Bright, Teresa: Tropic Rhapsody (Vinyl LP)

Reissue of Teresa Bright's 2008 album of hapa-haole jazz, Tropic Rhapsody. Remastered by Jessica Thompson with newly composed liner notes by musician and radio host Bill Wynne.

Only Teresa Bright could have recorded Tropic Rhapsody.

In an era when Hawaiians are retaking the reins of their language - and especially the new generation of musicians who are composing and recording almost strictly in the Hawaiian language - Tropic Rhapsody was a bold move artistically and commercially to make an album of almost entirely hapa-haole material.

From her earliest moments in a recording studio, Teresa Bright was not afraid to have a go at hapa-haole music – not as the novelty it might have been becoming in that period when she debuted (the early 1980s), but as a serious art form. Her first outing, the 1983 album Catching A Wave with then partner Steve Mai‘i, featured such hapa-haole staples as “My Little Grass Shack” and “Sadie, The South Seas Lady” and even the oft-maligned “Yacka Hickey Hula” which she tackled with the seriousness of a heart attack.

Steve & Teresa would go on to record three albums - all of which are considered collector’s items today because they contain some classic tunes including the exceedingly popular “Uwehe, ‘Ami, and Slide”, Teresa’s wildly successful attempt at composing a modern hapa-haole song which would go on to take the coveted prize for “Song of the Year” at the 1988 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and which remains a staple on local Honolulu radio nearly four decades later.

Black vinyl version.

1. I'll Weave A Lei Of Stars For You
2. Silhouette Hula
3. Kaimana Hila
4. Blue Hawai'i
5. Red Sails In The Sunset
6. Sweet Leilani
7. Beyond The Reef
8. Tahauala
9. Pagan Love Song
10. Hanalei Moon
11. On A Tropic Night
12. Aloha 'Oe