Track Listing

1. Panini Pua Kea (Cyril Pahinui)
2. Ku'u Kika Kahiko (Ozzie Kotani)
3. Pohakuloa (Moses Kahumoku)
4. Ke'ala's Mele (Leonard Kwan)
5. Maui Medley (Barney Isaacs & George Kuo)
6. Moe 'Uhane (Sonny Chillingworth)
7. Kalena Kai (Keola Beamer with George Winston)
8. Whee Ha Swing (Ledward Kaapana)
9. E Ku'u Morning Dew (Keola Beamer)
10. Waikiki Hula Medley (George Kuo)
11. Punahele (Ray Kane)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18366 in Music
• Released on: 1995-05-23
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Hawaiian slack-key guitar began evolving in the 1830s, when Spanish and Mexican cowboys brought guitars to the cattle ranches of the Big Island. It became a recognizable style around the turn of the century. The term refers to the practice of slacking some strings from standard tunings to create open tunings; the thumb provides the bass line while the other fingers play melody and improvise. It might thus remind some listeners of the fingerpicking of a country master like Doc Watson, but the style has a wind-blown, wide-open quality all its own. Traditionally an accompanying instrument in a group setting, slack key has recently moved out front, and this all-instrumentals CD shows why. From the light touch of Moses Kahumoku or Leonard Kwan to the bluesiness of George Keo or Ray Kane to the pop feel of Keola Beamer, it offers the best possible introduction to the music. --John Morthland

Review
Hawaiian slack-key guitar began evolving in the 1830s, when Spanish and Mexican cowboys brought guitars to the cattle ranches of the Big Island. It became a recognizable style around the turn of the century. The term refers to the practice of slacking some strings from standard tunings to create open tunings; the thumb provides the bass line while the other fingers play melody and improvise. It might thus remind some listeners of the fingerpicking of a country master like Doc Watson, but the style has a wind-blown, wide-open quality all its own. Traditionally an accompanying instrument in a group setting, slack key has recently moved out front, and this all-instrumentals CD shows why. From the light touch of Moses Kahumoku or Leonard Kwan to the bluesiness of George Keo or Ray Kane to the pop feel of Keola Beamer, it offers the best possible introduction to the music. --John Morthland --Amazon.com

Review
Slack Key great Keola Beamer defined the Hawaiian word mana as the spiritual power that emanates from a material object, that it attains during its life. The guitars on this album radiate that power. Slack Key guitarists slacken the strings of their- instruments to produce open tuning - tuning that, when strummed unfretted, produce chords like G major, G minor, A minor 7th, C 6th. Many of these tunes are slow, with pristine picking, subtle variations, and notes that seemingly ring forever. Imagine trying to write a tune, such as Moses Kahumoku plays here, about the U.S. military's use of a great volcano in your native land for bombing practice. No words: just nylon strings and wood to speak of the mountain (itself possessing great mana) and the bombs. That's power. The 11 tracks on this Instrumental Collection feature masters young and old from Dancing Cat's Slack Key series. Pianist George Winston has been recording these guys for years now, and even taught himself to play Slack Key, as heard on his duet with Keola Beamer. Here is Cyril Pahinui, son of the great Gabby Pahinui, whose recordings with Ry Cooder introduced many to the subtler sounds of Hawaii. Here is Sonny Chillingworth, who has passed, playing a tune he heard in a dream. Here is a duet of Slack Key played with acoustic lap slide, dobro style - the first recording of its kind. Here, too, are youngsters like Ozzie Kotani, playing his sister's big old beach guitar, which, cracked and chipped though it is, still has that resonance, that mana. --RhythmMusic

Customer Reviews

The Best Sampler Album I Own
Hawaiian music can mean many things - anything from old steel guitar to contemporary "Jawaiian" music. Out of all the genres of Hawaiian music however, slack key guitar is probably the most accessible to those unfamiliar with any type. Simply put, slack key is a unique form of tuning and playing acoustic guitar - often with gorgeous results!

This collection of songs from Hawaii's most famous living slack key guitar artists is some of the most beautiful and relaxing music you may ever hear. Listening to each song, it is hard to believe that only one person is playing - each artist has a unique technique of playing both bass and melody at the same time.

If I were trapped on a desert island with the choice of only one CD, this would probably be the one I would choose. One final note - this CD contains excellent liner notes as well, which makes it is the perfect intro to slack key information-wise as well as musically.

The sounds of home never sounded so good!
Having once lived in the islands, this album was a real find for me. The music is great to have in the background at work or at home (it's marvelous to have on the CD player when getting a massage). It's relaxing and relieves stress (hence the massage music).

If you've never heard slack key you are in for a real treat, and this album is a marvelous introduction. The artists, while well known in the islands, may not be familiar to you. However, they are the best around, and will surely have you hooked with the first cut!

Honolulu City Lights continues to touch my heart whether instrumental (as it is here) or vocal (on the Beamers' album).

Sweet...sweet...da kine..
I am really shocked to see that this CD is in the top 1,500 in sales rank. That is a great suprise. More people into slack key than I knew. Cyril Pahinui's opener is a 12-string masterpiece, and my favorite cut is a classical guitar slack key track, "Pohakuloa", done by Moses Kahumoku. His style is simply as heartfelt as it comes. Keola Beamer is represented on this one, too. Might I suggest a CD by John Keawe, "Auhele" for some more serious mastery of this beautiful and unique genre. ALOHA!