Tapa Room Tapes (Expanded)

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 19 Mar 2021 11:43 am

Hey folks,

Long story short, when I started learning steel 4 years ago folks on here were good enough to point me in, well, what I consider a very good direction with players like Jules Ah See and the Tapa Room Tapes from the 1950s broadcasts from the Hawaiian Village Hotel, with Alfred Apaka and the Hawaiian Village Serenaders. I've listened to them so much I've almost internalized them, and learned so many of the songs over the years!

So bearing in mind that these are kind of a prized cultural artifact to me already, as a player in that style...I was in a lesson with Alan Akaka a couple weeks back and he mentioned a song from the Tapa Room Tapes, and I was thinking, that one wasn't on there....he ended up sharing them...he had copied them to tape from reel-to-reel copies at Benny Kalama's house many years ago, shared them to a few people and they escaped into the internet eventually. But the version that is out there is missing out on quite a few tracks! Also the version from Alan seems to have less incidence of the "sped up" effect from tape speed, sounds more natural.

Anyway, here you go. These are a great learning resource for anyone who loves that style of steel playing...Jules was a master, and the band was pretty solid too! Thanks to Alan these tapes didn't end up just degrading into dust eventually and being lost forever!
https://archive.org/details/TapaRoomTapesExpanded

Travis Brown · Post by **Travis Brown** » 19 Mar 2021 1:09 pm

Wow, THANKS!!!!

Ralph Czitrom · Post by **Ralph Czitrom** » 19 Mar 2021 1:17 pm

Outstanding! Thank you Nic and Alan.

Levi Gemmell · Post by **Levi Gemmell** » 19 Mar 2021 1:21 pm

This is absolutely tremendous, Nic.

Wonderful for this treasure of Alan's to be in the open for us all to enjoy. Thank you both.

EDIT: I'm sure I'll have further thoughts as I dig into this - but I welcome the addition of the non-Hawaiian numbers: the big voice nightclub tunes and especially the Latin stuff. The influence of Latin music on the Hawaiian club sound (also see live Pua Almeida, a couple Jesse Kalima albums, the Invitations, et al.) gives those fresh rhythms which contribute something really valuable, IMO. I have a lot of unanswered questions and thoughts about repertoire. This gets me a bit closer...

Ricky Newman · Post by **Ricky Newman** » 19 Mar 2021 5:28 pm

Wonderful! Thank you both for sharing this. I’ve only ever had a burnt CD with no track names. What wonderful entertainers.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 19 Mar 2021 5:43 pm

These are priceless. Thanks to you and Alan for preserving this musical history. Jules was one hell of a steel player!

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 19 Mar 2021 6:18 pm

Thanks so much! I enjoy the original upload so much, this is much welcome.

Just to be clear......is Jules Ah See the steeler on all these tracks?

Mike A Holland · Post by **Mike A Holland** » 20 Mar 2021 1:45 am

Excellent, Thank you Nic. I have been listening to the originals so a great resource for me also!

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 20 Mar 2021 6:21 am

Jim Fogarty wrote: Just to be clear......is Jules Ah See the steeler on all these tracks?

Yessir, that's him. I dated at least one of the tracks to February 1958 (based on the intro to Moana, referencing David Kupeles newborn son). All probably around that era. Jules sings on a half dozen of the songs as well and has a lovely voice (that was somewhat hidden by the comic nature of his one released single, No Huhu).

Doug Taylor · Post by **Doug Taylor** » 20 Mar 2021 8:21 am

Thanks for sharing Nic!

Scott Thomas · Post by **Scott Thomas** » 20 Mar 2021 8:34 am

Thank you Nic and Alan! I'm so happy there is a place to listen to these again, and in their entirety. I'm playing them this morning---what a joy.

Travis Brown · Post by **Travis Brown** » 20 Mar 2021 9:13 am

I just listened to them - THANKS AGAIN.

Great stuff.

Joe Elk · Post by **Joe Elk** » 20 Mar 2021 9:31 am

Thanks for sharing!!
Joe Elk Central Ohio

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 20 Mar 2021 11:49 am

Yeah, early 1958 is a pretty good guess for a chunk of it.

They do "Tequila", which became the #1 song on the Billboard charts in late March 1958.

Great to see them try other non-Hawaiian pop songs...Almost Like Being In Love, Fascination, Je Attendrai, Melody D'Amour, and especially Don't Take Your Love From Me.

I saw this group in August 1957 at the Hawaiian Village....but I was too young to fully appreciate it and have no particular memory of Jules. My mother was nuts about both Alfred and Gabby and logged untold hours at The Barefoot Bar.

Jesse Valdez · Post by **Jesse Valdez** » 22 Mar 2021 8:57 am

Thanks so much Nic! It was your posts about the Tapa Room Tapes that had me find them initially which, started me down the path of truly appreciating Hawaiian music, and I’m sure others as well.

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 23 Mar 2021 6:40 am

New stuff, for me, from my favorite band!!!! Thats a wonderful day!

Many thanks Nic!

The version of Tequila is just amazing!

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 23 Mar 2021 2:15 pm

Aloha Nic,
Your association with Alan Akaka has been very rewarding.
And now we are rewarded by hearing some of the classical steel guitar playings of Jules Ah See.

Alan is the best resource for Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Classic Hawaiian music today. He has played and associated with most of the great legendary Hawaiian musicians and singers of the 1940-50s.

Today, he is the primary one leading Hawaii's children to learn traditional Hawaiian music. To do this, he has established the Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i School of Hawaiian Music where he teaches the ‘ukulele, the guitar, Hawaiian-style upright bass, or the Hawaiian steel guitar, all instruments important to Hawaiian music and culture.

He deserves to be in the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame

Wally Pfeifer · Post by **Wally Pfeifer** » 23 Mar 2021 3:24 pm

Hi Don,
I agree with you. Alan has never failed to reply when I need to know anything about Hawaiian music, culture, history
or whatever.

Wally

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 24 Mar 2021 5:11 pm

Thanks Nic for posting these tracks. Very impressive!
I wonder, does anyone have info on the announcer in several of these audios? He introduces himself as John Hillyard or something close to 'Hillyard'.
The only thing that I wish for is someone to come forward with a 16 mm film of Apaka and the Village Serenaders taken at the Hawaiian Village around 1958...gotta be someone that took 16mm!

Jeremy DeHart · Post by **Jeremy DeHart** » 25 Mar 2021 9:05 am

Thanks Nic! Awesome!

Joe Cook · Post by **Joe Cook** » 25 Mar 2021 10:09 am

The more I hear this stuff the more I like it! Thanks for posting this, Nic. Alan Akaka is a treasure!

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 25 Mar 2021 10:17 am

Alan's like a time capsule / missing link to the old days given his time as a young man playing with the "old timers" as he calls them. Learning from Jerry Reed, playing with Benny Kalama, Sonny Kamahele, Barney, sneaking in underage to try to figure out Billy Hew Len's pedal 400 while he hit the bar! He's got a lot of stories to tell for sure. And he corrects my 'Olelo Hawai'i too

Benjamin Franz · Post by **Benjamin Franz** » 28 Mar 2021 6:00 am

Amazing! Thanks!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Apr 2021 3:19 am

This photo of Jules was posted on the FB group "Hawaiian Music of the Golden Age" by Gaylynn Kalama.

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 2 Jan 2024 11:20 am

Levi Gemmell wrote:I'm sure I'll have further thoughts as I dig into this - but I welcome the addition of the non-Hawaiian numbers: the big voice nightclub tunes and especially the Latin stuff.

So ironically given that I am the one who posted this...in complete contrast to the original upload of the Tapa Room Tapes, which I absolutely absorbed with innumerable listens...for whatever reason I haven't listened too much to these recordings (mostly just jumping around to songs that seemed interesting).

Well, I'm back to this now and I agree Levi, the non-Hawaiian songs are some of the more interesting new additions. Comparing the subset of songs in the original upload to this...it almost seems like the original curator may have dumped some of the non-Hawaiian tunes as (arguably) less interesting to Hawaiian steelers. But who knows! I sure love hearing what Jules comes up with outside of Hawaiian music.

The slow Broadway ballads, that's Alfred Apaka's thing, and the band does the backing perfectly. J'Attendrai (nice French accent Alfred, I think?). Almost like being in love was one he did for his Broadway album.

St Louis Blues Cha Cha...some wild stuff from Jules in that! E13? Certainly not B11 or C13 unless he is doing wizardry I am unfamiliar with. Because I am hearing this run that sounds like a high 3rd, then 7, 6, 5...semi diatonic. You know what I bet that is is his C13 but with the second string detuned to B (sort of a C6Maj7 tuning).
He uses that in the Hawaii Calls Sand recording for certain things. Love the percussion and the yells from the band.

Once in a While ("old standards") you can hear Jules' voice on lead. A really great singer.

Freneci, Tequila, Mambo, Rhumba medleys...that band sounded like they knew how to put on a good show!

Auhea 'Oe is another fun tune that is Hawaiian but didn't make the original cut. So great...both versions included! A slower Hawaiian tune likewise not in the original is a duet on Kawohikukapulani with Iwalani Kahalewai (Iwalani's solos are some of my favorites on the original set).

Sand is one that...how could they have left that one out??! but so glad it is back in. The final chord also uses the C13 neck detuned to C6maj7 like I mention above.

He 'Ono La, a simple tune although I'm confusing it with He 'Ono which appears to be a different tune by the lyrics. Nice I IV V I thing.

Benny Kalama doesn't get enough credit for some of this. Jules is deservedly the flash here, but Benny K did (from what I've been told) most of the arranging work and on songs like An Affair to Remember, listen to that lush backing vocal harmony! Bearing in mind this is basically a bootleg using 50s gear and these guys don't exactly have custom in ear monitors like performers expect nowadays.

Doubling up on my comment earlier...Iwalani Kahalewai sounds her absolute best in these recordings, such a voice. Ho'okipa Paka (Hospitality Park) swings harder than a simple song like that has a right to!! Jules second solo in particular (that funky discordant thing he hits, lol!). Mahealani Moon, Wahine U'i, Kamalani o Keaukaha, Pua Carnation, Ka Lehua I Milia, all good.

I don't know that I would have recognized the first tune in the rhumba medley had I not also have become, perhaps oddly, a huge fan of Vera Lynn..."Yours". Done in, admittedly a very different feel than Dame Vera might've.

Loving this all over again!