Leo Kottke & Phish's Mike Gordon Team Up Again For A Small Room Feel With Album 'Noon'

Acoustic guitar pioneer Leo Kottke and Phish bassist Mike Gordon have released their first new album together in 15 years.

Noon has been released digitally via ATO Records; the album’s physical release is set for Friday, November 20 and the news is that Phish Dry Goods will have a limited pressing on clear vinyl with Red/Gold splatter.

A recent live version of the instrumental song from the new album, "Flat Top", was recorded remotely with Kottke in Minneapolis, MN and Gordon in Burlington, VT and is available for viewing now.

The album marks Kottke’s first studio record since his previous collaboration with Gordon, 2005’s Sixty Six Steps. Working with longtime Gordon collaborator, producer/engineer Jared Slomoff, Kottke and Gordon created a stripped-back version of Gordon’s classic “Peel” and Kottke’s version of the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High.”

Also included on the album are a cover of Prince’s “Alphabet St.” featuring Phish drummer Jon Fishman, who also joins Kottke and Gordon on four additional tracks. In addition, the LP includes appearances by pedal steel player Brett Lanier (The Barr Brothers) and cellist Zoë Keating (Imogen Heap, Amanda Palmer, Tears For Fears).

Gordon comments:

“The vibe is very different from the other two albums. 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.”

Kottke adds;

“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.”

Kottke and Gordon struck up a relationship about 20 years ago when Gordon, who was a devoted fan of Kottke’s music, overdubbed a bass part over the guitarist’s 1969 solo track “The Driving of the Year Nail.” Gordon hand-delivered the piece to Kottke and the two musicians became friends and musical partners, beginning with 2002’s Clone and followed by Sixty Six Steps.