Skip to Content

REVIEW: Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation

Scott Thompson

Published: 2005-09-01

In this review by Scott Thompson, Ben Watson's biography of Derek Bailey is said to carry a singularity of vision which perhaps misses some of the other "stories" of free improvisation; nevertheless, despite this criticism, Thompson also lauds Watson's investigation of the Sheffield-based Joseph Holbrook Trio and Derek Bailey's relationship with Gavin Bryars.

Available Files

  • Derek_Bailey_and_the_Story_of_Free_Improvisation.pdf

    108 KB | application/pdf

    Download

Improvisation implies a deep connection between the personal and the communal, self and world. A “good” improviser successfully navigates musical and institutional boundaries and the desire for self-expression, pleasing not only herself but the listener as well.

– Rob Wallace