“MARKETPLACE”

Cyril Pahinui (Pahinui Prodictions)

“Marketplace,” the first album of Cyril Pahinui’s music to be released after his death, was already on the way when the multi-Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning slack key master died last month. These recordings, made during the 1990s, capture him at his prime.

No question about it, Cyril Pahinui was one of the foremost slack key guitarists of his generation.

The recordings exist thanks to producer George Winston, who recorded almost all Hawaii’s major slack key guitarists of the late 20th century for release on his personal label, Dancing Cat Records, between 1994 and 2002. For Winston it was a labor of love, and he made far more hours of recordings than could be commercially released at the time. These come from his archives.

Several recordings show how Pahinui could successfully reinterpret Hawaiian standards he had recorded earlier in his career. For instance, the title song captures Pahinui playing it in a different tuning than the one on his first album for Dancing Cat, “6 and 12 String Slack-Key,” in 1994.

Detailed annotation by four contributors provides much background, including the slack-key tunings Pahinui used on every song, and makes “Marketplace” an excellent introduction to Pahinui’s legacy for na malihini (newcomers). It is a welcome addition to his discography for the rest of us.

Visit cyrilpahinui.com.

“HUMILITY – THE VIBES OF JAH G”

Ryan “Jah Gumby” Murakami (Aloha Got Soul)

Ryan “Jah Gumby” Murakami has been known for more than two decades as a founding member of Ooklah the Moc, which made its recording debut in 2001 and released three more full-length albums through 2008.

Famed through the years as Ooklah’s bassist, Murakami earned equal respect for his skills as a club DJ and a record producer.

This impressively packaged two-vinyl record album, co-produced by Murakami and Aloha Got Soul founder Roger Bong, is his official debut as a solo recording artist. It spotlights his talents as a composer, musician and arranger — and particularly his understanding of Dub, an outgrowth of Jamaican reggae that has become an important genre in its own right.

Murakami’s annotation of his work reveals some of the experiences that have brought him to where he is today. (The album cover shows his recording studio, the double-truck inside cover shows part of his record collection.)

“Humility – The Vibes of Jah G” is also available as a download and on streaming platforms.

Murakami and Bong are celebrating with a “Humility” Vinyl Release Party that starts at 9 pm Friday at Bevy in Kaka‘ako.

Visit alohagotsoul.com.