Island Mele: Andrew Molina releases third album ‘Evolv3’

“Evolv3”

Andrew Molina

(Shadow Uke Music)

With “Evolv3,” his third full-length album, Andrew Molina continues building the multigenerational story of Maui’s musical Molina family. Molina’s father, bassist Jay Molina, played pop dance music as a member of Asian Blend and was a co-founder of Music Magic, one of Hawaii’s great contemporary jazz groups.

The younger Molina’s instruments of choice are ukulele and guitar. His father sits in when bass is needed, and a select team of guests adds their instruments as well. The result is a 13-song sampler that neatly spotlights Molina’s talents as a musician, arranger and composer.

He opens with an uptempo original, “Rezurrection,” that demonstrates his skill at both strumming and picking. Jerry Kovarsky (keyboards) expands the melody, and Dad provides the energetic bass lines. Molina is joined by guitarist Jamie Lawrence on a beautifully textured arrangement of Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 album track “Little Wing” and then goes solo on another original, “Showdown With a Scorpion.”

The breadth of Molina’s musical horizons is suggested by his expansive treatment of “My Heart Will Go On (Theme From ‘Titanic’),” with Kovarsky providing the keyboards and orchestration, representing one end of the spectrum. His solo rendition of “Gymnopedie No. 1,” by French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), is another.

Another original, “Celtic Warrior,” which has violinist Willy Wainwright joining James Somera (cajon), Molina and his father, falls somewhere in between. So do his noteworthy arrangements of Aerosmith’s breakthrough hit “Dream On” and “Hora Zero,” which was written and first recorded by the Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. Molina presents the latter song as a studio duet with himself, playing guitar as well as ukulele.

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