By Glenn Astarita
One 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).