Rarely does a record so perfectly encapsulate the essence of Hawai‘i.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Hawai‘i’s live music scene was at its peak. Countless clubs, lounges, and bars filled the islands. Musicians embraced and experimented with all manner of ideas.

Among them were Steve Ma‘i‘i and Teresa Bright, a harmonizing guitar-and-bass duo that floated somewhere between nostalgia and an unassuming island sound. They could fill a concert hall or bring the family together at a backyard kanikapila with their music.

Both singers share backgrounds rooted in native Hawaiian culture; Steve once the bassist for musician/activist George Helm, and Teresa the daughter of hula dancer Carol Bright and musician Daniel Bright. Together, they crafted a refreshing approach to jazz standards, traditional Hawaiian tunes, and hapa haole classics.

Steve and Teresa enchanted every listener they encountered, including engineer Rick Keefer, who convinced the pair to record at his Sea-West Studios in nearby Hau‘ula.

They cut the album in less than three hours.

The resulting LP gave Hawai‘i one of its greatest musical gifts of the 20th century, a song entitled “Catching A Wave”.

Throughout Hawai‘i today, this song can be heard almost anywhere: weddings, family parties, televised concerts, music festivals. But while the myriad musicians who perform “Catching A Wave” know it by heart, the album itself has long been out-of-print.

Aloha Got Soul is honored to have received Steve and Teresa’s blessing to reissue their timeless debut.[info sheet from distr.]