Posted on: Sunday, August 28, 2005
ISLAND SOUNDS
Here's something for lovers of Island music of all kinds
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Kapono Beamer, a member of a prolific kama'aina musical family, looks to his past to shape his future as a recording artist.
Another compilation of Hawaiian-style Island rhythms tunes should touch a nerve among fans.
And get high with another installment in a falsetto series.
"SLACK KEY DREAMS OF THE PONOMOE" BY KAPONO BEAMER; KAPONO BEAMER ENTERPRISES
Genre: Traditional Hawaiian, world music.
Distinguishing notes: Kapono Beamer, member of the productive Hawaiian musical family, revisits his traditional roots with mele and reflections. With two tracks featuring the voice of his grandmother, Louise Leiomalama Walker Beamer, Beamer goes full throttle in reaching back into his storied history, performing his nose flute ('ohe hano inu) and adding gourd rhythms (ipu) to "Manono Chant" and "E Manono," selections which project dreamlike qualities from another time. With the ki ho'alu framework, the moods here are gentle, serene, wistful and, as the title implies, dreamy. The Beamer originals — some vocal, some instrumental — embody a range of moods tapping such diverse entities as the Hawaiian owl ("Ka Lele O Pueo"), the Hawaiian sea turtle ("Makahonu"), a pit bull ("Bullah Ilio"), gently cascading waters ("Kani Wailele") and rainfall in Nu'uanu ("Ua Ki O Wao"). "Out of Control" and "Lost in the Sound of Your Voice," two vocals in English, employ the idiom of jazz and blues with the sweetness of a romantic sojourn. The entire tone of the disc is low-key, subdued, mood-provoking and often nostalgic. Liner notes provide revealing details of small-kid-time recollections, linked to specific titles; composer's notes augment the tales and meanings behind the tune. Beamer performs on slack-key guitar, piano and Hawaiian implements. Noel Okimoto appears on drums and percussion; Dean Taba, on bass.
The outlook: This Beamer journey is akin to his musical escapades earlier in his career; the tradition lives again.
Our take: A tidy return to Beamer's past, a luminous torch for his immediate future.
"HAWAIIAN STYLE 4" BY VARIOUS ARTISTS; NEOS PRODUCTIONS
Genre: World music.
Distinguishing notes: Eighteen tracks, by as many local artists, mean a bonanza for fans of contemporary Island rhythms familiar with this ongoing series. From the opening "Driving Me Crazy" by the Mana'o Company to the closing "Mother of the Sea" by Darren Benitez, "Hawaiian Style" is Hawaiian soul ... and then some. Surely you'll find communion with something by the array of artists, from Fiji to Robi Kahakalau, from Baba B. to Justin, from Three Plus to Ekolu, from Sean Na'auao to Norm, from Kawika Regidor to Troy Fernandez. And in Henry Kapono's "Home in the Islands" lies the ultimate message: In the middle of the sea, you can't help but feel at home with these ditties.
The outlook: There's got to be something here to savor, sample and support. If not, Volume 5 can't be too far away.
Our take: This one is like a jukebox, loaded with favorites.
"ALOHA FESTIVALS FALSETTO CONTEST WINNERS, VOL. 6" BY VARIOUS ARTISTS; HULA RECORDS
Genre: Traditional Hawaiian.
Distinguishing notes: Now entering its second decade of existence, the falsetto contest has proven to be a resource for singers and fans alike, launching a few careers while preserving a tradition. The voices heard in the upper registers are male winners of falsetto competitions last year. Ruben Kalai "Kai" Ho'opi'i (Maui), Matthew Kupuka'a (Big Island) and Lawrence Pau (O'ahu) are heard in a spectrum of falsetto tunes, some original (like Pau's own "Hau'ula"), but mostly borrowed, like Ho'opi'i's "Ikona" and "Kahakuloa," Kupuka'a's "Pua Lililehua" and "Kaloaloa," and Pau's "Ke Ahi Wela," from traditional and beloved sources.
The outlook: The big question is, which of the three will become the next household name?
Our take: A veritable "high" in listening pleasure.
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
| | |
|
|
