Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Master Cyril Pahinui

I have been so fortunate to have Cyril Pahinui as a friend and supporter. Cyril was the first person I called to invite to participate in my first Southern California Slack Key Festival January 2008 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach - a showcase of Hawaiian ki ho'alu (slack key) guitar - and to have the honor of presenting him on stage has been nothing short of a blessing as has his friendship.

This past weekend he was in town here in Southern California for a couple performances in Culver City and Claremont and taught a workshop which was hosted by Na Mamo, the folks who put together the annual E Hula Mau hula competition in Long Beach. I've really only been playing slack key in Taropatch tuning (low to high: D-G-D-G-B-D) mostly out of laziness, I must admit. So the workshop was the first time I'd ever actually played in Cyril's tuning. He tunes his guitar to C-G-E-G-C-E, an open C tuning inherited from his father, the famous Gabby Pahinui. It is just one of the many Hawaiian slack key tunings out there but a very versatile one. Nice how you can get that alternate bass thing going not just between the root and the fifth but with the third in there as well, plus you can get octaves in 3 different string combinations which is also nice for soloing.

While Cyril had to learn everything by ear from his dad (who apparently never actually formally taught anyone anything), Cyril travels across the country sharing all he knows to anyone who wants to learn. If you ever have the opportunity to catch him at one of these workshops in your area, don't pass it up. Not only do you get a nice education in the Pahinui slack key style but you get to hear some great stories as well, sure to motivate you!

Here's a couple of nice videos of Cyril and his father. You can become a friend of Cyril on his Facebook page as well.

Big Island Events: Kohala in Concert at Kilauea Volcano

Watch a video of Kohala playing C&K's "Highway In The Sun"

I really like this group - Kohala is a trio of acoustic guitars performing mostly Hawaiian pop hits done in a very tasteful and masterful way with no cheesiness which abounds in this genre of music. Charles Brotman was the producer of the CD "Slack Key Guitar volume 2" which won the first GRAMMY award for Hawaiian music. This CD featured a variety of artists like Jeff Peterson, John Keawe, Sonny Lim (all of whom have appeared in the Southern California Slack Key Festival) among other noteworthy island musicians.

"The beloved Big Island acoustic guitar trio Kohala is slated to play a rare concert at the KMC Theater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The Kilauea Volcano performance takes place on Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. and is sponsored by the Volcano Art Center.

“Kohala’s music--an acoustic blend of contemporary Hawaiian, folk, and jazz--reflects the beauty of the landscape and culture found in the Kohala region on the Big Island, where two of the acoustic guitar trio live,” notes VAC education coordinator Julie Mitchell, who is organizing the concert.

Kohala’s lead guitarist, GRAMMY® Award winning Charles Michael Brotman, is a classical guitarist who began playing contemporary jazz after completing graduate studies in music. Rupert Tripp Jr. and Charlie Recaido grew up in Hawai‘i playing island music on steel string guitars using a finger picking style. The combination of the trio’s diverse musical influences creates their own distinct sound."

The above info was taken from this blog - please visit them for more info.

This weekend in Malibu and Redondo Beach

I am so looking forward to Jeff Peterson's "Slack Key Jazz" performances this weekend! Not only will everyone really enjoy his music but there are some "value adds" with this event - delicious food on the waterfront (at both places) at sunset!

After the Darlene Ahuna concert the other day in Torrance, I stopped by Delzano's By The Sea at the Redondo Beach Boardwalk next to the pier. I talked with Chef Rafael Solorzano about the menu and it sounds absolutely delicious! Included in the $40 admission price will be a rotating buffet mix of fresh fruits, cheeses and veggies, teriyaki salmon, baked macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi, ahi tuna spring rolls, chicken satay, tamarind chipotle filet mignon skewers, roasted pork tenderloin with pineapple bbq sauce and more!

And that's not all - at the Saturday night event at Duke's Malibu in the Moana Room, the same cheap price of 40 bucks gets you Babyback Pork Ribs in Sweet Mango BBQ Sauce, Hawaiian Style Poke, Korean Style Marinated BBQ Sirloin Beef Satay, Thai Chicken Pizza, Moana Sushi Rolls, Primo Beer specials & More!!



Is that a great deal or what! Beautiful live Hawaiian music, a mouth watering buffet, gorgeous waterfront views of the sunset...I hope to see all of you folks there - it'll be a really fun time, I promise.

www.kalakoaconcerts.com to reserve your seat (space is limited)

What is "Slack Key Jazz"? pt 2

Who are some of your jazz influences?

Jeff: I am influenced by many jazz guitarists including Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Tuck Andress, Pat Metheny, and Larry Koonse. There are many other artists I enjoy including John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, Ray Brown, and Ella Fitzgerald. Jazz music has left an incredible legacy of innovative artists. The music continuously evolves and covers a tremendous range of sound and style from Blues to Dixieland to Swing to Bebop to fusion. I am particularly found of jazz from the 50s and early 60s.

Why does slack key guitar and jazz sound so good together?

Jeff: Swing and jazz music had an impact on Hawaiian music during the big band era in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Hawaiian musicians took the swing feel and harmony and adapted it to their own music. You can hear it in many hula classics and hapa haole songs like Puamana, Sophisticated Hula, Alika, Hula Blues, and Little Grass Shack. The swing feel is there and the chords progressions follow
patterns and cycles that were common in jazz at the time. Slack key guitarists play these songs and use the same chord progressions. What makes slack key guitar playing unique is not just the tunings but the feel and phrasing of the music. Although it is not exactly like swing music, it uses similar scales, syncopation, and chromatic notes.
A very important link is also improvising. Playing in the moment is the heart of jazz and is very common is slack key. You play how you feel. It keeps the music fresh and exciting.

Don't forget to join us for three wonderful evenings in Dana Point, Malibu and Redondo Beach with one of Hawaii’s most gifted and respected musicians! From Hawaiian slack key guitar to classical to jazz, Jeff Peterson’s versatility makes him an artist highly sought after by Hawaii’s top recording and touring artists!

Jeff Peterson has performed at a variety of venues from Symphony Space in New York City to the National Folk Festival in Canberra, Australia. He appeared on Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2 which won the first ever Grammy Award for best Hawaiian recording in 2005. Jeff was a featured artist in the 2008 and 2009 annual Southern California Slack Key Festival in January 2008 which included Cyril Pahinui, Dennis Kamakahi, George Kahumoku Jr, Ozzie Kotani, Owana Salazar, Makana, Kimo West and Steven Espaniola.

What is "Slack Key Jazz"?

Jeff Peterson answers some questions about the relationship between Hawaiian and jazz music and what is behind his unique blending of the two.

Has anyone combined ki ho'alu (slack key) guitar and jazz tunes together before?
Jeff: Leonard Kwan played in many different slack key tunings on archtop jazz guitars and was definitely influenced by swing music. Gabby Pahinui and Atta Isaacs both loved jazz and played songs in a jazz style like "I'm-A-Livin'-On-A-Easy". Many early slack key guitarist who recorded had a strong ragtime and swing feel like Tommy Solomon and William Namahoe.

How did you come to develop this style?
Jeff: I took this concept a little further by arranging songs by Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Cole Porter, Glen Miller, Miles Davis, and other jazz greats in slack key tunings with phrasing from both Hawaiian music
and jazz.

to be continued.......for audio samples of Slack Key Jazz, click HERE

How I Got Started Playing Slack Key Guitar Part 2

Another thing that really got me going was the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters CD which is still my favorite to this day. Especially when I was living in Japan, I'd listen to that CD a LOT. When I was still attending the University of Hawaii I'd visit the library and check out some of the slack key sheet music they had on hand. Also, my friend Ruth Komatsu let me borrow the Leonard Kwan book that is now unfortunately out of print although after all these years I was finally able to snag it online on Ebay! Ruth is the sister ofJoanie Komatsu, a wonderful musician who I used to always go down and watch in Waikiki. Joanie appears on the "Ki Hoalu Christmas" CD playing "Silent Night" with Ruth on recorder. Ruth was a major influence on me wanting to go into music seriously. When I told her I was thinking of studying guitar in college she told me I'd have to learn classical technique, of course I had no idea what that was. And when another friend said "You know - like Andres Segovia?" I was like, "Who??"

Ruth also let me borrow tablature copies of stuff by Ozzie Kotani and Keola Beamer and these I worked on in Japan since my work schedule really was only 4pm - 9:30pm for most of the time I was there so I had lots of time on my hands - nice eh? I remember it felt a little ironic to be learning "Koko Ni Sachi Ari" arranged for Hawaiian slack key while in Japan. Also had Beamer's "Wi-Ha", "Pua Lililehua" and "Ho'omalu Slack Key" as well as a bunch of slack key Christmas songs which I still have to this day. Only thing about Beamer's first CD is that a lot of it is duet stuff but still, what beautiful arrangements. George Kahumoku told me (I didn't realize this) that Beamer is classically trained and writes out his stuff. Can anyone verify this?

Speaking of Leonard Kwan, last summer when I was back in Hawaii I found a CD with like, 25 of his songs on there, reissued by Cord International. I didn't know that the slack key piece he played on the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters CD was unusual in that I think I read once that that was the first time he'd recorded with an acoustic guitar instead of his usual electric hollow-body. Jim "Kimo" West told me that the old amps back in the day had a vibrato setting which would explain how Leonard Kwan and some other guitarists from back then got that sound on their guitar.

Anyone else think I should get a kickback from Aunty Maria at Mele.com?