Ralph Kolsiana's Night & Day

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

I've posted this before but it's been a few years and lots of folks haven't heard this. Here's a rare private recording of steel great Ralph Kolsiana recorded in 1955 at the Chase Hotel in Santa Monica, CA. Ralph's Hawaiian group was playing a gig opposite a jazz group that Ralph told me included west coast bass legend, Monty Budwig and he thought, Joe Pass on guitar. Ralph was very reluctant to dive into the deep end with such great players but his buddies pushed him to sit in and he afterwards, he was very proud of the recording. You can hear his confidence grow through the course of his solo. Ralph was a very fascinating, talented guy - he was a sculptor, fabric designer, photographer, japanese garden maker, musician and black belt in kung fu.

Here's how Ralph sounded in 1955 ...

https://home.comcast.net/~aevolk/music/RKNandD.mp3

Mark MacKenzie · From: Franklin, Tennessee, USA

Very cool! Thanks Andy!

Anthony Locke · From: Texas, USA

I've been wanting to hear Ralph play for a while, but have never been able to find any of his work. Thanks for posting this Andy. He has a great style, and the arrangement of this song is very cool. I like how he used harmonics on the chorus, it really compliments the tune.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

Someone posted recently questioning the use of Harmonics in playing and didn't seem to think much of them. This is a good example of palm harmonics being used to play whole passages of Night & Day and I think they were used quite effectively. IMHO

Todd Clinesmith · From: Lone Rock Free State Oregon

That was a great recording. I too, have not heard Ralph. I have been very curious after reading about him in Andy's book, and seeing the E13 tuning he used.
Sounded like the musicians were warming up to (with) him as well.

Andy, do you know what recordings with Ralph on steel are available ?
Todd

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Ralph and I corresponded by tapes for a few years. I first heard his steel work on a number of old RCA Bluebird (78 rpm) recordings issued back in the mid-forties which prompted me to correspond with him in his later years. While exchanging tapes I soon realized what a fine steel player he was as well as his other talents outlined by Andy. This clip reflects his excellent jazz phrasing. He graciously sent me pictures taken during the peak days of his career at a time when he actually played for Al Capone! It was a sad day when I learned he had passed away. As Andy will attest, he was quite a guy!

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Todd, Ralph's only commercial recordings were with the Waikiki Swingsters in 1936, recorded at RCA in Camden, NJ. He had a long career playing clubs, appeared in a few Hollywood movies but never got another recording gig. He sold the '36 sides on cassette with handwritten labels and Mike Johnstone did a limited CD run for Ralph's funeral.

I love the cool musical ideas Ralph had in his early work though his intonation is spotty and he's often unintentionally just behind the beat. 20 years later, on Night & Day, he's really in command on the instrument. His brother Johnny was a huge Django fan and you can hear him trying to emulate his idol but not quite cutting it. For 1936, these guys were a hot band - listening to then cutting edge players. There's a very American sense of swing to these records. Ralph made some private records on vocals with a pedal steel player in the early 90s but they were a bit painful to hear. They had a lot of heart but outside of Rose Moe, there aren't a lot of singers in their late 80s who retain their chops.

I met Ralph when I read about him in an early HSGA newsletter and had a busines trip to LA. I called him up for a lesson and wound up staying about seven hours! He was so happy to talk about his career, show photos, and have someone interested after so long. I played some rhythm guitar backing his steel and I recall how pissed off he was I didn't know the changes to any of the Hawaiian standards he wanted to play. We wound up jamming on Autumn Leaves and What Is This Thing Called Love and then I became a bit more okay.

He tuned up my steel for me to his tuning and I recall how he stretched the strings - like pulling back a bow string. I thought they were gonna snap in his face! The guitar stayed pretty much in tune for months after that stringing demo by Ralph.

Afterwards, I tipped off Jas Obrecht at Guitar Player who did a profile on Ralph.
Ralph and I kept in touch by phone and he wrote me a number of ten-page letters. You could tell he really missed the company of musician friends. I was in my early 30s at the time and knowing Ralph really taught me that you're a musician all your life and that you really can find common ground and friendship with someone decades older. He had an amazing life with twists and turns you couldn't make up.

Here are two cuts from the '36 Bluebird sessions ....

Ralph Kolsiana & The Waikiki Swingsters, RCA Bluebird, 1936

On The Beach at Waikiki:

https://home.comcast.net/~aevolk/music/RK_OTBAW.mp3

Who:

https://home.comcast.net/~aevolk/music/RK_1936_Who.mp3

Anthony Locke · From: Texas, USA

Benny Goodman's version of "Who?" is one of my favorite tunes. It's really cool to hear Ralph play it Hawaiian style. His playing reminds me a bit of Sol K. Bright, but a little jazzier. I hear what you're saying about Ralph's brother's Django influences, how he sort of flub's the diminished arpeggio that Django often used. Still, he has the spirit and it definately comes out in his playing. This is great stuff, thanks for sharing Andy!

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

You bet. Ralph was a pioneer who deserves a higher profile. By the way, that's Rickenbacher frypan serial # 004 on the Swingster sides. Rickenbacher outfitted the whole band for free to promote their newfangled electrical instruments.

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