on my mind: Music @ Merrie Monarch 2013 1

Merrie Monarch is always a multi-sensory feast. Of course, we see hula. Folks there get to enjoy the fragrance of all the lei onstage and off. And we are treated to group after group of live music.

The question is: what form/s of acknowledging the musicians is/are appropriate? On one end of the spectrum, there is the manaʻo that acknowledging musicians would detract from the focus on hula; therefore, not acknowledging them is appropriate. At the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, there is the manaʻo that the musicians contribute an important dimension to the performance, and thus they should be acknowledged. In between are many other manaʻo. So Iʻve gathered and arranged some of the comments from the Facebook conversation that followed my own post on why musicians are not acknowledged. All attributed quotes are used with permission.

Complicating this question is the reality that many musicians live and breathe humility. and would not ask to be acknowledged for their contributions to the performances. This is a common refrain among musicians.

Natalie Ai Kamauʻu: “itʻs about the hula . . . no need say my name.”

Kale Hannahs:  ”I would say that the consensus with most musicians who play at MM is that we have many opportunities through the different performances we do throughout the year to be recognized. This is our chance to kako’o the halau that support our music and let them take center stage.”

Eric Keawe: “”Merrie Monarch” Hula is the focus. “Na Hoku Hanohano” Mele is the focus. There is a time, a season and a place for everything. Musicians I am sure are honored to perform when asked. Our kupuna who started this event did it for aloha without recognition because it was all about hula.”

Derek Ho’okani Higa, who has performed at Merrie Monarch as both dancer and musician, has a more specific perspective: “I feel when a musician takes on the challenge playing for a halau at MM you basically almost become part of the halau and everyone contributes to being one unit. The dancers, the musicians, the kokua, etc. all represent the halau together not separately. So when everyone takes the stage, it’s the halau taking the stage which includes dancers, musicians, ho’opa’a, etc. Yes, the musician plays a big role in the performance but they/we are there to support the halau.”

Viewers, in contrast, are curious about who the musicians are, when they hear music that they like. Not everyone knows who all of the musicians are, and not everyone can identify voices readily.

Anne Blankenship: “the support musicians should be acknowledged – it increases the viewers’ appreciation of the whole experience. Plus it informs those of us on the continent, just in case we don’t know who the musicians are, so we can buy their recordings.”

Wanda Certo:  ” I would really like to know names of all of the musicians. There are voices we all know but one never knows when other musicians support by playing bass or rhythm guitar or something like that.”

Karen Smith Cooper: “I understand hula is the focus, but honestly, I would love written and/or videoed acknowledgement of the musicians.”

Kuʻualoha Hoʻomanawanui makes a further point: “not all the musicians are professionals, and not all play together except in special gigs like MM, and it would be nice to show the range of hawaiian music practitioners.”

Musicians do work hard at rehearsing as well as in the performance, and some viewers feel that a gesture of appreciation is warranted.

Kalani Ka’ana’ana: “Our musicians sacrifice a great deal and love what they do so for us to give them a pat on the back is one small way we can give back to them so they in turn can provide for their families by doing what they love. We are so fortunate to benefit from their passion. Big mahalo to all you musicians!”

And three articulate comments make the case in favor of acknowledging musicians in terms of the intrinsic importance of the mele in hula.

Kalani Ka’ana’ana: “I le‘a ka hula i ka hoʻopaʻa and with that I add my manao that I do feel the musicians do deserve the respect they earn for providing the kahua for the ʻōlapa to do what they do best.”

Lucia Tarallo: “the word is the foundation of hula, without the word, there is no hula for hula is simply a physical mime of the word!!!”

Lovena K. West: “it is truly the mele that inspires the dancer..at least some acknowledgement would be proper!”

BJ Allen, executive producer of the King Kamehameha Chant and Hula Competition, chimed in with a sobering reality check from a production perspective: “Although it is a necessary and certainly vital component to have the muscians accompany a halau-where do you draw the line? It is challenging enough to stay on task-especially at MM-with live television coverage-every second you use equals money being charged.”

Michael Crabbe, co-founder of southern Californiaʻs E Hula Mau competition, weighs in with more production insight:  ”many musicians would agree that the focus NOT be placed upon them and to remain haʻahaʻa. We also forget all the support staff and kokua who languish behind the scenes as parents, seamstresses, cooks etc. There is a place for light commentary I agree, however, for a balanced televised presentation it is necessary to keep the commentary on the haumana, kumu hula and story. Just my manaʻo.”

And further followup from Michael via direct messaging: “in my own perspective – as co-founder of E Hula Mau, there is an acute awareness and value of time in relation to the “guest/audience” experience, and to that end my focus is the attention directed at achieving a “quality overall experience.”

Then the spectre of even more politics, again from BJ Allen: “Somehow-someone will be forgotten, the “regular” group may be offended their muscians are being affiliated with “another” group, it is endless.”

So, this is not a simple open-and-shut case. Honor the hula by placing–and keeping–it front and center, or enhance the experience and appreciation of viewers who have genuine interest and desire in being able to support the music?

Pehea la e pono ai?

In my next post, Iʻll comment on some of musical highlights from Hula ʻAuana night.

on my mind: Music @ Merrie Monarch 2013

Aloha Monday morning!! The 2013 Merrie Monarch Hula Competition drew to a close some 40 hours ago. The media coverage was both extensive and intensive–especially as the Festival itself celebrated its 50th anniversary! (The Hula Competition itself was launched in 1971, but the Festival dates back to 1964.)

Thanks to the Festivalʻs arrangement with KFVE tv, all three nights were televised live throughout the state, and also streamed live on the internet. The viewership was international, as was the liveliness of conversations that knew no boundaries of time zone or political borders: Facebook and Twitter were alive with running commentary throughout the three nights of competition.

Early on in the hula ʻauana evening, I posted the following comment on my Facebook status:

I know this is a HULA competition. But it baffles me why the musicians are not acknowledged. After all, isnʻt the mele the kumu/foundation for the dance? And isnʻt the leo required to voice the mele? The complete lack of acknowledgement of the musicians who sound the mele is beginning to feel like a kind of disrespect to the mele itself. ʻO koʻu manaʻo wale no.

The comment drew in a thoughtful range of responses. In the meantime, Iʻve had some moments to reflect on a number of intertwined factors. It is not a simple straightforward issue, but it is one that deserves deeper thought and wider conversation.

Over the next few days, I will be posting a series of reflections–after I get through my Monday lecture that begins in 88 minutes. Stay tuned.

Merrie Monarch 2013 — Get the KE AO HULA App!!

As Merrie Monarch celebrates its first half-century, it enters its second half-century in the world of digital environments with — an app!  Available on iTunes App Store for iOS–thatʻs iPhones and iPads–the app links users to databases of information about hālau, kumu hula, and the mele they will be presenting in the competition. This is a handy companion to have when watching the TV or internet broadcast! Of particular interest is the profiles of dancers and musicians, giving a deeper view of the participants beyond the kumu hula. 

While launched in time for Merrie Monarch, a quick look reveals that the app has aspirations to become an information hub for hula events generally.  An especially cool menu option, under “Shop,” presents a selection of native Hawaiian businesses.

‘Ike Kumu (Sources of Foundational Knowledge) — Kulia i ka Punawai Hula Camp 2013

Aloha kākou!  Kūlia i ka Pūnāwai (Kumu Hula Association of Southern California) held its FOURTH annual Hula Camp last weekend at Grindling Hilltop Camp in Malibu. Over 170 happy campers joined nearly 20 kumu hula (and their token academic) for workshop seriousness by day, and all manner of masquerading flash mobs by night.

My workshop was titled “‘Ike Kumu — Sources of Foundational Knowledge.” I led participants in a guided tour of incredible websites with rich rich rich multimedia content of Hawaiian culture and history. There are treasures that many “worker bees” are laboring to connect us with resources and information, mo’olelo and ʻike. Ah, so many resources, so little time . . .

The guided tour was a sampler that, it is hoped, will inspire folks to embark on your own journeys of exploration and discovery. I compiled several sets of starter roadmaps, which are all posted right here on “Hawaiian Music for Listening Pleasure,” under two tabs in the banner menu above:

LINKS FOR EXPLORERS

LISTS OF RESOURCES

Here is how I organized resources into sections:

1. Looking for Hawaiian mele / songs? Find lyrics, sheet music, and sheet music companion sites.
2. Looking for Hawaiian music recordings? Discographies (indexes of recordings) and jukeboxes of historical recordings
3. Hawaiian language resources — learn Hawaiian at home
4. ‘Ike Kumu: Wellsprings of Knowledge — dictionaries, newspapers, books, archival databases
5. ‘Ike ‘Aina: Knowledge of the Land — geography, la’au, and even an incredible navigational star chart. Fabulous resources for any haumana hula assigned to do research on places named in mele!!
6. ‘Ike Mo’olelo: Legends, Myths, Mo’olelo. Entire books, folks!!
7. Read about Hawaiian Music and Hula. Lists of references to publications and writings about Hawaiian music and hula. Any reference librarian would be happy, and excited (and possibly even ecstatic) to help any student use these references to find the actual items.

Preparing this kind of workshop is one of my most favorite activities, because it allows me to surf, surf, surf. (Did I mention I love to surf?) The preparation process is also my own discovery process, as I happen upon recent developments, or I get to burrow around databases checking out what is new since I last visited.

Happy exploring!!

“Hiʻilawe” — tracking recordings

1949: Phillip “Gabby Pahinui.” 78rpm (Bell LKS-505 [HI]). Reissued on Hawaiian Masters Collection Vol. 2 (Tantalus TR-1003, p1993 [HI]); The History of Slack Key Guitar (HanaOla HOCD-24000, p1995 [US]), Show Biz Hula (HanaOla HOCD -22000, p1995 [US]); Lei of Stars (HanaOla HOCD-31000, p1998 [US]); Yuki ‘Alani Yamauchi presents The History of Hawaiian Music  (Office Sambinha RICE OSR-405, p2001 [JP]); Twilight in Hawaii (Sounds of the World SOW 90203, p2002 [Portugal])

Here is one example of a set of discography citations that follow one particular recording of the song “Hiʻilawe” through its multiple reissues. In 63 years, the song first appears on a 78rpm. It resurfaces when Harry B. Soria curates the Hawaiian Masters series on Tantalus Records. Then when Michael Cord launches his reissuing of the 49th State Records catalog, this one particular recording appears on three different compilations–one curated by George Winston, the other two by Harry B. Soria. Then Yuki ʻAlani Yamauchi issues his historical anthology in Japan, and it is followed by another anthology produced in Portugal. Quite a journey for a humble track by Gabby Pahinui on Bell Records. The citations are listed chronologically so that it is possible to glimpse a historical perspective on this trackʻs reappearances. For the 1949 dating of the Bell recording, I am most grateful for Malcolm Rockwellʻs exhaustive discography work on Hawaiian music.

on my mind . . . putting Humpty back together again

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty got pushed off the wall 

or so it seems. I’ve used the Humpty Dumpty image in the past to liken historical and archival research as attempts to find and reassemble pieces into coherent stories. Every new discovery is a potential moment for revisiting earlier interpretations put forth in the absence of the newly uncovered piece now in hand. But the web of pieces keeps getting bigger and bigger. And the number of folks finding pieces and putting forth interpretation upon revised interpretation is also growing.

Pehea lā e pono ai?

These are good times for Hawaiian music and hula. There is a diverse range of performers out there, from those who savor and nurture tradition as received, to those pushing forward bravely–and many taking hard knocks for doing so. And yet . . . there have never been so many questions racing through my mind. How could someone say this without knowing about that? How could songbooks be dissed by musicians who cannot read notation? How could reading about Hawaiian music be dissed by folks–many of whom, I would wager, have not read the writings they dismiss as irrelevant?

But then . . . among those who wrote about Hawaiian music and hula in the past . . . how could they box us in? How could they have pushed us over the wall? And how do we deal with reassembled puzzles that do not look like what we expected, or were led to believe we should expect?

just venting, folks. just venting.

on my mind . . . mana’o stew

thinking . . . and reading . . . and igniting brain sparkles . . .

My teaching duties these days have me reading voraciously outside of Hawaiian studies, and listening closely outside of Hawaiian music. The fruits born of such mental exercises are . . . ideas. Add this into the stew of tidbits and factoids and conversations and impressions accummulated over 20 years of teaching (gasp!) and 35 years of research (gasp!!) and . . . let’s just say that my view of the world is quite rich.

Recently I discovered the blog BRAIN PICKINGS for folks who traffic in thinking and ideas (like me). It describes itself as “is a human-powered discovery engine for interestingness, a subjective lens on what matters in the world and why, bringing you things you didn’t know you were interested in — until you are.” Its author, Maria Popova, bills herself as “an interestingness hunter-gatherer and curious mind at large.” There are some serious academic creds there, including serving as a Futures of Entertainment Fellow at MIT.

This week’s “interestingness digest” highlights a post on David Byrne, and includes this trenchant quote:

If you can draw a relationship, it can exist. The world keeps opening up, unfolding, and just when we expect it to be closed — to be a sealed sensible box — it shows us something completely surprising. In fact, the result and possibly unacknowledged aim of science may be to know how much it is that we don’t know, rather than what we do think we know. What we think we know we probably aren’t really sure of anyway. At least if can get a sense of what we don’t know, we don’t be guilty of the hubris of thinking we know any of it. Science’s job is to map our ignorance.

food for thought.

What Iʻm listening to: uh, let’s call it “Hawaiian musicians in unexpected places”

morning aloha, dear readers! To flag and share some of those head-scratching moments, Iʻm starting a new thread called “Hawaiian musicians in unexpected places.” The lesson here is simple–never judge a book by its cover.

For starters:  would you give the following CD a second look?

Hawaiian music fans know, from decades of experience, about stereotypes that have been marketed and perpetuated despite our best effots to educate what could be called “the unwashed masses.” Hawaiian music fans know about stacks and stacks of budget LPs and CDs, from having seen them in the bins at Tower Records or Borders over the years. (A moment of silence . . . ) While diehard Hawaiian music fans would never admit to actually purchasing these presumably maudlin CDs, such fans would at least expect these recordings to contain the work of uninspired studio bands on budget labels who circle the globe in one weekʻs worth of sessions–Monday is Italy, Spain, Greece; Tuesday is Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil; Wednesday is Hawaii [sic], Tahiti, etc. etc. Hawaiian music fans steer clear of those budget CDs that target the vacation and new age crowds. Right?

But as a scholar, I am supposed to suspend judgement. I am supposed to verify and confirm before passing judgement. So this CD appears on ebay; I think to myself “yeah, right.” But I click “buy now” anyway. (With postage, itʻs still under $5. I can afford to contribute to the economy at that level.)

The CD arrives in my mailbox several days later. Plastic jewel case is cracked and scratched, but liner notes are in mint condition, as if they had never been removed from the case. My first presumption, and budget label strategy #1 — the cover photo is all there is; the back side is blank. Not entirely correct. There is a photo. But wait–budget label strategy #2 — the printing on the back of the liner insert reproduces the photo and tracklist  the back of the jewel case. Okay, business as usual. But wait–the insert is folded, meaning that there are actually four panels. So–am I holding budget label strategy #3–of printing on the one side (which, when folded, yields printing on pages 1 and 4 but the inside pages are blank)? Common sense would dictate that 2 blank pages inside a folded insert is a waste of expensive glossy paper, so there must be something printed inside the insert. Am I holding budget label strategy #4–that the inside is simply a visual / photographic catalog of other similar thematic releases by the label?

And here is where presumptions such as the above get exploded. Open the insert, and here is what is printed:

Look at the list of musicians. Benny Kalama on ‘ukulele (ukelele–argh!!) Casey Olsen and Greg Sardinha on steel guitar!! Hiram Olsen on guitar, Kalani Fernandez on bass. Kapono Beamer on multiple instruments–meaning that at least some of the tracks will feature kī hō’alu.

Really, folks, this artist roster is a who’s who in Hawaiian music. But then, another set of presumptions potentially rear their ugly heads; presumptions like “these guys sold out to be doing stuff like this;” or “this is just more tourist crap.”

Between the two sets of presumptions laid out here, it would seem that the musicians are caught in a toxic swamp. How could respected musicians of this caliber stoop to the level of budget label fluff?

Paradigm shift needed here. Itʻs actually simple. Musicians ply their craft as work for hire. This is a gig. This is the kind of work that helps these guys pay the mortgage (or rent), pay the credit card bills, pay the car payments (to get to gigs), pay for the gas in the car to get to gigs.

Moreover–gigging musicians have to maintain a reputation for delivering quality, in order to ensure that future gigs will contine to come their way.

Pop the CD in, and listen. And yes, the craftsmanship on these songs is at the level of mastery one would expect from oldtimers like Benny Kalama and Hiram Olsen and Kalani Fernandez. Itʻs CLASSIC, folks. And a very judicious mix of 1950s style steel guitar music with 1970s (and later) slack key across a very iconic song list:

Songs that Hawaiian music fans know and love–and love to sing. “Hi’ilawe.” “ʻO Makalapua.” “Ku’u Lei ‘Awapuhi.” The tracks are instrumental. The artistry is solid. Pa’a.

Never judge a book by its cover.

on my mind . . . on rereading / relistening

Happy 2013, Dear Readers. Its syllabus time again, in preparation for the the winter semester that starts next week Wednesday. Iʻve had a blissful week of break, indulgently web-surfing down chains of rabbit holes, catching up on music industry news (the physical CD is on the brink of obsolescence), discovering thoughtful criticism and long-form writing (check out NPR.org/music, and consuming “best of 2012″ lists.

Here is some food for thought I want to share from an essay titled “The Pleasures and Perils of Rereading” by blogger Lisa Levy, posted on the blog The Millions (Nov. 11, 2011). First, a widely-wuoted remark from  author William Hazlitt:

In reading a book which is an old favorite with me (say the first novel I ever read) I not only have the pleasure of imagination and of a critical relish of the work, but the pleasures of memory added to it. It recalls the same feelings and associations which I had in first reading it, and which I can never have again in any other way. Standard productions of this kind are links on the chains of personal identity. They are landmarks and guides in our journey through life.”

Levy then quotes several other authors on their experiences of rereading. Here is a particularly poetic comment from author Allegra Goodman:

“I think unfolding is what rereading is about. Like pleated fabric, the text reveals different parts of its pattern at different times. And yet every time the text unfolds, in the library, or in bed, or upon the grass, the reader adds new wrinkles. Memory and experience press themselves into each reading so that each encounter informs the next.”

And Levy’s own reflections in conclusion:

“Whether we go back again and again to a classic or pick up an old favorite to see how it has fared or dig deep into the treasures of our youth, rereading is an experiment that is bound to change us, and to change our impressions of the books we read. Rereading can certainly surprise, it can instruct, and it can make us feel safe. Maybe it is not indulgent to reread a book, but a way to learn; and what is any sort of reading but a way to learn, whether it is something new about the world or just something new about ourselves?”

You know, dear Readers, let’s play “find-and-replace.” First, replace all instances of “reading” and “rereading”  with “relistening”, and all instances of “book” (and “text”) with “recording”. 

How relevant are these comments to Hawaiian music? When a return to an old recording is potentially an opportunity to revisit the moment of our first hearing of its sounds? When a return to a singer no longer with us is also a potential opportunity to discover something previously unnoticed, produced by sidemen on the session?  When a return to a track is also a moment to appreciate how musicians’ wanderings in other musical idioms (like, say, flamenco) have enriched their take–and our listenings–on a Hawaiian song? 

Happy listening, dear Readers!!

 

what Iʻm listening to . . . KAHULANUI !!

Hula Ku’i – a new CD by Kahulanui. New arrangements of vintage midcentury songs, complete with vintage instrumentation and crisp playing techniques, and produced to gold-medal blue-ribbon standards on Charles Michael Brotman’s Palm Records label.  ”Hawaiian swing at its finest,” writes Skylark Rosetti in the liner notes, but without the tinny-iness of 1930s recordings–not to mention the scratchiness on surviving discs–thanks to the resonance made possible by state-of-the-art recording technology.

Kahulanui is a quartet made up of the core instrumentation in contemporary Hawaiian music–Lolena Naipo, Jr. and Patrick Eskildsen on guitars, and Robert Duke Tatom on ‘ukulele, plus Tim Taylor on drum set. The quartet is augmented on the recording by a full-blown horn section with Jesse Snyder and Duncan Bamsey on saxophones, Andrea Lindborg on trumpet, and Gary “Railroad” Russell on trombone. No less than three guest artists contribute the iconic sound of steel guitar: Greg Sardinha, Paul Kim, and Dwight Tokumoto.

Liner notes inform us that “Kahulanui is an inspiration passed down three generations from Grandfather Robert Kahulanui, to Dad Rodgers L. L. Naipo, Sr., to Grandson and Kahulanui band leader, Lolena Naipo, Jr.  Lolena remembers stories of his Grandfather who was a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band during an era when horns ad drums were a part of Hawaiian music.” Clearly, then, this project has a dimension of homage, by recreating the sonic ethos of that era.

The title, Hula Ku’i, fits on so many levels. The historical roots of the term “hula ku’i” lie in the concept of “ku’i”: “to join, stitch, sew, splice, unite, joined, seam”. The term “hula ku’i” referred to “joined hula, i.e. old and new steps were joined together”(Hawaiian Dictionary), and was coined when guitars and ‘ukulele added the harmonic dimension to mele hula, in order to name the  type of hula and their songs that we know generally as “modern hula songs.” These mele are patterned into verses of 2 or 4 lines, with instrumental vamps between the verses; songs like “Na Papa He’e Nalu” (tr. 2), “Noho Paipai (tr. 3), “Kalena Kai” (tr. 5), “Na Ka Pueo” (tr. 7), “Papalina Lahilahi” (tr. 8), “Ka Mea U’i” (tr. 9), “Nani Wai’ale’ale” (tr. 10).

Mid-20th century Hawaiian musicians and songwriters like Alvin Isaacs, Sam Koki and Lani McIntire brought their fluency in big band swing music into the performance of Hawaiian music, by joining / ku’i the swing-band harmonies and arrangements of that era to Hawaiian songs. They then went another step further, by infusing /ku’i the songs they composed with harmonic progressions that ventured far beyond Hawaiian music’s conventional three chords plus vamp. Think Sam Koki’s “Nani Waimea”–not a typical backyard “kanikapila” song, as the musically advanced leave the novices behind.

On the CD Hula Ku’i, Kahulanui continues the “ku’i” process that is already integrated into the songs themselves. They bring new arrangements to two oldies but goodies–”Ta Ha Ua La” and “Nani Waimea,”  and bring a handful of less well known midcentury songs back out–Lani McIntyre’s “Lava,” Sam Koki’s “Hula Ku’i,” Alvin Isaacs’s “Ka Mea U’i,” Ray Kinney’s “Not Pau,” and Robert Kahulanui Naipo’s “Ku’u Home i Waimanalo” and “Na Papa He’e Nalu.” Today’s recording technology, however, enables Kahulanui to take innovative spins. We hear pre-electric acoustic guitar playing; we hear triplet ‘ukulele strumming, we hear ’50s-style rock-and-roll sax riffs; we even hear duets of acoustic guitar and saxophone. “Ku’i” joining is carried one step further, by bringing ’30s-era swing arrangements and harmonies to older hula ku’i songs like “Kalena Kai” and “Na Ka Pueo.” (Check out, too, the Dizzy Gillespie-esque trumpet soloing in “Noho Paipai.”)

On top of all of the instrumental shenanigans, Lolena Naipo’s vocals hearken back to the vocal stylings of past generations. But a testament to his musicianship is the fact that he does not confine himself to only respectful replication. Just listen to his tutu-man take on “Noho Paipai” (also known as “Rocking Chair”), the “oo” choruses in “Ka Mea U’i,” and the clipped pronunciations (almost exaggerated!) in “Na Papa He’e Nalu” –at once faithful, yet unabashedly playful.

Kahulanui’s execution of big-band stylings evokes an era of smoke-filled bars alive with lindy-hopping dancers. Underlying this contemporary take on vintage music, moreover, is a cultural cohesiveness of enacting ku’i–of joining old and new. Like, awesome!