Hokule‘a saga continues
in CD of chants
Pule Mua By Keli'i Tau'a (Mountain Apple Company)
KELI'I Tau'a was advocating Hawaiian cultural awareness long before it became fashionable to study the language or adopt politically correct Hawaiian names. The double-hulled canoe Hokule'a was an early focal point of modern Hawaiian pride; Tau'a joined Roland Cazimero in honoring the canoe and the accomplishments of its crew with the album "Hokule'a" 20 years ago.
Tau'a's newest recording brings the saga of Hawaiians at sea into the present, and will appeal primarily to those who speak Hawaiian fluently and understand the subtleties of the language.
Hawaiian-language chants are juxtaposed with sound bites of crew members during voyages (the crew communicates in English). The liner notes include the Hawaiian lyrics of the chants; brief synopses are provided for any listeners who do not speak fluent Hawaiian. The English annotation aids mainstream listeners in gleaning brief glimpses of life at sea, a sense of the cultural importance of the canoe voyaging program, and a feeling of what it will be like if and when the Hawaiian language regains its rightful place in island society.
Few local albums this year will match this one in cultural significance. Few local albums are more likely to be ignored by Hawaii's island music radio stations.
E Ho'o Laulima Kakou By Nathan Aweau and E Ho'o Laulima Kakou (Pono), cassette-singlePUBLIC school students have had little clout with Hawaii's political power brokers in lobbying for adequate school funding. Teens in Campbell High School's E Ho'o Laulima Kakou anti-violence program responded to the politicians' budget gutting by recording this cassette-single as a community fund-raiser.
Entertainer Nathan Aweau contributed the songs and the music tracks; a group of 19 students joins him on vocals. "Reach for the Sky" is your basic inspirational anthem with a choral hook; "Young Child" effectively blends Caribbean rhythms with chanting in English and rap-lite lyrics. Both songs make the point that schools and school funding are important.
"E Ho'o Laulima Kakou" is part of a national campaign to reduce youth violence. To order the cassette-single, call program director Blossom Atkins at 689-7902).
Women of the Throne By Leo Anderson Akana and Nalani Olds Napoleon (Mahina)THE women of Hawaii's long ago monarchy were a mixed lot. Queen Liliuokalani and Princess Kaiulani were staunch defenders of Hawaiian liberty, and Queen Emma and Queen Kapiolani compassionate humanitarians. Some of the others were self-serving opportunists who abetted alien elements in destroying the legacy of Kamehameha and subverting the freedom of the Hawaiian nation for their personal advancement. Oh well.
Most of the songs on the CD rerelease of 1985's "Women of the Throne" are by Leo Anderson Akana, Nalani Olds Napoleon, or pianist Bob Nelson, but Irmgard Aluli and Robert Lokomaima'i Snakenburg contributed "E Pili Mai Oe I A'u," which won a Hoku Award for Haku Mele in 1986.
Akana and Napoleon sing beautifully. Nelson narrates with hushed reverence. No sides are taken and no political insights are shared; no translations are provided either. Neutrality is OK, but the dingy artwork and out-of-date liner notes are not. All three performers have done much since this album was originally released.
John Berger, who has covered the local entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Home Zone section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.
