Pahinui's music connects film's emotional moments

By Mike Gordon

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 23, 2011

~~<p>In the months prior to filming "The Descendants," director Alexander Payne often found himself crisscrossing Oahu and Kauai in a rental car with the music of Gabby Pahinui as a soundtrack to his Hawaiian immersion. The slack-key virtuoso's gentle strumming and earthy voice moved Payne so much that the Oscar-winning director decided to make Pahinui's work a unifying voice for the film.</p>
<p>It's no surprise then that the late musician's music figures prominently in "The Descendants'" soundtrack, which will be released digitally and on CD for $11.98 on Nov. 15, just three days before the movie's theatrical release.</p>
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In the months prior to filming "The Descendants," director Alexander Payne often found himself crisscrossing Oahu and Kauai in a rental car with the music of Gabby Pahinui as a soundtrack to his Hawaiian immersion. The slack-key virtuoso's gentle strumming and earthy voice moved Payne so much that the Oscar-winning director decided to make Pahinui's work a unifying voice for the film.

It's no surprise then that the late musician's music figures prominently in "The Descendants'" soundtrack, which will be released digitally and on CD for $11.98 on Nov. 15, just three days before the movie's theatrical release. Login for more...