A playful sense of irony predicated the release of Derek Bailey’s Ballads, an album where the British grandfather of so-called non-idiomatic free improvisation embraced, at least in part, antiquated American song forms as conduits for expression. The material on Standards predates that session by several months and finds Bailey in a more discursive mood. Avatar Studio mics capture the presence of his prized arch top Epiphone in gorgeously intimate acoustics. Taking a page from the Tristano school manual of tweaking tune titles, he transforms the tags of seven standards into wry variants, my personal favorite being the port-inspired “When Your Liver Has Gone.” The themes themselves largely take a backseat to the usual Bailey bricolage of torqued strings and needlepoint picking, appearing in transitory snippets when at all. There’s a fair share of precision scraping and scuttling, still sharp enough to serrate fingers and draw blood, but also a welcome amount of lyrical fretwork too.
Bailey isn’t simply atomizing these pieces for the brow-furrowing hell of it. A genuine affection for their structures comes through in his studiously oblique improvisations even as he pares them down to the marrow. What’s also startling is how indelible they seem in his psyche, especially considering their positioning well beyond the periphery of his repertoire for the better part of four decades. As with the earlier Tzadik release, the packaging and peripherals are exquisite, from the coquettish pin-up model cover to Heung-Heung Chin’s elegant font and color choices for the script and design. Both Zorn and Bailey’s widow Karen contribute brief essays sharing the felicitous details surrounding how the session came about, its impetus a Christmas dinner amongst close friends. Bailey’s been gone awhile now and this set is a bittersweet memento of his willingness to confound expectations to the end, in this instance by coming full circle to some of the songs that were his bread and butter lo so many years ago.
~ Derek Taylor
Posted by derek on July 11, 2007 4:38 AMIs this really worth picking up or just Ballads Vol 2? Why didn't it come out earlier?
Posted by: Dan Warburton at July 11, 2007 9:32 AMI think so. It’s got a different feel than Ballads, more of a familiar Bailey free improv flavor, with longer cuts & greater development. As to why it wasn’t released: Bailey recorded this material first and several months later decided to return to the studio w/ a different tack, so its more prequel than sequel. Karen sat on the tape for several years before giving Zorn the greenlight to release it. Curious to hear other reactions though as maybe my tin ear is back.
Posted by: derek at July 11, 2007 12:40 PMDan: No question about it: pick it up. It's definitely worth it. Ballads was more intentionally "media friendly" (thank you Zorn), this is more the real thing.
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at July 11, 2007 1:03 PM"Assasination...it's funny...Makes a cloudy day sunny."...
Posted by: djll at July 12, 2007 12:54 PM???????????....
Posted by: derek at July 12, 2007 1:18 PMIt's DB's version of the lyrics of "Imagination", the change reflecting the fact that Margaret Thatcher was in power at the time.
Posted by: nd at July 12, 2007 2:13 PMNot yet listened to. Any Bailey solo is great. Ballads was a standout. Faves of all time are Improvisation on Cramps bought in Milano '77 at Red Records shop of the jazzlabel of the same name, than a free jazz outing. Lot '74 on Incus with the artwork by Leonardo Da Vinci and Quark Domestic Pieces coupled with the Caroline Virgin tracks on Guitar Solos vol 2 thanks to Fred Frith. Aïda on Incus sent to my home by Evan, doing the sale by mail duties himself from Hounslow Road in Twickenham, Mddlsx. And the very long awaited re-issue of the Morgue double Old Sound New Sights that only 2 friends have. Lace is 100% great and I have a CDr copy of a cassette copy of a very good recorded tape of DB 1987 Brussels acoustic solo concert that I had organised. Recording by Michaël W Huon. Very Nice ! He offered me the restaurant after.........
I hope that Zorn had the good taste producing it.
i love John Russell too solo on AllAngels cd and Mopomoso solos cd on Emanem. John difficult to record and needs to work on the sound often . But sensitive guy + collective player by excellence.
Jean-Michel: Here's a third friend who owns that original Morgue 2LP by Derek Bailey!
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at August 3, 2007 8:57 AM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................