Downbeat
"Don't worry about Derek Bailey going mainstream. He hasn't abandoned his doggedly individual, uncompromising approach to the guitar in search of mass-market acceptance. These provacative, somewhat crazed encounters with Pat Metheny occur on Bailey's turf, drawing the younger guitarist further into the wilds of improvised music. For Bailey, these live and studio sessions expose his spikey, unpredictable logic to legions of Metheny fans as yet unfamiliar with the spontaneous combustion of collective improvisation. For Metheny, The Sign Of 4 completes the outward-bound trajectory that started with Song X and continued with the industrial-strength Zero Tolerance For Silence, recalling the turbulence and frenzy of both projects. Most tracks feature electric guitars, and Metheny proves to be a good foil for Bailey, supplying a linear approach and a piercing wail to complement Bailey's clipped phrases and overheated squalls. Metheny's serious commitment to free playing is immediately evident, starting with the howling, punishing solo that occupies much of the hour-long "A Study In Scarlet." Bailey responds to Metheny's assault with churning, distorted waves of noise, while the drummers Gregg Bendian and Paul Wertico attack their instruments without respite, playing anything and everything but a steady groove. The remaining sessions are more varied, ranging from spacious, calm interludes to raging exchanges among drummers and guitarists, with the most ambitious improvisations, including "Fortune," "Tracks" and "In The Quest Of A Solution," embracing both extremes. The studio session, titled "The Science Of Deduction," is best of all, with acoustic tracks such as "Strange Story" and "The Aurora" making use of Bendian's vibes and ethnic percussion to shape the quietly mysterious interactions of Bailey and Metheny. Most of the improvisations succeed in drawing the listener into the vortex of the activity and communicating a sense of group motion and common purpose. The three-CD set is inexpensive, priced to encourage risk-takers and thrill-seekers. New facets and inter-relationships are sure to emerge after repeated listenings." Four Stars!
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