Gleams in low key Eselu
POSTED: Friday, May 14, 2010
'Aloha E Aloha E Aloha E'
O'Brian Eselu
(Hiki No)
Kumu hula O'Brian Eselu has always kept his parallel career as a recording artist as low key as possible. He released his debut album with no fanfare or promotion in 1997 and continued that tradition with this one last year. It is currently on display in record stores, and since the voting for the 2010 Hoku Awards is over, it won't hurt the chances of the five other finalists for Male Vocalist of the Year to review it now.
Producer Kenneth Makuakane's arrangements demonstrate the beauty of simplicity. Eselu's smooth falsetto vocals are supported by Kali Chang and Jeff Rasmussen; Makuakane (guitar, bass, piano) and Clyde Kaimana (percussion) provide the traditional-style instrumentation. The result is a soothing blend that suits Eselu's voice well. A cut that displays his strength as a chanter is a vibrant change of tempo.
The album would be a much better presentation of Eselu's work as a singer and songwriter if it included the Hawaiian lyrics and English translations—at least for his originals. However, his brief notes about the inspiration or significance of each song are a step in the right direction.
'Jackson Helmix Moxtape Pt. One'
Big MOX
(Funky4Corners)
Big MOX aka Jackson Helm aka Jonah Moananu teams up with 13 friends and colleagues from the 50th State hip-hop scene on this online-only project of 16 performance pieces that he recorded over several years. MOX opens with a solo track, “;Freestyle My Life Away,”; that lays down a challenge to all who would “;speak to the beat”;—anyone can write poetry, put it to memory and recite it, but it takes a sharper intellect to “;freestyle”; on the spot, let alone battle with other rappers. Well put, MOX!
MOX also goes solo on “;Mr. Right Now,”; a witty reworking of the women's magazine terms, “;Mr. Right”; and “;Mr. Right Now.”; He shows his romantic side with “;We Could Be”; as he tells “;the female who has my heart”; that “;if you were a college class, I'd major in you”;—a nice variation on all the lines Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers wrote for the Temptations' hit “;The Way You Do the Things You Do”; in 1964.
MOX reveals his harder side elsewhere. He's joined by Everybody Knows, TKO and Osna in verbally demolishing a hapless opponent on an untitled track, and tag-teams with J. Creepa on “;As Seen on TV”; in warning a second clueless fool that “;I never claimed to be who you seen on TV.”; “;The Heist”; evokes memories of Ice-T's old-time “;crime doesn't pay”; stories with its tale of gangstas coming to a bad end.
MOX closes with two acoustic Jawaiian songs featured in recent productions by T-Shirt Theatre. They show another side of his repertoire and with it a commitment to helping the next generation embrace positive choices.
“;Jackson Helmix Moxtape Pt. One”; is available for free at www.funky4c.com.
'New Sounds of Exotica'
The Waitiki 7
(Pass Out)
With the release of the second album by the Waitiki 7, it's clear that Hawaii can lay claim to two groups that are serious and competent acolytes of the late Martin Denny and the “;exotica”; music he created here more than 50 years ago. Nothing reflects better on a group in any genre than that it shows respect to those pioneers and pathfinders who preceded it—the Waitiki 7 acknowledge not only Denny, Lex Baxter and Arthur Lyman, but also Kit “;Perry Coma”; Ebersbach and Lloyd “;Fluid Floyd”; Kandell, the founders of Hawaii's original “;exotica”;/”;lounge music”; tribute band, Don Tiki, more than a decade ago. With its music the younger group also pays homage to tradition—percussionist/jungle noises specialist Lopaka Colon is a member of Don Tiki as well—while taking the genre in new musical directions.
The biggest shift is the prominence of violin and sax. The sax pulls the sound much closer to First World jazz. Violin also moves the focus away from the “;exotic”; in ways that an erhu (Chinese two-string fiddle) probably would not. Saxophonist/arranger Tim Mayer opens “;Bali Ha'i”; as a duet for flute and violin, then takes the band off on lengthy Latinesque tangent that is closer to “;La Bamba”; than “;South Pacific.”; Wait patiently, however, and after several minutes the arrangement returns to Rodgers and Hammerstein.
A drum solo on “;Firecracker”; places that Denny standard in a new cultural context as well.
Co-producers Mayer and Randy Wong complete the album with extensive annotation that explains where the group is going with these new ideas.
