One Guitar, No Vocals
Leo Kottke was initially inspired by fellow southern blues and country masters such asMississippi John Hurt,Chet Atkins, andRoy Clark. As a young artist, Leo Kottke recorded forJohn Fahey's legendary Takoma label--garnering sometimes unfair comparisons to that gentle giant of guitar hoo-doo. Subsequently, pickers fromRy CoodertoJim O'Rourkehave been influenced by the work of these elder brothers who laid the groundwork for the atmospheric, improvisational noodling that's sometimes called chamber-folk. Following along these lines, Kottke displays his heritage proudly on the simple yet remarkably nimbleOne Guitar, No Vocals. "Three Quarter North" is a bluesy, deliciously sloppy waltz interspersed with broken bits of phrasing like the easy, mumbled drawl of front-porch conversation, while the album's longest piece, "Accordian Bells," rises and falls, tinkles and plays like tiny tip-toe dancing.--Paige La Grone