 Cyril Pahinui |
Cyril Lani Pahinui was born April 21, 1950. He grew up in the small town of Waimanalo at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains on O'ahu's Windward coast. His father, Pops Gabby Pahinui, was one of Hawai'i's best known and most influential slack key guitarists. The Pahinui home and backyard provided food, shelter, rehearsal space, concert hall and playground for many of Hawai'i's foremost traditional musicians. The jams sessions went on all day, sometimes all week. Neighbors came, tour bus drivers, even the police, but the music rolled on. It was an incredible experience and made a lasting impression on all the participants. It was especially inspiring for the young players, many of whom went on to become today's leading slack key masters. Cyril counts himself among those inspired by his legendary father and his father's legendary friends. "All my music comes from my dad, Atta Isaacs and Sonny Chillingworth," Cyril says. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here. They showed all of us young ones the way." Cyril got started along the slack key path around the age of seven. His father offered encouragement, but mostly Cyril learned, in the traditional way, by observing. "I used to watch my dad, Atta, Sonny, and my brothers when they would jam," he says. "They were so awesome you didn't want to miss anything. You didn't even want to blink your eyes!" In traditional slack key fashion, Cyril also learned from direct experience. From the very beginning, he was allowed to join the jam sessions, even to pa'ani (solo). "Daddy would say take one and you would just go for it. No shame, just do what you could do. It was the best training, you learned all kinds of songs and styles." This method also sharpened listening skills, which were crucially important since everyone played by ear. "My dad had such a good ear," Cyril says, "nine of us would be playing and he would stop the music and point to a person, tell him, Tune that second string!" Though he strongly encouraged his children to play music, Pops avoided telling them what or how to play. "Daddy never pointed at our fingers or grabbed them," he says. "If you missed a chord, you missed it, but the next time you'd get it. You could ask him 'Daddy, how was that?' and he'd always take the time to listen to you. He always encouraged us to play and when he liked what you were doing, he'd light up." In many ways, Cyril both maintains and expands slack key. He lovingly plays the standards and gratefully acknowledges his teachers. Yet Cyril also freely draws on a wide variety of music styles. His musical intelligence, great ear, killer chops and spirit of aloha make him one of Hawai`i's most respected and beloved performers |
. Discography
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Instrumental Album of the Year
1994