JIM KIMO WEST & DAVID VITO GREGOLI, "Lake Crescent"

When it comes to artists creating purely instrumental music without vocals, titles are sometimes pretty or poetic afterthoughts rather than thematically intrinsic and essential to the experience of listening to the compositions themselves. The magnificent multi-guitar driven tandem of Grammy winning slack key guitarist Jim Kimo West and producer, multi-instrumentalist and famed “sound painter” David Vito Gregoli – collectively known as “Kimo Vito” take a very different approach.

Even as their soulful and seductive melodies, dual guitarisma and extra sonic surprises draw us in, the names of their transcendent pieces feel like invitations to beautiful and colorful places – both in their hearts and specific geographic locales.

On a roll this year with tour stops in “Africa” (a re-imagined classic by Toto), the San Juan Islands (“Friday Harbor”), Scotland (“Highland Life”) and The Florida Keys (“Islamadora Sunset”), Kimo Vito’s softly meditative and richly atmospheric “Lake Crescent” taps into the same Northwest mindset and fond memories of the region as “Friday Harbor.” It’s named for a deep lake – the second deepest in the state of Washington, in fact - located in Olympic National Park near the small community of Piedmont.

Vito’s poignant, deeply personal reflections on the inspiration for “Lake Crescent” reveal that it’s an updated, artfully developed and Kimo-ized recording of a piece whose foundation dates back to the late 90s when he lived in Seattle. He says, “In 1995, my ex-wife and I took an amazing trip to the Pacific Northwest, which included some time at Olympic National Park, the 8th wonder of the world in my book. This place has it all – amazing beaches, mountains, snow, hiking and rain forests. One of the highlights was Lake Crescent, where the water was so still and clear that when I looked later at a picture I took, I couldn’t tell which way was up! The reflection was near perfect.

“Flash forward to 1998 and we’re living in Seattle when I compose the foundation of this piece, which I consider my first ‘fingerstyle’ work,” he adds. “Years later, Linda and I broke up and she remarried a very cool guy, Neal, who I always considered family. After many decades together with her, he passed on my birthday a few years ago. I dedicate ‘Lake Crescent’ to them. I love the way Kimo’s solid hands finish it off.”

Though the original piece “Lake Crescent” is based on was written by Vito, the gentle, heartfelt and intensely immersive track comes to life now as a full-blown collaboration fusing Kimo’s Moog, acoustic and soprano guitars with Vito’s shadowy fretless bass, acoustic guitar and sweetly caressing synth atmospheres.

The Spring of 2025 finds the wonderful team of Kimo Vito in a dynamic state of nostalgic wanderlust. It’ll be exciting to hear where they take us next!