![]() In technical terms, it’s like trying to balance a mattress on a bottle of wine.” “I Am Random,” written by Gordon and Scott Murawski, ride playfully along a punchy, peripatetic vibe that has sonic echoes of the Grateful Dead and that showcases a spirited funkiness that rambles off at the song’s end into, well, a gleefully random-though thematically twinned-direction. Kottke says, “It really takes another kind of head to do what Mike is doing. ![]() The duo offers up their version of the Byrds’ “Eight Mile High,” which features the pair noodling around and jamming on the instrumental bridge. “Flat Top” illustrates Kottke’s amazing ability to deliver rich and multi-faceted sounds from a single guitar. The album opens with Kottke’s sparkling tune “Flat Top,” a jaunty, scampering tune on which Kottke’s finger-picking circles round and round as Gordon’s bass plays harmonic call and response to Kottke’s rhythmic melody. Drummer Jon Fishman, Gordon’s Phish bandmate, joins the duo on five songs, adding yet another rhythmic dimension to the music. Every song on Noon weaves a multi-layered texture of sound, with Kottke’s mesmerizing finger-picking wrapping around, over, and under Gordon’s darting and hypnotic bass lines. The pairing of Kottke and Gordon began some two decades ago when Gordon – a devoted fan of Kottke’s music – audaciously overdubbed a bass part over the veteran Minnesota guitarist’s 1969 solo track “The Driving of the Year Nail.” Gordon hand-delivered the piece to Kottke and the two musicians struck up a fast friendship and musical partnership, beginning with 2002’s CLONE and followed by SIXTY SIX STEPS.The best review of Noon - the highly anticipated third album from guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke and bass wizard Mike Gordon, their first in 15 years - might be simply to advise you to pick up the album, hit play, and sit back and let these exceptional and inventive musicians carry you along over the twists and turns of their astonishing musical journey. As a co-founder of Phish and solo artist, Gordon has both created both a boundary-pushing discography and helped inspire a generation of improvisers. Beginning his career on John Fahey’s Takoma label in 1969, Kottke virtually invented his own school of playing with his distinct, propulsive fingerstyle. Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon have both staked out distinctive and original roles in the annals of American music. It’s a more intimate record than the others are, I think there are depths to it.” We’ve found that at soundchecks, and at my place, or his place, or some motel room. “We were trying to get to that place that we get to in a little room, just chasing each other. “I just knew there was a shape and that we were following it,” says Kottke. And even when we had drums, we wanted to maintain that feeling.” There are overdubs, but it’s still more like you’re in a cafe or a living room with these two guys. ![]() “I was hearing a darkness in the material Leo was bringing, and some of the material that I wanted to bring, that I thought just reflected going through 10 more years of life. “The vibe is very different from the other two albums,” says Gordon. In addition, the LP includes nearly ambient appearances by pedal steel player Brett Lanier (The Barr Brothers) and cellist Zoë Keating (Imogen Heap, Amanda Palmer, Tears For Fears). Working with longtime Gordon collaborator, producer/engineer Jared Slomoff, Kottke and Gordon have crafted a singular collection of improvisational mood music, including a stripped-back version of Gordon’s classic “Peel” and Kottke’s stark rethinking of the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High.” NOON further includes a bopping cover of Prince’s “Alphabet St.” featuring Phish drummer Jon Fishman, who also joins Kottke and Gordon on four additional tracks. The album – which marks Kottke’s first studio record since his previous collaboration with Gordon, 2005’s SIXTY SIX STEPS – was recorded in New Orleans and Vermont, with music exchanged between the two artists by file, tape-sealed boombox, sheet music, and face-to-face. Intricate, warmly askew, and indelibly dexterous, NOON showcases 11 remarkable new tracks created by two of the most accomplished and idiosyncratic instrumentalists in American music. A recent live version of the instrumental “Flat Top” was recorded remotely with Kottke in Minneapolis, MN and Gordon in Burlington, VT. NOON arrives via ATO Records at all DSPs and streaming services today. ![]() Legendary Acoustic Guitar Pioneer & Groundbreaking Phish Bassist Reunite for First New Album Together in 15 YearsĪcoustic guitar pioneer Leo Kottke and Phish bassist Mike Gordon have released their first new album together in 15 years. ![]()
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