Born in Shetticid, Detek Bailey studied music with C.H.C.Biltcliffe and guitar ‘wath, amongst others, George Wing and John Duarte, Throughout the 1950s he worked ava guitaristin every kind of musical situation - clubs, concert hall, radio, TY and recording studios. He became increasingly interested in the possiblities of 2 freely improvised music and by the mid-60s was devoting hhimsel exclusively to this etd. He has performed solo concerts imal the maior ities of Europe, japan and North America, played with most ofthe musicians associated with free improvisation, and recorded over 99 albums on labels including CBS, RCA, Destsche Grammophon and Island. 1 1970, along with Tony Oxley and Evan Parker, he founded Incus Records, the first independent, musician-owned record eorapany in Betain, In 1976 he established Company, a changing ensernle of improvising musicians ‘drawn from many backgrounds and countries thar performs theoughout the world. in 1977 an annval Company Week was inaugurated im London, He ow divides his time benween solo performances, organising and playing in Company events, running Ineus, practising, writing and ~ something be ‘considers essential ~ ad hoc musical activites. linpravisation: ite matere and practice in music ws originally writen in 1975/6 and first published in 1980, Translations followed in Itaian, French, Japanese, Dutch and German, and it has formed she asiso! a series of TV fms Inaide by jeremy Marre and screened in several countries in 1992, IMPROVISATION iss nature and practice in music DEREK BAILEY DA CAPO PRESS * New YorkLsrary of Congest Cataloging in Pubiation Dats Bailey, Deve Timprowsation is nature ang practice in music / Derek Bale (Originally published: Ashborune, England: Moorlnd Pub. in asec Thcas Record, £1580, includes bibigeephica) references end index, ISBN 0206-215286 2. Improvstion (Music). 2. Mesio—Performance-—Histoy. Tt L430.7.525 1893 sa-2s800 7B1S6—de20 or Firs published inthe United Kingdom in 1992 by ‘The BrlishLibsasy National Sound Asche Firs pubs inthe United State of Amersk in 1993 by Da Capo Press, supplemented wit phocopraphs. Copyright © 1992 by Derek Bailey Publishes by De Capo Pres, ne A Subsidiary of Pleauts Publehing Coeportion 233 Spring Steet, New York, NP 10012 AL Rights Reserved Manctecnared in the United States of Americe fork“any sgle vole will inevitable The widespread presence of and characteristics cominon to all “Fhe hook ss divi sing ftom che traditional uses of Aco and Baroxjue music through its uses Rock, ss elationship developments involving improxisation in sonemip Tr comel ome of the recent ‘Wester ith ap examination of some aspects of th composition. event rise of free ad berween all types of improvisation andthe correspondences The number of people who have he 1ges and revisions is countless, Primarily, !am indebted ieiane whase words { gus ok. They are the book. But! 1s and words apps wishous acknowledgement. pass sn thy book which derive from conversa ay players oven ery yout. Among those who helped in reasons sachank Alistait Ba variety of other says, [ have particular word, Mick Beck, Karen Brookman, Peter Butler, Mandy Davidson, Mar John Fordnam, Charis sarene Goddet, Heary Kaiser, Ruy on, Michvel Oliver, Peter Riley, Janice Christianson, Chris Davidson Koopmans, Feank Long, Paul Lytton, Marion Rows, Bery’ Towns and Pau! Wilson. My thanks siso 10 Harcourt Files and Channel 4 Television for permission ro use certain quotations fram the series of TW flims based on the atl ofthis book, Pare Marve. His latiy | am indebted! so the director, Jeremy se to a greater underscandiny universal sigiieanee Intcaduction Improvisation enjoys the curious distinction of being both the most widely practised ofall mosical activities and the least acknowledged and undersinod ‘While its today presenrin almost every arca of music, there isan almost tore) absence of information about i, Perhaps :his is inevitable, even appropriate Improvisation is always changing and adjusting, never fixed, too elusive analysis and precise description; essentially non-zeademic. And, moze than that, any astempt to describe improvisation musr be, in some respects & rmiscepresentation, for there is something cencral ro the spiris of voluntary improvisation which is opposed to the alms and contradiets the idea of documentation. My purpose in undertaking such an unlikely peoiect as, firstly, instigating 4 series of radio programmes i whick practising musicians irom different idioms diseussed their use of improvisation, and then assembling a book combining these programmes and further discussions with these and o:ker players, was to show the significance of improvisation zhrough the experience ‘of thase who use it My feeling was that there was an important pa improvisation not easly indicated or conveyed by its results, a part whi perhaps only those involved in doing it seemed to be able to appreciate or ‘comprehend. This suspicion arose mainly asa resultof the almost otal absence fof comment concerning improvisetion and the hopeless misconceptions usually expressed in the comment which does occur, Defined in any one of a series of catchphrases ranging fron ashe goes lon ‘4 musical conjuring trick, a doubtful expedient, or even a vulgar habit. Soin this book the intention isto present the views on improvisation of those who suse itand know i Obviously thisis not intended asa history of improvisation, a ask which, if it were ever attempted, Would be a vast and probably endless undertaking. Even about its presence in Occidental music, the most inhospitable azea for improvisation, B.T.erand in his Improvisation in Nine Centuries of Western -Muste can write: This joy in improvising while singing and playing is evident in almost all phases of music history. Ir was always a powerful force in the cteation of new forms and every historical study that confines itself to the practical oF theoretical sources that have come down to us in writing oF in print, without taking into account the improvisational element in living ‘musical practice, must of necessity present an incompicte, indeed a distoreed picture, For thete is scarcely single field in music that has remained unaffected by improvisation, scarcely a single musical technique or form of composition of ch making top {co innuant cowpesition’ improvisation is