Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Mosaic :: Kaki King

Singer-songwriter. Fantastic guitarist. Katherine Elizabeth King. Kaki King. I discovered her only in 2007, and was thrilled to find out that she'd be performing at Mosaic. She has scored so much good music for television and film. Her signature sounds have changed and grown over the years. This festival gets awesome-er year on year.

Just a guitar at any one time and the performer. The solo acoustic set was neither boring nor monotonous. Not exactly jazz-inspired or totally folk, Kaki King's unique percussive fingerstyle and nimble fret work filled up the recital studio. Every other piece was on alternate tuning. Complex chords layered upon the other. She didn't just play the guitar. She coaxed all four custom-made guitars in the studio with her to be expressive back-up musicians. Such talent.

Love 'The Fire-eater' that was dramatic and haunting. All the pieces were instrumental, except for one which she sang- 'Sunnyside'. Final song for the night was a rousing Celtic piece that she had played for her sister's wedding. An amazing evening. What a treat to hear and watch Kaki King live.

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