Arcana is one of those Bill Laswell supergroup collaborations -- like Material and Praxis -- where the lineup from album to album varies, and the only constant is usually the presence and guiding touch of Laswell as producer. The Last Wave sees bassist/producer Bill Laswell teamed up with two legends: Tony Williams who made his mark as a young virtuoso jazz drummer in the 1960's and Derek Bailey who is an idiosyncratic free-improvising guitar player.

Tony Williams was one of the most radical percussionists in the new wave of jazz that dawned in the 60's. He played on a number of the greatest jazz albums from that decade including Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch, Andrew Hill's Point of Departure, Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, and a whole bunch of Miles Davis albums as a member of Davis's fabled 'second quintet'. He was one of the progenitors of jazz fusion when he founded the band Lifetime which included John McLaughlin, Larry Young, and Jack Bruce.

Derek Bailey played guitar in seminal free-improv groups such as Joseph Holbrooke (with Tony Oxley and Gavin Bryars) and Spontaneous Music Ensemble (with John Stevens, Evan Parker, et al.). With Evan Parker and Tony Oxley, Bailey founded the Incus record label dedicated to free improvisation recordings. He also organized a series of yearly concerts called 'Company Week' at which a number of musicians would improvise together. Bailey describes himself as a 'non-idiomatic' improviser -- he does not consciously draw upon pre-existing musical traditions such as classical, country, jazz, or rock guitar but prefers to play what comes to his mind at the moment. This can lead to a lot of 'out' music as Bailey plays atonally with no regular rhythm and without any standard harmonic basis. To the uninitiated, free-improv can sometimes devolve into what is derisively termed 'plink-plonk' music/noise.

These two genuinely talented musicians alone would be an explosive mix. To add Bill Laswell would seem to be adding fuel to the fire, and that is exactly what you get on The Last Wave. This is essentially Tony Williams's return to the jazz-rock aggression he developed with Lifetime, whereas for Derek Bailey it's a rare foray into a rock-influenced atmosphere. Bailey is not influenced by rock, but he responds in a more aggressive manner and is just plain loud -- he has to be loud to be heard over Williams's explosive drumming.

On the opening track, "Broken Circle", Bailey's intro is an atonal swipe at the guitar strings which is quickly followed by Williams's patented cymbal attack, thudding bass drum, and snare rolls. Laswell enters with sustained bass tones providing atmosphere but later reacts to Williams by mimicking the snare roll on his electric bass. While Williams and Bailey run amok playing free time, Laswell tries to provide a harmonic backdrop to hold it all together. The tension keeps building and building without resolution.

"Cold Blast" features Bailey letting his chords decay slowly so you can hear the ringing harmonics. He almost sounds like a super-slow motion early-period Edge (guitarist of U2). Williams plays low on the kit avoiding his usual cymbalistic shows of skill. He swings it more heavily on the bass drum and toms.

Williams and Laswell aren't afraid of locking into a heavy funk beat as they demonstrate on "The Rattle of Bones". In what seems to be a concession to Bailey, we finally hear some of his patented 'plink-plonk' guitar on "Tears of Astral Rain". Williams mirrors Bailey's every movement as Laswell plays intermittent fuzz bass buzzes in the background.

Some listeners might argue that Laswell's bass is the glue at the center, but I feel that he's more of a moderating force. Williams and Bailey are wild and free but Laswell keeps them from getting too self-centered. At times on other albums, it seems like Bailey is either not listening or too strongly personal, but here his improvisations are placed in the overwhelming musical settings provided by Williams and Laswell which seem to mold Bailey's contributions into the context of the music. Bailey hasn't undergone a radical revision of his methods; it's just that he has to play louder and more aggressively to keep up his end of this lively conversation. Derek Bailey manages to remain Derek Bailey here -- all his idiosyncrasies remain intact yet this manages to be one of his most energized performances in recent memory. Tony Williams, rest his soul, shows that he was just as powerful as ever. Even though he was one of the most skilled and forward-looking drummers around, his drumming here remains a pure elemental force. Bill Laswell exhibits his talent for synthesizing, being original only by dint of bringing together different methods, genres, and viewpoints.

The follow-up 'Arcana' album, Arc of the Testimony, did not include Derek Bailey but substituted a number of other musicians like saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Byard Lancaster, cornetist Graham Haynes, and guitarists Nicky Skopelitis and Buckethead. Unfortunately it was Tony Williams's last hurrah as he died before production on the album was completed. Although his drumming is a powerful force on the record, the heavy-handed production of Laswell mars this second album, drowning it in too much of Laswell's obsession with the drone and langorous atmospheres. Plus, it sorely misses the chaotic influence of Derek Bailey's guitar playing.

The Last Wave is not easily pigeonholed as a typical jazz, rock, or free-improv album. It manages to roll aspects of all three into its thunderous soundscape. There's no regular song structure here -- but logic is derived from the communal mind of three improvisors playing together in real-time. This is a rare improv record that headbangers will enjoy. (I would definitely recommend this album to any Sonic Youth fan.)

***

Personnel: Derek Bailey - electric guitar; Bill Laswell - electric 8 string bass; Tony Williams - drums.

Tracks: Broken Circle, Cold Blast, The Rattle of Bones, Pearls and Transformation, Tears of Astral Rain, Transplant Wasteland.



Recommended: Yes