E Kanikapila Kākou Week #3 Wrap

“Unforgettable walk down memory lane with the greatest hits of classic Hoʻokena and Mākaha Sons in one powerful performance!”

featuring

Mākena

( Hoʻokena & Mākaha Sons of Niʻihau together) 

Inspired by the Week 2 ʻukulele circle performance on stage, the Week 3 ʻukulele circle tripled in size, so the 30-plus ʻukulele-toting folks, taught by Aunty Bev and Hauanini Kaui were invited to the stage for a short four minute “show.” This was followed by Haunani Kaui demonstrating a waltz on the Kamoa ʻukulele that was going to be given away; Tomas Braverman was also acknowledged for donating a gorgeous hand-made ʻukulele; audience appreciation was shown by their hefty applause.

Carol then took some time to share about the many GIAC programs – EKK in its 43rd season which this year relocated from Kauaʻi Beach Resort to the PAC; the Lihuʻe Airport Displays – over 90 designed and installed since 2005; currently, GIAC is working on the Kīlauea Lighthouse Mosaic Mural which will be completed by May of this year, and we also wanted to acknowledge the “BoroBoro Boutique” Ladies who meet every Friday to sew unique blouse fashions to raise funds for the mosaic project . . . a bevy of beauties sporting BBB original garments tripped across the stage wearing their fashionable attire.

Mākena is the melding of two awesome groups --   Hoʻokena, formed in 1985, joined forces with two members of the Makaha Sons of Niʻihau.

Little tidbits of information about them -- Moon Kauakahi, Horace Dudoit, Chris Kamaka and Eric Lee – were shared -- information that is not found on the Internet. Eacn seemed amused with their unique introduction.

Right off the bat the musicians launched with gusto into familiar music with their powerful harmony; their combined voices   so chicken skin as they sang ʻ Ūlili Ē   with words and music by George Keahi and Harry Naope. Audience applause showed how happy they were all here to experience this special concert. Tonight Mākena will play a lot of the classics they had recorded over the years with some new songs that they have just composed.

Horace introduced what he called a “marathon” medly of their classic songs which really is a workout for the musicians but they really did it justice. Mākaha Sons of Niʻihau Medley recorded on the 1991 “Live at the Bash” album. This medley was comprised of the traditional   Ali‘i ‘Iolan i , Queen Lili‘uokalaniʻs He Inoa No Ka‘iulani , a traditional Hawaiian song, Hola E Pae , frequently attributed to composer and songwriter Charles E. King, though it is sometimes listed as traditional, and Hāli‘ilua , composed by Albert Nahale‘a.

Forty years ago, when Hoʻokena was a quintet, they put out their first CD which was called “Thirst Quencher”; it included a song about Kaimukī. Kumu Hula Nani Dudoit, stepped on stage for their next song, Kaimukī Hula , composed by Alice M. Rickard. She is a vision of lovliness today as she was when she performed on the Merrie Monarch stage in 1981 where she placed as first runner up in the Miss Aloha Hula competition, representing Hālau Nā Pualei o Likolehua under Kumu Hula Leinaʻala Kalama Heine. Nani comes from a long and prestigious Dudoit legacy at the Merrie Monarch. Nani performed a second brisk hand-clapping hula , Alaka‘i (aka Ka ‘Ano‘i) , composed by Kamehaokalani. Interesting note is that this song came from an article in the 1883 newspaper.

Horace introduced the talented Eric Lee, who has been performing in every possible combination -- solo, duet, trio, quartet, quintet -- and is a prolific composer. Itʻs a Beautiful Day was written for both kamaʻāina and malihine who can enjoy a beautiful day in Hawaiʻi – rain or shine – itʻs always a beautiful day full of aloha. He constantly meets visitors who complain when the weather is bad; he encouraged the audience to participate by showing the Hawaiian SHAKA greeting; audience really got into the spirit of the song. Only the 5th song and already the artists were sweating. At this point a kindly menehune showed up from backstage with towels for each artist to wipe down their sweat; they thanked her for the “portugee shower.”

Eric shared a story about when he was a student at Kamehameha School where they have an annual song contest. The arranger introduced guest consultant Manu Boyd of the group Hoʻokena; Eric recalls him saying to the class, “. . .and one day you will all sound like Hoʻokena.” Ironically, today Eric is singing with Hoʻokena.The foursome launched into another catchy tune, Mehameha, composed by Rick Bibbs, Alice Nāmakelua and Peter Moon.

White Sandy Beach composed by Duc Huy (credited as Willie Dann/Dan) and arranged by Moon 35 years ago for the Mākaha Sons of Niʻihau in 1991. As the first strains of the song rang out the audience immediately recognized the familiar refrains . . . ”I saw you in my dreams . . . ” itʻs one of those “marker” songs . . . you remember where you were the first time you heard it . . . who you were with . . .truly a classic that has become part of the fabric of our lives.

They shared about the many groups that influenced their performing lives – Peter Moon, Sunday Manoa (Cazimero Brothers). Horace shared that Moonʻs nickname came about when Moon was in college; he played exactly what Peter Moon used to play.   His real name is Louis . . . “so when you see him the next time, say ʻHi Louis!ʻ ” . . . all in fun.

They all had their influencers: Moon listened to the Sons of Hawaiʻi; Chris followed the Kahauanu Lake Trio; Eric – followed Hoʻokena and the Mākaha Sons. As an example of how much the groups that came before them had influenced their music, they launched into a bit of Only You by the Sunday Manoa.

Eric then introduced the full-of-wisdom-but-shy Moon to sing one of Dennis Kamakahiʻs many original compositions -- Nā Ali‘i Puolani .   Eric ripped off another pāʻani on his red guitar. Their voices soared in exquisite harmony for the closing of this song. Beautiful!

They changed the pace to a snappy melody with a litte bit of the kachi-kachi flavor in Ka Lama Aʻe One ; Ericʻs lively pāʻani always gives a song a silver lining and the beautiful harmony was so appreciated! So much camaraderie delivered in this song; itʻs the kind of song that groups like to sing together on outings. Itʻs amazing to watch a group that stands to play music all through their entire performance.

Horace then introduced Chris Kamaka in a solo rendition of Bob Nelsonʻs Maui Waltz in his exquisite tenor voice. What a surprise!   First time I heard him carry the vocals! Eric chimed in with his incredible mastery of his red guitar. What a beautiful combination! By this time the audience was so caught up in the music with bodies swaying and you could hear the undercurrent of audience humming along with the performers. Loyal Garner used to sing this beautiful mele.

Horace invited Kumu Hula Nani to dance to the iconic hula love song titled Kealoha, composed by Lei Collins and Maddy Lam. He invited anyone who wanted to come up to hula; Nani was joined by Queenie Daligdig and Pōʻai Galindo; what a treat to see three beautiful dancers, each with her own choreography.

Last week, Shawn Pimental shared. “Here in Hawaiʻi all we know how to do is to hug and kiss when we greet friends that we have not seen for awhile.” After this hula, we all could see exactly what he was talking about, because Nani and Queenie, good friends from way back, greeted each other the way long-lost friends do with giant bear hugs.

The next song/hula, Makee ʻAilana by James K. Iʻi, was a real treat as Horace talked about the many little islands that filled the Waikīkī Zoo marshlands. He put down his guitar and joined his wife Nani in a hula that was sooooo “ono”!   Their hula choreography in such affectionate unison brought cheers from the enchanted audience. This is the first time that this hula was presented by a couple; it was really special.

Back in the 1980ʻs Nani was the right-hand woman for Kumu Hula Leinaʻala Kalama Heine, the principal hula master for the Cazimero Brothers. Horace was then dancing with Robert Cazimeroʻs hālau so he was there to perform at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel Monarch Room where that show was performed. Horace shared that he remembered watching her dance every night . . . remembered what she was wearing . . . he also remembered what he was thinking. And that is how he first met her.

Speaking about Icons . . . the next was a well-known popular song, but Bruddah Iz put his stamp on it, and this is the version that we all know and love in Hawaiʻi. They launched into the “ooooooooo” . . . the first strains of Somewhere Over the Rainbow . . . an all-time favorite sung by Iz. Tonight, Mākena put their own spin on this beloved song. This song was composed by Harold Arlen and lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg.   What A Wonderful World   was composed by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss .

Eric shared how Moon relayed the story about the next song he composed.   Kāhea O Ke‘ale , which was requested from the audience, takes us back to 1976 (50 years ago). Moon described life on the beaches in the west Mākaha area – the farther west you go, the buildings get smaller and smaller, the people get darker and darker, the beaches get wider and wider. One night, Moon was awakened by the call of the sea, the sound was of the surf, but it was not coming from the sea; instead the sound of the surf was bouncing off the mountains in the back. It was the ancestors. This prompted him to compose this song which sounds like a lullaby – the call of the surf; it was very special. The song featured vocals by Moon. What a haunting melody! What he did not know at the time he composed it is that he would later be married into the Keale family.

Eric, at this point, shared with the audience their appreciation for coming to Kauaʻi to share their love of traditional Hawaiian music – the arrangements, the stories, and especially the audience reception of their group. “Never forget your roots; always pass it on . . . ”

Huge cheers preceded the next number as the audience caught sight of Aunty Ihiʻihilani making her way to the stage to share her hula; from the smiles on their faces and their body language, the performers were obviously surprised and thrilled by Auntie Ihiʻs rascal hula. Her enticing moves with her sassy hanky told the story of Maunaloa , composed by Helen Lindsey Parker.

The poignant marriage proposal song, Pua Hone, by Dennis Kamakahi, captures the essence of traditional Hawaiian music. Nani brings to life the sentiment of the proposal in her dramatic yet delicate hula moves. They followed this with the classic Aia I Ka Maui , a song with lyrics by Solomon Kaʻōpio about longing and affection for a lei mokihana and made famous by George Kuo.

By now the group had been performing an hour and a half; they shared their appreciation for being asked to come to Kauaʻi; I took this opportunity to ask for a short intermission, knowing that the audience did not want the music to stop but at the same time needed a short intermission to visit the lua.   The artists obliged. I truly could not fathom how they could be standing and performing for a whole hour and half  . . .   hope they appreciated having a chance to get another short “portugee bath” with some clean towels.

Following the intermission, the beautiful mango ʻukulele which was played before the concert began was given away to one very happy young lady named Anastacia.

Back to the stage, after a very short break, the artists launched into a song written in honor or King David Kalākaua; it was a song they performed at the Merrie Monarch. Composed by Nāhinu about King Kalākaua and his world wide travels, Iā ‘Oe E Ka Lā E ‘Alohi Nei , was performed at the Merrie Monarch hula competition. Each musician picked up a verse and all chimed in for the chorus.

Aloha Kauaʻi, a song for Kauaʻi, composed by Maʻiki Aiu Lake as a thank you to Kauaʻi after her visit. Nani was called back to the stage to dance to the Kauaʻi favorite. Our resident hula dancer, Vern Kauanui, who could not resist a chance to dance on the big stage, went up to share his hula. As long as we can remember, Vern loves to dance at EKK.

Horace announced that he wanted to throw a curve balll and share a different kind of song. He asked how many were John Denver fans and the positive response from the audicene clued him in that he was in the right ball park. With Horace as lead vocal, they launched into Country Road and the audience sang along; they topped it off with an added verse in Hawaiian, much to the appreciation of the audience. Everyone seemed to enjoy the change of pace.

Lahainaluna is one of many beloved songs by Kui Lee, composer extraordinaire, who composed other songs which are classics today --   Iʻll Remember You; The Days of my Youth; Ka Makani KāʻIli Aloha   --- this beautiful melody was sent out to all their ʻohana and friends in Lahaina; Eric threw in his awesome pāʻani to great applause.

Pehea Lā , composed by Eric Lee, is a funny love song about a girl who was chasing the guy...she knew EVERYTHING about his daily moves (sounded like a stalker), but Eric said it basically was about, “So what? . . . get chance?” Itʻs a song that would really appeal to the courting age generation; or it could be a tool box just before Valentineʻs Day or the perfect song for Leap Year . . . or most likely for someone who is too tired of waiting for the dense male. Such a lively song!

Hawaiian Soul , an island favorite composed by John Osorio and Randy Borden, was written in honor of George Helm and Kimo Mitchell, two activists from Molokaʻi who were lost at sea while trying to protect the island of Kahoʻolawe from the military bombing. Vocalist Chris, with his gentle and sensitive version of the song in his beautiful tenor, put just the right spin on the song.

Hualālai , composed by Matilda Kauwe is a fast song with a catchy beat. It fits perfectly with the beautiful upland community on the Kona side of Hawaiʻi island.

One of the most iconic songs by the Mākaha Sons is about Uncle Richard “Biggie” Kaleohano, composed by Moon Kauakahi.   At the 2024 EKK, Mel Amina, one of the early member of the Sons, shared the amazing story of their interaction with Uncle Biggie. Their week-end adventure prompted Moon to write this extraordinary song to capture the essense of their unforgettable friend from Hawaiʻi Island. To have it sung by the composer himself backed up by the remarkable voices of Mākena was truly a treat that everyone in the audience appreciated and will take with them. Chicken skin all the way. In fact, the entire evening of non-stop awesome music was truly a treat for all present.

He Hawaiʻi Au, composed by Peter Moon, Ron Rosha and Alice Nāmakelua is another unforgettable melody that reminds us all that Hawaiʻi is a very special place to call home. Nani, once again, came back to the stage to share her hula.

Chris thanked Kellen and Līhau Paik of Kūpaoa for bringing the upright bass for him all the way from Kīlauea. I wanted to thank the couple for bringing Mākena to their Kīlauea Christmas Concert where I was able to recruit them to perform at EKK.

In Hawaiʻi, it appears that where one went to high school is a very important part of your social-personal DNA; one of the questions often asked is, “Hey! What high school you grad from?”

Recapping the background and milestones of the group Mākena, Horace took this opportunity to color in the silhouettes of the members of the musical group:

Hoʻokena, this year. celebrates 40 years; Chris and Horace are longtime members of this group.

Horace, the charismatic and on-point leader of the group, is a 1982 graduate of Waipahu High School . . . yay, Public schools!

Kamaka ʻUkulele Hawaiʻi this year celebrates 110 years in the family ʻukulele business; Chris has now taken leadership of this family businss. He is a 1974 graduate of Saint Louis High School.

Kumu Hula Nanette Malanani Dudoit is a 1970 Kamehameha School graduate.

Moon has been in music for 50-plus years. A 1973 graduate of Kamehamaha Schoolʻs “West Campus”, which is Nānākuli High School, is “Living Legend” Moon Kauakahi -- need help with language, arrangements, music, etc, he is right there!

Eric, the youngest, has been in the business for about 30 years with every kind of musical group association; he is a 1992 graduate of Kamehameha Schools.

Their final medley Ke Alaula , composed by William K. Panui and Moon Kauakahi, with soaring melody and powerful volume was the perfect send-off to the appreciative audience for an unforgettable evening of Hawaiian classics. Itʻs so amazing that even if we interrupted their performance with an unexpected need for intermission, which threw them off and deleted some songs, they kept on singing and singing for a total of 28 songs . . . amazing and huge mahalo! Makena sent everyone home with a deeper appreciaton of Hawaiian music, stories, hula and ALOHA.

The audience all stood, joined hands and raised their voices in unison to Lorenzo Lyonsʻs Hawaiʻi Aloha . Week #3 at EKK was a gift . . . an unforgettable evening!

Photo Credit:   Mike Teruya and Kathleen Ho

Words by: Carol Kouchi Yotsuda

COMING UP...