Derek Bailey/Jamie Muir: Dart Drug (Incus)
Purchased used some time in the 1980s I think
Once again I find myself putting on a recording of someone recently passed. Even though his association was brief, Jamie Muir's name will always be associated with that of King Crimson. He famously only appeared on a single studio album, Larks' Tongues in Aspic.
Jamie was clearly brought into Crimson as an X-factor, an unpredictable improvisor adding textures and density to the songs, plus I imagine pushing the improvisations further. That's always been an interesting thing about that band during most periods of its existence: tight, often complex prog rock compositions but also time during concerts to freely improvise. I'm not sure it always worked, but I commend the attitude.
Muir's association with Derek Bailey, and hence the British free improv scene, predates his brief time in the Crimson fold. His appearance on the ECM LP The Music Improvisation Company dates to 1970, and another LP dates back to 1968. Robert Fripp must have had a sense of what he was getting into, though perhaps Muir was too wild on stage.
Even though Jamie plays in a vaguely similar style to Tony Oxley, I think I'd be able to distinguish them side-by-side. Tony tends to favor more rapid successions of softly attacked sounds, on his own personal variation of a drum set. Jamie's broader, possibly louder, and probably uses fewer actual drum sounds. But then I'm doing this from memory of Tony's playing and a serious study of these two men's styles would take more dedicated listening and analysis.
This particular session dates to 1981. I wonder why they didn't record together more? They certainly seem to be of a similar mind. The playing is generally pulseless, fragmentary, without direct connection to melody. Jamie brings the broader palette of colors, but that's to be expected considering he's the percussionist. There are times when he seems to be doing three things at once; his skill as an improvising percussionist is impressive. As someone I know once put it, do you really need more than one Derek Bailey solo album? Probably not, but it is good to hear him with an excellent partner. It's certainly less austere than Derek's solo recordings.
There's an unusual thing about this LP brought to my attention by my friend Gino Robair. It might be the only album where the CD reissue is shorter than the LP. (At least at one time. Give the passion for vinyl now, that's probably changed.) The opening cut, "Carminative", is about three minutes longer on the original LP. In listening to it here, I can definitely hear where the cut was made. An active but perhaps slightly silly-sounding opening gives way to a more ambient texture. The CD isn't worse for the cut.
Thee second side is a single cut, "Dark Drug". I wasn't sure at one time if that was the intended title of the LP. Somewhere past the halfway point in the performance, Derek starts strumming a major chord. It's not that I thought he was incapable of such a thing, it's just unusual to hear him do such as thing.
Back in the 80s I used to listen to a lot more recordings like this. "Non-idiomatic improvisation" as Derek described in his book, though itself was a form of style while attempted to be a non-style. It seems perfectly nice now, sitting in my basement studio with the wife doing shopping. Would I have bought this if someone other than Jamie's name was co-credited with Derek? Possibly. And who knows why it turned up used, perhaps someone was expecting something more Crimson-like? Their loss my gain I suppose. It seems a shame that there aren't more recordings of Jamie, and certainly more that are readily available.
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