![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(May 2020) |
Fred Thelonious Baker (born 4 June 1960) is an English guitarist and jazz bass guitarist from Tibshelf, Derbyshire. He is known for playing in Phil Miller's Canterbury scene band In Cahoots. [1]
Baker played the guitar until his mid-teens, at which point he began to take an interest in the bass as well. He played in The John Etheridge/Ric Sanders Group in the early 1980s. He has also worked with his own group, the Fred Thelonious Baker Group who recorded a self-titled album in 1984. [2] Baker has recorded several albums with Harry Beckett. They have also made a concert tour in Europe together. Baker accompanied Beckett's band on a Charles Mingus tribute tour in the UK. Other artists Baker has worked with include Horace Parlan, Vikki Clayton and Elton Dean. [1]
Baker joined In Cahoots in April 1988, replacing their bassist Hugh Hopper. [3] He has toured and recorded six albums with them, and remains a key member of the band. He also works as a teacher at Birmingham Conservatoire and The University of Huddersfield. [1]
Baker is the current bassist for Soft Machine, having been chosen by his predecessor Roy Babbington. [4]
Year | Artist | Title |
1984 | Fred Thelonious Baker | Fred Thelonious Baker Group (released 1988) |
1987 | Harry Beckett | Bremen Concert |
1987 | Harry Beckett | Live, Vol. 2 |
1988 | Phil Miller | Split Seconds |
1989 | In Cahoots | In Cahoots Live 86–89 |
1991 | Phil Miller | Digging In |
1991 | Harry Beckett | All Four One |
1992 | Phil Miller & Fred Baker | Double Up [5] |
1993 | In Cahoots | In Cahoots Live in Japan |
1993 | various artists | A Moon of Roses [6] |
1993 | Harry Beckett | Les Jardins Du Casino |
1994 | In Cahoots | Recent Discoveries |
1994 | Fred Thelonious Baker | Missing Link [7] |
1996 | In Cahoots | Parallel |
1998 | Pip Pyle | 7 Year Itch |
1999 | Fred Thelonious Baker | Basically Speaking |
2001 | In Cahoots | Out of the Blue |
2003 | In Cahoots | All That |
2004 | Pip Pyle's Bash! | Belle Illusion |
2004 | Pete Saberton | Rich Core |
2007 | In Cahoots | Conspiracy Theories |
2010 | Joe Sachse, John Marshall & Fred T. Baker | One Take |
2010 | Joe Sachse, John Marshall & Fred T. Baker | 18. Chemnitzer Jazzfest (DVD of above, released 2013) |
2011 | Phil Miller In Cahoots | Mind Over Matter |
2014 | Fred Thelonious Baker | Life Suite |
2023 | Soft Machine | Other Doors |
Gong are a psychedelic rock band that incorporates elements of jazz and space rock into their musical style. The group was formed in Paris in 1967 by Australian musician Daevid Allen and English vocalist Gilli Smyth. Band members have included Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Steve Hillage, Mike Howlett, Tim Blake, Pierre Moerlen, Bill Laswell and Theo Travis. Others who have played on stage with Gong include Don Cherry, Chris Cutler, Bill Bruford, Brian Davison, Dave Stewart and Tatsuya Yoshida.
John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.
Soft Machine are a British rock band from Canterbury formed in mid-1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. As a central band of the Canterbury scene, the group became one of the first British psychedelic acts and later moved into progressive and jazz rock, becoming a purely instrumental band in 1971. The band has undergone many line-up changes, with musicians such as Andy Summers, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Roy Babbington and Allan Holdsworth being members during the band's history. The current line-up consists of John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker and Asaf Sirkis.
Henry Grimes was an American jazz double bassist and violinist.
David Holland is an English double bassist, bass guitarist, cellist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States since the early 1970s.
The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase for John Lurie's sophisticated compositions straddling jazz and many other genres. They were active until about 1998 with the Lurie brothers as the only constant members, though many leading New York City based musicians were members of the group.
Hugh Colin Hopper was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands.
Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in Soft Machine, among others.
Peter Naphtali Lemer is an English jazz musician. He worked with the Pete Lemer Quintet, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Annette Peacock, Harry Beckett, Gilgamesh, Baker Gurvitz Army, Seventh Wave, Harry Beckett's Joy Unlimited, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, Mike Oldfield Group, In Cahoots, and Miller/Baker/Lemer. He currently works with In Cahoots, Peter Lemer Trio/Quartet, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, and the Peter Lemer-Billy Thompson Quartet and Duo.
Phillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the Canterbury scene bands Gong, Hatfield and the North and National Health.
John Greaves is a British bass guitarist, pianist and composer who was a member of Henry Cow and has collaborated with Peter Blegvad. He was also a member of progressive rock band National Health and jazz-rock supergroup Soft Heap, and has recorded several solo albums, including Accident (1982), Parrot Fashions (1984), The Caretaker (2001) and Greaves Verlaine (2008).
The Soft Machine is the debut album by the British psychedelic rock band Soft Machine, released in 1968. It is the group's only album to feature Kevin Ayers as a member.
Short Wave Live is the only album by Short Wave, a UK band related to the Canterbury Scene, consisting of Hugh Hopper (bass), Didier Malherbe (sax), Phil Miller (guitar) and Pip Pyle (drums).
Richard Stephen Sinclair is an English progressive rock bassist, guitarist, and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene.
Roy Babbington is an English rock and jazz bassist. He became well known for being a member of the Canterbury scene progressive rock band Soft Machine.
Gary Husband is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer.
In Cahoots was a Canterbury scene band led by guitarist Phil Miller, their main composer.
John Michael Glyn Etheridge is an English jazz fusion guitarist, composer, bandleader and educator known for his eclecticism and broad range of associations in jazz, classical, and contemporary music. He is best known for his work with Soft Machine from 1975 to 1978, 1984 and 2004 to present.
2nd Vision was a British jazz-rock band notable for including guitarist John Etheridge and violinist Ric Sanders, both former members of Soft Machine. It released the album First Steps, which has been re-released on Blueprint Records in 2006.