‘Dear HARA’ Krystilez (Angry Locals, no serial number) Frank De Lima is not the only local recording artist using download-only recordings to comment on straight-from-the-headlines issues. Krystilez, one-fourth of the Angry Locals, put this out in response to the 2011 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. Suffice it to say, he’s not happy. “Aloha From Hawaii,” the… Read More »
‘My Kine of Music v. 3′ Shawn Ishimoto (Studio Valentine) Shawn Ishimoto’s third album in his “My Kine of Music” series is significantly different from the first two. With those he displayed his range as a musician and recording artist — a purveyor of Hawaiian and hapa-haole standards, national Top 40 and country music hits,… Read More »
‘I Was Born in Hawaii Nei’ Frank De Lima (Pocholinga Productions) Frank De Lima and his writing partner, Hoku Award-winning lyricist Patrick Downes, used the melody of Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 hit “Born in the U.S.A” in the mid-’80s as the vehicle for a De Lima showroom character, Chinese rock star Bruce Springroll, who was “born… Read More »
‘Wao Akua (The Forest of the Gods)’ George Kahumoku Jr. (Daniel Ho Creations) While many artists in recent years have included the words “slack-key guitar” somewhere on their album covers, perhaps to capture the attention of Grammy Award voters, as used on the cover of the latest album by slack-key master George Kahumoku Jr., the… Read More »
If Hawaiian music still had a category of its own at the Grammy Awards, Daniel Ho’s new instrumental project would certainly be a contender for finalist status in 2012.
‘Starry Night for String Orchestra’ John Carollo (Navona) The recent news that progress is being made toward establishing a new Honolulu symphony has inspired many suggestions regarding programs and promotions that might help the new group build a larger and broader audience than its predecessor. For instance, a program of symphonic arrangements of classic 19th-century… Read More »
‘Together Hawai’i: A Song for Japan’ Various artists (Ua) In 1984 Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats heard that people were starving in Africa. He responded to the humanitarian crisis by writing a song and then inviting the biggest English and Irish pop stars of the day to join him in recording it for charity…. Read More »
‘Extended Play’ Tim Rose (self-published) Singer-songwriter Tim Rose introduces himself with five original compositions. The title harks back to an earlier era when record labels sometimes released 7-inch, 45-rpm records with two songs on each side instead of one. “Extended play” releases were generally known as “EPs” for short. Rose makes good use of the… Read More »
‘Pacific Tinge’ Crosscurrent (Jazz Hang) Trombonist Patrick Hennessey is recognized by those in the know as an important resource in the never-ending struggle to preserve the cultural foundation of the Royal Hawaiian Band. His biography of RHB Bandmaster Heinrich “Henri” Berger has yet to find a publisher, but will be essential reading for Hawaiian music… Read More »
‘Falling for You’ Veronica (Jumpstart Music) Singer/songwriter Veronica Pangelinan, a Makakilo resident, introduces herself with a collection of five original songs — four co-written with local music veteran Lance Motogawa, the fifth with a cousin currently living in Oklahoma. Give her credit for not cutting corners on production costs; she and her producers, Motogawa and… Read More »
‘This Child’ Kanohowailuku Helm (Anahaki AR2010) Although CD singles never entirely disappeared from the market, they have become more visible as Hawaii artists have made use of the CD format to release new music without putting out full-length albums. Time was when acts would record “filler tracks” just to have enough songs for an album…. Read More »
‘JMD’ JMD (Bushman Music Works) Rock guitars and Jamaican-style rhythms are the immediate first impressions of this six-song CD EP from JMD — a trio consisting of Jason Arimoto (ukulele and lead vocals), Mark Sakaue (bass and lead vocals) and David Morgenthaler (drums and background vocals), reinforced here by organist Charles Park. Arimoto and Sakaue… Read More »
‘The Legend’ Ledward Kaapana (Rhythm & Roots) Copies of Ledward Kaapana’s latest album went on display at Borders late last month, but the recording was evidently released at least four months before that. How do we know? Because the deadline for the 2011 Grammy Awards was Sept. 30, and Kaapana is again a finalist in… Read More »
‘Solo Ukulele: The King of Pop’ Abe Lagrimas Jr. and Friends (Pass Out) Pass Out Records opens the year with this “why not?” compilation of songs forever associated with Michael Jackson but performed here as pieces for solo ukulele. Abe Lagrimas takes the lead with four of the seven selections — Jason Arimoto, Kalei Gamiao… Read More »
‘Kona’ Various artists (Ua Mau) Although Kona coffee has never had the economic dominance or political clout of sugar and pineapple, the roots of coffee growing in Hawaii go back more than a century. Coffee is like wine in that the countless varieties each result from unique combinations of climate and geography, and so the… Read More »
‘On the Summit’ KUmZ (Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang) (Kauakoko Foundation) The living legacy of kumu hula Robert Cazimero, at right, permeates the latest album by Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang — aka KUmZ — longtime members of Cazimero’s Halau na Kamalei who eventually received from him the title and cultural responsibilities of… Read More »
‘Peace Love Ukulele’ Jake Shimabukuro (Hitchhike Records) Always imaginative, always entertaining, Jake Shimabukuro opens the new year with another landmark album. The official release date here is Tuesday, though his fans in Japan might already be familiar with it. He opens on a typically cross-cultural note, working with a four-piece band and an acoustic string… Read More »
‘Seasons Greetings from Soul Sound’ Various artists (‘Aumakua) Many people enjoy singing with family and friends. Maile Judd and Shawn Livingston Moseley take that age-old custom forward by recording the results and releasing them on a CD. Carl “Papa” Judd writes in the liner notes, “What better way to celebrate the season than with the… Read More »
‘Classical Ukulele Masterpieces’ Kool Hand Uke (ONO) Multi-instrumentalist Kool Hand Uke’s debut album puts him in the company of a very small group of talented musicians who play classical melodies on four-string ukulele. There’s Gordon Mark, widely known for his pioneering work in arranging the complicated works of Western classical composers for performance on four… Read More »
‘At Home in the Islands’ Brothers Cazimero (Mountain Apple Co.) Archival photos, vintage film clips and the natural wit and wisdom of Robert and Roland Cazimero are the best parts of this beautifully assembled musical biography. The spectacular opening sequence sets the mood with aerial footage capturing the natural splendor of the islands en route… Read More »
‘Lavapalooza’ Johnny Aloha (Coverage) Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine have enjoyed at least a decade of success reworking pop and hip-hop hits as cocktail lounge music — imagine how, say, “Me So Horny,” “She Hates Me” and “Smoke Two Joints” would have sounded if recorded by Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. As one… Read More »
‘All That Hawaiian Jazz’ Paul Shimomoto (Lei Hano) Several artists have described their music in recent years as “Hawaiian jazz.” Vocalist Paul Shimomoto makes a more convincing claim than most. His musicians — von Baron (drums), Dan “The Man” Del Negro (piano), Jeff “Jeffrito” Peterson (guitar and ukulele) and Mark Tanouye (bass) — have the… Read More »
‘Hawaiian Host Presents New Original Music from Willie K’ Willie K (Maui Tribe) Hawaiian Host did very well two years ago when it teamed up with Raiatea Helm to release a limited-edition “Christmas Macadamia and Music Medley” candy sampler that presented four of the company’s most popular candies and a special five-song Helm CD. It’s… Read More »
‘Have Uke Will Travel’ Sarah Maisel (Rolltop 840-D) The ukulele went out into the world and became known worldwide as the iconic musical instrument of Hawaii. Many people outside Hawaii associate the steel guitar with country music, even though it too was first played here — but not so the ever-popular uke. This album, featuring… Read More »
