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Island Rhythms Ki ho'alu in Kapalua
Island Rhythms Ki ho'alu in Kapalua
Island Rhythms
| Ki ho'alu in Kapalua |
| Written by Alex Barasch |
| October 12, 2006 |
|
Ki ho'alu Makes a Home in Kapalua  An unforgettable and heartwarming evening of Hawaiian song and story unfolds each Wednesday evening at The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua…home of the Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Concert Series. The art form Hawaiians innovated and named ki ho‘alu (literally meaning “slacken the key”) traces its roots back to the 1830s, but this style of popular music is as timeless as Hawai’i itself. Lately the mid-week concert series has drawn capacity audiences in the hotel’s intimate amphitheater proving that slack key music is as current as ever.Producer Paul Konwiser, promoter Wayne Wong, and host George Kahumoku, Jr., together developed the concept for the series, which each week showcases a different slack key master performing in the old kanikapila (backyard session) style, alternately playing songs and talking story. The theater’s acoustics are superb and with the stage bordered by palm fronds, amber stage lights, and a striking painting of a Hawaiian sunset as the backdrop, the ambiance is warm. “George and Paul came up with a great idea,” says Dennis Kamakahi, who was a featured guest artist in March. “They said let’s take what we do on the road and bring it to a setting where it’s like we’re inviting people into our living room or backyard.” Born in Honolulu and raised on Moloka‘i, Kamakahi began studying music when he was three years old in a family steeped in musical tradition (at the age of 20 his father became the youngest first-seat trombone player of the Royal Hawaiian Band). Having written over 500 songs, Kamakahi is the sort of high-caliber musician the distinctive series presents on a weekly basis. “It’s the only one,” he says. “This is the only series in Hawai‘i that offers slack key all the time, and that’s very special.” “Of course, having it at The Ritz-Carlton makes it very nice and the people here make it a great partnership,” adds Kamakahi, a repeat invitee. “You get spoiled when you come here because they always go out of their way for you.” Each show begins with Konwiser welcoming the audience and introducing Kahumoku who performs a few songs and regales the crowd with stories of life in Hawai‘i and humorous anecdotes. The guest artist then plays a set alone before playing a set accompanied by Kahumoku to close the show. This final segment is the highlight of the night, when two of Hawai‘i’s slack key masters share the stage and the energy in the room becomes electric. Now in its third year, the well-established series created even more buzz in February when a compilation CD titled Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Volume One was awarded the Grammy for Best Hawaiian Music Album. It features live songs captured from the series performed by slack key legends Ledward Kaapana, Daniel Ho, Ozzie Kotani, Keoki Kahumoku, and Cyril Pahinui, son of the late slack key pioneer Gabby Pahinui. The last track on the album marks the debut of Peter deAquino and Garrett Probst, two talented young musicians known locally on Maui as “Da Ukulele Boyz” who perform with Kahumoku and friends at the end of every concert.  Moani Ke‘ala and Mauna Kea Mosquito are the two songs on the acclaimed album performed by host George Kahumoku, Jr., who traveled to Los Angeles to attend the Grammy awards show. “The emotion I felt was actually one of humility,” says Kahumoku, who went on stage with son Keoki and others to accept the award. “Here we were with Madonna and Paul McCartney and Bono, and I was just very humbled by the whole experience.” Javier Cano, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, remarked on the win, “We’re all very, very proud and excited. We are fortunate to have a wonderful group of people to work with, and certainly there are just some fabulous musicians here in Hawai‘i.”Kahumoku, who has been a renowned slack key master for years and is considered Hawai‘i’s modern-day Renaissance man, only counts music as one of his many passions. Residing in rugged and beautiful northwestern Maui with his wife and children, the Big Island native and Kamehameha Schools graduate also has earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. He is a songwriter, recording artist, author (A Hawaiian Life, Kealia Press, 2001), as well as a high school ceramics teacher who commutes to Lahaina throughout the week. Always deeply in tune with the ‘aina (land), Kahumoku is obsessed with gardening and farming; on his acreage he raises avocados, taro, sugar, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, ti, and different varieties of banana. Juxtaposed with this, he has traveled the world and shared his music with the prince of Thailand, the Premier of China, and the Queen of England, and he has played Carnegie Hall on more than one occasion. This series at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, not only gives people the opportunity to hear up-close soulful guitar sounds from Kahumoku and other top ki ho‘alu artists; it also lets them sit in on the wonderful tradition of Hawaiian storytelling. Between songs during Dennis Kamakahi’s March performance, he recounted in moving detail how Mexican vaqueros introduced the guitar to Hawai‘i when they arrived to help manage cattle in the early 19th Century. When these cowboys returned to their home country and left their guitars to their Hawaiian friends, the Hawaiians developed an individual style of playing that used innovative tunings to suit the key of their vocals, thus giving birth to ki ho‘alu. The techniques and tunings have multiplied and evolved over the years, but through the fingers the music continues to evoke the heart and soul of Hawai‘i. The Wednesday night series features two shows in the theater at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, one at 6:00 PM and the other at 8:30 PM. Reservations can be made by calling direct (808) 669-3858 or toll-free 1-(888) 669-3858. The guest roster can be viewed at www.slackkey.com. |
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