Derek Bailey: Standards
This is unquestionably the edgier of the two sets, with less attention paid to the melodies. The performances reverse expectationsthey begin in seemingly random improvisation, gradually taking on harmonic and rhythmic patterns until they end in melodic paraphrases of a standard, never exactly the standard, but the kind of approximation with which Lennie Tristano might begin.
The history of free improvisation, in which Bailey played a central part, seems to be running backward. The music is fantastic. Few improvisers ever acquire Bailey's knack for generating random sequences that resemble chance scores and each performance inquires into the instrument's specific resources, its extraordinary resonance (deliberately suggesting koto), its sustained high harmonics, or even a worn fret, worried (like a prepared piano) for a specific multiphonic boink. It's as if Bailey disappears into the instrument's specific history, its overtones and echoes, its wear, promise and woody memories. Standards is an important part of Bailey's great legacy.
Track Listing
Nothing New; Frankly My Dear I Don
Personnel
Derek Bailey: solo acoustic guitar.
Album information
Title: Standards | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Tzadik