Island Mele
Young guitarist makes
bold statement the
second time around
Makana's self-titled debut album of 1999 was the most impressive and original first release by a local artist -- and was completely ignored by the members of the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts the following year. The album didn't make the final ballot in any category. "Koi Au," his long-anticipated second album, is considerably bolder and should make it more difficult to ignore. "Koi Au"
Makana
Makana MusicMakana moves farther into the world music genre with this new album while simultaneously exploring new ideas in Hawaiian music as well. His succeeds by fitting an assortment of eclectic components into consistently congruent forms.
He establishes the unifying sound and concept with the opening song, "Dragon Throws Out Pearl." Here he combines traditional slack-key guitar with something that could be called "ki ho'alu gu-zheng" (a Chinese harp played slack-key style) and creates an instrumental gem. Byron Yasui adds a third layer of acoustic textures on bass.
Next comes "Bali Kamaha'o," a new Hawaiian-language song with lyrics by Puakea Nogelmeier, and then a 19th-century Hawaiian standard, "E Nihi Ka Hele." While Makana included Hawaiian songs on his first album, he is now moving more assertively in presenting Hawaiian lyrics in new contexts. "Bali Kamaha'o" weds Hawaiian lyrics to a European folk melody that's played with tunings that suggest Indonesian musical traditions. In "E Nihi Ka Hele," Makana and special guest Cyril Pahinui honor the musical heritage of Hawaii, but with an original arrangement.
The Portuguese song "Fado" perfectly adds another language to the collection. Using Afro-Caribbean percussion as the finale to a beautiful acoustic rendition of "Ku'u Lei 'Awapuhi" may sound quite odd, but it works well, too.
Some local albums are little more than a cavalcade of high-profile guests, but none of the guests here muddle the mix or blur the focus. Each addition embellishes Makana's musical ideas, just as the various tunings and unusual instrumentation do.
Makana distinguishes himself throughout as an arranger and interpreter of other artists' music, and as an articulate composer-performer in his own right. His use of rhythm, meter, hooks and lyrical images make "Maharina" and "Makani" especially interesting originals. Both are excellent in showcasing his distinctive voice as well. The cross-cultural kaona (hidden meanings) in the album title and cover art also suggests the breadth of his worldview.
Those who remember Makana as a youthful ki ho'alu prodigy will welcome instrumental pieces such as "Koi," a suite of three melodies that opens with an adaptation of a Willie K tune. The other instrumentals also merit attention -- on the final track, "Far from Home," Makana plays on an open-tuned electric guitar in ways that evoke momentary thoughts of famed Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann before the melody flows in other directions.
Makana completes this landmark musical statement with a beautiful designed notes booklet that include lyrics, English translations and artwork relevant to each of the selections.
www.makanalive.com
Mpeg Audio Clips:
Dragon Throws Out Pearl
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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. Contact John Berger at jberger@starbulletin.com.
