Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Derek Bailey: Standards

262

Derek Bailey: Standards

By

Sign in to view read count
Derek Bailey: Standards
In 2002 Bailey released one of his most unusual CDs, Ballads (Tzadik), a solo performance with him freely improvising on standards. This is a second installment, though this recording actually precedes Ballads. Liner notes by Karen Brookman-Bailey and John Zorn recall Christmas 2001: The Baileys—Derek in New York to pick up a "new guitar—invited Zorn and Ikue Mori to their suite for dinner. During the evening, Bailey took out the vintage Epiphone Emperor (an oversized acoustic archtop designed for big band rhythm playing without amplification) and started to play classic pop tunes. As Brookman-Bailey points out, we might locate the songs in the guitar itself or in Bailey's early years in dance bands. A few days later, Bailey went into a New York studio and recorded Standards, later repeating the process in London for Ballads.

This is unquestionably the edgier of the two sets, with less attention paid to the melodies. The performances reverse expectations—they 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

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.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

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.