On the instrumental album 鈥淪he Said Mahalo,鈥� Lee Oskar plays funk, reggae, a lullaby and more, all while using less than a dozen harmonicas. The harp virtuoso known for being a founding member of the rock-funk band War is front and center in a varied mix of arrangements that includes guitar, keys, winds, strings and buoyant percussion.
鈥淪he Said Mahalo,鈥� serves up sunny music for mornings when words are too much to process. The warm tone of Oskar鈥檚 unhurried harp rides smooth grooves, and several tunes sound like TV or movie themes.
鈥淢orning Rush鈥� pairs a caffeinated rhythm with two classic Japanese instruments, shakuhachi and shamisen, courtesy of Oskar's collaborations with 鈥淪ancho鈥� Youichrou Suzuki and Mayo Higa respectively.
鈥淐aribbean Love Song鈥� achieves an island sensibility, as if the rhythm section was placed directly on the beach.
On 鈥淔unky Rhetoric,鈥� the funk is more than rhetorical, and the tune鈥檚 put-your-hands-together beat sends Oskar鈥檚 high-C harp soaring.
The tempo slows on the title cut, with a string section providing a lovely counterpoint to the wistful melody. Oskar saves the best for last 鈥� the muscular 鈥淥ne-World Fist鈥� 鈥� a slice of wonderfully weird Klezmer get-down.
In the physical edition of 鈥淪he Said Mahalo,鈥� liner notes include a narrative regarding each tune and a list of harmonicas played 鈥� along with paintings by Oskar that are as appealing as one of his solos 鈥� making for an enhanced listening experience.
鈥淪he Said Mahalo鈥� will be released on Friday.
___
AP music reviews:
Steven Wine, The Associated Press
