*** Derek Bailey & Tony Oxley

SOHO SUITES: RECORDINGS FROM 1977 & 1995

(Incus)

Derek Bailey, one of the avatars of free improvisation, is getting nastier as he ages. At least as a player. Of these two discs of live duets with percussionist Oxley, the '95 recordings from New York City have the most bite. Oxley's no slouch either. Together they move from sonic landscapes dotted with light flurries of sound to dense, squalling blizzards of noise 'n' fury. Then back to gentle, probing exploration. This is improvisation bent on defining its own language, so the music's often free of melodies, harmonies, or the other amenities listeners usually hang their hats upon. As such, it's not easy listening.

But it is liberating. Oxley -- who in the '77 recording plays piles of kitchen utensils, generators, and springs (all amplified) as well as a gargantuan drum kit -- is as daring as Bailey, trying to keep his playing in a textural rather than a rhythmic vein. Ultimately, it's hard to decipher what both artists are trying to say. But they certainly seem to mean it. And they're so very responsive to each other's playing, locked in their deeply personal musical conversation, that it's unreasonable to dismiss their craftsmanship as artifice. (Write to Incus Records at 14 Downs Road, London E5 8DS, England)

-- Ted Drozdowski