Derek Bailey/Franz Hautzinger
GROB 425 

Franz Hautzinger belongs, with Axel Dörner and Greg Kelley, to the Triumvirate of Extended Technique Trumpeters; his previous outings on Grob include the extraordinary solo album "Gomberg" and the weird quartet desert landscape of "Dachte Musik" (with Radu Malfatti, Burkhard Stangl and Günter Schneider). For this album he's teamed up with the Godfather of Free Improvisation himself, the indefatigable guitarist Derek Bailey, and the eleven tracks were recorded in London (hence the endearingly British track titles like "Tea", "Cricket" and "Weather"). Though Hautzinger is credited as playing a custom-built "quartertone trumpet", there's little evidence of microtonal play on offer here: for the most part he sounds more like an airlock in a plumbing system. He can play the hell out of the trumpet when he wants to, and it's perhaps a shame he chose to concentrate on the extended techniques bag instead of engaging Bailey on the pitch playing field. The guitarist is as amazingly resourceful as ever, and quite content to do his own thing while Hautzinger gurgles and plops merrily away (if it's strange guitar noises you're after, you'd be better off checking out Annette Krebs). When Hautzinger finds himself locked into a clicking groove like a scratched vinyl at the end of "Cricket", Bailey imperturbably continues his explorations into arpeggiated harmonics, while on "Talk" he's almost swinging (recalling Lol Coxhill's celebrated description of him as "one of the masters of bebop guitar"). For his part, Hautzinger won't be drawn into a battle with Bailey's gritty fuzz on "Weather", nor does he let himself be intimidated by Bailey's gorgeous "Details". It's a satisfying and rewarding example of mature improvised musical cohabitation - as we know two people can live quite happily together without necessarily having to engage in deep conversation all the time. With music as original and demanding as this though, I'm inclined once again to wonder if all eleven tracks are necessary, though I'd be hard put to choose which ones I'd like to get rid of.

by Dan WARBURTON