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Topic: South Sea Melodians LP |
David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 24 Aug 2011 10:39 pm |
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Just found this LP. Philips RDL 1513. Cheesecake cover. It appears to be from the 1960s. Does anyone know who is on it? Sounds a bit like Rudi Wairata. Really good stuff, both vocals and steel.
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Peter den Hartogh
From:
Cape Town, South Africa
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Posted 24 Aug 2011 11:52 pm
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I recently heard a short clip of the song Waikapu by the South Sea Melodians.
It sounded to me like George de Fretes.
When the singers started I recognised Joyce Aubrey's voice, which confirms that it could be a George de Fretes recording.
Does Waikapu appear on your LP?
By the way, I love Rudi Wairata. |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 25 Aug 2011 12:50 am
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Hello Peter, Waikapu is not on this LP, but George de Fretes is credited as an arranger on two cuts. Daarginds in Waikiki is arranged by P. Wijnnobel. I will try to transfer it to mp3 for Soundcloud, but I'm not going to have much time for a week or so.
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Peter den Hartogh
From:
Cape Town, South Africa
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Posted 25 Aug 2011 12:39 pm
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Pierre Wijnnobel is just a producer/writer who adds his name to the credits which entitles him to royalties.
A lot of Dutch producers used this practice. 
(Topic change)
David, I read your Royal Hawaiian Hula post with great interest. (I cannot find it right now)
I think that Rudi changed his A6 tuning slightly to enable him to play the song in F#.
All he did is raise the A's to A# (string 3 and 7) and the whole song is nicely laid out with lots of open strings and using easy positions.
This way the song keeps its nice resonance, which you would loose by transposing the key from F# to A.
I have started to put it down in TAB and I will let you know when it is finished.
It is a real fun project!
_________________
1977 Sho~Bud D10 ProIII Custom; Sho~Bud SD10 The Professional ; ETS S10 5x5;
Fender 1000; 1993 Remington U12; 1978 Emmons S10 P/P; GeorgeB Weissenborn;
Fluger Cat-Can; Asher Electro Hawaiian; Gibson BR4; Fender FS52; Guyatone 8str;
Fender Resonator ; Epiphone Coronet 1937; Rickenbacher Ace; Rickenbacher NS;
Dynalap 8string; Harbor Lights 8string; Aiersi Tri-Cone; Fender Stringmaster
Last edited by Peter den Hartogh on 26 Aug 2011 12:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 25 Aug 2011 6:44 pm
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Peter, I see Table Mountain now, as I write. It was the last of Africa when we sailed for St Helena back in 1970. But I digress. Those Dutch East Indian bands were so thorough in their approach to Hawaiian music. I love the tone Rudi and George got out of what were not always the greatest of instruments. As for learning to sing in the language, well, only those who have tried will know what an undertaking that is. I don't know if you saw my transcription of Royal Hawaiian Hula using A6. It works, but I see how that simple retune to F# is the way to go. Because I was using a major triad on top, I did have three open strings in the first bar, and I just moved the whole thing over to the tricone in G where it sounded great in medley with Puamana and Moana Chimes. I try not to retune. I don't know if that is a good thing, or a bad thing. But that simple shift from A6 giving F#7 will be hard to keep out of the bag of tricks.
Anyway,here's a track from - George de Fretes?
http://soundcloud.com/drazjan/south-sea-melodians-tickling
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 25 Aug 2011 9:59 pm
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| Can't say I've heard of that group. The relationship of Joyce Aubry and George deFretes was always a mystery to me, and also who Wanda deFretes was in that family. Really enjoy Rudi and George's tunes on Youtube..... |
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Peter den Hartogh
From:
Cape Town, South Africa
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Posted 26 Aug 2011 12:33 am
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Thank you for that track, David. I was looking for that one for a long time.
GEORGE DE FRETES plays blindfolded Ticklin' The Strings (AVRO TV Weekend-Show 20-12-1958)
I agree that the Dutch Indonesian bands were the best. There was a huge influx of Indonesians with a Dutch nationality into Holland when Indonesia became independent. (In fact in 1956 George de Fretes arrived in Holland as a stowaway on one of the Dutch ships.)
The musicians amongst them brought a whole new culture to Europe and therefore not all songs were sung in Hawaiian language but in Malay language. There was also Krontjong music and Indo Rock, which is still played to this day.
David,
I tried your Tab on my G Dobro and it worked fine. I also tried my version and it also worked fine. I sometimes think we are trying to make things too complicated. Those guys from way back knew how to be efficient through simplicity and how to come across with confidence. They knew what worked.
Bill,
George de Fretes got married to Joyce Aubrey in 1941 and their daughter Wanda was born in 1946.
They got divorced in 1952 and Joyce came to Holland where she joined The Mena Moeria Minstrels (Amboina Serenaders) with Rudi Wairata.
In the summer of 1958 she left Rudi's band to join The Royal Hawaiian Minstrels-Suara Istana with her ex-husband George de Fretes.
You can find more info (in Dutch) about George de Fretes and Wanda & Joyce here:
http://www.pmouse.nl/defretes/
http://www.pmouse.nl/wairata/
http://www.pmouse.nl/defretes/wanda.htm
Last edited by Peter den Hartogh on 26 Aug 2011 9:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 26 Aug 2011 3:49 am
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Speaking of Indo Rock, check this one from the same LP, I suppose we could call it Rock-a-hula.
http://soundcloud.com/drazjan/south-sea-m
By the way, there was a passing resemblance between Joyce Aubrey and Lei Aloha who dances in the Harry Owens shows.
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Wally Pfeifer
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2011 6:06 am
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 I have several of the Indonesian steel guitar LPs and krontjong music LPs
in my collection of a few thousand records. One of these days I'm going to let loose of them. They are still quite different than our current steel guitar music. But still enjoyable.
Wally |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 26 Aug 2011 9:06 pm
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| Someone on this forum posted a link a few years ago, with a huge list of music from the Indonesian area of the Pacific. I lost it when my PC went into self-destruct. Don't remember who posted it, but he was from Holland I believe. |
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Peter den Hartogh
From:
Cape Town, South Africa
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Posted 27 Aug 2011 12:30 am
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Bill,
I am from Holland, but I have not seen that list.
Dave, thank you for your input. 
_________________
1977 Sho~Bud D10 ProIII Custom; Sho~Bud SD10 The Professional ; ETS S10 5x5;
Fender 1000; 1993 Remington U12; 1978 Emmons S10 P/P; GeorgeB Weissenborn;
Fluger Cat-Can; Asher Electro Hawaiian; Gibson BR4; Fender FS52; Guyatone 8str;
Fender Resonator ; Epiphone Coronet 1937; Rickenbacher Ace; Rickenbacher NS;
Dynalap 8string; Harbor Lights 8string; Aiersi Tri-Cone; Fender Stringmaster |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2011 11:14 pm
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| Wally Pfeifer wrote: |
| my collection of a few thousand records. One of these days I'm going to let loose of them. |
You'd do well to do it thru Southeby's or other such high end auctioneers of fine vintage. |
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