Page 7 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - Oct 26, 2022

Grill Fills Days, Nights By Growing Songs, Garden
“That’s quite a variety of tal- ents,” notes the experienced pro- ducer who’s also a past recipient
“I’ m not worried about mis- takes,” he adds. “Music is sup- posed to be fun.”
f Nā Hōkū Hanohano honors in sound engineering.
Of course, Grill didn’t always feel that way about mistakes. Soon after meeting Willie K in 1990 and beginning work on the musician’s seminal album Kahaiali‘i, he re- calls questioning the singer’s pitch during one early recording session.
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or Grill, each decade has had its trend of musical forms that have caught his ear and inspired him
“I’ve been on the stage with him at the piano and I remember the first time we played together and somebody called out, ‘Ho, who da haole guy ova dea?!’” recalls Grill with a soft chuckle. “Willie looks
also ventured into classical com- position with a 6-minute-long bal- let piece, putting me in the shoes of the classic composers — (but) without their talent and with no formal training!”
know a few things about a lot of things,” says the man who was born in a small French village within St. Laurent De Cerdans, located in the Eastern Pyrénées, and moved to the islands on Thanksgiving Day 1978. “I fix my computer, I fix my tube amp. One of the reasons I stayed in business all that time was I don’t give up.
to jump into. In the early to mid- ’80s, he chose to record local met- al groups such as Sacred Rite and Marty Friedman (a guitarist with the bands Hawai‘i and Megadeth); later, he welcomed bookings with Christian and country musicians. By the following decade, howev- er, he found himself gravitating toward Jawaiian music following its explosion in the islands.
“Willie comes from the old school, Motown, where the back- up is slightly flat,” Grill says. “So, we’re recording and I tell him, ‘I think you’re a little bit flat.’ He then looks at me and sings a few parts all in tune — and he sounds like sh--! So he asks me, ‘Is that what you want?’”
ver at the guy and says, ‘He ain’t haole — he’s French!’”
“It was my busiest era with (acts) like Willie K, Kapena, Dan- ny Couch, Del Beazley, Ka‘au Cra- ter Boys and more,” Grill recalls. “My studio at one time was booked one month in advance.”
It was an extraordinary moment for Grill, who came to realize that sour notes aren’t necessarily bad.
stant at The Signature restaurant in Ala Moana Hotel, where he tickles the ivories every Wednesday eve- ning for diners. He’s also a gifted one-man band whose performanc- es — in which he simultaneously plays a trumpet or trombone with his right hand and piano with his left, all while controlling bass ped- als with his feet — can be viewed on YouTube.
“This is the best part of the prop- erty,” he says, stepping onto a deck that overlooks the many trees be- low and beaming with pride at their growth. “This is how you know you’re not in New York City.”
Ever resilient, Grill has contin- ued to roll with the punches as the music industry has morphed over the years.
The 2000s featured record- ing sessions with a new batch of various local talent — Makana, Kristian Lei, Ginai and Streetlight Cadence among the notables. Even famous opera types such as bari- tone Quinn Kelsey came calling for his services. Since then, Grill has continued to offer his experienced ears and deft touch to anyone will- ing to be guided by his sometimes laissez-faire approach to recording music, which includes not correct- ing every little supposed gaffe.
“In some situations, the flat note sounds just right,” Grill further ex- plains. “The flat pitch changes the feel, but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. There’s nothing wrong in art. It’s what works and what doesn’t.
Grill says he got into gardening some time ago, in part because he wanted to “provide fruits for the neighbors.” But there was anoth- er reason why the recently turned septuagenarian decided to embrace the farm life.
“The business in its original form almost totally disappeared — imploded — and is gradually rebuilding in a completely differ- ent form,” he explains. “The young crowd is enjoying it, but it is even more difficult than ever to make any money.”
“You bring in a sh---y sound, badly played and stuff, and if it E 7makes your song go up, leave it
That includes those delightful and humorous moments outside of the studio while they entertained live audiences together.
In considering his lengthy career in the music business, Grill admits that part of his success can be at- tributed to his resourcefulness.
“I am working on my semi-re- tirement anyway and that allows me to pick my clientele and jobs,” he admits. “So, I’m do-
alone — it sounds fine,” explains the self-described lover of free jazz and atonal music. “If you fix it, you will (screw) it up.
“With Willie, his backup singing was phenomenal ... he was way beyond most people.
And wherever and whenever there’s an opportunity, he glad- ly performs with his band, Pierre and the Oompahs. Last week, for example, the group served up Ger- man and polka music at the Okto- berfest fundraiser at Mary, Star of the Sea School in Kāhala.
Despite the evolving musical landscape and the challenges that come with it, Grill doesn’t believe he’s anywhere close to cutting his last tracks. If anything, the last few years have been “perfect timing for me,” and allowed him to be more selective about who and what he records.
“That whole album, we arranged everything together, all his hit songs,” continues Grill while re- membering those days of recording with his gifted friend, who died in 2020. “I never worked with anyone close (in musical ability) to Willie. To me, he is our best talent ever, and it was a joy to work with him.”
“I’ ve always worked at making music (and) my one-man band act is pretty much unique,” explains Grill, who’s produced his share of original compositions as well as released his own albums, includ- ing his latest, Jazz Vignettes. “I
“Since it is Mānoa, everything here is a full aerobic exercise that I enjoy very much,” he shares, mov- ing his long, branch-like arms back and forth as if he’s getting ready for another gardening workout. “This is my exercise, my gym.”
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erhaps unsurprisingly, Grill is quite the musician himself. For the past 10 years, he’s been a con-
For as much time as he spends in his studio, Grill also passes many hours laboring just outside of its confines. Located behind Ren- dez-Vous is his latest and possibly greatest composition: a garden full of avocado trees.
“If something breaks today, to- morrow I’m back in business.”
“What kept me in business is I
ing just fine.”
OCTOBER 26, 2022
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 7
FROM PAGE 6
‘ukulele ace Taimane, who just released her latest CD, Hawaiki, on which Grill served as assistant producer and engineer; Sun Hui, a Taiwanese-born erhu player and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner; slack-key guitarist Stephen Inglis; singer-songwriter Maka Esteban, who Grill calls “an amazing ka- raoke winner in Las Vegas”; and New Age singer and “sound heal- er” Ayumi Ueda.
Pierre Grill entertains diners every Wednesday at The Signature Prime Steak & Seafood restaurant in Ala Moana Hotel. Here, he tickles the ivories on a grand piano from his studio’s loft in Mānoa.
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