Derek Bailey - A Silent Dance (2009)

Derek Bailey's final years, as his muscular control and dexterity diminished, were marked by the same, bold honesty that defined the career of the titan of British free improvisation. He was a contrarian, more often playing counter to than merrily along with the many musicians he encountered along his path. He enjoyed obstacles and surprises. And while certainly seeing his hands deteriorate could not be easy for a guitarist, from a professional front he seems to have approached it as a hurdle, but not a detriment.

A Silent Dance is the third of the Barcelona releases and Bailey's second record with pianist Augustí Fernández, and it's one of the most surprising releases in Bailey's extensive discography. Recorded in May, 2005, seven months before his death, it is for the most part one of the quietest, most delicate albums to bear his name. His hollow-body guitar is low in the mix, gently scraped and barely amplified for most of the long first untitled track. Fernández plays brief but lovely phrases, not hesitant but always leaving room for Bailey to step forward.

One of the best of 2009.
Get it here: Derek Bailey - A Silent Dance (192Kbps)

And enjoy !