Hui Aloha brings together four players of the Hawaiian slack-key tradition for a lilting, reposed music that sways as gently as a palm tree's leaves. Guitarist George Kuo and Dennis Kamakahi, both of the respected Sons of ... more »Hawaii, joined Martin Pahinui for several gigs around the islands before Dennis's son began sitting in on ukulele. The combo was sweet magic, as is this album, their first recorded collection together. Made up of mostly Hawai'ian standards with a few originals sprinkled throughout, Hui Aloha follows the gentle, flowing qualities of the slack-key tradition while creating a gentle vibrancy through the multiplicity of instruments. Dennis, Martin, and George trade vocals on various cuts, with Dennis's gritty, dark tone billowing luxuriously on the country-tinged "Steal Away." "Monterey Sunrise," composed by Kamakahi on the first morning of 1997, reflects the ebb and flow of the beach's waves in an intimate, enchanting way. There are too many musical gems here to highlight; better to let this charming debut speak for itself through your stereo speakers. --Karen K. Hugg« less
Hui Aloha brings together four players of the Hawaiian slack-key tradition for a lilting, reposed music that sways as gently as a palm tree's leaves. Guitarist George Kuo and Dennis Kamakahi, both of the respected Sons of Hawaii, joined Martin Pahinui for several gigs around the islands before Dennis's son began sitting in on ukulele. The combo was sweet magic, as is this album, their first recorded collection together. Made up of mostly Hawai'ian standards with a few originals sprinkled throughout, Hui Aloha follows the gentle, flowing qualities of the slack-key tradition while creating a gentle vibrancy through the multiplicity of instruments. Dennis, Martin, and George trade vocals on various cuts, with Dennis's gritty, dark tone billowing luxuriously on the country-tinged "Steal Away." "Monterey Sunrise," composed by Kamakahi on the first morning of 1997, reflects the ebb and flow of the beach's waves in an intimate, enchanting way. There are too many musical gems here to highlight; better to let this charming debut speak for itself through your stereo speakers. --Karen K. Hugg
"I saw this quartet in Somerville, Mass., on Feb. 5 and had a great time. They're humorous, humble and very informative, as well as being very talented and versatile musicians. Two of their songs struck me that night so much that I made a note of them on my program: Monterey Sunrise and Steal Away. It's great to be able to have those two songs permanently now. The brief liner notes pertaining to Monterey Sunrise fall short of the meandering, funny story David Kamakahi told about how they wrote that song during a jam session early New Year's Day 1997 after two concerts the evening before. His father awakened him from his hotel room slumber at 2 AM and they jammed until the sun came up. Then, they caught a flight back to Honolulu, totally exhausted."
Very Enjoyable Music
Mark K. Mcdonough | Reston, VA USA | 12/15/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My perspective is not that of a knowledgable fan of Hawaiian music. I'm an open-minded music fan who grabbed this on a whim. And it's excellent. It has the mellow and relaxing quality that people tend to enjoy in Hawaiian music, but is never syrupy. The playing and singing are beautiful, and both the traditional and original songs are excellent. I especially like track #10, which is a haunting song about the Vietnam War. You don't need to understand Hawaiian to get the feeling."
The real deal
Mark K. Mcdonough | 11/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Hate to admit it, but I picked this up looking for music for a Hawaiian-themed party. Didn't work for that, but it's absolutely excellent. Nice, mellow, authentic Hawaiian music. The rhythms transcend age...we have two little girls who argue over who gets to listen to Hui Aloha in their room!"
Amazing
Jenn Thomas | DFW Area, TX, USA | 10/12/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After seeing Hawai'i's Next Generation (Keoki Kahumoku, Patrick Lendeza, Herb Ohta Jr, and David Kamakahi, special guest Dennis Kamakahi) play in Berkely in September, I quickly ordered this CD, although it isn't the Next Generation. I ordered it because some of the songs the NG performed that night were on the CD, and I had to have them.The songs I refer to are Steal Away and Monterey Sunrise. However, there isn't a bad song on the CD, each one is a star all by itself. One of my favorites would have to be Ke Kuau Laiki, a song Dennis wrote and dedicated to some of his friends who died during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.I feel the need to correct a couple of errors from another review of this CD.Martin Pahinui is the son of slack key great Gabby Pahinui. Cyril Pahinui is Martin's brother, also a great musician.Slack key is NOT steel guitar. These are acoustic guitars, some of them have steel strings, some have nylon strings. But you wouldn't call a standard acoustic guitar with steel strings a "steel guitar". Slack key is a style. A steel guitar is an actual instrument with its own style, and it looks nothing like a normal guitar."
A great mix of ki ho'alu
Jenn Thomas | 11/05/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A good mixture of different styles of slack key. My favorite is the first number, "Steal Away", that has a great classicak uke solo by Dennis Kamakahi. Panini Pua Kea is also great, recalling the Sons of Hawaii. Their version of Palolo, though, pales in comparison to the one by the Ka'au Crater Boys."