Willie K Shows a Jazzier Side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Wayne Harada

Honolulu Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Saturday, April 28, 2001

 

 

"WILLIE K: LIVE AT HAPA'S" by Willie K, Maui Tribe Productions, WKE1983.

 

This is a wild and wooly Willie K . . . without Amy, without pretensions, with no holds barred.

 

Recorded live on Maui, this two-disc outing captures the essence of Willie, as rocker, as blues brother, as soul father, as jamming and jiving hotshot. It's more Hendrix than Hawaiian, more kinetic than kahiko, but totally mesmerizing. It's raw, earthy, feel-good funk.

 

This is the Willie who often tours Mainland blues and jazz clubs but is seldom exposed here. It's Willie with attitude, agility and animation.

 

"Ain't No Lovin' Blues" is searing with energy, thumping with spirit. This particular posture prevails throughout most of the disc, nurtured with a flavorful blues/rock backup featuring Don Lopez (bass, vocals), Margaret Rainsford (keyboards), Pedro Friere (percussion) and Gerry Davis (drums).

 

The fare fluctuates, depicting Willie's many styles and wide repertoire, from Jamaican ("Kayia," "Bubblin' Reggae Music") to soul ("I Need to Know"), from classic remakes ("Over the Rainbow" — a real dandy, romantic and reflective) to soul ("Rock a Doo").

 

There are obvious homages to B.B. King ("The Thrill Is Gone") and Bob Marley ("Is This Love"), a mirror of Willie's command of a mixed musical bag. The voice is powerful, the

guitar work is equally fiercely expressive.

 

With a few exceptions, Willie wrote the music, so the album is a personal and precise showcase of his "other" (read: non-Hawaiian) side.

 

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