At times it felt like Derek Bailey was the only one fighting the corner of playing "free" or improvising. It's sad to read that he has died this Christmas Day, I didn't know he was ill. His book and subsequent Channel 4 series remain the most important works on music Improvisation.
There were many gigs at which my ears surfed the soundwaves provided by Derek Bailey and John Stevens, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford and others.
At the Little Theatre Club, London Musician's Co-op at the Unity Theatre. The whole scene was furtive and determined and I can still hear Derek's music in my head. He was one of those rare musicians, innovative and free in spirit.
> Emerging Blogs on Derek Bailey - Google Blog search
> Derek Bailey - Wikipedia
> still video image by david reid : source
