Tropical Swing

Bill Tapia | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 2, 2004)
• Original Release Date: March 2, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Moon Room Records
• ASIN: B0001MRS3Y
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,908 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Mack The Knife

2. Stardust

3. Mood Indigo

4. Hawaiian Medley

5. Body & Soul

6. Misty

7. Paradise Isle

8. Hapa Haole Hula Girl

9. Stars and Stripes Forever/Sweethearts on Parade

10. Tropical Swing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Uke Man, September 26, 2005

By 

Veranda Mealypaw - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Swing (Audio CD)

This album is a gorgeous mix of music performed by what I would deem a National Treasure. I saw this man play live this year (2005) and he can even make the uke strings sound like a drum! Fans of Hawaiiana, uke music, or vaudeville will all enjoy this album.

5.0 out of 5 stars CENTENARIAN UKULELE!, August 31, 2008

By 

Stephen A. Mathews "CBG Ukester" (Kansas City MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tropical Swing (Audio CD)

Bill Tapia may be a legend in the islands but no such knowledge is needed to appreciate this recording. This offering stands on its own. Bill and a phenomenal back-up group ,"The Essential Resophonics" jazz it up with standards like STARDUST, MOOD INDIGO, and MISTY, then break out the Hawaiian pizzazz with PARADISE ISLE and a HAWAIIAN MEDLEY and test out Bill's mature, but soulful voice on MACK THE KNIFE and HOPA HAOLE HULA GIRL, finishing off the recording with 2 vintage cuts from the 1930's (one of which is Bill's lightning fast rendition of STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER). Bill still has it when it comes to the ukulele and his uke glides through the tunes with perfect punctuation and feeling. A great ambassador for a great instrument!

5.0 out of 5 stars Centenarian swing, November 20, 2007

By 

H. M. Ketcham (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tropical Swing (Audio CD)

This CD, though a studio recording, captures much of the flavor of a live Bill Tapia performance. He sounds much the same in 2007 as he did when this was recorded two years ago-- lively and humorous, with excellent musicianship and improvisational skills. This is well worth buying for the music, not just the historic interest of Tapia's career. I wish it had included a recent recording of Tapia playing Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" to stand along the archival wire recording from 1935, though.