Derek Bailey, Sabu Toyozumi: Breath Awareness

Guitarist Derek Bailey never compromised his approach to music, but was he influenced and his sound affected by set, setting, and playing partners? Those new to Bailey's working method may posit his approach was inflexible and unaccommodating, while long-time listeners can identify how a playing partner can affect the guitarist's sound.

With the force of nature that is Derek Bailey, the greatest influences on his sound were certainly drummers and percussionists. Bailey performed with the likes of Cyro Baptista, Han Bennink, Susie Ibarra, Andrea Centazzo, Eddie Prevost, Gregg Bendian, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Tony Oxley, and John Stevens, not to mention his later fascination with drum'n'bass (180 bpm) and his collaboration with D.J. Ninj.

During Bailey's 1987 tour of Japan, he performed solo, also with saxophonist Mototeru Takagi, heard on Live At Far Out, Atsugi (NoBusiness, 2020). His collaboration with drummer Sabu Toyozumi is documented on the nearly impossible-to-find recording Live In Okayama 1987 (Improvised Company, 2000), a trio with Peter Brötzmann.

We now have this archival duo recording with Toyozumi, captured on November 2nd, 1987 at IMAI-Tei, Fukuoka City. Three of the four tracks are duos, plus one 13- minute solo performance by Bailey. Except for brief passages, Toyozumi never avails himself of the booming loudness of his drum kit. Only in the finale "Relux Or Not Talking" does the boom become a BOOM. The drummer though has a crafty way to interchange and influence Bailey's idiosyncratic sound. His playing acts as an accelerator/decelerator throughout; that is without saying Bailey acts in pursuit of the drummer. Bailey can only sound like Bailey, but we have a freely improvised communion with a partner raising or lowering the temperature, complexion, and aura.