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Album Details

• Artist: Derek Bailey
• Album: Carpal Tunnel
• Label: Tzadik
• Year of Release: 2005
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2006-05-02

Recorded in his home while recovering from what he thought was carpal tunnel, Derek Bailey exercises his hands on his guitar, trying to find his way around his own limitations the best way he knew how, by improvising. That Bailey's illness was more serious, Motor Neuron Disease, and ultimately fatal, adds a poignancy to this record that at times is unbearable. Those are the times when he has miked conversations with his wife, mundane daily interactions between lovers. The improvs are records of his progress over a series of weeks after hand surgery. It is clear that his wife is close by, and clear that despite his surgery, there is still playfulness and somber power in his fret work. This is a deeply human record of a master's final moments with his instrument, and it is a blessing to have such a fitting send off for Derek Bailey.

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