Basil Henriques Tiki or not ?

Is this groups music Tiki ?
http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/html/studio_2.html

Also Search iTunes for Basil Henriques, I know it's listed under 'Rock' but it really isn't anything but latin lounge music.

Steelies do it without fretting !

[ Edited by: basilh 2009-03-10 11:12 ]

I was just interested if my music qualified, primarily because of the Latin percussion (Played by Barry Morgan of Blue Mink) and the Hawaiian Guitar and vibes lead instruments.

AND The Sleeve notes by EMI :-

EMI Studio Two CD cat # 7243 4 98129 2 5

TWO-177 & TWO-218 CD
This is now a "Collector's" item

These are the Sleeve Notes.

In the same way that US masters of exotic music as Martin Denny and Les Baxter transported their listeners to mysterious tropical islands and ancient civilizations, Birmingham born Basil Henriques and his Waikiki Islanders managed to re-create a similar mirage on these two albums from the EMI Studio 2 series. Henriques destination was Hawaii, the unmistakable sound of which he expertly summoned up from the strings of his steel guitar, an instrument that was perfectly adapted to capture the mood and romance of the South Seas - with its golden beaches, palm trees and dramatic burning sunsets - and transport it into thousands of suburban homes across the UK. Basil Henriques was, for many mood music fans, the main supplier of instant sunshine. His vast repertoire included favourite songs from films such as Dr. Zivago and The Sound of Music, old favourites like "Strangers in The Night" and "Moon River" , together with popular hits such as Dusty Springfield's "Just Lovin' You" and Acker Bilk's eternal "Stranger On The Shore". For the latter Henriques imitates the sound of a soaring seagull with his instrument, an evocative and atmospheric touch which evokes dreams ( or maybe memories ) of balmier foreign climes.

Edwin Pouncey.
Produced by Ciara Nolan
Special thanks to Rob Owen
Design by EMI Art Department

Also, This guy thinks it's "Tiki"
http://thirdisland.blogspot.com/2007/08/impact.html

Steelies do it without fretting !

[ Edited by: basilh 2007-09-22 03:40 ]

Sure, why not. Looks like fun and pleasant stuff -- unless, contrary to appearances, you all are actually producing harsh, discordant noise with fascist lyrics about pillage and plunder. But that doesn't seem likely.

I have one of your albums from the early seventies (I guess). It is as Tiki as music got during that time. A hawaiian steel style with latin percussion - what more could we ask for? I think actually you used a pedal steel on the record I have, but it has a definite Santo & Johnny vibe anyway. You performances on

There’s also Poly from Brazil.

KK

Thanks (Mahalo) Thomas and Kawentzmann, You make me feel that I might have been on the right track.

what more could we ask for? I think actually you used a pedal steel on the record I have

Yes pedal steel guitar, but 8 string in the style of the players from Hawaii of that era who ALSO used 8 string pedal, Jules Ah See, Billy Hew Len and many others were featured on recordings from the 50's / 60's. The Hawaii Calls shows and albums (Webley Edwards), Alfred Apaka and others of the top echelon, all used 8 string HAWAIIAN pedal steel guitar, usually a Fender or sometimes a Gibson Electraharp. The style was NOT as per the Country Genre and the technique DIDN't involve the use of the volume pedal (Except very occasionally)

I think it was somewhat embryonic in Hawaii at that time, but the majors in the Hawaiian music business accepted it, notably concealing its use by playing regular non pedal consoles on LIVE performances, and even picturing them on album sleeves. (A practice of not revealing all has been the wont amongst Hawaiian Guitarists since the inception of the instrument)

And I believe you. There’s nothing wrong with a pedal steel in this music, and why shouldn’t Hawaiians take to it, after creating the father of it, the lapsteel.
Tiki, as I think, is a celebration of primitivism. To have the music in tune with the carvings and interior design concepts - the tendency is to choose the more “primitive” form of the instrument. It’s the sound most people associate with the islands. Today, in the fifties and even our greatgrandfathers heard hawaiian themed music played on lapsteel guitars. It’s a cliché sound, but a key color in the soundscape.
To clarify my following words, to me Tiki music is more or less Exotica. It's a friendly music with lots of music-friends and -relatives. And if I would be asked if music is Tiki, I try to analyze how far it enters the Exotica camp.
The fun aspect about Exotica music (as opposed to polynesian folk music, f.e.) is that it doesn’t give much on authenticy. But it’s strong points are the vivid soundscapes that come from freely choosing sounds and mixing them. And latin-american and asian instruments are integral parts of the best recordings, playing side by side. The same goes for melody and harmony. There was no tune like Quiet Village played in Hawaii before Martin Denny. Yet most Exotica is associated with pacific islands. And rightly so, because sailors and farmworkers from faraway populated the area by the mid of the 19th century.
This cultural openess and variety is reflected in Trader Vic’s menu and decoration, but also in Exotica recordings from the heyday. In fact from anytime. The Roger Roger album we toppiced here a while ago, is space-age Exotica (as in: the eagles has landed). And Basil Henriques Hawaiian Honeymoon is Now-Sound Exotica.
So, when you have a colorful concoction, with a decidely, if foggy, island theme, you have good a chance of being Tiki!
Just my 2 cents.

http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets/images/basil-pat-and-frank250.jpg

This place looks pretty Tiki to me, where was the photo taken?

[ Edited by: Kawentzmann 2007-09-23 07:52 ]

Man, I clicked through your soundsamples, and one of the Castaway performances includes A Walk In The Black Forest. That’s exactly what I am talking about. If one has never heard the tune, the way you play makes it sound like a natural hawaiian guitar tune!
But to me being german, there’s another layer to it. Horst Jankowski was one of the best bandleaders we had at the time, and he was on tv a lot. Black Forest was his signature tune. I am getting really into your website now. It’s all so interesting, the sounds and pics!

Walk in the Black Forest was typical of our repertoire then.
You ask about this picture and where it was :-

well it was our resident gig at the Castaways :-

Here is a present for you :-

Right click and "Save as"

and here is an example of our broadcast work that is most definitely Tiki..
Da Hill Sigh Oh

adventures in Paradise

These examples are for "Educational Purposes" only !!

And under no circumstances should anyone right click and Download as" any of the files here :- http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets/multimedia/mp3/The%20Radio%20Years/

I can't find anything on Amazon or iTunes....what search words are you using? Would love a cd.

You can find it on iTunes by searching for Basil Henriques

or going to my web site and clicking on any of the album sleeve thumbnails and previewing the WHOLE content and buying via PayPal or standard credit card.
Thanks for the interest,
Basil

BTW, this would be the ranking on iTunes popularity by sales :-

Steelies do it without fretting !

[ Edited by: basilh 2007-09-23 09:52 ]

[ Edited by: basilh 2007-09-23 09:58 ]

I feel quite educated now(even more than before)!

Thanks a lot, beautiful. Da HIll Sigh Oh, I have never heard before, is it an original?
Makes me think you could have done a killer rendition of Magic Is The Moonlight, no?
Yeah, and Adventures… that’s a great exotic melody, very Tiki.

Can anybody hear enough versions of Shadow Of You Smile? Me not! Never, and the movies start and end titles come up before my inner eye. A plane view over the (central?) California coastline. Such beauty…

[ Edited by: Kawentzmann 2007-09-23 11:41 ]

Hey,

Good stuff. Whether it's "Tiki" or not depends on your view of what "Tiki" is....

If "Tiki" means "exotica", maybe not, but why put such a narrow scope on things ? Your Hawaiian sound, would go nivcely at a Luau or Tiki Bar, so I think it's TIKI...but that's just me.

For some reason couldn't find it on iTunes....but did order through your site. Thanks for the screenshots though...just wouldn't come up for me. :)

"Dahil Sayo" is actually a song from the Philippines, very well known in Hawaii. Sometimes called "This Song of Love"

On 2007-09-23 12:48, VampiressRN wrote:
For some reason couldn't find it on iTunes....but did order through your site. Thanks for the screenshots though...just wouldn't come up for me. :)

I don’t know why, but EMI didn’t put it in the US iTunes Store. It’s in euro store in any case.

Yep...I figured that was the case. Glad I ordered the CDs.....you can never have enough music!!! :)

On 2007-09-23 12:11, tikiyaki wrote:
Hey,

Good stuff. Whether it's "Tiki" or not depends on your view of what "Tiki" is....

If "Tiki" means "exotica", maybe not, but why put such a narrow scope on things ? Your Hawaiian sound, would go nivcely at a Luau or Tiki Bar, so I think it's TIKI...but that's just me.

Maybe I have a wider definition of Exotica, than most here (to me it IS Exotica), but it qualifies as Tiki music in any case!

On 2007-09-23 13:03, Kaiwaza wrote:
"Dahil Sayo" is actually a song from the Philippines, very well known in Hawaii. Sometimes called "This Song of Love"

Yeah, it's an oldie everyone knows in the Phils. In the Hawaiian context, it's probably most famously done by Alfred Apaka and it would be on most any hits compilation of his, with the Americanized rendering of the title.

Slave Girl by Santo & Johnny is another steel guitar tune I consider exotica. They had many.

Baz,

You use pedals so it CAN'T be Tiki! :wink:

Mateo, so does that disqualify Jules ah See, Billy Hew Len and all of the Hawaii Calls broadcasts and recordings from the late 50's and 60's era. Because most of the recordings made in Hawaii at that time had players using pedals, not in the way they do in Country music, but in a specific Hawaiian way, the style I still play to this day, as per Click me to play

Does your Pedal Playing disqualify you from sounding Hawaiian, I don't know, but I do know that the use of 'chromatic strings' and the 10 string E9th tuning would make it VERY difficult to sound 'Authentic' that's why I play 8 string tunings.

Steelies do it without fretting !

[ Edited by: basilh 2007-09-29 17:10 ]

You know I'm just kiddin', Baz. Even though I play a C6, I would agree that I'm the least Hawaiian-sounding steeler I've ever met.

By the way, I did have the pleasure of seeing a Billy Hew Len protege, Jeff Au Hoy, play with his trio at the Halekulani last Saturday while on vacation with the wahine. Now I know why he's considered so good. Wasn't using pedals, though.

Mateo, I knew you were joking....

As for your mention of Jeff, I think he is Hawaii's best hope for the future of the Hawaiian Guitar, His touch tone and tuning is so retro and accurate. He is the re-incarnation of all of the old masters rolled into one. IMHO

He also plays pedals, he owns a Fender 1000 and experiments with Jules' tunings as well as Billy Hew Len's and others.

He had some nice comments regarding my style, and in fact his comments were the main reason for my reawakened interest in Hawaiian Style Playing. :-

Basil Henriques Tiki or not ?
YES.
Basil, you are a genius! I LOVE your music with passion!
Everyone should own at least five of your records...
Mahalo amigo!

Zeta, Mahalo Nui Loa, I really appreciate your comments.
As for Tiki or not, I would consider what we do Tiki but only bordering on "Exotica"
What's interesting lately is that since setting up the European Steel Guitar Forum,Click here I've found a lot of new friends in Europe that were familiar with my EMI albums. They sold quite well in Holland and Indonesia which probably explains why we're one of the very few NON Indonesian groups to be invited to the Grand Pasar Malam and Tong Tong Fair.

Thanks to our newly found international friends and contacts, Pat and myself have been honoured to be invited and requested to play (as the Waikiki Islanders) at the Tong Tong Fair, at the Pasar Malam in Den Haag, May 25 AND 26. I've also been booked to give a workshop/seminar on Hawaiian Guitar.

The Tong Tong Fair in The Hague is the biggest Eurasian fair in the world. In 2008 it was held for the 50th time - a golden jubilee, with 133,000 visitors!
Click HERE for the web site

It's part, and only part of the even bigger Pasar Malam Besar. :o
Click HERE for the web site

What's special as far as Pat and myself are concerned is that the protocol is that USUALLY only Indonesian musicians and artists are booked to play, we understand from Gerrit Venema that this move is most unusual, he says we should be honoured, and we are for sure..

So it's the Lei of Emeralds Show with our dear friends Rene, Nora, Jan and all, on the May 5th and then home for gigs, and then BACK to Den Haag for the fair.. (Thank God for bio diesel and 55mpg) :roll:

http://www.chanos-isgf.org/ForumESG/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=125

Steelies do it without fretting !

[ Edited by: basilh 2009-03-10 10:34 ]

to Caesar what is Caesar's... You are GOOD! Your music makes me smile every single time inevitably... What a great gift to mankind! I am not exaggerating! You should win the Nobel peace prize or something!
I wish I could be in the Netherlands this May for your concert in the tong tong festival, but probably I will be in Acapulco at that time, listening to your music staring at the sea... The Pacific to be specific.
8) :drink:
But good luck (although a consumed master like you don't need it) and keep us informed! When are you coming to the new continent? Did you ever played in Mexico?...
Aloha!