The Topography Of The Lungs

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In free improv circles, the acrimonious split between Evan Parker (sax) and Derek Bailey (guitar) carries as much weight as the Beatles bust-up does in rock. Pretty much the founding fathers of a strand of European improvisational music, blending post-serialist austerity with dada gymnastics, Parker and Bailey mixed-up something as impossible, mad and dazzling as a bag of spiders at a snake-charming contest. In the late sixties and early seventies, this was the underground beneath the underground - a sound which stood up and questioned what listening, playing and music itself actually was. It’s never been entirely clear why they fell out - Bailey largely refused to mention the affair when he was alive. Parker remains quietly diplomatic - suggesting something of a clash of personalities. Whatever the cause, after the split Parker devoted himself increasingly to post-Coltrane extended techniques and solo projects. Bailey ploughed his own unique non-idiomatic furrow, working with a myriad of international musicians whilst largely steering clear of anything that could remotely be called ‘jazz’, or ‘melodic’. They’re probably heard at their best playing with Dutch drum legend Han Bennink on ‘The Topography of the Lungs’ - the roiling dust-devil of percussion speaks equally to Bailey’s spider-jitter boogie and Parker’s abrasive Aylerisms. The album was the first release on their joint-release Incus label and sadly remained unavailable for years after the split. Parker re-released the album following Bailey’s death in 2005 - dedicating the cd to his old sparring partner. Strangely, despite this noble sentiment, the record appears under his name alone and is not accredited to the original trio.

via Last.fm