IN THE SADDLE: Ledward Kaapana and Bob Brozman
Since the release of KIKA KILA MEETS KI HO'ALU in 1997, which reached #11 on Billboard's World Music Charts, Bob Brozman and Hawaii's Led Kaapana have performed over fifty concerts together. No wonder that they had plenty of new songs to release on this second Bob/Led duet release from Dancing Cat Records!
Bob explains that such an extensive amount of performances together deepened their musical relationship considerably: "When we made the first CD, I knew only 1900-1935 steel playing. I'd never accompanied slack key before, except once in a jam session with Led eight years earlier. On this second album you can hear a lot of interaction of musical parts, emotional and muscular feeling, and plenty of 'talk story.' As I see it, through being able to spend so much time playing together, we've changed in two main ways. First, Led and I have developed a nearly telepathic musical rapport - enabling us to arrange on-the-fly, improvise down to small muscular changes in the sound of the music, and to sound rehearsed without ever rehearsing. Second, I have developed a whole new language of accompanying-slack-key steel techniques. And I've learned a lot about the act of playing music simply from playing alongside this amazing guy I consider to be a genius."
When these two musicians are on tour, they play more hours for fun offstage than they do onstage. In the airport, after soundcheck, and often until 4 am in the hotel room after the concert! In live shows, the instrumental music is often punctuated with explosive chortles and giggles, even during slow and beautiful tunes. They explain it as "we just sit there and amaze and delight each other with musical pleasure - so we can't help laughing."
Links to reviews for IN THE SADDLE:
Honolulu Advertiser, USA, February 3, 2001
Nahenahe.net, USA
Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange, USA
Barnes & Noble.com, USA
All Music Guide, USA
top
|
Bob Brozman - Guitar Master
|