The Legacy of the Kamaka ‘Ukulele Family

The Legacy of the Kamaka ‘Ukulele Family

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Who’s Coming Up on Monday March 19?

Program begins at 6:30 pm

Here is the link to EKK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ekanikapilakakou.kauaistyle/

The Legacy of the Kamaka ‘Ukulele Family

hosted by Herb Ohta Jr. & Bryan Tolentino

Meeting the members of the Kamaka ‘Ukulele family was a real treat for the EKK audience. Via a documentary video created three years ago as part of the Craft in America series on PBS, we learned about the four-generation Kamaka Family business which was started by Samuel Kamaka in 1916. In addition to the video, they produced the 100th anniversary two CD album, a compilation of many artists with whom they work, the sales of which goes to support various non-profits.

The double K logo used by the company represents the two brothers Fred Sr. and Sam Jr., ages 92 and 95, both are still very active and popular among visitors conducting the tours of the factory during the weekdays.

Casey is a fulltime captain pilot with Hawaiian Airlines; he does much of the research and custom orders for the company. Christopher Sr., production manager, handles the quality control of each instrument before it goes out the door. Fred Jr. is the business manager. Many members of the fourth generation work at the shop, including Chris Jr. who was present as a guitar player for tonight’s program.

Luthiers Casey and Chris Sr. fielded many questions from the audience following the video.

Kamaka Hawaii, Inc., today makes about 3500 ‘ukulele a year, all made to order and distributed by dealers worldwide with the largest market being in Japan because that population embraces everything Hawaiian. The Pineapple ‘Ukulele designed in the mid-twenties by Sam is the Kamaka signature ‘ukulele to this day.

Ninety percent of their instruments are made from koa wood from Hawai’i island; koa is increasingly harder to get but care is taken to revitalize the forest by fencing and planting more trees. Mahoghony from Central and South America is easily available; Rosewood is also available but shipping internationally is a major problem, especially when the wood has to go back and forth. They gave pointers on the care of the ‘ukulele and shared that they will repair instruments that got damaged. They also make guitars but the demands for the ‘ukulele keep them too busy.

There are 27 full time employees working at Kamaka. Some of the workers were hearing impaired worker suggested for hire by Sam’s wife, an occupational therapist. They were trained to feel the vibrations of the wood. Because their sense of touch was so keen, they were invaluable for this task and some of them had worked for about fifty years at the company. As many of the old timers retired, new and younger workers passionate about their craft have been hired and trained to take over the various steps of producing each instrument.

Each instrument is handled by the various workers whose kuleana is one step of the assembly line process, but the workers are cross-trained to insure that every step of the process is covered in making each instrument. Chris Sr., a member of the musical group Ho’okena, said he gave an application form to another member of the group upon his retirement from Pearl Harbor.

Each instrument, customized to the needs of the artists, takes about 6 to 8 weeks to design and construct. Herb shares, “Bryan and I can’t play our music without the instruments by the Kamaka family.”

Today the shop is located in Kaka’ako at 550 South Street and sticks out like a sore thumb among all the new tall buildings, but they are in the process of relocating their shop.

Following the video and talk story with Casey and Chris, ‘ukulele players with their instruments had a chance to do a short jam session with the four musicians — Herb Ohta Jr. and BryanTolentino (who just flew in from Japan that morning), Chris Kamaka, Sr., third generation luthier with group Ho’okena on upright bass, and Chris Jr. on guitar.

They invited those with ‘ukulele to join in on Noho Paipai with Bryan calling out chords. They then played Ulupalakua w/ Herb as lead vocalist.

Following the final 35 years whee-haw!! welcome of the season with the audience members from Kaua’i, Hawai’i, mainland, Alaska, Canada and worldwide, congratulations went out to the 34 perfect attendance participants who received CD gifts with Carol’s weekly wrap. The Kanikapila portion of the program got underway.

Herb Jr. shared that he learned ‘ukulele at age 3 from Herb Ohta Sr., his father, his teacher, his mentor, his idol, and quit at age 9 on his father’s advice. But he always kept in the loop with the ‘ukulele because Herb taught his dad’s classes while he went on tours. Ledward Kaapana of the group I Kona was another major influence in his life. Herb shared a song about canoes called Holo Wa’apa by Lena Machado. He invited father and son to play together — Christopher Kamaka Sr. and Christopher Kamaka Jr. played Catching A Wave with senior as the vocalist. Junior was encouraged by his Mom to play the timeless Someday, a perfect choice for the EKK audience because it took them back to their youth.

There seems to be a lot of light-hearted bantering between Herb and Bryan. Bryan often tells people to “call him HOJ” (Herb Ohta, Jr.) so folks will actually go up and call him “HOJ”, even in Japan. Herb says, “I see you’ve been talking to Bryan.” Bryan talked about a new project between Herb and himself called ‘Ukulele Friends and ‘Ukulele Friends, The Sequel. They played a song titled Leinani w/ Chris on the upright bass.

Herb used to work at Harry’s Music Store in Kaimuki. At that time Bryan suggested that they come up with a new song for their upcoming CD. They met to work on it and wrote the new song in ten minutes. Both Chris’s came up and joined them for G Minor Fleas, a fast rhythmic instrumental with a hint of Spanish beat; it was very well received by the audience. Bryan played Pu’uanahulu inspired by the late Peter Moon, one of Hawaii’s big inspirations who played with the Cazimero brothers as “Sunday Manoa” and later as the “Peter Moon Band.” He pointed out that this song is on his first CD; one audience member reminded Bryan, “Your only CD.” Bryan jokingly came back with, “I’m not bitter.”

Herb clarified that Bryan is one of the most sought after ‘ukulele players. Bryan said “I’m on 53 of my friends’ CDs as an accompanist. I like playing as an accompanist; it’s like flying under the radar.”

Bryan gave a much overdue intro for Herb, who has recorded seventeen albums to date, pointing out that Herb is one of the cleanest ‘ukulele players who can walk into the studio and is ready to nail everything with no need for warmups. He wanted to showcase Herb’s mastery of the ‘ukulele. This was so important because Herb is overly modest when sharing the stage with others.

Herb first shared a hilarious story that happened to him at Hy’s Steakhouse in Waikiki where he often played music for over three hours a night. One evening, an elderly Hawaiian woman walked up to the stage and tugged on his slacks, requesting a song by Iz.

Herb asked, “Which one?”

She replied, “The popular one.”

Herb came back, “They’re all popular”

She clarified, “The one they play on the radio.”

Herb said, “They play them all on the radio.”

She said, “It’s about a rainbow.”

Herb said, “I can play that song but not like Iz.”

The woman replied, “Oh well, never mind then.”

Then Herb Jr. treated us to what an ‘ukulele can sound like in the hands of a master ‘ukulele player; he played an exquisitely sensitive version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Too bad the woman never heard it.

Bryan comes often to Kaua’i. Recently, he was at E Pili Kakou Hula Conference where he met Lady Ipo Kahaunaele-Ferreira. He called on her to join them on stage; she sangNani Kauai in her sultry voice; Poai Galindo came up to dance the hula. Ipo herself was so jazzed at the way she sang the song with the excellent ‘ukulele accompaniment. She shared another song by Teresa Bright who wrote this when she was stuck at Tahiti Nui with nowhere to go because the Hanalei bridge was closed down. It’s about a voluptuous hula dancer who knew three basic steps — uwehe, ami, slide — so that’s what she did; she got up and danced Uwehe, Ami and Slide. Lady Ipo, the Queen of Hawaiian Jazz, delivered that song the way that only she can. The ‘ukulele players went to town with their pa’ani.

Chris Sr. sang the ever popular hula song Papalina Lahilahi which brought Lady Ipo, Madeleine Guyett, Polei Palmeira and Mahina Baliaris to the stage to dance.

Herb wanted to honor the late Peter Moon with I’ll Remember You, written by the late Kui Lee and sung by Chris Kamaka Sr. Bryan shared many funny stories about “an up and coming young ‘ukulele player and good friend named Jake.” Herb asked Bryan, “Do you think Jake talks about us when he performs?” Bryan shook his head.

Eddie Kamae was very influential in the lives of many — his father Herb Ohta Sr., Herb Jr., Bryan and many others were greatly influenced by the man and his music. Bryan shared his story about his last visit with Uncle Eddie. After Palani Vaughan’s funeral, Bryan and Sonny Lim went to visit him at Palolo Valley Hospice. Eddie was dressed in his red palaka shirt. Myrna was giving him ice chips, but he had been unresponsive for a couple of days. Bryan and Sonny spent some time playing music and when it was time to leave, Bryan leaned over to give Eddie a kiss when he was suddenly startled because Eddie opened his eyes, smiled and gave them a shaka sign; he passed away the next morning. The group played E Ku’u Morning Dew composed by Eddie Kamae and Larry Kimura.

It was a true kanikapila evening with a peek into the history of a remarkable family, great music and stories, impromptu sharing of hula, enjoyed among old and new friends who love and appreciate the Hawaiian culture.

The 35th season will end with a solo concert on Monday, March 19, by the fabulous Makana. Then we bid each other adieu until next January.

* * *

E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, supported by the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, and the GIAC/EKK supporters. Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Hawai’i State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kuhio Travis — A One Man Show

Kuhio Travis — A One Man Show

For Upcoming 2018 Arts & Culture Calendar email giac05@icloud.com to get listing in advance

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Who’s Coming Up on Monday March 12?

Program begins at 6 pm

Here is the link to EKK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ekanikapilakakou.kauaistyle/

The Kamaka Story

Shortly after the turn of the century, Samuel Kaialiilii Kamaka began crafting koa ukuleles from the basement of his Kaimuki, Hawai’i home. He formed his one-man shop, “Kamaka Ukulele and Guitar Works,” and soon established a solid reputation for making only the highest quality ukuleles.

In 1921, Kamaka Ukulele established a shop at 1814 South King Street. In the mid-20s, Sam Kamaka laid out a pattern for a new oval- shaped ukulele body. His friends remarked that it looked like a pineapple, so one of Sam’s artist friends painted the front to duplicate the tropical fruit. A few years later in 1928, Sam Kamaka patented the design. Thus began the original Pineapple Ukulele, which produced a resonant, mellow sound distinct from the traditional figure-eight. The Pineapple Ukulele became an instant success worldwide, and continues to be Kamaka’s signature ukulele to this day.

During the 30s, Sam Sr. introduced his two sons, Samuel Jr. and Frederick, to the craft of ukulele-making, even though the boys were only in elementary school. In 1945, the business was reorganized as “Kamaka and Sons Enterprises.” Sam Jr. and Fred Sr. were then drafted into the Army, and after serving in WWII, both brothers attended college on the GI bill. After graduating from Washington State University, Fred Sr. began a career in the Army, while Sam Jr. earned a masters degree and went on to pursue a doctorate in entomology at Oregon State University.

In 1952, due to illness, Sam Sr. went into semi-retirement and hauled his equipment to his Lualualei Homestead farm in Waianae. When he became seriously ill the following year, Sam Jr. abandoned his studies and moved back to Hawaii to care for his father. Sam Sr. died in December 1953, after hand-crafting koa ukuleles for over 40 years.

Immediately following Sam Sr.’s death, Sam Jr. put aside his personal career aspirations to continue the family business. Building on the knowledge he had picked up from his father, Sam Jr. restored the factory at the previous 1814 S. King Streetlocation. Five years later in 1959, the company expanded to its current location at 550 South Street.

Kamaka and Sons incorporated in 1968 and became “Kamaka Hawaii, Inc.” After retiring from the Army in 1972, Fred Sr. joined the business as its general manager. Along the way, Sam Jr.’s sons, Chris and Casey, also got involved with the company as did Fred Sr.’s son, Fred Jr. The sons now play major roles at Kamaka Hawaii, Inc.: Chris is the production manager, Casey crafts the custom orders, and Fred Jr. is the business manager. Other young family members are also helping with the business, carrying the Kamaka tradition into the fourth generation.

As the Kamaka legacy moves forward, it is important to reflect on what has made the company endure. The guiding philosophy at Kamaka Hawaii has always been the candid, but sensible advice handed down from Sam Sr. to sons: “If you make instruments and use the family name, don’t make junk.”

Kamaka Hawaii, Inc. will have their instruments and other ‘ukulele supplies available for sale at EKK on March 12 with a portion of the sales to benefit EKK.

March 5: The ‘Ukulele Lady Leads the Charge

Lady Ipo Kahaunaele-Ferreira led the ‘ukulele circle workshop at the beginning of the evening and had her class come up for their ho’ike immediately after. They sang and played E Naughty Naughty Mai Nei by Mel Peterson, uncle of Jeff Peterson. They also shared a song that Lady Ipo had written as a gift for Deanna Sanders who started coming to EKK in 2012. She is the boss of the Humboldt ‘Ukulele Group that numbers 50 regular and 50 alumni with over 100+ Facebook members worldwide; they play songs they learned at EKK for nursing homes and fundraisers, sending seeds of Aloha all over the planet. Wow!

March 5: Kuhio Travis — A One Man Show

Kuhio Travis is not yet a recording star with huge name recognition, but he put on a great show at EKK. A self-taught musician, he spent his childhood years growing up in Waimea and Koloa. He spent a lot of time with his grandfather who worked at the garden and kept Kuhio occupied with the AM radio; his favorite thing was to mimic commercials. He always loved to sing but at age 10, while in the 5th grade, he started to learn to play the ‘ukulele because his friend was getting a lot of attention from classmates playing on his ‘ukulele. He taught himself to play on a borrowed ‘ukulele. He later moved to Laupahoehoe on Hawai’i Island where he had a lot of time to perfect his ‘ukulele playing and singing.

Age 21 he returned to Kaua’i and his first job was at Smith’s Boat as an entertainer where he learned a lot on the job from the other Hawaiian musicians. He has been entertaining ever since. Today he lives in Waipahu and performs at Turtle Bay Resort and Kona Brewing in Waikiki. He spends summers in Washington State recording music.

His tiny one-of-a-kind ‘ukulele is a powerhouse instrument, custom built by a civil engineer in Washington who makes experimental instruments as a hobby. It’s a solid body electric ‘ukulele with built-in controls for on-board distortion effects. Kuhio really rips on his ‘ukulele, his instrument of choice.

He has an eclectic repertoire and loves the different era of music more than any single song or artist. It’s difficult to describe how he sings . . . you just need to be there to experience his music; he interprets the song in his own style, often doing the instrumental parts with just the sound of his voice. He’s playful and confident and loves performing.

The one Hawaiian song he chose to sing was Holei about Kalapana on Hawai’i Island, a song that we have heard for the fourth time this season, each time a stellar performance. It was not the usual falsetto version but very powerful in his lower register.

Clearly, Bruddah Iz had a great influence on his choice of Hawaiian music as he sangWhite Sandy Beach, the first song he learned to pick, Hawaiian Superman preceded by some Led Zeppelin-inspired sounds on his tiny ‘ukulele, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow . . . always an audience favorite.

His song choices cut across a wide spectrum of music styles:

Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic was followed by Crazy Without You performed by Pure Heart. The latter song was written by Alvin Loan and Lucas Estrada. Not only does his little ‘ukulele make great sounds, he can do the same thing with his own voice and he introduced the popular song recorded by Phil Phillips, the Honey Drippers and a host of other artists. Sea of Love as sung by Kuhio was lighthearted and humorous, ending the song with bugle taps.

Continuing the journey into the contemporary, he performed Wild World by Cat Stevens from the album Tea for the Tillerman followed by Breathe. His personal favorite song,Englishman in New York from the Very Best of Sting album was quite inspirational.

From the album The Very Best of the Righteous Brothers, he sang Unchained Melody, a 1955 song by Alex North with lyrics by Hy Zaret. It’s one of the most recorded songs in the 20th Century. Elvis and Iz both performed this classic song. Thank you, Kuhio, for bringing nostalgia back to us.

Wishing a happy birthday for his Cousin Noe whose birthday is 3/1/84 and his own birthday is 1/3/84; Kuhio said this makes her birthday easy to remember. He dedicatedStand by Me, a 1961 song by Ben E. King of the Drifters to Noe. Inspired by a spiritual hymn titled Lord Stand by Me, this song was #122 on the Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of All Times. In the year 2000, it was proclaimed the 4th most performed song of the 20th Century with over seven million performances. Wow!

Kuhio does fun stuff with his medleys by putting together songs that you would not expect to hear together – Eddy Grant’s 1988 anti-apartheid song, Gimme Hope Jo’Anna, and Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl from his Blowing Your Mind album was skillfully woven together. It was fun hearing him change the lyrics to fit his sense of humor.

He did a Disney medley that was just wonderful — starting with Lion Sleeps
Tonight
 in falsetto complete with playful sound effects, to Kiss the Girl from Little Mermaid to the very catchy Hakuna Matata and Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds and back to Lion Sleeps Tonight. Charming and the audience just loved it.

As always, we took some time to show off the Kamoa ‘ukulele that was going to be given away to one lucky winner. Lady Ipo said she would give a one-hour lesson to whoever wins the instrument. She played the Kamoa ‘ukulele, singing Beautiful Kaua’i while Elena Gillespie and Madeleine Guyett went onstage to dance the hula. The lucky winner of the ‘ukulele was Gordon Furze from Kilauea. Double lucky guy to win the ‘ukulele and Lady Ipo’s ‘ukulele lesson.

Continuing with his combining awesome contemporary songs, Kuhio started off withHawaiian Kick Boxer which led up to Carol Douglas’s Kung Fu Fighting on the 1999 The Soul of the Kung Fu Fighter followed by Get Down On It on the album, The Best of Kool and the Gang.

Out of the blue he started singing the Mickey Mouse Song that was a favorite of kids to introduce the next song, Jacob Miller’s All Night Till Daylight and went right into John Denver’s original Take Me Home Country Road, also sang by Bruddah Iz. He had fun altering the lyrics by changing West Virginia to West Kaua’i, his ol’ home town, and slipping in Mount Ka’ala and some other local place names.

Shouts of hana hou rang out as the evening was winding down. Out of the clear blue he started singing Home on the Range which was the prelude to the most incredible yodeling song called SOLD! (The Grundy Country Auction Incident) by John Michael Montgomery. Written in 1995 by Richard Fargas and Robb Royer, this song was the top country song in 1995 and Kuhio Travis WOW’ed the audience with his fast-fast-fast ‘ukulele playing and his tongue-twisting auctioneer’s yodeling. That was the hana hou to end all hana hou . . . can’t believe he was still standing when he was pau.

So another Monday night was history with everyone joining hands and singing Hawai’i Aloha. With just two more EKK Mondays, folks were already beginning to feel sad.

* * *

E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, supported by the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, and the GIAC/EKK supporters. Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Hawai’i State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

EKK Backyard Jam is Where It All Began

EKK Backyard Jam is Where It All Began

For Upcoming 2018 Arts & Culture Calendar email giac05@icloud.com to get listing in advance

Mahalo to all who enjoy and support Art and Culture on Kaua’i
Donate by clicking here
Register on AmazonSmile.Org & select Garden island Arts Council to receive .05% of your eligible purchases.

 

Who’s Coming Up on Monday March 5?

Here is the link to EKK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ekanikapilakakou.kauaistyle/

EKK Backyard Jam is Where It All Began

E Kanikapila Kakou is proudly celebrating 35 years of bringing the best Hawaiian music to our audience on Kaua’i and our 35-year lineup of over 300 musicians is very impressive, but it all started like a little backyard jam where everyone sat around and sang the songs, laughed at the stories, and absorbed Hawaiian culture served on a ti-leaf plate. It was simple but something that grew on you . . . like going to a party every week.

Da Titas Four What? present “What he said?”

This week we turned the clock back to the early days and had ourselves some really good fun, starting with a lesson in ‘Olelo Pa’i’ai or Hawaiian Pidgin English. Three of our four Titas showed up – Aunty Kay Den (Hob Osterlund, Aunty Choppah (Maka’ala Ka’aumoana) and Auntie Coo (Sabra Kauka); Auntie Tita (Sandy Swift) was unfortunately under the weather. Their collective mission was to help our non-Pidgin-speaking audience get acquainted with the basics of our local Creole language. More people speak Hawaiian Pidgin than any other Creole language. Pidgin is not slang. In 2013 it was declared one of the official languages of Hawai’i.

How did this group start? Nurse Hob Osterlund, who initiated and directed the Pain Management Clinic at Queen’s Hospital in downtown Honolulu until her retirement, started a Pidgin class at Queen’s in order to help the new nurses from all over the country and other countries to understand the needs of their patients, many who spoke only in Pidgin. It also helped in the communication among everyone dealing with the important task of providing medical care. Obviously, some nurses weeded themselves out of the local work force because they will never use the word “doo-doo”.

Because the local Pidgin English is a potpourri of idioms and alterations from every ethnic group that came to work in the plantations mixed with some “butchered” Hawaiian words for the sheer necessity of trying to understand each other, a new language evolved. Highly colloquial, depending on which community of which island you are from, the need to understand each other is a survival mechanism in Hawai’i. Some outsiders hear it as condescending or making fun of each other, but that is not the intent of Pidgin. It’s inclusive rather than exclusive; it’s akin to improv comedy where each speaker builds on what the other said.

The Kam School and Punahou grads were not allowed to speak Hawaiian or Pidgin in school; they could speak only English, Latin, French and Spanish. The public school grad actually attended an English Standard high school. One of the spin-offs from these experiences was the attempt of three “experts” to give a class in Pidgin which was more hilarious than educational. They added a fourth Tita, Sabra Kauka, to give legitimacy and credibility to their group.

They covered the commonly used idioms such as “Da Kine” (universal word used for everything); “What? Baddah You…?” (am I bothering you?), “Fo’ real?” (Is that true?); “Po’ t’ing” (you poor thing).

They explained special words such as “Bolohead”, i.e. “The buggah stay ‘a’mos’ all bolohead aw’ready!” (He’s almost bald; or I cut the hedge too short).

“Wea you stay?” (not necessarily a logistical word but it gives presence)
“I stay go . . .”
“I stay sleeping . . .”
“I stay ovah hea . . .”

Tag-on phrases to elucidate intent, such as….
“I like go but …. “
“I like go li’ dat . . . “
“I like go an’ den . . . “
Hard to explain these but used in context, you can catch on . . . easy peazy; it adds a poetic lilt to the phrase.

A word that precedes any other verb such as . . .
“Try wait . . .”
“Try go . . . try come . . .”
“Try eat dis . . . try take the microphone . . “
Doesn’t mean you are trying at all, but jus’ try understand how it’s used.
A smarty-pants will sometimes come back with, “I trying! I trying!”

The difference between “Bla-lah” and “Brud-dah” was a debate that could go on and on; you can mean “tough tita” or “sweet tita” just by the way you pronounce “Ti-ta”. There are many nuances in this language, but you need to pay attention to how it’s pronounced, how it’s used in context, and even who you are talking to or who’s speaking to you.

Ethnic transpositions for a consonant such as the Filipino use of “P” sound for “F” sound and “F” sound for “P” sound can result in some mind-blowing results. When I go to farmers market, I always ask, “Is this sweet potato purple?” I always get, “Yes, mum . . . the Fotato is Furfle.” “Purple?” “
“Yes . . . Furfle.”

When the Tongan tree trimmer chain-sawed my coconut tree, I asked, “How much?” He replied, “Because you old . . . FREE.” I said, “Oh no, I need to pay you something.” He held up his hand with three fingers in front of his face and said, “Because you old . . FREE hundred.” (dollars!!!)

Hob also worked at Wilcox hospital where many of the nurses and staff were of Filipino ethnicity. At the end of each day, the housekeeper would enter her office and ask her, “Pinis’?” She would reply, “No, thank you.” She knew he was asking her if she was finished for the day. While, at times confusing until understood, these “substitutions” are often hilarious.

“As why ha’d!”

At the end of the Pidgin English lesson, Sabra was asked to play on the Kamoa ‘ukulele. She called up Milton Chung so the Titas could serenade the Happy Camper with their Pidgin English Hula by the illustrious composer, teacher, Hawai’i Territorial Legislator Charles E. King, best known as the composer ofKe Kali Nei Au, the Hawaiian standard wedding duet. Scott Gripenstraw from Koloa was the lucky winner for the Kamoa ‘ukulele. (no, he’s not from Harry Potter movie)

Hawai’i Island Sent Us Two Divas and Da Man In the Middle

Female Vocalist of the Year Darlene Ahuna and singing sensation Tani Waipa presented their masculine partner Duane Yamada who is known as the “rose” in Honoka’a. He claimed he is the rose between two thorns. “That’s the most we ever heard him talk; you folks are making him feel real great!” From the minute he got off the plane and landed in Lihu’e, he has been all smiles and full of jokes. Holding his own with Mauna Kea on one side and Mauna Loa on the other, Duane was not the silent bass partner in this trio. He was having a ball bouncing to the left and the right, leaning back on his stool and kicking his heels up with the happiest Hotei-ya-san grin on his face. “As soon as it’s no fun, I quit playing music, but it’s too much fun!”

Although they came together as the group Hoku Pa’a just about eight months ago at the Mango Festival in Waipa, they have collectively accrued over a hundred years of musical experience. They are used to playing in bars over the sound of the blenders and at family lu’au where someone always says unexcitedly, “Oh … them again?!” But for the Kaua’i audience, this very funny backyard jam party-loving trio who laughed a lot, joked a lot, and liked to play with the audience was just what we ordered. Bring it on!

As appropriate, they began with a Kaua’i song “even if Ku’uipo sang it last week . . . she stole all our songs!” Aloha Chant was a great way to start with their robust singing style, definitely well-trained by their years of singing at parties and bars; Vern Kauanui went up and danced with his ipu heke. Tani and Darlene tagged-team the verses in a second Kaua’i song, Nani Wai’ale’ale. Lady Ipo went up to dance the hula. Ipo is a familiar face onMoku-O-Keawe because she flies every chance she gets to visit her grandchildren, children of her extraordinary daughter, composer/singer Kainani Kahaunaele.

It appears the earlier Pidgin English lesson set the tone for the evening because Darlene, like Ku’uipo the week before, was explaining everything in Hawaii Island Pidgin. She asked, “What does TSA stand for?” The answer was a loud “TSA!!!” spat out between her teeth. She wanted to share how her grandparents used to scold them. “TSA! Gun-fun-it . . . Slap yo’ head!” She continued with that expression all evening long, and for the listeners, it’s like that song you can’t get out of your head because I heard several folks saying,“TSA!!!”

Back to singing, Darlene sang an old style Hawaiian mele titled Ke Aloha No O Honolulu which she learned at age 18 from Uncle George Na’ope for the steamship Honolulu which stopped at ports between west Hawai’i and Honolulu. Perfect song for her beautiful voice.

Duane is not a silent bass partner. He sang Ke Ala A Ka Jeep by Eddie Kamae and Auntie Mary Kawena Pukui. The audience was getting in the act with shouts of “Yeehaw!” and “TSA!” “When we record our CD, we will add a jazzercise track by Duane singing this feisty song.” Boosted by the cheers, Duane sang about his three girlfriends – tuberose, ilima and pikake – with another sassy Wai O Ke Aniani.

Ka Huila Wai by Tani honors the building of the first water wheel used to generate power for the sugar plantation in Ka’u; huila means wheel and waimeans water. I think she threw in some lines from the song rollin’, rollin’, rollin’. She spoke the words of the Carburetor Song that talks about loving someone even if their “parts” were falling apart like an old car. This song is from a Jewish genre of music called klezmermusik. Go figure.

So much in the groove, Tani launched into a fast-paced song about the westside of the island called A Kona Hema. Originally written as a chant in honor of chief Ehunuikaimalino and later put to music, the song takes us along ports that Kalakaua might have visited on his frequent trips to the island. There was no stopping her as the fun-loving Tani went to town withBlue Darling, a country western that commonly closes down the evening at backyard parties. This trio has had a lot of practice at this. According to Tani, every 15th and 30th of the month, they have to perform at parties . . . they are “pay day” parties. Reminds me about the Kupaoa party song . . . way to go!

These songs had such great beats that the entire back row of volunteers got up and started to boogie … and this continued the whole night. The trio had found their groove as they saw the happy dancers hopping all over at the back of the ballroom. It should be noted here that at least two of the dancers had just had hip surgery. You could never tell by the way they were bopping around.

Tani continued in her extraordinary crystal clear voice singing Aloha Punalu’u by George Kealoha Iopa which speaks of the beautiful beach area in Ka’u known as Punalu’u. One of the most beautiful songs in their repertoire, she has incredible harmony and pacing. She shared stories about her grandfather who was born in 1900 in Kapa’ahu in the Puna district. The area is now covered by lava but at one time the Waha’ula (Red Mouth) heiau was still in use and the Queen’s Bath is still there. He described the beautiful volcano waterfall that flowed over the cliffs of Holei. They did activities you can do only on Hawai’i island such as cooking on the lava flow and shoveling out the hot lava and dropping a quarter in the hole to watch it melt. Tani’s grandmother was born in Waimea on Kaua’i but moved to Ka’u on the south side of the island where she was hanai’ed as an only child with her new family. Someone shouted Kalapana (Holei). Their voices blended together in the most exquisite harmony. Their pacing was beautiful and you could just taste the deliciousness of the melody when they sang.

Darlene spoke about the late Don Ho and the beautiful songs he sang and recorded by master composer Kui Lee who left an incredible body of work when he passed away much too early. Tani shared that he’s probably the only composer who used words like “Trousseau” and “Aurora Borealis” in his songs. Tani was by this time so cut loose that she was making instrument sounds with her voice . . . she probably got hold of a bottle of champagne somewhere. Ain’t No Big Thing by Kui Lee had the “back row dancers” cutting up the rug.

By Hob’s request, they sang another great song, written and sung by the Beamer Brothers back in the 1960’s called Sweet ‘Okole. Tani pointed out that ex-husbands give a lot of inspiration and she knows because she tried it twice, enough to make up her own new verse to the song which she sang with such sweetness. She even wrote a verse about Duane. When asked if she composes, her reply is, “No, I trash what everybody else wrote.” When I first heard about this trio, I read that they sang the song Sweet ‘Okole, and I mistakenly thought that was the name of their trio, so initially, I booked them for EKK under that name. But the sweetness of their harmony makes that name most appropriate for them.

Darlene then introduced and sang Keyhole Hula or Kauoha Mai by one of her favorite composers, Lena Machado. The juicy story behind the hula is that Lena’s friend was invited to her gentleman friend’s home. She knocked on the door but no one answered so she peeked through the keyhole and what to her surprise, this is what she saw. Definitely, the swing beat is this group’s singing forte.

Another thing they do really well is to modulate their verses from low to high, somewhat like climbing musical steps as they did with Kaulana O Hilo Hanakahi penned by Lena Machado. It’s a tour of Hilo’s landmarks –Wai’anuenue or Rainbow Falls, Kuhio Bay and Moku Ola or Coconut Island. Tani thinks it’s a song that was probably written for a lap steel guitar with the half step movements in the bridge of the song to feature a lap steel pa’ani.

They followed with another traditional mele about King Kalakaua’s royal court dancer Emalia who met a young boy named Henry and sneaks away to meet him by the sandy shoreline of Hilo Bay. Hilo One (pronounced O-ne), another perfect song for the trio’s harmony, refers to this bayshore area. By this time the audience was so loud, so excited, so animated and caught up in the music. Hana hou requests were being shouted out by the audience, so it looked like this party might go on until morning.

Aunty Bev’s very loud and commanding voice shouted ‘Akaka Falls so Darlene sang about this beautiful waterfall about 13 miles outside of Hilo near Honomu. Darlene’s grand aunt, Helen Parker Lindsay, wrote this song originally titled Wailele ‘O ‘Akaka about the star-crossed lovers who met at this private meeting spot. It’s quite appropriate that Darlene would have this as one of her signature songs. Her soaring voice and nuanced modulations made this song so memorable.

Composed by Ellen Wright Prendergast after the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani, Kaulana Na Pua is often called a protest song, but it’s actually a song that calls people to come together, work together and do what is right and just and pono. In the past it was also known as the stone-eating song referring to the fourth verse which speaks of the people that would rather eat stones than follow a new leadership. The audience stood and held hands as they joined in the song.

A fast-paced song titled Heha Waipi’o by Sam Li’a about the Waipio Valley was harmonized brilliantly by the trio. Yes, we ran over time but the party goers did not stand up to catch any plane. Finally, everyone stood up, held hands, and called it an evening with Hawai’i Aloha. Yes! It is a Monday night, but we have been known to party early in the week and love it always.

* * *

E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, supported by the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, and the GIAC/EKK supporters. Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Hawai’i State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

EKK weekly Wrap 6 – Kuuipo Kumukahi

For Upcoming 2018 Arts & Culture Calendar or email giac05@icloud.com to get listing in advance

Mahalo to all who enjoy and support Art and Culture on Kaua’i
Donate at http://www.gardenislandarts.org; 
Register on AmazonSmile.Org & select Garden island Arts Council to receive .05% of your eligible purchases.
Who’s Coming Up on Monday February 26?

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Ku’uipo Kumukahi – In a Class All Her Own

Ku’uipo is no stranger to EKK; she has appeared at EKK more than any other artist (except Dennis Kamakahi who performed 15 times); in 1998, 2000, and 2001 at the Saint Michael’s Church; in 2002 and 2004 at Island School, and most recently in 2015 with the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Serenaders. That performance was really significant because they shared the songs of Na Lani Eha in a very professional performance. This year’s performance was over the top. She’s the real deal in Hawaiian Music.

Ku’uipo could tell that this year was really special as she sent an email:

Carol thank you for including me all these years – I’ve always enjoyed EKK
but this year seemed so free, candid and really fun to reflect on my life and share. In the past I was going through life now i can kind of talk about it all – if that makes sense at all. I guess I coming Kupuna.
The audience was super as always.
Congratulations for 35 wonderful years.

I was in my late 30s early 40s when I first played at EKK at the church – I’m going to be 60 this year OMG!! How time flies.

YES! You could tell that there was something special going on with Ku’uipo this year, wondering out loud why she wasn’t invited to appear next week with the Pidgin English Titas (joke! joke!). As a performer in Waikiki, she has to speak standard English to be understood, but Kaua’i was different, so at this point she relaxed and decided she would do her show in her earliest native tongue, Hawai’i Island pidgin English. Local pidgin speakers know that each island has their own brand of pidgin. It’s very colloquial. We recognize the differences but we can still understand each other. She wanted to share the most ancient form of pidgin: “Coo Coooooo . . . Coo Cooooo . . .”

She put on an awesome show . . . so passionate . . . so hilarious . . . so relaxed and yet so powerful. She internalizes her Mom’s advice, “You got to put a lot of love in what you do.” She pours her heart into every song, creating a different mood each time – sometimes grand, sometimes tender, sometimes sassy and animated, sometimes totally out of the box. She’s so versatile and each song is a whole act complete with stories, messages and entertainment. Her songs were interwoven with stories of her Daddy and Mom, Samuel and ‘Ululani Kumukahi, whose influence on her musical development is undeniable and evident in the way she performs.

Our resident henna-colored hair Brit, Jodi Ascuena, originally from Newcastle, England and now from Koloa town, introduced our artist in ‘Olelo Hawai’i, summarizing Ku’uipo as a champion of traditional Hawaiian songs and culture. She is not just a singer or performer; she is a person who sings as if her life depended on it. At least the life of her Hawaiian people. I was expecting GOOD but I got GREAT instead and so did everyone else at EKK.

She sang the Aloha Chant which speaks of the Hawaiian attributes that make up ALOHA and ended as a chant. Ku’uipo was mesmerizing as she took us around Hawai’i Island in a musical tour of places captured in songs. Her selections were skillfully woven together with candid stories about her namesake Daddy and her wise caregiver Mom who attentively nurtured Ku’uipo’s late-starting but long-lasting musical career.

An only child happily growing up in an isolated valley along the Hamakua coast on the northeast side of Hawai’i island, Ku’uipo was introduced to Hawaiian music at the age of nine when her family went to live on O’ahu for a year while her father worked on the H-1 freeway. Exposed to an ‘ohana of aunties playing their ‘ukulele and guitars, she returned to her home with a desire and was gifted with an ‘ukulele by her mother. After she conquered the ‘ukulele, her mom bought her a guitar and told her she needed to learn to sing otherwise she would be like her aunties, just playing instruments. We have her wise mother to thank for the wonderful singing that Ku’uipo shares today. She shared that one day Ledward Kaapana came to her cousin’s home next door to her own and told her, “You see the guitar . . . shaped like a woman. You treat ‘um nice and she make good music.”

She acknowledged her musicians and admitted how nice it was to play music with such great guys. Doc Isaac Akuna on steel, Kauai’s Kekai Chock on guitar and Daniel Kiaha on bass. They not only kept up with her spontaneity and wide spectrum of song choices, each musician is so talented. To acknowledge a rare gift of a maile lei from Auntie Julia Kapahu, the “Sweetheart of Hawaiian Music”, as Kuuipo has been called, sang Aloha Kaua’i. How fitting a name for this extraordinary musician with the voice of an angel.

She can also be quite forceful. “While I am here, we are not going to say ‘Big Island’.” She threw in a lesson about proper island names. Her Mom collected phone books from each island in the days when phone books were an essential item in each household. The phone books said: Island of Oahu, Island of Maui, Island of Kauai …. Big Island. Her Daddy went wild whenever the TV weather reporter talked about the floods and disasters on the Big Island. He would shout, “We have a name like all the other islands; it’s Hawai’i Island!” After investigating the issue, Ku’uipo discovered that the Department of Commerce made a decision to call Hawai’i the Big Island to avoid marketing confusion between Hawai’i the island and Hawai’i the State. “If you can’t say Hawai’i Island, Moku-0-Keawe works.”

Residents of each island are proud of their name, proud of their home town, proud about everything unique about where they live. To show this pride, she launched into a bombastic Hilo – My Home Town by Betty Lou Leilehua Yuen. “Hilo is a sleepy town; the stores open at 9:00 and close by noonbecause we got places to go. There is no more traffic, no more freeways, no more rail … we got a lot of forest to disappear into.” Hilo was home to many, including Queen Kapi’olani. It was also the last residence of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana’ole. Speaking of Royals, she visited the Prince Kuhio Park today and pointed out that Kuhio was the only US Congressman of Royal descent. He was responsible for the Homestead Act to insure that Hawaiians would have a place to live and started the Hawaiian Civic Clubs to insure that Hawaiians had a voice in self-governance.

To honor Prince Kuhio she sang the beautifully melodic Keaukaha by Albert Nahale’a, a Commissioner of Hawaiian Homelands. As she sang the Hawaiian lyrics, she narrated the English translation. Vern Kauanui, our resident hula dancer, stepped up to the stage wearing his many strands of Niihau shell leis and danced an elegant hula that described the lyrics of the song. This song comes from the family of John Mahi.

Continuing the island trek, she pointed out that Tutu Pele made a lot of new land in Puna. Her first bar gig at age 15 was down in Kalapana. “I was a big girl so no one bothered me in the bars.” Whenever Ku’uipo went out to sing on a gig, her Dad drove her to the event, but she could never figure out where he disappeared to while she was singing. Her mother cautioned her, “You watch what your Daddy eats. If he don’t eat it, you don’t eat it.” In those early days it was common to be asked to play for six hours . . . “and we will feed you.” When her Mom asked her where her Dad went, she said she did not know, so she ended up not eating anything. Eventually, they discovered that he would join others who met in the back of the hall, not necessarily guests at the events, where they could freely speak their native tongue without fear of repercussion.

Because of the early missionary influence to squelch the Hawaiian language and keep the Hawaiian people from speaking or teaching their native tongue, even as adults they had to hide to speak Hawaiian. Her Dad, being a manaleo(native Hawaiian speaker), spoke only Hawaiian until he was about nine or ten years old. When he moved to a different town, he was a novelty among his school mates. At home he never spoke Hawaiian to Ku’uipo because of his need to learn to speak English. Later in life he used a hearing aid but it turned out the only thing he could not hear was English. However, whenever Puakea Nogelmeir calls on the phone, they are speaking Hawaiian on the phone for over three hours … like young girls.

According to mythology, Tutu Pele was angered by Chief Kumukahi for not allowing her to play in the royal games, so she chased the Chief out to the ocean with her lava flows. Tutu Pele was cleaning house by sending a lava flow to that area. In the 1960’s the residents built dikes to stop the flow to no avail. The Cape Kumukahi Lighthouse at the southeast of Hilo was in the path of the lava flow. They sent his wife and infant child to safety, but the lighthouse keeper did not want to leave the lighthouse. Miraculously, the lava came to within a few feet of the lighthouse, split into two streams and came back together, sparing the life of the lighthouse keeper Joseph Pestrella. The song by Grace Kenoi McBride and Jenny Ka’au’a was titled Kumukahi. What a rare treat to hear a song we never heard before and sung in her lower register. Isaac Akuna’s pa’ani with the steel guitar added the nostalgic and mournful mood of this event captured in song. Many places are gone, but the memories remain. “As long as we keep singing these songs about the places and the events that took place in Hawai’i, we will not lose the history of our islands because they are all recorded in our songs; songs like this keep these places alive,” said Ku’uipo.

After Puna, we are moving on to the Ka’u desert. When one drives around the island, you cannot help but feel like you are leaning to one side. That is because you keep your right shoulder to the mountains and your left shoulder to the ocean as the main road pretty much follows the shape of the island. Her family often drove to South Point where there was no water and no shade anywhere. She never asked her father where he was going as it is a well understood Hawaiian custom that you never ask a Hawaiian where they are going . . . you just follow. It’s bad luck especially if they are going fishing. Often when she wanted to swim, everyone was called to remove the fish from the nets because that was going to be their dinner. She touched on the sensitive topic of the lua when camping and assured everyone that she could handle that. She is hilarious.

Because her Dad was a ham radio operator they could hear the music of Eddie Kamae even where they lived. One of his signature songs, written with Mary Kawena Pukui, speaks about all the places at South Point. Her Daddy told her to learn Ke Ala A Ka Jeep, so she did. When she used to play with Jerry Santos in Waikiki, Eddie would sometimes show up to watch them perform. This was intimidating for her, but Eddie would sit on the side and in his charming quiet manner call out, “Beep! Beep!”

The island tour left the Ka’u district and moved westward toward Kona. A unique feature of this area is that on the Hilo-side of South Point the ocean is very rough and on the Kona-side of South Point, the ocean is very calm and turns very dark blue. Kona Kai ‘Opua is about the clouds that sit low above the ocean. She started with a rhythmic tempo, then on to a very slow melodious version and then on to a very playful, light-hearted sound and then into a faster swing-like beat. I never heard anyone sing this song quite like that.

Her father was a road inspector working with the traffic division; his last project was the Keahole Road through the 32-mile stretch of dark black lava fields that stretch from the Kona Airport toward the Kawaihae Harbor.
This highway made accessible beautiful beaches that attract surfers, vacation rentals and grand hotels. The song that spoke about this South Kohala area isPaniau. It’s a song by Helen Desha Beamer composed for the beach home of Al and Annabelle Ruddle at Puako.

As she continued moving out of Kona to the north side of the island, watchdog Milton Chung reminded her that she had skipped singingKalapana. For sure! So she went in reverse, passed Pahala and returned to the famous place called Kalapana, an area where Tutu Pele’s wrath wiped out the entire community. We hear often about Kalapana because that was the family home of well-known musician Ledward Kaapana and his Uncle and mentor Fred Punahoa and also the Queen’s Bath. Although the community is no longer there, memory resides in the beautiful songs that speak of the places we wish to keep alive.

Back on the upward journey toward windy Kohala at the northernmost tip of Hawai’i Island, Ku’uipo chose to sing about the strong and constant winds that sweep over the lush green area where Kohala town sits. Maika’i Ka Makani o Kohala captures the spirit of the place as it sounds like a rallying song. Very fitting for a place where time stands still and the community keeps its customs and traditions with fierce determination.

Driving past Kohala is the place that Ku’uipo’s father always stopped. It’s the paniolo district of Waimea or Kamuela where the famed Hawaiian Cowboy Ikua Purdy and his entourage of cowboys from Hawai’i took the World Championship Rodeo in Wyoming. Ku’uipo sings Kilakila Na Rough Rider in a way that only she can. You can’t imagine how she manages to play the guitar, sing the tongue-twister song, heave the lasso, give the cowboy whistle-yeehaw, and dig her stirrups into the horse . . . all at the same time . . . wearing a bright colorful red and yellow mu’umu’u. She never misses a beat and she surely ropes that steer. You need to see her in action; it’s hilarious but at the same time quite amazing!

Her father was not a cowboy but he was a Happy Camper who knew how to survive off the land. He once caught her a baby pig when a sow crossed the highway followed by her piglets. After the pigs crossed the road, he called the piglets back, picked one up and took it home to Hamakua for Ku’uipo to raise. When she asked him how they keep warm out in the night cold, he told her to dig an imu with hot rocks in the fire, covered by a thick blanket of banana stalks and ti leaves, and lie down on the warm green layer surrounded by the dogs. Not sure I want to try it but good to know.

From cowboy country in Waimea, we kept driving right into the Valley of the Kings in the famous Waipi’o Valley where the mystical Hi’ilawe waterfall provides a secret meeting place for lovers to escape from the gossiping neighbors. Ku’uipo’s incredible voice soars while singing Hi’ilawe; the lovely Po’ai Galindo takes the stage and brings the beauty and grandeur of the waterfall to life with her swaying hula and fluttering fingers. Interestingly, Ku’uipo sings this song with the Tahitian T sound instead of the Hawaiian K sound so it sounds different from the same song sung by other musicians.

Water is an inspiration for many composers. Ku’uipo says that her Daddy is not a poet but it did not matter because Hawaiian was his language and he wrote a song about the life-giving waters. It captured the unique beauty of their 25-acre family home of 160 years. It’s a place where the vi, or kupe’e, was once plentiful in the mountain streams. No more. She sang her father’s ‘O Waikulumea in a truly heart-felt “chicken skin” manner.

As we came around full circle back to Hilo, the same loud voice from the audience called out that we can’t pass Hilo without Akaka Falls. Apologizing in advance to Darlene Ahuna of Hawai’i Island who is scheduled to appear next week at EKK, Ku’uipo gave an emotional and powerful version of the song about the famous Hilo waterfall. Vern Kauanui could not resist an elegant hula about the waterfall. Gorgeous!

We took a quick island hop to Kaua’i. She called on Danny Kiaha to sing a song about Hanalei. His sister, who he had not seen for a while, came up to dance a hula about their home. What a treat to see a new Kaua’i dancer at EKK.

When the clock struck 9:00 pm, a number of attendees got up and moved toward the door. Jokingly Ku’uipo called out, “Hey! Wea you going? You gotta watch the 10:00 news? . . . I no pau yet! Sit down! I still get more songs!” And with the shouts of hana hou, she kept on singing. I found out later that a whole entourage of Canadians said they would have to leave at 9:00 or miss their flight home. When I shared this with Ku’uipo, this was her reply: “Bless their hearts for coming and staying as long as they could!! I am humbled!!”

The big surprise of the evening that brought the house down was her unexpected slam-dunk version of Skippy Ioane’s Kuka’ilimoku Village with the words ‘Onipa’a hanapa’a kulike kakou. Wow! She growled the song so passionately, you could not miss her message. Ku’uipo asked that we all speak the truth about Hawai’i. It’s a special place with very limited resources, so we all need to be cautious about what happens to our home; otherwise we will lose what we cherish most about Hawai’i.

As a move to support music by Hawaiian music artists, their group just went live a few days ago with “HulaTunes.com” a download site for music by Hawaiian musicians. In an effort to bring Hawaiian music back to Waikiki, the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame is doing their best to remember the artists of the past in a program called “Waikiki by Moonlight.” Each month they are sharing the music of our legendary musicians: Aunty Irmgard Aluli’sPuamana in March, dances of Hula Master Aunty Maiki Aiu in April, the legendary Alfred Apaka in May. As a tribute to these artists and in recognition of this program she sang Waikiki by Andy Cummings. Vern Kauanui and Auntie Polei Palmeira got up to dance the hula. Ku’uipo’s voice is so rich and so full of love, she should be renamed “Lady of Love.”

As a youngster she went to Zales Jewelry at the mall where she would see many gold Hawaiian bracelets, each one engraved with the word Ku’uipo. She asked her mom why she was given such a common name that everyone else had. Her mother assured her that she was given the name because of the immense love that they had for her. She doesn’t use her English name much because she was named after her Dad, Samuel Kumukahi. “Why was I named after Daddy?” “Because you two are the same.” No, it was not Samuela! At least she got a feminine version — Samie Ku’uipo Kumukahi. Whatever handle she goes by, she is best known for her remarkable versatility and power in her performances. Never have I seen Ku’uipo work the stage as she did tonight. She is truly in a Class All Her Own.

* * *

E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, supported by the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, and the GIAC/EKK supporters. Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Hawai’i State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Legacy of the Kamaka ‘Ukulele Family

E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 Final Night – Makana Concert

Celebrate the Last Night of E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 with Makana

On Monday, March 19th, at 6:30 pm join us to celebrate the last night of E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 at Aqua Kauai Beach Resort Jasmine Ballroom, Wailua with Makana!

Tickets available online from Brown Paper Tickets

• $20 – first 100 Early Bird Kama’aina Tickets
• $25 – general admission after first 100 ticket sold out
• $35 – 80 Preferred seating in first four rows center section

And Kauai Ticket Outlets: $25 general admission tickets

• Kauai Music & Sound, 823-8000
• Kamoa Ukulele Company, 652-9999
• Scotty’s Music House, 246-2020
• Da Wine Shop, 742-7305
• Banana Patch Gallery, 335-5944
• Hawaiian Music Hut, 826-0245

EKK Weekly Wrap 4 – Aldrine and Kyle

EKK Weekly Wrap 4 – Aldrine and Kyle

For Upcoming 2018 Arts & Culture Calendar email giac05@icloud.com to get listing in advance

Mahalo to all who enjoy and support Art and Culture on Kaua’i

 

Donate to GIAC here

 

Register on AmazonSmile.Org & select Garden island Arts Council to receive .05% of your eligible purchases.

 

Who’s Coming Up on Monday February 12?
Here is the link to EKK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ekanikapilakakou.kauaistyle/

 

Jumping Fleas Frenzy Wipes Out the Audience

What happens when two musicians whose ‘ukulele are like extensions of their arms meet on stage without a playlist? They share their music in a spontaneous way. This is what happened on Monday.Usually, when ‘ukulele players are on stage, they play all the best songs in their repertoire, and finally, at the very end, they will top it off with Europaby Carlos Santana . . . if they are able to play it. Not these two.

I introduced Kyle and Aldrine, although the plan was for Kyle to do an opening set, Aldrine to follow with his set, and finally the two play together. Put on the spot, they jumped into Europa as their opening number and they began to speak to each other with their ‘ukulele . . . it was like two cowboys facing each other at the OK Corral except that these two petite artists were wielding their ‘ukulele and talking to each other in “uke-talk”, playing off of each other and trying to out-lick the other until the final high “ping” on the last note. What a way to start . . .at the top of the ladder!

So who are these two ‘ukulele friends? Aldrine Guerrero is no stranger to EKK as his very first gig outside of church was at EKK when he was about 13 years old and the president of the Kaua’i high school Hawaiian Club under the advisorship of Fran Nestel. He showed up in the parish hall at Saint Michaels and All Angels church where everyone sitting in their noisy metal folding chairs crowded up to the front to watch Aldrine and his motley crew of very talented middle school musicians put on an unforgettable show. At that age Aldrine was a stand out with his ‘ukulele. Over the years we have asked him back to our stage and watched him grow as an artist who now commands huge audiences all over the world. His biggest claim to fame and connection with ‘ukulele players worldwide is the ‘Ukulele Underground website where he and his partner Aaron Nakamura have created a virtual classroom where anyone who wants to learn to play the ‘ukulele can get a start or advance their skills. He walked in tonight saying, “I don’t even know what day it is,” because he just became a father to his new-born child.

Following the “Music is Our Legacy” theme for this year, he asked his friend and prodigy to share the stage with him. He heard about and met Kyle Furusho who was a student at Kaua’i high school. They became ‘ukulele buddies as they played together over the years. Kyle has been a part of the ‘Ukulele Underground show as an interviewer and musician. He said he wanted to share the stage with another ‘ukulele player rather than his band because he wanted something special for EKK that you would not see at other venues.

Because I never met Kyle before tonight, the first thing he said to me was, “You were my mother’s high school teacher; her name is Lani Taba. Your brother visits my grandma all the time, and my auntie Joanie Taba knows you well.” Joni is my barbeque ‘ohana. Talk about a small world!

Kyle is a multi-talented artist working with photography, film, guitar and other interests. He recently moved back from California to work as the music director at his church in Kailua and focuses on using his interests to develop new creative projects. Recently married, his wife is a music teacher in the public school.

“Tonight I will play some of my favorite songs; I like to take someone else’s song and add my own twist to it,” said Kyle, and his started with Bob Marley’sWaiting in Vain. Kyle is a little taller than Aldrine but he is slight in built, very fair and has that forever youthful baby-face look. But his next song was surprising as he belted out Josh Turner’s Your Man in a very low gravel-voiced western drawl. Well, that was unexpected. He continued the country western with Otis Redding’s Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. He’s a singing ‘ukulele player, more of an exception than the rule. He continued with an animated crowd-pleasing version of Black Water by the Doobie Brothers.

Aldrine took the stage. He says funny things. Earlier when he was being interviewed for a video segment, the videographer asked him, “What is the answer you want to give to the question that is never asked?” Aldrine’s answer was, “. . . the question that I’ve always wanted to answer is how tall I am, and the answer to that is at least five feet, maybe six . . . I don’t know . . . at least five.” When asked, “are you taller on video or on the radio or live,” “I like to tell people that if you just take your two fingers, go like this, and pretend like you’re watching YouTube, it doesn’t matter how tall I am in person; it’ll look just like how you’re looking at me on your computer screen.”

Earlier in his career, he really liked jamming the intricate stuff on his ‘ukulele, but he found out that people just like to sing along and he just wants to enjoy playing the ‘ukulele; he likes to write the lyrics of a song behind his eyelids, close his eyes, and just sing. He asked the audience to join him singing his version of Prince’s Purple Rain. Howls of appreciation! He knows his audience.

Although Aldrine no longer has any more of his sold out CDs to sell, during his earlier visits to EKK, he had been recording a number of CDs; his third CD by the title Bandito Tyler is a real sound track to a fake movie that Aldrine made up in his wild imaginings. One of the songs on this CD is an “ukulele waltz” titled Dance with a Bandit in which the Robin Hood-like character is dancing with the leading lady; he likes to imagine what it looks like for two ‘ukulele to be dancing together. The beautiful light-hearted instrumental was perfect for that image.

His Mother named him after Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, second human to walk on the moon, but she wanted to give it a little Filipino twist so she added the “e” at the end and called him Aldrine. Because of his connection to his name-sake Buzz Aldrin, he wrote a song called Space Suits, another product of his wild personal imaginary world. Putting away his space suit was a metaphor for putting away his aspirations to fly to the moon.

When he was working at a hotel passing out pool towels and raking the sand around the pool, his growing aversion to a nine-to-five job where he had to put away his parent’s aspirations “our son is going to make it to the moon,” and seeing his friends playing music on the stage prompted him to write this song about putting on his Buzz Aldrin space suits. Seems it has worked for him as he has been buzzing all over the planet in his ‘ukulele-inspired space suit.

On a different note, he switched to a classic Beatle’s song released in 1969.Something is one of his favorite songs to play. He played it with such sensitivity. Along the same vein he moved right along into another Beatle’s favorite, While My Guitar Gently Weeps. He acknowledged his mentor and teacher Jake Shimabukuro with whom he spent time in coffee shops, polishing his ‘ukulele repertoire while he was attending school in Honolulu. He then played Bandito Tyler from his CD of the same name.

When asked to sample the Kamoa ‘ukulele that was going to be given away after the intermission, Aldrine showed off the tight, close to the ground style of playing he is known for by getting the audience yelling out “FASTER!”, “FASTER!”, “FASTER!” with his Crazy G instrumental. He showed off his comedic slant by doing his Qi Gong breathing, cross his heart and exercise routine before his final attempt. He out-raced himself.

Mark Perkins of Wainwright, Alberta, Canada won the Kamoa ‘ukulele. Well deserved! For several Mondays, he had been making a lot of donations for tickets to win the Kamoa ‘ukulele. So what did this generous winner do with the ‘ukulele after posing for a photo? He turned around and gave it to a most deserving teacher from Kapa’a Middle School, Mary Lardizabal, who every year takes an army of students from her music classes along with an army of parent chaperones to perform at the World Strides Heritage Music Festival at Disneyland on March 15-22. Don’t you just love it when you see a genuine show of Aloha extended to someone else?

Mary writes to us, “We loved EKK! The winner of the ‘ukulele gifted it to our program and we will be finding a creative way to give it to a student who will be very appreciative! I met Mark last year when he brought his daughter-in-law who played the fiddle. He plays piano. It was awesome. He came back with a friend of the family this year. Take care and bless you for the many years of your incredible love for the arts!”

After the intermission excitement, Aldrine and Kyle took the stage together. Maroon 5 – Sunday Morning is one of the songs they taught the ‘ukulele circle and is also one of Aldrine’s tour favorites; it gives him a chance to sing while playing the ‘ukulele.

The crowd went wild when they played Body Surfing, ‘ukulele master Ohta-san’s classic. It’s a favorite “rite of passage” song for ‘ukulele players to master with its lightning-fast tricky fingering which would be daunting for most but a real challenge to any ‘ukulele player who wants that song in his repertoire. Even Jake Shimabukuro played this song when he was part of the Pure Heart group with Jon Yamasato and Lopaka Colon.

By this time, Kyle and Aldrine were really cutting loose and having a great time. They did a face off, going back and forth with bluesy riffs, challenging each other to see who could come out on top. They both did. They played Don Miguel, one of Aldrine’s original composition on his CD about his world of imaginary super Heros. This was followed by Aldrine’s version of Dancing In the Moonlight which won him a Na Hoku Hanohano Award.

Time was up but the audience was not done; they called for a hana hou, so Aldrine asked, “What do you want?’’ Someone shouted, Europa! “We did that at the beginning!” Someone else shouted Wipe Out! “I’m a crowd pleaser . . . let’s play Wipe Out!, came back Aldrine. Not only were their hands a blur with their lightning-fast finger action but the two of them were hopping and jumping all over the stage like two frisky fleas. It wasn’t just their fingers; they were the “jumping fleas”!

What a night! Everyone calmed down with Hawai’i Aloha, and left the hotel premises just a little bit younger, just a lot more light-hearted, and just a great deal more appreciative of our up-and-coming young talents.

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E Kanikapila Kakou 2018 Hawaiian Music Program is funded in part by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, supported by the County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, the Kaua’i Beach Resort, and the GIAC/EKK supporters. Garden Island Arts Council programs are supported in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Hawai’i State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.