Classic Recordings 1929-1949

While several early Hawaiian steel guitar players have had their recordings reissued over the years, until recently one important pioneer – the late Tau Moe (pronounced Mo-ay) – only had an occasional track of his included on various Hawaiian compilations. The scarcity of many of Moe's original 78 recordings is one reason for the delay, but that's been fully rectified with the release of this well-researched retrospective of his classic recordings. With copious liner notes, the album features a generous 24 tracks, recorded between 1929 and 1949 in far-flung studios in Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, England and Hawaii.

Born in Samoa in 1908 but raised in Hawaii, Moe absorbed earlier island guitar styles, and the musicians he learned from spanned the first and second generations of Hawaiian steel players. He became a featured player himself with the troupe Madame Rivière's Hawaiians before establishing his own family-based groups. Together with his Hawaiian vocalist wife Rose, and later their children Lani and Dorian, the family toured internationally for over 60 years as the Hawaiian Jazzites, the Tropical Stars and the Tau Moe Trio, living for extended periods in both India and Europe. Moe's long career and intricately played performances provided inspiration for the likes of the late guitarist Bob Brozman (with whom he recorded in 1989), and Indian maestro Debashish Bhattacharya, who he met in 2004. Rose passed away in 2000, while ‘Papa Tau’ himself died in 2004 aged 95. This impressive collection firmly acknowledges Moe's rightful place as one of Hawaiian music's true legends.