Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Phil Miller / Fred Baker — Double Up 2
(Crescent Discs CD12CD, 2004/2022, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2023-07-07

Double Up 2 Cover art

It’s a sheer delight that Phil Miller and Fred Baker’s Double Up 2, the long-awaited follow-up to 1993’s Double Up, has finally materialized. Late guitarist Phil Miller’s compositional history with bassist Fred T. Baker (on accompanying guitar) netted the duo’s first record — a stripped down, thoughtful romp — focusing on fan favorites such as “Calyx” and “Underdub” (from the classic Hatfield and North catalog). Not surprisingly, this production raises the musical bar. Baker confirms in the liner notes that the musical comrades wanted to do something relatively different (arrangement-wise) by birthing electric- and acoustic-based tunes. By adding Baker’s formidable bass chops (as rhythmic and melodic counterpoints) the duo could be satisfied with the outcome. Three “reworks” of arrangements are included,beginning with the disc’s opening track, Alan Gowen’s “Arriving Twice.” In this performance the duo does well to capture the bittersweet happiness that resonated with the original song. “Sleight of Hand” carries the familiar melody from the original, but in this context, showcases Baker’s “firm walking bassline” — a platform for Miller’s “slightly-under-control” wayward soloing. Baker contributes two songs himself to the recording: “Song for Big Fred” and “Upside.” Fred’s song swings along in 6/8 time, again providing a favorable premise over which Miller navigates uncertain melodic waters with Baker comping chords and additional melodic bass guitar rooting. “Upside” was also previously a full band track, and benefits here by focusing the listener’s attention on the intuitive interaction between two iconic jazz guitarists. (Pat Metheny’s recording with Jim Hall comes to mind.) Clearly, these artists set out to portray a joyful excursion with the project as noticeably evident on “Latino Carbbeano,” a tango that is as sweet as it is danceable. Concluding this disk is the wriggly “Looped Out” — a tense, swirling “mood piece” where Miller’s blazing lead lines craft the dire circumstances of the piece, while Baker firm up a comfortable low end. Overall, the recording is not just a salvaged labor of love for an intuitive duo who clearly treasured each other’s musical friendship, but also serves as a positive signpost for potential work which, sadly enough, never reached fruition.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases, 2004 recordings

Related artist(s): Fred Thelonious Baker, Phil Miller

More info
http://burningshed.com/phil-miller_fred-baker_double-up-2_cd

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.