Music Scene
Winston picks up the slack key

By Jean Chow
Advertiser Staff Writer

George Winston, known worldwide as a pianist, became interested in the slack-key guitar style in 1974 after hearing the music of Keola Beamer and the Sons of Hawaii. Winston later studied under Beamer. Dancing Cat Records George Winston 7:30 p.m. today Academy Theater, Honolulu Academy of Arts $20 532-8700

With CDs and performances across the globe, Winston is known far and wide for his innovative "melodic folk" piano music.

But tonight, Winston is returning to the Islands for his first solo guitar concert in Hawai'i at the Honolulu Academy of Arts theater.

The concert will feature Winston playing slack-key and traditional guitar, but in a phone interview, Winston confessed that he had no set list for the show. "Just chance 'em!" the Michigan-born, Montana-raised Winston said in true Hawai'i style.

Winston was first introduced to ki ho'alu, the finger-picked guitar tradition in which some strings are tuned down from the standard tuning, when he heard recordings of Keola Beamer and the Sons of Hawaii in 1974.

"I knew that something very deep was missing in my life. When I heard the great slack-key guitarists, I said, 'That's it right there! That's what I'm looking for. But now what do I do?'" Winston said.

So he wrote to Beamer, who became the first slack-key guitarist Winston studied. "I'm still studying him, after 27 years," Winston said with a laugh. The two have remained friends ever since.

"I felt that he had an aloha in his heart, and his devotion really touched me. I was impressed with his intellectual interest," Beamer said.

From his love of the Hawaiian tradition, Winston began recording older, more traditional slack-key guitarists on his Dancing Cat Records label. This material soon became known as the "Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters" series, and includes local guitar greats such as Beamer, Sonny Chillingworth, Dennis Kamakahi and Led Ka'apana.

"I'm just being the librarian — none of them were librarying their stuff, so I said, 'I can do that,'" Winston said. "I'm grateful to be doing it; they're all my teachers."

The label, which Winston started in 1983, originally sought to record the musicians who have influenced his music and musicians whose music he felt needed to be preserved for future generations. Five years later, Winston decided to focus the label's efforts and resources on his favorite music, and since then, has been documenting and preserving the Hawaiian slack-key guitar.

"Even though the music comes from Hawai'i, it reminded me of Montana. There was no traditional music around when I was growing up, so I adapted the Hawaiian musical language to express what I wanted to say about Montana on guitar," Winston said.

Winston is looking forward to the upcoming concert, but admits it will be a challenge to play in Hawai'i. "In the words of (local slack-key guitarist) Ray Kane, 'I'm shakin' like a leaf!'" he said.

But his buddy, Beamer, has confidence in Winston. "He's matured tremendously as a guitarist, and the concert will be wonderful," Beamer said.

Winston asks that concert-goers bring canned foods, a tradition he practices at almost every show he does. "I just wanted to do something in the community. If someone gets some food to eat, he has a better chance of picking himself up — a can of soup can make someone's day better," Winston said. Along with the canned food, Winston has also donated tapes, videos and CDs to be sold at the concert, with proceeds going to the Hawaii Foodbank.

Tonight's show is a benefit, with proceeds from ticket sales going toward the Academy of Arts' Na Mele O Hawai'i Concert series, which was created to showcase and keep alive the old Hawaiian traditions.