Our Wedding CD



Posted on 01/13/2009 02:56 am by Randy

Magic Island Sounds: the wedding album

Magic Island Sounds: the wedding album

Usually when a “wedding album” is spoken of, it’s in reference to a book of photographs that were taken at the wedding. Not for us… Our wedding album is a CD with performances by some of our closest musician friends. We put our heads together and chose Hawaiian-style songs that we thought would set the mood for the ceremony. Some of the songs are Island favorites, like “White Sandy Beach“, which we used as the Bridal Processional song. Others are Randy’s original compositions. We gave promo copies of the album out as wedding favors. (Additional copies available at WAITIKI.com and via the iTunes). Towards the end of the Reception, WAITIKI took the stage and our banquet morphed into a CD Release Party—fitting, given the official release date of Magic Island Sounds is 1/3/2009. One of the songs we performed (”Ruby”) is a favorite from the album…

Live Performance Highlights

If you weren’t at the reception, don’t fret: we recorded WAITIKI’s portion for you!

Take a listen:

Thanks to Fred Li for the recording. Musicians are Tim Mayer (flute, alto flute, soprano sax, Chinese hu lu si), Greg Paré (vibraphone), Abe Lagrimas Jr. (drums), and of course, Helen (violin) and Randy (upright bass). 

Official Press Release

Featuring Hawaiian, hapa-haole, and tiki tunes once made famous by Alfred Apaka, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, Martin Denny, and others, Magic Island Sounds: the wedding album  will delight those from the Pacific and beyond. Its purposely lighter-fare arrangements make the album’s music the perfect backdrop for weddings, bridal showers, and retirement parties alike.

All music on this album is newly-recorded and features the talents of WAITIKI’s many musicians—in combinations previously unheard or recorded.

Produced by WAITIKI bandleader Randy Wong and violinist Helen Liu as a musical tribute to the great love songs of old Hawaii, the idea behind Magic Island Sounds was to create an album that they could use for processional and recessional music at their own wedding—and is thusly subtitled, “The Wedding Album.” In addition to the talents of Wong (who provides the arrangements, original compositions, and upright bass playing) and Liu, the album’s line-up includes flutist Tim Mayer, pianist Zaccai Curtis, percussionist Lopaka Colon, vibraphonist Jim Benoit, and multi-instrumentalist Abe Lagrimas Jr. (all of whom are members of the band’s newest project, The WAITIKI All-Star Exotica Septet). Jazz vocalist Charles Morgan makes his WAITIKI debut as well.

The album also pays respect to presents performances of two of Wong’s original compositions: “Sweet Pikake Serenade”, a ballad inspired by Arthur Lyman and dedicated to Mr. Lyman and Mun Charn Wong (Wong’s grandfather), and “L’ours chinois”, a miniature concerto for violin written for, and featuring Helen Liu.

 

Album/group contact info:

Randy Wong, bandleader

E-mail: randy@waitiki.com

Phone: 617.771.7971 or 808.554.5042 (808 # for Hawaii callers only, please)

# # #