Aloha mai!The Aloha Festivals season is starting! Oahu kicks off its celebrations first, with its reknowned (and fun!) Downtown and Waikiki Ho'olaule'a. The Big Island (Ho'olaule'a in boith Waimea and Hilo), Maui, Kauai -- there's something happening on your island - check it out!
The Steel Guitar Festival is back! Let me pull it out of the regular line-up and set it forth for you here:
September 11 - 18: Fourth Annual Steel Guitar Festival at the Halekulani. House groups the Islanders and the Hiram Olsen Trio play fom 5:30 - 8:30, with special guests joining them from 8 - 8:30. No cover charge, reservations not required. Info: 923:2311.
9/11: Jerry Byrd with the Hiram Olsen Trio
9/12: Isaac Akuna, with Islanders
9/13: Hanalei De Willigen with the Islanders
9/14: Edward Punua with the Islanders
9/15: Bobby Ingano and BB Shawn (slack key) with the Hiram Olsen Trio
9/16: Same as 9/13
9/17: Al Green Jr with the Hiram Olsen Trio
9/18: same as 9/11That's all for this time around!
Recordings
Makana, Makana (MoonRoomRecords MRR001). Makana, the new name for the former ki ho'alu kid, Matt Swalinkavich (as reported last issue) had produced an impressive first CD thart will appeal to those who loved John Cruz's Acousic Soul. Matt, Sonny Chillingworth's last pupil, showcases his slack key stylings but infuses them with a moody, very contemporary feeling. The songs are intense and beautifully played (some licks recall those of Hapa), with the kind of focused vocals that Guy Cruz was trying to pull off on his debut CD. The production values are terrific -- clear, clean, precise; the backup instruments totally pro. If there's one quibble to have with this fine CD, it's that they inhabit a certain moody universe, and it would be impressive to be able to extend the emotional range of the songs into something sunnier. Songs include: "Only You," "Don't You Want," "Sans Souci" (insrumental), "Erection," "Nani Wale No 'o Pele I Ka Lua," "E Pili A Nei Au i Kou Aloha," and "She's All Alone."
Na Leo, I Miss You, Hawai'i(NLPCD 3009) This CD was originally produced in Japan for Na Leo's growing Japanese audience in the summer of '99. The CD was subsequently brought to the US, and a bonus track, "You Don't Remember," added. I like Na Leo and appreciate how much affort it takes to harmonize in their apparently effortless fashion, but this CD leaves me wishing they'd pushed the envelope of their sweet sound a bit more, the way they did on Anthology with "I Feel Lucky," "Poetry Man," and "Time and Tide." Nice songs on this CD, nicely done, but no new ground for Na Leo, which might have been the way they wanted it for this project, seeing its origins. As a group, though, isn't it time they moved forward a little? Songs include: "E Hihiwai," "Diamondhead Daydream," "Pineapple Princess," "Hawaiian Eyes," "Hanau 'O Kekauluohi," amd "Simple as a Sunrise."
See you in mid-September- a hui hou!
--Susan
susanj@lava.net
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