cds: Scrutables | Vortices and Angels | Trio Playing

Derek Bailey's death at the start of 2006 touched many people.
Some online responses include:

:: John Fordham's Guardian obituary.
:: Ben Ratliff's New York Times obituary.
:: Peter Stubley's efi site contains much vital Bailey information, including Richard Shapiro's Sessionography.
:: A 1987 interview with Derek, by Henry Kaiser, can be listened to online.

An interesting review, by Bill Shoemaker, of 3 recent CDs featuring Derek Bailey can be read here.

© peter stubley

John Butcher and Derek Bailey first played in duo around 1989, at London's Red Rose Club. Butcher then took part in the 1990 & 1992 (London) and 1996 (Vancouver) Company weeks.
Various other playing situations materialised in the 90s, ranging from Saturday afternoons at the Oasis Wine Bar in Hackney, to a quartet with Robyn Schulkowsky in France, and a trio with Joelle Leandre at Tonic in New York in 2000.
A comparatively long lived grouping was with tuba player Oren Marshall - which released Trio Playing on Incus.

Bailey and Butcher's duet from a concert at London's Vortex in 2000 was released on Vortices and Angels.
In the same year they were joined by Gino Robair for the studio session Scrutables, which has now been released for the first time, on Weight of Wax.

order CD

Scrutables

Derek Bailey / John Butcher / Gino Robair

Recorded at Moat Studios, London, 2000. Released 2011.

read: New York City Jazz Review :: The Watchful Ear :: The Squid's Ear

all about jazz :: Sunday Times :: Point of Departure :: Paris Transatlantic

order CD from Emanem.

Vortices and Angels
Bailey / Butcher - live at the Vortex, London: 2000
(Butcher / Davies - live at All Angels, London: 2000)

read: Jazz Times :: all about jazz

mp3: Low Vortex

The opening duet, Low Vortex, is a probing, fast, and (for Butcher) unexpectedly loud battle of wits (or is it nerves?). Bailey uncorks some of his most exacting and fearsomely paced playing, forcing Butcher, ordinarily the most orderly of improvisers and by inclination a miniaturist, to think in terms of waves and convoluted tangles of notes. But as the improvisation unfolds over a labyrinthine 27 minutes, the near-bottomless depth of Butcher's arsenal of devices becomes increasingly, almost frighteningly clear. Even just as a demonstration of 'extended technique' it's an impressive performance, and overall this must be counted one of the best things either man has recorded in the past decade. Nate Dorward - CODA

Trio Playing

Derek Bailey
John Butcher
Oren Marshall

guitar, sax, tuba, London: 1997.