Steve & Teresa - Ocean Blue (AGS-090 / HNGR5)

Please note: we expect to start shipping vinyl in mid-October 2025.

Having quickly claimed a place in the Hawaiian music scene in 1983 with their debut LP, Catching A Wave, Steve Ma‘i‘i and Teresa Bright soon returned to Rick Keefer's Sea-West Studios to expand their sound further by combining AOR, jazz, Hawaiian and rock with the help of friends like Henry Kapono (C&K), Dave Inamine (Hiroshima), Fred Schreuders (Music Magic), and engineer Gaylord Holomalia (Kalapana). 

During 1970s and 1980s in Hawaii, Steve Ma‘i‘i & Teresa Bright gained popularity for their unique style that fused jazz with traditional Hawaiian music. In contrast to their debut album, which was recorded live in just a few takes, Ocean Blue featured band-like arrangements and gave the duo a chance to explore ideas beyond their tried-and-true bass and guitar approach. Take the drum machines on "Rum and Coca-Coca Medley" for example, or the sweeping synthesizers that follow Teresa's opening chant, pahu (drum), and ‘ohe hano ihu (nose flute) on "Lā‘ieikawai", the pads creating a magical sense of Hawaii's natural beauty. Steve's rocking sound comes through on his original song "Sailing", and the two return to their acoustic roots with "Lehua Makanoe" before giving us the heartfelt ballad, "Someday". And of course, wherever Teresa goes she brings her love of hapa-haole music with her, represented here with Johnny Noble's "A Church In An Old Hawaiian Town". 

Ocean Blue represents both a departure and an arrival for Steve & Teresa, a cross between their familiar restaurant lounge performances at Pat's in Punalu‘u and the possibilities of a studio setting to collaborate and explore, creating a truly tropical sound. 

Reissued in collaboration with hungry records (Diskunion).