Holidays

Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas is genre melding of the best sort: incredible guitar playing in the Hawaiian tradition dominates the disc, but the material is mostly familiar holiday carols. The result is a truly original and refreshingly low-key take on Christmas music. Keola Beame...	Maui All original compositions. 1-Haleakala, 2-Twinkletoes, 3-Papa E, 4-Slacking Off, 5-Lei Manoa, 6-Tahiti Manahune, 7-Redemption Song, 8-Mo i O Lili u, 9-Paniolo Ona Slack-key, 10-I Ka La'i O Lahaina, 11-Kealoha Bebop w/Charlie, 12-Hei Iti Vaihi	Collection HAPA, comprised of the talents of two remarkable and unique musicians, Barry Flanagan and Keli'i Kaneali'i, began their journey into the history books of Hawaiian music with their first release, simply entitled "HAPA". The impact from that initial recording catapulted them into ...	Hapa	Maluhia "Maluhia" (Peaceful) features traditional classics and original compositions in both English and Hawaiian. Reichel's warm vocal style matches perfectly with the new material, whether it's an acapella version of the Hawaiian hymn "Nu 'Oli" or the more contemporary "Christmas L...
Namahana	Christmas Day in Hawaii Nei	In the Name of Love	Cazimero Christmas Favorites This album features songs from both of their previous albums and a special bonus cut, "Jingle Bell Rock" performed in a classic Caz style. The Caz's arrangements that will fill your heart with the goodwill and wonder of Christmas-no matter where you celebrate on earth.	Ki Ho'alu Christmas: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar

Hau 'oli Makahiki Hou.
Holidays, Hapa's second recording, made in 1995, establishes the pattern of their most successful albums--half the songs are vocals, and half are instrumentals. Hapa, which means "half," consists of Keli'i Kaneali'i and Barry Flanagan, a duo that is half Hawaiian, but in their dedication to the sounds of the islands they are a hundred percent Hawaiian. Here their sounds honor the Christmas holidays, with four of the seven vocals being new holiday songs composed by Flanagan. The album is quiet and mellow, music which captures the holiday spirit without being loud or intrusive. The instrumentals feature virtually every stringed instrument in the islands-from slack key guitar to rhythm guitar, ukulele, electric sitar, and bass. Percussion adds to the rhythm, with Eric Keawe on the claves, Flanagan on castanets, and Larry Leiberman on drums and tympani, where appropriate. Two of the most interesting instrumentals are their version of "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emanuel," which features Flanagan on lead guitar, ukulele, electric sitar, and bass, and Eric Keawe on percussion, and John Lennon's "Love," in which Flanagan plays bass, and the acoustic and rhythm guitar take over. Four of the vocals are new songs by Flanagan, my favorite being "Ke Ku'ulani," a beautiful song in which a chorus emphasizes the loving spirit of the season, and Flanagan plays bass. As is characteristic of Hawaiian albums, everyone helps out in the recording: Robi Hahakalau ("Sistah Robi"), Lehua Kalima, and Fiji provide the chorus on "It's Christmas Day, Mahi Beamer plays piano on "It's Alright, Christmas Time is Here," and the group thanks the Keawe family and the (Kenny) Loggins family on the Big Island, for their contributions. The only song that doesn't seem to fit the recording is "Lady in Red," which is dedicated here to Mrs. Claus "from S.C.," but which remains a song about a mysterious (and not very "Christmas-y") siren. An interesting combination of vocals and instrumentals, this is a CD which adds immeasurably to the Christmas songbook of the Hawaiian islands. Mary Whipple