RANDOM NOTES, PART 2
LAST MONTH, in the first part of our Frets feature with fabled fingerpicker Leo Kottke, he detailed the making of his fantastic duo redux with Phish bassist Mike Gordon, Noon (ATO). In this issue’s second and final installment, Kottke offers a profound examination of his singular stylistic evolution, seen largely through the wide-angle lens of the 12-string.
The GP Hall of Famer’s impact is comparable to an unplugged Hendrix in that Kottke set the tone for the modern acoustic guitar hero. When aficionados discuss elite players, Kottke’s name always comes up, as it did when GP delved deeply into the subject for the August 2017 acoustic special issue. Cover artist Tommy Emmanuel said, “I remember when GP had a poll about a dozen years back for the readers’ favorite acoustic albums of all time. Of course, Leo Kottke’s 6- and 12-String Guitar came in at number one.” Kottke graced the cover of Guitar Player exactly 40 years prior for the August 1977 cover, and he was also a Frets cover artist multiple times back when it was a standalone acoustic magazine.
“PEOPLE TALK ABO UT THINGS LIKE S TUDY, TALENT AND INFL UENCE, BUT NONE OF THA T ME ANS ANYTHING IF Y OU DON’ T HAVE THE APPETITE”
Kottke’s very first release was 1969’s , and the noteworthy evolution of his idiosyncratic fingerpicking style is due to the nature of his duo with Gordon on bass. But, as he elucidated, the instrument played a starring role in the script of his life, even if it remains something of an enigma to the maestro, who wields his own signature Taylor 12.
