Customer Reviews

The Folk Music of Hawaii - Sons Of Hawaii

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4 star:		(2)
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I first heard about Gabby Pahinui in an article Ry Cooder wrote for Crawdaddy magazine. This was the album that first drew Ry to Hawaii. Called "the red album" it has been out of print for years, and I've been searching for it since I read that article. When I heard it was finally available on CD I could hardly believe it. Eddie Kamae told me in a letter that it would likely never be reissued. But here it is. And it does not disappoint. Stunningly recorded and superbly played, the Sons of Hawaii bring their whole history into the room. The guitars (both steel and slack key), the bass and Kamae's ukulele are sweet and rich, and the vocals are warm and enticing. The four musicians blend beautifully and still maintain their own individuality. This album is a piece of Hawaii...I highly recommend it!

As the Beatles are to Rock and Roll, the Sons of Hawaii are to Hawaiian music. This quartet produced 3 albums in the early 60's and 70's. This was their final album together. Made up of four uniquely talented Hawaiians, Philip "Gabby" Pahinui (slack key guitar), Eddie Kamae (ukulele), David "Feet" Rodgers (6 string lap steel guitar), and Joe Marshall (string bass), this is one of the most powerful combinations of stylists in Hawaiian music history. The result is memorable. The four instruments weave magic, and the vocals are the best. The arrangements are traditional, yet sophisiticated and surprising. They are joined here by another master, Moses "Moe" Keale, from the island of Niihau, who brings the stylings of that remote island to the mix. The steel of Feet, the uke of Eddie, the bass and arrangements of Joe Marshall, and the slack key of Gabby are all very special, each in its own way, and to hear them interact is a remarkable experience. Having immersed myself in their music for most of my life, these are still my favorite recordings. If Hawaiian music is of interest to you, don't miss the Sons of Hawaii.

A classic and pivotal album which helped shift interest back towards older acoustic styles... This was also the first album on the venerable Panini label, featuring a 40-something Gabby Pahinui on guitar, along with several other top-flight musicians. Both Pahinui and ukulele whiz Eddie Kamae were longtime pros on the Hawaiian pop circuit, having played in nightclub and variety acts as far back as the 1930s. Here, they teamed up with some younger players to play a relaxed set of backwoods tunes, getting as far away from the "Blue Hawaii" chestnuts as possible, and deep into the folk tunes sung on shady porches across the islands. Kamae's delivery is a bit Burl Ives-y, but that's not really such a bad thing... This isn't as gorgeous or as melodic as Pahinui's later material, but there's a quaint air of familiarity and affection to these perfomances, particularly on cute, musicbox-y tunes such as "Christmas In Hawaii" and "Ka Lae O Ka'ena" (about the girl whose mom owned the candy store...) that makes this hard to resist.

There are great Hawaiian albums, and then there's THE FOLK MUSIC OF HAWAI'I by Sons Of Hawai'i. This came out at a time when you could count the amount of Hawaiian releases that came out in a year... with one hand. Panini Records were brand new and wanted to impress not only Hawai'i, but the rest of the world with not just an album, but a historical recording. This was the result. While there have been countless recordings of "Kanaka Waiwai", "Ka Lae O Ka'ena" and "Waikiki Hula" in the last 30 years, it is these versions from over 30 years that are still in demand. The singing is heartwarming, the attitude is wicked and sassy at the same time, and the musicianship shows it's not only about the music, but for the culture and their tight bond as friends. It was this version of "No Ke Ano Ahiahi" that prompted jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood to honor the late Gabby Pahinui with their own version. Pahinui didn't compose this song (about the coming of the night), but it was he and the Sons Of Hawai'i who made it a standard. Chicken skin.

This is an amazingly moving, wonderful album that captures the heart and mana'o of Hawaiians. It is as wonderful today as it was in the Seventies and I thank God that Panini and Primo Beer (one of the sponsors) put this wonderful work to vinyl. Read Sammy Amalu's review.

This is a brilliant document of the best of early Hawaiian music and this mini-lp replica sleeve version (mlps) of this album is a real treat for fans. The remastering is also admirable given what must be the state of the old original master tapes making the sound quality on this mlps version of the album very good indeed.

Given the hefty price tag on this baby in order to justify upgrading from your existing copy, it has got to be a major improvement at least from the aesthetics of the cardboard sleeve and the sound quality. Fortunately, the cardboard sleeve is excellently designed and assembled and is comparable to the mlps versions of The Band, Hall & Oates, Queen etc that have been very well designed from thicker good quality cardboard which is so well assembled that you don't fear it coming apart when the glue wears out. It is clear that the owner of this project had great pride in his work to come up with a work of art worthy of the content of this cd.

Good remastered sound quality, excellent mlps design and assembly and great content make this a worthy addition to any music fan's sonic library. Early Hawaiian music doesn't get any better than this folks!

Recommended!

I just rented this fine music disc at the public
library here in Chesapeake, Virginis last night
and along with several Don Ho tapes I have pur-
chased over the years, are the best hawai'ian
music I have ever heard. The late Moe Keale, of
Ni'ihu, was a longtime player on the original
and best Hawai'i Five-0 show. All of these fine
gentlemen play and sing hawai'ian music the way
it should be done! With tradition and style...

Sons Of Hawaii is like sitting in a hot tub. Once it starts playing you start relaxing. Life is too short not to take a break and indulge yourself in this quick escape to Paradise!

Jonathan Galente