Wear a Lei - John Ely

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 31 Jul 2021 9:03 am

Here's a beautiful Hawaiian steel tune in B11th tuning composed by Pua Almeida and beautifully played by John Ely. Note: the image is of the cover of my arrangement but this music clip is JOHN's playing & arrangement, not mine. However, John kindly helped me out with a lead sheet and the melody to the bridge for my B11th arrangement that's available on my web site. Back up played here by Tom Morrell's band The Time Warp Tophands. One of my all-time favorite Hawaiian tunes.

https://soundcloud.com/aev/b11th-lap-st ... gfgOx4Tit4

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 31 Jul 2021 9:22 am

That is some kind of Wonderful!

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 31 Jul 2021 10:00 am

Great to hear Hawaiian Music played the way it should be. Wonderful arrangement and twin leads!
I'm really sick and tired of the so called new modern Hawaiian music with two or three people sitting around strumming guitars and ukes-leaving the steel guitar out!

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 31 Jul 2021 10:05 am

Andy, on your arrangement of Wear a Lei, do you follow the same arrangement and chords as John did? I noticed on your site, the samples seem to sound more like an organ effect than steel.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 31 Jul 2021 10:27 am

Duane, the sound you're hearing is just the computer-generated audio generated by the layout software. Midi audio is not ideal - it works a bit better for standard guitar than steel - but with almost 100 arrangements, there's no way I can practice, work up to full performance level and record them all with back up to my satisfaction. The steel melody arrangement is very similar to John's and the chords are from the lead sheet John gave me.

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 31 Jul 2021 10:46 am

Wow! B11th is so Hawaiian and John Eli plays it beautifully. Thanks John wherever you are?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 31 Jul 2021 11:50 am

There's just something about B11... I have yet to hear a B11 performance that I did not like! Of course, this performance by John is exceptional. Great execution and intonation. It really transports the listener to a different time and place.

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 31 Jul 2021 12:00 pm

Thanks Andy, I'll order your arrangement.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 31 Jul 2021 12:59 pm

You said it perfectly, Doug. John has remarkable intonation and his tuning is always perfect sounding ... reminds me of Johnny Smith who played the equal tempered guitar in perfect-sounding tune on every recording. I'm on a real B11th kick right now. For the right songs, it adds a romantic mood all its own.

Here's John playing a gorgeous version of Flamingo in C6th: http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/media/news ... rAudio.mp3

David Matzenik · Post by **David Matzenik** » 31 Jul 2021 1:47 pm

That's just plain gorgeous music. (Wear A Lei) Its always great to find Hawaiian steel guitar pieces that were composed in Hawaii. The lady in the image is Lily Padeken, who danced with the Kodak Hula Show from the middle 1930s through to the 1950s.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 31 Jul 2021 2:00 pm

Thanks, David! Good to know who is in that image. That picture comes from a 1940s postcard I bought years ago in an antique store on Cape Cod.

Joe A. Roberts · Post by **Joe A. Roberts** » 31 Jul 2021 4:25 pm

Thanks for posting that Andy.
I remember reading on your website that it came from a John Ely recording and always wanted to hear the original.
Another song I always wanted to hear but could never find was the original Dick McIntire "South of Honolulu" that you tabbed out!

Johnny Smith is probably my favorite guitarist. Aside from his perfect tuning, his execution was always perfect despite his notoriously difficult strech chords! I was listening to this last night, and it is one of my favorite Johnny Smith recordings. It is easy to miss as he is credited on the record as "Sir Jonathan Glasser" probably due to contractual reasons.
Amazing guitar intro and comping on a 22 minute version of "Tenderly." It sort of reminds me of Noel Boggs beautiful chord melody version.

Jazz Studio One - Tenderly (1952)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T75sLA7C3FE

Sorry for the digression!

I am sure that I am not the only one appreciating the fruits of your recent B11th kick.
Are you familiar with these Christmas songs recording by forum member Rich Sullivan?

Rich Sullivan - Let It Snow/Christmas Time is here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr0YNiiXB_I

He uses a modified, rootless B11th as follows on them:
E D C# A F# D# C# A
as described and tabbed out here:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... highlight=

In the second half of the video, I think his version of "Christmas Time" in particular is hauntingly beautiful, demonstrating the eerie beauty that an added "d" string can give the tuning.

Another interesting thing to note is that B11th is only 2 strings different from the Leavitt tuning, but pitched down a half step:
E C# A F# D# B - B11th
C# B A F# D#C - Leavitt tuning pitched down a half step

This means that with 8 strings they can be combined:
E C# B A F# D# C B
or
(b) E C# B A F# B (C) to keep the Leavitt notes reentrant on the outside to keep the core B11th strum

I am currently experimenting with this tuning on my middle neck:
E D C# B A F# D# C
which has the Leavitt tuning on the bottom 6 strings and the D from Rich Sullivan's variation, and then the E on top to give the top 5 strings of the B11th.
Definitely a weird tuning!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Aug 2021 3:24 am

Thanks for that terrific Johnny Smith cut, Joe. I'd never heard it. My book "Guitar Dreams" is coming out in a revised softcover edition that will include a new profile of Johnny and a new interview with Ben Harper.

I'd seen Rich's tabs way back when but never heard the audio. Cool variation on B11th. I've found that for me personally, too many tuning variations can be a rabbit hole so I usually stick close to a core set of tunings that have more than I'll ever discover in one lifetime. But this is indeed haunting and interesting. I may have to try it! Thanks for such a robust post response.

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 1 Aug 2021 8:52 pm

John Ely has a great Hawaiian touch to his steel guitar playing. John has a great ear for music and because of his living in Hawaii for a time, he was able to both hear and master the Hawaiian sound. Great to hear John play.

Anthony Glass · Post by **Anthony Glass** » 1 Mar 2023 6:39 am

Late to the party, as usual -- this has apparently been removed from Soundcloud since it was posted two years ago. Any chance there's an alternate link that's still active?

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 1 Mar 2023 7:22 am

Following...

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Mar 2023 9:46 am

Anthony, here's John's version of "Wear a Lei" ...

http://sndup.net/zpdy