Editing Derek Bailey (guitarist) (section)

== Career ==
Bailey was born in [[Sheffield]], England. A third-generation musician,<ref name="allmusic6044">{{cite web|last=Kelsey |first=Chris |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/derek-bailey-p6044/biography |title=Derek Bailey |website=AllMusic |access-date=2012-06-25}}</ref> he began playing guitar at the age of ten. He studied with [[Sheffield City Hall]] organist C. H. C. Biltcliffe,<ref name="allmusic6044" /> an experience he disliked,{{sfn|Watson|2004|p=25}} and with his uncle George Wing and [[John W. Duarte|John Duarte]].<ref name="allmusic6044" /> As an adult he worked as a guitarist and [[session musician]] in clubs, radio, and dance hall bands, playing with [[Morecambe and Wise]], [[Gracie Fields]], [[Bob Monkhouse]], [[Kathy Kirby]], and on the television program ''[[Opportunity Knocks (British TV series)|Opportunity Knocks]]''.

Bailey's earliest foray into free improvisation was in 1953 with two guitarists in Glasgow.{{sfn|Watson|2004|p=35}} He was part of a trio founded in 1963 with [[Tony Oxley]] and [[Gavin Bryars]] called [[Joseph Holbrooke (band)|Joseph Holbrooke]],<ref name="allmusic6044" /> named after English composer [[Joseph Holbrooke]], although the group never played his work. The band played conventional jazz at first, but later moved in the direction of free jazz.<ref name="Bryars">{{cite web |last1=Bryars |first1=Gavin |title=Joseph Holbrooke Trio: The Moat Studio Recordings {{!}} Gavin Bryars |url=http://www.gavinbryars.com/work/writing/occasional-writings/joseph-holbrooke-trio-moat-studio-recordings |website=gavinbryars.com |access-date=5 March 2019 |date=30 November 2009}}</ref>

In 1966, Bailey moved to London.<ref name="allmusic6044" /> At the Little Theatre Club run by drummer [[John Stevens (drummer)|John Stevens]], he met like-minded musicians such as saxophonist [[Evan Parker]], trumpeter [[Kenny Wheeler]], and double bassist [[Dave Holland (bassist)|Dave Holland]], with whom he formed the [[Spontaneous Music Ensemble]].<ref name="allmusic6044" /> In 1968 they recorded ''Karyobin'' for [[Island Records]]. Bailey formed the Music Improvisation Company with Parker, percussionist [[Jamie Muir]], and [[Hugh Davies (composer)|Hugh Davies]] on homemade electronics. The band continued until 1971. He was a member of the [[Jazz Composer's Orchestra]] and formed the trio Iskra 1903 with double bassist [[Barry Guy]] and trombonist [[Paul Rutherford (trombonist)|Paul Rutherford]]<ref name="allmusic6044" /> that was [[Iskra|named after a newspaper]] published by Russian revolutionary [[Vladimir Lenin]].{{sfn|Watson|2004|p=158}} He was a member of Oxley's sextet until 1973.<ref name="allmusic6044" />

In 1970, Bailey founded the record label [[Incus Records|Incus]]<ref name="allmusic6044" /> with Tony Oxley, Evan Parker, and Michael Walters. It was the first musician-owned independent label in the UK. Oxley and Walters left early in the label's history; Parker and Bailey continued as co-directors until the mid-1980s, when friction between them led to Parker's departure. Bailey continued the label with his partner Karen Brookman until his death in 2005.

With other musicians, Bailey was a co-founder in 1975 of ''[[Musics (magazine)|Musics]]'' magazine, described as "an impromental experivisation arts magazine".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/archives/collect/1mo70-07b.html |title=College Archives: Little magazines |work=King's College London |access-date=2008-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707181938/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/archives/collect/1mo70-07b.html |archive-date=7 July 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1976, Bailey started the collaborative project [[Company (free improvisation group)|Company]],<ref name="allmusic6044" /> which at various times included [[Han Bennink]], [[Steve Beresford]], [[Anthony Braxton]], [[Buckethead]], [[Eugene Chadbourne]], [[Lol Coxhill]], [[Johnny Dyani]], [[Fred Frith]], [[Tristan Honsinger]], [[Henry Kaiser (musician)|Henry Kaiser]], [[Steve Lacy (saxophonist)|Steve Lacy]], [[Keshavan Maslak]], [[Misha Mengelberg]], [[Wadada Leo Smith]], [[John Zorn]] and many other musicians. Bailey organized the annual music festival Company Week, which lasted until 1994. In 1980, he wrote the book ''Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice''.<ref name="allmusic6044" /> In 1992, the book was adapted by [[Channel 4]] in the UK into a four-part TV series, ''On the Edge: Improvisation in Music'', which was narrated by Bailey.

Bailey died in London on Christmas Day in 2005. He had been suffering from [[motor neurone disease]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/dec/29/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |title=Derek Bailey |last=Fordham|first=John|author-link=John Fordham (jazz critic)|date=2005-12-29|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=2017-06-08}}</ref>