Tag Archives: kona coffee

Mauna Loa Slack Key

Songsbig island, blue sky guitar, Elixir Polyweb, Hawaii, Holualoa, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, ksm141, mauna loa, nick borho, shure, slack key, taylor 310ce, Taylor Dreadnaught

Here is my cover of “Mauna Loa Slack Key,” one of the relatively few surviving original songs from legendary slack key kupuna Fred Punahoa. Though “Uncle” Fred never made a full album, he did make a notable appearance on the Waimea Music Festival album which features Mauna Loa Slack Key along with another of Fred’s originals, “Punahoa Special.” Uncle Fred’s legacy also includes fostering amazing Big Island talents of the next generation such as Ledward Ka’apana and Sonny Lim. Like the Punahoa Special, Mauna Loa Slack Key is an often covered song in the slack key world. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 10/11/07.

Opihi Moe Moe (Taylor 310ce)

Songsbig island, blue sky guitar, Chet Atkins, Elixir Polyweb, Hawaii, Holualoa, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, ksm141, leonard kwan, nick borho, open G, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, shure, slack key, taro patch, taylor 310ce, Taylor Dreadnaught

Here’s a recently found cover I did of Leonard Kwan’s signature tune, Opihi Moe Moe. One of the most popular songs in the slack key repetoire, this song has been covered perhaps most prominently by Led Kaapana; in fact, Chet Atkins even recorded a version after hearing it from Leonard on a visit to Hawai’i. Notably, Leonard himself recorded several versions of this song including variations such as Opihi Bounce. Opihi Moe Moe is a fun song to play that lends itself to little variations, and everyone seems to bring something different to this deceptively simple song. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 1/4/2008.

Gabby Style Hula Medley

Songsbig island, blue sky guitar, Gabby Pahinui, Hawaii, Holualoa, Hula Medley, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, ksm141, nick borho, peaceful guitar, Pure Gabby, relaxing guitar, shure, slack key, taylor 310ce, Taylor Dreadnaught

Today’s post is a performance of “Hula Medley,” which pays tribute to Gabby Pahinui’s hugely influential recordings of the same name (both the early solo verision, and the version found on Pure Gabby). Many have covered this over the years, with one of my favorite versions appearing on Sonny Chilingworth’s Sonny Solo album. Per below, my recording of the medley here includes a slightly different lineup of songs. Hope you enjoy.

Medley:
Intro / Nani Wale Li’hue
Wai’alae
U’lili E
Aloha ‘Oe

Recorded with a Taylor 310ce (Elixir Polyweb 80/20 Bronze) and a matched stereo pair of Shure KSM141 microphones in Holualoa, Hawai’i, in fall of 2007.

Bumble Bee Slack Key

Songsbig island, Fred Kelly, Hawaii, Holualoa, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, ksm141, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure, slack key, taro patch, taylor 310ce, Taylor Dreadnaught, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Demo recording of original song Bumble Bee Slack Key, inspired in part by the nalo meli, honey bees buzzing about their business. I wanted a song that was both lively and mellow and think I achieved it. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 12/16/07.

Silver Threads – Slack Key Improv

Songsbig island, blue sky guitar, Hawaii, Holualoa, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, mauna loa tuning, nick borho, open g tuning, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 912ce

Here is an improvisation I did based on Leonard Kwan’s famous slack key arrangement of “Silver Threads Among the Gold.” This classic tune is a popular piece in the slack key repertoire and often one of the first things people learn when exploring Drop C tuning. Most listeners of modern day Hawaii radio will recognize Silver Threads as the slack key passage quoted in the intro to Country Comfort’s Waimanalo Blues, a beloved song in the islands in its own right. Hope you enjoy.

Punahoa Special (Live at Hawaii Island Slack Key Festival)

Songsbig island, fred punahoa, fred punahou, Hawaii, kailua kona, keauhou, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, mauna loa tuning, sheraton, slack key, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e

Here is a live version of “Punahoa Special” from 2007 (apologies for the camera work :-). This is a song I was fortunate enough to learn directly from Led Ka’apana, one that Led had in turn learned directly from his uncle Fred Punahoa. Though Fred never made a full album, he did make a notable appearance on the Waimea Music Festival album and fostered amazing talents of the next generation such as Led and Sonny Lim. This is an often covered song in the slack key world, and might also be the most popular song in Mauna Loa slack key tuning. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded live at the 25th Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival “Kona Style,” at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort in Keauhou, Hawai’i 9/2/07.

Purple Orchid

Songsbig island, Hawaii, Holualoa, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, relaxing music, slack key

Today’s demo from the vaults is Purple Orchid, a mellow slack key song played on nylon string guitar. The picture of me is in an ohana I had in Kailua Kona. Most of my recordings from this period were either done in that ohana or down by Magic Sands beach. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Kona Snow

Songsbig island, coffee trees, Hawaii, Holualoa, hualalai, kailua kona, kona coffee, kona snow, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, Taylor 310, Taylor 310e, tranquil song

Kona Snow is another improvisatory piece recorded for my “Awake Again” project, which included a handful of songs that were connected by mostly shorter and improvisatory ‘transitions’ such as this. This song is named for the early spring blooming of the coffee trees on the slopes of Hualalai. People merrily dubbed the effect of white blossoms covering row after row of coffee trees “Kona Snow.” At the time I recorded this song, I was living next to a coffee orchard in Holualoa, Hawaii, just mauka of Kailua Kona. The setting amidst a wonderful agricultural tradition over a century old inspired me probably more than I knew at the time. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 6/20/09.

Transition One (3/16/09)

Uncategorizedacoustic guitar, big island, Elixir HD Light, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, Hawaii, Holualoa, kailua kona, kona coffee, love, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, Taylor Dreadnaught guitar, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

Here is an improvisatory piece recorded for a project I had a few years back. The idea behind the project, called “Awake Again,” was to have a handful of songs that were connected by mostly shorter and improvisatory ‘transitions’ that would act as both glue and palette cleanser between the slightly more structured songs. The wallpaper shows me with my old Taylor 310ce that I used to record this song. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 3/16/09.

Henry Street Slack Key

Songsacoustic guitar, altered tunings, big island, borders, East Indian Rosewood, ebony, EIR, fingerstyle guitar, Fred Kelly, Hawaii, henry st, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, kuakini, Larrivée, open G, open tunings, P-09, palani, parlor guitar, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, rosewood, sitka spruce, slack key, taro patch, thumbpicks

Here is a demo of a song I wrote a while back called Henry Street Slack Key – named for what was then the still developing Henry Street, which runs between Kuakini Highway and Palani Rd in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The street had a lot of places I went to at the time – a healthfood store, a Border’s Books (with a great music selection, in the days when CD’s ruled), Wal-Mart (a place to run into people in small town Kailua-Kona), Safeway, several coffee shops, and a Korean BBQ. This is also one of the few recordings I made with my Larrivee parlor guitar – a rosewood / sitka spruce P-09, which I have since sold. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i, 8/26/07.

Nick Borho

Slack Key & Fingerstyle Guitar