Slack Key All Star Show - Night One

George Kahumoku Jr. is a master Hawaiian slack-key guitarist. Born in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, he was labeled Hawaii's Renaissance Man by Nona Beamer. He received the 4 Grammy Awards for Best Hawaiian Music Album for compilation CD produced at his Slack Key Show on Maui.

Led Kaapana’s mastery of stringed instruments, particularly slack key guitar, and his extraordinary baritone and leo ki`eki`e (falsetto) voices, have made him a musical legend. He has been thrilling audiences for more than 40 years. With easy-going style and kolohe (rascal) charm, he has built a loyal corps of Led Heads from Brussels to his birthplace on the Big Island of Hawaii. Recognition by his peers earned Led 4 Grammy nominations in his own right and 2 wins on slack key compilations.nnLike so many Hawaiians, Led grew up in a musical family. In the tiny black sand bay village of Kalapana, there were few distractions. “We didn’t have electricity, no television, not even much radio,” says Led. “So we entertained ourselves. You could go to any house and everybody was playing music.”nnOften everybody was playing music at a backyard party, many of which lasted for days. “People played in shifts, taking over when somebody went to sleep,” Led recalls. “You’d fall asleep to the music, wake up….and the music was still playing. That was the best alarm clock I ever had!”nnIt was at these family gatherings that Led learned to play in the old style, watching, listening, then imitating. Chief among his teachers were his mother, Mama Tina Kaapana, and his uncle Fred Punahoa. “Even today when I play, I still picture all the `ohana (family) getting together and sharing their songs and their aloha.”nnAlthough isolated, outside influences did creep into Kalapana. Like most kids his age, Led loved to rock and roll and also listened to country, jazz, and Latin music. When he’d sneak a riff from a guitar hit of the day, like Pipeline or Walk Don’t Run, into his music his dad would tease, “Hey, that’s not slack key!” But nobody ever stopped him, they just encouraged him to “play what you feel and play with aloha.”nnAs teenagers, Led and his twin brother Ned and cousin Dennis Pavao formed the Hui Ohana, one of the hottest groups of the 70s and 80s and now legendary among Hawaiian musicians. The 70s saw the blossoming of the Hawaiian Renaissance, and Hui Ohana was a key part of that return to traditional Hawaiian culture and music. Young Hawaii Plays Old Hawaii, the title of their first recording, was also their statement of purpose.nnThe group produced 14 best-selling albums and made countless hundreds of live appearances, proudly sharing Kalapana’s musical traditions.nnLed later formed another trio, Ikona, releasing 6 albums with that group, including Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner, Jus’ Press. He has also released a number of solo albums, including two Na Hoku Hanohano Instrumental Album of the Year winners, Lima Wela and Black Sand. Ki Ho`alu, Hawaiian Slack Key, Grandmaster Slack Key and Force of Nature (with Mike Kaawa) received Grammy nominations.nnWhile recording for Dancing Cat Records, Led produced a number of solo projects, duets, and a project with Allison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, and other bluegrass legends called Waltz of the Wind. He has worked with Dolly Parton, Chet Atkins, and many other Nashville notables. Back at home, he has shared his talents on recordings with most of Hawaii’s top talents, including Aunty Genoa Keawe, Barney Isaacs, The Ho`opi`i Brothers, Melveen Leed, the Pahinui Brothers, Amy Hanaiali`i, and countless others. In 2008, Led formed his own recording company, Jus’ Press Productions, and released his Force of Nature CD, with 12-string virtuoso Mike Kaawa. The album earned a Grammy nomination in 2009 and won Led and Mike the Favorite Entertainer Award at the 2009 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. That was followed up with Jus’ Cruzin’, an all autoharp CD, in 2014, Jus’ Press Vol. 2, which took the 2016 ‘Ukulele Album of the Year Hoku, and, most recently, Jus’ Bes’, released in late 2017, a remastered retrospective of some of Led’s all time greatest hits.nnLed tours the US extensively and has also appeared in Belgium, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, and Tahiti.nnWhen home in Hawaii, Led can be found on Saturday evenings at Honey’s at the Ko`olau Golf Course in Kaneohe, where local talent and visiting musicians from the four corners of the globe drop in to join the “back yard” party.

Recognized as one of Hawaii’s most versatile musicians, Jeff Peterson is at the heart of the Hawaiian music scene today. His passion for the guitar has allowed him to shine as a solo artist and has given him the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of artists from Hawaii, across the US, and abroad. His focus on Slack Key guitar, classical, and jazz music has allowed him to develop a unique and transcendent voice on the guitar while being deeply rooted in the traditions of his Hawaiian heritage.nnHe has contributed to two Grammy Award-winning recordings and has been honored with nine Na H?k? Hanohano Awards in Hawaii. ?His solo CD Maui on My Mind was recognized as the Slack Key Album of the Year and received a Grammy nomination in 2010. His next release featured his songwriting, performing, and producing on Amy Hanaiali`i and Slack Key Masters of Hawaii. The groundbreaking recording features a collaboration between Jeff, Amy Hanaiali`i, Cyril Pahinui, Dennis Kamakahi, Sonny Lim, and Chino Montero. His next release titled Slack Key Travels includes twelve new compositions and new arrangements of classic Hawaiian songs and won the 2014 Hoku Award for Best Slack Key Album. Jeff’s solo album O’ahu won 2 H?k? Awards in 2016 for Slack Key Album of the Year and instrumental song of the year for the song Old Pali. His latest release Wahi Pana is a full length performance and documentary film and CD soundtrack. Jeff premiered composed and performed the first ever Concerto for Slack Key Guitar and Orchestra in 2016 with the Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra. The piece is featured in Wahi Pana, Songs of Place, which is a full length performance and documentary film with a CD soundtrack featuring slack key, classical, jazz, and world music along with background on Jeff’s life, music, travels, and collaborations. Current projects have included an instructional DVD on slack key guitar and the 2018 Na H?k? Hanohano Instrumental Album of the Year Across the Sea featuring Tsun Hui Hung on erhu and Greg Sardina on steel guitar. Jeff is a 2018 Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Fellow and 2018 First People’s Fund Fellow.nnBorn on the Island of Maui, Jeff Peterson grew up on the slopes of Haleakala where he was introduced to the rich heritage of Hawaiian music by his father, a paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, on the Haleakala Ranch.nnAs a performer, Jeff has had the honor to work with a wide range of artists and groups including Eric Clapton, James Galway, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Aaron Neville, Boz Scaggs, the Honolulu Symphony, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Keola Beamer, Nathan Aweau, Amy Hanaiali’i, The Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii, jazz bassist Rufus Reid, shakuhachi master Riley Lee, Taiko master Kenny Endo, Classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, Hindustani Slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya, the acclaimed string quartet Ethel, and with many other artists in the fields of Hawaiian, classical, and jazz music. He has four recordings with Riley Lee: “Maui Morning”, “Bamboo Slack Key”, “Haiku”, and “Haleakala”. He also released seven solo guitar recording featuring his slack key artistry, “Oahu”, “Slack Key Travels”, “Maui On My Mind”, “Kahealani”, “Slack Key Jazz”, “The Artistry of Jeff Peterson”, and “Pure Slack Key”. Wayne Harada from the Honolulu Advertiser reacted to hearing the CDs by writing: “Add the Peterson name to the top 10 list of slack key giants”, “His manner is impeccable, his style exquisite: the CD is perfection”, “Brilliant . . . Peterson raises the bar a few notches in both slack key and jazz with this bright and exceptional release”. He is also featured as a performer and arranger on the 2008 and 2009 Grammy Nominated recordings “Aumakua” and “Friends and Family of Hawaii” by Amy Hanaiali’i.nnHe has traveled to Europe, Asia, Australia, and across the United Sates to perform at a variety of venues from Symphony Space in New York City to the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China. In addition to performing, he taught the guitar at the University of Hawaii for several years running the guitar program. He achieved a milestone in Hawaiian music at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards on February 13th, 2005, when a recording featuring Jeff and other island artists, “Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2”, won the first ever Grammy Award for best Hawaiian recording. He is also featured on the recording that won the 2010 Grammy Award in the Hawaiian music category. Five of his songs were featured in the film The Descendants starring George Clooney.nn

Max is an exceptional ukulele player & vocalist and a real stage personality. He is currently a student at UHMaui College majoring in Hawaiian Studies. He is a graduate of the Hawaiian Music Institute at the same school. He is currently recording a new CD with Herb Ohta Jr producer.

JJ Jerome comes from a strong musical family and plays ukulele, drums, bass, and a wide variety of other instruments. He has become an important part of George Kahumoku Jr.'s Slack Key Guitar and Ukulele Workshop both in the Kitchen Hui and as an assistant teacher. He has recently become the newest member of the Slack Key Show Ohana. His passion for music is what drives him to perfect his musical abilities.

Peter was born and raised on the island of Maui. He began playing ukulele at the age of 6. Later he studied ukulele with Keoki Kahumoku and Herb Ohta Jr. Other important influences include all the masters of Hawaiian Slack Key guitar with whom he has played regularly for the last 8 years, including Ledward Kaapana and others, also Bradda IZ & Bob Marley. Peter now plays professionally around Maui both solo and in groups: Dukes-Kaanapali (Three Pounds of Poi), Kimo’s-Lahaina (deAquino Braddaz), The Hula Grill (leading the band TBA), and the Hard Rock Café (Sounds of Addiction). Peter is featured on all four of the Slack Key Show’s Grammy winning compilation CDs: Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, vol.1, Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, vol.2, and also on the Grammy nominated Spirit of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar. Peter is featured in a new DVD: The Best of the Slack Key Show, Vol. 1.