January 27, 2004
Anchorage Daily News

By Heather Reynosa-Davis
Anchorage Daily News music reviewer

The Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters played to a full house Saturday night in the Laurence Theatre. In the lobby, one woman held a sign saying she wanted to buy spare tickets from patrons going into the theater. Many of the audience mem-bers wore flowered shirts; young girls were in bright sarongs with flowers in their hair. Instead of lights, scented white orchid blooms lined the stage; a large arrangement of tropical flowers sat in the center.

After a quick introduction to the evening's music, the show got under way with a performance by Patrick Landeza. He had a smooth, soothing voice and plucked his guitar in very much the same manner. His time onstage was short, and when he left, the crowd was ready for more.

They got it in the form of copper-sequined guitar master Cindy Combs.

Combs and her guitar are one being when she plays. Her deep, almost velvety voice melted over the audience, and her music had all the fantastic essence of Hawaii, with distinct jazz and blues flavors.

She was an electric presence onstage, no small feat when the type of music you play has a typically soothing effect. As did all the performers after her did, Combs told a story about each song before she played it and participated in light banter with the crowd.

This show had the relaxed feel of an impromptu jam session. At one point, local people got onstage with Combs and treated the crowd to a hula dance.

Next up was Dennis Kamakahi. His music had a different appeal; you could almost hear the beat of a mariachi band playing underneath it.

Kamakahi infuses his songs with anecdotes and Hawaiian legends, telling his audience what inspired him to write them and adding a little history of how the slack key guitar style came to be.

Coming from a long line of players, Kamakahi learned the art from his grandfather when he was 10 years old; he played as if his fingers had never done anything else. In the middle of one song, he reached over and turned a key to change the tuning without missing a beat.

If there is a rock star in the slack key guitar world, from the reaction of the audience it would seem that it is Cyril Pahinui. He came onto the stage to whistling and cheering from this previously mellow crowd, with some fans even shouting out requests.

With his first song, nearly the entire audience was singing along. When Pahinui opened his mouth to sing and moved his fingers over his guitar, all eyes were on him. He was magnetic onstage, whether telling a story or playing a song.

The evening reached a fever pitch when Combs, Kamakahi and Pahinui took the stage together. The combination was the musical version of whipped cream with cherries on top. Their playing was outstanding, and the audience mirrored that with animated responses. The final song of the set invited the crowd to stand and sing along, holding hands and swaying back and forth.

The trio finished their set to a standing ovation, and the crowd begged for an encore. The masters obliged and played two more songs before calling it a night.

This show was a fantastic escape, and this reviewer will gladly take the trip again.

Heather Reynosa-Davis is working toward a degree in journalism and public relations with a minor in music performance. She lives and writes in Anchorage.

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