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Leo Kottke--little guidance please.

Jailtime

Jailtime

Standin' on a corner
I've been pushing the boundaries of my musical tastes lately, trying to find some new stuff in new genres (new to me, that is). So I'm a classic rock fan predominantly, but I found Mark Knopfler's solo work to my liking, that finger picked guitar is awesome. :music: I've always loved MK's "Marbletown" and the Eagles' "Seven Bridges Road". So in search of more finger picked guitar, I found Leo Kottke. He's damn good, listening to "6 and 12 String Guitar" right now. Any recommendations for more exploration into the world of fingerpickin'? Hmmm, I'm getting a strange taste in music, anything from Rush to Leo Kottke. :scratch2: :D
 
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Congratulations on coming across the man who just may be the finest guitar player in the US today. Next up should be "Mudlark", some fantastic playing there. Awesome cover of "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds. I'd follow that with "Ice Water", "Chewing Pine", "Balance", "My Feet are Smiling", for the incredible medley Crow River Waltz, where he segues from Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire into Jack Fig, truly scary. "Burnt Lips" and "Time Step".
That should get you started down the right path, there are also some very good compilations worth seeking out, "Anthology", "Essential", and "The Best". Good luck and go see him if he comes to your town. I know some pretty good guitarists who got very depressed after seeing him play live.
 
6 & 12 String was like the soundtrack of my freshman year in college. Kotke is great. For where he came from,check out John Fahey. For what others have done with that style of music, maybe Richard Gilewitz.
 
RT Fan said:
Congratulations on coming across the man who just may be the finest guitar player in the US today. Next up should be "Mudlark", some fantastic playing there. Awesome cover of "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds. I'd follow that with "Ice Water", "Chewing Pine", "Balance", "My Feet are Smiling", for the incredible medley Crow River Waltz, where he segues from Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire into Jack Fig, truly scary. "Burnt Lips" and "Time Step".
That should get you started down the right path, there are also some very good compilations worth seeking out, "Anthology", "Essential", and "The Best". Good luck and go see him if he comes to your town. I know some pretty good guitarists who got very depressed after seeing him play live.
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+1, and don't forget "When Shrimps Learn to Whistle," which, I think, is on his self-titled LP. First time I saw him, I would close my eyes and try to figure out where the other guitarist was hidden. That was over 30 years ago, and even with his diminished dexterity, his guitar playing is like Babe Ruth with a hangover - still head and shoulders above the rest. You will want to see him again and again. Each show is a unique experience. He could also put Garrison Keilor to shame with his story-telling.

A couple of other acoustic guitarists you might consider: John Fahey, who is credited with influencing Kottke, and Adrian Legg, whose range captivates me like no one else but Kottke.

I also really enjoy the acoustic work of Jorma Kaukonen. He was one of the founding members of Jefferson Airplane, but his best acoustic music (apart from "Embryonic Journey" ) came with Hot Tuna or solo, IMHO.

Regards,

D-Ray
 
If Kottke was new and different to you and you liked him, here a couple of other guitarists you may enjoy. Both are different styles than Kottke, but great in their own right:

Doc Watson ("flat-top" guitar god par excellence)
J.J. Cale (His influence upon Mark Knopfler (and Clapton) seems pretty clear to me)

As for being similar to Kottke, Fahey is clearly the ticket. Kottke's clearly at his best when he chooses not to sing. By his own admission his voice sounded like "goose farts on a foggy day."

As for one great acoustic guitar gem, try "Little Martha" from the Allman Bros. "Eat a Peach."
 
d-ray657 said:
I also really enjoy the acoustic work of Jorma Kaukonen. He was one of the founding members of Jefferson Airplane, but his best acoustic music (apart from "Embryonic Journey" ) came with Hot Tuna or solo, IMHO.
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Amen to that. He is one of the most highly regarded acoustic players among the rock greats.
I am not sure how many acoustic records Dave Edmunds has, but saw him live and he was killer.
Al Dimeola is VERY good.
There was a thread not long ago, too lazy to find it now, titled "Acoustic Guitar" Many people posted links, there were some real good relatively unknown pickers on it.
 
Kottke is amazing. He's one of my favorite singers (I ****-you-not) I love his Greenhouse album. esp the song Tiny Island. Another favorite would be the more recent (1990 or so) "My Father's Face" with the tune "Why Can't You Fix My Car?"

If you want to trace back into Leo's influences, one could mistake him for John Fahey. Check him out too.
 
Very cool. I just "discovered" Kottke as well and posted here about it. I recently picked up an original copy of Mudlark and liked it so much, I went out and bought a new re-release of 6 & 12.

JJ Cale is also great but more in the Kottke vein, check out Michael Hedges. He sounds like 3 guitar players at once!
 
Several good ones have been mentioned. Try to find Hedges' version of Zappa's "Sofa". But for something a little different, there are plenty of old blues players that fingerpick. In fact, pretty much all of them do to one degree or another. For starters, try Brownie McGee (with Sonny Terry), Lightnin' Hopkins and Blind Willie McTell. Mississippi John Hurt ought to be in there too. If you like slide, you have to hear Blind Willie Johnson.

Or go with the big daddy, Merle Travis, for some good ole Kentucky fingerstyle.
 
Lots of great ideas here. I have one suggestion, check out this.

Ry Cooder Radio at Pandora.com.

http://www.pandora.com/

If you listen to this for a few minutes your bound to hear some of the best guitarist around including Leo Kotke.
 
It's tough to top Leo. You may want to try more Kottke. If you're looking for something different, you may want to try Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Live at the Quick (best money I ever spent on a DVD). He plays banjo, but he's one of the best on the planet at picking.
 
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