Tag Archives: blueskyguitar

Monsarrat Avenue (Solo Ukulele)

This solo ukulele piece pays tribute to the mellow vibes of one of the best little neighborhoods in Hawai’i, that area between Waikiki and Kapiolani Park, Kapahulu and Diamond Head, running from the Honolulu Zoo to Kapiolani Community College and the back side of Diamond Head (where it turns into Diamond Head Road) is Monsarrat Avenue.  There are so many little things to love on (or just off) Monsarrat: the Honolulu Zoo and its fence with local artists selling their wares, the wafting of music from the Kapiolani Bandstand or the Waikiki Shell, Kapiolani Park itself with the powerful beauty of Leahi, Diamond Head, in the background, nearby is the peaceful enclave of Diamond Head Community Garden with its rectangular patches of lovingly tended vegetables and plants… Next is a lovely little district of restaurants and shops – Bogart’s (Breakfast Potatoes!), South Shore Grill (Fish Tacos!), Da Cove (Acai Bowls!), and several other places to get Sushi and other grinds, Open Space Yoga, Paul’s Barber Shop, Diamond Head Market and Grill, the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.  After that, rows of Kaimuki homes with people riding their bikes on the side streets as Monsarrat Avenue meanders and changes name to Diamond Head Road; it then passes by Kapiolani Community College – home of a popular (crowded) weekly Farmer’s Market – and curls around the back side of Diamond Head.

 

Kaiminani Slack Key

Here is an original slack key song I named for Kaiminani Drive in Kalaoa, North Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Kaiminani Drive is a main mauka-makai road that connects the Queen Kaahumanu and Mamalahoa highways (lower and upper roads, respectively). It also runs through the Kona Palisades neighborhood where I lived for a number of years as a child. Back then, the neighborhood was less developed, and my friends and I would build tree houses and play in the vacant lots. We could also watch the planes come and go at Kona International Airport at Keahole Point (KOA), and had easy access to then-uncrowded OTEC (Wawaloli) and Pine Trees (Kohanaiki) beaches.  Hope you enjoy.