Quality, not quantity

In 2006, Hawaii recording artists put out a tight group of well-made albums

Was it the impact of illegal downloading and duplication, or was 2006 just another slow year for the local record industry? Whatever the explanation, 2006 releases by Hawaii musicians and record labels ran only ahead of the year before, and roughly 15 percent under 2004. The good news is that there was no shortage of quality. Here, in alphabetical order by title, are the 10 local albums of 2006 that best represent the ideals of excellence in performance, choice of material, arrangement, artwork, production values and annotation.

>> "Faya" O-Shen (Sharpnote): O-Shen is fluent in Niugini Pidgin (the national language of Papua-New Guinea) and several regional Melanesian languages, as well as standard English. On "Faya," recorded in PNG, he performs in eight languages -- including English and Hawaiian. The arrangements have an organic stripped-down sound; some reflect the worldwide impact of Jamaican culture, while others have edgier hip-hop rhythms. The lyrics address an assortment of topics, from male/female relationships to third-world political issues. At a time when most "island music" artists are still limited to performing in English or a faux-Jamaican patois, "Faya" is a landmark release -- and good music as well (Reviewed Jan. 13).

» "Gently Weeps" Jake Shimabukuro (Hitchhike): "Gently Weeps" captures Shimabukuro's artistry as a solo recording artist, as a band member and working in support of vocalist Jennifer Perri on a song from the soundtrack of "Hula Girls." He opens with an assortment of pop hits, jazz standards and solo melodies that consistently display his skill at combining rapid strumming with precise picking. The mood becomes more tranquil as the album continues, then picks up energy with the "bonus tracks" he recorded with other musicians. All in all, an excellent and imaginative showcase (Reviewed Sept. 15).

» "Grandmaster Slack Key Guitar" Ledward Kaapana (Rhythm & Roots): Ledward Kaapana's previous album, "Kiho'alu: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," was a finalist in the Best Hawaiian Music Album category at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Good as it was, this is a better overall showcase of his capabilities. Kaapana is an excellent falsetto singer as well as a slack-key master, and he sings on seven of the 12 selections here.

Most of the 12 are Hawaiian standards, but there are also a couple of contemporary Hawaiian songs and a new instrumental version of a pop chart oldie. A "live" recording of Kaapana blazing through "12th Street Rag" closes the album on a strong up-tempo note (Reviewed Aug. 8).

» "Ka 'Upu Aloha" Aaron J. Sala (Hula): Sala's long-anticipated album was a perfect debut. It was a traditional Hawaiian album in most respects, but approached tradition from an uncommon perspective, thanks to Sala's careful use of techniques and traditions of Western classical music. The result is a rare Hawaiian-language album in which the instrumental arrangements are often as important as the lyrics. A violin line represented the life and death of the heroine of one song, and the interaction between a pahu (drum) and a live brass section was a key element in another.

"Ka 'Upu Aloha" won Sala the Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Most Promising Artist in May (Reviewed Jan. 13).

» "King of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar" Sol Hoopii (HanaOla): Sol Hoopii was one of the greatest steel guitarists of the last century, and this anthology, a random selection of 20 "sides" recorded from 1927 through 1936, is a perfect introduction to his work. The spread allows listeners to compare Hoopiii's playing on a National Tri-Cone instrument (louder than a traditional steel guitar, but still an acoustic instrument) and the style he developed after switching to a Rickenbacker electric guitar in 1934. Detailed annotation and vintage photos complete this perfect retrospective (Reviewed Aug. 12).

» "Maluhia" Keali'i Reichel (Punahele Productions): Beautifully designed, the music embellished with important cultural information, "Maluhia" is in many ways as personal in content and as rich in kaona (hidden meanings) as Reichel's 2003 masterpiece "Ke'alokamaile." His instantly recognizable voice makes each song distinctive. The album is a gem.

Horace K. Dudoit III's imaginative arrangement of "Merry Christmas, Darling" reinvents the pop hit as a choral piece, with Reichel supported by Ho'okena, two guitars, a bass and a string quartet. Reichel honors Christian foundations of Christmas with beautiful renditions of "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night"/"Po La'ie," and pays homage to the pre-Christian culture of Hawaii with "Ke Aloha Kalikimaka." (Reviewed Dec. 4).

» "No Frills" Lyle Ritz (Flea Market Music): Ritz pioneered the development of the tenor ukulele as a mainstream jazz instrument 50 years ago. That makes this, his fourth studio album, a welcome addition to his discography. It's a solo project -- ukulele and bass, with Ritz also playing all the bass tracks -- and the clarity and precision of his ukulele technique is captured perfectly as he explores an assortment of pop, jazz and Latin melodies. Most are standards. All are beautifully done (Reviewed June 24).

» "Slack Key Guitar: The Artistry of Jeff Peterson" Jeff Peterson (Palm): Jeff Peterson stands out among Hawaii's top slack-key guitarists because of his formal training an classic Euro-American guitar techniques and his interest in acoustic jazz as well as ki ho'alu. This album captures his multicultural approach perfectly with 14 solo performances. "Whee Ha Swing" lets slack-key fans compare his arrangement with earlier versions by Sonny Chillingworth and Led Kaapana. "Hi'ilawe" becomes his salute to the Mexican vaqueros of the 1830s as he plays it with traditional Hispanic techniques (Reviewed Oct. 6).

» "The Wild Hawaiian" Henry Kapono (Eclectic): Henry Kapono was ahead of the local music industry when he stepped forward as a native Hawaiian nationalist with "Broken Promise" in 1991. He took another big step forward this year with this album of Hawaiian-language rock. Kapono established the viability of the concept with the first bars of "Na Ali'i," and didn't miss a note or a beat throughout. His catchy power-rock arrangements of Hi'ilawe" and "Ke Aloha O Ka Haku (The Queen's Prayer)" put the familiar lyrics in a new context while remaining true to their spirit. Two of the three originals also fit in well. A beautifully illustrated 22-page liner notes booklet provides the lyrics, historical information and Kapono's reasons for doing each one. (Reviewed June 24).

» "Where I Live, There Are Rainbows" Na Leo (Na Leo Music): Na Leo returns to the group's Hawaiian roots with this beautiful album. Smooth harmonies are the foundation of almost all the arrangements, and most of the songs are Hawaiian or hapa haole standards. It's the vocal style that has defined the trio for more than 20 years and the type of material they've almost always had the greatest success doing. The album title is the first line of the first song, and it sets the mood perfectly -- one beautiful musical "rainbow" after another.

Two songs bend the format a bit -- a Jawaiian-lite version of "Rhythm of the Ocean" and a catchy light-rock treatment of "Along for the Ride" -- but both fit in nonetheless (Reviewed Sept. 15).