Category 69
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AND THE WINNER For The First Grammy
Best Hawaiian Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental.) IS....
Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2
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1. Celtic
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7. Julia's
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8. Keiki Slack
Key |
The Winner in the Hawaiian Category
And The Grammy Goes To:
Slack Key Guitar Volume 2
Charles
Michael Brotman.
Category 69
Best
Hawaiian Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
Slack Key Guitar
Volume 2
Various Artists
Charles Michael Brotman, producer
[Palm Records]
Listen to Aloha Joe's® interview
with Charles Brotman, producer of "Slack Key Guitar Vol. II,"
From Feb. 11
Listen to
Aloha Joe's®
interview with The Winner.
Listen to Joe, online every day at www.alohajoe.com
Slack-key album was Grammy’s dark horse Charles Brotman’s
CD includes notable isle artists
It might seem easy to dismiss Charles Michael Brotman's chances of winning a
Grammy for his "Slack Key Guitar" compilation album, when compared with the
veteran nominees in the new Best Hawaiian Music Album category. But now proven
by it's award in the First Annual Hawaiian Category. The surprising thing about
this is that an instrumental won over many talented vocal artist.
Slack key is very, very popular on the mainland, "The fans are loyal to the
music and could see this as an opportunity to reward their music of choice."
Congratulations to Charles Brotman and all the artists on
this Slack Key Album as well as all the Nominees for this Moment in Musical History.
6:36 p.m., Sunday, February 13, 2005
'Slack Key Guitar' wins first Hawaiian Grammy
And the Grammy goes to ... kii ho'alu.
The instrumental multi-artist compilation "Slack Key Guitar, Vol. 2" won the first-ever Grammy award in the Hawaiian Music Album category today. The award was given out in an untelevised ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center just before the prime time Grammy awards telecast at the neighboring Staples Center.
The compilation's producer Charles Michael Brotman - who also played on the record - accepted the award. "I thought we might win, but I was also prepared for any of the other nominees to win because they're all so fantastic," said Brotman, backstage, shortly after winning. "When our name was announced, well, we basically all jumped up, screamed and ran up on stage."
Joining Brotman on stage to accept the Grammy were musicians Sonny Lim, Ken Emerson and Jeff Peterson, three of the 12 slack-key guitar players featured on the record. All were dressed in tuxedos - Brotman's accented with a triple-strand ilima lei. Brotman thanked his sister and Palm Records co-partner Jody Brotman, distributor The Mountain Apple Co., the compilation's nine other guitarists and the Recording Academy for honoring Hawaiian music with the category.
"I said that I knew we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for past generations of musicians in Hawai'i that dedicated their lives to music," said Brotman, recalling his acceptance speech. "It's their creativity and hard work that has made Hawaiian music what it is today. And what it is is a living, evolving art form that embodies the Hawaiian culture."
Guitarist Lim translated Brotman's
words into the Hawaiian language for the audience. Also nominated in the new
category were "Some Call It Aloha ... Don't Tell" by the Brothers Cazimero, "Amy
& Willie Live" by Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom and Willie K, "Cool Elevation" by
Ho'okena and Keali'i Reichel's "Ke'alaokamaile."
Monday, February 14, 2005
Producer/guitarist Charles Brotman and his "Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2" won the first-ever Grammy Award for Hawaiian music yesterday over favorites Keali'i Reichel and the Cazimero Brothers.
"Aloha," a composed Brotman greeted an audience of several thousand during the "pre-telecast" portion of the 47th annual Grammy Awards. Out of the 107 awards, 92 were awarded off-camera at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
"We wouldn't be here today without all the hard work and creativity of all those Hawaiian musicians that came before us, and it's an honor to be on the same list as the other (Hawaii) nominees," Brotman said.
"I think I can say this for the entire state of Hawaii: Mahalo."
The award was the first in the new category of Best Hawaiian Music Album. "Slack Key" is a compilation featuring 10 island musicians with distinctively different styles. Brotman was joined onstage by three of the guitarists: Sonny Lim, Jeff Peterson and Ken Emerson. Lim appeared stunned onstage, and with tears in his eyes was unable to speak at first when Brotman gently nudged him to the microphone. "I, uh, uh," said the tuxedoed Lim, stepping back from the microphone to compose himself and receiving loud applause from the audience. Then, with head held high and an infectious smile, Lim spoke melodically in Hawaiian, which he later translated as,
"Thank you to the Grammy ohana for honoring Hawaiian music, the music of our culture, and allowing Hawaiian music to be represented here."
Three of the guitarists wore traditional tuxedos, while Emerson wore perhaps the brightest jacket at the event -- with colorful sequins and neonlike thread. "I got it from my friend Todd Rundgren, who lives on Kauai," Emerson said. "We agreed that I needed to wear something colorful to represent our beautiful state." His ensemble was completed with black pants and a kukui nut lei.
To win over the other nominees -- Willie K and Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom for "Amy & Willie Live," Keali'i Reichel for "Ke'alaokamaile," Ho'okena for "Cool Elevation" and the Cazimeros' "Some Call It Aloha ... Don't Tell" -- was an honor but not a complete surprise, Brotman said.
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"There is something about the sound of that solo guitar that crosses genres and borders," Brotman said.
He explained some slack-key history to about 60 reporters in a crowded conference room backstage. "We think it may go back to the 1830s on the Big Island, when King Kamehameha brought in mainland cowboys to take care of a growing cattle population. When these paniolo began playing their guitars, they would slacken the strings, so right there you have the derivative of slack key." Guitarist Peterson said slack key has been popular on the mainland for many years. He credited George Winston and the many CDs produced on his Dancing Cat label with leading the charge.
Brotman, a Washington state native, (told ya Seattle has the Aloha Spirit! LOL) said every guitarist on the album was either born in Hawaii or has lived and played music in Hawaii for 25 years or more. "If you're a working musician anywhere, and certainly in Hawaii, a Grammy is not something you can plan for ... or expect," he told reporters. "It's an elusive thing that, being in Hawaii, you never expect to land on you."
Brotman said the award had nothing to do with deciding who's best, and that all the nominees had contributed to the art. "For us this wasn't a battle to win an award, but to represent a very special kind of music, and Hawaii," Brotman said.
When the announcement came, Brotman was in the audience with wife Joanie, sister and business manager Jodie and the three guitarists.
"When we all just heard the word 'slack,' we all jumped up," Brotman said. "It was such an adrenaline rush. ... It's going to take me a week to calm down and really understand what's happened. I know in my head what happened, but my heart is ready to burst. I still can't figure out what it all means. Oh, but I will."
Monday, February 14, 2005
Guitarists win Grammy
By
Derek Paiva
And the Grammy goes to ... ki ho'alu.
The instrumental multi-artist compilation "Slack Key Guitar, Vol. 2" won the first-ever Grammy award in the Best Hawaiian Music Album category yesterday. The award was given out in an untelevised ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center just before the prime-time Grammy awards telecast at the neighboring Staples Center.
The compilation's producer, Charles Michael Brotman — who also played on the record — accepted the award.
"I thought we might win, but I was also prepared for any of the other nominees to win because they're all so fantastic," said Brotman, backstage, shortly after winning. "When our name was announced, well, we basically all jumped up, screamed and ran up on stage."
Joining Brotman on stage to accept the Grammy were musicians Sonny Lim, Ken Emerson and Jeff Peterson, three of the 10 slack-key guitar players featured on the record. All except Emerson were dressed in tuxedos — Brotman's accented with a triple-strand 'ilima lei and the other three guitarists with gold-and-orange cigar flower lei.
Brotman thanked his sister and Palm Records co-partner Jody Brotman, distributor The Mountain Apple Co., the compilation's nine other guitarists and the Recording Academy for honoring Hawaiian music with the category.
"I said that I knew we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for past generations of musicians in Hawai'i that dedicated their lives to music," said Brotman, recalling his acceptance speech. "It's their creativity and hard work that has made Hawaiian music what it is today. And what it is is a living, evolving art form that embodies the Hawaiian culture." Guitarist Lim translated Brotman's words into the Hawaiian language for the audience.
Also nominated in the new category were "Some Call It Aloha ... Don't Tell" by the Brothers Cazimero, "Amy & Willie Live" by Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom and Willie K, "Cool Elevation" by Ho'okena and Keali'i Reichel's "Ke'alaokamaile."
WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION
"Grammy recognition was good because it really did open the doors for a lot of people," Yamamoto said. "Our music received a lot of press around the country." Major stories on the Hawaiian music Grammy were done by National Public Radio's Morning Edition, Voice of America and newspapers and radio stations nationwide before yesterday's ceremonies. Most used the nominated music to dispel stereotypes about Hawaiian music as trapped in a nostalgic timewarp of hapa-haole songs, little grass shacks, tiny bubbles and Elvis musicals.
"People were talking about this," Yamamoto said. "And there's a renewed view and awareness of what Hawaiian music really is."
Judy Drosd, the state's Chief Officer for Arts, Film and Entertainment at the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said in a statement that Grammy recognition will boost "the growth of music as a cultural export through record sales, concerts and tours on the U.S. Mainland, and in Canada, Japan and Europe."
Jody Brotman knew the win for "Slack Key Guitar, Vol. 2" was a possibility, but did not expect it.
"Slack key guitar has broad popularity on the Mainland," she said. "So as much as we thought that (the other nominees) were certainly more than deserving of the (Grammy), we also knew that this was being decided by a nationwide voting base.
"Slack key has crossed some genres, and there are people that are interested in folk music or acoustic guitar who listen to slack key guitar and appreciate it."
Many of the best Hawaiian music album nominees had worked the Grammy party circuit together during the weekend. They met each other at the head of the red carpet before the ceremony, walked in together and sat together.
"Before the ceremony started ... we all gave each other a 'best of luck' wish in our seats," Jody Brotman said.
Following their turn at the podium, the winners were whisked through several rooms of national and international press backstage for interviews and photos. After that, they joined other nominees at the Staples Center for the prime-time Grammy Awards show and telecast. Other nominees were unavailable for immediate comment.
"We're gonna party with all the Hawai'i nominees," said Charles Brotman, of his post-telecast plans. "There's another Grammy party at the convention center for all the winners and nominees that goes until about 11. After that, who knows what will happen?"
Brotman and the other winning musicians were planning to tote the single golden grammophone along with them wherever they went last night.
"It's pretty heavy," Brotman said. "But it feels nice."
Saturday, February 26, 2005
A Grammy Award does make a difference.
"Slack Key Guitar Volume 2," the Grammy Award winner in the first Best Hawaiian Music Album category, hit No. 1 on Billboard's World Music chart and No. 2 in the New Age category. The album, which features guitarists Randy Lorenzo, Bryan Kessler, Jeff Peterson, Keoki Kahumoku, Sonny Lim, Charles Michael Brotman, John Cruz, John Keawe, Charlie Recaido and Ken Emerson and was produced by Big Island resident Brotman, replaced last week's World Music leader "The Soweto Gospel Choir, Voices from Heaven," which fell to No. 2.
Keali'i Reichel, a Grammy nominee for his CD "Ke'alaokamaile," climbed from No. 12 to seven after 42 weeks on the World chart. "Slack Key Guitar Volume 2" spent four weeks on the New Age music chart, reaching No. 5 last week and two this week.
The Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles Feb. 13. "Kiho´alu", or slack key, refers to the altered tunings of the acoustic guitar that are unique to the musical heritage of Hawai'i. The beautiful slack key sound is synonymous with the magic of the islands. Slack Key Guitar Volume 2 was recorded in the heart of "Paniolo" (Hawaiian cowboy) country where the slack key guitar style originated. This CD presents 10 extraordinary slack key artists, each with their own tuning and slack key style ranging from traditional to contemporary showing the evolution of this art form. Slack Key Guitar Volume 2 is the sequel to "Slack Key Guitar", a HOKU Award finalist and top selling CD on the Palm Records label.
During a post-Grammy celebration party that took place at Puako on the Big Island, the musicians involved with the award-winning "Slack Key Guitar Volume 2" shared a toast: From left are Charles Brotman, Charlie Recaido, John Keawe, Randy Lorenzo, Ken Emerson, Keoki Kahumoku, Jeff Peterson and Sonny Lim. Also on the album, but not pictured, are John Cruz and Bryan Kessler.
Recently, producer Brotman answered a few questions for the Northwest Hawai`i Times:
Can you recall what your thoughts were when they announced that your CD was the Grammy winner? CMB: I’m sure that at that moment I was the happiest person on the planet! It was certainly a rush of adrenaline. I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life.
How similar or different was this to your reaction when you learned of your nomination? We found out we had made the final ballot when we began receiving emails from people saying “Congratulations.” We weren’t sure if it was true, so we had to log onto the Grammy site to check.
When you learned who the other four nominees would be, what did you think your chances of winning would be? At first we were just so thrilled to have been nominated; we weren’t thinking much about the final voting. Because of the popularity of acoustic guitar, and consequently slack key guitar, I figured we were at least in the running. But as we got closer to the awards, I started to think we might win – it was just a feeling.
Please talk about the process of creating this CD – how did you decide which musicians would be featured, and what selections? The process was very organic; I simply called up friends who were good slack key guitarists and brought them into the studio, one at a time. Usually they would play a few songs and let me pick the one I liked the best. Then we would start recording. Each musician on the CD has made a significant contribution to the development of music in Hawai`i over the last 20 years or so. It is a very diverse group – musically and in terms of personalities and I think that makes the CD interesting.
Kiho`alu music has seen a resurgence in the past decade, particularly on the Mainland and largely due to the Dancing Cat releases (as well as your own and a few others.) What effect do you think this Grammy win will have on slack key? I’ve spoken with so many kiho`alu players who are thrilled about this. We have received a tremendous amount of national press. The articles usually talk about slack key guitar, explaining the history and the style. This Grammy win should have a very positive effect on expanding kiho`alu audiences.
Please tell a few details about your background in music – what projects you did before getting into slack key, and how you moved into this style of music. I began my music career as a classical guitarist, and expanded into other styles. My first two CDs (Mango Cooler and Pacific Rendezvous) were smooth jazz CDs, released in the early ’90’s, with my classical guitar in a contemporary jazz setting. I have been interested in slack key, though, since the early 1970s, when I first heard the Beamer Brothers and Gabby. At the time I was still living in Seattle . After moving to Hawai`i in 1976 and starting graduate music studies at UH, I found myself in an environment where kiho`alu was everywhere. I have spent the last few years recording and touring (through Japan and Hawai`i mostly) with my acoustic guitar trio, Kohala. Kohala and Slack Key Guitar have been the cornerstones of our label, Palm Records. I started the label with my sister Jody Brotman seven years ago.
What guitars do you personally use, and what slack key tunings? I always perform on a classical guitar; usually my Eric Sahlin (a Spokane luthier), although I also have a 1974 Ramirez that I sometimes record with. For tunings, anything goes, although I find that I am more comfortable if I can leave my D-string and B-string unaltered.
What music do you listen to for your own enjoyment? In the car, always classical music, and preferably smaller chamber ensembles or soloists – I guess I like the clarity of smaller ensembles. On the guitar, a two-voice chord can sound very full, so I lean towards music that is uncluttered, where all of the voices can clearly be heard. I listen to all kinds of music, though: Hawaiian, jazz, alternative rock, new age, world, and so on. I try to keep up with what’s happening in the various other genres. It is so much easier now with internet radio and iTunes.
Your studio is noted for being designed with the sound of the acoustic guitar in mind. Can you briefly address your design concept, as well as the facility’s history? The studio was designed in 1998, by Chris Pelonis of Pelonis Sound & Acoustics. I wanted to address some of the issues I have found in various studios I’ve recorded in. The sound I am after is a natural sound: my goal is that the listener can close their eyes and imagine they are in the same room with the musicians. This means miking a great sounding instrument in a fairly live room, and capturing the sound of the room along with the instrument. One of my pet peeves is guitars that are miked too close; it never sounds natural to me. When you start pulling the mic away from the guitar, more room sound also gets recorded. So the room, in effect, becomes part of the sound of the instrument; that can be a very good thing or a bad thing, depending on the sound of the room.
What’s next for you and for the label? We’ve just started on a new Kohala CD, and we’re making plans for “Slack Key Guitar, Volume 3.” I’m just finishing mixing a CD I produced for Haley Williams, a singer-songwriter from Kamuela who is attending UW in Seattle ; her CD will be released here and in Japan this summer. I have a few other projects going on as well – they tend to pile up!
Are you likely to tour the Pacific Northwest any time in the near future? One of the most exciting things about our Grammy win is the interest in having us do some touring. Right now we are putting together a ‘Palm Records Acoustic Showcase’ that will feature slack key guitarists from the Grammy CD, as well as our trio, Kohala. And yes, we’ll definitely be performing in the Northwest (probably sometime late this summer.)
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