Classic Hawaiian steel guitar from the 1920s
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 05/08/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"An awesome collection of rare recordings from Hawaiian steel guitarist Sam Ku West, with informative liner notes and great sound quality on the digital transfers. If you enjoy Sol Hoopii, Tau Moe, Gabby Pahinui and other wizards of the style, then this disc is for you... Get it while you can!"
I hope Grass Skirt Records follows with something just as go
Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 07/26/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Grass Skirt Records' inaugural cd is a rousing success! Collecting all but one of Sam's sides that I know of (the other is on Hawaiian Steel Guitar Classics on the Arhoolie label), this disc is a dream come true for fans of acoustic Hawaiian steel guitar from the 1920s and '30s. Aside from the several tracks that have shown up on previous compilation cds, I'd never heard any of this stuff.
This disc has hardly left my player since I received it a week-and-a-half ago. I've heard it 2 times per day, minimum, since it arrived. Sam's reputation (for youngins of my generation) as one of the best National Tricone players is cemented with the release of this disc. Sweet Georgia Brown is one of those tracks that make people think guys like Sam or Bob Brozman must use some sort of pick-ups/effects, given the sounds they coax out of these great instruments, and the way they seem to be able to control the speed at which slow rolls of sound leave the guitar. Nope, no pick-ups folks, just magic fingers.
I guess, like me before I owned this, you may be wondering how does Sam compare/contrast to the Sol Hoopii Volumes 1 and 2 you own. So far I must say I think Sol was the better of the 2 overall. I think Sol had a more dynamic sense of touch. The way he entered, shaped and exited notes seems without peer. Someday Sweetheart here shows that. Also I think you'll notice Sam has the occasional moment of rhythmic clunkiness, particularly on the lowest notes/phrases he'd play, as on part of Memphis Blues. Sol didn't seem to ever have that, at least not on cd-released sides I've heard. To jump cds, you really should hear my favorite version of Memphis Blues. It's by the Mobile Strugglers on the great Violin, Sing the Blues For me disc.
What I think Sam may have had over Sol is his ability to make the National seem to be a magical box of beautiful sounds. Sam can certainly make this instrument sing and shimmer! He's capable of great, slow, meditative beauty. I give this four stars only because I gave Sol Hoopii Volume 1 five stars, and I still think most anyone would consider Sol to be the all-around better guitarist.
Then again, if you're in the mood for less (as in zero) kitsch than you'll get on Sol Hoopii Volume 2, or from King Bennie Nawahi, Sam right here is your man. Lots of beautiful stuff here. If you prefer Kalama's Quartet's regal quality over Sol Hoopii volume 2, King Bennie or the Cheapsuit Serenaders, this Sam Ku West disc is the one for you.
A sizeable chunk of liner-notes which certainly told me more than I ever knew of Sam's life, as well as some fine pictures and a discography that only omits some repeated issues, makes this a 5-star, class-act tribute to a great musician. Thank You to the collectors and Grass Skirt for making this fantastic collection possible!
"
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1