By DON HECKMAN
Published: October 1, 2000

Speaking of guitar influences, many young, especially acoustic, players, are drawn to the work of such between-the-cracks eclectics as John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges and others. Richard Leo Johnson; whose 12-string playing really is beyond definition, nonetheless continues to do fascinating work in the same vague arena, some of it tinged with the spirit and the swing of jazz. His "Language" (***, Blue Note) places him in some attractive instrumental settings, in some cases with briskly swinging results. Other pieces emphasize his remarkable technique and the colorful, orchestral-like sound o textures he generates from his instrument.