Eddie Kamae is a beloved Hawaiian composer and musician, a music pioneer, a ukulele legend and because of the scarcity of finding Eddie Kamae songs that are ukulele driven, I recommend “Heart of Ukulele”.
ARTIST: Eddie Kamae
ALBUM: Heart of the Ukulele
LABEL: Mahalo Records
CATALOG #: MSCD-3002
DURATION: 29 Minutes
RELEASE DATE: 2004
DISC:
- Come Back to Sorrento
- Star Eyes
- Granada
- Tropical
- Under Paris Skies
- Around the World
- Akaka Falls
- Ka Ua Loku
- Kamehameha Waltz
- Sweet Someone
- Pa’Auau Waltz
- Aloha Oe
When it comes to well-revered ukulele masters, the late Eddie Kamae is one of the main names you will often hear being brought up.
Eddie was a founding member of the group Sons of Hawaii (which featured Eddie alongside legendary slack-key guitarist Gabby Pahinui, Joe Marshall on upright bass and David “Feet” Rogers on steel guitar), Herb Ohta Sr. (Ohta-san) was mentored by Eddie and even Jake Shimabukuro has said Eddie was one of the three people who inspired him.
Eddie came was the proponent of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance (the Hawaiian resurgence of a distinct cultural identity, diverging from a Hawaii which was known for its tourism-based culture) and a global model for biocultural restoration and sustainability.
Eddie grew up in Honolulu and Lahaina and his grandmother was a dance for King David Kalakaua’s court.
It was said Eddie learned ukulele thanks to his brother who was a bus driver who found the uke on the public transport and for Eddie, he would sit by the radio and try to play with any rhythm section he was listening to and his father nurtured his passion for music where Eddie would perform on stage.
Eddie would be known for his ability to pluck all four strings simultaneously and to play chords and melody at the same time.
His album “Heart of the Ukulele” was released in 2004 and incorporates his music recorded from the ’50s and ’60s.
While the majority of the music you can find now are pretty much Eddie along his band Sons of Hawaii (from the various incarnations) of music released in compilation albums, for those looking fan instrumental album where the ukulele is the primary instrument featuring Eddie Kamae, “Heart of the Ukulele” is the album to get.
You’ll have songs that incorporate drums and bass but just from the opening track alone, “Come Back to Sorrento” you are going to see the master at his best form, with quickness and his amazing tremolo style.
I love to listen to this song and just listen to see how he performs the songs along with tremolo wonderfully. Especially on “Granada” and “Sweet Someone”, which is wonderful. Also, fun tracks such as “Under Paris Skeis”, “Around the World” and more!
I was also quite thrilled to hear Eddie play Queen Lili’uokalani’s “Aloha ‘Oe” (which you will see consistent on Sons of Hawaii albums is the incorporation of songs originally composed by the Queen).
For the most part, this is an album that ukulele fans and will want to listen to. All songs on the album are great! It’s just that the album is no doubt short, as 12 tracks are about 29 minutes long. But to hear Eddie Kamae play the ukulele is just awesome!
Eddie Kamae is a beloved Hawaiian composer and musician, a music pioneer, a ukulele legend and because of the scarcity of finding Eddie Kamae songs that are ukulele driven, I recommend “Heart of Ukulele” (especially digitally, as people are trying to sell the CD for nearly a $900 on Amazon which is insane).
