeping with Oxley's sparser work of the later '70s.

Clifford Allen, All About Jazz

2008, QUARTET, Jazzwerkstatt, (Germany) (CD) (recorded September 10,
1993)

Derek Bailey : electric guitar

Tony Oxley : drums, percussion
Pat Thomas : piano, electronics
Matt Wand : sample

1. Two and two 09.43

2. Renown 05.48
3. Hydrolysis Thomas/Wand 06.37
4. Monics Oxley/Bailey 07.40
5. Mirage Oxley/Bailey 07.24
6. Incedentaly 05.36
7. Cymbal pointer 03.52

German import.

Recorded at Chapter Arts Center, Cardiff/Wales on September 10, 1993.

Cover artwork by Tony Oxley.

"Die Tatsache, dass Tony Oxley und Derek Bailey für diese CD 1993 zusammen arbeiteten, ist
an sich schon ein Ereignis - und dazu noch Pat Thomas und Matt Wand, die schon in den
Gruppen "Celebration Orchestra" und "Quartet" an Oxleys Seite spielten. Obwohl die beiden viel
jünger sind, erweisen sie sich als einzigartige Bereicherung für die Band, wie auf diesem Werk
eindrucksvoll zu hören ist. In den 1960er Jahren gehörten Oxley und Bailey zur ersten Generation
von Improvisationsmusikern. Beide hatten mit traditionellem Jazz begonnen, setzten sich aber
schon bald an die Spitze einer Avantgarde, die einen neuen Ansatz verfolgte. Beide entwickelten
einen unverwechselbaren Sound und revolutionierten den herkömmlichen Jazz durch eine ganz
neue Musiksprache. 1993 taten sich Oxley und Bailey mit Wand und Thomas zusammen, um ein
Album zu produzieren, das in der Musik von heute ihresgleichen sucht - einzigartig, wie die
Musik von Oxley und Bailey die Sprache von Thomas und Wand zum Leben erweckt. Oxley und
Bailey spielen hier auf konventionellen Instrumenten, allerdings äußerst lebendig und kreativ.
Diese Musik ist so speziell, dass man sie gehört haben muss, um sie zu glauben."
2008 ?, WITHDRAWAL (1966-7), Emanem 4020 (UK) (CD)
(released in 1997) (re-issue with a new design)

Kenny Wheeler : trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion

Paul Rutherford : trombone, percussion
Trevor Watts : oboe, alto saxophone, flute, voice, percussion
Evan Parker : soprano and tenor saxophones, percussion
Derek Bailey : amplified guitar (tracks 5-11 only)
Barry Guy : double bass, piano
John Stevens : drums, cymbals, percussion

1. Withdrawal soundtrack part 1A 05.19

2. Withdrawal soundtrack part 1B 05.07
3. Withdrawal soundtrack part 1C 07.49
4. Withdrawal soundtrack part 2 13.42
5. Withdrawal sequence 1 11.22
6. Withdrawal sequence 2 10.51
7. Withdrawal sequence 3 "C4" 02.34
8. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Introduction:"Puddles, raindrops & circles" 04.02
9. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Movement 1 04.43
10. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Movement 2 "C" 05.15
11. Seeing sounds and hearing colours - Movement 3 07.23
All analogue studio recordings made in London by Eddie Kramer
Tracks 1-4: 1966 September/October. Tracks 5-11: 1967 March

Front cover photograph by Jak Kilby.

P
reviously unreleased recordings from 1966-67. "Transitional sextet and septet
performances quite unlike anything before or since, featuring John Stevens, Trevor Watts,
Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Kenny Wheeler and, in 1967, Derek Bailey.
Not only of great historical interest, but fine music in its own right, too. The earliest published
recordings of Guy and Parker, and one of the earliest of Bailey playing free music."

S pontaneous Music Ensemble. Previously unreleased recordings from 1966-67.

"Transitional sextet and septet performances quite unlike anything before or since,
featuring John Stevens, Trevor Watts, Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Kenny
Wheeler and, in 1967, Derek Bailey. Not only of great historical interest, but fine music in its
own right, too. The earliest published recordings of Guy & Parker, and one of the earliest of
Bailey playing free music."
Lift The Bandstand: Artificial Amnesia... 08-08-21 20:13

LIFT THE BANDSTAND

THIS BLOG IS THE BRAINCHILD OF MUSICIAN/PERCUSSIONISTS GREGG BRENNAN (TORONTO
CANADA) AND KEVIN PARKINSON (EDMONTON CANADA). IT IS A FORUM TO DISCUSS MUSICAL
PHILOSOPHY, POST ALBUM REVIEWS, POST RANTS AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND
ANYTHING THAT FALLS UNDER THE CATEGORY OF PLAYING AND LISTENING TO MUSIC.

THE NAME OF THIS BLOG WAS INSPIRED BY A DOCUMENTARY CALLED LIFT THE BANDSTAND
ABOUT SAXOPHONIST STEVE LACY.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2007 CONTRIBUTORS

Artificial Amnesia... Kevin Parkinson

Ferdinand
Gregg Brennan

GREGG BRENNAN

Free improvisation is still a controversial subject. I’m not talking

about matters of taste, in which many listeners might refuse to
acknowledge that it is valid as music at all. I’m talking about
something which lies right at the heart of its philosophy - the vexed
question of whether or not the process of improvisation can ever be
truly ‘free’.

Often referred to as ‘playing without memory’, free improvisation

should in theory be endlessly renewable and sound different each
time a musician plays. Hard line improvisers such as the late Derek
Bailey, John Butcher, and Eddie Prévost have argued passionately
that they approach each performance with a clear mind and play ‘in
the moment’. Somewhat paradoxically, however, this music which
should defy genre has become a small but very tight knit movement In Thought
with its own recognisable traits.

Can a player really escape memory? Doesn’t past experience always

KEVIN PARKINSON
inform how an instrument is approached? If memory plays no part in
the process, why is it that Derek Bailey always sounds like Derek
Bailey? When groups of improvisers get together to play in unison,
are they really playing without any frame of reference?

At a micro-level then of course no two performances are ever

identical. This would be true even of a concert pianist playing a
score – pitches, sustains, volume and dynamics would always be
subject to slight variations. Improvised music’s departure from
written scores does not in my view make it substantially different,
and I think that all musics should be viewed at a more macro level.

To make a comparison with something a bit closer to free

http://liftthebandstand.blogspot.com/2007/10/artificial-amnesia.html
Lift The Bandstand: Artificial Amnesia... 08-08-21 20:13

improvisation than classical music, the point is perhaps better made

by considering jazz. Few would argue that most sub-genres of jazz
don’t have very clear rules, and it’s hard to think of any soloists
without their own set of mannerisms or licks. Every time a soloist
plays a lick, arpeggio or a quote, memory intervenes.

Free-jazz is perhaps the closest that jazz gets to European

Improvised Music, but even here you find recognisable patterns and
conventions that a soloist has played many times before. These
identifiers tell you that it’s Albert Ayler, Frank Lowe or Marion
Brown that you happen to be listening to, and all of them develop
over a period of time and are a function of memory. The free-jazz
musician would however be less reluctant to admit this than the
European Improviser, who would cling to the belief that memory
plays no part in their work as a conviction politician to a manifesto
statement.

My own view is that whilst free improvisation may go to great

lengths to plead its case that it tries to escape memory, ultimately
it can’t. It must be judged in the same way as any other form of
music making, and there can be no special pleading to explain away
the long passages of tedium that so often characterise it. If it works
creatively, and of course it can, it tends to work because a group of
players are compatible and have an experience of playing together
to draw from. In other words, it orbits around memory.

http://liftthebandstand.blogspot.com/2007/10/artificial-amnesia.html
Lift The Bandstand: Artificial Amnesia... 08-08-21 20:13

A group such as AMM have a very particular aesthetic and each

member of the group pulls towards it. The result was famously
described by critic David Ilic as performances that were ‘as alike
and unalike as trees’. Organic, different branch formations,
different markings on the bark - unique in most respects, but still
recognisable as a tree. Just as you’re unlikely to mistake a tree for
a giraffe, you’re unlikely to mistake a piece of European Improvised
music for any other recognisable set, category or genre.

For music to escape and become something truly outside any such
system of reference, a particular type of approach is demanded of
the musician that I think is impossible for any sensient being with a
functioning brain. Just as you can’t turn back time and recapture
early childhood, I don’t think you can escape memory either.

I might go on to ask why so many musicians are still trying to do it,

but that would lead to another potentially far more controversial
thread…
POSTE D B Y F E R D I N A N D A T 1 0 / 0 5 / 2 0 0 7 1 0 : 0 3 : 0 0 A M
LABELS : A V A N T G A R D E M U S I C , I M P R O V I S E D M U S I C , J A Z Z

4 COMMENTS:

The Ghost of Jerry Reed said...

Intriguing essay. Although I agree with most of what was said, the
difference between AURAL and TACTILE memory is perhaps
overlooked... I would say it is harder to escape memory as a solo
artist rather than as part of an ensemble. In a group, there is the
minute possibility that as you listen to one of your cohorts, that
person could be doing or playing something so "out" that it
disconnects you from your aural memory, creating a type of musical
blank slate in your noggin, and consequently resulting in music that
is "free" from your personal aural catalog... I have in fact played
totally free (aurally) for a buddy's grad school project. I wore
headphones that had loud static pumped through as I played my
bass, which had been detuned. Couldn't hear what I was playing,
and my tactile memory made no difference as my hands moved to
notes, since because of the detuning, they were no longer "there".
Needless to say, the end results (the recordings) were complete
rubbish. But the process was a hoot!
OCTOBER 17, 2007 9:59 AM

Ferdinand said...
"Needless to say, the end results (the recordings) were complete
rubbish. But the process was a hoot!"

I love that line!! Some very good points though about making the
distinction between aural and tactile memory.

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Lift The Bandstand: Artificial Amnesia... 08-08-21 20:13

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of improvised music really is the

process its self?
OCTOBER 17, 2007 10:29 AM

The Ghost of Jerry Reed said...

Agreed!
OCTOBER 18, 2007 10:34 AM

Lodo Grdzak said...

I completely disagree that free improvisation doesn't/can't exist
(though Im not entirely sure that's what you're arguing). Use a
basketball game as an example. Of course when the game begins,
the players fall back on familiar patterns based on assigned position
and specific skill set. But once the game is in motion those skills and
routines are simply building blocks for new situations encountered.
Is every play improvisation?--of course not. But like in jazz, the
greatest moments in basketball are when the routine leads to
improvised, "free" moments.
JUNE 27, 2008 4:02 PM

http://liftthebandstand.blogspot.com/2007/10/artificial-amnesia.html
2007, IMPROVISATION, Strange Days Records. (Japan) (CD)
(re-issued)

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1- M1 01.30
2- M2 02.32
3- M3 04.13
4- M4 03.40
5- M5 02.40
6- M6 02.05
7- M7 01.40
8- M8 02.18
9- M9 04.42
10- M10 02.46
11- M11 02.08
12- M12 04.04
13- M13 04.12
14- M14 03.55

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Art direction by al.sa sas; photographs by Roberto Masotti.

Originally released in 1975 on Cramps' Diverso series: DIVerso n.2.

CD Reissue, CD Sized Album Replica

Japan, released 24 Oct 2007

Artwork By [Art Direction] - al.sa sas

Engineer - Carlo Martenet

Other [Coordination] - Riccardo Sgarbi

Photography - Roberto Masotti

Recorded at Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Comes in mini-LP style paper sleeve, with obi, duplicate of original printed inner sleeve, and insert
of notes in Japanese. Part of the Cramps Label Collection.

Printed inner bag features b&w photos of Bailey.

2007, IMPROVISATION, Polydor Japan. (Japan) (CD)
(re-issued)

Derek Bailey : solo electric guitar

1- M1 01.30
2- M2 02.32
3- M3 04.13
4- M4 03.40
5- M5 02.40
6- M6 02.05
7- M7 01.40
8- M8 02.18
9- M9 04.42
10- M10 02.46
11- M11 02.08
12- M12 04.04
13- M13 04.12
14- M14 03.55

Recorded September 16-18, 1975 in Studio Ricordi, Milan.

Art direction by al.sa sas; photographs by Roberto Masotti.
Originally released in 1975 on Cramps' Diverso series: DIVerso n.2.
Release Date Oct 24, 2007
2007, PORTRAIT. Barry Guy. Intakt 123 (CD) (compendium of works
including ODE)

1 Ode Part 1
Barry Guy London Jazz Composers Orchestra 9:04
Barry Guy bass
Buxton Orr conduction
Harry Beckett, Dave Holdsworth tp
Marc Charig co
Paul Rutherford, Mike Gibbs, Paul Nieman tb
Dick Hart tu
Howard Riley p
Derek Bailey guitar
Trevor Watts as, ss
Mike Osborne, Bernhard Living as
Alan Wakeman, Evan Parker ts, ss
Bob Downes ts, fl
Karl Jenkins bs, oboe
Jeff Clyne, Chris Laurence b
Tony Oxley, Paul Lytton perc

2 I Have Crossed by the Grace of the Boatman

Barry Guy 5:02
Barry Guy double bass
3 Harmos
Barry Guy London Jazz Composers Orchestra 7:16
Barry Guy b, cond
Henry Lowther tp
Marc Charig cornet
Jon Corbett tp
Paul Rutherford, Radu Malfatti, Alan Tomlinson tb
Steve Wick tu
Trevor Watts, Evan Parker, Simon Picard, Peter McPhail, Paul
Dunmall reeds | Phil Wachsmann v
Howard Riley p
Barre Phillips b
Paul Lytton perc

4 Agreement
Evan Parker – Barry Guy – Paul Lytton 7:22
Evan Parker ss, ts
Barry Guy double bass
Paul Lytton perc, drums

5 Sleeping Furiously Part 3

Barry Guy London Jazz Composers Orchestra 5:15
Barry Guy b, cond
Marilyn Crispell p
Henry Lowther, Jon Corbett tp
Marc Charig cornet
Paul Rutherford, Chris Bridges, Alan Tomlinson tb
Robin Hayward tu
Trevor Watts, Evan Parker, Simon Picard, Peter McPhail, Paul
Dunmall reeds
Phil Wachsmann v
Howard Riley p
Barre Phillips b
Paul Lytton perc

6 She Took the Sacred Rattle and Used It

Barry Guy 7:23
Barry Guy double bass

7 Double Trouble
Barry Guy London Jazz Composers Orchestra 6:27
Barry Guy b, cond
Henry Lowther tp
Marc Charig cornet
Jon Corbett tp
Paul Rutherford, Radu Malfatti, Alan Tomlinson tb
Steve Wick tu
Trevor Watts, Evan Parker, Simon Picard, Peter McPhail, Paul
Dunmall reeds
Phil Wachsmann v
Howard Riley p
Barre Phillips b
Paul Lytton perc

8 Alar
Barry Guy – Evan Parker 3:52
Barry Guy double bass
Evan Parker ss, ts

9 Odyssey
Agustí Fernández – Barry Guy – Ramón López 7:18
Augustí Fernández p
Barry Guy b
Ramón López drums, perc

10 Veni Creator Spiritus

Maya Homburger – Barry Guy – Pierre Favre 5:35
Maya Homburger baroque violin
Barry Guy b
Pierre Favre perc

11 Inscape – Tableaux Part VII

Barry Guy New Orchestra 10:40
Barry Guy b, cond
Marilyn Crispell p
Evan Parker, Mats Gustafsson sax
Hans Koch bcl, sax
Johannes Bauer tb
Herb Robertson tp
Per Åke Holmlander tu
Raymond Strid, Paul Lytton perc

12 Toujours Rouge
Barry Guy1:48
Barry Guy double bass

For over thirty years, the British double bassist, composer and band leader Barry Guy has been
one of the leading personalities in today’s music situated between Jazz, Improvisation and New
Music. The Evan Parker – Barry Guy – Paul Lytton Trio counts among the pioneer formations of
modern improvised music. In addition to his free improvisations on the bass, the traveller
between Baroque music and free improvisation composes for small formations and large
orchestras in which notated structures and improvisational freedom search for a balance. For the
London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Barry Guy has composed sixteen works, specifically written
for the orchestra’s soloists. These compositions belong to the most impressive of today’s
orchestral music. – The works published on Intakt Records and Maya Recordings document an
immense spectrum of his music: from the bass solo recordings, to duos, trios, from the Barry Guy
New Orchestra all the way to the London Jazz Composers Orchestra. Central to these activities
are – next to numerous experiments – the continuation and deepening of artistic friendships with
a handful of musicians such as Evan Parker, Paul Lytton, Marilyn Crispell, Mats Gustafsson,
Raymond Strid and others.

The booklet included collects Barry Guy’s CD production of the last 20 years on Intakt Records
and Maya Recordings, citations from press reviews, and it reprints texts on music: put together as
an introduction to the works of Barry Guy, as an orientation and overview. -– We are happy that
a growing public has been able to find access to this music through our work together.

The CD comes with an 88 page Book with photos.

88 page book with photos Francesca Pfeffer, Ferran Conangla, Carlo Chinca, Jim Four, Roberto
Masotti, Manfred Rinderspacher, Johannes Anders, Philip Anstett, Caroline Forbesand. Liner
notes of Barry Guy, Bert Noglik, Patrik Landolt, Graham L. Rogers, Greg Buium

Produced by Intakt Records and Maya Recording, Patrik Landolt, Maya Homburger.

Graphic design: Jonas Schoder

2008, FRODE GJERSTAD : DUOS, FMR-Records, FMRCD222-0207,
(CD)

Frode Gjerstad : saxophones/clarinet

Duos with :
Borah Bergman : piano
SteveHubback : percussion
Terje Isunget : percussion
Peter Brötzmann : clarinets
LasseMarhaug : electronics
Derek Bailey : guitar
John Stevens : percussion
Sabir Mateen : saxophone
Paul Hession : percussion
KevinNorton : percussion
Nils Hennik Asheim : organ

1. FRODEREK (EXCLUSIVE TRACK) 06.24

FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE
DEREK BAILEY GUITAR

2. RAISO RAIMO 06.27

FRODE GJERSTAD CLARINETS
PETER BROTZMANN CLARINETS
FROM: SORIA BORIA (FMRCD126-I0603) 2003
3. KEEP ON PLAYING PART 3 07.34
FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE
JOHN STEVENS DRUMS, CORNET
FROM: LET’S JUST KEEP GOING (FMRCD162-I0405) 1994

4. GOOD QUESTION 04.53

FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONES
ABIR MATEEN SAXOPHONE
FROM: GOOD QUESTION (FMRCD175-I0705) 2004

5. A DAY IN MAY 09.36

FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE
PAUL HESSION PERCUSSION
FROM: MAY DAY (FMRCD144-I0304) 2004

6. IMPROVISATION NO.4 09.31

FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE
LASSE MARHAUG ELECTRONICS from:TOU (FMR CD110-i0203) 2003

7. IMPROVISATION NO.1 03.58

FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE
KEVIN NORTON VIBRAPHONE
FROM: NO DEFINITIVE(FMRCD150-I0604) 2004

8. TROLLS PART 1 05.14

FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE
BORAH BERGMAN PIANO
FROM: RIVERS IN TIME(FMRCD130-I0803) 2002

9. PART ONE 06.35

FRODE GJERSTAD CLARINETS
TERJE ISUNGSET PERCUSSION
FROM: SHADOWS AND LIGHTS (FMRCD89-1101) 2001

10. THE LONGEST DAY PART 2 09.38

FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE
NILSHENRIKASHEIM ORGAN
FROM: THE SHORTEST NIGHT (FMRCD155-I01204 2004

11. REALLY ARE 06.12

FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE
STEVE HUBBACK PERCUSSION
FROM: DEMYSTIFY (FMR CD67-V1299) 1999

RECORDING DETAILS:
1- No details
2- In Stavanger by Frode Gjerstad,February 19th 2003.
3- In Stavanger by Frode Gjerstad, April30th 1994.
4- In New York City byJeffrey Hayden Shurdut, April 1st2004.
5- In Villrosen by Frode Gjerstad, May 7th 2003.
6- In the old brewery, Stavanger by Frode Gjerstad, November 22nd 2002.
7- By Frode Gjerstad in 2004.
8- Bergman/Gjerstad (BMI/TONO) At NRK, Stavanger by Per Ravnaas, mixed by Paul Geloso,
March 1st2002.
9- In Bergen by Frode Gjerstad, August 10th/11th 2001.
10- At Vardneset kirke, Stavanger by Frode Gjerstad, June 21st 2004.
11- By Frode Gjerstad, March1999.

DUOS is a new compilation featuring highlights from Frode Gjerstads astounding series of duo
recordings on FMR. Featuring the Norwegian saxophonist inconversation with major musicians
such as Derek Bailey, Peter Brotzmann, JohnStevens, Sabir Mateen, Paul Hession, Lasse
Marhaug, Kevin Norton, BorahBergman, Terje Isungset, Nils Hennik Aseim and Steve Hubback.
This is an outstanding opportunity to sample one duo track from each of these spectacular
collaborations!!!
 f u t u r e m u s i c r e c o r d s

FRODE GJERSTAD:
DUOS
(FMRCD222-0207)
FRODE
GJERSTAD Duos

Frode Gjerstad (saxophones/clarinet)

Duos with: Borah Bergman (piano), Steve
Hubback (percussion), Terje Isunget (percus-
sion), Peter Brötzmann (clarinets), Lasse
Marhaug (electronics), Derek Bailey (guitar),
WITH DEREK BAILEY PETER BROTZMANN
JOHN STEVENS SABIR MATEEN PAUL HESSION
John Stevens (percussion), Sabir Mateen
LASSE MARHAUG KEVIN NORTON BORAH BERGMAN
TERJE ISUNGSET NILS HENRIK ASHEIM STEVE HUBBACK (saxophone), Paul Hession (percussion), Kevin
Norton (percussion), Nils Hennik Asheim

DUOS is a new compilation featuring highlights from Frode Gjerstads astound-

ing series of duo recordings on FMR. Featuring the Norwegian saxophonist in
conversation with major musicians such as Derek Bailey, Peter Brotzmann, John
Stevens, Sabir Mateen, Paul Hession, Lasse Marhaug, Kevin Norton, Borah
Bergman, Terje Isungset, Nils Hennik Aseim and Steve Hubback. This is an out-
standing opportunity to sample one duo track from each of these spectacular
collaborations!!!

1. FRODEREK 3 (6.24) 7. IMPROVISATION NO.1 (3.58)

FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE
DEREK BAILEY GUITAR KEVIN NORTON VIBRAPHONE
EXCLUSIVE TRACK FROM: NO DEFINITIVE 6 49849 98283 4
(FMRCD150-I0604) 2004
2. RAISO RAIMO(6.27)
FRODE GJERSTAD CLARINETS 8. TROLLS PART 1 (5.14)
PETER BROTZMANN CLARINETS FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE RECORDING DETAILS:-
FROM: SORIA BORIA BORAH BERGMAN PIANO (2) In Stavanger by Frode Gjerstad,
(FMRCD126-I0603) 2003 FROM: RIVERS IN TIME February 19th 2003. (3) In
(FMRCD130-I0803) 2002 Stavanger by Frode Gjerstad, April
3. KEEP ON PLAYING PART 3 (7.34) 30th 1994. (4) In New York City by
FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE 9. PART ONE (6.35) Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut, April 1st
JOHN STEVENS DRUMS, CORNET FRODE GJERSTAD CLARINETS 2004. (5) In Villrosen by Frode
FROM: LET’S JUST KEEP GOING TERJE ISUNGSET PERCUSSION Gjerstad, May 7th 2003. (6) In the
(FMRCD162-I0405) 1994 FROM: SHADOWS AND LIGHTS old brewery, Stavanger by Frode
(FMRCD89-1101) 2001 Gjerstad, November 22nd 2002.
4. GOOD QUESTION (4.53) (7) By Frode Gjerstad in 2004. (8)
FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE 10. THE LONGEST DAY PART 2 (9.38) Bergman/Gjerstad (BMI/TONO) At
SABIR MATEEN SAXOPHONE FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE NRK, Stavanger by Per Ravnaas,
FROM: GOOD QUESTION NILS HENRIK ASHEIM ORGAN mixed by Paul Geloso, March 1st
(FMRCD175-I0705) 2004 FROM: THE SHORTEST NIGHT 2002. (9) In Bergen by Frode
(FMRCD155-I01204 2004 Gjerstad, August 10th/11th 2001.
5. A DAY IN MAY (9.36) (10) At Vardneset kirke, Stavanger
FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE 11. REALLY ARE (6.12) by Frode Gjerstad, June 21st 2004.
PAUL HESSION PERCUSSION FRODE GJERSTAD SAXOPHONE (11) By Frode Gjerstad, March
FROM: MAY DAY STEVE HUBBACK PERCUSSION 1999.
(FMRCD144-I0304) 2004 FROM: DEMYSTIFY
(FMR CD67-V1299) 1999
6. IMPROVISATION NO.4 (9.31)
FRODE GJERSTAD ALTO SAXOPHONE
LASSE MARHAUG ELECTRONICS
from: TOU
(FMR CD110-i0203) 2003
2003-2004-2005-2006-2007-2008 (?) Halana Issue Five. Magazine + 2 CDs

halana issue five in 2004!

We were SO sure number five would make it out in 2003, but that just goes to show what we
know. It'd be easy to cite a bunch of excuses -- a tree falling on our house, laziness, trying to
grow the perfect tomato -- but the bottom line is we just didn't do it. No problem, though,
there's always 2004!

We're looking at the second half of the year at this point... if you'd like to hear from us when
we know more details, drop us a line at halana@halana.com to sign up for our mailing list.

It's an exciting issue, so we can't wait to finally get it out the door. Not only are we featuring
some of our favorite artists, we're also including TWO CDs of exclusive material for the first
time.

Here are some details about what's in store...

Eliane Radigue, interviewed in 1998 by Ian Nagoski

"The space should be filled up with the sounds, like in a shell. Like if you were in the body of
a piano or any instrument... All the air should be vibrating, and we should take a bath in it."

Find out more about Eliane Radigue at kalvos.org or lovely.com.

Eric La Casa, "surrounding breathing"

"I'll go so far as to say that everything should be in that instant when microphone and
landscape succeed in communicating a dazzling encounter. I don't use the microphone as an
ear, but as a completely separate tool-I'm not trying to reproduce what my ears hear.
Recording is always a question of a moment in a landscape reproportioned by the size of a
microphone. The landscape's hum is of course a part of it, but above all it is a tremendous
accumulation of substances in motion."

Find out more about Eric La Casa at kaon.org (French) or earthear.com.

Francisco Lopez, "Purposeless memory scraps [and some of their consequences] of a

passionate drifter"
streams of expression: Listening to Bailey: An Experiment 08-08-14 22:49

STREAMS OF EXPRESSION
A BLOG WHERE I RAMBLE ABOUT STUFF THAT INTERESTS ME, NAMED AFTER A JAZZ CD BY JOE
LOVANO. MMMM. NICE.

FRIDAY, 11 JANUARY 2008

Listening to Bailey: An Experiment

Thought I’d try something different – a little exercise, see how it

goes. I’m going to put on Derek Bailey’s solo guitar album (recorded
in 1981, but not released until the 90s), ‘Aida’, and type up any
thoughts that come to mind as the music unfolds around me.
Obviously it’s going to be a bit disjointed, fragmented, but
hopefully something of value will come through…‘Stream-of-
consciousness’ criticism…Or maybe not.

The first track, ‘Paris’ – after listening for a few minutes, I’m struck
by how he seems to be on the edge of melody, something very
simple, ancient, a dulcimer, struck-plucked, mixed with the
ostensible vocabulary of twentieth-century modernism. At once
close, physical, sound, connected with the act of being, and yet
distanced, cold, far, remote, mysterious (Bailey’s personality?).

Like poetry, it’s music that you have to feel (and I don’t necessarily
mean in an emotional way, as you might feel ‘moved’, sad, by a
"New York City, after an intense sonic immersion inside mechanical and boiler rooms in
office buildings, two killer cocktails: vodka with plum wine, caipirinha with sake. That fine
touch of a thin slice of cucumber floating in the clean atmosphere of the glass. Like the high-
pitch crispy sounds that swing around the space, freed from the speakers, as I carefully move
the EQ faders to create them during the performance."

Find out more about Francisco Lopez.

Donald Miller, "Borbetomagus: The first two decades"

"1981--To the burgeoning "Downtown Scenesters," Borbetomagus are a bunch of uncouth,
boozing artistes brut, troglodytic outsiders who are "just too goshdarn loud!" To Borbeto,
these consummate fools who will nonetheless dominate the press and venues around NYC
(and outwards across the globe for decades to come), are a sniveling cadre of pretentious,
overachieving weasels, terrified of the potentials of extreme expression and atavistic
resurgence, volume's effect upon air pressure, and psycho-acoustics in general."

Find out more about Borbetomagus.

Derek Bailey, "SCHEMPF, another tradition."

"The event was at Leeds University, a number of groups were playing and - unusually for that
time, 1958 - there was some kind of interim music between the groups, supplied by a record
player set up next to the piano. Schempf announced his arrival by kicking this thing - the
record player - across, and subsequently off, the stage. Nothing unusual in that, you might
think, or in the sound produced by the stylus as it juddered across the record, but in 1958 it
WAS unusual and it created quite a stir among the dancers, auditors and particularly the
bouncers ( the euphemism, security, hadn't been discovered at that time). But Schempf, having
dealt with the record player, totally ignored all other distractions. Divesting himself of an
enormous fur coat, he was straight onto the piano."

Find out more about Derek Bailey at the European Free Improvisation Pages or Incus
records.

Two CDs!
The magazine will also include two companion CDs featuring exclusive material from all five
artists, one of which is devoted entirely to the first ever release of Eliane Radigue's 1973 work
Psi 847. Very exciting!.
streams of expression: Listening to Bailey: An Experiment

mean in an emotional way, as you might feel ‘moved’, sad, by a

sentimental melody, melancholy from a Miles Davis’ ballad-lament),
to absorb…You have to concentrate on it – free improv involves
intense concentration, more so than any other music if you are to
get something out of it, perhaps - but at the same time you have to
absorb it, to let it be something not quite understood – see Evan
Parker on shift from left to right side of brain.

‘Paris’ – a lot of the focus on the rhythmic here (an echo of rhythm,
almost - jazz, music heard on radios at the back of your mind,
where only traces of it are sensed, remain), on repeated figures
stretched out and intermingled with others and evolving into others
and juxtaposed with others like a spiders’ web. Clear yet cloudy like
the way the sun strikes a spiders’ web in the early morning light,
picking out the sharp lines of it and the dew, at once a shape and
something vague and transparent. Sometimes his rhythmic stuff is
very simple and ‘primitive’, like the way a child would obsessively
bash at something he’d learned to do (dissonant chords 15 mins in).
Like Picasso, going back to a child-like attitude –but paradoxically
this happens often through extended techniques – through extending
your knowledge of the machinery of the instrument so you can play
as if for the first time. Miles Davis to John McLaughlin during the 'In
a Silent Way' sessions: “play like you don’t know how to play
guitar.”

The way it finishes with someone’s watch (?) beeping, breaking the
spell – he plays the phrase one more time before cutting off. “Well
that’s the fist number.” A typically English down-to-earth mysticism
(though he’d hate it to be described as such, and I don’t really
mean mysticism in the conventional sense. What do I mean? – hard
to explain – ideally, I’d say listen to the music, but I’m aware that ABOUT ME
most (like me at first) just hear cold, hard, horror. A man who DAVID_GRUNDY
“devoted his life to making horrible music that no-one wanted to
Studying English at Cambridge
listen to,” as a friend remarked ironically to me.
University. Radio show 'One Step
Beyond', featuring jazz and
improvised music, on Cambridge
Student Radio.

V I E W M Y C O M P L E TE P R O F I L E
streams of expression: Listening to Bailey: An Experiment 08-08-14 22:49

Like speech half-heard, imagined in the head (a half-conscious

thought, maybe), Bailey’s music unfolds over time, not quite
understood. Who knows what happened in his head when he played?
Did he hear voices, translate them into notes? Did he hear a musical
phrase, in its entirety, not quite understanding it, knowing where it
came from exactly, like the way a line of poetry comes to a poet
(William Empson’s ‘taste in the head’). Did he hear sSunds in
advance? Sounds in remembrance? The way phrases echo, are
developed for minutes a time, their shades and nuances stretched
out, moving on - like Evan Parker’s "music under the microscope"
(Ian Carr's description) saxophone solos. Yet neither Bailey nor
Parker as as distanced as that phrase suggests – it’s not as if they
say ‘I choose to examine this sound objectively, now what can I do
with it,’ as that wouldn’t work – you have to be fully involved in the
sound, in creating, you become the sound, as Stockhausen instructs
in his improvised pieces

Two minutes into ‘An Echo in Another’s Mind' – splintering,

scraping sounds. 4 minutes - maybe an oriental tinge? The 'ancient'
sense, closeness to some sort of melody, that I thought about when
listening to 'Paris', maybe the strangeness of it is because it's a
streams of expression: Listening to Bailey: An Experiment 08-08-14 22:49

listening to 'Paris', maybe the strangeness of it is because it's a

recall of a different type of melody, a different type of music to the
usual western stuff - maybe he was more in tune with an eastern
sensibility? Not that he'd explicitly acknowledge this as anything
other than a possibility, in a music of possibilites...The chapter in
'Improvisation' where he comments on how some improvisers
employment of ethnic instruments "is about as near to the dignity of
ethnic music as a nuclear explosion is to a fart"! Still, Jamie Muir
employs gongs and various eastern percussion instrument on 'Dart
Drug'...There's a video of Bailey playing with a Japanese dancer on
youtube - have to dig it up and see if those ideas are confirmed.

In any case, he abruptly breaks of this more exploratory ruminative

strain for some hard, hard, hammer-blows - Beethoven's fifth
filtered through fifty layers to become Derek Bailey striking his
guitar, jangling it, brutal, exploiting that percussive side of the
acoustic guitar (fret noise, the sound of the fingers striking the
strings) that hardly anyone else seems to.

Again, a few minutes later, that oriental sound (koto? shamisen?), in

the lower register of the instrument, before ending, suddenly, like
an unfinished sentence, leaving unspoken thoughts to be picked up
on (or forgotten about) for his next improvisation...

POSTED BY DAVID_G R U N D Y A T 1 / 1 1 / 2 0 0 8 0 6 : 0 1 : 0 0 P M
LABELS: AVANT - GARD E , D E R E K B A I L E Y , F R E E I M P R O V , L I S T E N I N G ,
MODERNISM
Astrologie : Derek BAILEY, né le 29/01/1930, thème astral, biograp... http://www.astrotheme.fr/portraits/9X9yHkm

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15/08/08 18:19
Astrologie : Derek BAILEY, né le 29/01/1930, thème astral, biograp... http://www.astrotheme.fr/portraits/9X9yHk

avant, le calcul du thème étant exact dans tous les cas. Les maisons astrologiques
sont calculées en système Placidus. Derek BAILEY, carte du ciel et thème astral :
Carte du Ciel et Planètes pour Derek BAILEY.
Quizz Astrologie : tour de piste
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Zodiaque Noir, à ne pas lire ! Numérologie : le chemin de vie de Derek BAILEY
Histoire de l'Astrologie
Ce paragraphe donne en préambule des extraits du portrait astrologique qui suit
L'Astrologie, ça marche ? quelques éléments sur la personnalité de Derek BAILEY, du point du vue de l a
John KERRY ou George BUSH numérologie, sur le seul plan du chemin de vie.
Dates et Calendriers ! Thème Astral Gratuit
Affinités : Réflexions On retrouve la trace de la numérologie dans les civilisations les plus anciennes, Notre expert répond à vos
L'Argent et Vous antérieurement même à l'astrologie. Cette discipline donne une signification aux questions et révèle votre futur
Rien n'est simple ! lettres d'après les nombres qui les symbolisent, à partir du nom, du prénom et de gratuitement
Eros et Thanatos
la date de naissance. www.isabella.fr

Inspiration et Illusion Le chemin de vie donne des indications sur le type de destinée que le sujet est
Figure & Dessin Planétaire amené à vivre, à partir de sa date de naissance. C'est un des éléments à prendre Totalement Gratuit
Coup de Théâtre ! en compte, tout comme le nombre d'expression, le nombre actif, le nombre Une Célèbre Voyante vous dit tout
Votre Part de Gravité intime, le nombre de réalisation, le nombre héréditaire, les nombres dominants sur votre Avenir
Vous et vos Emotions ou les nombres manquants, ou encore le plan d'expression etc. www.helenedeparis.net
A quoi pensez-vous ?
Où êtes-vous Actif ?
Votre chemin de vie : 7
Votre Cadeau du Ciel
Votre Destin Professionnel
Vos Loisirs et vos Sports Votre chemin de vie est lié au nombre 7, Derek, ce qui révèle un destin marqué
Votre Look et votre Santé par la vie spirituelle, la recherche et l'introversion. Le nombre 7 incite à une
Votre façon d'aimer 1 relative prise de distance vis-à-vis des valeurs communément admises. Vous êtes
Votre façon d'aimer 2 en quête de sagesse, au prix parfois d'une certaine solitude. Ce peut être une
Le But de votre Vie 1
curiosité ou un authentique intérêt à l'égard de la métaphysique, de la religion
ou de la spiritualité. Ou la volonté de suivre un cheminement personnel
Le But de votre Vie 2
s'écartant des sentiers battus, de vous bâtir une destinée spécifique. Votre vie est
Le But de votre Vie 3
une initiation : les aléas de l'existence ne sauraient vous détourner de votre
Mlle Poissons avec ? recherche. Si la quête d'un certain absolu s'avère un puissant facteur d e
Mlle Verseau avec ? créativité pour vous, votre cheminement s'accommode mal des solutions d e
Mlle Capricorne avec ? facilité, le danger étant que votre goût pour l'indépendance ne vous entraîne
Mlle Sagittaire avec ? parfois à passer pour une personne froide et rigide à l'excès, d'autant que l e
Mlle Scorpion avec ? nombre 7 marque les destins hors du commun qui imposent parfois des sacrifices,
Mlle Balance avec ? notamment sur les plans matériel ou relationnel.
Mlle Vierge avec ?
Mlle Lion avec ? Derek BAILEY est du signe du Serpent élément Terre
Mlle Cancer avec ?
Mlle Gémeaux avec ? Fruit d'une sagesse millénaire, l'astrologie chinoise incite chacun à prendre
Mlle Taureau avec ?
conscience du potentiel dont il dispose. Le Sage échappe à ses astres, dit-on.
Encore faut-il acquérir cette lucidité, cette distance sans laquelle on s'enferme
Mlle Bélier avec ?
dans une destinée implacable. Selon la légende du cycle animal, Bouddha, avant
de quitter cette Terre, convia tous les animaux à ses adieux. Douze espèces
Les Bases de l'Astrologie seulement répondirent à son appel. Ce sont les composantes du zodiaque chinois,
image des douze voies d'une sagesse toujours actuelle.
Les 12 Signes du Zodiaque
Pour le Sage oriental, nul sentier n'est bon ou mauvais. Chacun peut et doit
Les 12 Maisons astrologiques développer ses virtualités. La première clé est de bien se comprendre
Les Planètes et Astéroïdes soi-même…
Les Eléments et Quadruplicités
Maîtrises et Dignités planétaires En Chine, le serpent est associé à la sagesse. Vous êtes de ceux qui ne se laissent
Les Aspects astrologiques pas prendre aux pièges de l'existence et préfèrent mûrement penser leurs
Les Dominantes planétaires décisions. Stable et pondéré, vous tentez de nuancer vos jugements et de penser
La Répartition des Planètes
les problèmes en profondeur.
La Prévision en Astrologie
La lucidité est certainement l'une de vos qualités dominantes : il sera difficile d e
Astrologie et Compatibilité vous mener en bateau, d'autant que vous détestez qu'on manipule vos émotions !
Les Parts Arabes Ceux ou celles qui tentent de faire échouer vos desseins s'exposent à une
Les 360 Degrés Symboliques vengeance implacable. Le serpent a du sang froid : vous restez maître de vos
faits et gestes, même et surtout dans les situations difficiles. Vous serez donc
redoutable en cas de crise, calculateur de talent et particulièrement tenace.

Vous vous laissez parfois aller à un certain machiavélisme, forgeant dans l'ombre
les comportements de vos proches. L'action en coulisses est votre spécialité. Vous
savez garder vos distances en toutes circonstances : c'est là sans doute que réside
le charme qu'on s'accorde à vous reconnaître.

Vous savez mieux que quiconque obtenir ce que bon vous semble à votre rythme,
avec des méthodes qui vous sont propres. Certains appellent cette faculté un don
d'envoûter son entourage. Il s'agit en tout cas d'un art indéniable de jouer
remarquablement avec les émotions et les affects de votre entourage.

L'astrologie chinoise compte cinq éléments nommés agents : le bois, le feu, l a

terre, le métal et l'eau.

Vous êtes en affinité avec l'agent Terre. En Chine, cet élément correspond à l a
planète Saturne, la couleur jaune et le chiffre 5.

Réaliste et souvent prudent, vous planifiez votre vie avec soin, ne laissant rien au
hasard et gérant de manière pragmatique les situations. L'objectivité dont vous
savez faire preuve ne peut que vous éviter bien des pièges et désillusions. Vous
serez donc un individu rassurant pour votre entourage : on se fie volontiers à
votre sens des réalités.

Loin de vous les projets fantaisistes, les chimères qui séduisent pourtant nombre
de vos contemporains ! Il importe pour vous de ne retenir que les points de vue
et orientations solides, les éléments ayant fait leurs preuves.

15/08/08 18:19
Astrologie : Derek BAILEY, né le 29/01/1930, thème astral, biograp... http://www.astrotheme.fr/portraits/9X9yHkm

Reste évidemment à montrer parfois un peu de fantaisie : il est des risques

inconsidérés qui s'avèrent payants, et des lubies qui, aussi futiles qu'elles soient,
apportent un indéniable agrément à une vie quotidienne quelque peu terne et
rigoureuse. Le sérieux avec lequel vous gérez votre existence ne peut alors que
porter ses fruits.

Astrologie occidentale : personnalité de Derek BAILEY (extrait)

Introduction

Voici quelques traits de caractères Derek BAILEY que l'on peut extraire de son
thème astrologique natal. Cette description n'est pas un portrait complet loin d e
là, mais un simple éclairage partiel sur sa personnalité qui n'en demeure pas
moins intéressant pour les amateurs et les professionnels de l'astrologie.

N.B. : L'heure de naissance de cette célébrité n'étant pas connue, le thème astral
est donc dressé pour midi heure légale de son lieu d'anniversaire ; les maisons
astrologiques n'étant pas prises en compte, il est normal que cet extrait d e
portrait astrologique soit beaucoup moins détaillé que celui correspondant au cas
de l'heure de naissance connue.

Les dominantes planétaires de Derek BAILEY

Lorsque l'on interprète un thème astral de naissance, la meilleure méthode

consiste à partir du général pour aller au particulier, graduellement. Ainsi,
l'usage est de suivre un plan qui part de l'analyse globale du thème, de sa
structure, pour ensuite décrire les différents traits de la personnalité.

L'analyse globale du thème dans une première partie permet de cerner quelques
traits généraux de la personnalité, de souligner quelques points qui pourront ou
non être confirmés par l'analyse détaillée : quoiqu'il en soit, ces traits généraux
seront à prendre en compte. Une personnalité humaine est une entité infiniment
complexe à décrire et il est illusoire de vouloir la résumer de façon courte, ce qui
ne signifie pas non plus qu'il s'agisse d'un défi impossible. Plusieurs lectures d'un
thème natal sont indispensables afin de s'imprégner des différentes significations
et appréhender toute cette complexité. Mais le jeu en vaut la chandelle.

Un thème natal est constitué très schématiquement de 10 planètes principales -

deux luminaires, Soleil et Lune, trois planètes rapides dites individuelles,
Mercure, Vénus et Mars, deux planètes lentes, Jupiter et Saturne, et trois planètes
très lentes, Uranus, Neptune et Pluton - , d'éléments secondaires - noeuds
lunaires, lune noire ou Lilith, Chiron et autres astéroïdes tels que Vesta, Pallas,
Cérès ou Junon, corps particuliers comme les parts arabes ou autres Vertex,
Soleil noir, portes visible et invisible, planètes hypothétiques etc. -, de 12
maisons astrologiques, le tout positionné dans un zodiaque qui comporte 12
signes - du Bélier aux Poissons.

En premier lieu, il faut apprécier l'importance de chaque planète dans le thème,

c'est ce que l'on appelle la recherche des dominantes planétaires. Cette
recherche obéit à des règles qui dépendent de la sensibilité et l'expérience d e
l'astrologue mais qui ont également des bases claires et solides : ainsi, les
paramètres d'activité d'une planète peuvent être pris en compte - le nombre
d'aspects actifs qui arrivent à cette planète, l'importance de chacun de ces aspects
qui dépend de leur nature mais aussi de leur exactitude -, les paramètres
d'angularité - la proximité aux 4 angles Ascendant, Milieu du Ciel, Descendant et
Fond du Ciel, tout ceci pouvant être aussi apprécié numériquement en fonction d e
la nature de l'angle et de l'écartement de la planète à ceux-ci -, les paramètres
de qualité - la valorisation en fonction des maîtrises, exaltations, exils et chutes -
et un certain nombre d'autres critères comme la prise en compte des maîtrises
de l'Ascendant et du Milieu du Ciel etc. seront nécessaires.

Ces différents critères permettent de valoriser les planètes et d'en déduire

quelques conclusions utiles pour l'interprétation du thème astrologique natal.

L'analyse globale d'un thème va tenir compte d'abord des 3 répartitions

planétaires dans le thème : hémisphères Est ou Ouest, Sud ou Nord, et
Quadrants les plus occupés, Nord Est, Nord Ouest, Sud Est et Sud Ouest. Ces 3
répartitions donnent une tonalité générale en terme d'introversion et
d'extraversion, de volonté et de sociabilité, de prédisposition à certains
comportements.

Viennent ensuite 3 autres répartitions : les éléments (les triplicités puisqu'il

existe 3 groupes de signes de chaque) - Feu Air Terre et Eau - qui apportent une
typologie de personnalité, les modes (les quadruplicités puisqu'il existe 4
groupes de signes de chaque) - Cardinal, Fixe et Mutable - et les polarités (Yin et
Yang) qui renseignent sur certains traits de caractère fondamentaux.

Suivent les trois types de dominantes : dominantes planétaires, dominantes

signes et dominantes maisons. Le néophyte imagine que l'astrologie, c'est "être
Bélier" ou parfois être "Bélier Ascendant Vierge" par exemple. La réalité est bien
plus riche. S'il est vrai que le Soleil et l'Ascendant apportent à eux deux une
bonne partie de la personnalité - entre 30 et 60% environ en fonction du thème
natal - une personne n'est pas "que Soleil" (ce que l'on appelle le signe) ni "que
maison 1" (ce que l'on appelle l'Ascendant). Ainsi, telle planète peut-être
fortement valorisée, tel signe ou telle maison peuvent recevoir un important
groupe de planètes et du même coup apporter une signification qui va tempérer
et relativiser le rôle de l'Ascendant, du signe solaire etc.

Enfin deux autres critères, les accentuations - angulaires, succédentes et

cadentes - qui sont une classification des maisons astrologiques, et les types d e
décans occupés - chaque signe est découpé en trois décans de 10° chacun -
apporteront leur supplément de signification dans cette première partie générale.

15/08/08 18:19
Astrologie : Derek BAILEY, né le 29/01/1930, thème astral, biograp... http://www.astrotheme.fr/portraits/9X9yHkm3

Ces onze (et six dans le cas où l'heure de naissance est inconnue) traits de
caractères généraux ne sont pas à prendre au pied de la lettre : ils
enrichissent la lecture du thème en la préparant pour ainsi dire, et permettent
de mieux comprendre la seconde partie plus détaillée et plus précise qui analyse
chaque domaine de la personnalité en faisant une synthèse des critères de
positions, de signes, de maisons et d'aspects selon certaines règles
hiérarchiques.

Avertissement : lorsque l'heure de naissance est inconnue ce qui est le cas pour
Derek BAILEY, un certain nombre de paragraphes ne peuvent évidemment pas
être traités : les répartitions en hémisphères et en quadrants n'ont pas de sens,
les maisons dominantes et les accentuations de maisons n'ont pas d'objet non
plus. Des chapitres sont donc enlevées dans cette partie.

Enfin, pour l'ensemble des paragraphes, les critères de valorisation sont calculés
sans les angles et sans les maîtres de l'Ascendant et du Milieu du Ciel : l a
démarche de calcul demeure valable, mais les valorisations sont moins précises
que lorsque l'heure de naissance est connue.

Eléments, Modes et Polarités pour Derek BAILEY

Derek BAILEY, voici le diagramme de vos Eléments, Modes et Polarités, et de vos

Décans, constitué à partir des présences des planètes et angles dans les 12 signes
:

Vive la communication et la mobilité, Derek BAILEY ! La prédominance des signes

d'Air dans votre thème favorise et amplifie votre goût pour les relations avec
autrui et les déplacements de toutes sortes, qu'ils soient réels - voyages - ou
symboliques - idées nouvelles, évasion par l'esprit. Vous gagnez en souplesse et
en adaptabilité ce qui peut vous manquer éventuellement en affirmation ou e n
sens du concret.

Avec une majorité d'éléments en signes de Terre, vous êtes, Derek BAILEY
efficace, concret et sans trop d'états d'âme. Ce qui compte est ce qui se voit, ce qui
peut durer : pour vous, on juge l'arbre à ses fruits. Les idées changent, les
paroles disparaissent, mais les actes et leurs conséquences sont visibles et
restent. A vous de laisser la porte de votre sensibilité ouverte même si votre
vulnérabilité doit en pâtir. Emotions, énergie et communication ne doivent pas
être négligées, car à quoi bon du concret s'il n'a pas une justification par le cœur,
l'enthousiasme ou le mental ?

Les valeurs de Feu sont peu présentes dans votre thème natal, avec seulement
9.52% au lieu de 25%, la moyenne : vous pouvez manquer peut-être de chaleur,
d'enthousiasme, d'esprit de conquête ou d'énergie, de punch, vous pouvez
paraître indifférent ou neutre à tout, presque éteint en terme d'envies, de joie d e
vivre ou de capacité d’entreprendre. En fait, ce n'est pas vrai, mais vous
gagneriez à vous lâcher, à vous forcer dans un premier temps à exprimer ce que
vous avez en vous avec davantage d'audace, à montrer votre étonnement, votre
vitalité. Vous avez certainement autant d'énergie que les autres à l'intérieur, i l
faut tout simplement qu'elle sorte, à vous de la montrer un peu plus, vous n'en
tirerez que des avantages : criez, chantez, faites des grimaces, dansez, c'est l a
bonne voie pour vous... A l'arrivée, on ne vous taxera plus jamais de triste, d e
flegmatique ou de rabat-joie !

Votre thème natal présente une carence en éléments Eau, avec 8.23% seulement
au lieu de 25%, la moyenne : les valeurs affectives vous posent certainement,
que vous en soyez conscient ou non, un problème, que ce soit pour vous-même
ou pour vos proches. Généralement, une carence en Eau ne signifie évidemment
pas que l'on n'est pas capable d'aimer autant que les autres, mais il y a des
chances par contre que vous ayez du mal à exprimer toutes les richesses de votre
cœur, de vos sentiments. Dans le meilleur des cas, vous composerez avec, et vous
arrivez à vous adapter, à devenir plus affectueux en somme, ou même pourquoi
pas à faire semblant. Dans le pire des cas, vous prendrez l'habitude terrible
d'inhiber ces valeurs essentielles du cœur, vous aurez tendance à oublier que
celles-ci sont à la base des liens les plus solides et les plus riches entre les êtres
humains.

Les 12 signes du zodiaque sont répartis en trois groupes ou modes, appelés les
quadruplicités, nom savant qui signifie simplement que ces trois groupes
comprennent quatre signes. Le mode Cardinal, le mode Fixe et le mode Mutable
sont plus ou moins représentés dans le thème natal, en fonction de la présence et
de l'importance des planètes et des angles dans les douze signes.

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Le mode Cardinal prédomine chez vous et indique une prédisposition à l'action, et

plus exactement à l'impulsion et à la capacité d'entreprendre : vous avez à cœur
d'initier les projets que vous avez en tête, de démarrer les choses, de les créer.
C'est pour vous la partie la plus importante qui vous donne enthousiasme et
adrénaline, sans lesquels vous pouvez rapidement vous lasser. Vous êtes e n
général plutôt individualiste - parfois trop ? - et affirmé et laissez le soin aux
autres de consolider et de faire ensuite évoluer les constructions que vous avez
bâties avec ardeur.

Les douze signes sont répartis en deux groupes de polarités, appelés groupe actif
et groupe passif, ou encore parfois masculin et féminin, positif et négatif, Yang et
Yin : Cette répartition correspond à deux tonalités assez distinctes, la première
apportant extraversion, action, assurance et dynamisme, la seconde introversion,
réactivité, réflexion et prudence. L'une n'est pas supérieure à l'autre, chaque
groupe ayant ses atouts et ses faiblesses. Les signes impairs, Bélier, Gémeaux,
Lion, Balance, Sagittaire et Verseau font partie du premier groupe, alors que les
signes pairs - parce qu'ils commencent au second signe - , Taureau, Cancer,
Vierge, Scorpion, Capricorne et Poissons appartiennent au second groupe.

En fonction de la disposition et des qualités de vos planètes et de vos angles, vous

faites partie, Derek BAILEY, plutôt du groupe YANG, le groupe actif : plus
préoccupé par l'action que la réflexion, vous foncez parfois sans prendre le recul
et la profondeur nécessaire, mais vous avez cette spontanéité de ceux qui sauront
repartir du bon pied, même après un ou même des échecs répétés par
imprudence.

Chaque signe est constitué de 30 degrés et peut être partagé en trois parties
égales : les décans. La tradition indique que l'on peut associer à ces trois décans
une certaine signification. L'usage est en général de limiter leur champ
d'application au signe solaire, mais il est encore plus intéressant d'effectuer une
répartition de toutes les planètes pour avoir une idée de l'importance respective
de ces trois décans dans le thème natal en vue d'obtenir un éclairage
complémentaire de la personnalité.

Ces significations sont à prendre en compte avec la plus grande prudence, il s'agit
en effet de caractéristiques mineures, mais qui peuvent parfois accentuer d'autres
traits saillants du caractère.

Pour une planète, individuellement, l'usage est de considérer que le premier

décan accentue les caractéristiques du signe. Les deux autres décans
correspondent à des sous-dominantes, fonctions de la nature de chaque signe. Ce
système conduit à une multiplication des significations et une impossibilité d'y
voir clair : nous préférons ne donner que le sens de l'accentuation d'un décan
par rapport aux deux autres, dans l'ensemble du thème natal. La prudence l a
plus grande est de mise encore une fois pour cette indication à la fois générale
pour votre thème, mais aussi mineure et pas forcément fiable.

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Le premier décan, c'est à dire la partie entre 0 et 10° des signes zodiacaux, est
majoritaire dans votre thème natal : traditionnellement, ce décan est rattaché à
la vitalité et au physique et tendrait à penser que votre énergie concrète peut
s'exprimer d'une façon efficace, sur un plan matériel et charnel.

Dominantes : planètes, signes et maisons pour Derek BAILEY

La question de la dominante est évoquée depuis la nuit des temps en astrologie :

comme il serait agréable de définir une personne par quelques mots, par une ou
plusieurs planètes qui représenteraient son caractère simplement, sans être
obligé d'analyser longuement aspects et maîtrises, aspects et angularité,
présence en signes et en maisons !

Les 10 planètes - du Soleil à Pluton - , sont un peu comme 10 personnages d'un

jeu de rôle, avec chacun son caractère, son mode d'action, ses atouts et ses
faiblesses. Elles représentent en fait une classification en 10 personnalités bien
distinctes et les astrologues ont depuis toujours - et depuis peu pour les 3
dernières planètes, Uranus, Neptune et Pluton - essayé d'associer à un thème
astral de naissance une ou plusieurs dominantes planétaires, mais également une
ou plusieurs dominantes signes et maisons.

En effet, pour les signes et les maisons, c'est un peu la même chose : si les
planètes symbolisent des personnages, les signes représentent des teintes, les
structures mentales, affectives et physiques d'un sujet. Chaque planète en signe
est un peu comme un personnage qui verrait ses caractéristiques modifiées e n
fonction du lieu où il habite. Dans un thème, il existe ainsi en général un, deux ou
trois signes bien valorisés, qui vont permettre de décrire son propriétaire
rapidement.

Pour les maisons astrologiques, l'idée est encore plus simple : les 12 maisons
correspondent aux 12 domaines de la vie et leur occupation privilégiée par les
10 planètes principales, pondérées par les différents critères dont nous venons de
parler en introduction, vont les valoriser différemment, et mettre en relief
certaines "cases" de la vie : cela peut être le mariage, le travail, la vie amicale
etc.

Derek BAILEY, voici votre diagramme de valorisation des planètes :

Les trois planètes les mieux représentées dans votre thème sont Uranus, Saturne
et Pluton.

Uranus fait partie de vos dominantes planétaires : tout comme Neptune et Pluton,
la typologie de l'Uranien est moins nettement définie que celle des sept planètes
dites classiques et visibles à l'œil nu, du Soleil jusqu'à Saturne. Cependant, il est
quand même possible d'associer à votre nature uranienne certaines
caractéristiques claires : Uranus rime en effet avec les mots indépendance,
liberté, originalité, quand ce n'est pas révolte, insoumission et marginalité dès
que rien ne va plus...

Uranus est l'octave supérieure de Mercure et à ce titre, emprunte certains de ses

traits de caractère, en commençant par le côté cérébral poussé au détriment des
émotions et un certain détachement affectif, du moins un affectif en dents de scie.

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Une des facettes de votre personnalité est donc celle d'un homme passionné
appréciant les nouveautés, à l'affût de toute forme d'action ou d'idée
révolutionnaire. Un Uranien n'est jamais prévisible, et c'est justement souvent
lorsque l'on vous croit stable et installé que... vous changez tout, de vie, d e
partenaire, de job ! Vous êtes finalement le personnage le plus allergique à toute
forme de routine même si le prix à payer pour la fuir est le risque.

Saturne fait partie des dominantes planétaires de votre thème : vous avez donc –
parmi les facettes de votre caractère -, un côté sérieux et grave, sage et quelque
peu sévère tant votre concentration peut être forte au détriment d'un laisser-aller
forcément plus facile et convivial aux yeux des autres.

Votre côté austère n'est souvent qu'une apparence, une forme de réserve ou d e
pudeur ; mais il n'en n'est pas moins vrai que le Saturnien, ami du temps et d e
l'effort, du dépouillement absolu du superflu, de la rigueur, de la sobriété, a
parfois une image délicate sur le plan de la popularité. Néanmoins, l'honnêteté et
la droiture, l'intellect sûr, lent, sage et profond, certes peu visibles par manque
de... publicité, finissent souvent par se voir, et il n'est pas rare que le Saturnien
dont vous avez héritez une partie, ait une seconde moitié de la vie plus agréable
et réussie que la première.

Comme le Jupitérien, votre facette saturnienne vous pousse à aller vers

l'essentiel, la sécurité, la durée. Mais la différence avec ce premier et que vous
n'aurez jamais en priorité l'idée de développer tout et à tout prix, et ce pour l e
désir du pouvoir. Saturne, comme Jupiter, indique la capacité d'insertion sociale,
et il est habituel de considérer que le meilleur atout qui soit pour cette
adaptabilité à la Société, c'est de posséder un Jupiter et un Saturne harmonieux
dans son thème natal.

Votre vulnérabilité réside dans ce côté justement trop sérieux et sévère, qui peut
parfois vous pousser à une solitude non voulue et un sentiment d'isolement et d e
frustration affective. En général, cela ne durera pas longtemps, car le Saturnien a
souvent à l'intérieur de lui-même... un cœur d'or, qui finit par se voir.

Avec Pluton comme dominante planétaire de votre thème natal, vous êtes
quelque part un prédateur, magnétique et puissant, qui, à l'instar du signe du
Scorpion que cette planète gouverne, a besoin d'exercer une forme de pression
pour « tester » son entourage ou son environnement. Vous êtes toujours prêt à
évoluer, à risquer la destruction pour la reconstruction - y compris la vôtre -, à
vivre plus intensément tout en manifestant avec autorité votre être, à asseoir
votre autorité secrète mais réelle sur les choses et les gens que vous croiserez
dans votre vie.

On peut vous dire méchant parfois, cruel ou trop autoritaire, mais en fait, c'est
votre instinct qui parle, vous sondez les autres et aimez exercer votre domination
tout simplement parce qu'au fond de vous-même, l'énergie vitale est là, trop
puissante pour ne pas sortir et faire de vous un homme d'action mais aux
motivations cachées. Vous êtes finalement un être de passion, souvent incompris
mais l'immense atout du Plutonien que vous êtes est de rebondir avec une force
toujours plus grande après chaque épreuve de la vie.

Dans votre thème natal, les trois signes les plus importants - en fonction des
critères cités plus haut - sont dans l'ordre Verseau, Capricorne et Bélier. Souvent,
ces signes sont importants parce que votre Ascendant ou votre Soleil s'y trouvent.
Mais ce n'est pas forcément le cas : un amas de planètes peut s'y trouver, ou une
planète proche d'un angle autre que le Milieu du Ciel ou l'Ascendant, quand ce
n'est pas tout simplement parce que deux ou trois planètes sont très actives par
les nombreux aspects qu'elles font à partir de ces signes.

Vous emprunterez ainsi une partie des caractéristiques de ces trois signes, un peu
comme une superposition de caractéristiques au reste de votre thème, et cela
d'autant plus fort que le signe en question est valorisé.

Le Verseau est un des signes les plus importants de votre thème natal : il rend
votre personnalité - ou du moins une de ses facettes – originale jusqu'à
l'excentricité malgré un côté parfois distant, humain, sympathique et impassible à
la fois : vous êtes l'homme des paradoxes, très difficile à cerner à cause des deux
planètes Uranus et Saturne qui se mélangent pour créer ce signe si compliqué et
attachant qui inspire une partie de votre personnalité. Le sérieux et l'impassibilité
de Saturne côtoient le rebelle doué, individualiste et charismatique, toujours prêt
à faire des folies et qui ne se comporte jamais comme on l'attendrait à cause
d'Uranus ! Une de vos caractéristiques essentielles est que vous ne vous livrez pas
à titre personnel, mais que vous avez tendance à vous lâcher pleinement e n
public. Vous êtes finalement bien étrange. Sexy et charmeur en collectivité, vous
pouvez malgré votre caractère agréable et sociable frustrer plus d'une de vos
admiratrices en privé par votre refus ou votre... impossibilité de montrer une

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chaleur affective profonde et spontanée, une émotion, des larmes. Mais

apparence et réalité sont deux choses différentes de toute façon et puis vous avez
du génie ou du moins un charme fou avec ce signe. Votre vie amicale est souvent
très riche et si amoureusement, vous êtes un peu détaché – pour cette facette
seulement de votre caractère, le reste du thème confirmera ou infirmera cela - ,
ce n'est quand même pas un drame !

Le Capricorne est un des signes dominant de votre thème astral de naissance et

vous apporte ce cachet sérieux et parfois un peu grave qui semble vous
accompagner dans presque tous vos instants. Mais si vous avez ce côté réservé et
un peu froid - au goût de certains champions de l'extraversion -, vous avez e n
revanche des qualités solides à revendre : volontaire et résistant, votre vision à
long terme, votre sens du devoir et votre ambition n'ont que faire des
mouvements browniens et dérisoires qui déclenchent des secousses d'humeur - ô
combien inutiles d'après vous - chez la plupart des autres mortels. De plus, vous
êtes comme le bon vin, vous vieillissez bien et votre gravité naturelle se mue
paradoxalement presque en une apparence enjouée lorsque vous avez pris d e
l'âge. Vous êtes à l'intérieur très sensible quand il s'agit d'amour. Loyal,
prévenant, doux et sensible, votre comportement est assez différent pour la v i e
de tous les jours et pour les questions affectives. En fait, un cœur d'or bat sous
votre apparence parfois un peu austère ou dure...

Dans vos veines coule du sang de Bélier ! Vous avez en vous cet enthousiasme,
cette franchise, ce courage et cette rapidité qui, malgré votre côté parfois un peu
primaire, naïf ou violent, vous rendent en général sympathique. En prime, le feu
jaillissant du Bélier vous donnera toujours l'impulsion de repartir de plus belle si
jamais vous aviez fait un faux pas ou pris des coups importants dans votre vie !

Après ces paragraphes sur les dominantes planétaires, voici maintenant les traits
de personnalité de Derek BAILEY, à lire avec davantage d'attention que les textes
précédents car plus spécifiques à l'individu : les textes des dominantes
planétaires sont en quelque sorte des éclairages de fond qui ont pour but
d'enrichir la description de la personnalité, mais qui restent tout de même assez
généraux : ils peuvent amplifier ou au contraire limiter certaines particularités
ou facettes du caractère. Un être humain est un tout complexe, et seuls des
faisceaux de textes peuvent tenter de réussir le défi de le cerner dans toute sa
finesse, ou du moins s'en approcher.

Sa sensibilité

Votre sensibilité Derek BAILEY, est assez dénuée d'emportements ou d e

laisser-aller ; en effet, vous êtes plutôt du genre cérébral et de plus, vos besoins
de sérénité intérieure et de liberté vous font ressentir les sentiments ou émotions
comme des fardeaux. Assez flegmatique en apparence et presque détaché, vous
êtes cependant d'une réactivité très rapide et d'une imagination fertile ce qui fait
que vous appréciez particulièrement les réunions amicales où les échanges sont
nombreux et variés. Vous ne faites pas étalage de vos émotions et semblez plutôt
froid au premier abord mais ceux qui vous connaissent s'aperçoivent facilement
que vous avez un sens de l'humour très original et bien à vous. Vous êtes d'une
réceptivité remarquable et utilisez à merveille vos dons d'observation et votre
détachement pour défendre vos idées anticonformistes et rebelles. Votre
obstination n'est plus à démontrer et il est très difficile de vous faire changer
d'avis, d'autant plus que vous n'êtes pas trop vulnérable affectivement : il faudra
argumenter un maximum et atteindre votre intellect pour réussir...

Son intellect et sa vie relationnelle

Vous avez besoin Derek BAILEY de vous concentrer sur un sujet, d'approfondir
votre recherche et d'aller au bout de votre raisonnement avec persévérance et
détermination. Vous êtes le type même du penseur qui a besoin de temps et
souvent même d'isolement pour méditer longuement et laisser son esprit sérieux,
méthodique et rigoureux donner sa pleine mesure. Mais vous avez également les
pieds sur terre et les idées devront être suivies d'applications concrètes pour
susciter votre intérêt, comme par exemple les mathématiques appliquées à l a
physique. Privilégiant l'essentiel, vous portez un regard lucide sur le monde qui
vous entoure même si vous parlez peu et préférez agir avec prudence. On pourra
peut-être vous trouver froid et ambitieux mais vos propos seront toujours
sincères et empreints de bon sens. Prenez garde cependant à ne pas trop vous
fermer aux autres en vous montrant comme quelqu'un de parfois hautain et
intolérant...

Son affectivité, sa façon de séduire

Dans votre thème, le Soleil et Vénus sont tous deux en Verseau. L'affectivité se
situe d'emblée hors des lieux communs et des sentiers battus. Idéaliste jusqu'au
bout des ongles, vous rêvez une vie sentimentale chaque jours renouvelée,
exaltante, surprenante... Il vous faudra certes parfois modérer les élans du
coeur, revenir à une réalité froide et implacable. Mais sans doute trouverez-vous
en toutes circonstances des raisons d'espérer un avenir radieux, de magnifier et
d'idéaliser la relation. Etre aimé de vous n'est sans doute pas de tout repos. I l
vous faut en effet pouvoir estimer, voire admirer votre partenaire. Que celui-ci
cesse de vous surprendre, et voila que l'amour rêvé perd soudain son aura.
Autant vous savez faire preuve d'une générosité sans limites lorsque le coeur
vibre, autant êtes-vous capable d'une certaine intransigeance quand les illusions
tombent. Affectivité exigeante, qui ne saurait se satisfaire de l'a-peu-près. La
force d'une telle configuration réside dans la faculté de s'émouvoir, d e
s'émerveiller au contact de l'autre. Aveugle à ses défauts, sourd aux calomnies
dont votre partenaire fait peut-être l'objet, vous vous laissez volontiers griser par
la passion. Plus tard, l'idylle se mue en amitié, la relation amoureuse e n
fraternité. Mais jamais ne cesse l'étonnement des premiers instants, parce que
l'amour est toujours à venir... Et gare à qui ne sait pas nourrir cette flamme !

Beaucoup plus cérébral et amical que vraiment passionné dans le domaine

amoureux, vous êtes, Derek BAILEY, plutôt fait pour l'amitié amoureuse, les

1
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sentiments fins et légers où chacun garde sa liberté et peut-être presque un

détachement et une absence d'implication réelle. Parfois, vous pouvez rester un
certain temps distant et absolument indifférent aux affaires de coeur,
complètement mobilisé par vos activités intellectuelles originales ou vos projets
humanitaires dans une ambiance collective que vous affectionnez tant. Vous
substituez ainsi à la relation amoureuse un grand nombre de contacts amicaux et
légers et il faut dire que souvent, cela vous suffit. Pour que vous tombiez
amoureux, vous avez besoin d'un peu de piment, une dose de surprise et
d'admiration pour l'originalité de votre partenaire ; à ces conditions, vous
pouvez fort bien exprimer vos sentiments et les vivre pleinement dans une
ambiance sans contraintes ou le respect de la liberté est parfaitement partagé
dans votre couple.

Sa volonté et ses motivations profondes

Sentimentalement, vous êtes particulièrement sensible aux valeurs de l'amitié

dans le sens où vous vous percevez vous-même comme un maillon d'une chaîne,
différent et original certes, mais dont le but n'est pas de faire grossir votre ego et
de vous affirmer individuellement mais de vous immerger par vos contacts
amicaux et votre participation dans des projets et idéaux de toute la communauté
humaine.

Né avec la marque de ce signe, vous êtes idéaliste, altruiste, détaché,

indépendant, original, surprenant, doué, contradictoire, innovant, humaniste,
sympathique, amical, sûr de vous, impassible, calme, intuitif, créateur, charitable,
insaisissable, déroutant, généreux, tolérant, paradoxal, ne supportant aucune
contrainte, mais vous pouvez aussi être marginal, résigné, distant, utopique,
inadapté, excentrique et froid.

Vous êtes, Derek BAILEY, en amour, parfaitement insaisissable. Votre chaleur

humaine dans les réunions de groupe se transforme très vite en une attitude
distante et sobre dès que vous êtes en tête-à-tête ce qui peut parfois évidemment
vous jouer des tours si l'on vous connaissait sous un autre jour. Votre refus d e
parler de vous qui n'est pas gênant en toutes circonstances est ici évidemment
peu adapté.
Mais cette distance et ce manque d'émotivité peuvent soudain s'en aller pour
laisser place à une relation véritable, vos états d'âme étant souvent en dents d e
scie. La condition pour cela est souvent de partager avec votre interlocutrice des
goûts communs et c'est par cette convergence d'intérêt pour des sujets qui vous
passionnent que la magie de la relation peut enfin prendre forme. L'idéal
d'ailleurs pour vous est finalement que la relation de départ soit déjà à la base
une amitié profonde, sentiment pour lequel vous êtes par contre particulièrement
adapté ; dans ces conditions, imperceptiblement, l'amitié peut se transformer par
le jeu de la proximité en amour véritable où vous vous abandonnerez enfin.

Loyal, fidèle, surprenant une fois que vous avez trouvé l'âme soeur, vous êtes
enfin plus à l'aise et vous pouvez parfaitement si l'harmonie avec votre
compagne est riche rester toute votre vie avec elle. Bien sûr, vous aurez des
moments qui sembleront étranges à ses yeux, devenant impersonnel et même
froid ou distant, mais votre magnétisme naturel, votre don pour communiquer et
jouer avec les mots si habilement feront merveille pour recoller les morceaux.

Fuyant les problèmes qui pourraient amener des complications émotionnelles ou

sentimentales, vous déconcertez souvent votre bien-aimée et une période
d'adaptation sera en général nécessaire pour elle : disparaissant brutalement
pour ne pas avoir à gérer votre individualité de trop près, vous réapparaîtrez
aussi rapidement en vous excusant avec une charmante désinvolture pouvant à
nouveau décontenancer !

Attiré par l'insolite et ce qui sort de l'ordinaire, votre imagination érotique peut
souvent être immense et inépuisable ; vous êtes de type cérébral et vous n e
pouvez séparer l'aspect physique et sentimental d'une activité intense de votre
imagination, ce qui vous porte à explorer lucidement toutes les possibilités qui
vous conviennent le mieux.

Sa capacité d'action

Derek BAILEY, vous êtes si résistant et solide que vous êtes à même de faire face
à n'importe quel défi ou épreuve. Vous agissez avec persévérance, rigueur et
discipline, vous êtes si obstiné et patient que nul effort n'est impossible pour vous,
comme si toute sensibilité et émotion ne parvenaient pas à vous détourner des
buts que vous vous êtes fixés. Avec calme et lucidité, peut-être même avec
froideur, vous faites face, prévoyez sur le long terme et rien ni personne ne vous
empêchera d'aller au bout de vos responsabilités. Vous êtes un roc, solide à l a
tâche et votre volonté de fer n'a d'égale que votre résistance aux chocs. Votre
sens pratique est également au service de votre ambition qui est réelle même si
elle ne se devine pas. Sexuellement, vous êtes actif et énergique mais peut-être
qu'avec un peu plus de chaleur vous deviendriez un excellent amant ; en effet,
être démonstratif n'est pas vraiment votre souci premier.

Conclusion

Ce texte n'est qu'un extrait du portrait de Derek BAILEY, qui nous l'espérons vous
donnera le goût d'approfondir vos connaissances en astrologie et vous incitera à
visiter et utiliser les nombreuses applications gratuites de www.astrotheme.fr.

Si vous souhaitez obtenir votre propre portrait astrologique, bien plus complet
que celui de Derek BAILEY, il vous suffit de le commander votre Portrait
astrologique complet : êtes-vous plutôt du type Jupitérien, bienveillant et
généreux ? Du type Martien, actif et fonceur ? Du type Vénusien, charmeur et
séducteur ? Du type Lunaire, imaginatif et sensible ? Du type Solaire, noble et
charismatique ? Du type Uranien, original, sans concession et épris de liberté ? Du
type Plutonien, dominateur et secret ? Du type Mercurien, cérébral, curieux et
rapide ? Du type Neptunien, visionnaire, empathique et impressionnable ? Du

1
Astrologie : Derek BAILEY, né le 29/01/1930, thème astral, biograp... http://www.astrotheme.fr/portraits/9X9y

type Saturnien, profond, persévérant et responsable ? Etes-vous plutôt du type

Feu, énergique et intuitif ? Ou du type Eau, sentimental et réceptif ? Ou du type
Terre, concret et efficace ? Ou encore du type Air, doué pour la communication et
tout en cérébralité ? 11 dominantes planétaires avec 57 caractéristiques sont
passées en revue, chiffrées et interprétées; vient ensuite un portrait
psychologique détaillé; pour vous apporter, dans un document complet de 35 à
40 pages, des informations captivantes et inédites sur... vous-même ! Nouveauté
sur ces portraits astrologiques : diagrammes couleur de répartitions et
dominantes planétaires avec interprétation complète, nombreux compléments d e
textes, étude karmique avec interprétation des noeuds lunaires en maisons et
signes astrologiques, des planètes rétrogrades, de la Lune Noire, de la Part d e
Fortune...

Les études astrologiques permettent de cerner beaucoup de traits de caractère et

parfois d'aller assez loin dans la compréhension d'une personnalité. Il ne faut
jamais oublier cependant qu'une personne est un être en évolution, et que
certains pans de la structure psychologique ne se découvrent que sur le tard,
après avoir vécu certaines expériences fortes de la vie. Il faut savoir prendre du
recul pour mieux apprécier un portrait astrologique. A cette condition, on peut
profiter au mieux de la lecture de ce type d'études.

L'analyse d'un portrait par l'astrologie est basée sur une compréhension d e
quatre types éléments présents dans un thème natal et qui interagissent entre
eux : les dix planètes, les douze signes astrologiques, les douze maisons
astrologiques, et les jeux de forces - appelés aspects astrologiques (il en existe
principalement 11 qui sont utilisés largement, la conjonction, l'opposition, l e
carré, le trigone, le sextile, le quinconce, le semi-sextile, le sesqui-carré, l e
semi-carré, le quintile et le biquintile, les 5 premiers étant les aspects dits
majeurs - entre ces planètes, qui correspondent à certaines positions privilégiées
les unes par rapport aux autres sur le zodiaque, géométriquement.

Les planètes représentent certaines typologies du fonctionnement humain : l a

sensibilité, l'affectivité, la capacité d'entreprendre, la volonté, le fonctionnement
mental, l'aptitude et le goût pour la communication etc.: toutes les facettes
indépendantes du caractère, du moins, une découpe possible. Les douze signes
qui constituent l'espace dans lequel se meuvent les planètes vont pour ainsi dire
colorer ces typologies, chaque planète étant localisée dans un signe particulier du
zodiaque. Ils vont donc enrichir la qualité de ces typologies exprimées par les
planètes. Le zodiaque est également séparé en douze maisons astrologiques - ce
qui n'a de sens que si l'heure de naissance est connue car en quelques minutes
de temps, ces douze maisons (dont l'Ascendant qui est le début de la première
maison astrologique et le Milieu du Ciel qui est le début de la dixième) se
déplacent déjà beaucoup - qui correspondent aux douze domaines de la vie, par
une découpe traditionnelle : le comportement apparent, la vie matérielle, l e
relationnel, la famille et le foyer, la vie sentimentale, le travail au quotidien, les
unions etc. Chaque planète se trouvant dans une maison va agir alors
conformément à la signification de celle-ci, et une seconde coloration va ainsi
enrichir une seconde fois ces agents actifs que sont les planètes, sortes d e
personnages élémentaires chargés de symboliser la personnalité, de décrire les
typologies qui fondent notre façon de fonctionner. Enfin, des jeux de forces vont
apparaître entre ces planètes et assurer une troisième structure pour nourrir et
rendre plus complètes encore les significations élémentaires des planètes
positionnées à la naissance, à une certaine heure et en un certain lieu. Un certain
nombre de règles souvent très anciennes et vérifiées par l'expérience depuis des
centaines d'années (l'astrologie est en évolution mais seuls les éléments fiables
parce qu'étudiés depuis très longtemps ne sont intégrés aux études classiques
astrologiques) sont ensuite appliquées pour hiérarchiser le tout et assurer ainsi
une possibilité d'interprétation de la personnalité par des textes. Les planètes
habituellement interprétées sont le Soleil, la Lune, Mercure, Vénus, Jupiter,
Saturne, Uranus, Neptune et Pluton, soit 2 luminaires (Soleil et Lune), et 8
planètes, 10 corps en tout. Il est possible de tenir compte de certains autres
éléments secondaires comme les astéroïdes Chiron, Vesta, Pallas, Cérès
(principalement Chiron, un peu mieux connu), les noeuds lunaires ou noeuds d e
la Lune, la Lune noire ou Lilith, voire d'autres corps : l'astrologie est une
discipline en mouvement. Les études astrologiques c'est à dire les portraits
astrologiques, les études de compatibilité de couples, les études prévisionnelles
dont les horoscopes, évoluent et s'enrichissent au fil du temps.

Précision : Conformément à la tradition, une planète proche du début (appelé

encore cuspide ou pointe) de la maison astrologique suivante (à moins de 4
degrés pour l'Ascendant et le Milieu du Ciel et à moins de 3 degrés pour les 10
autres maisons astrologiques) fait partie de cette maison : les textes en tiennent
compte dans cette carte du ciel interactive et dans tous les programmes
astrologiques.

Avertissement général pour toutes les célébrités : afin d'éviter définitivement

toute confusion et toute polémique possible, nous attirons votre attention sur l e
fait que notre échantillon de célébrités - à notre connaissance le plus important
au monde pour l'astrologie avec plus de 33600 célébrités en ligne avec cartes
interactives et extraits d'interprétation, dont une grande partie avec l'heure d e
naissance connue - est complet, et à ce titre contient également des personnages
peu recommandables, puisque toutes les catégories possibles y sont
représentées : à côté des artistes, musiciens, politiques, juristes, militaires,
poètes, écrivains, chanteurs, explorateurs, scientifiques, académiciens, religieux,
saints, philosophes, sages, astrologues, mediums, sportifs, champions d'échecs,
victimes célèbres, personnages historiques, familles royales, top-modèles,
peintres, sculpteurs, auteurs de bandes dessinées ou autres célébrités naturelles,
sont présents également des assassins célèbres, des tyrans ou dictateurs, des
serial-killers ou autres personnages dont l'image est très négative, souvent à
juste raison.

Pour ces derniers cas, il faut évidemment intégrer que même un monstre ou du
moins un personnage ayant commis des actes odieux comme certains criminels
nazis par exemple, possède en lui des qualités humaines, souvent visibles par
son entourage proche : ces extraits de textes qui viennent de programmes

1
Astrologie : Derek BAILEY, né le 29/01/1930, thème astral, biograp... http://www.astrotheme.fr/portraits/9X9yHkm3q

informatiques élaborés sont volontairement dénués de propos polémiques et

peuvent donc sembler trop doux ou complaisants pour certains lecteurs, e n
mettant l'accent sur le côté positif de chaque personnalité. Ceci est normal et
voulu, et les traits violents et négatifs qui peuvent effectivement se voir e n
astrologie ont été gommés ici pour ne pas faire de tort aux familles des
personnages rentrant dans ce genre de cas et éviter dans tous les cas la
polémique, en espérant que celle-ci ne rejaillira pas de l'autre côté, du côté des
victimes ou des indignés !

Annexe : Positions des planètes en signes et liste des aspects de Derek BAILEY

Positions des planètes

Soleil 8°52' Verseau

Lune 5°39' Verseau
Mercure 23°30' Capricorne
Vénus 6°53' Verseau
Mars 23°37' Capricorne
Jupiter 6°21' Gémeaux
Saturne 6°57' Capricorne
Uranus 8°14' Bélier
Neptune 2°50' Vierge
Pluton 18°08' Cancer
Chiron 9°20' Taureau
Cérès 4°31' Gémeaux
Pallas 6°05' Bélier
Junon 7°51' Capricorne
Vesta 7°53' Lion
Noeud Nord 7°26' Taureau
Lilith 28°10' Capricorne
Fortune 8°02' Gémeaux

Liste des aspects

Mercure Conjonction Mars Orbe+0°07'

Lune Conjonction Vénus Orbe+1°14'
Soleil Conjonction Vénus Orbe+1°58'
Soleil Conjonction Lune Orbe+3°13'
Mercure Opposition Pluton Orbe-5°22'
Mars Opposition Pluton Orbe-5°29'
Saturne Carré Uranus Orbe+1°17'
Jupiter Carré Neptune Orbe-3°31'
Vénus Trigone Jupiter Orbe-0°32'
Lune Trigone Jupiter Orbe+0°42'
Soleil Trigone Jupiter Orbe-2°31'
Saturne Trigone Neptune Orbe+4°06'
Soleil Sextile Uranus Orbe-0°38'
Vénus Sextile Uranus Orbe+1°20'
Jupiter Sextile Uranus Orbe-1°52'
Lune Sextile Uranus Orbe+2°35'
Jupiter Quinconce Saturne Orbe-0°35'
Lune Quinconce Neptune Orbe+2°48'
Neptune SemiCarré Pluton Orbe-0°17'
Mercure SesquiCarré Jupiter Orbe-2°08'
Mars SesquiCarré Jupiter Orbe-2°15'
Uranus BiQuintile Neptune Orbe+0°35'
Vénus SemiSextile Saturne Orbe-0°03'
Lune SemiSextile Saturne Orbe-1°17'

Célébrités et planètes · Annuaire : 33719 célébrités · Dominantes planétaires

Bélier · Taureau · Gémeaux · Cancer · Lion · Vierge · Balance · Scorpion · Sagittaire · Capricorne · Verseau · Poissons

Copyright © 2002-2008 Astrotheme

1
 http://www.jazzshelf.org/bailey.html

The Pros and Cons of Derek Bailey

In his illuminating book Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music, Derek Bailey
explains the shift he made from guitarist of all trades to purely free improviser. To do so, he
dumped all traditional connections, devising a spiky, busy, atonal approach from the ground
up. (I’d call it a style, but it’s really an anti-style.) Forget melodies, chords, or even tempo; in
their stead, Bailey unleashes torrents of harmonics, microtones, clipped chords, chance
dissonance, scurrying fretboard scrabbles, and a complete disregard for standard musicality.
Hearing Derek for the first time, one might reasonably assume that he doesn’t know how to
play guitar. I’ve been listening to him for about a decade now, and I’m still not able to shake
the frequent impression of haphazard nihilism. In fact, my enthusiasm for one of the world’s
boldest and most stubborn axe-men has been half-cautioned by the thought that his whole bag
might one day be revealed as a hoax.

To put it generally, Bailey improvises texture, and if you inspect it closely, you’ll hear things
that no one else has ever fingered on a guitar. What he does is often quite controlled, even if
the musical logic isn’t obvious. I admire his dogged consistency, although this could also be a
complaint – he tends to sound the same from one partner and scenario to the next. At times
disconnected from his surroundings, he purposely ignores pulse, or melodic continuity, or
anything that might contribute to a harmonious musical atmosphere. Ornery and maddening at
worst, he can chug into a self-absorbed dead-end, and he may even tune while he plays,
making you wonder if it’s all a put-on. At other times, Bailey is more flexible and
accommodating, which leads to special, fleeting achievements. So one may vacillate on
Bailey’s value, but at the core is a fearless diligence in inhabiting the moment.

One reason I take Bailey seriously is the comprehensive depth with which he wrote his
Improvisation book. (Published by Da Capo Press.) Citing ragas, baroque, jazz, rock, and
completely free music, Bailey admirably captures in words the mysterious processes of
improvisation, assisted by interview excerpts from practitioners in all these areas. I agree with
his notion of bebop as the “pedagogue’s delight,” but I disagree when he says that jazz
basically exhausted itself by the 1960s. Much fresh terrain was discovered by the likes of
Andrew Hill, Wayne Shorter, and other artists whose music demanded more than recycled
licks. Some objections aside, I think Improvisation is an indispensable book, as it provides
valuable insight into gray areas. It also indicates that Bailey was highly conscious of what he
was doing as a free player, and why he chose that avenue in the first place.

I first encountered Derek Bailey in his twilight phase of the 1990s. Eventually I got around to
his early jaunts with Brotzmann, Bennink, etc., but the first DB title to hit my ears was The
Sign of 4, a triple-disc set documenting late 1996 exploits of a symmetrical quartet: Bailey and
Pat Metheny (guitars), Pat Wertico and Gregg Bendian (drums and percussion). Alternately a
metallic roar and an acoustic sparkle, the music is spasmodically dangerous, although the thin
recording flattens the group’s tonal depth. I don’t like the piercing distortion Metheny uses to
cut through Bailey’s wall of noise, but his acoustic and guitar synth work is nice, and the
drummers shake, rattle, and roll on a laundry list of objects. Certainly not recommended for
Pat’s pop fans, though Bailey listeners might enjoy it. Good job on the Sherlock Holmes
titles, too. A corollary recording is the Bailey-Bendian duet album Banter (rec. 1994),
wherein Derek’s choked, dissonant chords and microtonal bends enhance the flurrying
drums, vibraphone, bongos, dumbeg, etc. of Mr. Bendian.

Three late period trio albums really catch Derek in a good zone. The first is The Last Wave by
a one-off trio named Arcana: Bailey on electric guitar, Bill Laswell on electric bass and F/X,
and Tony Williams on drums. Bailey’s distorted shards, Laswell’s looming tones, and Tony’s
urgent trappisms merge into a ferocious landscape that lays waste to just about anything that’s

1
 http://www.jazzshelf.org/bailey.html

ever garnered the “kick-ass” description. The free passages mix suspense and ambush, from
which intense beats may or may not develop. (For example, the punctuated shuffle episode of
the first track, with Tony whacking hard and Derek’s scowling guitar.) The only questionable
element is Laswell’s clumsy upper register fumbling on his 8-string bass, yet the majority of
the record summons a compelling, nerve-wracking, check-six musical apocalypse. (There was
a follow-up Arcana album, minus Bailey, plus other notables.)

Funnier and funkier than The Last Wave, the 1999 recording Mirakle matches Bailey with
beat-meisters Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bass) and Calvin Weston (drums). Tacuma knew a thing
or two about free playing from his prime time with Ornette Coleman, and along with Weston,
he barrels valiantly against Derek’s aleatory sculptures. Every track on Mirakle includes at
least one solid groove, such as the last several minutes of “Moment”, and the sly bassline in
the midst of “Present”. There’s a beautiful bit in “This Time” where Tacuma’s gentle rakes
and Bailey’s pinprick harmonics actually sound poignant. Like Last Wave, Bailey plays up to
the energy of a strong rhythm team that forces him to acknowledge the beat on occasion. The
other notable element of these two albums is Derek’s loud, distorted tone, with which he
sustains notes much longer than he would in a quieter, more abstract situation.

Speaking of abstract, The Moat Recordings captures the 1998 reunion of the Joseph
Holbrooke Trio, Bailey’s old 1960s combo with Gavin Bryars (bass) and Tony Oxley
(percussion). In a chapter of Derek’s book, all three members reminisce on how this group
with the red-herring moniker went from straight jazz to completely free playing in the space of
a couple years. After breaking up circa 1966, Bailey and Oxley continued to play improvised
music, while Bryars moved to modern classical composition. (I’ve heard a few of his latter
day works; not bad if you’re in the mood for something luxuriously dour.) In 1998, the trio
reunited, which led to fifteen well-recorded studio tracks on the two-disc Tzadik set (finally
released in 2006). This music is very different from the above trio albums in that Bryars and
Oxley share Bailey’s fragmented minimalism – heck, they devised this style together back in
the day – and thus they putter free from linear concern. It may sound random on the surface,
but several tracks reveal tight connections within the trio’s conversations. Derek alternates
staccato electric guitar and prickly acoustic (sounding like a robotic spider repairing a
pachinko machine), Gavin plays muted double-bass, sometimes bowed for harmonics, and
Tony’s tool-shed batterie is subject to clattering, scraping, and punching, not a single
measured meter in earshot. Granted, only diehards will get much out of this stuff, but I find it
provocative in small doses.

The only Bailey album I’ve properly reviewed on this website is Ballads, because it is
connected to jazz, and, well, it’s the only place I’ve heard him play recognizable phrases and
chords. There are some unmentioned DB titles that never did much for me, or that are of
historical-only interest, like the archival Pieces for Guitar (also on Tzadik), which combines a
few written sketches with home practice sessions. I’ve never actually recommended Bailey to
anyone, because he’s so specialized – and free improv can be very esoteric anyway – but I
can say that there are moments on the above albums where his playing generates more
excitement than any orthodox guitarist could.

Derek Bailey died at the end of 2005 of motor neuron disease. One of his last albums,
recorded under physical difficulty, was called Carpal Tunnel. I never heard it.

1
Five Gentlemen of the Guitar http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=25066

Five Gentlemen of the Guitar

Derek Bailey, Keiji Haino, John McLaughlin, Pat
Metheny, Carlos Santana | testicles (2007)

By John Eyles

This looks like a cheaply produced bootleg—shoddy black

and white cover, with no information other than personnel,
track titles and the enigmatic line, “Turin, 2000.” But—and
it’s a big but—the music is well recorded and sounds
genuine; it sounds like these five were actually playing
together, something that’s hard to fake, no matter how
good the editing.

It is easy to speculate how this meeting came about. Derek

Bailey had played with Keiji Haino before and also
recorded with Pat Metheny. John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana famously
recorded together, back in the days when their shared interests included white
clothing and devotional faith. And McLaughlin’s roots go back to late '60s London,
where he recorded with Tony Oxley before playing in the same Miles band as Dave
Holland. My best guess would be that this was recorded when all five players (plus
many dozens more, you will recall) were in Turin for the notorious Guitar
Olympiad, the only one ever held. Anyway, to the music…

The fact that these five players have very distinct and different styles is both a
blessing and a curse. For the great majority of the time here, it is easy to distinguish
the individual contributions without them getting subsumed into an overall swathe of
sound. However, their very distinctiveness also means that they can struggle to find
common ground. This is most obvious on the opener, “Improvisation No. 4,” a free
improvisation that sounds like a “getting to know you” session. Despite Bailey’s best
efforts to act as lubricant and glue, the music is less of a conversation and more a
series of monologues (or even arguments). Company it isn’t!

The choice of Coltrane’s “Ascension” is intriguing. Where once a group of

guitarists jamming together would have opted for a blues as common ground,
Coltrane now seems to be part of the shared language. Certainly, all five rip into the
piece’s main theme with gusto, providing the most together moments of the whole
album. From then on, things fracture and fragment. With no instruments other than
guitar, a rhythm section is sorely missed; someone needed to hold things together but
instead it rapidly degenerates into a cacophony, only slightly relieved by some
soaring runs from Santana.

The remaining two tracks, both uncredited compositions (and both surely given titles
after the fact), achieve more coherence. On “The Dog That Didn’t Bark” there is
fine interplay between Bailey and Metheny and between McLaughlin and Santana,
with Haino largely absent (maybe he’s the dog?). As if to even things up, Haino
dominates “Raw Meat,” blowing away everyone else in the process; a treat for the
ears.

To summarize, fans of any of these five will find enough here to interest and
intrigue them, but this is not exactly a summit conference. In other words, it is about
as successful as the Guitar Olympiad was!

Track listing: Improvisation No. 4; Ascension; The Dog That Didn’t Bark; Raw
Meat.

Personnel: Derek Bailey: guitar; Keiji Haino: guitar; John McLaughlin: guitar; Pat
Metheny: guitar; Carlos Santana: guitar. Published: April 01, 2007 |

1
MySpace.com - Out: 17 Modern Guitarists Salute Derek Bailey - w... http://www.myspace.com/out17salutederekbailey

Out: 17 Modern
Guitarists Salute

Out
Derek Bailey
(click to play)
"Experimental guitar"

United
17 Modern
Salute Guitarists
Derek Bailey
States
Tracks 1-17 22.1 stereo mp3 (to download right-click "save target as")

Profile (or click here to download zip file with individual track mp3s)
Views: pdf EBooklet about the project (to download right-click "save target as")
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Contacting Out: 17
Modern Guitarists Salute
Derek Bailey

MySpace URL:
http://www.myspace.com/out17salutederekbailey

"Out: 17 Modern Guitarists Salute Derek Bailey" is a compilation of original guitar impro

1
Rigsby Smith: Out: 17 Modern Guitarists Salute Derek Bailey http://rigsbysmith.blogspot.com/2006/05/out-17-modern-guitarists-s...

RIGSBY SMITH
C O NT I N U I NG A D V E NT U R E S I N S O U ND - C O NT E M P O R A R Y I N ST R U M E N T A L M U S I C

F R I D AY , M A Y 1 9 , 2 0 0 6 AB O U T M E

Out: 17 Modern Guitarists Salute Derek Bailey R I G S B Y SM I T H

L O ND O N , U N I T ED
KI NG DO M

Multi-instrumentalist making
non-lyrical music from live
performances, found sounds,
home-made samples and editing.

Another compilation release is heading this way shortly, dedicated to

the memory of guitarist Derek Bailey, who died late last year.

My piece, 'Blindfold Dancer' (3.43) is based on an improvisation on

acoustic guitar played with a vaquita (the stick usually used to play a
berimbau) with overdubs on an electro-acoustic bass guitar, effected
glockenspiel, acoustic guitar bowed and scraped with a vaquita and
guitar slide through a reverb box and shouting and clapping recorded
in a stairwell. It was influenced by the sound of Derek Bailey's 'Music
and Dance' collaboration with Min Tanaka.

From the myspace site, which contains a low-res streaming of the

compilation..

"Out: 17 Modern Guitarists Salute Derek Bailey" is a compilation of

original guitar improvisations by several guitarists who wanted to
show respects for Derek Bailey. Bailey was an idiosyncratic genius of

1
Rigsby Smith: Out: 17 Modern Guitarists Salute Derek Bailey http://rigsbysmith.blogspot.com/2006/05/out-17-modern-guitarists-s...

a guitarist, mostly unknown but to those interested in avant garde

music and experimental guitar. He died Christmas Day 2005. He
championed free playing in jazz and beyond. Rather than try to
prove a doctorate on the techniques used by Bailey, the
participants agreed to record improvisationally and to let their own
techniques and technology bring their own signature tip-of-the-hat,
though some evoked his sound. Musicians include Bruce Stevens,
Chris Shaffer, Christopher Allen, DLed, Dan Stearns, David
Beardsley, Ed DeGenaro, Gary Corcoran, Ian Naismith, Jason Fink,
Jim Hearn, Jonathan Buchanan, Michael Vick, Newbie Brad, Rigsby
Smith, Steve Milberger, and Todd Madson. This project has been
parented by Kronosonic.com and produced by 3 Pups Music. Sincere
thanks to Unfretted.com and Myspace itself. Also to America,
England, Russia, Germany and Norway (for these guitarists!) Look
here in one to two weeks for a higher-fidelity cd for sale.

For more info, visit www.myspace.com/out17salutederekbailey

0 C O M ME N T S :

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MySpace.com - Tony Renner: Anagrams: A Tribute to Derek Bailey... http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&f..

Tony Renner:
Anagrams: A
Tribute to Derek
Bailey
Jazz / Experimental / Minimalist

"have guitar, will

travel."

SAINT
LOUIS,
Missouri
United
States

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Anagrams: A Tribute to
Derek Bailey

MySpace URL:
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Tony Renner: Anagrams: A Tribute to Derek

Bailey: General Info
Member
12/03/2008
Since
Band Tony Renner, electric and acoustic guitar.
Members
Andrew Hefner, acoustic bass ("Ay Beer
Liked")
Sounds IMPROVISATION: METHODS AND Tony Renner: Anagrams: A Tribute to
Like MODELS Derek Bailey's Friend Space (Top 40)
Tony Renner: Anagrams: A Tribute to Derek Bailey has 227

1
Jeff Pressing

I. Introduction

How do people improvise? How is

improvisational skill learned and taught?
These questions are the subject of this
paper. They are difficult questions, for
behind them stand long-standing
philosophical quandries like the origins of
novelty and the nature of expertise, which
trouble psychologists and artificial
intelligence workers today almost as much
as they did Plato and Socrates in the fourth
and fifth centuries BC.

To begin with, improvisation (or any type

of music performance) includes the
following effects, roughly in the following
order:

1. complex electrochemical signals are

passed between parts of the nervous
system and on to endocrine and muscle
systems

2. muscles, bones, and connective tissues

execute a complex sequence of actions

3. rapid visual, tactile and proprioceptive

monitoring of actions takes place

4. music is produced by the instrument or

voice

5. self-produced sounds, and other auditory

input, are sensed

6. sensed sounds are set into cognitive

representations and evaluated as music

7. further cognitive processing in the central

nervous system generates the design of
the next action sequence and triggers it.

- return to step 1 and repeat -

 Memoriam for Derek Bailey

For any number of players simultaneously

*Place a Guitar in front of you, face up

*Handcuff your wrist together, and place two oven Mitts on your hands.

*Blindfold your eyes.

*Now Play.

-------------------------
Look, look at the Machine revolving!
Look, look at the brains flying!
Look, look at the property-owners trembling!
Hurray! farters, long live Daddy Ubu!
-Alfred Jarry, Ubu Roi
-------------------------
Wire Magazine Database Search Results http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/bin/wire?%22Derek+Bailey%22

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Search for : in Artist/Title/BookAuthor Search

Search results for: Derek Bailey in the title.

The Wire website lists available back issues.

Long articles
Issue Page Author Article
Invisible Jukebox: Sonic Youth -- Rhys Chatham, Sun Ra, Black Flag,
108 34 Mark Sinker Derek Bailey, Carcass, Hans Reichel, Ut, Neil Young, Mars, Lou Reed,
Black Sabbath
122 32 David Toop Derek Bailey
Invisible Jukebox: Adrian Sherwood -- Scientist And Prince Jammie, King
Ben Watson Sounds, Diamond Cut, Johnny Clarke, Lee Scratch Perry, Treacherous
161 40 Three, Flying Lizards, Underworld Productions, Dubadelic, Jah Shaka,
Derek Bailey And Noel Akchote
Wire Magazine Database Search Results http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/bin/wire?%22Derek+Bailey%22

Invisible Jukebox: Derek Bailey -- Michael Finnissy, Conlon Nancarrow,

Ben Watson Masayuki Takayanagi's New Direction 1970, Anton Webern, Johnny
178 22 'Guitar' Watson, Captain Beefheart, Charlie Christian, Frank Zappa, Alec
Empire
Invisible Jukebox: Kevin Shields / My Bloody Valentine -- Musica
David
181 28 Transonic, Rafael Toral, Derek Bailey, Blind Willie Johnson, The Nomads,
Keenan The Dead C, Tony Conrad, The Peter Brotzmann Octet, The Beatles
Invisible Jukebox: Stock, Hausen And Walkman -- Throbbing Gristle,
Tony
184 32 Herrington General Strike, Beat Junkies, Derek Bailey, Uncredited Musicians, Henri
Chopin, Bjork, Why Sheep?, Fennesz, Bob Ostertag
Invisible Jukebox: Otomo Yoshihide -- Boredoms, Taj Mahal Travellers,
Mike
202 40 Derek Bailey, Philip Jeck, Rehberg And Bauer, Haruomi Hosono, Bob
Barnes James Trio, General Strike, Various

Medium length articles

Issue Page Author Article
149 16 Ben Watson Derek Bailey

SoundCheck reviews
Issue Page Author Artist Title
Derek Bailey / Louis Moholo /
101 00 Village Life
Thebe Lipere
101 00 Derek Bailey Solo Guitar Volume One
101 00 Derek Bailey Solo Guitar Volume Two
114 00 Derek Bailey / John Stevens Playing
121 00 Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton Moment Precieux
138 00 Derek Bailey Drop Me Off At 96th
John Stevens / Kent Carter / Derek
142 00 One Time
Bailey
Will
143 00 Derek Bailey / Gregg Bendian Banter
Montgomery
Derek Bailey / John Zorn /
144 00 Harras
William Parker
152 00 Derek Bailey Guitar, Drums 'n' Bass
153 00 Derek Bailey Aida
159 00 Derek Bailey Music And Dance
Derek Bailey / Pat Metheny /
161 00 The Sign Of 4
Gregg Bendian / Paul Wertico
Drawing Close, Attuning -- The
161 00 Derek Bailey And Keiji Haino Respective Signs Of Order And
Chaos
Wire Magazine Database Search Results http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/bin/wire?%22Derek+Bailey%22

Derek Bailey / John Butcher /

162 00 Trio Playing
Oren Marshall
165 00 Derek Bailey And Tony Oxley Soho Suites
Derek Bailey And Andrea
165 00 Drops
Centazzo
173 00 Derek Bailey Takes Fake And Dead She Dances
173 00 Derek Bailey And Joelle Leandre No Waiting
173 00 Noel Akchote And Derek Bailey Close To The Kitchen...
Derek Bailey And Eugene
173 00 Tout For Tea!
Chadbourne
173 00 Derek Bailey And The Ruins Tohjinbo
175 00 Derek Bailey And Min Xiao-Fen Viper
177 00 Derek Bailey Playbacks
Derek Bailey / Pat Thomas / Steve
179 00 And
Noble
Kaoru Abe / Motoharu Yoshizawa
182 00 Aida's Call
/ Toshinori Kondo / Derek Bailey
190 00 Han Bennink And Derek Bailey When We'Re Smilin'
190 00 Derek Bailey And Han Bennink Air Mail Special
193 00 Derek Bailey And Susie Ibarra Daedal
193 00 Derek Bailey And Steve Lacy Outcome
200 00 Derek Bailey And Alex Ward LOCationAL

Reviews
Issue Page Author Review
175 24 Derek Bailey - Aida
197 76 Ben Watson Derek Bailey With Cecil Taylor And James Blood Ulmer; New York, USA
202 77 Ben Watson On Location: Hub 3: Derek Bailey / Richard Thomas / Jon Tye; London,
UK

Cover story of issues from your search

190: Diamanda
200: Wire200.net 193: Wire 182: Arto Lindsay
Galas
Wire Magazine Database Search Results http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/bin/wire?%22Derek+Bailey%22

179: David Sylvian 177: Bjork 175: 100 Records 173: Lydia Lunch

165: Jim O'Rourke 162: Vienna Tones 161: Juan Atkins 159: Photek

153: Simon Fisher 152: A Guy Called 144: Talvin Singh 143: Howie B
Turner Gerald

142: Durutti Column 138: DJ Spooky 121: Elvis Costello 114: Bjork

101: You Are Here 202: Zakir Hussain 197: Word! 175: 100 Records

184: Karlheinz
202: Zakir Hussain 181: Nick Cave 178: Portishead
Stockhausen
Wire Magazine Database Search Results http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/bin/wire?%22Derek+Bailey%22

108: Music - The Endless Quest

161: Juan Atkins 149: Stereolab 122: Mick Karn For Truth

Copyright 1992-2000 arb@sat.dundee.ac.uk

Tranzistor.gr - [.] Multiple Personality Disorder #29 http://www.tranzistor.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view...

[.] Multiple Personality Disorder #29

features - features

το 3 ο στην
δημιουργημένο από τους
company incus
derek bailey & han bennink, είναι ένας δίσκος που
πάντα τον είχα συνδυασμένο μέσα μου με
απογευματινή χαλάρωση μετά τη δουλειά και
συζήτηση με φίλους... ίσως γιατί τον πρωτάκουσα σε
μια τέτοια κατάσταση στο δισκάδικο του μιχάλη στην
άμφισσα πριν από λίγα χρόνια ένα μαγιάτικο
απόγευμα που πάνω στο μαγικό πατάρι του
δισκάδικου απολαμβάνοντας ένα τονωτικό
απογευματινό καφέ και σκαλίζοντας δίσκους που θα
μπορούσαν να συνοδεύσουν απογευματινές
συζητήσεις για μουσικές ή μη το ξεθάψαμε και
χαθήκαμε στους ήχους του... ευχάριστο, τονωτικό και
ακόμα ολόφρεσκο στους ήχους του... ώρες ώρες
παραξενεύεσαι με την 'ηρεμία' του bailey σε συνδυασμό
με το χαμό του bennink αλλά μια τέτοια αντίδραση
θυμίζει την εντύπωση που προκαλεί το 3 πλο empty words
του john cage στηνcramps... μια ήρεμη φωνή να μιλάει και
από κάτω σιγά σιγά στο πανεπιστημιακό αμφιθέατρο
να γίνεται πόλεμος ...
με την πάροδο του χρόνου εκείνη η
απογευματινή κατάσταση με έκανε να ψάξω
τις δουλειές και των 2 τους.. είτε σόλο είτε
με άλλα σύνολα ή ακόμα και μεταξύ τους
ξανά... θα παραβλέψω εδώ το
α-π-ι -σ-τ-ε-υ-τ-ο 'topography ofthe lungs' το πρώτο νούμερο της
incus που επανέκδωσε πριν από κάνα 2 χρόνια η emanem
( ) στηνpsi του evan parker... ψάχνοντας χάθηκα
www.emanemdisc.com

στους πιο 80'ς (θα τόλμαγα να πω πιο 'στρωτούς')

ήχους του bailey του 'aida' ( ) πιο 'μελωδικού'
www.badongo.com/file/3193045

( αν και σημαδιακού μια που είναι το σημείο αναφοράς

και μετάβασης απο ένα στυλ του σε ένα
Tranzistor.gr - [.] Multiple Personality Disorder #29 http://www.tranzistor.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view...

άλλο, από την τρελή αναζήτηση και

αποδόμηση των 60'ς/70'ς σε πιο 'βατούς' αλλά
εξίσου περίεργους δρόμους στα 80'ς) σε
σχέση με τις πιο αγαπημένες μου σόλο ηχογραφήσεις
του όπως το κλασσικό 'improvisation
(www.badongo.com/ file/3808526 ) στην diverso της cramps, ίσως μια
από τις σημαντικότερες καταθέσεις του ήχου του στα
70'ς ... δίσκος ηχητικά αποδομημένος , ξεκούρδιστος ,
παρανοημένος με ένα μοναδικά δικό του τρόπο
αντίληψης και προσέγγισης ηχητικών μορφών... έχουν
προηγηθεί τα πρώτα 2 lp του επίσης με σόλο
κιθάρα στην incus που στα 90'ς θα τα
ξαναβρούμε στην επανέκδοση του solo guitarvol
1 κάποιους από τους πλέον πιο
'διεστραμμένους΄ ήχους του και τεχνικές
του που δικαιολογούν το λόγο που κυριολεκτικά
αποθεώθηκε από τους λάτρεις τους αυτοσχεδιασμού...
κάποιοι ίσως να τον θυμούνται από το κλασσικό και
εξίσου μια ακόμα - για μένα- 'ευχάριστη απογευματινή
ακρόαση' yankess που τον βρίσκει στα 80'ς να
συνεργάζεται με τους john zorn & george lewis, σ'ένα δίσκο
βατό μεν σε σχέση με το τι έχει προηγηθεί στις σόλο ή
συνεργασίες δουλειές των bailey & zorn (ο lewis ήταν σχετικά
ο πιο 'ήρεμος' και προσβάσιμος του τρίο) αλλά
απολαυστικό και δημιουργικό ως προς την ακρόαση
του αφήνοντας την ευκαρπία στον καθένα από τους 3
σε αρκετά σημεία αυτού του 'διαλόγου' να 'παραθέσει '
τις ιδέες του...
αυτές λοιπόν οι αναζητήσεις /συζητήσεις με
φέρνουν ξαφνικά στο σημείο να ανακαλύψω
το london conert. ηχογράφηση μέσων 70'ς των derek
bailey ( κιθάρα) & evan parker ( σαξόφωνο)
ηχογραφημένη το 75 σχεδόν 9 χρόνια από τη
μέρα που πρωτοσυναντήθηκαν δίχως να γνωρίζουν
ότι σχεδόν 4-5 χρόνια μετά τη γνωριμία τους θα έδιναν
Tranzistor.gr - [.] Multiple Personality Disorder #29 http://www.tranzistor.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view...

ζωή στην incus, εταιρεία που έμελε να θεωρείται ως μια

από τις πιο κλασσικές και ρηξικέλευθες της σκηνής
του ελεύθερου αυτοσχεδιασμού, και αυτή η
ηχογράφηση τους βρίσκει στο απόγειο τους και σε μια
μοναδική και ακαταμάχητη σύμπραξη που όχι απλά σε
καθηλώνει αλλά σε αφήνει άφωνο με τους
καταπληκτικούς ήχους της. με έξτρα κομμάτια στην
επανέκδοση αλλά θα πρότεινα να προγραμματίσετε
μόνο τα κομμάτια του κανονικού lp, τα 37 λεπτά του
φτάνουν για να σας στείλουν.. εξάλλου ποτέ δε
συμπάθησα τη 'γέμιση' στις επανεκδόσεις (ακόμα και
τα 'νέα' ή 'διαφορετικά' εξώφυλλα ή τις τυχόν
ηχογραφήσεις που ο χ ή ψ καλλιτέχνης δεν
συμπεριέλαβαν τότε λόγω 'έλλειψης χώρου'...)
(www.emanemdisc.com/ psi05. html)

όλη αυτή η αναζήτηση με οδηγεί να

ανακαλύψω τυχαία τις 2 πρώτες
καταγεγραμμένες συμπράξεις των bailey &
bennink... το 4 ο lp της ολλανδικής instant composers
pool... γέννημα ολλανδών αυτοσχεδιαστών
στα 60'ς με σωρεία δυνατών, απίστευτων αλλά και
λιγότερο ενδιαφερόντων δίσκων (λογικό στη
μακρόχρονη ιστορία της)... το 4 ο νούμερο της οποίας
(http:// inconstantsol.blogspot.com/2007/11/ derek- bailey- and- han- bennink- icpoo
ή κατευθείαν http:// rapidshare.com/ files/70174409/ lijm__icp_004_. rar
είναι το ντοκουμέντο από την πρώτη και πιο
παρανοημένη σύμπραξη 2 ιδιαίτερων μυαλών... η
ενέργεια και οι απίστευτες ιδέες που παρελαύνουν
από αυτό το αριστούργημα δύσκολα μπορούν να
περιγραφούν... ένας δίσκος απίστευτης ενέργειας που
σε καθηλώνει από την πρώτη νότα του ως την
τελευταία... βέβαια σε σχέση με μελλοντικότερες τους
ηχογραφήσεις εδώ βρίσκει κανείς έντονη αυτή την
τάση των τελών των 60'ς να σπάσουν οι δεσμοί με τις
ως τότε κατεστημένες ηχητικές αντιλήψεις και να
Tranzistor.gr - [.] Multiple Personality Disorder #29 http://www.tranzistor.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view...

δημιουργηθεί κάτι νέο και καλύτερο.. εξίσου μεστό θα

το ακούσουμε στο live at verity's place στην incus (που θα
επανεκδώσει σε cdr η cortical corti@cortigal.org στα τέλη των
90'ς ) εξίσου μία από τις παρανοϊκές συμπράξεις του
ντουέτου! το company 3 θα τους βρει σε τελείως
διαφορετικά μονοπάτια αλλά και σε μια εποχή (τέλη
70'ς ) που όλη η τάση του αυτοσχεδιασμού και όλη η
σχεδόν παρανοϊκή και απίστευτη αναζήτηση των
τελών των 60'ς / αρχών των 70'ς αποκρυσταλλώνεται
σιγά σιγά σε πιο δομημένους ή ήδη δοκιμασμένους
ήχους που επαναπροσεγγίζονται με άλλη αισθητική...
τουλάχιστον έτσι το βλέπω σήμερα ξανακούγοντας αν
μη τι άλλο αυτούς τους 3 δίσκους του ντουέτου...
μάρκος μελισσηνός

© tranzistor.gr. All rights reserved.

2008, State of the Axe Guitar : Masters in Photographs and Words
(book) by Ralph Gibson.

By Ralph Gibson

Foreword by Anne Wilkes Tucker

Preface by Les Paul

Dedicated to Derek Bailey.

Sep 15, 2008

184 p., 8 1/4 x 11 3/4
89 duotone illus.
ISBN: 9780300142112
ISBN-10: 0300142110

In this appealing book, acclaimed photographer Ralph Gibson offers more than sixty intimate
black-and-white portraits of guitar masters playing their instruments. Focusing his expert lens on
musicians who have lent their unmistakable voices to virtually every musical genre—jazz, funk,
rock, acoustic, blues, fusion, classical, and experimental—Gibson reveals in each photograph the
intense relationship of the player with his beloved “axe.” The musicians in turn offer individual
meditations on the guitar and insights into the passion they share for it.
State of the Axe features guitarists across several generations, from early jazz greats to hip
modern rockers, as they play their widely varied guitars, including traditional six-strings, double
necks, ten-strings, and fretless models. Gibson’s images capture the enduring appeal of the
instrument and the intense, often rapturous expressions of those who pick, strum, amp,
bottleneck, and bow the axe. Fusing his own passions for photography and music, Gibson
generates a rhythm of words and images that creates a compelling view of the “state of the axe”
today.

Among the featured artists:

Derek Bailey
Adrian Belew
Nels Cline
Jim Hall
Mary Halvorson
Allan Holdsworth
Bill Frisell
John McGlaughlin
Lou Reed
John Scofield
Mike Stern
Andy Summers
James Blood Ulmer

Ralph Gibson is an award-winning photographer whose works are in the collections of major
museums worldwide. His previous books include Light Strings: Impressions of the Guitar (2004).
He divides his time between New York City and Paris, France. Anne Wilkes Tucker is Gus and
Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
ésope reste ici et se repose # 01 - fieldmuzick news - Field Muzi... http://fieldmuzick.net/21.287.0.0.1.0.phtml

ésope
reste
ici
et
se
repose
#
01
sebastién
roux
‐
urban
field
muzick
played
at
exhibition
curated
by
cédrick
eymenier

02.10.2008

GALERIE VASISTAS / MONTPELLIER

une exposition proposée par Cédrick Eymenier
interior & acoustic design by Nicola Ratti & Cédric Pin

> 30 oct / 13 dec 2008

avec
Derek Bailey, Cats Hats Gowns, Loren Connors, Damon & Naomi, Taylor Deupree, Anders
Edström, Cédrick Eymenier, Laurent Hopp, I am a vowel, Sébastien Jamain, Masumi
Raymond, Stephan Mathieu, Cedric Pin, Akira Rabelais, Nicola Ratti, Sebastien Roux,
August Sander, Guillermo Ueno, CW Winter.
> vernissage le mercredi 29 octobre à partir de 18h30

Au delà de l'effet toujours « curieux » du palindrome, le titre de l’exposition insiste sur la

délectation de l’instant. Cédric Pin (artiste) et Nicola Ratti (architecte), également tous

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deux musiciens, ont élaboré un système modulable de design d'intérieur où l'on peut ainsi
« rester et se reposer ». Moquette découpée, construction basique en bois et
mousse/tissu. Un vocabulaire de formes, couleurs et matériaux. Leur intervention ne se
limite pas au confort, ni à l'aspect visuel ; des panneaux absorbants, aux murs et
plafonds, améliorent l'acoustique de l'espace.

Plusieurs séries de photographies sont présentées aux murs.

Anders Edström, Cédrick Eymenier, Taylor Deupree, Laurent Hopp, Guillermo Ueno
travaillent tous dans un rapport au réel sans interprétation de post-production. Une grande
attention est portée sur la qualité de la lumière et la précision du cadrage. Ueno saisit des
clairs-obscurs dans son environnement quotidien qui ne sont pas sans rappeler Le
Caravage. Hopp photographie, la nuit, les résidus de lumières artificielles que nos villes et
leurs multiples enseignes lumineuses laissent traîner. Deupree voyage beaucoup de par le
monde grâce à ses concerts, cela lui donne l’opportunité de développer plusieurs séries
de photographies, dont les Window Studies. Edström, s'empare de son quotidien, mais à
la différence de Ueno, capte une lumière très douce, réminiscence du directeur de
photographie Nestor Almendros. En déambulant dans les villes, Cédrick Eymenier tente de
saisir, avec un souci de cadrage et de qualité de lumière, les signes et les formes que
pourraient prendre la beauté dans nos villes contemporaines.
Une série de 12 dessins de Loren Connors & Masumi Raymond est également présentée.
La photographie d'August Sander, œuvre de la collection du Frac LR, a été choisie pour
illustrer le carton d'invitation.

Un programme alternant pièces sonores et vidéos d'artistes est diffusé. Ce programme

dure le même temps que la durée d’ouverture quotidienne de la galerie soit 210 minutes.

Les pièces sonores

I Am A Vowel, Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan Mathieu, Cédric Pin, Akira Rabelais, Nicola
Ratti, Masumi Raymond et Sébastien Roux.
Ces musiciens d'origine géographique et de génération différentes ont au moins en
commun de fabriquer une musique très subtile et riche en détails. Qu'ils se basent sur un
matériau concret - enregistrement urbains pour Rabelais, Ratti, Roux, enregistrements
d'intérieurs pour I am a Vowel - ou sur une expérimentation plus directement musicale -
Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan Mathieu, Cedric Pin, Masumi Raymond - tous tentent de
proposer une approche musicale où l'attention de l'auditeur est largement mise à
contribution.

Les vidéos
Anders Edström et CW Winter ont réalisé un film sur et avec le guitariste improvisateur
Derek Bailey peu avant sa disparition, un document rare, dont l'exigence formelle et la

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temporalité s'accordent parfaitement au jeu de Bailey. Sébastien Jamain, rédacteur en

chef du Purple Journal est aussi vidéaste ; ses films maîtrisent l'art du montage pour
élaborer des fictions/essais. Guillermo Ueno vient de réaliser un tout nouveau film «
contemplatif » avec une musique de son compatriote guitariste, Alan Courtis. Masumi
Raymond réalisent en ce moment même un documentaire sur le guitariste New Yorkais,
Loren Connors ; pour l'exposition un extrait est diffusé en avant-première. Enfin, Within
These Walls, un film réalisé cette année par Cédrick Eymenier pour un morceau du dernier
album du groupe de Boston, Damon & Naomi. Eymenier propose aussi 21, un film tourné
à Saarebruck en Allemagne avec Janek Schaeffer et Stephan Mathieu.

Des éditions d'artistes, cds/vynils des musiciens, dvds et livres sont à disposition pour
consultation.

-
Galerie VASISTAS
mercredi-samedi 15h/19h
37 avenue Bouisson Bertrand
34090 Montpellier, France

www.vasistas.org (http://www.vasistas.org)
Jean Paul Guarino
email > vasistas@wanadoo.fr
+33 (0)4 67 52 47 37
+33 (0)6 75 49 19 58

PHOTOGRAPHIES
> anders edstrom -www.steidlville.com/artists/45-Anders-Edstr-m.html
10 fotos (5x 2fotos), 20x25cm each, glossy print from color negative

> taylor deupree -www.taylordeupree.com/

7 color pigmented ink jet printed on matt paper (28 x 35cm)

> laurent hopp -www.coriolislab.org

1 cibachrome print mounted on diasec (125x155 cm)

> guillermo ueno -www.correo-tosto.blogspot.com

7 fotos (paper size = 30x40cm / foto = 28x35 cm)
glossy print from color negative

> august sander "westerland" 1911

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1 foto n/b 30x23cm

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Sander

> loren connors & Masumi Raymond www.masumiraymond.com/7%20loren.htm

"Winter dawn" 12 prints mounted on wooden frames (10x15cm each)

> cédrick eymenier -www.coriolislab.org

7 fotos, color pigmented ink jet printed on matt paper (sizeA3+)

MUSIC BY
> i am a vowel - www.myspace.com/iamavowel
"Il pleut : je suis un avion", an audio/visual piece

> cats hats gowns -www.myspace.com/catshatsgowns

"tu ressembles à rien" from "10,000" + video

> stephan mathieu -www.bitsteam.de

“When the sun is out you don’t see stars“, an audio visual piece for Renaissance keyboard
and colour flicker.

> cedric pin -www.coriolislab.org

composed specifically for the exhibition

> akira rabelais -www.akirarabelais.com

selection from "Hollywood bld" field recording cd edited by 'schoolmap'

> nicola ratti -www.nicolaratti.com

composed specifically for the exhibition

> masumi raymond -www.masumiraymond.com

"In Times Such As These" (2008), composed specifically for the exhibition

> sebastien roux -www.myspace.com/sebastienrouxmusic

"stereo rider" field recording based soundpiece, published on
www.fieldmuzick.net/sebastien-roux
18min32sec

VIDEOS BY
> anders edström & cw winter -www.steidlville.com/artists/45-Anders-Edstr-m.html
"One Plus One 2", 2003, 49mn (a film with Derek Bailey)

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ésope reste ici et se repose # 01 - fieldmuzick news - Field Muzi... http://fieldmuzick.net/21.287.0.0.1.0.phtml

> sebastien jamain -http://frenchfighter.blogspot.com/

-Rio De Piémont, 2006, 32min TBC

> guillermo ueno -www.correo-tosto.blogspot.com

-an untitled film with music by Alan Courtis, 2008, 13min56sec

> loren connors / masumi raymond -www.masumiraymond.com

Outtake from the forthcoming "Film Portrait Loren Connors" by Masumi Raymond (7min)

EDITIONS BY
display of artist editions (books, cd-r...)

-damon krukowski "lisez-moi" edition française & anglaise

-akira rabelais "hollywood" cd - schoolmap
-stephan mathieu "radioland" artist deluxe edition, dieschachtel.
-anders edstrom "waiting some bus, a women" edited by Steidl
-www.steidlville.com/artists/45-Anders-Edstr-m.html
-cedric pin, coriolis editions + cd-r collection
-cats hats gowns, cd-r collection
-nicola ratti, "fishing under my umbrella" vynil edition + cds
-sebastien roux, "stereo rider" mini-cd
(...)

(http://piwik.org)

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

ésope reste ici et se repose # 01

une exposition proposée par Cédrick EYMENIER

interior & acoustic design by Nicola RATTI & Cédric PIN

avec
Derek BAILEY, Cats Hats Gowns, Loren CONNORS, Damon & Naomi,
Taylor DEUPREE, Anders EDSTRÖM, Cédrick EYMENIER,
Laurent HOPP, I am a vowel, Sébastien JAMAIN, Masumi.Raymond,
Stephan MATHIEU, Cédric PIN, Akira RABELAIS, Nicola RATTI,
Sebastien ROUX, August SANDER, Guillermo UENO, CW WINTER

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

Au delà de l'effet toujours « curieux » du palindrome, le titre de l’exposition

insiste sur la délectation de l’instant. Cédric Pin - artiste - et Nicola Ratti -
architecte - mais aussi tous deux musiciens, ont élaboré un système
modulable de design d'intérieur où l'on peut ainsi « rester et se reposer » :
moquette découpée, construction basique en bois et mousse/tissu soit un
vocabulaire de formes, couleurs et matériaux. Leur intervention ne se limite
pas au confort, ni à l'aspect visuel ; des panneaux absorbants, aux murs et
plafond, améliorent l'acoustique de l'espace.

Beyond the still curious effect as regards the palindrome, the title of the Exhibition insists on the
moment of pleasure. Cédric Pin - artist - and Nicola Ratti - architect - but also both musicians,
elaborated a flexible system of interior design where we can « stay and rest » : cut carpet, wooden
basic construction and moss / fabric a vocabulary of forms, colours and materials.Their intervention
does not limit itself to the comfort, nor to the visual aspect ; absorbent panels, in walls and ceiling,
improve the acoustics of the space.

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

Plusieurs séries de photographies sont présentées aux murs.

Anders Edström, Taylor Deupree, Laurent Hopp, Guillermo Ueno travaillent
tous dans un rapport au réel sans interprétation de post-production. Une
grande attention est portée sur la qualité de la lumière et la précision du
cadrage. Ueno saisit des clairs-obscurs dans son environnement quotidien
qui ne sont pas sans rappeler Le Caravage. Hopp photographie, la nuit, les
résidus de lumières artificielles que nos villes et leurs multiples enseignes
lumineuses laissent traîner. Deupree voyage beaucoup de par le monde
grâce à ses concerts, cela lui donne l’opportunité de développer plusieurs
séries de photographies, dont les Window Studies. Edström, s'empare de son
quotidien, mais à la différence de Ueno, capte une lumière très douce,
réminiscence du directeur de photographie Nestor Almendros.
Est également présentée une photographie d'August Sander, œuvre de la
collection du Frac LR.

Several series of photos are shown on the wall.

Anders Edström, Taylor Deupree, Laurent Hopp, Guillermo Ueno all work in a relation with reality
without the use of post-production. A lot of attention is concerned with the quality of the light and the
precision of the surroundings. Ueno seizes twilight in his daily environment which reminds one of The

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

Caravage. Hopp photographs in the night the residues of artificial lights which our cities and their
multiple neon signs leave trails. Deupree travels all over the world thanks to his concerts, it gives him
the opportunity to develop several series of photos, among which we mention the Window Studies.
Edström, takes off from his everyday life, but unlike Ueno, gets a very soft light, reminiscence of the
Director of photography Nestor Almendros.
An August Sander's photography, piece from the collection of the Frac LR, is also presented.

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

audio, 13' 15". 2008

Damon & Naomi, "Within These Walls"

vidéo de Cédrick Eymenier, 5' 34", 2008. Edition 3/7

I am a vowel, "il pleut je suis un avion"

audio, 22' 11". 2008

Masumi Raymond, “Loren Connors portrait”

vidéo, 7' 21" (extrait). 2008

Sébastien Roux, "Stereo Rider"

audio, 18' 43". 2008

Guillermo Ueno, “sans titre”

vidéo avec musique de Alan Courtis
3' 28". 2008

Nicola Ratti, “ésope”

audio, 17' 4". 2008. Edition 2/17

Sébastien Jamain, "Song of the Song"

vidéo, 17' 14". 2008

Cédric Pin, “ok...10 minutes break”

audio, 13' 39". 2008

Cats Hats Gowns, "tu ressembles à rien"

vidéo de Guillaume Eymenier, 7' 47". 2008

Akira Rabelais, "Hollywood" – extrait

audio, 8' 52". 2008

Stephan Mathieu, "When the sun is out you don’t see stars"
audio, 10'. 2008

Les pièces sonores

I Am A Vowel, Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan Mathieu, Cédric Pin, Akira
Rabelais, Nicola Ratti, Masumi.Raymond et Sébastien Roux.
Ces musiciens d'origine géographique et de génération différentes ont au
moins en commun de fabriquer une musique très subtile et riche en détails.
Qu'ils se basent sur un matériau concret - enregistrements urbains pour
Rabelais, Ratti, Roux et I am a Vowel - ou sur une expérimentation plus
directement musicale - Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan Mathieu, Cédric Pin,
Masumi.Raymond - tous supposent une attention de l'auditeur largement mise
à contribution.

The sound pieces

I Am A Vowel, Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan Mathieu, Cédric Pin, Akira Rabelais, Nicola Ratti,
Masumi.Raymond and Sebastien Roux.
These musicians from different generations and geographical origins have at least a point in common
to produce a very subtle music rich in detail. If they base themselves on concrete material - urban
recording urban for Rabelais, Ratti, Roux and I am a Vowel - or with an experiment more directly
musical - Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan Mathieu, Cedric Pin, Masumi. Raymond - all suppose the
attention of the listener widely put to contribution.

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

Les vidéos
Anders Edström et CW Winter ont réalisé un film sur et avec le guitariste
improvisateur Derek Bailey peu avant sa disparition, un document rare, dont
l'exigence formelle et la temporalité s'accordent parfaitement au jeu de Bailey.
Sébastien Jamain, rédacteur en chef du Purple Journal est aussi vidéaste ;
ses films maîtrisent l'art du montage pour élaborer des fictions/essais.
Guillermo Ueno vient de réaliser un tout nouveau film « contemplatif » avec
une musique de son compatriote guitariste, Alan Courtis. Masumi.Raymond
réalisent en ce moment même un documentaire sur le guitariste New Yorkais,
Loren Connors ; pour l'exposition un extrait est diffusé en avant-première.
Certains des musiciens pratiquent également la vidéo, ainsi Guillaume
Eymenier, membre fondateur de Cats Hats Gowns, a mis en image un de leur
dernier morceau " Tu ressembles à rien ". Stephan Mathieu fait tous ses
concerts accompagné d'un travail vidéo assisté par ordinateur où l'on glisse
lentement d'une couleur à une autre. Enfin Cédrick Eymenier propose Within
These Walls, un film réalisé cette année pour le dernier album du groupe de
Boston, Damon & Naomi.

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

Cédrick Eymenier
Videostill du film Within These Walls, musique de Damon & Naomi, 5' 37". 2008. Edition 3/7

Videos
Anders Edström and CW Winter realized a film on and with the improvising guitarist Derek Bailey a
short while before his disappearance, a rare document, among which the formal requirement and the
temporality tune perfectly with Bailey’s playing. Sebastien Jamain, chief editor of the Purple
Newspaper is also a video producer; his films master the art of editing in the elaboration
fictions/essays. Guillermo Ueno has just realised a quite new "contemplative" film the music from his
fellow countryman guitarist, Alan Courtis. Masumi.Raymond are even realising at this moment a
documentary on the New York guitarist, Loren Connors; for the exhibition, an extract is diffused as a
preview. Finally, Within These Walls, a film realised this year by Cédrick Eymenier from a track of the
last album of the Boston's group, Damon & Naomi. Eymenier also proposes « 21 », a film shot in
Saarebruck in Germany with Janek Schaeffer and Stephan Mathieu.

Des éditions d'artistes, CDs / vynils des musiciens, DVDs et livres sont à
disposition pour consultation.

Artists editions, CDs / vinyls of musicians, DVDs and books will be available at the gallery for
consulting.

voir aussi >>> www.coriolislab.org

voir aussi >>> friends

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Art Contemporain Galerie Vasistas Montpellier - ésope reste ici ... http://www.vasistas.org/esope01.htm

> JULIEN AUDEBERT > ORLA BARRY > SANDRINE BERNARD > DAVID BIOULÈS > BELKACEM BOUDJELLOULI > BELKACEM BOUDJELLOULI 2
> YVES CARO > DENIS CASTELLAS > CYRIL CHARTIER-POYET > JULIEN CREPIEUX > CHRISTOPHE DELESTANG > MARIE DEMY
> DIDIER DESSUS > DANIEL DEZEUZE 1 > DANIEL DEZEUZE 2 > FRIENDS > DOMINIQUE GAUTHIER 1 > DOMINIQUE GAUTHIER 2 >3 >4
> IL EST UNE FOIS > MARK GEFFRIAUD > STEPHANE LE DROUMAGUET > HAMID MAGHRAOUI > CELINE MARTINET > MARIELLE PAUL
> POUR AINSI DIRE > QUAND LE MOTIF > JOËL RENARD > PIERRE SAVATIER > PATRICK SAYTOUR 1 > PATRICK SAYTOUR 2
> PATRICK SAYTOUR 3 > 4 > YANN SERANDOUR > MICHAËL VIALA > SEBASTIEN VONIER > DAVID WOLLE > DAVID WOLLE 2 > RAPHAËL ZARKA

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Centre national des arts plastiques - Cnap http://www.cnap.culture.gouv.fr/index.php?page=presentation&...

Vasistas galerie
2008
ésope reste ici et se repose #01
Arts plastiques > Expositions
30/10/2008 > 12/12/2008

Anders EDSTRÖM. Tirage couleur 20 x 30 cm

Une exposition proposée par Cédrick EYMENIER

Interior & acoustic design by Nicola RATTI & Cédric PIN

Au delà de l'effet toujours « curieux » du palindrome, le titre de l'exposition

insiste sur la délectation de l'instant. Cédric Pin - artiste - et Nicola Ratti
- architecte - mais aussi tous deux musiciens, ont élaboré un système
modulable de design d'intérieur où l'on peut ainsi « rester et se reposer ».

Plusieurs séries de photographies sont présentées aux murs. Anders Edström,

Cédrick Eymenier, Taylor Deupree, Laurent Hopp, Guillermo Ueno travaillent
tous dans un rapport au réel sans interprétation de post-production. Une
grande attention est portée sur la qualité de la lumière et la précision du
cadrage. Ueno saisit des clairs-obscurs dans son environnement quotidien qui
ne sont pas sans rappeler Le Caravage. Hopp photographie, la nuit, les résidus
de lumières artificielles que nos villes et leurs multiples enseignes
lumineuses laissent traîner. Deupree voyage beaucoup de par le monde grâce à
ses concerts, cela lui donne l'opportunité de développer plusieurs séries de
photographies, dont les Window Studies. Edström, s'empare de son quotidien,
mais à la différence de Ueno, capte une lumière très douce, réminiscence du
directeur de photographie Nestor Almendros. En déambulant dans les villes,
Cédrick Eymenier tente de saisir, avec un souci de cadrage et de qualité de
lumière, les signes et les formes que pourraient prendre la beauté dans nos
villes contemporaines.

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Centre national des arts plastiques - Cnap http://www.cnap.culture.gouv.fr/index.php?page=presentation&...

Une série de 12 dessins de Loren Connors & Masumi.Raymond est également

présentée ainsi qu'une photographie d'August Sander, oeuvre de la collection
du Frac LR.

Un programme alternant pièces sonores et vidéos d'artistes est diffusé. Ce

programme dure le même temps que la durée d'ouverture quotidienne de la
galerie soit 210 minutes.

Les pièces sonores

I Am A Vowel, Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan Mathieu, Cédric Pin, Akira Rabelais,
Nicola Ratti, Masumi.Raymond et Sébastien Roux.
Ces musiciens d'origine géographique et de génération différentes ont au
moins en commun de fabriquer une musique très subtile et riche en détails.
Qu'ils se basent sur un matériau concret - enregistrement urbains pour
Rabelais, Ratti, Roux, enregistrements d'intérieurs pour I am a Vowel - ou sur
une expérimentation plus directement musicale - Cats Hats Gowns, Stephan
Mathieu, Cédric Pin, Masumi.Raymond - tous tentent de proposer une approche
musicale où l'attention de l'auditeur est largement mise à contribution.

Les vidéos
Anders Edström et CW Winter ont réalisé un film sur et avec le guitariste
improvisateur Derek Bailey peu avant sa disparition, un document rare, dont
l'exigence formelle et la temporalité s'accordent parfaitement au jeu de
Bailey. Sébastien Jamain, rédacteur en chef du Purple Journal est aussi
vidéaste ; ses films maîtrisent l'art du montage pour élaborer des
fictions/essais. Guillermo Ueno vient de réaliser un tout nouveau film «
contemplatif » avec une musique de son compatriote guitariste, Alan Courtis.
Masumi.Raymond réalisent en ce moment même un documentaire sur le guitariste
New Yorkais, Loren Connors ; pour l'exposition un extrait est diffusé en
avant-première. Enfin, "Within These Walls", un film réalisé cette année par
Cédrick Eymenier pour un morceau du dernier album du groupe de Boston, Damon &
Naomi. Eymenier propose aussi "21", un film tourné à Saarebruck en Allemagne
avec Janek Schaeffer et Stephan Mathieu.

Des éditions d'artistes, cds/vynils des musiciens, dvds et livres sont à

disposition pour consultation.

Artistes présentés :
Derek BAILEY, Cats Hats Gowns, Loren CONNORS, DAMON & NAOMI, Taylor DEUPREE, Anders EDSTRÖM (cf. ill.),
Cédrick EYMENIER, Laurent HOPP, I am a vowel, Sébastien JAMAIN, Masumi.Raymond, Stephan MATHIEU, Cédric
PIN, Akira RABELAIS, Nicola RATTI, Sebastien ROUX, August SANDER, Guillermo UENO, CW WINTER

Horaires :
du mercredi au samedi de 15h à 18h30

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Centre national des arts plastiques - Cnap http://www.cnap.culture.gouv.fr/index.php?page=presentation&...

Date Vernissage :
29/10/2008

Vasistas galerie
37, avenue Bouisson Bertrand
34090 Montpellier
Téléphone
04 67 52 47 37
Site internet
http://www.vasistas.org
Courriel
vasistas@wanadoo.fr
Responsable
Jean-Paul Guarino

Dernière mise à jour de cette information le 22/09/2008

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