Cyril Pahinui, just back from his Grammy win, entertains the crowd in Borders Books, Pearlridge. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Fresh from the Grammy Award ceremony in Los Angeles, Cyril Pahinui shared an intimate performance with hometown fans at Borders in Pearlridge Center, telling stories about his career playing Hawaiian music, on growing up Pahinui, and about his famous dad, slack key guitar master Gabby “Pops” Pahinui. He also showed off his Grammy medal for nominees, emblazoned with “50” for the awards' 50th year.

While Pahinui's album, He'eia, was nominated for the 2007 Best Hawaiian Music Album, Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, a compilation featuring various local artists – including Pahinui – won the award during ceremonies held Feb. 10.

Having returned home, Pahinui performed a short take of Hurrah, Lani Ha'aha'a as a warmup before the scheduled start time, asking if anybody in the audience played guitar. “Nobody here plays Hawaiian guitar?” He said he had come a long way since playing with Palani Vaughn and The King's Own back in 1967. “I was just a teenager then! Look how far I came. I played all over creation, all over the U.S., in Japan, in Europe. I played in Carnegie Hall, twice!”

Cyril Pahinui entertains the crowd, shows off Grammy nominee medal. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Opening with the vocal version of Hula O Makee, he encouraged the crowd to become members of the Recording Academy so they could vote for Hawaiian music. “Then you can all vote, not only for Hawaiian music, but all the music categories. Cost only about $100 to be a member. Some guys over here can drink more than that!” Saying, “Here, I show you,” he pulled a black ribbon from inside his shirt, revealing the medallion awarded to all Grammy nominees.

Pahinui then began to tell the story of how he had recently been taken to Waipi'o Valley on Hawai'i Island. As a friend drove him down the steep trail and into the valley, he stopped the car, pointed up and told Pahinui, “Look, up there. That's Hi'ilawe!”

“I had heard that song and played that song all of my life. It was my dad's trademark, I played it and all my brothers played it,” Pahinui said, “but that was the first time I actually saw Hi'ilawe – the waterfall in the song!”

During that visit, they came upon a hālau just finishing work in a kalo lo'i toward the back of the valley. He asked the kumu if the group knew Hi'ilawe and Kamakani Ke Ali'i Aloha, which they did. He played and they danced the two songs just below the falls, one to honor his father, the other to say mahalo. He played both songs for the Borders crowd and shared stories about his famous father.

“You know how hard it is to learn Hawaiian music in my house?” he asked. “Every time the old guys get together with my dad to play music, Pop would tell the kids, 'Go away! Beat it! I no like you guys hear us guys' funny kine talk!' ” But Cyril would linger just outside the door, listening. “Hoo, all the swear words come out! But that's the only way I could hear them play Hawaiian music.”

Pahinui played another of his father's standards and the title song of his Grammy-nominated album, He'eia, then finished his set with Harvest of Rainbows. Showing aloha for his fans, he lingered long enough to sign autographs, greeting and thanking each one.

Pahinui will appear at selected locations across the state in conjunction with his He'eia CD. Keep up with Cyril Pahinui through his web site www.cyrilpahinui.com.

A list of Grammy winners can be found at www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/50th_show/list.aspx.