Heritage Quay exhibition celebrates guitar improv pioneer Derek Bailey
An exhibition celebrating the life and work of guitarist Derek Bailey, one of the UK's influential figures in Free Improvisation, has opened in Heritage Quay at the University of Huddersfield.
‘Free to improvise’ tells Bailey's story, using photographs, notebooks, letters, programmes, and the plectrums Bailey made himself using dental acrylic. Many of the items on display have never been seen by the public before. They are all part of the Derek Bailey Archive, which is cared for by Heritage Quay.
Some of Derek Bailey's plectrums made from dental acrylic.
Heritage Quay holds a range of items from Derek Bailey's life and career
Bailey’s musical journey began in Sheffield, where he became fascinated by the guitar after listening to his uncle's radio. After leaving school he began to pick up work as a session musician, and by the 1960s he was in demand, working with big names including Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield and Morecambe and Wise.
Watch a vintage clip of Derek Bailey.
He left this successful career as a commercial musician behind in the late 1960s to concentrate solely on Free Improvisation. Intent on a sort of music which went beyond style and genre, he worked with people all over the world, ran a record label - Incus - and brought an eclectic range of musicians together for spontaneous, organic music-making.
The exhibition is part of our Kirklees Year of Music series. It is free, and open Monday to Saturday from 14 August to 30 September.