Aloha mai!Wow! The Hawaiian Music scene is exciting this month! The Makaha Sons and friends will be back at Carnegie Hall, there's a wonderful celebration of Auntie Irmgard Aluli and her music, and Don Ho makes his first mainland tours in ten years. Got a couple of interesting CDs, too, including a sound clip. Welina, e komo mai, and enjoy!
I don't do gossip on this page, but I do list coming music projects that come from reliable sources. I hear from Bob Brozman that he and Ledward are working on two more CDs -- the first is in the can, and the second is being recorded. He's also working on his second CD with Cyril Pahinui. All will be on the Dancing Cat label.
I also heard Moon Kauakahi say on KINE that the Makaha Sons will be working on a recording project for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau featuring old Hawaiian tunes from the 50s and 60s. No word on when that might be out, though.
One more tidbit of interest -- I hear that Willie K and Amy are considering playing LA in April. If I get confirmed dates, I'll post them in the mid-March/early April pages.
And here's an announcement from Keola that's not strictly about music, but that I think many of you will be interested in:
The Hale Kuamo'o, with the assistance of the 'Aha Punana Leo and radio station KWXX, have produced a series of 60 second educational announcements entitled "Ua 'Ike Anei 'Oukou?" (Did You Know?). They talk about many aspects of the Hawaiian language that most kama'aina, and even speakers of the language, may not be aware of.
The series is not yet being broadcast, but can be heard over the Internet via Real Audio. Here are the URLs:
http://www.olelo.hawaii.edu/op/information/uaikeanei.html (English)
http://www.olelo.hawaii.edu/oh/information/uaikeanei.html (Hawaiian, requires that you have downloaded and installed HI fonts.
All 30 announcements are spoken in Hawaiian, with an English translation provided at the end. Enjoy!
Recordings
Pure Heart Pure Heart (Four Strings Productions FSCD -7486) Wow! A great debut CD by a group that's definitely way above the usual "hey, let's cut a CD" standard of all too many local bands. The group is composed of 'uke prodigy Jake Shimabukuro, lead vocalist Jon Yamasato, and percussion whiz Lopaka Colon. For all their youth, the group has produced a tight, catchy, interesting CD, and I say that even though it's the kind I am usually suspicious of -- a dab of Hawaiian here, some reggae there, and now a dash of rock. The superior instrumental skills and interesting arrangements hold the CD together, and produce pure beauty, such as the haunting "Moloka'i Sweet Home" featured on the song clip. The spare texture of the instrumentals and the adroit percussion produce a version superior to the Kalapana original. The CD also includes Hey Baby (getting a lot of local airplay), Star of Gladness, Mr. Sun Cho Lee (complete with ethnic voices [g]), Green Rose Hula, Hapa's Olinda Road (in a fresh version featuring the 'uke), and one original vocal and two original instrumentals. Check it out.
Gail Mack, Pacific Snowbird (MGC Records MGC 1017). Gail's been involved in the local music scene for a while, but to my knowledge this is her first solo CD (her last project, I believe, was working with Peter Moon in last year's Kanikapila CD). Gail's strength is in her sweet, secure, intimate voice, and her experience shows in her assured command of a variety of styles. It's not your typical Hawaiian music CD, however. She does have a dreamy Naupaka and a personal version of Beyond the Sea, but she also has a night-clubby Make It With You, a country-rock'n'roll flavored It's Not the Spotlight, and she tosses in La Paloma, as if she needed more contrast. Recommended if you like a wide variety of styles on one CD.
-- Susan
susanj@lava.netLike Hawaiian music? Find out the latest concerts and releases on Susan's Hawaiian Music Page, now at:
http://www.nahenahe.net/susanmusic/current.html or
http://www.interpac.net/~nahenahe/susanmusic/current.html
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