Jules Ah See was born in Lahaina, Maui on June 19, 1924 and passed in Honolulu on June 12 1960. Revered as one of the greatest steel guitarists in the world, he was only 36 when he passed away and his potential was fantastic. Fellow musicians were constantly amazed by his versatility and showmanship. He was a child prodigy, sneaking out of bed at the age of two in order to listen to the adults playing music.

His musical career began with Johnny Almeida, when Jules was in his early teenage years. He did bird and animal imitations on his steel guitar and effectively imitated such legendary players as David Keliʻi, Tommy Castro, Andy Iona, Dick McIntire, and Sol Hoʻopiʻi. Many of the local steel guitarists looked upon Jules as a model to emulate. While the pedal steel guitar was more commonly associated with Country music, at times he would play on a pedal steel with a style and tone one would consider “Hawaiian” and vastly different from his Country music counterparts. He is particularly known for his recording of “No Huhū”. He was a trend setter.

Jule’s credits include playing with Ray Andrade at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel; with Herb Low at LeRoy’s and with Andy Bright at the Moana Hotel. He also played with Alfred Apaka at the Hawaiian Village Tapa Room from 1955-1960, along with being a regular steel guitarist on Hawaii Calls shows. He was the featured steel-guitarist on numerous albums with Alfred Apaka, Benny Kalama, Pua Almeida, and more than a dozen albums with Hawaii Calls. He also recorded with the Surfers, Mahi Beamer, George Kainapau, Ethel Nakada from Japan, and “Paradise Found” a ground breaking album by Felix Slatkin backed by a full orchestra. Jules Ah See was one of Hawaiʻi’s most colorful and talented musicians of all time.

Steel guitar player and enthusiast Nic Neufeld wrote:

“I first became aware of Jules Ah See years ago when I, as a new student of the Hawaiian steel guitar, wanted to know who was the players who accompanied Alfred Apaka.  A steel guitar forum on the internet pointed me to the answer, in many cases, it being Jules Ah See.  At that time, there were a collection of lo-fi recordings called the Tapa Room Tapes being passed around almost like contraband among steel guitarists featuring the Hawaiian Village Serenaders live in the Tapa Room of the Hawaiian Village Hotel on Waikiki, dated around 1958 give or take a year or two, and these featured Jules Ah See, playing introductions and increasingly wild solos on each of the songs.  I absorbed these and other recordings by Jules (with Hawaii Calls, and studio albums with Alfred Apaka).  He could play with restrained serenity at times, such as his gorgeous adaptation of Andy Iona’s “Sand” on Hawaii Calls’ “Hawaiian Shores”…a three-minute master course of how to stretch the limits of the B11th tuning where he plays counterpoint to his own melody with Maj7^th and 9^th chords.  But then the Tapa Room Tapes showed him with his “hair down”, so to speak…driving almost every song with a perfectly played intro, and after the vocal sections, an often blisteringly fast solo full of block chords and octaves.  His style ran the gamut from softer melodic interpretations of traditional Hawaiian songs to the bristling energy of Hawaii’s version of mainland swing.  As a sideman he was perfect, crafting unique and memorable vamps and intros that have worked their way into the vernacular of many modern players, using inventive tunings (and later, pedal steel mechanisms) to get lush outro chords, punctuating fast numbers with muted octaves high up the neck, everything perfectly in its place and tasteful.  While backing Haunani Kahalewai with Hawaii Calls on “Island of Dreams”, aside from a lush chorded intro, his playing consists entirely of perfectly placed single note harmonic chimes that punctuate and enhance the song’s melody.  Aside from his mastery of the steel guitar, he had a lovely voice, which while very hard to find on commercial recordings, is featured in the Tapa Room Tapes on Silhouette Hula, Hanohano Hawaii, Mi Nei and others.  A bit like a Jimi Hendrix of the Hawaiian steel guitar, his death in 1960 was much too early, but he left us with a rich recorded catalog which has become a treasure for steel guitarists, and his influence lives on 62 years later as many players still learn from (and imitate, with varying degrees of success) his style, sound, and technique.”

While driving to our weekly Waikiki gig, Hall of Fame inductee Benny Kalama and I often listened to the Tapa Room Tapes featuring the Hawaiian Village Serenaders. Whenever Jules had a solo Benny would have a big smile and make remarks like “that son of a gun Jules could push the band” and “he was great.” One day, Benny intimated that it took a week to find a suitable replacement after Alfred Apakaʻs passing, but Jules was so exceptional, unique and key to the band it took a month to select someone to take his spot.

Jules Ah Seeʻs influence continues throughout the world with players from Europe, Canada, and the mainland wanting to imitate his style of playing. Japan had a Jules Ah See Club.

Six artists pioneered new styles for the Hawaiian steel guitar with 4 out of the 6 already inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. This includes its originator Joseph Kekuku, Sol Hoʻopiʻi, Jerry Byrd, David Feet Rogers and yet to be inducted David Keliʻi and Jules Ah See.

A personal note from Alan Akaka:

Jules was my role model. His style and finesse on the steel guitar made a major impact on me and inspired me to go beyond and learn more. I listened to his recordings for hours, mimicked his solos and licks, hoping to reach his level someday. One day while visiting Benny Kalama at his home his daughter brought out Julesʻ steel guitar which was stored after Julesʻ passing. It was this instrument I played at the Halekūlaniʻs House Without A Key with Tapa Room veterans Benny Kalama and Sonny Kamahele. I was honored to be entrusted with his steel guitar and it remains in my possession, a reminder of a steel guitar legend and the influence he had on me and my steel guitar playing.