FRED THELONIOUS BAKER
- Life Suite
First Hand Records: FHR32
Fred Thelonious Baker (guitars)
Recorded at the Foundry Studios, Chesterfield, UK, between August 2012 and March 3013
In this debut solo recording Baker, a Derbyshire born virtuoso and first call session guitarist, demonstrates his prowess via the medium of a suite of original pieces that feature his many stylistic influences and interests from blues and country to flamenco via straight ahead jazz with detours into classical, folk and even touches of Elizabethan lute song. His jaw dropping technique enables him to play chordal harmonies and bass lines independently of the melodies and this is accomplishment is put to great effect on the one standard, a fleet of finger excursion through the one standard `Cherokee` which he opens with a free jazz cadenza just to keep his listeners on their mettle.
Whilst revealing all Baker’s musical predilections there is such diversity that I wonder whether Baker’s personal style is given the space to emerge clearly: he can certainly play, of that there is no doubt and those who are heavily into guitar music either as a passive listener or budding performer will be thrilled by his mastery but general listeners might find their attention wandering in the absence of a readily identifiable stylistic trademark of the type we associate with the likes of Metheny and Scofield.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
First Hand Records: FHR32
Fred Thelonious Baker (guitars)
Recorded at the Foundry Studios, Chesterfield, UK, between August 2012 and March 3013
In this debut solo recording Baker, a Derbyshire born virtuoso and first call session guitarist, demonstrates his prowess via the medium of a suite of original pieces that feature his many stylistic influences and interests from blues and country to flamenco via straight ahead jazz with detours into classical, folk and even touches of Elizabethan lute song. His jaw dropping technique enables him to play chordal harmonies and bass lines independently of the melodies and this is accomplishment is put to great effect on the one standard, a fleet of finger excursion through the one standard `Cherokee` which he opens with a free jazz cadenza just to keep his listeners on their mettle.
Whilst revealing all Baker’s musical predilections there is such diversity that I wonder whether Baker’s personal style is given the space to emerge clearly: he can certainly play, of that there is no doubt and those who are heavily into guitar music either as a passive listener or budding performer will be thrilled by his mastery but general listeners might find their attention wandering in the absence of a readily identifiable stylistic trademark of the type we associate with the likes of Metheny and Scofield.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
