Hawaii's recording artists released more than 100 titles this year. Many were memorable. The following 14 are exceptional.
Ten are Hawaiian, from traditional to contemporary rock. Two are the best of the non-Hawaiian local recordings of the year; two more are anthologies that make classic artists available on compact disc for the first time.
Each is a superb performance by a uniquely talented artist. Each was recorded and produced with first-rate production values, then packaged and presented with major market professionalism. English translations and information about the songs and the artists make the Hawaiian music accessible to all.
Clyde Halema‘uma‘u Sproat Sings... Clyde Halema'uma'u Sproat, Pololu Productions
A gem of an album that grew out of a series of performances at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in late 1993.
Produced and annotated to the same superb standards as George Winston's Dancing Cat slack-key series, it is a perfect portrait of the artist.
Sproat is a thoroughly engaging vocalist, musician and storyteller. Almost all the songs relate in one way or another to the Sproat family or the Big Island district of North Kohala where he was born and raised. Sproat's in-concert comments add further insight. Long-time residents will cherish this album. Malihini will find no better introduction to old-style Big Island music.
Hahani Mai Kekuhi Kanahele, Punahele Productions
THE label that launched Keali'i Reichel and Uluwehi Guerrero introduces another striking performer in Kekuhi Kanahele and her husband/composer Kaipo Frias. She taps the legacy of her kupuna and her own experiences in her vocal performances, his lyrics are beautiful and romantically erotic even in translation. Students of things Hawaiian will note that "Hahani Mai" bears the 'Ahahui 'Olelo Hawai'i seal of approval for the artists' careful use of the Hawaiian language.
Punahele executive producers Reichel, Fred Krauss and Jim Linkner cut no corners in the studio. A live string quartet backs Kanahele and her core musicians on four selections; trombonist Brian Matson embellishes another. The perfect simplicity of ukulele, multiple guitars and bass prevails. Kanahele is exquisite throughout.
Harold Kama Jr. Harold Kama Jr., Birds of Paradise
KAMA had been known as Willie K's bass player. This album establishes him as a major talent in his own right. All but two songs are originals; he sang almost all the vocals and played almost all the stringed instruments as well.
A song or two reflects his time with Willie K, but Kama writes in a variety of styles and handles the songs of other composers with equal originality and skill.
Ho‘okamaha‘o Ho'okena, Ho'omau
This beautifully crafted and lovingly detailed album is aptly titled - the translation is "to be or do something wonderful; to take a new and more splendid form." It showcases the quartet's familiar strengths, while offering surprises as well.
Ho'okena excels in interpreting Hawaiian-language standards. Notable also are new songs by Manu Boyd, and a four-way song-writing collaboration by Boyd, Robert Cazimero, Kaipo Hale and Mahi Beamer. One of the surprises is a relatively modern hapa-haole song in English. Another is a touch of sax from David Choy. Crisp arrangements and tight harmonies prevail throughout.
Ho‘omau The Ho'opi'i Brothers, Mountain Apple Co.
FROM the first riffs of "Pauoa Liko Ka Lehua" to the final bars of "Telephone To Glory" this is a perfect introduction to the brothers - and to the sound and traditions of Hawaiian falsetto.
The brothers are in great voice. Their selections include both unattributed standards and modern classics.
Celebrity guests include Led Kaapana, Jerome Koko and Genoa Keawe; Keawe is showcased in an eight-minute rendition of "Alika" that features solos by most of the others. Keawe's featured
performance makes the album a perfect "two-fer" by including Hawaii's foremost female falsetto singer along with Sol and Richard.
I’m Coming Home Randy Lorenzo, Panini
LORENZO'S first solo album comes more than 20 years into a prolific career as a vocalist, musician, composer and sideman. He has been a part of Olomana, Country Comfort, the Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band and the Peter Moon Band. His solo debut is a beautiful musical portrait.
Lorenzo's years on the mainland heightened his appreciation of 'aina and ohana while broadening his musical perspectives. His originals seamlessly knit together Hawaiian, rock, pop, acoustic-rock and Latin nuances without indulging in "Jawaiian" shortcuts or vapid synthesizer filler. His distinctive voice is the focal point throughout - "My Hula Girl" and "Hana By The Sea" are immediately memorable.
Ka Pilina Teresa Bright and Kawaikapu Hewett, Generation Music
THE title, translated as "Relationships that stem from the past - our lineage," reveals the significance of the contents. Bright and Hewett are cousins; his narratives and her choice of songs reflect that shared heritage, the contributions of their kupuna, and the cousins' commitment to preserving and carrying forward that legacy.
Without liner notes this could have seemed an odd grafting of half-finished projects by two distinct talents. The 14-page booklet makes everything clear and adds another dimension to the music.
Kuikawa Makaha Sons, Poki
THE Sons have been staunch traditionalists specializing in precise arrangements, smooth harmonies and Hawaiian lyrics. Those traditions are intact as the Sons move into their third decade.
The album opens with a dramatic and eminently commercial wake-up call. "'Round in Waikiki" is one of several arrangements to successfully juxtapose English and Hawaiian or mix songs from different eras and cultures. The selections range from nostalgic to romantic to Charles E. King's silly "The Pidgin English Hula."
Making Waves Ka'au Crater Boys, Roy Sakuma Productions
TROY Fernandez and Ernie Cruz Jr. maintain the creative momentum on their fourth album. They cover their familiar musical spectrum - pop oldies, country, Hawaiian standards and originals - and explore new sounds.
Fernandez's virtuosity on ukulele is a given. So is the engaging warmth of Cruz's voice; several songs showcase his talent on guitar as well.
1000 Pounds of Melody (Vintage Hawaiian Legends Vol. 1) Kalima Brothers and Richard Kauhi Quartette
MIKE Cord and Harry B. Soria Jr. inaugurate a new series celebrating the musical legacy of the territorial era with this 25-song collection. Richard Kauhi is the common denominator here; he played with the Kalimas Brothers in the early '40s before forming his own "quartette."
These are beautiful recordings.
O Ka Wa I Hala Tony C., Mountain Apple Co.
CONJUGACION returned to his roots with this 14-song tribute to Vicki Ii Rodrigues. With a single exception, all are in Hawaiian.
Conjugacion's falsetto is absolutely beautiful. A duet with Nina Keali'iwahamana is a dramatic and sentimental highlight.
The Music of George Helm - A True Hawaiian (Classic Collector Series Vol. 11) George Helm, Hana Ola
HELM has been a contemporary Hawaiian legend for two decades, a martyr in the struggle for the 'aina. This collection, restored, remastered and repackaged by Michael Cord and Harry B. Soria Jr., shows that he should also be remembered as an accomplished vocalist and musician.
The selections are almost all Hawaiian standards. A few hapa-haole classics add variety.
Virtual Fleality Red Flea, Hawaii Dub Music
POET/MUSICIAN Red Flea teams up with H. Doug Matsuoka to create the year's most unusual local album. Red Flea's enigmatic poems challenge interpretation. The interplay between spoken word and the cross-cultural musical nuances of Matsuoka takes the listener in other directions as well.
"Red Flea hore hore bushi" compares the plantation system with the service positions offered in today's visitor industry.
"Le Mer De La Merde" attacks French imperialism and nuclear testing in the South Pacific.
West Side Harmony Tenderoni, HiTown Records
BY far the most impressive and professional pop music album by any resident group this year. Overseer Matt Young and his creative brain trust present the group as soft and romantic for the most part. A majority of the songs are new. "Precious Moments" is particularly noteworthy as a song co-written by the group.
The group's remake of Al Green's "Lets Stay Together" may be the year's best local remake of a pop hit. A beautiful treatment of the Flamingos' 1959 classic, "Lovers Never Say Goodbye," likewise offers a fresh perspective and is a beautiful showcase for the girls' harmonies.
The Crater Boys and Kamakawiwo'ole albums are on sale at $11.99 at Hungry Ear and most other major record stores.
Tower Records' has the Hawaiian Top 10 and many more Hawaiian titles sale priced at $11.99 and $12.99. Jelly's puts almost all Hawaiian albums on sale at $11.98 for the first week they're out; Hawaiian albums on the KCCN Top 10 are also sale-priced. New releases are also on sale at Borders Books & Music, along with the KCCN Top 10 and almost all local Christmas albums, including the new ones by Nohelani Cypriano and John Keawe. Basic sale prices are $12.99 for CDs and $7.99 for cassettes.
House of Music in Ala Moana Center puts new releases on sale at $2 or $3 off the list price (most local CDs list at $14.99 or $15.99). Kaimuki landmark Harry's Music has the KCCN Top 10 and most new releases at $13.99.
Rainbow Books & Music at 1010 University Ave. is known mainly for used cassettes and compact discs, but also offers new titles at a standard price of $12.50. (The University store is said to have the best selection of local music of the many Rainbow stores).
For collectible out-of-print local music on vinyl try Purple Haze at 901-A Waimanu. Not only are the old discs collectors' items, they're often a gold mine of information.