Obscure No. 8: Machine Music – John White, Gavin Bryars (1978)
John White – Autumn Countdown Machine
Bassoon, Percussion – Christopher Hobbs Double Bass – Sandra Hill Double Bass, Percussion [Metronome] – Gavin Bryars Tuba, Percussion [Metronome], Percussion – John White
Piano – Christopher Hobbs, John White
Jew's Harp – Christopher Hobbs, Gavin Bryars, John White, Michael Nyman
Percussion [Bottle] – Brian Eno, Christopher Hobbs, Gavin Bryars, John White, Susan Dorey*
Acoustic Guitar [Steel Stringed] – Derek Bailey
Electric Guitar – Brian Eno
Electric Guitar [Double-headed] – Fred Frith
Guitar [Concert] – Gavin Bryars
Recorded At – Basing Street Studios
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Obscure Records Ltd.
Engineer – Rhett Davies
Producer – Brian Eno
Written-By – Gavin Bryars (tracks: B), John White (tracks: A1 to A4)
Recorded at Basing Street Studios 1976.
Gavin Bryars composed a guitar piece for Derek Bailey called "The
Squirrel & the Ricketty Racketty Bridge". A piece for one guitarist
playing two simultaneous guitars. Bailey ended up recording the
composition with four players on eight guitars ... we wanted to treat
the eight & add three more .... different instruments.
Basil Psanoudakis - Turntables & ebow bass
Paul Pax Andrews - Saxophone
Wheldon Thornley - Keyboards
Paul Pax Andrews - Saxophone
Wheldon Thornley - Keyboards
"There is no doubt in my mind that my friend Derek Bailey was one of the
major figures in music – and not just improvised music – over the last
thirty years. I was a 19-year old philosophy student, and beginning jazz
bass player, in Sheffield when I first met him in 1962. Along with
drummer Tony Oxley, our trio – called Joseph Holbrooke -
developed over the next four years an original and experimental approach
to improvisation that led us away from jazz into uncharted areas of
collective free playing."
Gavin Bryars
More Derek Bailey in Prepared Guitar Blog