Derek Bailey (29 January 1930 – 25 December 2005) was an English

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

guitarist and an important figure in the

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any general rules, instead following the intuition of its performers. The term can refer to both a technique—employed by any musician in any genre—and as a recognizable genre of ...

movement. Bailey abandoned conventional performance techniques found in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, exploring

atonality Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on ...

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

, and whatever unusual sounds he could produce with the guitar. Much of his work was released on his own label Incus Records. In addition to solo work, Bailey collaborated frequently with other musicians and recorded with collectives such as

Spontaneous Music Ensemble The Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME) was a loose collection of free improvising musicians, convened in 1965 by the late South London-based jazz drummer/trumpeter John Stevens and alto and soprano saxophonist Trevor Watts. SME performances and ...

and

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

Career

Bailey was born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, England. A third-generation musician, he began playing guitar at the age of ten. He studied with

Sheffield City Hall Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England in Barker's Pool, one of the city's central squares. It was built and is owned by Sheffield City Council. History The building was designed in 1920 by E. Vincent Harr ...

organist C. H. C. Biltcliffe, an experience he disliked, and with his uncle George Wing and John Duarte. As an adult he worked as a guitarist and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

in clubs, radio, and dance hall bands, playing with

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew; 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman; 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working ...

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

, Bob Monkhouse,

Kathy Kirby Kathy Kirby (born Catherine Ethel O'Rourke; 20 October 1938 – 20 May 2011) was an English singer. She is best known for her cover version of Doris Day's " Secret Love" and for representing the United Kingdom in the 1965 Eurovision Song C ...

, and on the television program '' Opportunity Knocks''. Bailey's earliest foray into free improvisation was in 1953 with two guitarists in Glasgow. He was part of a trio founded in 1963 with

Tony Oxley Tony Oxley (15 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English free improvisation, free improvising drummer and electronic musician. Born in Sheffield, Oxley moved to London in 1966 and became house drummer at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club where he ...

and

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...

called Joseph Holbrooke, named after English composer Joseph Holbrooke, although the group never played his work. The band played conventional jazz at first, but later moved in the direction of free jazz. In 1966, Bailey moved to London. At the Little Theatre Club run by drummer John Stevens, he met like-minded musicians such as saxophonist Evan Parker, trumpeter

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

, and double bassist

Dave Holland Dave Holland or David Holland may refer to: *Dave Holland (bassist) David Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English double bassist, bass guitarist, cellist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has ...

, with whom he formed the

. In 1968 they recorded ''Karyobin'' for

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. Bailey formed the Music Improvisation Company with Parker, percussionist

Jamie Muir William James Graham Muir (4 July 1945 – 17 February 2025) was a Scottish painter and musician, best known for his work as the percussionist in King Crimson from 1972 to 1973, appearing prominently on their fifth album '' Larks' Tongues in As ...

, and Hugh Davies on homemade electronics. The band continued until 1971. He was a member of the Jazz Composer's Orchestra and formed the trio Iskra 1903 with double bassist

Barry Guy Barry John Guy (born 22 April 1947, in London, England) is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of or ...

and trombonist Paul Rutherford that was named after a newspaper published by Russian revolutionary

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

. He was a member of Oxley's sextet until 1973. In 1970, Bailey founded the record label

Incus The ''incus'' (: incudes) or anvil in the ear is one of three small bones (ossicles) in the middle ear. The incus receives vibrations from the malleus, to which it is connected laterally, and transmits these to the stapes medially. The incus i ...

with Tony Oxley, Evan Parker, and Michael Walters. It was the first musician-owned independent label in the UK. Oxley and Walters left early in the label's history; Parker and Bailey continued as co-directors until the mid-1980s, when friction between them led to Parker's departure. Bailey continued the label with his partner Karen Brookman until his death in 2005. With other musicians, Bailey was a co-founder in 1975 of '' Musics'' magazine, described as "an impromental experivisation arts magazine". In 1976, Bailey started the collaborative project

, which at various times included

Han Bennink Han Bennink (born 17 April 1942) is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano. Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal figu ...

Steve Beresford Steve Beresford (born 6 March 1950) is a British musician who graduated from the University of York He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, electronics, trumpet, euphonium, bass guitar and a wide variety of toy instruments, suc ...

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar wh ...

, Lol Coxhill,

Johnny Dyani Johnny Mbizo Dyani (30 November 1945 – 24 October 1986) was a South African jazz double bassist, vocalist and pianist, who, in addition to being a key member of The Blue Notes, played with such international musicians as Don Cherry, Steve L ...

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry ...

, Tristan Honsinger, Henry Kaiser,

Steve Lacy Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, '' ...

, Keshavan Maslak, Misha Mengelberg,

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the field of creative music. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for ''Ten Freedom Summers'', released on ...

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

and many other musicians. Bailey organized the annual music festival Company Week, which lasted until 1994. In 1980, he wrote the book ''Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice''. In 1992, the book was adapted by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in the UK into a four-part TV series, ''On the Edge: Improvisation in Music'', which was narrated by Bailey. Bailey died in London on Christmas Day in 2005. He had been suffering from

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

Music

Throughout both his commercial and improvising careers, Bailey's principal guitar was a 1963 Gibson ES 175 model. Although he occasionally made use of

prepared guitar A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques. This practice is sometimes called tabletop guitar, because many prepared guitar ...

in the 1970s (he would, for example, put paper clips on the strings, wrap his instruments in chains, or add further strings to the guitar), often for

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

ist/theatrical effect, by the end of that decade he had, in his own words, "dumped" such methods. Bailey argued that his approach to music-making was actually far more orthodox than that of performers such as Keith Rowe of the improvising collective AMM, who treats the guitar purely as a "sound source" rather than as a musical instrument. Instead, Bailey preferred to "look for whatever 'effects' I might need through technique". Eschewing labels such as "jazz" and "free jazz", Bailey described his music as "non-idiomatic". In the second edition of his book ''Improvisation...'', Bailey indicated that he felt that free improvisation was no longer "non-idiomatic" in his sense of the word, as it had become a recognizable genre and musical style itself. Bailey frequently sought performance contexts that would provide new stimulations and challenge that would prove musically "interesting", as he often put it. This led to work with collaborators such as

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...

Cyro Baptista Cyro Baptista (born December 23, 1950) is a Brazilian-born percussionist in jazz and world music. He creates many of the percussion instruments he plays. Career Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Baptista arrived in the U.S. in 1980 with a scholarship ...

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

, Keiji Haino,

tap dance Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...

r Will Gaines, Drum 'n' Bass DJ Ninj, Susie Ibarra,

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

and the Japanese

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

group

Ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

. Despite often performing and recording in a solo context, he was far more interested in the dynamics and challenges of working with other musicians, especially those who did not necessarily share his approach. As he put it in a March 2002 article of ''Jazziz'' magazine: Bailey was also known for his dry sense of humour. In 1977, ''Musics'' magazine sent the question "What happens to time-awareness during improvisation?" to about thirty musicians associated with the free improvisation scene. The answers received varied from long, and theoretical essays to plain, direct comments. Typically pithy was Bailey's reply: "The ticks turn into tocks and the tocks turn into ticks." '' Mirakle'', a 1999 recording released in 2000, shows Bailey moving into the

free funk Free-funk is a combination of avant-garde jazz with funk music that developed in the 1970s. Leaders of the genre include Ornette Coleman and his Prime Time group, Ronald Shannon Jackson and his group Decoding Society, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and hi ...

genre, performing with bassist

Jamaaladeen Tacuma Jamaaladeen Tacuma (born Rudy McDaniel; June 11, 1956) is an American jazz funk avant-garde bassist, composer and producer born in Hempstead, New York. He was a bandleader on the Gramavision label and worked with Ornette Coleman during the 197 ...

and drummer Grant Calvin Weston. ''Carpal Tunnel'', the last album to be released during his lifetime, documented his struggle with the

carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a nerve compression syndrome associated with the collected signs and symptoms of Pathophysiology of nerve entrapment#Compression, compression of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel in the wrist. Carpal tunn ...

in his right hand which had rendered him unable to grip a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

. This problem marked the onset of

. Characteristically, he refused invasive surgery to treat his condition, instead being more "interested in finding ways to work around" this limitation. He chose to "relearn" guitar playing techniques by utilising his right thumb and index fingers to pluck the strings.

Discography

As leader/solo

* 1970 '' The Topography of the Lungs'' with

and Evan Parker (

) * 1971 ''Han Bennink & Derek Bailey'' with Han Bennink ( ICP) * 1971 ''Fragment'' with Misha Mengelberg, John Tchicai, Han Bennink (ICP) * 1971 '' Solo Guitar'' (Incus) * 1971 '' Improvisations for Cello and Guitar'' with

( ECM) * 1972 '' Derek Bailey & Han Bennink'' with Han Bennink (incus) * 1974 ''Lot 74 - Solo Improvisations'' (incus) * 1974 ''

First Duo Concert ''First Duo Concert'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Anthony Braxton and British guitarist Derek Bailey recorded in 1974 at the Wigmore Hall in London and released by Emanem.

'' with

( Emanem) * 1975 ''Improvisation'' (Cramps) * 1975 '' The London Concert'' with Evan Parker (Incus) * 1976 '' Guitar Solos 2'' with

, G. F. Fitzgerald, Hans Reichel ( Caroline) * 1977 ''Drops'' with

Andrea Centazzo Andrea Centazzo (born 1948) is an Italian-born American composer, percussionist, multimedia artist and record label founder. Music career Centazzo was born in Udine, Italy. In the 1970s he played percussion in avant-garde jazz with John Zorn, ...

(Ictus) * 1978 ''Duo & Trio Improvisation'' with Toshinori Kondo, Kaoru Abe, Mototeru Takagi, Motoharu Yoshizawa'','' Toshi Tsuchitori (Kitty) * 1979 ''Time'' with Tony Coe (Incus) * 1980 ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' (Incus) * 1980 ''Views from Six Windows'' with Christine Jeffrey (

Metalanguage In logic and linguistics, a metalanguage is a language used to describe another language, often called the ''object language''. Expressions in a metalanguage are often distinguished from those in the object language by the use of italics, quota ...

) * 1981 ''

Dart Drug Dart Drug was a chain of discount drug stores in the metropolitan Washington, DC region. It was founded in 1955, by Herbert Haft and his wife Gloria in Adams Morgan. The chain expanded to over 100 stores, and became a vehicle (as Dart Group) by wh ...

'' with

(Incus) * 1982 ''Cyro'' with

(Incus) * 1983 '' Yankees'' with George E. Lewis and

(

Celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...

) * 1985 ''Notes: Solo Improvisations'' (Incus) * 1986 ''Compatibles'' with Evan Parker (Incus) * 1987 ''Moment Précieux'' with Anthony Braxton (Victo) * 1988 ''Figuring'' with

Barre Phillips Barre Phillips (October 27, 1934 – December 28, 2024) was an American jazz double bass, bassist. A professional musician since 1960, he moved to New York City in 1962, then to Europe in 1967. From 1972 he was based in southern France, where in ...

(Incus) * 1992 ''Village Life'' with

Louis Moholo Louis Tebogo Moholo (10 March 1940 – 13 June 2025) was a South African jazz drummer. He was a member of several notable bands, including The Blue Notes, the Brotherhood of Breath and Assagai. Biography Born in Cape Town, Moholo formed The ...

, Thebe Lipere (Incus) * 1993 ''Wireforks'' with Henry Kaiser ( Shanachie) * 1993 ''Playing'' (Incus) * 1994 ''Drop Me Off at 96th'' (Scatter) * 1995 ''Saisoro'' with the Ruins (

Tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...

) * 1995 '' Harras'' with William Parker,

(

Avant Avant can refer to: People * Avant, part of music production team Bloodshy & Avant * Avant (singer), Myron Avant, an American singer * Clarence Avant, a music executive * Jason Avant, is a US American football player Places * Avant, Oklahoma, ...

) * 1995 ''Banter'' with Gregg Bendian (OODiscs) * 1996 ''Close to the Kitchen'' with Noël Akchoté (Rectangle) * 1996 ''Lace'' (Emanem) * 1996 '' Guitar, Drums 'n' Bass'' (Avant) * 1997 ''Music & Dance'' (Revenant) * 1997 ''And'' with Pat Thomas, Steve Noble (Rectangle) * 1997 ''Takes Fakes and Dead She Dances'' (Incus) * 1997 ''Trio Playing'' (Incus) * 1998 ''Tohjinbo'' (Paratactile) * 1998 ''Viper'' with Min Xiao-Fen (Avant) * 1998 ''No Waiting'' with Joelle Leandre (Potlatch) * 1998 ''Dynamics of the Impromptu'' with John Stevens, Trevor Watts (Entropy Stereo) * 1999 ''Arch Duo'' with Evan Parker (Ratascan) * 1999 ''Playbacks'' (Bingo) * 1999 ''Outcome'' with

(Potlatch) * 1999 ''Daedal'' with Susie Ibarra (Incus) * 2000 ''Locational'' with Alex Ward (Incus) * 2000 ''String Theory'' (Paratactile) * 2000 '' Mirakle'' with

, Calvin Weston (Tzadik) * 2000 ''Songs'' with Keiji Haino (Incus) * 2001 ''Llaer'' with Ingar Zach (Sofa) * 2001 ''Fish'' with Shoji Hano (PSF) * 2001 ''Ore'' with

Eddie Prévost Edwin John Prévost (born 22 June 1942) is an English percussionist who founded the free improvisation group, AMM. Early years Of Huguenot heritage, Prévost's silk weaving ancestors moved to Spitalfields in the late 17th century. He was born ...

(Arrival) * 2002 ''Barcelona'' with Agusti Fernandez (Hopscotch) * 2002 ''

Ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

'' (Tzadik) * 2002 ''Right Off'' with Carlos Bechegas (Numerica) * 2002 ''Duos, London 2001'' (Incus) * 2002 ''Bailey/Hautzinger'' with Franz Hautzinger (Grob) * 2002 ''Pieces for Guitar'' (Tzadik) * 2002 ''New Sights Old Sounds'' (Incus) * 2003 ''Soshin'' with

, Antoine Berthiaume ( Ambiances Magnétiques, ) * 2003 ''Nearly a D'' with Frode Gjerstad (Emanem) * 2004 ''Scale Points on the Fever Curve'' with Milo Fine (Emanem) * 2005 ''Carpal Tunnel'' (Tzadik) * 2006 ''To Play: The Blemish Sessions'' (Samadhisound) * 2006 ''Derek'' with Cyro Baptista (

Amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

) * 2007 ''Standards'' (Tzadik) * 2008 ''Tony Oxley Derek Bailey Quartet'' (Jazzwerkstatt) * 2009 ''A Silent Dance'' with Agusti Fernandez * 2009 ''Out of the Past'' with Steve Noble * 2009 ''Good Cop Bad Cop'' with Tony Bevan, Paul Hession & Ōtomo Yoshihide (No-Fi) * 2010 ''More 74: Solo Guitar Improvisations'' (Incus) * 2011 ''Words'' (Rectangle, 2011) * 2011 ''Scrutables'' (Weight of Wax, 2011) with John Butcher and Gino Robair * 2011 ''This Guitar'' (Rectangle, 2011) * 2012 ''Derek Bailey Plus One Music Ensemble'' (Nondo) * 2013 ''The Complete 15th August 2001'' (Confront, 2013) with Simon H. Fell * 2014 ''28 Rue Dunois Juillet 1982'' (Fou Records, 2014) * 2017 ''Extracting Fish-Bones from the Back of the Despoiler'' with Greg Goodman - live 1992 * 2019 ''Topographie Parisienne (Dunois, April 3d, 1981)'' (Fou Records, 2019) with

and Evan Parker * 2020 ''Leeds 08/11/1996'' with The XIII Ghosts (Scatter) - digital release * 2020 ''1993+1992'' with John Stevens (Scatter) - digital release * 2020 ''Live at FarOut, Atsugi 1987'' ( NoBusiness) with Mototeru Takagi – live 1987 * 2021 ''Improvisation'' with Angharad Davies and Rhodri Davies (Scatter) - recorded 2002, digital release * 2022 ''Domestic Jungle'' (Scatter) - digital release * 2022 ''Domestic Jungle DAT'' (Scatter) - digital release * 2022 ''New York 1982'' with Charlie Morrow and Friends (Recital) * 2023 ''Duo in Concert'' with

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer of Armenian descent. He played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. Motian first came t ...

(Frozen Reeds) - live 1990

As a member

Arcana
With

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...

and Tony Williams *'' The Last Wave'' ( DIW, 1996) – recorded in 1995 Company * '' The Music Improvisation Company'' ( ECM, 1970) * '' The Music Improvisation Company 1968–1971'' (Incus, 1976) * ''Company 1'' (Incus, 1976) * ''Company 2'' (Incus, 1976) * ''Company 3'' (Incus, 1976) * ''Company 4'' (Incus, 1977) * ''Fictions'' (Incus, 1977) * ''Company 5'' (Incus, 1977) * ''Company 6 & 7'' (Incus, 1978) * ''Fables'' (Incus, 1980) * ''Epiphany / Epiphanies'' (Incus, 1982) * ''Trios'' (Incus, 1983) * ''Once'' (Incus, 1987) * ''Company 91'' (Incus, 1994) - three volumes * ''Company in Marseille'' (Incus, 2001) * ''Klinker'' (Confront, 2018) * ''Epiphanies I-VI'' (Honest Jon's, 2019) * ''Epiphanies VII-XIII'' (Honest Jon's, 2019) * ''1981'' (Honest Jon's, 2019) * ''1983'' (Honest Jon's, 2020) * ''Virtual Company'' (Confront, 2020) Iskra 1903
With Paul Rutherford and

* '' Iskra 1903'' (Incus, 1972) reissued in expanded form as ''Chapter One: 1970–1972'' (Emanem, 2000) * ''Buzz'' (Emanem, 2002)

As co-leader

With Joseph Holbrooke Trio * "'65 (Rehearsal Extract)" single (Incus, 1999) * 98'' (Incus, 2000) * ''The Moat Recordings'' (Tzadik, 2006) – recorded in 1998 With the

* ''Karyobin'' (

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

, 1968) * ''Withdrawal (1996-7)'' (Emanem, 1997) * '' Quintessence'' (Emanem, 2007) – recorded in 1973-74 With others * Globe Unity Orchestra, ''Globe Unity 67 & 70'', (FMP, 1970) *

/The London Jazz Composers' Orchestra, ''

Ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...

'' (Incus, 1972) * ''Groupcomposing'' with Han Bennink/Peter Bennink/Peter Brötzmann/Misha Mengelberg/Evan Parker/Paul Rutherford (Instant Composers Pool, 1978) * ''The Sign of Four'' with

, Gregg Bendian,

Paul Wertico Paul Wertico (born January 5, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American drummer. He gained recognition as a member of the Pat Metheny Group from 1983 until 2001, leaving the group to spend more time with his family and to pursue other musical i ...

( Knitting Factory, 1997) * '' Soho Suites'' with Tony Oxley (Incus, 1997) * ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' with Tony Oxley (Tzadik, 2007) Source:

As sideman

With

* ''Saxophone Special'' (Emanem, 1974) * ''The Crust'' (Emanem, 1975) * ''Dreams'' (Saravah, 1975) With

* '' The Baptised Traveller'' (1969) * '' 4 Compositions for Sextet'' (1970) * '' Ichnos'' (1971) * '' The Tony Oxley Quartet'' (1993) * '' A Birthday Tribute: 75 years'' (2013) recorded in 1977 and 1993 With

* ''

The Big Gundown ''The Big Gundown'' () is a 1967 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Sollima, and starring Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian. It was followed by Run, Man, Run in 1968. Plot Possessing a reputation for bringing criminals to justice, ready-to- ...

'' (1985) * '' Cobra: John Zorn's Game Pieces Volume 2'' (2002) With others * '' European Echoes'', Manfred Schoof (1969) * ''

Nipples The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in lactating females, milk from the mammary gland leaves the body through the lactiferous ducts to nurse an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively, ...

'',

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (6 March 1941 – 22 June 2023) was a German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist regarded as a central and pioneering figure in European free jazz. Throughout his career, he released over fifty albums as a bandleader. Amongst his m ...

(1969) * '' Song for Someone'',

(Incus, 1973) * ''

'',

(1974) * ''

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet ''Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet'' is a 1971 composition by Gavin Bryars based on a Tape loop, loop of an unknown homeless man singing a brief improvised stanza. Rich harmonies, comprising String instrument, string and Brass instrument, bras ...

/ The Sinking of the Titanic'',

(

Obscure Obscure may refer to: *Heraclitus of Ephesus was called " The Obscure" * ''Obscure'' (video game), a 2004 survival horror game * Obscure (band), a Bangladeshi pop rock band * Obscure Records, a 1975–1978 UK label founded by Brian Eno *"Obscu ...

, 1975) * ''Les Douzes Sons'',

Joëlle Léandre Joëlle Léandre (born 12 September 1951) is a French double bassist, vocalist, and composer active in new music and free improvisation. In the field of contemporary music, she has performed with Pierre Boulez's Ensemble InterContemporain, and ...

(1983) * '' Pleistozaen Mit Wasser'',

(1988) * ''Boogie with the Hook'',

(1996) * '' The Last Wave'', Arcana ( DIW, 1996) * ''

Sequences 72 & 73 ''Sequences 72 & 73'' is an album by trombonist Paul Rutherford and the group known as Iskra 1912. It was recorded during 1972–1974 in London, and was released in 1997 by Emanem Records. The album features studio recordings of two ensemble work ...

'', Paul Rutherford and Iskra 1912 (Emanem, 1997) * ''Legend of the Blood Yeti'',

(Infinite Chug, 1997) * ''Hello, Goodbye'', Frode Gjerstad (2001) * '' Fuck de Boere'', Peter Brötzmann (Atavistic, 2001) recorded in 1968 and 1970 * ''Vortices and Angels'', John Butcher (2001) * ''

Blemish Blemish may refer to: * Acne, skin imperfections * Blemish (album), ''Blemish'' (album), a 2003 album by David Sylvian See also

* Flaw (disambiguation) * Imperfect (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

'',

(Samadhisound, 2003) * ''Domo Arigato Derek Sensei'', Henry Kaiser (2005) Source:

References

Sources *

External links

*
Sample of Derek Bailey's playing 1

Sample of Derek Bailey's playing 2

Sample of Derek Bailey's playing 3

Sample of Derek Bailey's playing 4 (with Han Benninik)

Video footage of Derek Bailey playing

Video footage
of Derek Bailey playing with tap dancer Will Gaines
"I Miss a Friend Like You"
from ''The Gospel Record'', Shaking Ray Records, 2005
Obituary
by Steve Voce in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''
Appreciation
by

in ''The Guardian'' * from ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'' magazine * * , Netherlands ( Theo Uittenbogaard/VPRO/1984) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Derek 1930 births 2005 deaths 20th-century English guitarists 21st-century English guitarists Free jazz guitarists Avant-garde guitarists Free funk guitarists English jazz guitarists English male guitarists Free improvisation Musicians from Sheffield Deaths from motor neuron disease in England English experimental musicians Tzadik Records artists Samadhi Sound artists Avant-garde jazz guitarists 20th-century English male musicians 21st-century English male musicians English male jazz musicians Spontaneous Music Ensemble members Arcana (American band) members Joseph Holbrooke (band) members Incus Records artists NoBusiness Records artists Emanem Records artists