Masterful slack-key
series continuesFour Hands Sweet & Hot: Cyril Pahinui & Bob Brozman (Dancing Cat)
GEORGE Winston's landmark Hawaiian Slack Key Masters series continues with a third pairing of slack key and acoustic steel guitarists. Bob Brozman returns on steel. His partner this time is Cyril Pahinui.
The interplay between them provides a beautiful introduction to both instruments. Some songs are interpreted with tranquil meticulousness. Others have the energy of a backyard jam. Most are Hawaiian standards, but the duo strikes a contemporary note by opening "Hawaiian Cowboy" with a few bars of "Bonanza." Pahinui's singing adds warmth and variety elsewhere.
An extensive liner notes booklet explains the significance of each song and provides biographical and cultural information.
Ka Ulu Mae'ole: Keali'i Blaisdell (Hula)
KEALI'I Blaisdell and Ku'ualoha Meyer introduce themselves with the first big Hawaiian vocal album of 1999. He's a handsome singer with a pleasant voice. She's the artisan who crafts the Hawaiian lyrics for his songs. Every song is an original. What an example for other young local recording artists!
Producer Flip McDiarmid keeps the mood traditional. Blaisdell's 12-string guitar is the main instrument. Electronic effects are kept to a minimum. Blaisdell displays his vocal range in English with "For Only You," and speaks for loving parents everywhere with "My Baby Sleeps," a song inspired by his daughters.
As with all first-rate Hawaiian albums the liner notes include the lyrics and basic English translations. Kaona (hidden meanings) remain confidential of course, but the annotation helps mainstream listeners catch some of the nuances (For instance, Blaisdell wrote the lyrics of the title song in English and had Meyer's husband translate his feelings into Hawaiian).
The Best of Ben Sun: Ben Sun (Ben Sun)
BEN Sun is a Chinese musician now based in Hawaii. The erhu is a two-string fiddle used in China for 1000 years but not used in mainstream American music. Sun's playing Top 40 and Broadway hits with the erhu as lead instrument is an imaginative reminder of the untapped ideas in contemporary music.
See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.
See Aloha Worldwide for locals living away.
John Berger, who has covered the local
entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings
produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Home Zone
section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
