That's What
Encyclopedia
That's What is one of the more idiosyncratic releases by solo steel-string guitar
artist Leo Kottke
. It is distinctive in its jazzy nature and "talking" songs ("Buzzby" and "Husbandry"). It reached #24 on Billboard's
Top New Age Albums charts, Kottke's highest charting position on Billboard.
The song "Little Snoozer" is played on a Charvel
demo model of a Danelectro
6-string bass guitar tuned one octave lower than a standard 6-string guitar.
Kottke has re-recorded at least two more versions of "Jesus Maria".
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
artist Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
. It is distinctive in its jazzy nature and "talking" songs ("Buzzby" and "Husbandry"). It reached #24 on Billboard's
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
Top New Age Albums charts, Kottke's highest charting position on Billboard.
The song "Little Snoozer" is played on a Charvel
Charvel
Charvel is a brand of guitar originally founded in the 1970s by Wayne Charvel in Azusa, California and then later, Glendora, California. Charvel guitars became popular in the 1980s due to their association with famous rock guitarists such as Edward Van Halen , Richie Sambora , Warren DeMartini ,...
demo model of a Danelectro
Danelectro
Danelectro is an American manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories, specializing in rock instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects units.-History:...
6-string bass guitar tuned one octave lower than a standard 6-string guitar.
Kottke has re-recorded at least two more versions of "Jesus Maria".
Reception
The Allmusic of the album stated "Leo Kottke has always been a highly idiosyncratic guitar player whose music is infused with his wry sense of humor. That's What is no exception, with Kottke's guitar work drawing from jazzy, blues and folk sources... Tying it all together is Kottke's fine guitar playing, as nimble and as quirky as ever."Track listing
All songs by Leo Kottke except as noted.- "Little Snoozer" – 3:53
- "Buzzby" – 3:57
- "What the Arm Said" – 2:54
- "Creature Feature" – 4:14
- "Oddball" – 2:51
- "Czech Bounce" – 3:38
- "Mid-Air" (Willard O. Peterson) – 3:23
- "The Great One" – 3:22
- "Husbandry" – 4:52
- "Jesus Maria" (Carla BleyCarla BleyCarla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
) – 4:30
Personnel
- Leo Kottke - guitar
- Billy Peterson - string bass, 5-string electric bass, drums, piano, synth, Farfisa Professional
- Bruce Paulson - tenor & bass trombones
- Gordy Knudtson - percussion
Production notes
- Produced by Willard Oliver & Leo Kottke
- Engineered by Paul Martinson
- Assistant engineers: Scott Bartel & Sam Hudson
- Mastered by Doug Sax
- Arrangements by Willard Oliver except guitar on "Jesus Maria" arranged by Tim SparksTim SparksTim Sparks is an American acoustic guitar player, singer, arranger and composer.- Biography:Raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis kept him out of school for a year...