Liner, Listening & Album Notes:

Wout Steenhuis although born in Holland and now resident in England is undoubtedly the world’s finest exponent of Hawaiian Music.  A brilliant musician his career began during the war in Holland, a country with strong Pacific connections, with a large Indonesian population hailing from the former Dutch East Indies. An area where Hawaiian music has always been both popular and very well played.

During the German occupation of Holland most forms of popular music were banned, but Hawaiian music escaped for a time and guitarist Wout Steenhuis built himself a Hawaiian guitar, learnt to play it and since then has never looked back. Recordings, broadcase, stage and television appearances, throughout the world area all part of this talented artist’s career. Not forgetting frequent successful apprearances in the Hawaiian Islands themselves, the source of the world’s most evocative music.

For ‘Hawaiian Paradise’ Wout has selected some of the best loved Hawaiian melodies ever inspired by the magic Islands. So close your eyes and let Wout Steenhuis with the Kontikis use their brilliant musicianship to fly you to the Hawaii of all our dreams. Aloha.

— Album back cover liner notes

Arranged By, Percussion, Guitar [Hawaiian] – Wout Steenhuis
Bass – Dave Olney
Drums – Barry Morgan
Engineer [Recording] – Dan Priest, Eric Hine
Flute – Adrian Brett
Guitar – Dick Abel, Judd Proctor
Keyboards – Brian Dee, Cliff Hall
Marimba, Percussion, Vibraphone – Frank Ricotti
Producer – Jed Kearse
Ukulele – Billy Bell
Vocals – Jean Gilbert, Norma Winstone, Tracy Millar

Recorded at Magritte Music Studios, 1981.