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

Hawaiian Jazz Nights with Jeff Peterson

Tickets available now for three wonderful evenings 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!

Coming up next week Friday through Sunday (May 15-17), Jeff Peterson will be performing his unique brand of "slack key jazz" as the featured artist in Kala Koa's Hawaiian Jazz Nights Series! Friday May 15 he will be performing at Lord of the Strings in Dana Point, Duke's Malibu in the Moana Room on Saturday night and on Sunday evening at Delzano's By The Sea in Redondo Beach.

The Lord of the Strings concert series features the best guitarists from around the world and focuses on acoustic styles. Past performers include Muriel Anderson, Andrew York, Laurence Juber and Ledward Kaapana.

The performance at Duke's will include an awesome appetizer reception with ono (delicious) food like 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!

At Delzano's you get to enjoy great music and the price of admission here also includes award-winning cuisine prepared by Chef Rafael Solorzano with a gorgeous sunset oceanview from the Redondo Beach Boardwalk.

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.

The son of a Paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy), Jeff grew up on Haleakala Ranch on Maui. His fluency in a variety of guitar styles, including jazz and classical, has distinguished him as a prominent young artist with his own personal approach to slack key.

Peterson has performed with Eric Clapton, James Galway, Michael Feinstein, the Honolulu Symphony, Ledward Kaapana, Dennis Kamakahi, Hawaii Opera Theatre, jazz bassist Rufus Reid, shakuhachi master Riley Lee, and soprano Dana Hanchard. He has appeared in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US at countless venues, including the Symphony Space in New York City, and has also performed privately for Bill and Hilary Clinton.

Jeff Peterson has studied with David Russell, Carlos Barbosa Lima, Benjamin Verdery, Ozzie Kotani, Larry Koonse, and Joe Diorio, and has performed in master classes for Scott Tennant, Antigoni Goni, Ricardo Cobo, and Dusan Bogdonovic. Jeff currently lives in Honolulu with his wife, Kahealani.

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?

How I Got Started Playing Slack Key Guitar Part 1

There were many factors that made me want to start playing slack key guitar. Of course, it was something I'd always heard growing up in Hawaii but it was just one of those things you take for granted - I remember Jon Odo playing "Ku'u Home O Kahalu'u" slack key style in the talent show in high school and found that impressive. And around 1990 (I think) I started attending the slack key festival on Oahu when it used to be held at the McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Park. Ah, those were the days, just hanging out, eating ono plate lunch with your friends, listening to great music.....

When I entered college and started studying classical guitar techniques, that really opened the door to learning other fingerpicking styles. Went to my professor's recital at Atherton studios and 2 things really stuck with me. She played a Sevillanas with a couple of flamenco dancers - which I loved - and then since she forgot to announce that that was supposed to be the last piece in her program, she did one more: a slack key rendition of "Hawaii Aloha". It was very impressive to me that she would include those styles amongst all the other highbrow classical pieces she performed so beautifully that night. A night that would, sadly, be her last performance before suffering wrist and hand problems.

So at one point she turned me on to playing flamenco guitar accompaniment for flamenco dancers as well as a solo instrument, which I ended up LOVING and was the real reason I moved from Hawaii to California. Then, still in college, my friend asked me if I wanted to play in this talent show thingee at his church that I'd also started attending and I said sure! So that night I did a flamenco piece that I'd been practicing and people loved it. But that night there was also a guy who played a slack key guitar piece which I really liked, though I have no idea what it was. We talked afterwards and as he said man I'd love to learn how you do that, I said the same to him.

So I was really starting to feel it. And then, me and my little flamenco group (with dancers) performed at the Make Music Festival in Honolulu one year in like, 1995 or something, and the next year they invited us to perform on opening night of the festival. That's where I saw John Keawe for the first time. I got there early to the Honolulu Academy of Arts theatre and he was the only one there so I thought he was like, custodial staff or something so I was asking him where the changing rooms and stuff were (had heard his name before but didn't know what he looked like). Not that I was rude to him or anything (I hope). But it was embarrassing when they announced his name to come up on stage to perform and I was like "Eh! Dat's da guy!". He still remembered me almost ten years later when I went up to talk to him after his performance at the Whittier College Aloha Series.

He later told me, when we were hanging out at my Southern California Slack Key Festival that was when he was first getting started on recording and I think he'd just won a Hoku award for his music. Anyway, that night, he played such a beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace" that inspired me so much that I went home that night, tuned my guitar to open G (just guessed at it) and started trying to figure it out on my own, trying to emulate all the little slack key licks that I'd heard over the years that had, unbeknownst to me, subconsciously seeped into my brain. And now, it's one of my favorite things to play and was planning to play it at this last slack key festival until I painfully ripped off my nail on my middle finger. Probably could have still done it if it had been my ring finger, but the middle finger is too important!

More to come....

Jeff Peterson Reflects on 2008 Aloha Falsetto Festival

With the 2nd Annual Aloha Falsetto Festival coming up in Redondo Beach this July, I wanted to share some of my experiences from the first concert.

I had a wonderful time performing in the "house band" with featured artists including Steven Espaniola, Gary Haleamau and Raiatea Helm. Each artist had their own unique style and dynamic on stage and the music felt very fresh and exciting because each group was essentially playing together for the first time. We were already familiar with the songs and had rehearsed on our own, but putting it all together backstage then sharing the music with such a receptive audience was amazing. I had already toured with Steven and Raiatea but it was my first show with Gary. What an incredible musician - a fantastic singer and a great guitarist whose talent really inspired the band to open up at let loose - what a rush!

I also enjoyed many of the spontaneous moments like the groove we broke into with Steven Espaniola on his original song "Hokulani" that got everyone dancing in their seats and Raiatea's idea to do "At Last" extra slow and bluesy. The energy of the crowd can really influence a performance and the reception we got pushed us to play our best.

I have to say that after being a part of both the Southern California Slack Key and Aloha Falsetto Festivals, the audiences have always been outstanding, the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center is the perfect venue for these festivals with its phenomenal sound in the theater. The performers get the chance to meet the audience at each show in the huge lobby during intermissions and it seems the Hawaiian community in the area really supports each other and the artists who come up from Hawaii to perform. We also have had wonderful receptions before each festival at Duke's in Malibu or at the theater where the musicians can kani ka pila and talk story with the guests. That has been one of the highlights for me: just being together with so many of my friends and peers up there has been great.

I look forward to many more festivals at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center - it's like a home away from home for musicians here in Hawaii.

Mahalo nui loa to all those who have supported the concerts and have given their kokua.

A hui ho,

Jeff Peterson

To view a photo slideshow of the 2008 Aloha Falsetto Festival, please click here.

2009 Festival Video Highlights

I have been so lucky to continually have the opportunities to meet the most wonderful people in the world. After last year's Aloha Falsetto Festival, Jeff Peterson stayed a few extra days in town so he told me about a new friend he'd met just a couple months prior and how, if we have time, we should go hang out with Steffanie Borges. He explained to me that she was really cool and is the daughter of jazz crooner Jimmy Borges who's been entertaining in Hawaii for like, forever. Jeff met her when he was invited to perform at the Romance Festival that I think Matt Catingub is heavily involved in and said she also works as a videographer with her husband Randy.

So we decided to combine a trip to Spazzio's, a great jazz restaurant in the valley, with dinner with Steff and Randy. As we ate and enjoyed great music by John Pisano, we all hit it off and they have since turned into the most wonderful friends anyone could have. Back in the day, Steff and Randy used to play in rock bands and it's through them that I met the guys in Tesla (almost got to see WAR) and attended a fundraiser that featured artists such as Kevin Cronin, the lead singer from Three Dog Night, drummer Greg Bissonette and even had guitar lessons with Carlos Cavazo as a silent auction prize. I "won" Doug Marks' Metal Method, something I've read about in heavy metal guitar magazines like Circus since I was a kid - funny huh?

Randy and Steff shot the Festival from 2 handheld cameras while their friend Louis operated the jib which is that big boom arm with the camera attached at the end which allows for those wide sweeping shots and extreme closeups without having to actually be on stage right in the performers' faces. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Click here to watch video highlights of the 2009 Southern California Slack Key Festival