Crescent Discs
OUT OF THE BLUE Crescent Discs CD5CD
Phil wrote the music for out of the blue during the period when his brother Steve Miller became ill with the cancer which eventually killed him in Dec 1998. Phil had originally hoped that Steve would play on the recording but, as his illness progressed, that ceased to be a possibility. In a way this album is a tribute to Steve and is dedicated to his memory. This is a real return to roots for Phil, harking back to earlier days when he, Steve and Pip played together in Delivery, a band which leaned heavily on the blues for its starting point and it coincides with Cuneiform Records recent re-release of the Delivery album ‘A Fools Meeting’. It represents something of a departure for Phil, being his first venture into the blues for 30 years. The writing is simpler and there is more of a groove in the rhythm section. The usual In Cahoots sextet line up of Phil Miller - guitar and synth guitar, Fred Baker - fretless bass guitar, Elton Dean - alto sax and saxello, Pete Lemer - keyboards, Jim Dvorak - trumpet and Pip Pyle - drums is augmented by Doug Boyle on Guitar.