From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney. An indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The Descendants has no orchestral score. Instead, director Alexander Payne chose to fill his movie exclusively with music by Hawaii artists — much of it from existing recordings. Most of it created by acknowledged masters of the genre, both modern and classical Gabby Pahinui (known as "Father of Modern Slack Key Guitar"), Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, and Rev. Dennis Kamakahi, among others. The filmmakers sought to make a movie with a distinctly Hawaiian flavor, and the music was a crucial component. As well as echoing the experience of watching the film, The Descendants soundtrack will reveal to listeners the soulful and emotional spectrum of Hawaiian music over the decades and serve as an eye-opening introduction to some of Hawaiian music’s greatest and most essential artists.