Soul

Tracklist: Paradise 1x10x100 Revisited

I hope you’ve been playing the Paradise mixtape on repeat since its release last month. A handful of bloggers shared the mixtape with their followers—shoutout to The Diggers Union!—so no doubt there are people across the world finding paradise through music.

Paradise: 1x10x100 Revisited is an oasis of smooth soul and jazz sounds that will take the listener to a paradise within. At least, that’s what my goal was when I made the mixtape.

I think it worked, because I’ve received several requests for a tracklist for the second installment in the 1x10x100 mixtape series. (The story goes like this: 1 store. 10 dollars. 100 records. Learn more here.) People really want to know which artists are behind these songs!

With this post, I happily share with you the complete Paradise tracklist, including artist, label, and release year for each track. Enjoy!

Tracklist for Paradise: 1x10x100 Revisited

1. Paradise – The O’Jays – Message in the Music – Philadelphia International – 1976
2. I Believe In You – Enchantment – Soft Lights, Sweet Music – RCA Victor – 1980
3. Keep On Smilin’ – Weapons of Peace – Weapons of Peace – Playboy – 1977
4. Coming Back For More – Odyssey – Hollywood Party Tonight – RCA Victor – 1978
5. It’s Critical – Billy Paul – First Class – Philadelphia International – 1979
6. The Skin You’re In – GQ – Face to Face – Arista – 1981
7. I Love To Please You – Ramsey Lewis – Legacy – Columbia – 1978
8. Expressions – Willie Hutch – Willie…Mitchell…Listen…Dance… – Bearsville – 1981
9. La Bruja Negra – Joe Torres – Latin Con Soul – World Pacific – 1967
10. Back To My Roots – Lamont Dozier – Peddlin’ Music on the Side – Warner Bros – 1977
11. Inner Beauty – Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Reflections of a Golden Dream – Flying Dutchman – 1976
12. So True – Karma – Celebration – Horizon/A&M – 1976
13. It’s All In The Way – Mirage – Princes of Love – RCA – 1978
14. I Can’t Be The One – Enchantment – Soft Lights, Sweet Music – RCA Victor – 1980
15. Passport To Ecstasy – Banks & Hampton – Passport to Ecstasy – Warner Bros – 1977
16. BS – Jimmy Owens – Headin’ Home – Horizon/A&M – 1978
17. Mom And Dad – LaSo – LaSo – MCA – 1977
18. The Coke Song – Lamont Dozier – Peddlin’ Music on the Side – Warner Bros – 1977
19. Just A Phone Call Away – Mirage – Princes of Love – RCA – 1978

There you have it, the tracklist to Paradise.

Several of the songs can be found on YouTube, but I’m trying to fill the gaps with what’s missing—like Billy Paul’s “It’s Critical”, Karma’s “So True”, or Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Inner Beauty”.

Note: I uploaded the songs to my other YouTube account, bonghitsmusic, since the music is not exclusively Hawaiian. 

Still searching for Paradise?

Click here to download Paradise: 1x10x100 Revisited.

P.S. If you’re wondering about the first installment, 1x10x100 (Harry’s Music Store Mixtape), that tracklist is coming soon, I just need to upload more music videos to YouTube first.

Sunday Manoa “Guava Jam”: Too Bold for its Time

Sunday Manoa’s Guava Jam signaled a new direction in Hawaiian music. The trio’s definitive album, released on Hula Records in 1969, defined a new style of Hawaiian music, ushering the start of a new era in the islands known as the “Hawaiian Renaissance“—the revitalization of tradition, culture, and language of the Hawaiian people.

But in the early seventies, many found Guava Jam difficult to accept.

The music of Peter Moon, Robert Cazimero, and Roland Cazimero was ahead of its time, sounding nothing like the Hawaiian music of the era. Such innovation would soon shape the sound of the seventies in Hawaii with music that Moon once described as follows:

“The Sunday Manoa breathes new life into the music of the past, enhancing the flavor of old with the influences of today. Guava Jam means that true Hawaiian music is definitely a local product, and is disciplined and rich with feeling as any other folk music.”

Too bold for its time

The range of musicianship, choice of songs, and the way Sunday Manoa’s harmonies blended so well was not exactly an instant hit. It was said that for its time, this was too bold of a step in how these songs were created.

The old school didn’t like these new “rock ‘n’ roll”-like arrangements, while the new school were simply incorporating everything from the California sound to folk rock from the East Coast, but done in a way that was not disruptive to the true meaning of the songs.

The fans who did love it wanted more, but it would take Moon and the Cazimeros three years, and a new label, to finally enter the studio once more to record another album?  Why the delay?

Sunday Manoa hits a stride

In the late 90s, I had intended on writing a book about my appreciation for Guava Jam and had written to Don McDiarmid Jr. in 2002 about receiving information about anything and everything that had to do with the recording and production of it.

As someone who grew up with rock ‘n’ roll, soul, funk, jazz and other styles of music, and got into record collecting, if I became curious about a certain record and wanted to know more about it or why it may have moved me, I had the option of reading an article about it in a collector’s magazine or hunting down a book on the creation of the album. In the last decade, one has the option to watch a documentary series like Classic Albums.

My idea for the book was to treat Hawaiian music with the same level of respect and analysis as a rock or jazz album, and I knew which record I wanted to cover.

Talking with Don McDiarmid, Jr.

While McDiarmid served as the album’s executive producer, it was someone else whose name can be found in countless Hawaiian album credits.

“The unknown star of that recording was my sound man, the great Bob Lang” said McDiarmid, who went on to talk about some of the things that went down in the studio during the recording sessions.

“As we edited Guava Jam from one end to another, I had forced Peter (Moon) into ‘uke solos that he was not capable of playing at that time, and built endings that ran a minute or more, (we) left gaps for inserted voices, all flying from the seat of my pants. Roland tuned the instruments so at least we were in tune.  I used every idea I had ever had to enforce the contemporary sound.“

Tape editing was literally just that: reel-to-reel tapes and a razor blade to make sure all edits were done properly. In fact you can hear a clear edit on “Kawika” after the percussion section jumps right into the group playing ‘ukulele, guitar, and bass. All of these edits would consist of the finished master tape, done on “1/4 inch 2-track. [It] looked like patch work,” McDiarmid told me.

As for the material that ended up being part of the master recording, McDiarmid stated that “listening to the original raw recordings versus the finished master would find no resemblance [to one another].”

(Almost) digging through the Hula Records archives

I had expressed my desire to fly back home to Honolulu, get a chance to meet McDiarmid and visit the Hula archives for a chance to do some research not only about the label, but also to do some research for my planned Guava Jam book.

The concept for the book started when I had bought the album when it was released on compact disc for the first time. While I welcomed it on CD, I had felt the sound was not as good, and had wanted the volume levels to be boosted and for some liner notes to be placed in the booklet.

The 4-panel CD booklet didn’t have any of the lyrics and translations found on the original record, nor the photo of the band in the gatefold.

The Sunday Manoa: The Brothers Cazimero and Peter Moon

I had expressed interest in doing the liner notes if given the chance, and he said he loved the idea, and perhaps when it was time to press up the CD again, he would consider my suggestions.

That lead to him saying that whenever I came back home, he would allow me to check out the Hula archives. 

I never got the chance, but did ask him about the existence of any tapes involving the recording of the record: ”I [would] doubt that any of the working tapes or [recording session] notes still exist. The finished masters [do exist], of course.”

Cut and paste: respect for the music

McDiarmid then went into the process of recording:

“The very first things I did were on an old portable AMPEX 1/4 inch tape on 10 inch reels, and even some 7 inch (tapes). Cut and paste was the deal. Bob Lang was fearless, but for safety, we would dub the section off on another machine and work with that. He did a splice once about 15 inches long on 1/4 inch 2-track using a razor, a yard stick, and a piece of glass.

“I also did some things in monaural (mono) and later went back and faked the stereo.  Bob also many times to correct a wrong word in Hawaiian, would take out a part like ‘me’ in the word ‘pumehana’ that had been sung wrong and insert from another cut [song], the correct sound.”

To me, it sounded not unlike recording session stories for rock and jazz albums, but McDiarmid clearly stated that when he recorded music for his labels, it was done out of respect for the music:

“Lots of times we just let the machines roll and would start a take and sometimes break and restart or let it roll, do three or four, if needed and then intercut stuff later. Remember with a one man company with no money we had to re-use the tape time and again and every one paid by the hour.” 

“I never worried about anything but the heart of the Hawaiian music. Without that forget it. I could live with a bum chord or goof but not the heart. The other thing was making sure that the whole project had class and not just organized noise by some tree thumpers, which incidentally is what i think of rock ‘n’ roll.”

Why Sunday Manoa disbanded

There had always been rumors as to why Sunday Manoa had split up.

It was McDiarmid who chose to work with Sunday Manoa when they were Palani Vaughan’s backing group, continued to work with them with the Moon/Bla/Baby line-up, but felt that when it became Moon and the Brothers Cazimero, he knew that this lineup was the right one, although “I could see that the final Sunday Manoa (lineup) wouldn’t last, as there were too many leaders in the group.”

He claimed that in between takes, there was an obvious clash of egos, but as he and Lang managed to record and edit the songs together, there was something in the material recorded and wrapped up by saying, “I really had nothing to lose.”

It may have been too much for everyone involved, which may have lead to that three year gap before the group would enter another recording studio, again with Bob Lang, but for a different label. The Moon/Cazimero/Cazimero lineup would record two albums for Panini, 1972′s Cracked Seed and 1973′s 3, the latter bringing the producers of the record to Los Angeles to record string arrangements for a number of songs.

While Sunday Manoa 3 sounded as powerful as the Jackson 5 or the 3 Musketeers, one look at the cover photo revealed a group of men who almost looked like they didn’t want to be in the same room with one another. Yet if you have the original LP or CD, one look at their individual photos showed a more jubilant group of musicians, with the Cazimeros showing off smiles and Moon in deep concentration.

Perhaps this was a sign for what was to come in a few years.

The last appearance of Sunday Manoa was on Panini’s double album, The Waimea Music Festival, and then things went quiet. It wouldn’t be until a few more years when the brothers became officially known as The Brothers Cazimero, and Moon chose to created a new band under his own name.

Both groups would wrap up the 1970′s in a powerful way with their respective recordings (including the Peter Moon Band’s great debut, Tropical Storm, which also had the group take part in a medium known as “promotional film clips”, better known as the “music video”. There’s a video of “Island Love” that has remained unseen for years), and would take on the 1980s with style on their own individual paths.

Hawaiian music, inside and out

For all intents and purposes, Guava Jam was a focal point in recorded Hawaiian music because of how different it sounded for the first generation who heard it.

For everyone else afterwards, it was Hawaiian music inside and out. If it was revolutionary, it was so because it felt like a swift kick in the ass, especially to a generation of kids who loved Hawaiian music but wanted to show how hip it could be without making any extra statements.

The statements would be in the musicianship and the stories told, allowing the dialogue to continue instead of dying off as a mere artifact of the past.

Note: with the help of this article, I hope to be able to fill in the missing pieces in the creation of Guava Jam, as well as look into the recording of Cracked Seed and 3. If you are someone who would like to assist me in finding out more, please email me at BooksMusica [at] gmail [dot] com.

Free Mixtape: Paradise: 1x10x100 Revisited

You know the story: 1 store. 10 dollars. 100 records.

When Harry’s Music Store closed in February to reopen down the street, I immediately jumped in the car and headed to their daytime clearance sale. Vinyl records, dirt cheap, I was stoked.

So I made a mixtape of my finds (you’ve probably heard it by now) and called it 1x10x100.

But one mixtape just wasn’t enough.

That’s why I made another, it’s called Paradise:1x10x100 Revisited.

Finding paradise in your soul

In Hawaii, paradise is everywhere you look.

But there’s another kind of paradise—you’ll find it inside you, close to your soul. Music will help you find that place.

Curated strictly from the records I bought at Harry’s Music Store, Paradise: 1x10x100 Revisited will take you to the paradise within your soul. This isn’t Hawaiian music, but music by artists who connect directly to the inner self—much like Hawaiian music does.

Download it now, free.

(By the way, Harry’s is still closed. Apparently they had issues with business permits or something. I’m not entirely sure. But, the storefront will reopen in a few weeks’ time, hopefully).

Fabulous Krush “Without The One You Love”

“Without The One You Love” by the Fabulous Krush Continue reading »

The Krush: Hawaii’s Favorite Band

It’s a huge claim to make: being Hawaii’s favorite band. But back in the 1980s, nobody could touch the Fabulous Krush.

Honolulu entertainment writer John Berger once described The Krush as ”charismatic, dynamic and superbly talented,” a band that gave its audience “good, clean fun and a happy wholesome entertainment” with every performance.

Hawaii's The Krush throughout the years

Instant success

Krush won two Na Hoku awards in 1981—the quickest way to ensure instant success—Best Album of the Year and Most Promising Artist.

Five days following the 4th annual Na Hoku Hanohano awards, the Fabulous Krush launched straight to the top of Hawaii’s music scene. Their biggest

An evolving act

Like I mentioned earlier this week, the Krush went through several transformation before finally dropping “Fabulous” from their name:

• The Exotic 5, a humble North Shore act from Waialua
• New Experience, a “marginally successful cover band”
• Fabulous Krush, featuring the addition of Glass Candle’s Bobby Gonzales
• The Krush, a name change that coincided with the evolution of the band’s rock sound

The Fabulous Krush

How the band was formed

The Krush began in 1977 when Yemun Chung, one of Hawaii’s top talent managers and booking agents, created a simple formula:

• Hire the marginally successful cover band New Experience
• Add Bobby Gonzales of Glass Candle
• Debut a new show band, the Fabulous Krush.

Rising stars

Despite a near constant rotation of members, the Fabulous Krush shot straight to the top, fast.

Their biggest gig in Hawaii? A headliner act at the Outrigger Hotel’s main showroom (they shared the space with the Society Of Seven).

A new direction

Manager Chung resigned and retired from show business, giving the Krush to make their own destiny.

Moving away from pop material and into a louder and more rock-oriented sound, the Krush eventually outgrew their Outrigger showroom.

The Fabulous Krush continued their successful career with mainland performances, sold-out concerts, and TV appearances like the Mike Douglas Show.

Saying Goodbye to The Krush

Lead singer Edwin Ramones left the group in 1987 with plans to live on the mainland with his wife and sons.

Without an official public annoucement, the Fabulous Krush disbanded.

Hawaii’s Favorite Band

Over the years, various Krush members would reunite with the same mission of bringing happiness and good, clean fun to the dance floor—it’s what makes them Hawaii’s favorite band.

Check out one of my favorite Krush cover songs, “Blame It On The Night.”

Fabulous Krush: That Summertime Sound

I’m in love with the album “Blame it on the Night” by Robert Byrne, an Alabama songwriter whose music I can listen to over and over throughout the day.

His music guides the listener through a strong emotional sway with every story he creates. Each song is powerful yet gentle, persuasive yet passive, immediately memorable to those who listen closely the first time around.

With each consecutive spin, the album sinks deeper into your soul.

Fabulous Krush “Blame It On The Night”

The Fabulous Krush knew this.

That’s why they covered “Blame It On The Night” for their self-titled release on Dove Records.

The Krush

Upon its release, Fabulous Krush propelled the band, led by singer Edwin Ramones and Hal Bradbury, to the top of Hawaii’s pop music scene.

The group already had a strong following, starting as the Exotic 5 then changing its name to New Experience, and then Fabulous Krush. They later dropped ‘fabulous’ and became The Krush..

Making Memorable Hits (and winning awards)

Their LP, an approachable mix of disco, AOR, and soul music, gave the islands some of the most memorable hits of the day, especially “Waialua Sky”, a song that brings genuine tears to those nostalgic for the days when music was pure and happy—an era when Nohelani Cypriano, C&K, and Kalapana dominated the local music scene

In 1981, their eponymous album won a Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Best Album of the Year—becoming one of the few exceptions where a distinctly non-Hawaiian group earned the award.

“In the 31 years the category has existed, the winners have almost always been either a Hawaiian album or some type of contemporary hapa haole rather than something pop, jazz, rock, hip hop, “urban” or reggae.” —John Berger, 2011

That Summertime Sound

With roots in Waialua, a rural North Shore town surrounded by sugar cane fields and surfing beaches, the Fabulous Krush captures that summertime sound which contemporary Hawaiian artists of the era played so well.

“Blame It On The Night” is a perfect example. I hope you think so, too.

Nohelani Cypriano “Lihue” Music Video (1977)

I should’ve seen it coming, but this surprised me: the original 1977 music video for “Lihue” by Nohelani Cypriano.

Thanks to Hawaiian music collector Yoshi—whose initial upload of Brandon Bray & Brown Spice performing “Polynesian Girl” brought Ron Jacob’s KKUA Home Grown TV series to life on the web—Nohelani and Dennis Graue’s “Lihue” music video from 35 years ago finally finds its place in Internet history.

“We think this young lady is gonna be an emerging star of the future. Look at her now as she performs ‘Lihue’”. —Ron Jacobs

Screenshots of Nohelani Cypriano's "Lihue" 1977 music video.

An emerging star…

In 1980, Nohe won Female Vocalist of the Year at the Na Hoku Hanohano awards, Hawaii’s most celebrated music awards ceremony.

In 1992, she won it again.

And to this day, Nohe continues to perform “Lihue”, along with other classics like “Moon of Monakoora”.

(Listen to “Lihue” by Nohelani Cypriano in high quality audio.)

This song will forever be one of Hawaii’s greatest rare groove tracks, resonating with future generations of music lovers.

Nohelani Cypriano "Lihue" 1977 music video

(P.S. There’s another version of “Lihue” from 1995, have you heard it yet?)

The Aliis Live: “Summer Sun”

Summer is just around the corner for most of you, the sun gradually warming the earth and breaking those spring clouds and rains away.

In Hawaii, it’s almost always summer. Which means anytime is the the perfect time to celebrate sunny weather. Right now sounds good.

The Aliis Live: "Summer Sun" (Photos by me_lv / Instagram)

Enjoy the sunshine with this track by The Aliis: a medley of three tunes, “Keep the Customer Satisfied”, “Didn’t We”, and “Summer Sun”.

What’s your favorite Hawaiian track to celebrate the summertime?

The Aliis Live: A Finale to Make Me Smile

The Aliis Live, a double LP made desirable among music collectors after DJ Muro included the super-charged “Finale” as the final track to his Hawaiian Breaks mixtape.

But there’s something missing from the album, something I feel is very important—liner notes worth reading.

The Original Liner Notes

The album’s original liner notes, probably written by the band’s manager, Irv Pinensky, don’t convey the exciting music you hear on this record (which I found at the Friends of the Library of Hawaii Music Sale).

No, in my opinion the liner notes give you almost nothing worthwhile to consider while listening to The Aliis Live. Check it out:

“The Aliis—a group for all ages—music from the 50s to our present day sounds are performed with equal feeling and musicianship. The album, recorded “live” at the main showroom of the Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki, showcases the versatility of The Aliis. Their combination of superior musicianship and great vocal ability have made The Aliis the most entertaining show group in the country today.”

What you do learn about The Aliis is: their music appeals to everyone, they can play tunes from almost any era with expertise, and their skills match the amount feeling they put into performing.

The Aliis “Make Me Smile”

While the liner notes say enough for the disinterested, I think The Aliis Live deserves more.

After all, just look at the musicians and the instruments they play!

The Aliis

Joe Mundo: piano, organ, brass
Al Akana: drums
Carlos Barboza: organ, brass
Rudy Aquino: vibes, marimba, brass
Benny Chong: guitar, bass
Bobby King: bass

Listen closely to “Finale” and you’ll find out that Benny Chong is a multi-instrumentalist. But read the liner notes and you’ll realize that almost every member of The Aliis plays more than one instrument.

So that’s where all that brass comes from!

The Aliis “Finale”

New and improved liner notes

I propose that The Aliis Live needs new liner notes.

Here’s my take, let me know what you think (feel free to add your own liner notes, too):

Explosive, unexpected, fresh—that’s The Aliis, a group whose musical talents know no limits. From early 50s pop to today’s jazz-funk grooves, these guys can dig it. 

If you missed their performances at the Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki, don’t worry because this live album captures their unique enthusiasm to entertain audiences with powerful versions of classic songs. 

The Aliis rule the entertainment world with presence and skill unmatched. With just one listen, you’ll find inspiration in the powerful music of The Aliis. 

The Aliis—meaning “royalty” or “kings” in Hawaiian—reign over Honolulu’s nightlife. After years as Don Ho’s backing band, The Aliis prove their sound can survive outside the shadow of a showroom superstar.

Besides, musicians who easily switch between heavy horns to blazing guitar and organ solos—and continue to amaze listeners night after night, year after year—were born to be kings. 

Here’s to new ideas

Have you ever wanted to rewrite lackluster liner notes of an outstanding album? 

Tender Leaf “You’re My Fantasy”

“You’re My Fantasy” by Tender Leaf Continue reading »