Night Moon: Po Mahina

Amazon.com essential recording
In Pahinui's hands, slack key guitar is eloquent, original, and virtuosic. Night Moon, his third release on Dancing Cat Records, is his most polished yet. He offers effortless chops, peppering each piece--vocal and instrumental alike--with a broad vocabulary of intricate motives and well-handled dynamics. Singing in a lazy melancholy tenor-baritone, with an impressive falsetto, his voice is the perfect juxtaposition for his active, expressive playing. Pahinui has recorded prolifically since the late '60s when he appeared on several albums with his father, the late Gabby Pahinui (Hawaii's best known and most influential slack key guitarist). Pahinui is ecstatically at play on "Hurrah Lani Ha'a Ha'a," which sounds distinctly country, and features some of his most deftly crafted fretwork. Listen to the subtle harmonies of "Hawaiian Cowboy," and the halted urgency of "Po Mahina," and you'll put this guy up against any fingerstylist around. Night Moon is a great buy for guitar enthusiasts. --Daniel Ferris

Night Moon: Po Mahina,Cyril Pahinui,Windham Hill Records,Hawaii,Hawaiian Music,Int'l & World Music,Pop,Slack-Key Guitar,World Music

Average customer rating: A chip off da ole block

Night Moon: Po Mahina Cyril Pahinui Manufacturer: Windham Hill Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music Hawaii | Pacific Islands | International | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Pacific Islands | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: 6 & 12 String Slack Key Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters Collection, Vol. 2 Black Sand Endlessly Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters ASIN: B000009S46 Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

1. Kowali (Instrumental)
2. Po Mahina (Vocal)
3. Hurrah Lani Ha'a Ha'a (Vocal)
4. Ho'okena (Instrumental)
5. Mauna Loa (Vocal)
6. Pu'u Anahulu (Instrumental)
7. Hawaiian Cowboy (Instrumental)
8. Po Mahina (Instrumental)
9. Hi'ilawe (Vocal)
10. 'Opihi Moemoe (Instrumental)
11. Kawaihae (Vocal)
12. Sanoe (Instrumental)

Amazon.com essential recording

In Pahinui's hands, slack key guitar is eloquent, original, and virtuosic. Night Moon, his third release on Dancing Cat Records, is his most polished yet. He offers effortless chops, peppering each piece--vocal and instrumental alike--with a broad vocabulary of intricate motives and well-handled dynamics. Singing in a lazy melancholy tenor-baritone, with an impressive falsetto, his voice is the perfect juxtaposition for his active, expressive playing. Pahinui has recorded prolifically since the late '60s when he appeared on several albums with his father, the late Gabby Pahinui (Hawaii's best known and most influential slack key guitarist). Pahinui is ecstatically at play on "Hurrah Lani Ha'a Ha'a," which sounds distinctly country, and features some of his most deftly crafted fretwork. Listen to the subtle harmonies of "Hawaiian Cowboy," and the halted urgency of "Po Mahina," and you'll put this guy up against any fingerstylist around. Night Moon is a great buy for guitar enthusiasts. --Daniel Ferris

Customer Reviews:

A chip off da ole block.......2000-04-16

Anyone who has discovered, and is collecting, Hawaiian slack key discs will certainly want to add this one to the shelf. I was introduced to this musical style by way of a cassette by Cyril's father Gabby--purchased at a gas station for playing in my rental car while on a trip to the big island. Perhaps more than any of the other Dancing Cat CDs in this series, this one evokes memories of Gabby, although with a much more polished style. Son Cyril even pays homage to his father by performing Hi'ilawe, probably Gabby's best known hit. The combination of vocals and instrumentals strikes a nice balance, there are no clunker tracks (meaning, for me, that all have Hawaiian lyrics and sound), and there is a good blend of old and new. Some of the tracks are rather dreamlike; this is mellow music, much more so than some of the Dancing Cat series. My other favorite contemporary slack key vocal/instrumental combo discs are "Ohana (Family)" by Dennis and David Kamakahi (which unfortunately includes a clunker track, "Around the World in 80 Days") and "Drenched by Music" by George Kahumoku. For an all-instrumental disc, try "The Gift" by Moses Kahumoku. For a real treat, delve into the earlier recordings by Gabby Pahinui and the Sons of Hawaii. They tend to be more upbeat, and the sound of a small band and multiple vocalists is a nice contrast to the slack key guitar soloists.

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