Best known for his work as a member of Soft Machine, the jazz bass and guitar virtuoso Fred Baker has been ploughing his singular field as a solo musician for a while now.
His stage – bare except for a small amplifier, a fretless bass, a classical guitar, an electric guitar and a number of effects pedals – saw a set encompassing classical moods as well as jazz, blues and improvised pieces that occupied the spaces between musical order and complete sonic chaos.
He started his short set on classical guitar, with the fast pace of Elliot’s Joy and Hymn for Hope showing that if jazz hadn’t claimed him, his roots and talents went a lot further.
Fred then changed to electric guitar for Lock In – a bluesy saunter – and Jigged Out, which blended jazz pacing with celtic voicings.
The last part of his hour was dedicated to his fretless bass playing. He played Joy of a Toy, from his days in Soft Machine, with a looping pedal, and some heavy distortion giving a rock music timbre to his sound.
The playing of Bach’s Bouree showed his delicate playing, with many picked harmonics adding to the atmosphere of this well known piece. Billy Big Knuckles that followed was a masterclass in control of rhythm and tune, with slap bass being just one of the many techniques that the piece employed.
The performer finished with The Devil Within, which showed the vast range of his interests, with digital delay, flanger and other effects adding to the weight of this piece and which showed why his reputation as a jazz musician and bassist is so well deserved.