Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon

Noon

Megaplum / ATO Records

What a wonderful anomaly Leo Kottke is – a folk guitarist, but also a jazz guitarist and there’s classical in there, it’s just an absolute stew. He also doesn’t seem to have ever gone too far down the eccentric path (Bill Orcutt, Sir Richard Bishop) nor the drinking-too-much-to-be-pleasant path (Johns Martyn and Fahey). Just a guy with his guitar – playing his shows and recording his albums, sitting in on some sessions (I first heard him as the guitarist for Rickie Lee Jones, it was so, so unbelievably good that I was back to his late 60s debut solo record after that…)

It’s been an idiosyncratic path for Kottke, now packing up a rental car and driving himself around America to do gigs as he pleases with low-key vibes in theatres.  He’s 74 and hadn’t made a record in 15 years. Not for him the Spotify and social media age.

But. Re-enter Mike Gordon. Bassist for jam-band Phish. He had his head turned by Kottke back in the 80s and 90s then sought him out to collaborate. They made two records in the early/mid 2000s – including Kottke’s penultimate release.

Lockdown brought them back together and now we have Noon, their third record together and Kottke’s first in a decade and a half.

It starts with two songs that might well be familiar to Kottke fans, his original instrumental Flat Top, which features some subtly dazzling bass playing from Gordon in and around signature licks, curls and runs from Leo that traverse all the styles I mentioned in the opening line of this review.

Then it’s to Kottke’s rendition of The Byrds’ Eight Miles High which removes the psychedelic edge and grounds it in an earthiness you’d never imagine. It’s so warm. And lovely.

And those are the words I think of most often with his playing.

The album also features Phish’s drummer, Jon Fishman, on roughly half the songs. He un-muddies things, stays out of the way but provides nice, cheerful, upbeat and groovy playing that helps to elevate some of the most ‘fun’ songs on the album, including the cover of Prince’s Alphabet Street, which is almost like Marshall Crenshaw unplugs at Sun Records or something; it just shouldn’t work but resolutely does.

My only gripe actually is that I would prefer a ratio of more instrumentals to vocal cuts. The ‘songs’ are nice. Some are funny (I Am Random) and others classic (Eight Miles High, Alphabet St) but the real interplay between the bass (always warm, empathic and subtly driving) and Kottke’s simultaneously precise/fluid guitar work arrives via the instrumentals (Ants).

That we even have this record though, that’s the thing to celebrate. I’m no Phish fan whatsoever but the rhythm section is a delight here, so out of the way but in the zone and Kottke is playing as well as he ever has.

I’m reminded of other novelty-nice but thoroughly professional duet pairings like when Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins teamed up.
You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron