Musician brings his 'slack key' guitar style to Hot Club
Courtesy Jim “Kimo” West will appear at the Hot Club in Troy on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Embracing the finger-style genre of guitar music known as “slack key,” Jim “Kimo” West creates a unique sound while on stage. The Canadian-born entertainer with comedic connections to Weird Al Yankovic will perform Friday night at the Northwest Music and Hot Club in Troy.
Born in Toronto in 1950, West started playing at an early age and started earning money at age 16 with various rock bands. In the early 1980s, he met Yankovic in Los Angeles and went on to work with the comedian on albums and videos while going on tour.
After a long summer on the road with Yankovic in 1985, he made a trip to Hana, Maui and fell in love with Hawaii. It was there where he discovered “ki ho ‘alu” or as it is more commonly called, “slack key” guitar.
Slack key is an old Hawaiian style of playing where the strings are loosened or “slacked” to different tunings, allowing the bass, chords and melody to be played simultaneously.
Today, West is recognized as one of the world’s top musicians that specializes in the slack key tradition. He has won several honors and awards for his talents.
West’s numerous CDs fuse traditional slack key with his own musical language, while still retaining the essence of its “nahenahe” or “gentle” style.
West, or “Kimo” as he is called in Hawaii, has performed at most of the slack key guitar festivals in Hawaii and on the mainland. His playing has been featured in a number of films, TV spots, the Disney Channel and National Public radio.
Between composing commissions and slack key guitar playing, he also finds time to hone his production chops and has produced CDs for a number of independent artists. One of his most recent projects was “Eia Mai Ka La – Here Comes The Sun” for Los Angeles-based Hawaiian performer Kapo Ku. His most recent film project is the 3D feature film, “Al’s Brain.”
West’s performance at the Hot Club is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Friday Night at the Hot Club
Who: Jim “Kimo” West
When: Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Northwest Music and Hot Club, Troy