HMA2006 Steel Guitar entry: Lei of Crimson

Kay Das · Post by **Kay Das** » 16 Jan 2006 4:37 am

Aloha Forumites,

As I stated my intention at Joliet, I did manage to complete a steel guitar instrumental CD to enter in the Hawaii Music Awards. It is entitled " Lei of Crimson" and has many new compositions amongst the 18 tracks. We lost Jerry Byrd and Nancy Gustafsson last year, but I am sure they are listening in and that they will be happy to hear steel guitar is making a comeback. This is just a small effort in trying to make that happen...

This note is only to make you aware that a new steel guitar instrumental CD is out and it is not intended to solicit your vote or purchase.

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kay

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 16 Jan 2006 12:03 pm

Wishing you every success, Kay.

Was your" Lei of Crimson" dedicated to the memory of Jerry Byrd and Nancy Gustafsson?

Aloha,
Don

Maurie Junod · Post by **Maurie Junod** » 16 Jan 2006 5:19 pm

Great news Kay,

Go for it. I for one will be rooting for you.

Maurie

Larry W. Jones · Post by **Larry W. Jones** » 16 Jan 2006 6:03 pm

Here it is. Nice lei!
http://www.hawaiimusicawards.com/nominee_detail.cfm?i=389

Larry W. Jones · Post by **Larry W. Jones** » 16 Jan 2006 6:18 pm

Go to this site to cast your vote. I voted for you Kay. You're up against Jerry Byrd in the steel guitar category, I guess you know. But it's time for a new face in the winner's circle, and I hope you get it.
http://www.hawaiimusicawards.com/

Kay Das · Post by **Kay Das** » 17 Jan 2006 5:48 am

Don,

The following is an extract from the 8-page CD liner notes:

"steel guitar was born in Hawaii......unlike the traditional guitar, it is tuned to a chord with inversions...often to either a 6th or 11th chord, nonetheless played as a melody instrument, sometimes making use of harmonies due to the chord-based tuning...it is played with a steel bar, which permits the player to slide from note to note and which occasionally needs to be slanted across the strings to achieve the correct harmony intervals.

steel guitar enthusiasts wish it to be re-discovered and this CD compilation hopefully adds in some way to prospects of a renaissance. the time may be right...the musical world constantly craves for newer ( or forgotten) sounds and ideas...it was almost exactly a century ago when steel guitar, originating in Hawaii, became the newest sound in popular music on the mainland for many years and has since, like all things bright and beautiful, waited..."

(then follows notes on each of the tunes) and includes for track 3 [the sound of the islands] and track 13 [at the house without a key] ......"dedicated to the memory of Nancy Gustaffson".....

much aloha,

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kay

Kay Das · Post by **Kay Das** » 17 Jan 2006 6:47 am

Larry, Maurie, other forumites,

Thanks for the encouragement

. Yes, I was surprised to learn that Jerry's was the only other entry. I feel enormously and thoroughly humbled having to compete with Jerry and I am sure he would have been the first to insist that newer players should compete against each other and not against him. It would have been far better if HMA had a Jerry Byrd Award to encourage upcoming and/or "wet behind the ears" steel guitarists instead.

By the way, my website is back up ( thanks to Richard Das) and there you can hear a sampler of the first seven tunes. HMA have got my title tune and name wrong in the sampler MP3 file, I have just written to them to fix it. However, an earlier version of the intended title tune "Lei of Crimson", track 2, is posted on http://www.hsga.org/membersrecordings/KayDas.

The track list is as follows, the sampler on my website features the first seven tracks:

/1. Kapiolani Park Blues* /2. Lei of Crimson* /3. The Sound of the Islands**/4. Love Song of Kalua /5. The Swan /6. No More* /7. Acquamarina */8. Irresistible */9. At the House Without a Key **/10. Tutupat */11. The Girl With the Smiing Eyes */12. Adriana */13. Beautiful Isle of Somewhere/14. Bossa Sol ***/15. Flower of My Heart *
16. Moon Over Manakoora /17. Postcard from a Distant Shore */18. Ave Maria /

* = my composition; ** = Nancy and Vic's composition;
*** = charlie macdonald's composition

Tropical regards,

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kay

Kris Oka · Post by **Kris Oka** » 18 Jan 2006 9:18 pm

As great as Jerry Byrd was there should be a special HMA award for aspiring new steel players in his honor. Moving forward, my vote is for Kay Das because he is the player that has given me the most inspiration to want to learn to play this wonderful instrument. Kris

Chuck S. Lettes · Post by **Chuck S. Lettes** » 19 Jan 2006 6:06 am

Hi Kay,
What a great select of tunes. Nice touch and tone, as always!
Chuck

Kay Das · Post by **Kay Das** » 20 Jan 2006 11:49 pm

HMA have now fixed my sampler file: the 1 minute sample is now that of "Lei of Crimson" which is the correct tune, thanks to them.

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kay