Island Mele

By John Berger,
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Friday, March 26, 1999

‘Chants’ blends
old and new

Po'okela Chants
Artist: Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu
Label: Dudoit Productions

CALIFORNIA-BASED kumu hula Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu debuts as the first artist on Horace Dudoit's record label. Many of the selections are traditional chants honoring King Kalakaua, but Ho'omalu and Dudoit use non-Hawaiian instruments and harmonies on several originals. They do good work in both genres.

The album will be of most interest to hula halau and those who speak fluent Hawaiian. Annotation by Manu Boyd provides the basic English translations and background information that allows mainstream listeners to appreciate at least part of Ho'omalu's work.

Coconut Hat
Artist: Jim West
Label: Westernmost

JIM West introduces himself with a collection of slack-key melodies inspired by life on the Hana coast of Maui. The stories behind his compositions are shared in the liner notes. Two traditional melodies, one Hawaiian, the other Fijian, add other facets to West's tranquil musical scrapbook.

Students of slack-key will appreciate West's inclusion of the tunings and variations he uses. He believes two are original.

Greatest Hits Collection II (1988-1994)
Artist:Peter Moon Band
Label: Kanikapila

Kanikapila Records went to no expense recycling songs from the Peter Moon Band's last five albums. Writers and publishers are credited but no information is provided on the significance of the songs or even which album they come from.

The PMB was a tight quartet in 1988, but major personnel changes occurred after 1989. The final two albums were more like studio sessions than the work of an active group.

This hodgepodge of "hits" reflects the evolution with a mix and match collection of Hawaiian standards, generic Top 40 remakes, and Leo Anderson Akana originals.

Akana's "Song Of Sovereignty" was one of her most substantial compositions, and Moon was an innovator in contemporary Hawaiian music for more than 20 years.

Information of this type should be included in a "greatest hits" album.

See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.

See Aloha Worldwide for locals living away.

---

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.