Out of the Blue (original) (raw)
**
**Over the past three years following the release of PARALLEL, amongst the various compositions I have written,has emerged a strong contingent with a distinctive blues influence. With several of these pieces completed it seemed to me that they would be best served if I put them together in a suite. With this in mind I wrote the remaining compositions trying to contrast and compliment the existing pieces. Obviously the various configurations of IN CAHOOTS, augmented by guitarist Doug Boyle on two pieces, had an effect on what I wrote. I wanted the writing to occasionally challenge the band and in certain areas for the writing to be fairly intricate and complex but at the same time I wanted it to have an overall simplicity.
There is a degree of retrospection in the project but at the same time I feel that it carries on the natural development that the band has been following over the past few years. Showing I hope that whatever type of music we play, the quality of the writing and the band’s style and character would show through. While i was writing the material for ‘Out of the Blue’ the retrospective aspect was put in sharper focus by Cuneiform Records re-releasing the DELIVERY album ‘A Fools Meeting’ originally recorded in 1968. Initially DELIVERY leaned heavily on the blues for its starting point and the band backed on tour such blues legends as Otis Spann. Eddie Boyd and Lowell Fulson. One memorable night when we were playing at the 100 Club on tour with Lowell Fulson, BB King turned up and played a long second set with us. And if that wasn’t enough, the gig was later reviewed by Chris Walsh in Melody Maker with some very complimentary quotes from BB King about the band! This chance juxtaposition of ‘Fools Meeting’ and ‘Out of the Blue’ gave me the added impetus to bring the project to fruition and let people hear what the passage of time has brought to my music.
I would like to thank Pete, Jim, Pip, Elton and Doug for their musicianship, Benj for his boundless energy and painstaking effort to make a success of the project. Hag for his photographic artwork used for the sleeve, Joe for his assistance at The Premises and Herm for all the support she always gives to my musical projects – Phil Miller
In Cahoots sextet
Phil Miller – guitar and synth guitar
Fred Baker – fretless bass guitar
Pip Pyle – drums
Pete Lemer – keyboards
Elton Dean – alto sax and saxello
Jim Dvorak – trumpet
In Cahoots quartet + guest
Phil Miller – guitar and synth guitar
Fred Baker – fretless bass guitar
Pip Pyle – drums
Pete Lemer – keyboards
guest: Doug Boyle – guitar
Engineered by Benj Lefevre
Recorded and mixed at The Premises London between January and March 2000
Photography by Hag
All titles (except Phrygian Intro) by Phil Miller