“Wahi Pana, Songs of Place”

Jeff Peterson

(Peterson Productions, PP 012)

In the last two decades, guitarist Jeff Peterson has become a central figure in Hawaii’s music scene. He’s a masterful ki hoalu (slack key) guitarist who also has formal training in European classical guitar techniques and is comfortable playing jazz. He has contributed to Grammy Award-winning compilation albums and earned numerous Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. Peterson has also been a leader in bringing together the musical traditions of different cultures — starting in 2000 with the release of his first album playing slack key in an instrumental duet with shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) master Riley Lee.

“Wahi Pana, Songs of Place” is another career milestone. The 15 selections capture his range as a musician and songwriter. There are slack-key originals about some of Peterson’s favorite places; compositions by other writers document his interest in classical music, Hawaiian standards, jazz and rock. On most of the selections Peterson performs solo, but there is also a track from a recent show with Lee and taiko drum virtuoso Kenny Endo, and another where he partners with Benny Chong on ukulele, Byron Yasui on bass and Noel Okimoto on drums.

And maybe someone from the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra will hear Peterson’s Concerto for Slack Key Guitar and do the right thing — Peterson’s work should be performed by his hometown symphony.

“Wahi Pana, Songs of Place” is actually a “two-fer” — it comes with a full-length film DVD of the performances as well as the standard CD.

Visit jeffpetersonguitar.com.

“Mahaaalo”

Danny and Nicholas Kaleikini

(Ming Pur, no serial number)

Danny Kaleikini opened a new chapter in his career as a Hawaiian entertainer and recording artist in 2015 when he and grandson Nicholas Kaleikini recorded and released “Aloooha,” a five-song CD of Hawaiian and pop standards with arrangements that leaned toward mainstream American jazz and pop — and a spelling of “aloha” that represented the way the word has come to be pronounced in Waikiki showrooms.

“Mahaaalo” brings grandfather and grandson into new territory. Danny — like Frank Sinatra and Alfred Apaka before him — has always been known as a distinctive song stylist rather than a songwriter. With “Mahaaalo” he and Nicholas introduce three original songs. “Aloha,” written by Danny and sung in Hawaiian, is a song of welcome. “Ku‘uipo,” which they wrote together, is a seemingly straightforward hapa-haole love song. “Beyond the See,” written by Nicholas, speaks of the desire to be with someone beyond the limits of sight; the lyrics are English and imply dark kaona (hidden meaning).

Danny, Nicholas and a tight squad of studio musicians also honor the classics with a swinging treatment of “Hawaiian War Chant.”

Visit kaleikinimusic.com.