Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Phil Miller - In Cahoots: Conspiracy Theories

206

Phil Miller - In Cahoots: Conspiracy Theories

By

View read count
Phil Miller - In Cahoots: Conspiracy Theories
Eminent British Canterbury progressive-rock guitarist Phil Miller always plays the right notes. He doesn't dazzle you with supersonic and heavily distorted riffs. On the contrary Miller sports a markedly distinctive style amidst his all-encompassing jazz, rock and jazz-rock vernaculars. Revered for his participation in seminal prog bands such as National Health, Matching Mole and other projects too numerous to cite here, Miller is a consummate director of musical affairs. His discriminating integrations of whimsical, Canterbury rock era-like thematic forays bestow one of many compelling attributes.

The chemistry behind this band's presence on Conspiracy Theories is firmly rooted within sinuously enacted unison lines, featuring horns, keys and Miller's resonating single note licks. Longtime band-mates Pete Lemer and Fred Baker, on keyboard and bass respectively, help provide a fertile undercurrent for the addition of several highly respected British hornists, who expand the group's overall design. Yet the gist behind this outing resides within the layered horns and off-kilter shifts in strategy, where dynamics and heated improvisational exercises project a cohesive maxim. Lyrically rich solos by trombonist Annie Whitehead and tenor saxophonist Simon Picard often complement the band's surging opuses as melody plays an important role in Miller's compositional guiding principles.

Baker's "End Of The Line merges a dream-laden soundscape with Didier Malherbe's (of Gong) ethereal lines, zealously counterbalanced by Lemer's fuzz-toned electric piano phrasings and Miller's gliding, sustain-drenched notes. It's a ballad augmented by an ominous disposition and lucid imagery—perhaps a dad teaching his sibling about the rigors of youth and learning comes to mind.

On "Orinaca (anagram for Ocarina), Malherbe renders a poignant ocarina motif, contrasted by Miller's low-key and bluesy progressions, which segue into a catchy, world-music vibe. Ultimately, Miller's notable sense of diversity is uncannily cycled into a singular group sound that melds the fabled hierarchy of 1970s Canterbury stylizations with a modernist groove. And that alone speaks massive volumes.

With his latest incarnation of In Cahoots, Miller furthers the scope and sound of the preexisting factors that have placed this unit at the pinnacle of the jazz-rock realm. No doubt, this album should find its way onto upcoming top ten lists for 2007. Miller glowingly separates the listless wannabes and copycats from the proven warriors, largely transmitted with fluid power and a thrusting impetus.

Track Listing

Conspiracy Theories; Press Find Enter; Flashpoint; 5's and 7's; End of the Line; Freudian Triode; Orinaca; Crackpot; Lydiotic.

Personnel

Phil Miller
guitar

Phil Miller: guitar and synth guitar; Pete Lemer: keyboards; Fred Baker: bass; Mark Fletcher: drums; Simon Picard: tenor sax; Simon Finch: trumpet, flugelhorn; Annie Whitehead: trombone; Didier Malherbe: soprano sax, flute, doudouk, ocarina; Doug Boyle: guitar; Dave Stewart: tuned percussion; Richard Sinclair: bass.

Album information

Title: Conspiracy Theories | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Moonjune Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.