“Can’t Help Falling in Love”

Sun Hui

Self produced

Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners Sun Hui (aka Tsun-Hui Hung) and Pierre Grill partner with steel guitar virtuoso Bobby Ingano on this welcome cross- cultural blending of Chinese and Western music. Sun Hui plays the erhu, a classical two-string Chinese instrument; Grill is a multi-instrumentalist heard here playing piano and accordion, and Ingano plays mandolin as well as steel guitar. The various instrumental combinations make it possible for the trio to take on a wide range of material. They do so, and they do it well.

The first and last songs have ties to Hawaii. The opener, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” needs no explanation. (If you’re stumped, think Elvis in “Blue Hawaii.”) The closer is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” known for decades as sung by Judy Garland and Patti LaBelle, but isle residents will likely be familiar with Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo‘ole’s recording.

In between those two Hawaii bookends are instrumental delights galore.

The interplay between erhu and piano on “La Vie en Rose” and “Butterfly Rain” is beautiful, soft and so soothing it creates seductive soundtracks for relaxing. Nap time, anyone?’

Erhu and piano also bridge the cross-cultural divide nicely on pop music standards — “Hallelujah,” the theme from “The Godfather” and “Besame Mucho,” to name three.

Grill’s piano-playing on “Amazing Grace” gives the beloved hymn glorious gospel shadings.

Erhu in place of violin as a tango instrument? Yes, that works too on the song titled “Pierre’s Tango.”

This Hoku-worthy album shows the beautiful music that can be created when musicians collaborate across cultural lines.

Visti tsunhui.wixsite.com/erhu.