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Mana‘o Company The original Mana'o Company won no Hoku Awards before they disbanded in the early 1990s, but the reorganized group more than made up for past history last night as the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts presented the 25th Annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards at the Sheraton Waikiki.
carries the night
The quintet wins 5 Hokus
for "Spread a Little Aloha"By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.comThe quintet's come-back project, "Spread a Little Aloha," received a total of five Hoku Awards. There were three for the group (Album of the Year, Contemporary Album of the Year, and Single of the Year), another for TMC leader Danny Kennedy for composing the Song of the Year ("Aloha") and Dave Tucciarone's win in the Engineering category.
Kennedy said the group was happy but surprised to have done as well as they did against such heavy competition.
Three other finalists took home two Hokus apiece:
Ernie Cruz Jr. was named Male Vocalist of the Year and won the Island Contemporary Album awards; 'Aha Punana Leo won for separate albums in the Religious Album and Hawaiian Language Performance categories, and Keahiwai was named Most Promising Artists and Favorite Entertainer of the Year, the latter by public vote.
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Keahiwai -- Mailani Makainai and Lei Melket -- took the podium piled high with lei and recalled that "Uncle Moe" (Keale) had told them they would be winners.Sean Na'auao, a member of the original Mana'o Company and a prior Hoku-winner as a solo artist, added another award to his collection as "Progression" took top honors for Reggae Album.
Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett received his third award as a Hawaiian-language composer when "Aloha Ku'u Home A I Ke 'Alohi" from Na'auao's traditionalist "Holomua" album won in the Haku Mele category. It was the second year in a row that a song written by Hewett and recorded by Na'auao had won a Hoku -- "Kapilina" won Song of the Year in a tie with Lehua Kalima Heine's "Saving Forever" in 2001.
"Alone In IZ World" won Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole a posthumous Hoku for Hawaiian Album of the Year. A video clip of the impromptu reunion between IZ and the Makaha Sons (Moon, John and Jerome) at the 1996 Hoku Awards was a highlight much later in evening.
Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom went one-for-six, but took home a biggie Female Vocalist of the Year for "Pu'uhonua," her first album in four years as a solo artist.
It was a big night for traditionalist Hawaiian music as the Lim Family beat Mana'o Company and Keahiwai for Group of the Year -- 20 years after their back-to-back wins for Traditional Hawaiian Album in 1981 and 1982. Each member of the quartet acknowledged the legacy of family patriarch, Elmer Lim Sr., who led the family group to its early successes.
Jake Shimabukuro kept his composure when he joined Les Honda of Borders Books and Music to present a Hoku to Keahiwai. He asked, however, why it was necessary to show a video clip of him crying while receiving four Hokus in 1999.
Some winners are shortchanged
The show got off to a stumblebum start as "technical problems" resulted in Melveen Leed's pre-taped comments being inaudible and largely ignored by the chattering crowd.
Video clips showing contemporary stars as they appeared in the hairstyles and formal attire of the late 1970s and early 1980s were the one welcome innovation. Frank DeLima added a welcome and very badly needed jolt of comic energy when he showed off his new "Frank DeLima Headquarters T-Shirt" and demonstrated how it works as a Portuguese Halloween mask. For the second year in a row there was no Comedy Album category, but DeLima was one of the brightest moments in the show.
Overall, though, the show moved much slower than necessary. The HARA Board of Governors sank to a new low by announcing the winners in nine of 25 categories prior to the start of the televised show, while the crowd was eating and paying little attention (last year, seven awards were deemed unworthy of live television time). The scholarship recipients also were announced while the crowd was feeding.
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There is no excuse for denying any category winner the opportunity to receive their Hoku and say their thanks during the live broadcast. Cut two performance segments and trim the others by a minute each and there would be time to spare. There were too many and most ran too long. This isn't rocket science or nuclear physics!Also, this year's five Lifetime Achievement recipients were honored with a separate awards show in March, but the same introductions and jejune video biographies were shown again during the live broadcast last night. The only difference was that the recipients weren't allowed to thank the crowd. Five Lifetime Achievement Awards in a year is too many anyway, but if the recipients are going to be honored during the regular awards, why have a separate show, too?
That said, there were several exceptional performances. The first featured the women of Kuhai Halau O Kawaikapuokalani Pa Olapa Kahiko dancing with kala'au sticks (very controversial 25 years ago). Ku'uipo Kumukahi was exquisite as always, and Ryan "Gonzo" Gonzalez of 'Ale'a said that it was the first time that he'd seen Peter Moon play live.
Other entertainers were there for the party. Fiji was fully in the house. Kahala Moon -- Kahala Mossman and Mahina Souza -- were having great time and hope to return as contenders. Roni "Hobo Diggler" Yurong was there with the Hobo House on the Hill ohana and Namahana.
Bobby Moderow and Maunalua shared a table with local teen recording artist Jennifer Perri, Sista Sherry was happy to have a night off from KRTR, and DisGuyz were happy that "One Nation in Song" had made it to the final ballot.
Despite the success of The Mana'o Company, traditionalist Hawaiian music did quite well, and the results over all indicate that a majority of HARA voters still prefer nothing more contemporary or mainstream than Na Leo or the acoustic rock of Ernie Cruz Jr. Fortunately, the addition of genre categories for reggae, rock and jazz provides some of Hawaii's more mainstream recording artists a small shot at some degree of industry recognition as well.
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2002 Na Hoku Hanohano awards winners: WINNERS' LIST
Song of the Year (composers' award): "Aloha" by Danny Kennedy from "Spread A Little Aloha," The Mana'o Company (Dan Pa/A Guava Ding Thing)
Group of the Year: The Lim Family, "Na Mele No Na Hanauna" (Kohala)
Female Vocalist of the Year: Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom, "Pu'uhonua" (Hanaiali'i)
Male Vocalist of the Year: Ernie Cruz Jr., "Portraits" (Pi'inalu Music)
Favorite Entertainer of the Year (by public vote): Keahiwai
Most Promising Artist(s): Keahiwai, "Local Girls" (Island Groove)
Album of the Year (to group and producer): "Spread A Little Aloha," The Mana'o Company (Dan Pa/A Guava Ding Thing)
Single of the Year: "Aloha," The Mana'o Company (Dan Pa/A Guava Ding Thing)
Rock Album of the Year: "Living In A Movie," Gail Swanson (Rock Fever)
Christmas Album of the Year: "Christmas Gift 2," Na Leo Pilimehana (NLP Music)
Hawaiian Album of the Year: "Alone In IZ World," Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole (Big Boy/Mountain Apple Company)
Reggae Album: "Progression," Sean Na'auao (Poi Pounder)
Jazz Album of the Year: "Harlem Nocturne," Azure McCall (Ala Moana)
Religious Album of the Year: "Na Leo O Ke Kula Ni'ihau O Kekaha," 'Aha Punana Leo ('Aha Punana Leo)
Contemporary Album of the Year: "Spread A Little Aloha," The Mana'o Company (Dan Pa/A Guava Ding Thing)
Hawaiian Language Performance: 'Aha Punana Leo for "'Ina'i 'Elua" ('Aha Punana Leo)
Island Contemporary Album of the Year: "Portraits," Ernie Cruz Jr. (Pi'inalu Music)
Haku Mele (composer's award): "Aloha Ku'u Home A I Ke 'Alohi" by Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett from "Holomua," Sean Na'auao (Poi Pounder)
Instrumental Album of the Year: "Pana Aloha Hawaiian Heartbeat," Kapono Beamer (Kapono Beamer)
Anthology Album of the Year (producer's award): "Na Pua O Hawai'i," Makaha Sons & Friends (Poki), Kata Maduli, producer
Compilation Album of the Year (producer's award): "Aloha Festivals Hawaiian Falsetto Contest Winners Vol. 2," various artists (Hula); William Baba Alimoot, Steve Kramer, Donald P. "Flip" McDiarmid III, Frank B. Shaner and Randy Sugata, producers
Ki Ho'alu Award: George Kuo
Liner Notes: Lea A. Uehara for "Kalapawai Ku'u One Hanau," Chinky Mahoe (Poki)
Graphics: Bill Ernst for "E Ho'i Na Wai," Cody Pata (Ululoa Productions)
Engineering: Dave Tucciarone, for "Spread A Little Aloha," The Mana'o Company (Dan Pa/A Guava Ding Thing)
>> Haunani Kahalewai 2002 Lifetime Achievement Awards
>> Krash Kealoha
>> Nora Keahi Santos
>> Tom Moffatt
>> Noelani Mahoe
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