Record Reviews
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  | PHIL MILLER / FRED BAKER ~ DOUBLE UP
CRESCENT 01 (Barcode: 604388693825) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1992 Released: 1992
British guitarist / composer Phil MillerFind albums by this artist and his ensemble In CahootsFind albums by this artist are one of the most interesting groups on the Jazzy side of the Canterbury scene. Miller´s numerous recordings over the years have been consistently excellent and a great source of inspired and inspiring music. This album is a series of duets recorded with In Cahoots bassist Fred BakerFind albums by this artist, who is a great guitar player as well, as demonstrated here. They perform a series of duets, with Baker altering between bass and guitar, which works out wonderfully well. The music is mostly composed by Miller with Baker contributing a couple of his compositions. Both the interplay between the two musicians and the individual performances are superb and I probably don´t need to recommend this one much more, as Miller already enjoys a faithful following all over the years since many years, all of it well deserved indeed. A must to all Canterbury scene fans!
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  | PHIL MILLER / IN CAHOOTS ~ CONSPIRACY THEORIES
CRESCENT 08 (Barcode: 604388693726) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 2004 Released: 2004
Legendary guitarist Phil MillerFind albums by this artist and his In CahootsFind albums by this artist ensemble have been active on the Canterbury / Jazz scene since the 1980s, constantly changing lineups but always producing music of the highest quality. A vehicle for presenting Miller’s intricate and highly sophisticated compositions, the ensemble’s recorded legacy through the years – both studio and live – is a great example of European Jazz. This album was recorded by an extended version of the ensemble involving twelve players, where each track was recorded by a different lineup ranging from quintet to an eleven-piece band. The players include Miller – guitar and guitar synthesizer, Simon PicardFind albums by this artist – tenor saxophone, Didier MalherbeFind albums by this artist – soprano saxophone and flute, Annie WhiteheadFind albums by this artist – trombone, Simon FinchFind albums by this artist – trumpet, Peter LemerFind albums by this artist – keyboards, Doug BoyleFind albums by this artist – guitar, Fred BakerFind albums by this artist – bass, Richard SinclairFind albums by this artist – bass, Dave StewartFind albums by this artist - percussion and Mark FletcherFind albums by this artist – drums. Legendary vocalist Barbara GaskinFind albums by this artist sings on one tune. All the music, except one tune by Lemer and Baker each, was composed by Miller and is as usual exceptional. Highly recommended!
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  | PHIL MILLER / IN CAHOOTS ~ LIVE 86 - 89
CRESCENT 09 ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1986 - 1989 Released: 2008
Legendary guitarist Phil MillerFind albums by this artist and his In CahootsFind albums by this artist ensemble have been active on the Canterbury / Jazz scene since the 1980s, constantly changing lineups but always producing music of the highest quality. A vehicle for presenting Miller’s intricate and highly sophisticated compositions, the ensemble’s recorded legacy through the years – both studio and live – is a great example of European Jazz. This album presents a series of live recordings from the 1980s with a stellar lineup, which includes Miller – guitar and guitar synthesizer, Elton DeanFind albums by this artist – alto saxophone and saxello, Peter LemerFind albums by this artist and Steve FranklinFind albums by this artist – keyboards, Hugh HopperFind albums by this artist and Fred BakerFind albums by this artist – bass and Pip PyleFind albums by this artist – drums. Most of the music, except one tune by Hopper, Dean and Franklin each, was composed by Miller and is as usual exceptional, as are the performances. This is a reissue of the original edition of this album from 1989, which is now a rare collector´s item. Highly recommended!
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  | PHIL MILLER / IN CAHOOTS ~ LIVE IN JAPAN
CRESCENT 02 (Barcode: 5020522080224) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1991 Released: 1993
Guitarist / composer Phil MillerFind albums by this artist and his In CahootsFind albums by this artist ensemble have been a consistently excellent source of great music for many years. This particular lineup is a sextet and includes: Miller – guitar, Elton DeanFind albums by this artist – sax, Jim DvorakFind albums by this artist – trumpet, Peter LemerFind albums by this artist – keyboards, Fred BakerFind albums by this artist – bass and Pip PyleFind albums by this artist – drums. Recorded live during a Japanese tour, this album presents the group performing the wonderful Miller’s compositions in an extended form, with many outstanding solos by all the players. Much of the set is drawn from Phil´s solo album Digging InFind albums with this title and it is interesting to compare the carefully controlled studio versions with these loose, fiery, live ones. Miller always talks about himself first as a composer and only then as a guitarist, and rightly so since although he is an excellent player, he has very few equals as a song-weaver. Excellent stuff!
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  | PHIL MILLER / IN CAHOOTS ~ OUT OF THE BLUE
CRESCENT 05 (Barcode: 604388476626) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 2000 Released: 2000
Guitarist / composer Phil MillerFind albums by this artist and his In CahootsFind albums by this artist ensemble have been a consistently excellent source of great music for many years. This album is very special in their discography, as Phil wrote the music for this album during the period when his brother, pianist Steve MillerFind albums by this artist became ill with the cancer which eventually killed him in December of 1998. Phil had originally hoped that Steve would play on the recording but, as his illness progressed, that ceased to be a possibility. In a way this album is a tribute to Steve and is dedicated to his memory. This is a real return to roots for Phil, harking back to earlier days when he, Steve and Pip played together in DeliveryFind albums by this artist, a band which leaned heavily on the blues for its starting point and it coincides with CuneiformFind albums on this label Records re-release of the Delivery album Fools MeetingFind albums with this title. It represents something of a departure for Phil, being his first venture into the blues for 30 years. The writing is simpler and there is more of a groove in the rhythm section. The usual In Cahoots sextet line up of Phil Miller - guitar and guitar synthesizer, Fred BakerFind albums by this artist - fretless bass guitar, Elton DeanFind albums by this artist - alto sax and saxello, Peter LemerFind albums by this artist - keyboards, Jim DvorakFind albums by this artist - trumpet and Pip PyleFind albums by this artist - drums is augmented by Doug BoyleFind albums by this artist on guitar. Excellent music from start to finish, which of course is not surprising for a band that keeps delivering one great album after another.
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  | PHIL MILLER / IN CAHOOTS ~ SPLIT SECOND
CRESCENT 10 ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1988 Released: 2008
Legendary guitarist Phil MillerFind albums by this artist and his In CahootsFind albums by this artist ensemble have been active on the Canterbury / Jazz scene since the 1980s, constantly changing lineups but always producing music of the highest quality. A vehicle for presenting Miller’s intricate and highly sophisticated compositions, the ensemble’s recorded legacy through the years – both studio and live – is a great example of European Jazz. This album presents a series of studio recordings from the 1980s with a stellar lineup, which includes Miller – guitar and guitar synthesizer, Elton DeanFind albums by this artist – alto saxophone and saxello, Steve FranklinFind albums by this artist – keyboards, Fred BakerFind albums by this artist – bass and Pip PyleFind albums by this artist – drums on four of the eight tracks and the other tracks are collaborations with Canterbury heroes Dave StewartFind albums by this artist – keyboards, Richard SinclairFind albums by this artist – vocals, Barbara GaskinFind albums by this artist – vocals and John MitchellFind albums by this artist – keyboards and percussion. Most of the music was composed or co-composed by Miller and is as usual exceptional, as are the performances. This is a reissue of the original edition of this album from 1988, which is now a rare collector´s item. Highly recommended!
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  | PSYCHIC WARRIOR ~ PSYCHIC WARRIOR
HUX 059 (Barcode: 682970000596) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 2003 Released: 2004
Only album by the brilliant, but short-lived British quartet comprising of keyboardist Alex MaguireFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, bassist Fred BakerFind albums by this artist and drummer Liam GenockeyFind albums by this artist. The first three musicians in the lineup are of course associated with the Canterbury scene, mostly on the Free Jazz and Improvised Music side of the genre. Maguire wrote most of the music for this session, with Dean co-composing one track. The music is, as always in the case of such great musicians, a brilliant display of both individual virtuosity and group improvisation, which need little introduction to connoisseurs of the genre. In view of Dean´s death, this is one of the latest studio sessions he played on and therefore a treasure. Not to be missed!
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