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Topic: Hawaiian tracks: info. requested |
Ian McLatchie
From:
Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 5:25 pm |
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A friend recently passed on to me a collection of 1920's-1950's Hawaiian steel which is one of the best anthologies of vintage Hawaiian I've ever heard. He downloaded it from an mp3 site, and had no information on the source, and didn't even know if it was a commercial release or just a collection of tracks someone had put together on their own. I haven't been able to find out anything more, and would appreciate if someone could let me know the album title and label, as I'd love to get a "real" copy (so much for the idea that mp3 will kill the recording industry). It begins with A.P. Sharp's South Sea Swing, and has an exceptionally swing-influenced range of cuts by Andy Iona, the Coral Islanders, Dick McIntire, Felix Mendelssohn, and others. There are also 4 tracks by Sol Hoopii.
I'm particularly eager to learn more about one cut, Ami Hula Sway (1941), by Lukewela's Royal Hawaiians. Are these by any chance members of the Harry Owens band? Whoever they are, this is one killer track, with a Django-goes-to-Hawaii sound quite unlike any Hawaiian music I've heard before. Great steel, a hot rhythm guitarist and a violinist who sounds a whole bunch like Joe Venuti; in fact, the record has a similar appeal to the great Venuti and Lang cuts.
As always, thanks in advance to all you helpful and knowledgable Forum readers. |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 7:38 pm
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ian:
a p sharps south sea island swing appears on harlequin cd 112 "isle of golden dreams", a uk release from 1998. the coral islanders and mendelssohn are NOT on this cd. the cd contains only 2 tracks by sol h.
ame hula sway comes from harlequin cd 130 "hawaiian memories", from 1999, a cd of transcription material. sol and the coral islanders are on this cd, but no felix m.
from the liner notes, the lukewela royal hawaiian's came out of johnny pineapple's band. personnel: abe lang, guitar and vocal; jack de toro, steel; glenwood leslie, uke; tony atero, violin; gilbert brown, bass; johnny pineapple, tenor vocals and guitar.
recorded in nyc 1941 on transcription, not commercially.
lukewela is an approximation of the hawaiian pronunciation of "roosevelt"; the band apparently played at the roosevelt hotel in nyc.
there are 7 or 8 of these great anthologies on harlequin, all still available through major online dealers. but i don't think any one cd has the lineup you specify.
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Ian McLatchie
From:
Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 6 Apr 2001 2:22 am
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Thanks, Mitch. I figured this must likely be a grab-bag of tunes from various albums, and checked the Harlequin/Interstate site, but
unfortunately they don't have a track listing for their CDs. They should! All the Harelquin collections I've heard have been absolutely first-rate. I'll definitely pick up both the albums you mention. |
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