Home Read Now Hear This: Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon | Noon

Now Hear This: Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon | Noon

I'm still getting caught up on all the good albums I missed last week. Like this one.

THE PRESS RELEASE:Noon is the new studio album from acoustic guitar pioneer Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon and their first in 15 years, joining Clone and 66 Steps. The album was recorded in New Orleans and various parts of Vermont, with music exchanged between the two artists by file, tape-sealed boombox, sheet music, and face-to-face. 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 ByrdsEight Miles High. Phish drummer Jon Fishman joins on five tracks. “The vibe is very different from the other two albums,” says Gordon. “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. There are overdubs, but it’s still more like you’re in a cafe or a living room with these two guys. And even when we had drums, we wanted to maintain that feeling.” Adds Kottke: “I just knew there was a shape and that we were following it. We were trying to get to that place that we get to in a little room, just chasing each other. We’ve found that at soundchecks, and at my place, or his place, or some motel room. We wanted to get that late night feel. It’s a more intimate record than the others are, I think there are depths to it.”

https://youtu.be/MIkdXNdvovQ