released October 31, 1989

REVIEWS

Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD: 4 Stars

"This pairs two of the most distinctive stylists in improvised music. Whenever such meetings of giants occur, there is always the danger that it will turn into a battle of egos. With this recording however, the result is sheer magic. Taylor and Bailey both manage to claim their own turf, yet they each transcend their own vocabulary under each other's influence. There are two long tracks, the first pairs Bailey's acoustic guitar with Taylor's vocals and playing inside the piano. The second pairs Bailey's electric guitar with Taylor at the piano keyboard. Both are brilliant. A must-have, absolutely essential."
- Ethnomusic UCLA

"Here we go. Two of the wizards of free improvisation — hell, a pair of the weirdest and most wonderful guys ever to play music — team up for an evening in Berlin in 1988. Derek Bailey plays half of it on acoustic guitar and half of it on electric guitar. Bailey's playing is wonderful, pretty in places, furious and flagrant in others. Harmonic notions come fully formed from his fingers. He moves through mode after mode of changing timbre, nuance, and harmonic shifts and shapes — and Taylor contents himself to play the role of his accompanist."
-Thom Jurek, All Music Guide


Cecil Taylor: piano
Derek Bailey: guitars

All music by Cecil Taylor and Derek Bailey

Recorded live by Eberhard Bingel & Jost Gebers during IMPROVISED MUSIC II/88 on July 9th, 1988, at the Kongresshalle in Berlin.

Mixed by Jost Gebers.
Mastered by Jonas Bergler.
Produced by Jost Gebers.

Booklet design/layout: Manfred Kussatz & Jost Gebers.
Photos: Dagmar Gebers.