By Ron Gonzales /
For the Journal
Being a guitar virtuoso definitely has its perks, as guys like Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton or even John Mayer can surely attest. Guitarist Leo Kottke can be spoken of in a similar light. Just a few seconds into any of his recordings tells you that, and his fans might thank their lucky stars that Kottke's initial musical endeavor didn't pan out.
“I was really into trombone at the time,” Kottke said of when he was 11 years old and living in Wyoming. “I'd been sick for a long time and was supposed to stay flat on my back. My mother, knowing that you can't play trombone on your back, brought me a guitar. I made up an E chord and sat up immediately. It all came and got me, and it hasn't changed an iota since then.”
Not only have things not changed for Kottke, but when it comes to his love for guitar, it's also appropriate to say that Kottke has had a hand in changing what our idea of a virtuoso is. While Van Halen, Clapton and Mayer can surely shred their electrics, Kottke prefers six- and 12-string acoustic guitars. And, through his many recordings and collaborations with artists such as John Fahey, Los Lobos and actor Jonathan Winters, Kottke professes that very little of his music is planned out, which seems to further underscore his virtuosic nature.
“The only time I deliberately invent is when I'm doing film work or stuff like that, where you need a minute and 32 seconds exactly,” Kottke says. “You learn it works that way, and you think of any old thing and try to play it. The weird thing about it is that it's not inspiring and the music you get suits the image, but you don't care to play it in any other recording.”
Being a “solo eccentric musician,” as Kottke calls himself, and composing in a way that pleases only himself, does seem to have its downside, however. One of them being that performing solo strips everything away, leaving only the “eccentric musician” in front of a watchful crowd.
Kottke issued his last recording (“Sixty Six Steps”) in 2005, a compilation with former Phish bassist Mike Gordon, and according to his publicist, no new releases are in the works. He does, however, have a slate of shows scheduled through July.
Leo Kottke
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7
WHERE: Tuesday's show is at the Lensic in Santa Fe, 211 W. San Francisco; Wednesday's show is at the Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque, 423 Central NW
HOW MUCH: Tickets for the Lensic performance are $22-$40 and are available online at www.ticketssantafe.org or by calling the Lensic box office, (505) 988-1234. Tickets for the Kimo performance are $25-$35 and are available online at ticketmaster.com or by calling 883-7800
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