George Kuo and Dennis Kamakahi are the latest masters on disc.GEORGE Winston's Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters Series continues with albums by George Kuo and Dennis Kamakahi.
Kuo's previous album in the series, a collaboration with steel guitar master Barney Isaacs titled "Hawaiian Touch," won a Hoku Award this year for "Instrumental Album of the Year." Kamakahi's album is his first in more than 10 years.
Kuo is strictly an instrumentalist; the final track was recorded live almost exactly 10 years ago and includes his explanation of one of his favorite tunings. Students of slack-key technique may wish to dissect his technique. Fans will simply enjoy the beauty of his music.
The multi-faceted Kamakahi plays and sings a diverse collection of standards and originals that have become standards since he first wrote them. Many know him best as composer of "Koke'e" and "Wahine 'Ilikea" - definitive renditions of both are among the highlights.
Either album is a perfect introduction to slack-key in general and the Dancing Cat series in particular. The annotation booklets that make this series the epitome of perfectly packaged Hawaiian music provide almost all the information on the artists and their music anyone could ask for (including the tunings used on each selection). Lyrics and translations of the songs Kamakahi sings are all that's missing.
Only extremely provincial minds will view these albums as anything but products of the Hawaiian music industry. Previous albums in the series have made the Billboard "World Music" chart; all have increased awareness of slack-key outside Hawaii.
THE sextet opens its debut album on a generic note but goes on to prove more substantial that most local reggae bands.
There are no lame remakes of Jamaican classics and the arrangements are almost completely free of the bogus pseudo-Caribbean accents affected local rasta wannabes.
Composers/lead vocalists Penidean Puaauli and Wayne Enos likewise prove able to utilize a variety of rhythms and melodic textures. This is one all-original local album in which all the originals do not sound like variations on a single idea.
Subject matter ranges from trivial to astute; several songs address the social problems caused by domestic violence, political corruption, and a system that puts the wishes of entrenched special interest groups above the needs of the people.
"Weed the People" uses a clever play on words to advocate marijuana as preferable to nicotine and alcohol - and an alternative to violence.
Other songs tap the spiritual foundations of reggae although without directly honoring His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie a k a Ras Tafari.
"Take Me Home," the unlisted 14th song on the disc is a beautiful piece of spiritual music that transcends sectarian divisions entirely.