Leo Kottke Has A Lot to Answer For…
….what with the spate of solo acoustic guitar Lp's inspired by his 'breakthrough' 3rd one which eventually led to that dreadful Windham Hill scene. Until then these type Lp's were unique with SANDY BULL and JOHN FAHEY leading the pack, ROBBIE BASHO pinch-hitting and PETER WALKER at the back of the class. It's no Ritual-All 7 70 tho don't let that stop you digging his yahowayout FAHEY-BASHO thing cuz these are the first genuine American Primitive Guitar sounds in ages. Well, some are from various type zithers but sound like when RB went off on one of his blissed/spazzed 12-string journeys towards the one. SB gets the nod on "Dervish Two", likewise "Matsui One" acknowledges PW. There's plenty that's reminiscent of early JF too, tho everything's got a tinge of skewered avantness and "Take Ten" can even have you imagining a way gone JORMA/JACK thing had they dared to really let loose. JF wound up his 1979 'Visits Washington D.C.' w/the exquisite tour de force "The Grand Finale" which managed to incorporate nearly everything he'd done in his career up to then. In similar fashion, the 8:40 "Take Twenty One" encapsulates the previous eighteen fantasias for guitar and zither. As a whole, this is a perfect portrayal of Old Weird America thru an auricular hall of mirrors. Additionally, it serves as a welcome and needed reminder to a fading genre as the progenitors have mostly all passed on. Bow down to Alan Sondheim.