Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon - Clone (2002)

Phish bassist Mike Gordon and acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke are a natural multi-faceted collaboration. Akin to the cerebral interplay of the Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady of Hot Tuna and the early-'70s rootsy incarnation of the Grateful Dead, Kottke and Gordon complete each other's musical thoughts as they joyfully rumble through folk, blues, country, and bluegrass cuts with a breezy demeanor. Gordon's thick timbre and non-conformist phrasing compliment Kottke's polyrhythmic tendencies from cut to cut. The title track, as simple as it may sound on the surface, is a harmonic cornucopia of counterpoint via upper-register motifs and inverted chord voicing bolstered by reverberations and a myriad of odd sounds. Among the most engaging offering is a spirited remake of Roy Buchanan's "I Am a Lonesome Fugitive," rendered straight as an arrow with Kottke's world-weary baritone meshing with Gordon's quivering falsetto. "Clay" waxes psychedelic and "Middle of the Road" is anything but, as the two dueling virtuosos kick up the dust on tale of heartbreak and woe. A timeless record by two artists on an organic journey.