More Questions than Answers

Solo piano and sometimes analog synth. Jazz improvisations with an intimate, almost chamber feel, spinning classical/jazz ideas at a casual pace, fast but not showy, with a calm fireside demeanor. Baker throws out clusters and knots of notes, like a calmer Cecil Taylor. Pleasant stuff, but don't go looking for showtune standards here.

Baker is a longtime favorite of the Chicago free-jazz scene, hanging out with the likes of Ken Vandermark. This is his first CD as a leader, but to hear more of him, check out in our library:

* Caffeine (a Vandermark one-off project, nice free jazz)
* Steam (ditto)
* Rosenberg/Baker/Hatwich/Daisy -- Long, aggressive free-jazz tracks
* Baker, Jim/Michael Zerang -- duet pieces, piano and drums

PIANO
1- ECM feel, contemplative but with thick tangly periods
2- Definite bluesy feel, slow
4- Mid/fast calm tumbling
5- A twenty-minute thoughtful ramble, lots of cascading notes at a fairly consistent mid/fast pace
6- More speed and attitude than many tracks. Not that bluesy.
7- Quick footed after a slow start
9- Melodic, with some repeated elements for a more tangible feel
10- Casual, relatively calm
11- Slow, thoughtful
13- Slowly jumbled

SYNTH
3- Tinny tone language, a nice monologue
8- Light wispy noises
12- Grumbles and low rumbles