SLACK & STEEL CD RELEASE WITH KEN EMERSON & JIM KIMO WEST

Slack key and steel guitarists, Jim Kimo West and Ken Emerson join forces for a rare evening of solo and duet performances celebrating the release of their great new album of Slack Key & steel bodied resonator guitar duets.
“Slack Key” means that some of the strings on a guitar are slacked from standard tuning, with the bass, melody, and improvisation played at the same time, and is often played to accompany traditional dance or song. Many players use their own special tunings that often remain proprietary secrets. Tonights show will feature this unique and beautiful style of playing.
Jim “Kimo” West first visited Hana, Maui in 1985, after a long summer on the road as guitarist for famed musical satirist, “Weird Al” Yankovic. As the sounds of Gabby Pahinui, the Sons of Hawai’i, Sonny Chillingworth, The Sunday Manoa, and others, played on the turntable, he jammed along for fun and relaxation. Already a devotee of open tunings, he was immediately drawn to the gentle rhythms of ki ho ‘alu (slack key guitar) and soon began writing his own songs. The rich physical and cultural landscape of the Hana Coast has provided the inspiration for many of his compositions.
While always retaining the heartfelt essence of traditional slack key, Jim “Kimo” West brings much of his own musical heritage to his original ki ho’alu instrumentals. His style can best be described as “nahenahe”, meaning “soft, sweet or gentle voice”, a fusion of old and new but still rooted deeply in tradition.
Jim lives in Los Angeles where he writes and produces music which has appeared in feature films and TV shows on all the major networks and cable channels.

“Jim West’s new recording continues his Slack Key explorations in his unique and beautiful style, and in various tunings, including two of his own invention, further accentuating his own sound”
— George Winston. pianist/ guitarist

Ken Emerson plays both Hawaiian Slack Key and lap steel guitar and switches easily between them during his performance, laying his guitar on his lap and picking up a steel bar for an instrumental interlude. This requires a special finesse and light touch because the slack key guitar has lower action than a dedicated lap steel guitar. He has developed his unique style through many musical genres. He has played his special blend of Blues/Jazz Hawaiian guitar for 40 years.. Born into a musical family, Ken grew up with his fathers’ extensive record collection of jazz, swing, Hawaiian and world music styles.
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, he played the folk and blues songs of the early ‘60s, learning right hand fingerstyle techniques that led to his development as a fingerstyle picker.
With the explosion of the San Francisco sound of the mid- later ‘60’s Ken also immersed himself into rock and electric blues styles. He was particularly drawn to bottleneck and slide guitar.
In 1968 Ken’s family moved to Hawaii. Absorbing the Hawaiian culture, Ken began studying Hawaiian language and music emulating the players of the 1920?s and ‘30s era by listening to vintage Hawaiian 78 rpm records, zeroing in on the jazz and blues styles of Sol Ho’opi’i and Sol K. Bright. Soon Ken was playing alongside such legendary performers as Gabby Pahinui, Genoa Keawe, Raymond Kane, and Moe Keale. Dividing his time between Kaua’i and San Francisco, Ken plays many Hawaiian venues and festivals and frequently tours the east coast of the United States as well as Europe and Asia.

“Emerson writes pieces that update the classic sounds of Hawaiian Slack Key guitar. His unaccompanied songs have an open, relaxing quality to them, moving forward in a gentle rhythm..”

Jessy Terry, Rolling Stone Magazine
http://www.jimkimowest.com