Joseph Holbrooke Trio

Joseph Holbrooke was a trio that consisted of drummer Tony Oxley, bassist Gavin Bryars, and guitarist Derek Bailey from 1963 to 1966. This CD is a single, a little over ten minutes, of them improvising on the tune "Miles Mode." What's fascinating about this little slice of history is that it reveals just how well Derek Bailey knew the jazz tradition, how serious a bassist Bryars was before he became a composer, and how much of a great drummer Tony Oxley already was. But, seriously, the true value of the tape is how it foreshadows in every case what direction the three of these men would be taking their music in the very near future. While the track starts out traditionally enough with the theme being played and the modality being stated -- after all, this was written during Miles' modal period -- soon it gives way to a group improvisation that moves first outside the mode and then outside the entire notion of modal playing altogether in favor of a group improvisation. Bryars moves from playing pizzicato to arco, and Bailey leaves the theme in pieces at Oxley's feet, who is breaking down triplets in a series of deft, coordinated movements to destroy the tempo and all notion of time. The improvisation is daunting and wonderful, offering many points of reference to how group impov was created on the British scene at the time, and how it has evolved since. This is very much a jazz record in spite of all of its vanguard processes, and the only regret is that it is not a tape of the band's entire rehearsal. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide