George Kuo - Kiho’alu: Stories in Song, Vol 2

The beautiful Kiho’alu music on my album was made from the most highest love and dedication of George Winston, Producer, and Howard Johnson, Recording Engineer. Their efforts have perpetuated this most wonderful unique musical folk art legacy of Hawaiian culture throughout the world with the highest quality of sound and feeling expressed by the Kiho’alu artists that have been recorded on the Dancing Cat Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Series. Recording with George and Howard were the most demanding and rewarding sessions that brought out the deepest emotional feelings into some special one-time only musical moments that couldn’t be recreated. There were even times when I would fall asleep on the guitar in our late night sessions going into early morning hours. But that made the music even more beautiful and relaxed, especially on the slow romantic songs. Sometimes we would do 20 takes of a song to get different versions and feelings. But when the final editing was done, it was an incredible result. I did the editing of my recent albums with Sean Lennon, Recording Engineer, and we were so amazed at how incredibly beautiful the raw recordings were done, and yet so long ago from the 1990’s to 2004. My stylings have grown throughout my decades of playing Kiho’alu since the 1970’s with so many great influences and mentors up to now. It is just so wonderful that the mission of George Winston and I shared of having as many people in the world hear and appreciate to perpetuate this most beautiful musical legacy of Kiho’alu is being done today through the recordings of Dancing Cat and the recent efforts and appreciation of Jon Birge, Valley Entertainment. 

Aloha pumehana pauole (with warm never ending aloha spirit), 
George Kuo