Orchids of Hawaii - Hawaiian Guitar

From one of the better European players of the Hawaiian guitar, this album collects the works of Hratch Hougassian (renamed Harry Kalapana). The date of the recordings is unknown, as an accident in 1976 turned Kalapana out of the performing business and the liner notes don't mention whether the tracks are from his old days (over 200 albums) or more recently. Kalapana's specialty is the lap steel guitar, which he plays more or less in the older style (before the slack key acoustic revolution, that is). The music is well-played, primarily focusing on Kalapana original compositions. His specialty is in the slightly slower-paced works. Ballads are a worthwhile endeavor for him, but also he does step up to light works in the tourist/Hollywood styles of steel playing at a lower tempo than, say, Sol Hoopii. When he does attempt to break into the higher-speed runs, there's a noticeable drop in volume as he picks more shallowly to allow a faster technique at the expense of power. It's not a bad album, but one would do well to pick up the Hawaiian innovators first if at all possible, then move into the circles of influence beyond the islands.