Tashi Dorji

It was a brush with Derek Bailey's idiosyncratic style that diverted Bhutan-born North Carolina-based guitarist from metal, punk and rock towards free improv, jazz and Americana, and since 2009's jaw-dropping 'Solo Improvisations' tape (recently re-released by Drag City as 'Guitar Improvisations'), he's been developing his own uniquely phrased language on the instrument. Dorji has racked up released on Ben Chasny's Hermit Hut, Bill Orcutt's Palilalia, Feeding Tub and Astral Spirits, and recorded with world-class percussionist Susie Ibarra, Danish saxophonist Mette Rasmussen and Midwestern improv legend Tyler Damon, but, like his forebears, it's in the live environment where he truly shines.