Track Listing

1. I Like You
2. Drifting and Dreaming
3. I Want Someone to Love Me
4. King's Serenade
5. King Kamehameha (take A)
6. Kolo Pa
7. Don't Stop Loving Me
8. Akaka Falls
9. My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua Hawaii
10. Weave a Lei - Flower Lei
11. An Orange Grove in California
12. Aloha Beloved
13. The Lei Vendor
14. On Our Parting Day
15. There's Nothing Else to Do In Ma-La-Ka-Mo-Ka-Lu
16. My Hawaiian Queen
17. Midnight's Near
18. Hula Girl
19. Hula Blues
20. Under the Tropical Moon
21. Ten Tiny Toes - One Baby Nose
22. Oh! Lady be Good!
23. King Kamehameha (take B)
24. It's Hard to Say Good-Bye

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #128402 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .18 pounds

Album Description
Sol Hoopii is considered to be one of the greatest Hawaiian steel guitar players ever. He was the first Hawaiian guitarist to incorporate jazz improvisation into his playing, and his style was very influential to other steel guitarists of the 1920s-30s, including early western swing electric steel players. These recordings he made in 1933 and 1934 on acoustic steel guitar with his Novelty Quartette are the last before he switched to the electric guitar, and represent the pinnacle of his performing skill. Most have never been issued on LP or CD. This collection is a must for all fans of Hawaiian music, western swing, and early jazz guitar. 24 tracks, 76 minutes total. Includes many rare and unpublished photographs.

Randy Skretvedt / Forward into the Past, KSPC Los Angeles
"The transfers are wonderful. `I Like You' has a breathtaking clarity and presence. Congratulations on a great release".

Customer Reviews

An absolutely amazing collection for both Novices and Fans!
This collection of Hoopii recordings is so far and away superior to the two Hoopii discs issued previously on Rounder, it's almost laughable. This CD is wonderful, from the amazingly clear, delicately and sensitively restored recordings to the eye-catching graphics in the booklet. It's such a treat to have an accompanying booklet that's well-written, carefully researched and packed with photos that are never seen before. The music is a joy to listen to, of course, and I think this is an excellent item not only for Hoopii purists, but for those who are new to the music and might be searching for a proper introduction to the genre. I can't recommend this CD highly enough, I'm quite in love with it, and I have other Hoopii CD's in my collection, so I'm not exaggerating. My favorite tracks are: "I Like You", including the hilarious gasps and silly vocal asides that are so clear it sounds like it was recorded yesterday!
"On Our Parting Day", which is just a breathtakingly beautiful performance, and "There's Nothing Else To Do in Ma-La-Ka-Mo-Ka-Lu" which is quite pretty, and an old favorite. For Hoopii novices, as well as die-hard fans, THIS is the definitive Hoopii CD collection to own.

THE GOLD STANDARD OF STEEL GUITAR
The quality of sound on this most-recent compilation of Sol Hoopi's work is the best by far. If you're new to Hawaiian steel guitar then this is the right starting point. If you already love his music you'll be thrilled at the clarity, warmth and depth of these early-'30s acoustic-guitar recordings. The packaging is also superior, with comprehensive notes and lots of great photos.

Steel Guitar at it's Best
The only way to describe Sol Hoopii is "pure genius" I have been waiting for years for someone to do serious collections of his old 78 rpm recordings and finally within the last few years several different labels are releasing CD's of Sol. If you are a fan of quality Hawaiian music, I would not stop with this one CD. Get your hands on all of Sol's collections. He is what Hawaiian Steel playing is all about.