IN CAHOOTS: ALL THAT

This is a very enjoyable Jazz record from Phil Miller, one of Canterbury's finest. He has Elton Dean and Jim Dvorak (Keith Tippett) on horns, Fred Baker on bass, Pete Lemer (Gilgamesh) on keys, and Mark Fletcher on drums, replacing Pip Pyle who had just left. Miller composed 5 of the 7 tracks. I just wish he was more out in front with his guitar playing. I guess you could say this really is a band effort, I just prefered his "Cutting It Both Ways" album a little more because he doesn't seem to mind being out in the spotlight on that one. If there's any one person who does standout it's Mark Fletcher's drum work. Miller even says in the liner notes that "Fletch is a fantastic player, his enthusiasm and sense of fun are infectious and it's great to have him on board".

"Black Cat" is a song that really features Baker's bass lines early while Fletch pounds away. Lemer takes the lead a minute in while it's Miller time before 3 minutes. Nice. Check out the bass / drum section 5 minutes in with horns to follow. It's the Dean and Fletcher show after 9 minutes. A full sound a minute later. "Big Dick" is actually one of the shorter tunes. It's darker with deep sounds and odd metered drumming. Keys come in then horns. Some nice drum work after 5 minutes. "Inca" is laid back with some good bass and I love the keys. Guitar come in as it all sounds so pleasant. Horns take over for the guitar as bass and drums continue at a relaxed pace.

"Sleight Of Hand" is light and jazzy, again the keys really impress me. "Upside" is fairly uptempo as piano leads the way, while bass and drums support. Horns later. Guitar after 2 minutes. "Out There" features mellow piano melodies with bass mostly. Cool tune as horns come in. "Your Root 2" opens with some fabulous drumming. A full sound a minute in, horns become prominant. Keys go on a run 3 1/2 minutes in. Vibes, bass and drums lead the way 5 minutes in. Keys are back. Great sound 6 1/2 minutes in.

Great album and it's a lot of fun too. Enjoy !