The term "folk" seems inadequate to guitar wizard Leo Kottke, but how else to describe his roots-based extreme virtuosity? Sure, Chet Atkins was awesome; John Fahey was a virtuoso, Les Paul a god. But Kottke had something else going for him, mainly a spry sense of humor and ho-hum vocals that even Kottke poked fun at. Kottke's blend of jazz, rock, bluegrass and Appalachian folk has raked in a plethora of accolades throughout the years: He was voted "Best Folk Guitarist" for five consecutive years by the readers of Guitar Player magazine and Performance Magazine's "Best Instrumentalist." He was inducted into the Guitar Player Hall of Fame in 1978 and scored Grammy nods in 1988 and 1991.Navigating his 22 studio records and 14 compilations, live albums and soundtracks career is daunting, but not impossible as his last release was in 2005. Kottke has overcome physically debilitating damage to his hearing and his tendons that nearly ended his career by switching up his playing style, and he continues strong to this day.

LEO KOTTKE, 7 p.m., Vashon Theatre, 17723 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon, $35-$45, 206.463.6845

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