Bakers Dozen ［12CD+DVD］

USレコメンバンドを代表するワシントンD.C.出身のマフィンズは、1974年～1981年までに3枚のアルバムを、その後1993年～2015年まで6枚のアルバムをリリース。
フレッド・フリスのソロ『Gravity』でバックを務め、フリスをして「米国が生んだ最も複雑かつ理にかなった最高の音楽を奏でるバンド」と言わしめ、ZUフェスティバル(NYC)、ロック・インタピア・フェスティバル(フランス)、ヴィラ・チェリモンタナ・ジャズ・フェスティバル(ローマ)、ソニック・サーキット(DC)、NEARFest(ペンシルベニア州ベツレヘム)など、伝説的なフェスティバルに出演。彼らの音楽は非常にクリエイティブかつ、強烈なインパクトと緻密に作曲された楽曲と精力的なフリープレイを組み合わせ、音楽の境界とジャンルの間を自由自在に動き回り、偉大なアメリカの現代音楽を象徴するバンドの1つ。
このボックスセットは、1975年から2010年までの未発表のライブおよびスタジオ録音をすべて収録した13枚で、12枚のCDと1枚のDVD、72ページに及ぶオールカラーの冊子を封入。

The Muffins were an American band from the Washington, D.C. area. They existed twice, first between 1975 and 1981 and then from 1998 to 2015. Their complex approach wove Canterbury-esque prog, electric fusion, vanguard jazz, modern classical composition, and free improvisation in a sound so ambitiously creative, categorizing is difficult. Cuneiforms Steve Feigenbaum painstakingly assembled Bakers Dozen with mixing and mastering engineer Ian Beabout and graphic designer Eric Kearns. Feigenbaum sifted through dozens of private tapes, rehearsals, and gigs. He compiled 12 CDs and a DVD (a single performance at 2005s NEARfest) in a massive, mostly chronological overview of the bands creative development from 1975 - 2010. Remarkably, the vast majority of the content is previously unissued. Music from the bands first incarnation makes up eight discs. The first two are a proto-Muffins quintet: Tom Scott (reeds, winds, xylophone), Billy Swann (bass), Dave Newhouse (Rhodes piano, winds), Michael Zentner (guitar and vocals), and Mike Bass drums. This fully engaged music cuts across free jazz ("Buzz Aldrin"), modal improv (Portable Hollow"), and Miles-esque fusion ("What a Place for a Wart"). Disc two offers a breathtaking 20-plus-minute version of "Chronometers." Permanent drummer Paul Sears appears for the first time on disc three in the long-term, best-known quartet with Newhouse, Scott, and Swann. Its highlights include a brief cover of Fred Friths "Solemn Music," the abstract suite-like "Carbons," and the Soft Machine-esque "Amelia Earhart." There are two versions of "Expected Freedom" on disc four, offering approaches that straddle art rock and free improv, while "Not Alone" channels Frank Zappa and National Health; Feigenbaum adds guitar to the elegant strangeness of "Bit Hand." Disc fives "Lady in a Brown Paper Bag" deftly recalls Robert Wyatts early solo work. Discs six and seven contain compelling vocal versions of "Zoom Resume" and "Boxed and Crossed," while disc eight places them in live trilogy with "Queenside." Fred Frith adds guitar to the truly weird, wonderful "Grammy Hand" (the Muffins were his backing band on 1980s Gravity). "She Wears Her Dead Mothers Hat" on disc nine weds knotty prog to swinging modal post-bop. The Motown nugget "Dancing in the Street" is introduced with reed and brass drones before a sweeping, boogie-centric Hammond B-3 claims the foreground. Disc ten showcases an electrifying 2001 performance at New York Citys Knitting Factory. Disc 11 is the audio companion of the 2005 NEARfest DVD. The Muffins deliver an astonishing, 25-minute "The Adventures of Captain Boomerang" and a majestic fusion on "East Diamond." Disc 12 commences with a scorching medley of "Exquisite Corpse"/"Out of the Boot"/"Sams Room." Later, "Queenside"/"Antidote to Drydock"/"Angle Dance" showcases the bands complex compositional persona. The handsomely designed box contains a 76-page booklet with a complete oral history of the Muffins assembled from many sources by Newhouse, plus dozens of rare photographs. While Bakers Dozen will primarily appeal to die-hard fans, jazz, prog, and avant music enthusiasts should consider this singular, culturally historic document too. ~ Thom Jurek