Derek Bailey

See also: Bailey

Derek Bailey (born the January 29th 1930 with Sheffield -- deceased the December 25th 2005 with London) is a Guitariste, improviser, Compositeur and British Théoricien . It is one of the pioneers of the free Improvisation.

Although Derek Bailey from time to time made use of the prepared Guitare in the Seventies, (for example by putting trombones on cords, by adding other cords to the guitar, etc…), it gives up this type of method at the end of the decade.

He is the author of a remarkable Monographie on the improvisation.

Major collaborations: Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, Cyro Baptista, Anthony Braxton, John Zorn Tony Oxley, Thurston Moore…

Biography

Music of Derek Bailey

For listeners not very familiar of the experimental musics, the very particular style of Bailey little to seem with a little difficult departure. One of its main features is its very discontinuous aspect, dissonant, far from melody, the consecutive notes being often separated by great intervals and being played in different ways (open strings, cords " frettées" , harmonics,…).

It made a great distinction between the musics which it said " idiomatiques" , including classical music, jazz, musics popular, and all the traditional musics, that they contain or not a share of improvisation, and the musics " non-idiomatiques" who leave side any form of pre-established groundwork or rule (implicit or clarifies) to respect.

Discography

The discography which follows is selective. Derek Bailey indeed recorded several tens of albums, live or in studio, solo or with many other artists, resulting from the free improvisation or not.

  • Karyobin (with EMS, Island records, 1968)

  • The Topography off the Lungs (with Han Bennink and Evan Parker, Incus, 1970)
  • The Music Company Improvisation, 1968 - 1971 (with the Music Improvisation Company, Incus, 1971)
  • The London Concert (with Evan Parker, Incus, 1971)
  • Solo Guitar Volume 1 (Incus, recorded in 1971, republished in 1992)
  • Solo Guitar Volume 2 (Incus, 1972)
  • Duet (with Anthony Braxton, Emanem, 1974, republished in 1996)
  • Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet/The Sinking off the Titanic (with inter alia Gavin Bryars, Obscure Records, 1975)
  • Company 6 & 7 (other players one this Re-exit originally recorded At the 1977 Company Week include Lol Coxhill, Han Bennink, Leo Smith, Tristan Honsinger, Steve Beresford, Anthony Braxton and others, Incus 1992)
  • Dart Drug (with Jamie Muir, Incus, 1981)
  • Helped (Incus, 1982, republished at Dexter' S Cigar, 1996)
  • Cyro (with Cyro Baptista, Incus, 1982)
  • Yankees (with John Zorn and George Lewis, recorded in 1983; issued variously one Celluloid and Charly)
  • Figuring (with Bar Philips, Incus, 1987)
  • Takes Fakes and Dead She Dances (Incus, 1987}
  • Laces (solo guitar, Emanem, recorded in 1989)
  • Village Life (with Thebe Lipere and Louis Moholo, Incus 1992)
  • Playing (with John Stevens, Incus 1992)
  • Rappin & Tappin (with Will Gaines, Incus, 1994)
  • Guitar, Drums and Bass (with DJ Ninj, Avant records, 1996)
  • The Sign Off Furnace (with Stalemate Metheny, Gregg Bendian, Paul Wertico, Knitting Factory, 1997)
  • The Gospel Record (with Amy Denio, Refusals Micrometer caliper, recorded in 1999; published at Shaking Ray Records, 2005)
  • Ballads , (Tzadik, 2002)
  • Parts for Guitar , (Tzadik, 2002)
  • Barcelona (with Agusti Fernandez), Hopscotch Records, 2001, accessible on emusic
  • Wireforks (with Henry Kaiser) accessible Shanachie/Jazz, 1993 on emusic
  • Legend off the Blood Yeti with Thirteen Ghosts and Thurston Moore
  • Limescale (with Tony Bevan, Incus, 2002)
  • Improvisation Ampersand/Runt 1975, accessible on emusic
  • Soshin (with Fred Frith and Antoine Berthiaume) Magnetic Environments, 2003, accessible on actuellecd.com
  • Carpal Tunnel , Tzadik, 2005
  • To Play (The Blemish Sessions) , Samadhi, 2006

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