It’s early morning after the final Monday night at E Kanikapila Kakou 2008...I lie in bed recapping a day that began in frustration and ended with an evening of creative high. The trickle down effect of Aloha’s sudden demise is way more than a trickle for me as I spend hours in the morning dealing with travel arrangements for my artists.

On Hilo, Aaron Sala, in between his very active role of playing the piano for many of the dancers and halaus at the Merrie Monarch Festival, had been experiencing the same pilikia trying to get Kehau Tamure and Kamakoa Lindsey-Asing to join him at EKK. To no avail...it was mission impossible to get off the Big Island after the Merrie Monarch.

Creative people always find a way, and Aaron’s girlfriend Carly Makanani Ahsing, Ms Aloha Hula contestant in 2006, was the picture perfect addition to last night’s EKK.

Aaron Sala, being a new face at EKK, was a total surprise and delight for everyone. He’s like a musical artichoke with layer after layer of unexpected talent, giving us tasty glimpses into the heart... a heart of pure romance and Aloha. By the end of the evening, we could tell that there were many more layers to uncover before this musical genius gets to reveal his wealth of talent. Aaron is definitely one that we will be seeing a lot more on the musical scene.

Aaron Sala and Makanani Ahsing Top off EKK Season

It was an evening rich with Aloha . . . sharing stories, songs and dances exuding the essence of love.

A musician composer who accompanies himself on a piano is rare at E Kanikapila Kakou, but one with a musical background like Aaron’s is even more rare. Of Samoan descent on his father’s side and Hawaiian on his mother’s side, his talent was recognized and nurtured from an early age as he was trained in classical piano with mentors like Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin.

Growing up in Leone Village, Samoa, he started piano lessons on an old fashioned pump organ. Laughingly he demonstrated how hard it was to keep pumping his feet up and down without stopping while playing Mozart; his fingers quickly rippled out a familiar Mozart tune.

As a kid he believed that the piano in his Kailua home was his because he was the only one who played it. One day, his grandmother sat down at the piano and with no music in sight, began to play “Kalama’ula”. Aaron demonstrated for us the way she played it and we were right there with him in his living room watching his jaw drop as his grandmother introduced the classically trained Aaron to Hawaiian piano. She also played “Quanto Quanto” and he was hooked. He wanted to play like her with no music sheets and no practice.

While taking piano lessons from Beatrice Durant, he happened to be playing “Indian Love Call” and she came in saying that doesn’t sound like Chopin. Instead of scolding Aaron, she told him, “If you’re going to play Hawaiian piano, play it!” and Chopin’s Nocturne went out the window. Beatrice also played Hawaiian piano.

He talked about other artists who influenced his piano playing. One of his mentors is Mahi Beamer who played at “Andrews” in the Ward Center. Mahi often invited Aaron to sit with him at the piano where he learned so much about playing the entire keyboard from the piano master.

His Aunty Leila taught him “to play less is more” because it’s not all about you; it’s about the singing; he then demonstrated how he tones down the piano while singing and plays up the piano between the singing. It was so great that he could actually demonstrate what he meant.

His Uncle Buddy who Aaron claims exists on another plane, taught him all the jazz stuff and taught him to play with chords...he goes on to demonstrate the difference in the same song played in the traditional style and in Buddy’s style.

He shared a story about his visit to Greenwich Village in New York where one can go from one piano bar to another. In one bar all the waiters and waitresses went up to sing. A beautiful woman dressed in tank top and denim jeans with rings on all her fingers and underarm wattle -- “kele kele” -- swaying like wings went up and sang a very sexy “All of Me”. An older black woman dressed in denim jeans and shirt, covered with gold jewelry and wearing dark glasses, got up and sang about Romance in her very raspy tobacco voice; young Aaron gave her a standing ovation. He could not believe that he had fallen in love with an 80-year-old woman and told her that he had to learn this song. She was very accommodating and sang the song for him while he copied down the words on a napkin....this before the days of IPod. Again...a peek into another layer of the romantic Aaron Sala.

Admittedly nervous about presenting at EKK, Aaron opens up with “Nani Kauai”, acknowledging that “Kaua’i has the most beautiful songs.” This is not a casual observation but coming from one who is working toward his Masters degree in Ethnomusicology, he said this with a degree of authority and background. A Hawaiian studies instructor at the University of Hawaii until recently, his background in Hawaiian mythology and geneology prepared him with a vast repertoire of tales to go with each the songs he chose to share...and the in-depth stories were wonderful.

A serene beauty, Makanani Ahsing brought many of Aaron’s songs to life with her graceful hula. Picture this -- a yellow ohai ali’i head lei adorning her long tresses, two long hula-length strands of puakenikeni leis accented with an orange ohai ali’i lei around her neck. All this set off against a dark chocolate brown top and skirt with a bold breadfruit design in the same yellow color as the puakenikeni on the skirt. She was the very embodiment of the hula experience that many enjoyed in Hilo all week, and we got it in a lovely nutshell. She is certainly a credit to her kumu hula Maelia Lobenstein-Carter’s halau Ka Pa Hula O Kauanoe O Wa’ahila who placed fourth in the Kahiko hula this year.

Definitely a romantic, he talked about the song he wrote for Makanani before he knew Makanani existed. He wrote it under his pen name as he felt his muse was speaking through him, but in his first radio interview with Auntie Maria (who was present in the audience), she asked him “Did you write any original songs on your CD?” at which time he revealed and sang the title song of his CD “Ka’upu Aloha”.

One of the highlights of the evening was a moment of serendipity that just happened with no planning on anyone’s part -- it was wonderful! He launched so effortlessly into a song he learned from Mahi Beamer,“Sabor A Mi”, and we could catch a glimpse into his operatic training. Fran Nestel, sitting in the front row, joined him with her beautiful soprano voice....Aaron’s eyes widened with surprise as they sang the Spanish song back and forth. “We’re having a moment here!” Grasping the moment, he asked her to sing it again while he translated it into English for us. Playing the piano and translating the words into English posed a left brain/right brain conflict, so he laughingly switched gears and asked Fran to translate while he sang the song. As he sang the romantic love song, looks of awe and romance registered on everyone’s face, and Fran jumped in like a United Nations translator, giving the English meaning in the most direct, simple, clear language and with no time to embellish, spilled out words like ”...as we enjoy this love ...the coming together ...I give you the taste of me ...you also keep my flavor ...there is nothing else I can do ...a thousand years or more ...in your life ....the taste of me...” Aaron was so delighted by this surprise encounter of the most unexpected kind that he said to Fran, “We’re going on the road together!”

He said that it’s always a compliment when someone dances a hula to a song that you wrote. During the break, he met a young girl who danced to his “No Vai Te Ire Reo”, a Tahitian song about caring for the Earth. Aimee Sato, a lovely young dancer with the fluidity and grace of a swan had folks brushing away tears while she shared the visual interpretation of a beautiful song.

Demonstrating his versatility, he sang an Italian love song, “Parlami d’Amore Mariu” in an operatic style that had the entire first two rows swooning...it was as much fun to watch the audience reaction to each number. Couples were giving each other “the look” and singles were swooning with anticipation of the imagined. He needs to come back close to Valentine’s Day.

He also shared songs written by other composers, translating each song before he sang it so that we could understand the meaning behind the songs. Randie Fong, at age 18, wrote a song about Laka while picking ferns up in Nu’uanu; the song was titled “Hale a Laka”. He sang another song, “E ho’i ke aloha i Ra’iatea,” that Randie wrote while at a conference in Tahiti. Aaron spoke briefly about growing up in Samoa where there was no electricity or hot water.

Frank Hewett, one of Hawaii’s prolific composers, is known for his deep messages told in a straight forward manner. The song “Lei ana ‘o Manoa i ka nani o na pua” tells the tragic tale of the Chiefess Kahala’opuna and her husband Kauhi’s repeated attempts to kill her on one ridge after another in Manoa, only to be repeatedly resuscitated by her a’umakua, the Pueo. As they move from ridge to ridge they encounter all the different kinds of rains that fall in Manoa. All the ridges and the rains are named in the song.

Aaron shared his favorite Hawaiian song written in 1935 by Lena Machado who loved her husband “...like you should love your husband”. The song was based on her phone conversation with her husband while traveling. The biggest reason why he loved the song were the words “Aloha” -- “alo” (presence) and “ha” (breath of life); he shared the significance of the word Aloha in the Hawaiian language.

One of the songs that he shared for us to sing was “Ehu Ehu Mai Nei ‘O Manoa”. He asked what everyone wanted to sing and of course “Koke’e” by Dennis Kamakahi was a shoo-in since most folks knew that song. You could see that Aaron was impressed with the singing by everyone; his appreciation of such a receptive audience dissolved his initial nervousness.

He also invited hula dancers to come up to dance. Hula sisters Sabra Kauka and Po’ai Galindo danced to well-known favorite “Makee Ailana” about the island in the middle of the moat where lovers met on the bridge . . . unfortunately, that sentimental spot for lovers is today the parking lot for the Waikiki Zoo. Such is progress.

Starting with a Kaua’i song, he wanted to end with a Kaua’i song so he called up his very good friend and “master blaster” Lady Ipo Kahaunaele, who used to work with his Mom in Waikiki. She, too, used to hang out with Mahi Beamer in the days when she was aiming to be the torch singer of the day. She sang a very torchy version of “Koula” while Aaron rippled away on the piano and Makanani danced the hula. Lady Ipo also sang “Aloha Kaua’i”, a hula favorite that brought Po’ai Galindo, Haunani Rossi, Faith Pau and Fran Nestel up to the floor. Lady Ipo so eloquently summed up the spirit of EKK, gave kudos all the way around for the spirit and continuation of this unique program, and acknowledged the younger generation of artists like Aaron and her daughter Kainani Kahaunaele to pick up the musical baton and keep the music going.

Through an evening of wonderful stories and descriptions played out on the piano, Aaron’s amazing repertoire of songs, Makanani’s hula, a great season of new talent came to an unforgettable close. The audience sang their final "Hawai'i Aloha" for 2008 and hugs were given all around as everyone was still caught up in the romance and the Aloha of the evening.

Be sure to come to the FINALE CONCERT and see you all next year!

April 13 - EKK ends with a Finale Concert at KCC PAC featuring Aaron Mahi, Dennis and David Kamakahi, Natalie A’i Kamau’u with Iolani Kamau’u and Chad A’i, and the Ladies of Kapu Kinimaka’s Na Hula O Kaohikukapulani.

(s) Carol Kouchi Yotsuda, www.gardenislandarts.org -- “Celebrating 31 years of bringing ARTS to the people and people to the ARTS”

E Kanikapila Kakou 2008 -- EKK Silver Anniversary -- Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, and Garden Island Arts Council supporters. Space made available by Island School.

Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of Hawai’i and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.