Bailey/Lewis/Zorn, Yankees (side A)

This record reminds me how few US releases Derek Bailey had in the heyday of his career. While Yankees, from 1983, is definitely not his best early-80s record (for example, Aida, from 1980, is at least on CD domestically now, and is a far better demonstration of his mastery at the time), it does capture the beauty of his guitar playing. It covers plenty of Bailey's range, from his absolute most melodic to purely abstract pointillism. The trio with George Lewis and John Zorn is solid if rarely magical—at moments, it gives insight into why people at the time were so excited about Zorn's playing (especially his whispery bird-like sounds). The production (with Martin Bisi engineering) relies on fast compression (it was the early 80s!), but not to a point that's intrusive, which is a relief given that the album was on Celluloid. Old baseball photos on the cover and funny song titles, including "The Legend of Enos Slaughter", are a nice touch.