Customer Reviews

Tropical Swing

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

I enjoyed this because of my many trips to HA. For persons who have not raveled there it would have little interest.