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Hawaiian musical tradition receives first Grammy
Hawaiian music got its due at the Grammy Awards, garnering the Recording Academy's first honour set aside for musicians keeping the islands' musical traditions alive.
Hawaiian music got its due at the Grammy Awards, garnering the Recording Academy's first honour set aside for musicians keeping the islands' musical traditions alive.
Slack Key Guitar Volume 2
, a compilation of songs by various artists featuring the uniquely Hawaiian slack-key tuning guitar sound, won the Grammy for best Hawaiian music album. The recording features a musical style dating back hundreds of years. For Charles Michael Brotman, who produced the album, the recognition was sweet, if overdue.
"We know that we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for past generations of musicians in Hawaii that dedicated their life to music," Brotman said. "On behalf of the entire state of Hawaii, thank you so much for honoring Hawaiian music."
The slack key style was developed in the 1800s after Spanish cowboys, who arrived on the islands to show the natives how to care for cattle, introduced them to the guitar.
The Hawaiians devised their own tunings, loosening the strings and creating a languid, bending sound.
"It started a whole subculture," observed Ken Emerson, one of the 10 guitarists who contributed to the album. "It's great that this record is recognised, because that is really the beginning, in a way, of Hawaiian music."
Slack Key Guitar Volume 2 edged out four other nominees, The Brothers Cazimero's Some Call It Aloha ... Don't Tell; Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom and Willie K's Amy and Willie Live; Ho'okena's Cool Elevation; and Keali`i Reichel's Ke`alaokamaile.
Before the Recording Academy added the award, artists performing traditional Hawaiian music had been relegated to folk music categories.
Brotman said he hoped the new spotlight would help expand the public's awareness of the various musical styles that have emanated from the islands.
"The music is really diverse," said Brotman, who also played on the album. "There's a lot of music that's really being produced and written in Hawaii ... it all encompasses the Hawaiian culture, the language."
