REVIEW: DEREK BAILEY & VERTREK ENSEMBLE - DEPARTURES

 

DEREK BAILEY AND VERTREK ENSEMBLE - DEPARTURES (Volatile Recs. - 1999):  Total sonic experimentation is what you will find in this recording by the improvisational duo Vertrek Ensemble and guitar master Derek Bailey. People fan of traditional guitar playing will be horrified by this because Vadim Budman and Derek Bailey approach their instruments in a completely experimental way trying to discover new sounds, new textures, new ways of playing and breaking boundaries within the guitar realm. Ron de Jong´s percussion doesn´t follow a pattern of rhythms that can be easily swallowed, in fact he supports the guitars with shorts bits of percussion that are also experimental and are like phrases in themselves. Listening to this recording is like listening to a dialog between three persons being each instrument one of them…I am saying this because the musicians prefere to play short bits each one instead of doing very long lines that could be more difficult to understand. I like the recordings of people like this that are not afraid of trying to bring a new dimension to their instruments despite if what they do is popular or not. A five star release for fans of sonic boundaries braking. Contact: volatile@canada.com