Cascade Theatre, 1733 Market St., Redding
Fri., Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m.
TIckets: Loge: $35,
Orchestra: $32,
Center Balcony: $29,
Side Balcony: $26
For nearly four decades, 6- and 12-string guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke has dazzled audiences with his amazing fingerstyle approach — amassing a worldwide following and winning 7 GRAMMY Awards in the process. The self-taught guitarist first surfaced with his now-legendary 1969 recording, Six and Twelve-String Guitar. He has since blazed a singular stylistic path — creating music that draws on blues, jazz, and folk influences. Classical precision, popular appeal, jazz fluency, 20th-century harmony, syncopated rhythms, and lyrics that feature quasi-literary characterizations all vie for supremacy in his music and challenge our preconceived notions of how acoustic guitar music should sound.
Leo Kottke’s skills as a guitarist and composer are widely acclaimed, and he has worked with an eclectic array of musicians, from Doc Watson and Lyle Lovett to Phish bassist Mike Gordon. His craggy baritone voice has been compared to Tom Waits. Audacious, intelligent, and funny, Leo Kottke’s music defies traditional categories and is, simply put, a delight to hear.
