leo kottke and mike gordon

​Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon (from the album Noon available on ATO Records) (by Bryant Liggett)
Look at Leo Kottke’s last three records without knowing about his solo career and you’d think he’s just been in a fifteen-year duo with half of the rhythm section in Phish. Kottke however has few middle ground fans, you either know the dude or you don’t, and if you do, you’re aware of his guitar theatrics and his partnership with Mike Gordon, who is audio icing on a musical cake. Thus Noon, the latest from Kottke and Gordon, is that fifteen years in the making has all the quirkiness of Phish and all the instrumental virtuosity that remains as more proof of the duo’s top-tier abilities.
 
Noon kicks off with the animated “Flat Top”, a cut that could live as two separate stand-alone scores featuring walking rhythms from both guitar and bass. Leo Kottke handles the vocals on The Byrd’s “Eight Miles High”, his drone giving it a dark presence, the instruments giving it an industrial rhythm. The last minute-fifty takes a drive where Gordon’s repetitive rhythms carry Kottke’s exploration.
“From the Cradle to the Grave” find Leo Kottke’s vocals rough and dark, Mike Gordon’s light, airy, and laid out evenly where “How Many People Are You” is dominated by Gordon’s vocals while Kottke’s lay slightly underneath with a bouncing rhythm. More known for playing than singing, the instrumental “Ants” is an avant-garde piece of extreme picking ability. This is taking Folk music to an outer level, weird enough to ward off the squares save for those with an oddball attraction. Few traditional ‘solos’, both guitar and bass are pushed past any norm, providing a driving rhythm that moves throughout Noon. 
         
Listen and buy the music of Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon website
 
 
 

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