There's been a small but dedicated cadre' of English musicians enamored of Hawaii for many years. Basil Henriques has built on and expanded that traditiion.
Baz very kindly sent some CDs for review: "Live at the Castaways" Vols 1 & 2 - remastered from mono tapes of mid-60's club gigs and studio productions ... My Guitars and I" ... and a CD compilation of 4 LPs titled "For My Friends".
On listening, it became immediately clear that Basil has full command of the instrument. Though he plays pedal steel, his conceptual approach is to play it like a harmonically extended non-pedal steel; pedal changes are very subtle and free of cliche's.
The studio albums fall into the "easy listening" category with lush arrangements of 60's & 70's pop tunes as well as standards. All of these are very well presented, well recorded and played with flair and feeling. This genre doesn't do much for me but these are certainly as well played as any Easy Listening music i've heard and more important - it's nice to hear the steel guitar in this context because it proves what we all know: this instrument is unlimited in the range of music it can cover.
For me, the real gems are the Castaways CDs. These were recorded at live club dates with an audience and cover a mix of Hawiaian and standard vocals & instrumentals. considering the mono source material, the audio is quite good and Basil's playing is loose, swinging and inventive. The lead singer has a lazy drawl & ultra relaxed style that conjures Dean Martin gone Hawaiian.
While this music could also be categorized as Easy Listening, there's a sense of joy and swing here that really elevates the proceedings to a higher level and Basil's pedal steel work is exceptional - he really swings. I'd recommend the Castaways CDs to anyone who enjoys the genre and digs hearing a steel player in a Hawaiian context who doesn't sound like anyone else.
Thanks for the opportunity to hear these, Baz![This message was edited by Andy Volk on 10 August 2002 at 05:25 AM.]
