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Island Mele
Friday, June 16, 2000
Cazimero halau
fine singersRCHNK:
By Robert Cazimero's Halau Na Kamalei (The Mountain Apple Co. MACD 2068)THE men of Robert Cazimero's Halau Na Kamalei are well known for their voices. They make their official debut as a recording act here singing as equal partners with their kumu hula. Cazimero wrote most of the songs; halau members wrote others. Several of the guys sing lead. It's a beautiful package that brings to mind May Day at the Shell, the years at the Royal, and other times Na Kamalei has sung with the Brothers Cazimero.
Cazimero shares no information on the significance of the Hawaiian-language songs; maybe the images and meaning are intended for halau members only. "RCHNK" is a beautiful addition to his discography anyway and reaffirms his stature as singer, musician and song writer.
http://www.mountainapplecompany.com
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By various artists (M & H Hawaii MHCD1105)MAHI Beamer, Nina Keali'iwahamana, John Keawe Sr., Elmer "Sonny" Lim, and Nani Lim Yap are the most prominent artists in this 23-song compilation. Most of the selections are local standards. The overall ambience is acoustic and the arrangements are nicely done, although Beamer deserves more time on piano.
It's a shame producers Michiko Urata and Kazue Kurebayashi provide no information on the meaning or significance of the songs and nothing about the artists. Such information belongs on any compilation album. This one is woefully incomplete without it.
M & H Hawaii, P.O. Box 304, Honolulu, HI 96809
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By George "Keoki" Matsushita (U'ilani Productions CD 2000)VOCALIST George "Keoki" Matsushita is one of several Japanese artists who come here to record Hawaiian and hapa-haole standards with local musicians. This album is a fine addition to the international Hawaiian catalog and shows that Territorial Era music continues to be a living part of the Hawaiian music scene.
Matsushita conveys an engaging spirit in both falsetto and the lower registers. Aaron Mahi's extensive annotation includes lyrics and translations and reveals how the songs maintain the theme.
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See Record Reviews for some 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 Today
section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
