LP

George Street “Magic Lady”

Wish I could post a YouTube video for you, but currently my computer is at factory settings and all my programs gone… oh, well, music is music! I found George Street’s “Magic Lady”—finally—after waiting too long to hear it.

Yes, this is my first time ever listening to their music, and I say “they” because the band consists of:

• Gordon Kim, guitar and vocals
• Gail Mack, vocals
• Steven Min, guitar and vocals

And get this, Nueva Vida was their backing band.

Who’s that? If you’ve been following my blog (and anticipating the show tomorrow) then you’ll recognize Nueva Vida. They are performing at the final 70s Night Club Reunion this Saturday with Pauline Wilson, vocalist of jazz-fusion group Seawind. More Nueva Vida bio info here.

My favorite George Street so far? “Magic Lady”, the title track. It’ll soon be your favorite, too:

“Magic Lady” by George Street (from Magic Lady)

It’s been a long, long time since I went record digging in Hawaii. Working full-time leaves little time for me to fit in extra trips to the music shops on Oahu, but just the other day I realized something.

I need to be hunting for records at the nearby Goodwill on my lunch breaks.

It was all intuition, too. I got to Goodwill and started at the CD/cassette section, wondering where the hell the vinyl was. They changed the store layout since I last visited.

I walked the entire store, looked outside where the garage doors used to be open to the public. The doors were closed. I almost gave up.

But then I saw a hallway leading through the other end of the store to the outside, back into the garage I thought was now closed.

Yup, found the records. And I swiftly combed every single stack.

I came up with a few decent finds, including some interesting Hawaiian jazz albums that were still sealed (haven’t even listened to them yet, by the way). I was just about to leave feeling down because my intuition had been telling me to do this for a week now!

And then, as I headed out, I saw one final stack of records on the side. And peeking out was George Street’s “Living on Daydreams”.

Score one.

I picked up the entire stack, sat in on my lap and thumbed through the rest. Some Frank DeLima, but whatever.

Score two: “Magic Lady”.

Both albums—actually, three George Street LPs—were reissued by Cool Sound / Cool Hawaii of Japan. Their music isn’t so much Hawaiian as it is contemporary acoustic jazz pop influence by island life. The interplay and alternations between Gail Mack and her male counterparts make for a soothing, mellow sound. Add simple rhythm backing, some flute and sax solos and you’ve got a winner.

I’ll leave you with two things:

• George Street isn’t a person, it’s an actual street in Honolulu.
• “Say You’ll Be Mine” is another favorite of mine:

“Say You’ll Be Mine” by George Street (from Magic Lady)

Keep Aloha Got Soul going. Donate some change today!

Americana Hawaiiana: Rock Your Soul Compilation

Aloha Got Soul is moving fast this week. There’s the 70s Nightclub Reunion this Saturday, the high def DVD that’s available for preorder, a glimpse of the Lil’ Albert “Movin’ In” album (which I’ll be sharing in more depth real soon). Oh and there’s the 2011 Na Hoku follow-ups that I still need to post with more photos from the awards ceremony.

And now this. Five Hawaiian soul musicians on one BBE compilation. This is quite an accomplishment, especially for a mix CD with 16 songs total… way to go Hawaii for repping the Aloha sound!

Americana – Rock Your Soul: Blue Eyed Soul & Sounds From The Land Of The Free is the compilation title, and it’ll rock your socks (or slippers) off. Pre-orders are being taken for the upcoming July 4th release date.

Mark Taylor of Happy Jazz Radio Show and his colleague, Zafar Chowdhry, put together a 16-track CD filled with American music from “the darker corners of American pop culture.” Mark and I have been ‘internet friends’ for a while now, sharing music and information about Hawaii. So I kinda feel like Aloha Got Soul is part of this project.

“We’d wager you’ve not heard of many of the artists here and that’s ultimately the purpose: to shine a light on the darker corners of American pop culture. And they don’t get much more radio-friendly than this shining collection here.” – Americana… Press Release

If you didn’t know, BBE is a UK-based record label that frequently features the world’s best DJs, musicians and crate diggers (record collectors). A personal favorite of mine, though not Hawaiian music, is Disco Forever compiled by Dimitri from Paris.

Check out the full track list for Americana: Rock Your Soul (Hawaiian artists with *):

*01. Babadu – I Love Music
02. Eric Tagg – Living Off The Love
03. Jaye P. Morgan – Can’t Hide Love
04. James Walsh Gypsy Band – I’ve Got The Feelin’
05. Jesse McFall and The Funk Elegant Orchestra – Thought You Ought To Know
* 06. Lil’Albert – My Girl Friday
* 07. Mike Lundy – Love One Another
* 08. Tender Leaf – Coast To Coast
09. 1619 Bad Ass Band – Just For You
10. Michael Killen – A Little More Time
11. Breakaway – Who Was It This Time
12. Midnight Flyer – I Just Wan To Love You
13. Ian Willson – Four In The Morning (Goodking Edit)
14. Life Force – Slow Dancer
* 15. Society Of Seven – Between Hello And Goodbye
16. Evans Pyramid – Never Gonna Leave You

Place your pre-orders for CD and 2×12″ vinyl from BBE. Check out a review from audiotexture here. Listen to the compilation online here.

Keep the good vibes flowing and donate to Aloha Got Soul.

The Power of Aloha: 2011 Na Hoku Workshops

I’m always humbled whenever I engage with the Hawaiian music scene. It’s a tight knit family of friends and relatives. People smile, hug, laugh. Everyone is warm and inviting. Everyone respects one another. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.

No egos, no pride, just love and aloha.

I was lucky enough to attend some of the 2011 Na Hoku Hanohano Festival Workshops. There were a lot of workshops held over a few days, featuring popular Hawaiian artists and mainland musicians. (Ernie Cruz Jr., Ray Parker Jr., Kimo Kahoano, Patrice Rushen to name just a few.)

From the essence of rhythm to social media business plans, from Office of Hawaiian Affairs loans to interpreting the lyrics of hula music—the workshops featured a solid lineup with solid material. I would stop into a workshop halfway through and think, “I wish I were here from the beginning!” Each class was usually an hour long.

The best part about the Na Hoku workshops?

The intimate, inspirational interactions with these gifted people. They kindly shared their knowledge, motivations and ideas with everyone in the room (there were about seven rooms total).

I was reassured that the spirit of aloha continues to flow freely through the Hawaiian music scene. It’s a humbling experience to learn from these world-class musicians and hear their stories.

More info on the Na Hoku Hanohano Festival, the awards ceremony, and Mele Mei.

Rob Mehl “Taste & See” (It’s Good)

I’ve been blessed with more contemporary Hawaiian music lately, this time it’s Rob Mehl’s Taste and See album from 1980 [MRC 005 / Ministry Resource Center]. I’ve been wanting to hear “House on the Rock” for a long, long time. Here it is today. Continue reading »

Babadu LP has surfaced online

My favorite Stevie Wonder-esque Hawaiian funk and soul singer, Babadu, recently made an appearance online—via download. Continue reading »

DJ Muro “Hawaiian Breaks” Tracklist Makes the Rounds

Aloha Got Soul was founded from two big musical motiviations: Mackey Feary Band’s debut LP, and DJ Muro’s “Hawaiian Breaks” mix. Back in August 2010, no tracklist for Hawaiian Breaks could be found on the internet. None. Coincidentally, the guys over at SoulStrut wondered about the song titles the same time I started compiling the track list.

Lo and behold, less than one year later and the DJ Muro Hawaiian Breaks song list—originally posted on Aloha Got Soul—has made its way around the internet. Discogs.com picked it up (and even linked back here!), and justfunked.com recently posted it to their blog. (Justfunked.com’s Hawaiian Breaks post is the top result when you search “hawaiian funk music” in Google Blog Search. )

Click here to view the DJ Muro Hawaiian Breaks tracklist.

What I’m trying to say is that, I’m just happy this Hawaiian funk, soul, jazz music is making its way out into the world. It deserves to be heard, and people need to hear what Hawaii can offer for listening pleasure.

“We Are Hawaiian, Use Your Library”

I remember that old local TV commercial like it was yesterday, when really it was like 15 years ago. A bunch of kids proudly sharing their ethnicity with viewers and relating it all to one big message:

“I am Hawaiian Filipino, I am Hawaiian Chinese, I am Hawaiian Samoan … We are Hawaiian, Use your library!”

And guess what, the first thing I did upon returning to Hawaii this March was to, well, use my library. Believe it or not, the Hawaii Public Library offers the chance for patrons to borrow vinyl records. I kid you not. Real Hawaiian music you sometimes can’t find on any other format, free* for your listening pleasure!

Here’s a sampling of what Hawaiian Soul/Hawaii Funk/Hawaiian Jazz I borrowed from my local library. Only in Hawaii, right?

Check back soon for much, much more! (Now’s a good time to subscribe to Aloha Got Soul).

*”Free” doesn’t mean you should go and borrow these records “forever”. They belong to everyone, be respectful and shame on you for even thinking about keeping them for yourself.

“Tender Leaf has arrived”

(This post has been updated since its original version first appeared)

Today marks an important moment in Aloha Got Soul’s existence, as well as the history of Hawaiian music (in my opinion, at least). I’ve been lucky enough to interview—let alone track down—Murray Compoc Spencer, the lead singer from Tender Leaf.

Tender Leaf was a band from the 1980s whose sound could be described as easy-going soul with essences of psychedelic music. Its two founding members, Murray Compoc and Darryl Valdez, first met while working as drivers of the city bus (aka The Bus). They discussed music and jammed together, eventually forming a band. Both Compoc and Valdez wrote most of the material on the group’s solitary album, Tender Leaf, recorded in 1982 at Seawest Studios (then located) in Hauula, Oahu.

Band members included:
Murray Compoc :: guitar, lead vocals
Darryl Valdez :: lead & rhythm guitar, backup vocals
John Franklin :: lead & rhythm guitar
Patrick Caraulia :: conga, backup vocals
Bob Hernandez :: bass
Vince Ostertag :: drums
(Kit Ebersbach played keyboards and produced the album).

Flash forward to the new millenium, and the album is one of the most desirable contemporary Hawaiian LPs out there. Cool Sound Japan (aka Cool Hawaii) reissued Tender Leaf in 2003 on CD (and vinyl, I think). *UPDATE: In 2010, another CD reissue was made in Korea by BellaTerra, a label run by a former staffer of Riverman Music (which distributes BellaTerra releases locally). Big Pink Music (or maybe Riverman Music, hard to tell).

Here’s the summary that’s been floating around:

Tender Leaf, released on Tender Leaf Records. Here it is, a ultra rare vinyl of one of the most sought after Hawaii Contemporary LPs. Here’s some more on the group – Tender Leaf is not known generally because the group “Tender Leaf” was not a professional group and the album is released by themselves under their own label, Tender Leaf Records, only in Hawaii. You should admit this album is surely one of the most comfortable Hawaiian albums full of the free-soul feeling. Highly recommended for Hawaiian AOR fans.

Yet despite the numerous reissues and new fans (and money) being made, none of its band members knew this was happening. Compoc was surprised to learn people still listened to the album. To date, he hasn’t heard from any of the labels who reissued the album. *UPDATE: Cool Sound licensed their CD reissue through Kit Ebersbach.

Let’s give Murray the floor to tell his story.

You grew up in Hawaii Kai and raised a family there, right? Now you’re in Tennessee, how’d you end up so far from the islands?
About 13 years ago I started singing country music. I took on the stage name of “Mack Spencer” and formed the band named “Mack Spencer and Renegade”. Within a year we became the number 1 country band in Hawaii. It was then that I recorded a CD titled “American Dream” [Country Heart Records]. We played in all the country clubs on Oahu along with various special venues like Hydrofest, Pearl Harbor 4th of July, Miss Universe Pageant 1998. and various benefits. To make a long story short, I was made a bunch of promises to come to Nashville to persue a solo career. When I got to Nashville all the promises were broken and money taken. A typical story here in Nashville from what I’ve been told.

What connections have you kept since leaving Hawaii?
Mostly family and a few friends. I come back to visit every couple of years or so.

Going back, how did Tender Leaf form as a band? Have you kept in contact with the other band members?
Darryl Valdez and I drove the city bus. We became friends and would discuss music together. Before we knew it we were playing and singing at each others house. You know, just jamming together. I haven’t kept in contact with anyone. The band members all went our separate ways with our lives.

What local artists/groups influenced you? (personally and as a band)
We all pretty much were influenced be the groups of the 70′s in Hawaii. Guys like C&K, The Beamers, Kalapana, etc. A couple of the guys were actually rockers but decided to give local music a try.

From your perspective, how would you describe the music on the LP?
Laid back, easy listening. You know, stuff you would listen to at a gathering or just sitting around with some friends drinking beer.

Did Tender Leaf perform any gigs?
Not really. We didn’t stay together long enough. We played the usual gigs like weddings and parties.

There are two major themes in the song lyrics, “the beautiful countryside,” and “enjoying what we have now before it’s gone.” What part of your life experiences influenced these lyrics? Were you reaching out to anyone specific?
I really don’t know about Darryl but for me, Beautiful Hawaii Kai was like remembering things in High School. But yeah, pretty much things that might have happened to me or around me. I think just expressing myself.

You and Darryl Valdez wrote the majority of the songs on the album. What was he like to work with?
It was funny. We just seem to click off of each other, you know feed on each other. On the songs we wrote together, one would do a line and the other would do the next line. He was a very good guitarist and showed me some chords I never saw before. Loved him man, he’s a really good guy and [I] regret not keeping in contact with him.

Who is M. Motas, composer of the song “Coast to Coast”, and how did the song end up on the album?
I used to jam around with him. His name is Mike Motas. He also lived in the same apartment complex as me. He just came up to me and asked me to listen to this new song he made. I thought it was great and decided to record it when the time came. He was pretty stoked.

I had a dream last night that I found some 45s with non-album songs credited to Tender Leaf. Were there any songs that didn’t make the album?
No, I’m not aware of any extra songs floating around. I believe everything we wrote was on the album.

The album was produced by the prolific Hawaiian musician/producer Kit Ebersbach, who has worked with everyone from Kirk Thompson to Jasmine Trias. How did he end up working with Tender Leaf?
He was referred to us by Pierre Grill I believe. At the time Kit was looking for a group to produce or help with an album.

How did you know Pierre Grill?
I believe it was through Ron Tish who helped with the pressing of the albums. Then again it might have been a mutual friend of Kit.

Did the album have a label/distribution deal? Or was it up to Tender Leaf to sell the LPs at local music stores, etc?
No label no deal, everything was left up to me. I didn’t have any connections and not much experience so it was kinda hard. I did what I could with what spare time I had. Got it played on KCCN for a little while and distributed through a few record stores.

On recording the album, what details do you remember?
Seawest Studios was where we recorded at. It was located in Hauula. Very nice and relaxing. Great people to work with. We had to record at night from midnight until whenever, since we all worked during the day. If I remember right it took 4 or 5 days to record. We all just tried to enjoy ourselves, you know just have a good time make it a fun experience. We all had never recorded before so there was a lot to learn.

Nope, wasn’t aware of it being reissued. Didn’t even realize we were still being listened to by anyone much less having the album still be[ing] bought. Nobody ever contacted me. Makes me very upset since it was my money that was used to make the album. I’d sure like to receive a cut of the pie. It would only be fair right?

Have you tried to contact the label(s) who have reissued the album?
I saw something on the internet and tried to contact them at one time and got absolutely nothing. It would not connect to the address given. I became quite frustrated and disappointed and just gave up.

The Japanese CD reissue [Cool Hawaii COHI-1003] states “Under License from Pacific Music Productions, Inc.” Do you know of PMP?
No never heard of PMP!

*UPDATE: Pacific Music Productions, Inc. is a company of Kit Ebersbach.

Are you happy that people still like Tender Leaf?
I love that people are still listening to and enjoying the music. That’s what you do [it] for don’t you? It always makes me happy that someone enjoys your music, it’s the ultimate.

Are you still making music today?
You know I moved to Nashville 11 years ago and tried. But, unless you know someone in the industry or have tons of money, it’s pretty hard over here. I was in a couple of bands but, they either wanted to stay garage type bands or wanted instant fame. Neither type worked for me. So now I have a regular job and living a regular life. But you know what? I sure miss singing and performing. It’s a hard thing to get out of your system.

Is there anything else you’d like to add or say?
Nope, but could sure use the royalties or something. It would be nice. Thanks for the interest and time. Aloha from Tennessee.

***Interviewed via email on September 24 and October 8, 2010***

Thank you readers for reading this far, and a huge mahalo to Murray for his time and memories. A few notes before I go:

– Mahalo to Drew Spencer for connecting me with Murray! And a big thanks to Mark Taylor of the Happy Jazz Show for hipping me to the album.

– If you’re thinking of buying the CD, don’t. Until Murray and Tender Leaf get the credit they deserve, I suggest you download it for free and send money to Murray himself. It’s just a suggestion, but I’m sure he’d appreciate it!

– *UPDATE: If you enjoy the music of Tender Leaf, consider sharing your appreciation with Murray.

“Summer” by Audy Kimura

Audy (Audwin) Kimura’s “Summer” is simply beautiful, despite its aural complexity. Even with the strings, keys, percussion and guitars floating around, the song remains melodic and unpretentious from start to finish. I especially love when the electric piano or the guitar riffs at just the right moment, jumping out at you. It adds to the melody and accents Audy’s soothing voice. (By the way, “Audwin” is such a cool name!)

Almost incomparable in its mellowness, “Summer” could very well be the epitome of the laid-back vibes of Hawaii. I can close my eyes and imagine a handful of examples. Cruising in a car down to North Shore; waking up to tradewinds breezing through the jalousies; looking to the lush mountainside to see a misty rainbow appear; watching the sun slowly set in all its glorious colors (which is everyday).

Homesickness is the worst, but if the Weather Channel is correct then this next weekend should be warm and sunny in the Pacific Northwest. I’m hoping for the best, because “Summer” is too good to be true!

Enjoy this hi-fi Hawaiian sunshine, and pray that summer will never end.

The wind blows cold on me today
My love has left and gone away
And she took the spring, winter is here to stay

Her love is like a summer gone
I miss the warmth of a sun
I remember well, how she cast a spell on me

Another love, another gone
But I hope it won’t be long
Summer’s sure to come again
Another love I hope it brings to me

But winter will surely turn to spring
Another love it will bring
Maybe this time ’round, summer will never end
Summer will never end, summer will never end

(P.S. Someone needs to do a bossa nova take on this song)

About page updated

Hey everybody, you can find out how/why Aloha Got Soul got its start by visiting the new About section.

Plus, I update the Downloads page from time to time. Honolulu City Lights is up there now.