Derek Bailey/Simon H Fell: At Sound 323

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Derek Bailey (g)
Simon H Fell (b)

Label:

Confront Recordings

August/2024

Media Format:

2 LP, DL

Catalogue Number:

CORE 03LP

RecordDate:

Rec. 13 August 2001

Here are two of the giants of the UK avant-garde playing together at a show at a London gallery back back in 2001.

This is not the first time this material has appeared: it was originally released in 2013 as a limited edition Confront CD, The Complete August 15th 2001; now, freshly remixed and remastered on a deluxe double 180g white vinyl LP set, it sounds better than ever.

There are four pieces here, two titled ‘Pre-Tea’ and two ‘Post-Tea’, and each taking up a side of vinyl. The lengthy ‘Post-Tea I’ is an undoubted highlight, but taken together, all four make for a mesmerising improv journey. Bailey’s guitar work dances effortlessly alongside Fell’s double bass to create a dialogue that is both intimate and intense. Fell is the perfect partner for Bailey’s jagged, exploratory extemporisations, offering subtle yet essential support; he knows when to bow or roil, or when to thunder or stay in the background. Meanwhile, the range of sounds and textures – from delicate and intricate to apocalyptically explosive – the late guitarist manages to wrest from his semi-acoustic six-string instrument is exraordinary, and Fell always seems to understand what Bailey’s going to do next. As an exemplar of a telepathic musical partnership, this is hard to better.

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