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Tapa Room COMPLETE
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Tau Moe BBC Broadcast
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Brilliant!!

Mahalo nui loa Basil.

Me ke aloha pumehana.

Norman

There you go, Norman, that was easy, eh?

Truly wonderful stuff. Can't wait for Part 2!!

Tom Tohma initially recorded these from the KHVH radio broadcasts.
All I have is a bad cassette copy but I've used the Sonox (Sony Oxford + Cedar) system to enhance and clean up my copy.

There are high quality "reel to reel" tapes available to me. Maybe we can get a record company to release the material, It REALLY should be made available and probably accompanied by a substantial booklet.

At one point, the continuity announcer refers to Alfred Apaka's new "Hawaiian Village Nights" album. This was released in Sept. 1958, and gives us an aproximate date for this material. Also it identifies Jules' guitar as a Mk1 Fender 1000..and although the performances are over half a century old, we should take note of the musicianship displayed by all involved, such correct chords, bass lines and vocal harmonies, no longer duplicated.

The rhythm section are not only superbly balanced and in total empathy with each other but are SO correct with the chords..It's kind of sad to say that nothing nowadays comes close..But that's my belief.

Nowadays the acoustic guitars direct to the mixing desk straight off the piezoelectric pick-ups has become the de facto standard, much to the detriment of the "Swing' of things, and the DRY steel guitar sound is SO refreshing, as opposed to the two or three buckets-full of reverb.

I wonder what others here think ?


Tomorrow I'll post part two after I've processed it..

I'll take this over most anything post 1980. The sound is quite nice after the re-work, and considering the mega all-star band backing Alfred, it's expected the results be exceptional, as they are. These needed to be widely available for decades, so thanx for the service, Baz! And to think some of the old tapes crumbled into pieces as they were copied years ago lends even more awe to the results. Good for Tom in preserving a rare 2nd source for this! He's a great steeler who uses pedals, but in a Hawaiian way.

Sad to think that less than 18 months later Alfred Apaka died and only a few months later was followed by Jules.
Just about the time I started to play Hawaiian music seriously, firstly with my Golden Hofner and then later on, Hawaiian Guitar with my Gibson EH-610 and then my Fender 1000, which I still have and use frequently.


(Running in a set of teeth for "Red Rum")

I so very much agree. What good does it do for this to be buried away when it can be made available, so that we can hear how brilliant these musicians were. I am listening to some of the best music of this type, that I think I have ever heard. The arrangements are so perfect. What a talented group. Do we know the names of all the people on these recordings?

Jimmy Kaopuiki - bass
Pappy Bowman - percussion
David Kupele - guitar
Sonny Kamahele - guitar
Benny Kalama - bass
Jules Ah See - steel

From a CD booklet http://www.cordinternational.com/PDF-FI ... giBook.pdf lot's of good info and some choice pix.

Norman, can you believe that I'm no longer posting on the UK "British Steelies" forum because of a disagreement about me posting this type of material ?

On a different tack, this April Pat and I will be reliving the days of the previous pictures, they were taken during our residency at Ashton Court Country Club in Bristol, AND, The South of England Steel Guitar Festival is being held less than a mile from the club were we were resident.

Thanks for the "Heads Up" Ron..

@ Ron. Thanks I've got that CD I'll have to study the liner notes tonight.

@ Basil. I know how you feel. "The Management" at our little Hawaiian Radio station out here in California won't let the DJs play these types of "bootleg" recordings because they aren't copyrighted. I know, I know, things need to be legal and on the up and up. But how else is the music going to live on unless it gets heard. I struggle with questions like this all the time. The desire to share and promote the music, while at the same time making sure the musicians get their reward.

Here are more.. Jules is unreal and the band is so tight.. ALL the correct bass notes.. I'm SO impressed with the musicianship..
Tapa Room Tapes

Download link: http://mbf.cc/6d7VGm

Basil
It only took about 4 hours to edit and process all 56 tracks..Logic Pro 9 and Sonox, Waves Platinum and Universal audio Plug-ins..all on a computer about the size of six stacked CD cases..!!


Pat getting a bit of exercise before the Aloha Dream
Shustoke Convention on Friday 25th.
She has a Glock G18C, on the other side of that garter

Thanks very much for the recordings, Basil. Not to mention the black and white picture.

I attended an evening show at the Hawaiian Village in August 1957.

I frankly don't remember details.

Who did I see?

Alfred, Jules, and band as above?

Hilo Hattie plus Alfred, Jules, and band?

I've been making a list of all musicians I have seen perform during my lifetime and this show is a gaping hole because I don't remember any detail---other than we had dinner and saw the show. The building was the talk of the town at the time and had not been around long. I think it was still Henry Kaiser's at the time, not the Hilton? Did Frank Lloyd Wright have anything to do with the design?

Mitch, if it was in '57 and in the Tapa Room, maybe you saw what we are listening to, but I think Alfred did only 2 nights a week. Hilo hattie didn't take the spot til after Alfred died. It was still Kaiser's Hawaiian Village, with no input that I've ever heard of from Wright, but Bucky Fuller's geo dome sat on the property, it's all gone. I once owned Henry Kaiser's Magnatone dbl. 8, I've always wondered how much he played, but even moreso wondered what hands were ever on that steel, Henry knew and partied with all the great steelers...

basilh wrote: At one point, the continuity announcer refers to Alfred Apaka's new "Hawaiian Village Nights" album. This was released in Sept. 1958, and gives us an approximate date for this material.

Also Jules, being the impish musician he was, makes musical comments during his solos, excerpts from popular tunes of the day, AND "Jingle Bells, and "Rudolph" being quite noticeable, would date it somewhere betwixt Early December 1958 and mid January 1959 (would be a good guess.) The show was twice weekly as the continuity announcer states.

It means so much to me, thanks for making these available!
Cheers,
Rune

Once again Basil, Thank you so much!!

Ron Whitfield wrote:Mitch, if it was in '57 and in the Tapa Room, maybe you saw what we are listening to, but I think Alfred did only 2 nights a week. Hilo hattie didn't take the spot til after Alfred died. It was still Kaiser's Hawaiian Village, with no input that I've ever heard of from Wright, but Bucky Fuller's geo dome sat on the property, it's all gone. I once owned Henry Kaiser's Magnatone dbl. 8, I've always wondered how much he played, but even moreso wondered what hands were ever on that steel, Henry knew and partied with all the great steelers...

Ron:

Thanks for the added detail.

Do you have any idea who played on the nights that Alfred was off? My mom really liked him, so I suspect I was there on one of his nights, but I can't be sure.

We stayed at the Halekulani for about a week, but I can't recall seeing any music there.

I had a brain fade on F L Wright. I knew it was a famed architect and forgot about Fuller.

Here is a couple of pix of Henry Kaiser's other great contribution to American culture. Being from So Cal, I'd guess you have seen critters like this:

Just updated the links in the first post..
So.. what do you all think of the band, when I asked the question:-
"The rhythm section are not only superbly balanced and in total empathy with each other but are SO correct with the chords..It's kind of sad to say that nothing nowadays comes close..But that's my belief.

Nowadays the acoustic guitars direct to the mixing desk straight off the piezoelectric pick-ups has become the de facto standard, much to the detriment of the "Swing' of things, and the DRY steel guitar sound is SO refreshing, as opposed to the two or three buckets-full of reverb.

I wonder what others here think ?"

Mitch Drumm wrote:Being from So Cal, I'd guess you have seen critters like this:

I grew up around Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth's Maywood shop, so exceptional automotive expression was one of my first loves after breast milk, and Lions Drags was a regular. Thanx for those cool pix!

I can't remember who filled the other nights at the T Room, somebody here should know. I'd like to re-hear the info too.

Bucky's dome housed the showroom where Alfred moved into once he outgrew the T Room, it sat right on the corner accross from Ft. DeRussy. I should'a snagged a piece of it when they took it down.
Kaiser was way in love with Alfred's talents and basically built the themed hotel, and certainly the T Room, just to showcase the man's music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkI-AtjRTnY

The Tapa Room had some dance music with the Bernie Halmann group which alternated with Alfred and his gang.

Arthur Lyman also had a fill-in slot too.

Ah yes, Bernie Hallman, who could forget... A google search brings up 2 whole mentions of ol' Bernie. I guess nobody mistook him for Alfred!

But, it would have been awesome to catch Atta Lyman there.

Thanx, Derrick, I knew you'd be the one to come thru with some info.

Too bad The Village Men didn't just carry on, the talent in that group wasn't dependant on Alfred.

Many thanks for all that great music Basilh, much appreciated.......

Alfred Apaka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkI-Atj ... r_embedded