If one was asked to compile a list of local players who, over the years, would sound outstanding in any company, we would probably say George Chisholm, Victor Feldman, Joe Harriott, John Surman, John Stevens and (dare I say it) Ronnie Scott. All are gifted in their own way but it would be less than honest to suggest that they were original talents. They are all good because they have managed the impossible task of getting truly inside an alien musical form. One name that must be added to that list is Derek Bailey, certainly in terms of the talent he possesses. Where the vital difference lies is that this enigmatic guitarist is genuinely unique – a totally original British jazzman.
On this captivating album we can hear why his fans go in awe and why his critics condemn absolutely. His playing, in terms of thematic continuity, is completely free. With the exception of a short passage toward the end of Lot 74, no attempt is made to build a melody of even the shortest duration. Bailey is concerned with the beauty of sound and the space around it. His tonality may be totally divorced from European standards yet in his peculiar way he is wonderfully accurate. His notes are allowed to breathe and, quite often, the listener is allowed to follow a note into outer space as it slowly becomes a thing of the acoustical past. I can think of no musician more constantly aware of the timbre of his own notes and the relationship they have with their neighbours.
It is only on Together, where three sound areas are brought together (I assume) electronically, that he fails to create beautiful, free music. In Joke is just what it says, and Bailey sends up a bit of jazz history in a guitar accompanied soliloquy. The highlight of the album, however, is Lot 74 – an extended piece of pure Bailey, that gives up new secrets with each playing.
Discography
Lot 74 (22 min) – Together; Pain In The Chest; Planks; In Joke; Improvisation 104b (19¼ min)
(Incus 12 £2.30)
