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Author Topic:  Tricone players and music suggestions please!
Joe Burke

 

From:
Toronto, Canada
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 5:34 am    
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I've been listening to a lot of Sol Hoopii. Can't get enough of that tricone squareneck sound! Looking for recommendations of other players to check out.

Thanks!

I did a search on the forum for a previous post, but didn't find anything. I could've sworn I'd even posted it myself!
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David M Brown


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 6:39 am    
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I'm sure our Hawaiian pros will know more than I do about which players used a Tricone and which players had other types of acoustic Hawaiian steel guitars, , but here's a start:

http://www.hsga.org/history.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o031JMU6K8

http://www.planetgaa.com/HawGuit/HawMat.html

King Benny Nahawi

Bob Pauole (Jim & Bob)

Sam Ku West

Sol Bright

John Kameaaloha Almeida

Frank Ferera

and so on.....
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Adam Tracksler


From:
Maine, USA
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 6:42 am    
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Sweet Hollywiaans...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SqFS7RkyrY
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Jack Hanson


From:
San Luis Valley, USA
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 6:52 am    
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If you can overlook his demons, Bob Brozman was a master of the tri-cone. So is Robert Armstrong. They are both featured on R. Crumb's records.

King Benny Nawahi should be essential listening, although he reportedly played a single-cone instrument.

The early Hawaiian Guitar reissue collections on the Folklyric, Rounder, Hana Ola, and other labels feature plenty of traditional Hawaiian and modern popular music played by Hawaiian musicians on their original National tri-cones.
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Former Member

 

Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 8:56 am    
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I'm sure you'll recognize this name,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FASpvxhxxv4

In Rick's house:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oXW4ebKWqU

I believe Mike has some Sol transcriptions also

I watch this all the time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9_4ecNUqpw
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Jouni Karvonen


From:
Helsinki, Finland
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 10:27 am    
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http://tela.sugarmegs.org/_asxtela/RobertCrumbAndTheCheapSuitSerenaders1984-09-05CotatiCabaretCotatiCA.asx

Last edited by Jouni Karvonen on 5 Feb 2017 10:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Guy Cundell


From:
More idle ramblings from South Australia
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 12:02 pm    
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Overlook??.. Really??... FFS Mad
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David Matzenik


From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 12:52 pm    
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Just for the "record" Winking Robert Armstrong did not play any tricone on the LPs made by the Suits. He did play some bottleneck on a single cone guitar. I think he took up the Tricone at a later date.
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James Kerr


From:
Scotland, UK
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 1:06 pm    
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Guy Cundell wrote:
Overlook??.. Really??... FFS Mad

Yes, there are still those who will try to slip his name in.
JK.
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 1:35 pm    
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Brozman was a master of the over-caffeinated approach to the Tricone but personally, I'm forever done with him - don't even want to even see a clip of him ever again.

RANDY KOHRS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jucCvtcmrV8

CHARLIE COWLES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oco-8H5eJiY

JIMMY HEFFERNAN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkjxhEfRBYE

SOL HO'OPI'I (this is one of my favorite Sol Trigone performances)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDa2H1dgGLs

RICHARD LEO JOHNSON
This entire CD was played on a standard Spanish neck National steel but is quite fascinating. Richard Johnson found an old National with the name Vernon McAlister on the side and made up a whole mythical back story that inspired him to compose new, original music on that guitar that used all the sounds the instrument could produce ... traditional fingerpicking, slide, eBow and even blowing into the guitar and processing the sounds. Forumite Chas Smith has explored some similar territory with amazing results. I wrote a review for Acoustic Guitar about this record about seven years ago.

https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-legend-of-vernon-mcalister
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Scott Thomas

 

Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 3:03 pm    
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You must check out the aforementioned Sam Ku West. Some of the sweetest tricone sounds ever recorded. It's a pity the compilation from several years ago seems to be out of print, but tracks can be found on various collections.

I second Jim and Bob The Genial Hawaiians. Bob Pauole played some incredible solos, like on Home On The Range. The compilation by Grass Skirt Records looks to be available. A great collection of their rare limited recordings.

I like Eddie Bush a lot too. Find his work with the Biltmore Trio. Hard To Get Gertie is a favorite. Some tracks feature some smarmy arrangements but are worth it for his playing and tricone tone.
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Michael Lee Allen

 

From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
Post  Posted 5 Feb 2017 3:20 pm    
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deleted

Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 1:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jouni Karvonen


From:
Helsinki, Finland
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 1:24 am    
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Back to the topic, here's a few "imports", Bear Family's are out of stock at the moment, but can maybe be found on Spotify, Deezer or iTunes.

http://www.grassskirt.co.uk/23.html

https://www.bear-family.com/SwpFindologic/search?sSearch=sol+hoopii


Last edited by Jouni Karvonen on 6 Feb 2017 8:14 am; edited 1 time in total
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Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 4:52 am    
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Sol Hoopii is probably deep down my number #1 favorite. The man could play stunningly beautiful, but was also very inventive and entertaining. Most importantly, for me, is that he was jazzy for his era and had great articulation to pull it off. He is an essential listen for every steel player, whether they know it or not.
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David Matzenik


From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 5:06 am    
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Another great player was Sol K. Bright. His rendition of the Malihini Mele is outstanding.

oops! already mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAaAmnTG-3U
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Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 5:22 am    
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This track by George Ku Trio was one of my favorites and one of the reasons I really wanted to buy a tricone.

https://youtu.be/CYWdZMMv3zI
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 8:21 am    
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Maybe not for deep emotional connection, but for sheer audacity of technique, wide open ears to the most progressive jazz players of his era, and a beautiful feel for rhythm and melody, the crown goes to Sol IMHO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHMdwdqj3fc

Regardless of the player, the National Tricone itself was an astounding achievement in industrial design and as an instrument, it's dynamic range is almost unsurpassed in the string instrument family. It can go from the deepest growl to the highest singing melodic lines - and in the course of a single phrase.
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Scott Thomas

 

Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 11:43 am    
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^^^
Maybe but I think it should be pointed out (if not obvious to most) that the above example is played on an electric steel guitar.

It doesn't take anything away from his musicianship as you describe it, but it's not really a fair comparison.
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 11:55 am    
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Yes! You're right, of course. It was Lady Be Good I had in my head but posted FR without listening 'cause my faulty memory remembered it as a Tricone performance. I blame a late night of football and I'm sticking to my story!
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Scott Thomas

 

Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 12:00 pm    
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That's as good a reason as I've heard. What a game. Party time in Boston!
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James Kerr


From:
Scotland, UK
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 1:17 pm    
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Aren't all these examples posted simply delightful?

JK.
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John Mulligan

 

From:
Ontario, Canada
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 7:07 pm    
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I hate to be sacreligious, but Hawaiian music doesn't do it for me. When it comes to squareneck steel guitar my money goes to Casey Bill Weldon. Here is some info about him:

http://michaelmesser.proboards.com/thread/1919/casey-bill-weldon

Sorry it's not a tricone, but he does rock it!

Here is his guitar swing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoKvdUbyALg

He has a great body of work. Just don't hold the Hokum against him!
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Joe Burke

 

From:
Toronto, Canada
Post  Posted 6 Feb 2017 7:46 pm    
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Wow - love listening to all the suggestions.

What tunning does everyone use on their tricones?

Currently I'm using dobro G, and will likely switch to C6 soon.
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Guy Cundell


From:
More idle ramblings from South Australia
Post  Posted 7 Feb 2017 12:09 am    
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High A, (dobro up a tone), same as Sol, Genial Hawaiians and Sam Ku West but he was in Ab judging by his recordings. Benne Nawahi used low A for at least some of his hot style. Dobro G might be alright but maybe a bit less penetrating than if you took it up a tone.
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James Kerr


From:
Scotland, UK
Post  Posted 7 Feb 2017 3:01 am    
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John Mulligan wrote:
I hate to be sacreligious, but Hawaiian music doesn't do it for me. When it comes to squareneck steel guitar my money goes to Casey Bill Weldon. Here is some info about him:

http://michaelmesser.proboards.com/thread/1919/casey-bill-weldon

Sorry it's not a tricone, but he does rock it!

Here is his guitar swing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoKvdUbyALg

He has a great body of work. Just don't hold the Hokum against him!


John,
No need to apologise for diverging a bit, in my mind there is only two kinds of Music "Good" and the other kind.

JK.
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