Re: Derek Bailey interview online

[improv@peak.org (Dave Trenkel)]

>     Dear All
>
>     I dont know if this is of interest, but as his name was mentioned
>     a while back...an interview with Derek Bailey is available online
>     via the URL:
>
>     http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/efi/fulltext/mbailin2.html
>
>     It may only appeal to those who've read his book, and it may
>     cover much the same territory (not having access to a copy, I
>     cant say). Conversely, it might be a compressed entry to his
>     performance philosophy for those as yet unsure.
>
>     (I recently heard a track from his `Guitar Drum and Bass' album
>     which suggested the rest could be worth seeking out, by the way)
>
>     David
>     http://subnet.virtual-pc.com/~or387751/

Bailey is one of my favorite musicians in the world, but he seems to be the
absolute antitheseis of the looping musician. He has such an aversion to
cliche that his improvisational methodology is to abandon any idea as soon
as it begins to imply any conventional genre/harmony/melody/whatever. He's
a phenomenal guitarist, and a rigorous, if slightly curmudgeonly, free
improvisor. I haven't heard the 'Guitar, Drum 'n' Bass' record, reviews
suggest it's not his best work, nor particularly innovative drum 'n' bass,
and I don't think it's particularly representative of his usual works. He
is worth seeking out, I've known a few guitarists who compeletly changed
their styles after listening to Bailey. The records of his I'd recommend
include:

 Arcana, "The Last Wave", on DIW, a scorched-earth electric improv session
with Bill Laswell and Tony Williams, one of the very rare times Bailey has
recorded with a conventional (at least in instrumentation if not approach)
rhythm section. This is one of my currently one of my favorite records.

Derek and the Ruins, "Saisoro", on Tzadik, a trio with the utterly insane
and virtuosic japanese duo Ruins.

Derek Bailey and Henry Kaiser, "Wireforks", on Shanachie, a beautifully
recorded set of mostly acoustic duos.

Derek Bailey and Anthony Braxton, "First Duo Concert (London, 1974)", on
Emanem, a set of absolutely incredible improvisations.

Derk Bailey, John Zorn, William Parker, "Harras", on Avant, a recent
recording of more traditional acoustic free jazz, very high energy.

Bailey has many more records out, but most of them are on his very limited
distribution label Incus, and are hard to find in the US. The above are
relatively widely available. Also, his book is a terrific resource on
improvisation in many musical contexts.

________________________________________________________
Dave Trenkel, NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: improv@peak.org
self promotional web-site: http://www.peak.org/~improv/
"A squid eating dough in a polyethelene bag is fast
and bulbous, got me?"
                                     -Captain Beefheart
________________________________________________________