Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bruise: Bruise With Derek Bailey

228

Bruise: Bruise With Derek Bailey

By

Sign in to view read count
Bruise: Bruise With Derek Bailey
A breathtaking, deep-space adventure in sonic exploration, Bruise With Derek Bailey documents the last British concert given by free improvisation auteur Derek Bailey. The performance presents the veteran guitarist with a lineup some one or two generations younger than himself, playing alongside heirs to the tradition he helped create in the 1960s and 1970s. It is magnificent music and an important historical document.

Recorded at the 291 Gallery in Hackney, London in August 2004, Bailey was 74 going on 24 and suffering from motor neuron disease, complications from which would lead to his death last December. Bailey was already challenged by diminishing dexterity—he was no longer able to grip a plectrum, for example—but the crystalline, shards-of-glass style he more or less invented for the guitar, and the torrent of ideas and inventions which characterised his work, showed no signs of decline.

The three track titles—"Search," "Locate," Destroy"—are from a motto of Bailey's, and aren't literal descriptions of the album's progression. True, "Search" starts things off in a relatively tentative fashion, led by Bailey and bass saxophonist Tony Bevan, and "Locate" and "Destroy" do progressively raise the assertion and the volume, but light and shade, clamour and reflection, and a collective galaxy of textural variation distinguish each of the tracks.

Bruise, as demonstrated on last year's superb Bruised, is amongst the UK's most thrilling improvising bands—and a real band: they won't accept bookings unless all five members are available (no deps). Already in largely uncharted territory with Bevan's bass saxophone, they venture even further out through the inspired inclusion of multi-instrumentalist Orphy Robinson, often heard on digitally mutated marimba and steel drum; and revolutionary Spring Heel Jack electronicist Ashley Wales, who was also responsible for the fine audio quality of this recording, using a single stereo microphone straight to DAT. Bassist John Edwards and drummer Mark Sanders (who are also members of the Spring Heel Jack project, along with other leading British improvising groups) are vital contributors too, equally creative in forceful attacking mode or passages of pastel delicacy.

A startling and spring fresh cosmos of sound, the album was fully authorised for release by Bailey, and it's a major addition to both his own and Bruise's discographies.

Track Listing

Search; Locate; Destroy.

Personnel

Derek Bailey: electric guitar; Tony Bevan: bass saxophone; Orphy Robinson: electronics, steel drum and percussion, trumpet; Ashley Wales: electronics and soundscapes; John Edwards: double bass; Mark Sanders: drums and percussion.

Album information

Title: Bruise With Derek Bailey | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Foghorn Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.