Artist's Comments:

• "Salute to Barney Kessel" was recorded, on lead, with a Gibson-made 1939 Recording King "M-5" with an original 1930s Recording King "Charlie Christian" bar pickup; and for rhythm I used a 1932 Martin "C-3" Round-hole with heavy flat-wound strings.  The M-5 has a classic punchy, growly sound, that is actually pretty hard to handle, but talk about authentic sound...!   I recorded this cut for Barney – put in every Kessel-type approach I could come up with in a four minute cut.  I sent it to Barney during his last illness and I'm hopeful he had an opportunity to hear it.  I'm sure it would've cracked him up.  Barney was one of my original guitar heroes when I started out, and remains one today.

• "Lester Leaps In" has a 1939 Gibson "ES-150" "Charlie Christian" guitar on both lead & rhythm.  It really sounds great!  I found a 40-year-old unused set of heavy flat-wound "Black Diamond" strings, and use them on it.   I've always been fascinated with Lester Young's "floating" licks above the chord changes.   I noticed he played in the "third in bass" area.  If a blues is in "G", he'd be in the "B" area (a third up) and everything was half a step away, which is really cool, but doesn't easily finger on the fretboard.  The descending lines to low notes during my solo were "happy accidents"....

• "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" has me again playing, on lead, the 1939 Gibson "ES-150" with a "Charlie Christian" pickup, and on rhythm a 1932 Gibson "L-4" Round-hole.  After almost 40 years, I still naturally gravitate toward Ellington tunes when I perform or record.  They still endlessly fascinate me; have limitless possibilities of interpret-ations and improvisations; and have such strong identity and "intent"...  I played the melody with thumb and fingers, for a fat soft tone; and had a pick stuck between my fingers that I rotated out and used for the solo section.  I also moved my chair vis-a-vis the mic and lost most of the hum the guitar was generating.  I wish the whole tune were that quiet, but hey, got to play that old guitar!

• "Farewell Blues" A 1956 Epiphone "Triumph Regent" and the 1932 Martin "C-3" Round-hole were used on this track.  My brother, Ken, and I used to play this old slide guitar tune (Sol Hoopii, Roy Smeck, and others) on old resonator guitars years ago.  I've recorded it using a lot of the old Hawaiian's jazz/swing cords with bass lines, and is an example of just how hip and sophisticated the old time Hawaiians were.  Gabby Pahinui's arrangement of "Satin Doll" that he showed me is still my favorite chord melody arrangement of that tune.   Ledward Kaapana is a famous slack key guitarist, but you should hear him play jazz on his Gibson "ES 175" – he is really a bad dude on that archtop.   Sonny Chillingsworth played wonderful hip arrangements of standards on his old Gretsch "Nashville".   I got a lot of my "chord sense" from him.  But it was those big, scary, hula mamas playing rhythm behind hula dancers that really gave me a vocabulary.   They had the hippest, swinging chord voicings I've ever heard, and man, I really did pay attention! Hawaiian + Jazz is as good as it gets!

• "I Got Rhythm"  Two of Rich Hoeg's new prototype graphite resonator guitars were used on this cut. My brother, Ken, is playing Rich Hoeg's new prototype 2003 Hoeg Grapite Tri-cone; and I am playing his 2003 Hoeg Graphite Single-cone.  My brother Ken and I haven't recorded, or played much together, in almost 25 years.  As it's been all our lives, Ken and I just take off and beat the stuffing out of the guitars.  Time change ups, syncopation sections, "big band horn" section type dynamic phrases - it's all spontaneous and simply made up as we go along.  We both love to play on the very edge of the cliff and never quite fall over...  It's great to play with Ken again.  This track sounds like we never stopped playing together!

• "Blues For Jerry, Terry & Gary"  For this song, on lead, I used a 1991 Gibson "Advanced Jumbo" with flat wound strings, and on rhythm the 1932 Martin "C-3" Round-hole with heavy flat-wound strings.  The three best guitarists the San Francisco bay area produced during the Fillmore days – Jerry Miller (Moby Grape), Terry Haggerty (Sons of Champlin) and Gary King (Beggars Opera), were all the most important players that defined how/why I play the way I do.  If you haven't heard these amazingly talented guitar players, and all three are complete gentlemen too, you're missing out on some amazing guitar playing, all on carvetop Gibsons, loud!  This blues is a tribute to them.  I use techniques developed by them to play the solo.

• "Kokomo Stomp"  On this cut Gary King is playing Rich's 2003 Hoeg Grapite Tri-cone; and I am playing his 2003 Hoeg Graphite Single-cone.  Gary King is a living legend around the San Francisco Bay area – one of the most creative and advanced musicians I've ever heard.   I've known him since the Fillmore days, the 1960's', and he still amazes me every time he plays a guitar.  Gary and I have a blast playing guitar together – it's always fun and spontaneous.  We'll have some other tunes elsewhere on Kokomo Music's website.  You can check it out.  We'll be recording an acoustic CD for Kokomo next year.

• "Burrell - Like"   On this track Todd Swenson used the 1932 Gibson "L-4" Round-hole ; and I used the 1932 Martin "C-3" Round-hole.  I've known Todd for decades, and we've played lot of guitar together.  He's one of the very few guitar players that really understands how brilliant and forward thinking the guitar great Oscar Moore was – and it shows in the way Todd "thinks" when he's creating a solo.  He doesn't play one extra note either - he's a fascinating guitarist to listen to.  We both wrote this song in tribute to the great Kenny Burrell.  I'm hoping that sometime we can re-record this song with bass and drums ...

• "Country"  On this cut Todd Swenson used his 1964 Epiphone "Professional" thin-line, and I used the 1932 Martin "C-3" Round-hole.  This beautiful song was written by piano great Keith Jarrett.  Todd slowly builds up his improvised solo (what all jazz guitarists strive for) and has a complete grasp of the melody and song form.   He plays it beautifully!

• "Swing Tune"  A prototype 2003 David Weber "Django Jazz" flattop with flat-wound strings was used by me on this cut for both lead, rhythm and bass.   My current favorite acoustic guitar luthier, David Webber, of Vancouver, B. C., has now started to make gypsy jazz "Django" type guitars.  The guitar on this recording is the very first prototype guitar, with a 12 fret neck, walnut back and sides, spruce top, and "D" shaped soundhole.  It's extremely lightweight, and very responsive – not percussive, like so many of these – this just responds to the player.  One track has chord comps with bass lines – one track is straight rhythm, and one track of lead.  They blend beautifully together.  This guitar will definitely be used in Kokomo Music projects in the near future.

• "Mystery Ship"On this tune I again used the prototype 2003 David Weber "Django Jazz" flattop with flat-wound strings .  For years I dreamed of an old wooden ship ashore on a gravel bank, and I would explore it in my imagination.   This year I found it...it's at Anacortes, Washington, and is called "La Merced."   I must have seen it when I was young.  I remember two abandoned wooden ships on a riverbank – Maine? New Hampshire?  Have to find them next.

• "I'm Beginning To See The Light"   On this track I used the1939 Gibson "ES-150" "Charlie Christian" for both lead and rhythm.  There's something perfect about these "ES-150" guitars.  The pickup has the perfect tone and response for playing old standards.   The non-cutaway body forces you to think about voicings, etc., and somehow dig deeper into the song.  These guitars have fascinated me for 40 years, and I still have a thrill when I hear one doing its unique "thing".  Out of the hundred or so "150's" that I've played over the years, this particular Kokomo session guitar is one of the best sounding; as well as the one with the most "mojo"!

• "In a Sentimental Mood"   Here I used a 1954 Gibson "Les Paul" gold top with flat-wound strings for lead, and a 1927 Gibson "L-4" Oval-hole for rhythm.   I got to thinking "How about a set of heavy gauge flatwound strings on a 1954 Les Paul Goldtop with wrapover bridge?"  So I did this tune, and WOW what a warm, fat sound...It made me play in a very different way – trying to bend an unwound 22' string was...interesting!

• "Bar Pickups & Flatwound Strings"   On this cut I used a 1941 Gibson "Deco" archtop with a vintage ES-100 bar pickup.  Because the same guitar was used for both lead and rhythm the background hum of the vintage pickup is more noticeable on this track.  This is a very even sounding guitar with really clear tone – perfect for the double time single note lines during the solo.  On some earlier cuts I did the old style "all down strokes solo picking.   Here it's an up and down picking, with the thickest pick I could find.  "Barks" like a junkyard dog...perfect!   This song sums up the whole CD.