VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Descendants Soundtrack
Sony Classical 88697984562

www.sonyclassical.com
 

There have been hundreds of Hollywood movies set in Hawaii, from Elvis’s “Blue Hawaii” to “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” The one thing they all have in common is a total disregard for the state’s indigenous musical culture. When “Hawaiian” music is used, it’s tourist music, a poor parody of real Hawaiian music and culture. Director Alexander Payne helps right this long standing cultural travesty with the soundtrack of his film “The Descendents.” Well known, and a few legendary, Hawaiian musicians perform all the music in the film, providing a real introduction to Hawaiian sounds. Ry Cooder introduced Gabby Pahinui to the rock audience on his album Chicken Skin Music. Pahinui was one of the leaders of the Hawaiian Renaissance of the ‘70s, a movement that introduced traditional Hawaiian music and language to a new generation. He’s featured on six tracks that show off his crystalline guitar and a soulful tenor with its shimmering falsetto. Sing Out! readers are probably familiar with slack key guitar styles, and the album features several giants of the genre including Keola Beamer, Ray Kane, singer guitarist Sonny Chillingworth and guitarist/producer Charles Michael Brotman, who won the first Hawaiian Music Grammy for his work on the compilation Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2. (The Grammys have since folded Hawaiian music into the Roots Music category.) Sol Hoopii moved to Los Angeles in 1924; his work on lap steel guitar introduced the instrument to mainland, and country music, listeners. “Ka Mele Oku U Pu Uwai” by Sol Hoopii’s Novelty Trio is one of the first recordings of real Hawaiian music ever released in the US. Investigating the background of the performers here will lead listeners to a wealth of good, and frequently overlooked (at least on the mainland) Hawaiian music.

— j. poet