“ALOHA, FROM MY HAWAII”
Michael Chock (Seawind Productions)
Michael Chock’s second project as a solo recording artist began with his discovery of the guitarlele — an ukulele with two additional lower strings. Once he started playing the Hawaiianesque instrument, an album of hapa-haole classics seemed like the next logical step. As with his first project, “Departure,” Chock sings all the vocal parts and either plays or programs all the instrumental tracks.
Chock presents many of these songs in medley form. The title song opens with the vamp from “Pua Lane” and then segues through five island classics. Original songs “Back Home in the Islands!” and “Hula! Hula! Hula!” also lead into medleys of local standards.
Chock also shows his imagination with an arrangement of “My Hawaii” that starts in the middle of the Rascals’ original version. The one song he does that is not a hapa-haole standard becomes hapa haole when Chock reworks Irving Burgie’s classic “Jamaica Farewell” as “Hawaii Farewell.” It’s a straight remake with a few changes of lyrics, but it fits.
Local one-man projects don’t come better that this.
Visit facebook.com/michael.chock.77.
“SEGUNDA VISTA”
Aaron Aranita featuring the Brent Fischer Orchestra (Sugartown)
It’s an economic fact of life in Hawaii that recording almost always involves using synthesizers and computer programs in place of live musicians and their instruments. Hawaii resident Aaron Aranita defies economics with this collection of original compositions. He retained Grammy Award-winning composer/arranger/bandleader Brent Fischer as his co-producer and as conductor of a large orchestra. The result is a lushness rarely heard in the recordings of local artists.
Aranita’s compositions include tributes to his parents, a requiem for those killed in the civil war in Sierra Leone, and a salute to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s campaign to preserve the Amazon rainforests.
Two others were inspired by the work of Fischer’s father, composer/arranger Clare Fischer, who was known for knitting together various genres of American and world music.
Aranita and Brent Fischer build on that tradition with impressive results here.
Visit aaronaranitabigband.com.
