Category Archives: recommendations

Sighted: Keāiwaokulamanu by The Tuahine Troupe

Posted on April 3, 2022 by amykstillman

Imagine my surprise and pleasure, after roaming around Honolulu for two weeks, and hitting the usual haunts — Hungry Ear Records, Ideas, Barnes & Noble, and finding almost nothing new. Then walking into Aloha Hula Supply and wow: a new … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations | 2 Comments

Take 5: “Ua Like No A Like”

Posted on May 31, 2015 by amykstillman

So Iʻm looking at some of the “tune itineraries”–chronological discographies of individual songs that illustrate a songʻs journeys. Here are a few nuggets from  the itinerary for “Ua Like No A Like” by Alice Everett. 1. Earliest publication of sheet music? … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations, recordings, Take 5 | Leave a comment

Blogs for fans of Hawaiian music v. 2012

Posted on August 21, 2012 by amykstillman

Okay, Hawaiian music fans–here is my roundup of five blogs on Hawaiian music that have my “Gold Star” recommendation. #1  AUNTIE WANDA’S MELE MONDAY Auntie Wanda’s Mele Monday — Featured Playlists on the YouTube Channel Auntie Wanda’s Mele Monday — the … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations, resources | Leave a comment

New Books on Hawaiian Music and Hula — 2012

Posted on August 18, 2012 by amykstillman

Take note!! Lots of new knowledge dropping. Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire, by Adria L. Imada. Duke University Press, 2012. This book first came to life as Imadaʻs doctoral dissertation in American Studies at NYU, and it … Continue reading →

Posted in announcement, recommendations, resources | Leave a comment

Top Five Albums of Historical Significance — My Picks

Posted on August 10, 2012 by amykstillman

We all love lists. Or at least magazine editors and bloggers like to that lists of “The Best . . . ” would sell lots of copies, or result in lots of hits. There are many ways to compile such … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations, recordings | 3 Comments

Slack Key / Kī Hō’alu: Reading ABOUT it

Posted on June 2, 2012 by amykstillman

A followup to the previous post that provides recommendations for listeners to explore the diversity within the Hawaiian slack key / kī hō’alu guitar tradition. This post provides recommendations for information-rich resources to read. 1. Writing ABOUT Hawaiian Slack Key … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations, resources, Songbooks | Leave a comment

Slack Key Guitar / Kī Hō‘alu: A Listening Guide

Posted on May 21, 2012 by amykstillman

Kī hō‘alu literally means “loosen the key.” It characterizes the Hawaiian playing style, in which the standard guitar tuning is altered by slackening the strings.  The playing style, executed by a single player, combines plucking a bass line on the … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations, recordings, resources, Songbooks | Leave a comment

on my mind . . . how is “historical significance” defined in Hawaiian music?

Posted on April 13, 2012 by amykstillman

Following on the previous post, here is one more set of thoughts before I post my selection of “Top Ten Albums of Hawaiian Music–The View from 2012.” What is historical significance? Is historical significance defined by the achievement of excellence … Continue reading →

Posted in on my mind . . ., recommendations, recordings, remarks | 1 Comment

on my mind . . . Top Ten Albums of Hawaiian Music — the view from 2012, Pt. 1

Posted on April 13, 2012 by amykstillman

Aloha Dear Readers! This kind of list-making is frequently an annual undertaking and usually occurs at yearʻs end. Iʻm coming back around to a birdʻs eye view from a slightly different place. We have Honolulu magazineʻs two high-profile projects: “The … Continue reading →

Posted in on my mind . . ., recommendations, recordings, remarks, resources | Leave a comment

What Iʻm Listening To . . .

Posted on November 20, 2011 by amykstillman

“Kamehameha Trilogy” WAIPUNAʻs new CD E Ho‘i Mai arrived in my mailbox about a week ago, thanks to Lynn at Me Ke Aloha Online Hawaiian Store. WAIPUNA is Kale Hannahs and Matt Sproat.  E Ho‘i Mai is their 2nd CD. … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations, recordings, remarks, What Iʻm Listening To . . . | 4 Comments