La figura de Derek Bailey es uno de los grandes patrimonios musicales dentro de la escena de experimentación desde los años 70. Curiosamente, he querido rescatar este disco ya que suelo comparar la figura de Bill Orcutt con sus discos de deconstrucción folk de manera visceral y punk con la música y la figura de un personaje como Bailey. Con "Standards" (2007) o "Ballads "(2002) (originalmente las sesiones de "Standards" fueron grabadas con anterioridad , aunque acabaron viendo la luz tras la muerte de Bailey, ambos sucesos curiosamente sucedieron en navidad) siento una conexión entre estos dos personajes. En el último disco Orcutt, haciendo gala a la retranca y críptica visión de su música decide apoderarse de un puñado de canciones que se acaban asociando a la banalidad y lo manido. Esta también fue la perspectiva realizada por Bailey en estas versiones en "Ballads" y "Standards" que acaban encontrando un epitafio celestial y delicioso a la discografía de Bailey, demostrando todas las enseñanzas previas de aquellas entregas de la serie "Solo Guitar" . Dejarse mecer en estos dos discos sigue siendo un placer.
"The Baileys—Derek in New York to pick up a "new guitar—invited Zorn and Ikue Mori to their suite for dinner. During the evening, Bailey took out the vintage Epiphone Emperor (an oversized acoustic archtop designed for big band rhythm playing without amplification) and started to play classic pop tunes. As Brookman-Bailey points out, we might locate the songs in the guitar itself or in Bailey's early years in dance bands. A few days later, Bailey went into a New York studio and recorded Standards, later repeating the process in London for Ballads."
"out that afternoon, a beautiful acoustic archtop with deep resonant warm tones, the Epiphone Emperor Regent was duly purchased and transported to our usual hotel on the Lower East Side in Manhatten. Derek was thrilled. . . . . . . .and looked like a kid at Christmas who'd gotten the present of his dreams.
On the evening of Christmas Day we were joined at our hotel rooms by John Zorn and Ikue Mori for dinner, as the port and wine flowed the evening punctuated by much laughter, developed into one of contentment and relaxation that comes from the company of old friends. After dinner Derek introduced his new purchase to the guests. Someone... now impossible to remember who, requested Derek play “Laura” and he obliged, whether it was the collective conviviality or perhaps the spirit of the vintage instrument that filled the room with its full warm sound."
