Settling into Summer 2012

Aloha Dear Readers!! One of these years I will figure out how to implement vacation messages before I take off. Which is to say that . . . Iʻve been on vacation–a thoroughly needed clearing of the mind and refreshing of the soul, after the end of another academic year. Travel is always good for new experiences, which in turn are good for bringing new perspectives on mundane daily-life details and dramas.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” True, that. Is there any other city that can lay claim to two different epoch-shaping institutions 2000 years apart?  Walking Rome’s streets for several days brought new appreciation for concepts of “historical significance,” as well as “step-by-step,” and “one brick at a time.”

Reentry brought the delightful discovery of a flock of new CDs–Kamaka Fernandez’s long-awaited debut CD, new slack key from Cyril Pahinui and Mike Ka’awa, more sterling vocals from Howard Ai. Also a flurry of new books:  a new history of ʻukulele by Jim Tranquada and the late John King; Hawaiians in Los Angeles with a chapter on its hula scene through the decades, and coming later in summer, Dr. Adria Imadaʻs book Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire.

A reprint, too:  Jerry Hopkins’ 1982 volume, The Hula, has been reprinted in a gorgeous new edition by Bess Press. The Bess Press folks brought me aboard to edit the original text. Further comments are forthcoming.

I will be working feverishly this summer to advance my own long-running projects on Hawaiian music history, which have benefitted enormously from the LP digitizing blitz begun last summer.  (And Iʻll be resuming posts on The Daily Mele at tumblr.)

This past year, the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa conducted a search for a newly-authorized faculty position in Hawaiian music, and the search concluded with the appointment of Aaron Sala. This development ushers in new opportunities for Hawaiian music, and I send Aaron and UH Manoa my best wishes and aloha.

on my mind . . . how is “historical significance” defined in Hawaiian music?

Following on the previous post, here is one more set of thoughts before I post my selection of “Top Ten Albums of Hawaiian Music–The View from 2012.”

What is historical significance?

Is historical significance defined by the achievement of excellence in maintaining tradition, or its equally opposite value–the achievement of breakthrough innovation?

Is historical significance defined by lionizing iconic performers at the top of their game, or by its equally opposite value–registering the emergence of artists with game-changing ideas that become influences and models to others?

Is historical significance defined by significance to the community who produces the music, or by its equally opposite value–the community who consumes the music, and whose consumption statistics reflect “popularity” and the spread of reputation and renown?

Is historical significance defined by time-honored repertoire of great antiquity, or its equally opposite value–the appearance of sensational new repertoire that trumps stalwarts and warhorses?

How do we weigh and/or balance significance to make selections from among artists, songwriters / haku mele, repertoire, and popularity / record sales?

on my mind . . . Top Ten Albums of Hawaiian Music — the view from 2012, Pt. 1

Aloha Dear Readers! This kind of list-making is frequently an annual undertaking and usually occurs at yearʻs end. Iʻm coming back around to a birdʻs eye view from a slightly different place. We have Honolulu magazineʻs two high-profile projects: “The 50 Greatest Hawaiian Albums” of 2004 and its 2006 followup, “The 50 Greatest Hawaiian Songs.” Both projects reflected the assessments of musicians and industry professionals. (Disclaimer: I was not involved in the selection processes of either project.) Both projects spawned elaborate magazine features, compilation CDs, and for albums, a lavish pictorial book.

Any project of this sort is bound to provoke discussion and debate among fans and readers over inclusions and exclusions, and inevitably the discussions blended two distinct objectives:  naming “the greatest” versus naming “recommendations for newbies.” In the first several months of blogging here back in 2009, there is a loose series of posts in which I was basically “thinking aloud” about the complexities in trying to navigate among choices for any kind of “Top X” lists.

At the end of 2009, and again in 2010, I actually posted “Top Ten” lists of CDs  Both posts continue to be among the most frequently read on this blog.

Over the years, I have been involved in research on sources of Hawaiian music. In the course of this research activity, I have had many opportunities to revisit basic questions like the following:

1. What would I recommend to someone new to Hawaiian music?
2. What albums would be in my “Top Ten” on the basis of “historical significance”?

Two very different questions, with two very different sets of answers.

I still stand by my 2009 and 2010 lists as recommendations for folks wanting to explore different facets of Hawaiian music. But my ideas of “historical significance” have been greatly expanded since I began the great LP digitizing blitz in July 2011. I had come to the point where I needed to be able to listen to songs and artists. Nephew Nate along with research assistant Grace Okrah had digitized cherry-picked albums in past years. But I needed to be able to range over the entire spectrum. And the only way to ensure that was to digitize the remaining LPs myself. Hence the Great Digitizing Blitz; and along with it, the kind of perspective that one gets from any kind of birdʻs-eye view over a vast landscape.

Forthcoming:  The List. Stay Tuned. Aloha.

on my mind . . . a little and a lot

As the semester winds down to our final week of classes, my energies are occupied in preparing my hula class for their end-of-semester hō‘ike. We will be outside on the “Diag,” the epicenter of central campus. Pray for good weather. The weather forecasts calls for a high temperature of 53 degrees on Wednesday. Ouch. Pray for sunshine. Chunks of my time over the past five days have been spent sewing 33 pā‘ū for the women, and tonight I will crank out 7 sashes for the men. Sewing straight seams on yards and yards and yards of red fabric does allow the mind to wander . . . and there is much to ponder.

A lot of my energy the rest of this semester has been spent engaging with two undergraduate research assistants. Together we have sifted through mountains of information about sound recordings. All the LP digitizing Iʻve been doing since last summer has paid off as we have ranged over the tracks, identifying and linking up originals and reissues. This work could only have proceeded with access to the recordings themselves, which is why I had been feverishly digitizing. Here is one example of the payoff. Among all of the sound recordings associated with the orchestra and chorus of the “Hawaii Calls” radio broadcasts (spread across at least 5 record labels!), there are at least 10 appearances of the song “Beyond the Reef.” There are only five distinct performances; the other five tracks are reissues of four out of the five distinct performances.

Does this level of detail matter? To many it may not, but to some it will. “Hawaii Calls” was broadcast over three decades, during which artists came and went.  It makes sense that there would be more than one version of “Beyond the Reef” that made it onto recordings, just as it makes sense to understand that one version of “Beyond the Reef” cannot represent all of Hawaii Calls over its entire history.

The only way to confirm this level of distinction is to be able to listen to the tracks and verify them aurally. There is absolutely no substitution. Zero, nada, zip. Thus the rationale behind my digitizing blitz which began last summer. I will have much more to share in due course. There are many more lessons emerging from this exercise.

What Iʻm Listening To: Natalie Ai Kamauu

It is so rare when the luxury presents itself to sit with a CD and listen to it from start to finish. Equally rare–or perhaps more so–is the experience of having a CD draw in the listener by its very unfolding. So it is with ‘Ã, so much so that I am moved to share some of the many thoughts that todayʻs listening brought to mind. What made this listening exceptional from earlier listenings is that around track 4, “Ku‘u Pua Pakalana,” I suddenly sensed that something special was happening. And by track 11, “Pi‘i I Ka Nahele,” it became imperative to go get the jewel case and the booklet and take a closer look.

There are two principles in record production that the digital environment (like, downloading single tracks; ripping to iTunes, loading to smartphone or mobile music player, filesharing, etc) has thrown into chaos.

1. Artists communicate not only in their choice of songs, and their marshaling of skill and talent in performing songs, but also in their sequencing of multiple songs, whether it be on a product like an LP or CD, or in a setlist for a live performance. The digital environment is imperiling this dimension: regardless of what an artist may attempt to achieve, listeners more than ever are choosing to bypass the packaging  and hone in only on constituent parts.
2. Whether a physical product or a live performance, liner notes or program notes are an additional opportunity for artists to communicate with their audiences. The digital environment has virtually dispensed with liner notes. Even when they are still produced, notes are becoming peripheral to the listening experience. Indeed, a consumer trying to go green by reducing the accumulation of stuff has a difficult choice to make:  downloading an album so often means going without any liner notes that may accompany the physical product. Very rarely have I had digital booklets included with my “instant download” purchases, which is why I only buy  non-Hawaiian music this way.

Sequencing, and liner notes. Importantly, I came back to these two principles through the experiencing of listening to Natʻs new CD, her third solo project. On unwrapping the CD, the contents first struck me as a hodgepodge:  songs about O‘ahu, songs about Kaua‘i, the opening track a hapa haole song, two ballad-y mele Hawai‘i songs–“Nohili Ê” and Sanoe,” another monarchy song “Ninipo,” a chant, some new Hawaiian-language mele, and a Stevie Wonder song. [The truth: I didnʻt know it was a Stevie Wonder song until I read the liner notes. But it sure stuck out in the track list.]

‘Ã is a sparkling gem of an autobiographic revealing of a soul sparkling with love. Nat writes in the liner notes: “Every stone has inclusions, tiny imperfections within, but a steady, patient hand can carve around these creating magnificence. Every cut creates a facet, a table for light to dance upon. And when the artistʻs job is complete, it is a dazzling sight.” Nat presents this as a perspective to appreciate the beauty that surrounds her, both in the magnificent place that is home, and in the ʻohana in her life. After listening to the entire CD and then backtracking to read the notes, it struck me that this is also exactly what Nat does musically–she uses her gifted leo to carve and shape messages of love and aloha that accumulate into a sparkling gem.

Here are some of the facets.

Track 5, “Nohili Ê” — sung in honor of her brothers, especially Rhett: “he has a bit of the rest in him. World, This is my baby brother.”

Track 4, “Ku‘u Pua Pakalana” — to honor song Chaz, a mele by Nat which uses her favorite lei pakalana. The words fall perfectly onto the tune. The tune is so perfect that the words do not have to be pushed around to fit. And then vocally, each verse ends in a soul-inspired “e / hū.”

Track 6, “Ninipo” — a monarchy song, but sung here in remembrance of Natʻs grandmotherʻs laughter.

So Iʻm beginning to see how the song selections read autobiographically. I turn back to the beginning of the liner notes.

Track 1, “Hanalei Moon.” Nat writes: “It was the first song I sang. I mean really found my voice and sang. . . . This is my first love.” Okay, now I understand why this song is not only included, but is given the honor of being the opening track.

Track 2, “Firemanʻs Hula.” A song associated with chanteuse extraordinary Myra English. And, I learn by reading the liner notes, that Myra was one of the musicians who sang for Nat for her award-winning performance in the Miss Aloha Hula contest at Merrie Monarch.

So now I turn to the love songs at the end.

Track 10: “No Ku‘u Ipo I Ka Ua Noe,” a new mele written by Nat for ‘Io. Wow, the love song I wish I wrote for my beloved! And sung as a weaving of voices throughout. Verse one asks “where are you, my love?” and verse two responds “here, with you, in the lush green uplands of Lanihuli.” Turning the “Haʻina” phrase into a call-and-response added yet another sparkle onto an already sparkling mele.

Track 11: “E Pi‘i i ka Nahele” A mele about Ka‘ililauokekoa, one of the epic love stories in the mo‘olelo tradition. Pure mele: E Ka‘ili e, e Ka‘ili e! E Ka‘ililauokekoa, grandchild of Ho‘oipokamalani, treasured of Lehuawehe, rising there on Waiehu . . . ” The liner notes: “This chant takes flight with the spontaneous design of the tune.” The tune unfolds organically, its delicate laciness caressed by the nose flute accompaniment. I listen to the leo, and a revelation–that any distinctions that might be insisted upon between a “singing voice” and a “chanting voice” become irrelevant when the voice, the leo, is understood as simply the vessel that delivers the mele.

Track 12: “Sanoe” — a love song, a beautiful love song composed by Queen Lili‘uokalani. Upstaged by “No Ku‘u Ipo i ka Ua Noe” and “E Pi‘i i ka Nahele,” it is an expression of love, but now it is also a capstone commentary on how living haku mele are crafting and presenting expressions of love that resound in equally compelling ways.

Once I began to grasp the logic, the rationale underlying the song selections, the liner notes were absolutely indispensable in helping me appreciate not only the songs individually, but their sequencing that traced an autobiographical arc, from the biographical to the most intimate love between ipo. And I realized that this product, this CD, was itself a sparkling gem, one that was a window onto a sparkling soul. ‘Ai a ma‘ona, inu a kena”–eat until filled, drink until satiated.

‘Ã.

And Stevie Wonderʻs “Stay Gold” now makes perfect sense.

SONGS: Gabby Pahinuiʻs recordings of “Hiʻilawe”

In the last post I pointed to early printings of the mele “Hiʻilawe”–in a 1902 songbook (where the mele appears with two different tunes) and in the newspaper Ke Aloha Aina in 1906.

The song is now forever associated with singer/kī hō‘alu/steel guitarist Gabby Pahinui. He recorded it in the 1940s, then again in the 1970s. And most recently it has come back around again in the soundtrack to the motion picture The Descendants (2011).

There are at least five different recordings of “Hiʻilawe” by Gabby Pahinui. In chronological order, they are:

1. 1947: A 78rpm recording on Aloha Records (Aloha 810). This is the recording excerpted on the opening track of the 1972 LP Gabby (the “brown” album); the first two verses of “Hi‘ilawe” segue into “Lū‘au Hula.” The 1947 track is reissued in its entirety on four compilations:

The History of Slack Key Guitar (HanaOla HOCD-2400, p1995)

Aloha Hula Hawaiian Style (HanaOla HOCD-26000, p1995)

Legends of Falsetto (HanaOla HOCD-35000, p2000)

Territorial Airwaves (HanaOla HOCD-56000, p2004)

2. 1949: A 78rpm recording on Bell Records (LKS-505). This recording has reappeared on the folioing compilations:

Hawaiian Masters Collection Vol. 2 (Tantalus TR-1003, p1993)

Show Biz Hula (HanaOla HOCD-22000, p1995)

Lei of Stars (HanaOla HOCD-31000, p1998)

Yuki ‘Alani Yamauchi presents The History of Hawaiian Music (Office Sambinha RICE OSR-405, p2001)

Twilight in Hawaii (Sounds of the World SOW 90203, p2002)

3. 1961: from a series of recording sessions at Central Union Church. Those tracks and an insightful interview was released on the LP Pure Gabby (Hula HS-567) in 1978. This is the version of “Hiʻilawe” that is heard in the film The Descendants, and on its soundtrack album.

4.1972:  The complete song appears on the LP  (the “brown” album): Gabby (Panini PS-1002). This track was included on the compilation CD Pure Hawaiian (Quiet Storm QS-1010, p2001).

5. 1974: A live performance at the Waimea Music Festival, on the LP Waimea Music Festival (Panini PS-1006). This track was reissued on The Panini Collection (Panini Records 39476-2016-2, p2004).

SONGS: Hiilawe [Hi‘ilawe]

Dear Readers, it has been a month since my last post. I have not been idle; like so many others, I am struggling to stay afloat in the riptides . . . Like so many others, I mourned Whitney Houstonʻs untimely passing; like so many others, I was thrilled to wiyetness Adeleʻs triumphant return to the microphone. All the while I continue to make progress on my discographical adventures . . . and promise stories to come. But in the meantime, here is an offering on a well-known song, “Hiʻilawe.”

The song is legendary, and for many fans, the renown of the song rests on the legendary recordings by Gabby Pahinui. His 1947 recording of the song has appeared on numerous anthologies and compilations within the past 20 years.

Letʻs look at some of the earliest sources of the song. Several months ago, one of the members of the amazing team of folks working on the Ho‘olaupa‘i newspaper digitization project posted an exciting find on Facebook: a letter dated April 13, 1906, and published in the newspaper Ke Aloha Aina on April 21, 1906, with the lyrics to “Hiilawe Song.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Although the letter writer is one “O. K. Poniaulani,” at the end of the song is the statement: “This mele is composed by Samʻl Kalainaina in the year 1892.”

.

.

.

1906 was not the first year that this mele appeared in print. This mele appeared in a songbook titled Songs of Hawaii, compiled by A. R. “Sonny” Cunha and published by Bergstrom Music in 1902. And even more fascinating: the mele appears not once, but twice in that songbook, set to two different tunes, with attributions to two different authors.

Bishop Museum Ethnomusicologist Betty Tatar first called attention to finding “Hiilawe” in this songbook, and mentioned this in the entry on “Hi“ilawe” on pages 125-6 of George Kanaheleʻs encyclopedic volume Hawaiian Music and Musicians (1979). Nerdy student that I was, I went to UH Hamilton Library and Bishop Museum Library (at that time), and looked up these songbooks. Sure enough–two different melodies, two different author attributions; both arrangements copyrighted 1902.

In the course of a series of IM conversations two years ago with Bill Wynne, he located in Google Books a copy of Cunhaʻs 1914 compilation titled Famous Songs of Hawaii, which I had reported in one of my earliest articles (1987) to be an expanded edition of Cunhaʻs 1902 volume. I quickly logged onto Google Books, found the volume, and enjoyed a hearty laugh. The copy in Google Books was from Harvard College Music Library. Just inside the binding cover was the “Date Due” slip. The last five date stamps were 1985-1987. The borrower was none other than me, back when I was a graduate student!! I was indexing the songbooks back then, and my analysis of the songbook contents is what was written up in that 1987 article.

Click on the link I inserted in the last paragraph, and you, too, can see Harvardʻs copy of Cunhaʻs 1914 songbook. Youʻll find “Halialaulani” by Mrs. Kuakini on page 36, and “Ke Aloha Poina Ole” by Miss Martha K. Maui on page 39. Both songs are arranged by Sonny Cunha, and you can see for yourself the copyright notices dated 1902, registered to Bergstrom Music Co. of Honolulu, T.H.

A comment on the author attributions: it was then (and still is now) the convention in U.S. copyright registration of songs to privilege the author of the music over the author of the lyrics. So the attributions to Mrs. Kuakini and Miss Martha K. Maui must be read as crediting these two women with tunes that are, indeed, distinctly different from each other. The letter writer to the newspaper Ke Aloha Aina confirmed that the author of the mele lyrics is Samuel Kalainaina–an attribution that did not have a precisely understood location on the page in the context of common practice in copyright registration.

“Halialaulani” on page 36 has 26 lines in the mele. “Ke Aloha Poina Ole” on page 39 has 14 lines. Those 14 links correspond to lines 1-14 in “Halialaulani,” notwithstanding variants among minor grammatical particles. In the 1906 printing in Ke Aloha Aina, the mele has 26 lines, and they correspond with “Halialaulani.”

So here we have it, Dear Readers, another excursion through multiple sources of documentation that confirm a thriving practice–that a mele can have more than one tune, and that interest in at least these two tunes warranted their being notated, arranged and published in a songbook that carried these songs across oceans and continents, and the mele was sufficiently beloved to survive in performance and memory and resurface four decades later on a sound recording that is now canonized, lionized–and treasured.

on my mind . . . kuleana !

“Thatʻs your kuleana.” Translation: Thatʻs your responsibility. Thatʻs your thing. Thatʻs what youʻre supposed to do. Thatʻs your obligation. Thatʻs your contribution. Thatʻs your piece of the puzzle. Thatʻs your arena. Thatʻs your domain. Thatʻs your part of the whole. Thatʻs what you are supposed to take care of. Obligation. Responsibility. Contribution. Destiny.

Itʻs a lot for one word to carry. And it is a huge pū‘olo of expectations for any one person to take on oneself, even before placing it on anyone else.

Several years ago I put on my thinking cap and composed an essay called “On the Kuleana of a Kumu Hula.” The essay now lives on its own page on this blog. In the last two weeks there has been a spike in the number of hits on that page. A lot of folks apparently are reading it right now. I am guessing that one or more teachers have found it and have been assigning students to read it. (I am deliberately choosing to use “teacher” instead of “kumu” here, because I want to avoid the automatic-reflex jump that “kumu” will naturally mean “kumu hula.” I suspect that the teacher or teachers in this case may not necessarily be kumu hula, but rather schoolteachers or university instructors.)

That essay was several months in the making. In that several month period, I sought feedback and input from a circle of folks who I respect and admire deeply for their principled conduct. Not surprisingly, most of them are, in fact, longtime kumu hula. I have refrained from naming any of them, because they are not to blame for any shape or form of the final document. That kuleana is solely mine. I wrote, too,  that the essay represents thinking aloud. It is NOT any kind of “how-to-become-a-kumu-hula” document, because that process is the kuleana of those who have been entrusted with stewarding the knowledge of hula practice. I am not part of that particular group–while I have had the privilege of being entrusted with knowledge of hula and hula practice, I have not been entrusted with the kuleana of ʻuniki. As one keeper of hula knowledge, I do take seriously my kuleana to share that knowledge with those who seek it, to ensure that that knowledge passed to me does not end with me.

One important reason why I wrote the essay, however, is to get folks to think about expectations. Kumu hula are expected, by their own kumu, to be stewards of knowledge and practice that has been passed from the past. But — have everyone elseʻs expectations of kumu hula exceeded what is realistic? Have expectations placed on kumu hula gone beyond what their kuleana is–and even ballooned out of control? Have kumu hula been expected to take on roles and demonstrate expertise in areas beyond the stewarding of hula knowledge? Have those expectations begun to affect how kumu hula can actually fulfill their kuleana to hula knowledge and practice?

In California, for example, where I lived for 8 years and where I still maintain my commitment to Kūlia i ka Pūnāwai (Kumu Hula Association of Southern California), kumu hula are acutely aware of the fact that they represent Hawaiian culture in their communities. Many have become community leaders and advocates for health and wellbeing, arts and crafts, concert production and promotion–activities far beyond the kuleana of stewarding knowledge of hula practice and presentation. But in California, where people are not surrounded 24/7 by access to lived culture in the way that people in Hawai‘i enjoy, haumana and their families and friends look to their kumu hula for guidance. And kumu hula have risen to the challenge, in recognition of their kuleana to their students. So, one question that could be asked is–are kumu hula now expected to develop expertise–not just knowledge, but expertise–in areas that have traditionally been the kuleana of other people–like la‘au lapa‘au medicinal healers, featherworkers, taro cultivation, ipu harvesting? Another question: at what point does pursuit of activities outside of hula practice cross the line into being counterproductive to (try “get in the way of”) a kumu’s particular expertise in cultivating haumana and creating hula?

Try a different direction. The path I chose is that of a scholar committed to research. In my life as a university professor, promotion brings new opportunities. New positions open up, opportunities to move up the ladder of hierarchy into positions of institutional leadership. But those new activities have costs. And one of the costs is less time that I can spend on research and writing, because my time is now spent on fulfilling the kuleana of the new position. A department chairperson, for example is expected to attend and support department-sponsored events, even if those events are not directly relevant to that personʻs own interests. A department chairperson is also expected to attend meetings with higher-ups outside the department, thus reducing oneʻs time on oneʻs own work, in the interest of the wellbeing of the department.

So–itʻs time to step back and assess. What is my kuleana? What contribution can I make that is most effective? If my passion is to share the what I find, and to get folks to think about things differently when new insights present such opportunities, then how can I best accomplish that?

What is the kuleana of a Hawaiian musician? To be the best possible musician by practicing and rehearsing? To be a reliable musician by showing up at a gig on time with the necessary gear (like instruments)? To be the most successful musician by securing the highest paid gigs? To make a livelihood to support oneself (and even a family–partner, children, parents)? After all, musicians have to eat, and buy clothes and pay for shelter as well as keep the instruments and gear in working order. Are musicians expected to have the expertise of fluent Hawaiian language speakers and language instructors? Are all musicians expected to be teachers of students at all age levels? Are musicians expected to nurture and mentor younger aspiring students? (The kuleana of a performer is not completely identical to the kuleana of a teacher. Some of the most effective teachers in western art music were not concert musicians, but rather teachers whose gifts enabled them to conjure and inspire the best out of their students.)

So, Dear Readers, what are your kuleana? And what kuleana are you expecting of others?

Queen Liliʻuokalaniʻs Songs — Looking for Recordings?

In 2010 there are several posts about archival sources for Queen Lili‘uokalaniʻs songs. It was on my mind to complement those posts with a post or two (or maybe more) about recordings. Here, at long last, is a roundup of some LPs and CDs that are prominently (or entirely) feature the Queenʻs songs.

Jack De Mello. The Music of Queen Liliuokalani (Kamokila K-700). circa late 1950s / early 1960s. Jack DeMello, historian, musicologist, arranger extraordinaire, and conductor. Mr. DeMello conducts arrangements for full orchestra that are based on the melodies in Lili‘uokalaniʻs manuscripts. While the arrangements are model examples of mastery in the craft of orchestration (for which there is so little opportunity nowadays to challenge contemporary musicians), these arrangements respect the tunes by framing, rather than overshadowing, the original source material. There are no vocals on this disc. However, we hear the tunes as Lili‘uokalani herself notated them. (Many of the orchestral arrangements reappear as accompaniment to recordings by Emma Veary.)

Charles K. L. Davis with the Kawaiaha‘o Church Choir, conducted by Daniel Akaka. Songs of Hawaiian Royalty (Royal RY-111). circa 1960s or early 1970s.  Charles K. L. Davis is an operatically trained tenor with experience in musical theater as well. So this recording reflects the spirit of mele Hawai‘i art songs as they were being premiered in the monarchy era: in concerts and recitals in Kawaiaha‘o church, featuring singers and instrumentalists known in the community as music teachers as well as performers, or featuring choral arrangements rehearsed by church choirs. This album showcases Mr. Davisʻs impeccable diction, and his vocal skill is enveloped by a tasteful choral enhancement delivered by the Kawaiaha‘o Church Choir. To my knowledge, tracks from the LP album have not be reissued. The LP appears from time to time on ebay.

CDs

The Galliard String Quartet. Songs of Liliuokalani (Wa Nui WN-4501, 1995). Instrumental arrangements for string quartet, performed by classically trained musicians who were members of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. Very pleasant.

.

Ozzie Kotani. To Honor a Queen: The Music of Lili‘uokalani (Dancing Cat 38018, 2002). An all-instrumental album of slack-key guitar arrangements. Quite a different vibe from the world of musicians trained in classical music and the environment of the recital hall (not a criticism; simply an observation). Slack-key guitarists are highly accomplished instrumentalists, and many have extended the tradition from traditional hula ku‘i repertoire into original compositions. Furthermore, the extensive documentation of slack key initiated by Dancing Cat Records in the 1990s, and the concertizing and touring in support of the CD issues, has brought kī hō‘alu slack key playing from its rural and informal roots into the concert hall world. So Ozzie Kotaniʻs sustained treatment of an entire group of Lili‘uokalaniʻs songs in slack key arrangements brings this repertoire into another artistic realm.

Ku‘uipo Kumukahi & The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Serenaders. Nā Lani ‘Ehā, 2007. A project of the non-profit organization Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The group produces annual galas to induct accomplished artists into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame; they have mounted informative exhibits in Honolulu on Hawaiian music history; and they are involved in statewide discussions to establish a museum of Hawaiian music and hula. The four royal siblings–King David Kalākaua, Queen Lili‘uokalani, Princess Miriam Likelike and Prince William Leleiohōkū–known as “Nā Lani ‘Ehā” have been adopted as the organization’s patrons. This recording, then, is a tribute project, featuring vocalist Ku‘uipo Kumukahi accompanied by The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Serenaders, who are Isaac Akuna, Joseph Winchester, and organization president James Kimo Stone. The song selections include songs not recorded in recent years, such as “Kīlaue” and “Wahine Hele La o Kaiona.”  The presentation here is guitar and ‘ukulele strumming in the vein of Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawai‘i. The CD received the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Album of the Year in 2008.

A Tribute to Nā Lani ‘Ehā: Music of the Hawaiian Monarchy (Poki SP-9075, 2010). This tribute album features songs selected and presented by a range of popular artists currently active in Hawai‘i’s recording industry and entertainment scenes–Del Beazley, Manu Boyd, Teresa Bright, Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, Louis Moon Kauakahi, and Cyril Pahinui. While four of the six artists have released albums on the Poki Records label and its affiliate, Pumehana Records, all of the tracks featured on this particular album are newly-recorded. The song selections are, for the most part, well-known favorites. Kumu Hula Kawaikapuokalani Hewett contributes two of the most well-known hula ‘ōlapa chants that honor Lili‘uokalani–“Lili‘u E” and “‘Anapau.”

Lili‘uokalani (Legacy Hula Vol. 3). (Daniel Ho Creations DHC-80081, 2010). Queen Lili‘uokalani’s reputation as a gifted and revered songwriter is renowned. So much so that the phrase “Queen Lili‘uokalani’s songs” usually does not bring to mind the dozens of her mele compositions for hula, as well as the dozens, if not hundreds, of mele composed in her honor. This project is a window onto that facet of artistic activity that delves into Hawaiian-language newspapers and unpublished manuscript sources from the 1890s. The settings are contemporary, by kumu hula who are members of Kūlia i ka Pūnāwai (Kumu Hula Association of Southern California). This CD includes a set of four mele composed by Lili‘uokalani in honor of her husband, Gov. John Dominis, as well as two other sets of mele composed by others in her honor.

E Ō Maui: Irmgard Farden Aluli & Puamana

The musical legacy Mauiʻs Farden family stretches epically over at least four generations of musicians, entertainers, recording artists, songwriters, kumu hula, educators, and ambassadors of aloha. In her generation, Irmgard Farden Aluli had garnered attention as an entertainer and songwriter, but it was only in the 1980s that two definitive recordings of many of her songs were issued. She headlines the group “Puamana,” which consists of daughters Aima Aluli McManus and Mihana Aluli Souza, and niece Luana McKinney.

For many years I have enjoyed the CD reissue of tracks drawn from the two LPs. But it was upon digitizing both LPs this morning that I compared the track lists, and discovered that out of 26 songs on the two LPs, there were 14 songs were on the LPs that were not reissued on the CD, and the final track on the CD, “At the Copacabana,” was not included on either LP. So here is an accounting of the 1980s LPs as compared to the 1998 CD.

A single asterisk identifies songs from the 1982 LP that appeared on the CD; a double asterisk identifies songs from the 1986 LP that appeared on the CD. The songwriting credits are as reported on the LP labels and in the CD liner notes.

1982: One Little Dream of You (Puamana Productions PP-001)

1. * “One Little Dream of You” written by Nane & Irmgard Aluli
2. * “Maui” written by Mary Pukui and Irmgard Aluli
3. * “Kūmū Kalidadidi” written by Irmgard Aluli
4. “Puamōhala i ka Wēkiu” written by Frank Kahala and Irmgard Aluli
5. * “No Hilahila” Written by Ed Halloway, Jr. and Irmgard Aluli
6. * “Maunawili at Sundown” written by Irmgard Aluli
7. “Sun and Sand” written by Mary Pukui and Irmgard Aluli
8. * “E Maliu Mai” written by Irmgard Aluli
9. * “You Taught Me How to Love You” written by Irmgard Aluli
10. * “Kulaiapahia” written by Larry Kimura and Irmgard Aluli
11. * “Ka Waimea Swing” written by Thelma Bugbee and Irmgard Aluli
12. “Soft Hawaiian Eyes” written by Irmgard Aluli
13. * “For a Peaceful World” written by Napua Stevens and Irmgard Aluli

1986:  Have A Smile (Puamana Productions PP-002)

1. ** “Puamana” written by Irmgard Farden Alley
2. “Kahukiaialo” written by Irmgard Farden Aluli
3. “Ginger Memories” written by Edna Farden Bekeart
4. “Nā Hoa He‘e Nalu” written by Irmgard Farden Aluli
5. “Halona” / “Roselani” (written by W. J. Coelho / J. Elia  © Charles E King)
6. “Kaho‘olawe” written by Irmgard Farden Aluli, Pilahi Paki, Inez Ashdown and Napua Stevens
7. “Maui Moon” written by Andy Iona
8. “Old Plantation,” written by David Nape © Charles E. King
9. “Maui Girl” written by Ignacio Libornio
10. “Hana By the Sea” written by Aima Aluli McManus
11. “Ulupalakua” written by Emma Farden Sharpe
12. “Lei Aloha, Lei of Love” written by Irmgard Farden Aluli
13. ** “One More Round” written by Liberty Helenihi Belfast and Irmgard Farden Aluli

1998: From Irmgard With Love (Mountain Apple MACD-2049)

1. ** “Puamana” Music by Irmgard Aluli, Words by Charles Kekua Farden
2. * “You Taught Me How to Love You” Music & Words by Irmgard Aluli
3. * “Kūmū Kalidadidi” Music & Words by Irmgard Aluli
4. * “Kūla‘iapāhia” By Irmgard Aluli & Larry Lindsey Kimura
5. * “No Hilahila” Words by Irmgard Aluli, Music by Ed Halloway
6. * “One Little Dream of  You” By Irmgard Aluli (3rd verse words by Nane Aluli)
7. * “E Maliu Mai” Music & Words by Irmgard Aluli; English lyrics by Nane Aluli
8. * “Ka Waimea Swing” Music by Irmgard Aluli; Words by Thelma Bugbee
9. * “Maunawili at Sundown” Music & Words by Irmgard Aluli
10. ** “One More Round” Music by Liberty Helenihi Belfast; Words by Irmgard Aluli & Liberty Helenihi Belfast
11. * “Maui” Music by Irmgard Aluli, Words by Mary Kawena Pukui
12. “For a Peaceful World” Music by Irmgard Aluli, Words by Napua Stevens-Poire
13. “At the Copacabana” Music & Words by Irmgard Aluli