Secrets of Men's Hearts

First released in the winter of 1995, “Secrets of Men’s Hearts” marked the arrival of Patrick Ki as a new and unique recording artist of acoustic instrumental guitar music. Featuring mainly original compositions, “Secrets” immediately struck a chord with listeners who were drawn to the appealing melodic style of Patrick’s song writing, and his smooth yet warm guitar sound. As a composer, the music of Patrick Ki is often described as “soothing yet uplifting”. The musical influence of being raised in Hawaii is clearly evident in all of Patrick’s work; there is gentleness and beautiful melodic quality to his song writing that reflects his island heritage. Very few guitarists can claim the depth of musical pedigree that this gifted artist has obtained. In addition to studying classical guitar at the University of Hawaii (under Grammy Award winning musician Charles Brotman), Patrick has also graduated from two of our nation’s finest schools of jazz guitar. After receiving a diploma from the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 1986, Patrick graduated at the top of his class with summa cum laude honors. “Secrets” is probably the most eclectic recording in Patrick’s discography; he very intentionally wanted to showcase his song writing in a number of different styles and genres. There are classical influences on songs like “New Renaissance”, jazzy moods on “Be True to Your Heart” and “Festival of Lights”, sounds of the southwest with native American flute on “Spirit Circle”, and ethereal new age styling on tunes like “Shadows in Moonlight” and “Words of Gratitude”. Of course, no Patrick Ki album would be complete without some reference to his beloved Hawaii, and here he pays homage to his hometown with the slack key influenced “Kailua Morning”. In the midst of all this diversity, Patrick manages to maintain his identity through the lyrical and beautiful guitar playing that has become the trademark of all his albums. Absorbing different influences and composing in different styles is an art that requires dedication over time, and “Secrets” took several years to write and record. This patient philosophy has also become another signature of Patrick’s work. Most of his CDs have taken over two years to complete, which attests to his high standards and attention to detail. To put it simply, he loves music as well as his listeners, a fact which is clearly evident whenever one is fortunate to experience Patrick’s music!