“Backscratching”
Greg Sardinha and Friends
Keala Records
Hawaii music industry veteran Greg Sardinha describes “backscratching” as people exchanging goods or services — “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” That’s the concept of this compilation album as Sardinha and several friends record in various combinations. Sardinha is the producer/ arranger of the album, and he made his record label available as the platform for it, but he didn’t participate in all the recordings. There is a different combination of voices and instruments on every song.
Sardinha and Ben Vegas open the program with “Aliomanu,” a joyful celebration of island life that includes contributions from a third friend, singer/songwriter Stuart Hollinger; Vegas handles all the vocal parts, Sardinha plays all the instruments. Next comes local music veteran Gordon Freitas sharing a similar positive upbeat vibe with “Island Jam” — “A rainbow seems to follow/Every time it rains,” he sings. Freitas also plays guitar, Sardinha adds bass and backing vocals.
Vegas, who has a well-deserved reputation as a guy who writes and records romantic ballads, is at his best with “E Nani E.” He sings all the parts and plays all the instruments.
Darrell Aquino likewise delivers a beautiful solo performance with “Ka Mele O Ke Anuenue.” The Hawaiian word “nahenahe” — sweet, soft, melodious — describes his work perfectly.
Dennis “Bla” Keohokalole honors tradition with a zesty rendition of Alfred Alohikea’s classic “Ka Wai O Namolokama.” Freitas and Sardinha celebrate the plants of the sea with the Edith Kanaka‘ole composition, “Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai,” and Sardinha shows that he too can be a lead vocalist with his solo recording of “I Ka Po Ame Ke Ao.”
The album isn’t all solos and duos. Music industry veteran John Valentine is backed by Aquino and Sardinha on his bouncy revival of Irving Berlin’s 1933 Broadway hit, “Heat Wave.” They are a solid threesome.
Singer-songwriter and guitarist John Cannizzaro goes bigger still with Troy Millard (bass), Josh Kaye (keyboards) and Darryl Pellegrini (drums) behind him on “Life by the Coconut.” Cannizzaro’s song is the bluesy lament of a man from Louisiana who has “life by the coconut” in Hawaii but whose heart is with a woman in New Orleans.
Mark Caldeira looks at life from a resident’s perspective with “Share Aloha.” For all of us who love Hawaii, how many friends have left Hawaii looking for work, how many friends have we lost touch with? How can we deal when things here change in ways we don’t like? It’s a wistful song but with a hopeful message: “Share aloha, live aloha, ‘till we meet again,” Caldeira suggests.
Freitas shares another positive view of island life with “Kalo Land” as he describes the traditional life of kalo growers and how every part of the plant is put to use. He includes the cautionary tale of a woman who “went to mainland with a haole boy. Now she’s mashing them potatoes and she missing her poi!” Yes, there’s no place like kalo land.
“Exotic drink” aficionados recognize “backscratcher” as the name of an elaborate high-octane cocktail. Sardinha includes a recipe in the liner notes that includes 1-1/2 ounces of Amber 151 Rum. He suggests that it is “best served over ice and enjoyed amongst good friends.”
The CD, which costs $15, is available at kealarecords.com.
