HERE ARE SOME EXCITING THINGS THAT
ARE HAPPENING AT KOKOMO MUSIC

Dream "Beater" Guitars.  The names "Bill Nash" and "Nash Guitars" are coming to the forefront to identify really cool "beater" guitars!   In his home shop in Olympia, Washington, Bill is producing some of the best sounding, and best vintage-looking, Strat-style and Tele-style instruments on the market; and at very affordable prices.  Click here to learn about Bill's interesting and informative story.

Telecaster Style Guitars.   Rich Hoeg is building custom Telecaster style guitars using feather light-weight hard figured swamp ash for the bodies – some with sound chambers.  The necks are made of highly figured curly maple, with beautiful Brazilian rosewood fretboards if desired.   He has enough materials to make about 150 instruments.  His first production guitars are already being used professionally.   The right woods do make a difference!  Click here to see and learn about these special instruments.

Kokomo Music certainly doesn’t have the monopoly on great sounding vintage (and not so vintage) instruments.   Every once in a while an “outsider” will sneak in, and we want to give credit where credit is due.   Thus we will have pictures, descriptions, and maybe even recordings, of these worthy visitors to Kokomo Music.

Phil Emerson's second Kokomo Music CD is out!  "Bar Pickups & Flatwound Strings"   What a CD!!  A mixture of old swing standards and Phil's own lyrical tunes using vintage Kokomo Music session guitars such as a Martin C-3, a Martin C-1, and a Gibson L-75, all with round sound-holes.  The Martin C-3 (used on the Phil’s first Kokomo Music CD) has rosewood back and sides, and has a wonderful warm, dark clear sound.   It is perfect for rhythm chords and bass lines (no, that’s not a bass on Phil’s CD, it’s Phil playing bass lines and rhythm chords at the same time!)  The Martin C-1 has mahogany back and sides, and is very lively with a nice “bark” and real “woody” dynamic response.  It is perfect for melody and leads.  The Gibson L-75 round-hole carved- top is different from either Martin.  It has as a loud mid/low “growl” that’s perfect for 1930's arch top jazz, whether rhythm or lead work.   These three guitars were used on Phil's CD, together othrer Kokomo Session guitars.   Click Here to visit the "Bar Pickups &..." CD Page.   There you can listen to some cuts, and learn Phil's thoughts about each song.  Purchase the CD in the KOKOMO STORE.

Ken Emerson's new CD, "Hawaiian Tangos, Hulas & Blues" is out.  Emerson's unique playing style pushes Hawaiian music into a new territory - world territory.  It is an acoustic musical journey where American roots meets traditional Hawaii in the company of some spicy Latin & Caribbean influences.  Emerson explores the Hawaiian slack key & steel guitar's huge range of possibilities.   Click Here to visit the "Hawaiian Tangos..." CD Page and listen to some cuts.  Purchase the CD in the KOKOMO STORE.

A Graphite Resonator Guitar Anthology is being put together by Rich Hoeg in conjunction with Kokomo Music.   Rich and Carl Zerbe are coordinating the recording of numerous artists on Rich's two prototype graphite resonator guitars. Will Bernard, Adam Levy, Duck Baker, Ken Emerson, Gary King, Todd Swenson, Henry Cooper, Phil Emerson, Henry Kaiser and others will be on this unique Kokomo Music CD. The tracks so far sound great!  To listen to preliminary cuts click on the song you desire from the list below:
     New Orleans    Ken Emerson on a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Tricone Resonator Prototype and doing vocals.
     Blue Monk   Duck Baker on a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Singlecone Resonator Prototype.
     I Come & Stand at Every Door   Ken Emerson playing a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Tricone Resonator Prototype and doing vocals, and Henry Kaiser on a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Singlecone Resonator Prototype.
     Tango   Ken Emerson playing a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Tricone Resonator Prototype and doing vocals, and Gary King on a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Singlecone Resonator Prototype.

Phil Emerson is hard at work on another CD for Kokomo Music featuring swing duets.  To listen to preliminary cuts click on the song you desire from the list below:
     Ain't She Sweet   Phil on 2003 Webber Django Flattop Acoustic Prototype with flatwound strings on both lead & rhythm.
     A Day Late, and a Dollar Short   Phil on a 2003 Martin D42 on both lead & rhythm.
     Brother Can You a Dime?   Phil on a 2003 Webber Django Flattop Acoustic Prototype with flatwound strings on both lead & rhythm.

Gary King is hard at work putting together a solo CD for Kokomo Music.  He is using acoustic flat-tops, acoustic arch-tops, and electric arch-tops.  You won’t believe his facility and styles on guitar, combined with his amazing voice. Gary and Phil Emerson are also working on a CD of jazz standards.  This will be their first CD together, hopefully of many to come.  They are producing so many exciting tracks numerous CDs should be in the offing.

Phil Emerson and Gary King are collaborating on an exciting project.  They have been friends for many years and were in the San Francisco Bay Area during the wonderful Fillmore years.  They have played so much together that their musical communication has become telepathic.  They like to try all of it ¿ jazz standards, old country, blues, folk tunes, everything from Joseph Spence to John Coltrane.  On this CD Phil's specialty will be rhythm guitar with and without walking base lines.  While performing, Phil holds it together while Gary sings and solos, with the occasional Phil solo thrown in.  Gary has a highly refined sense of singing, and soloing on his guitar, that is completely unique and original ¿ one of the most dynamic guitarists/singers to come along in years.  To listen to preliminary cuts click on the song you desire from the list below:
    Jesus on the Mainline   Gary on a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Tricone Resonator Prototype playing lead, and Phil on 2003 Hoeg Graphite Singlecone Resonator Prototype playing rhythm.  "Jesus on the Mainline" is a Joseph Spence masterpiece of phrasing and dynamics that Gary intuitively understands.  Gary and Phil recorded this with no rehearsal and without discussing its arrangement.   They did it just like Spence did ¿ play it and see what happens!
     Blue Moon of Kentucky  Gary on a 2003 Hoeg Graphite Tricone Resonator Prototype playing lead and doing vocal, and Phil on 2003 Hoeg Graphite Singlecone Resonator Prototype playing rhythm.  This cut was a totally spontaneous tribute to Sun Records.  It features Gary's lead & Phil's rhythm interplay that syncopate seamlessly.
      Parchment Farm Gary playing lead on a 1963 Gibson Johnny Smith and doing vocal, and Phil playing rhythm on a 1937 National Duolian Steel Resonator.  "Parchment Farm" shows a "feel" arrangement that Gary and Phil like to do ¿ everything arranges around the signature "push" and feel in the dominant phrase they do in the song.   Gary makes his vocal style work around this arrangement also, and gives it a very cool, laid-back groove.   Surprisingly, the Johnny Smith blends very well with the old National resonator, and a real conversation happens between the two guitars.

Todd Swenson is one of the few jazz guitarists who says the most with the fewest notes .... Mr. Taste! He’s also one of the rare guitarists who really understands what Oscar Moore was doing – touch and taste with a very highly evolved ear for improvising.  Todd is working on a jazz guitar CD for Kokomo Music.

Ken Emerson is mastering a blue’s CD for Kokomo Music which was recorded in the United States, England, France and elsewhere at gigs and festivals.  It has both blues standards and his own compositions.   Most of the cuts are with an electric guitar, but there are some where Ken uses his “Style O” and “ Tricone”.  Ken has another CD in the offing called “Jack of Spades”which we hope to release on the Kokomo label.  We love this CD and Phil is currently remastering it in hopes that it’s reproductive quality is made good enough for release.  Phil thinks it can.  As many of you know, Ken’s playing is masterful in many genres.  He has just finished another CD with Duck Baker, which will be in the in the Kokomo Store when it is released.

The Emerson Brothers are digging through their archives to put together a CD of their Hawaiian music.   Ken and Phil played with all the old-timers in Hawaii back in the 1970's – Gabby Pahinui, Sol Bright, Moe Keala, Barney Isaacs, etc.  Until a few months ago Phil had only two tapes of these old live Emerson sessions; however, in the recent move of his shop to Seattle from South San Francisco he discovered 22 more tapes!   It’s been over 20 years since the Emerson’s last Hawaiian CD, and it’s certainly time for another.   Their music won awards and accolades then, and will do the same now. There are a bunch of live gigs, festivals, sessions etc. to put together a number of CDs.  It’s some really wild Hawaiian jazz, traditional tunes, and more.   We’ll keep you posted.

This summer the Emerson Brothers will be recording together for the first time in 25 years. In addition to doing a few cuts for the Graphite Resonator CD, they will start on the production of a CD for Kokomo Music playing early Bix Biederbecke numbers (Davenport Blues, for example) and early Louis Armstrong songs (e.g., Mahogany Ball Stomp, Cotton Club Stomp, etc.).  It should be fun, and it’s been way too long!