Ka Mele Hawai'i (part one)

Hawai'i has produced some pretty amazing artists over the years. Whether it be singers, dancers, chanters, musicians, painters or woodworkers, artistic talent runs deep through the people of the islands. Though the Hawaiian people themselves exhibit a very high ratio of talented artists, even those not of Hawaiian ancestry who are life-long residents of the islands are represented in this group. Perhaps the intense beauty of the place provides extra inspiration.

I am particularly fond of Hawaiian music, both contemporary and traditional. It is not unusual that the early Hawaiians embraced and extended musical styles from outside their world, as they were already accomplished dancers and chanters with rich traditions even before the arrival of westerners and asians. Early Hawaiians adopted new musical styles with the same gusto that they learned to read and write. Hawaiian royalty were not only frequently the subject of song and dance, but many wrote their own music as well, including some of the most enduring Hawaiian songs. Queen Liliuokalani, the last queen before the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, was a prolific song writer. Her work includes one of the best known traditional compositions, Aloha 'Oe.

Many traditional compositions are tributes to particular places in the islands. In fact the very title of this blog was inspired in part by the chorus from Pupu  A O 'Ewa a traditional song written by an unknown composer commemorating 'Ewa on the island of O'ahu. 

Many inspired English language original works as well as renditions of standards have been performed by Hawaiian artists, but I certainly prefer those featuring the Hawaiian language. The beauty of the language itself becomes part of the experience. Even if you don't understand the words, you can feel the emotion of the singer. Spending a little time learning a few words and occasionally picking up an English-Hawaiian dictionary for certain words or phrases further enhances the enjoyment.

Chants & Dance

This is the purest form of Hawaiian music, Chanting or hula performed to beats played on various instruments of wood or dried gourd is the original music of the islands, reflecting a time before the influence of westerners and asians.

Falsetto Singing 

Known in the islands as leo ki'eki'e, this is a frequently heard vocal style. I must admit that this style may be the least accessible to the ear unaccustomed to Hawaiian music. It has taken me quite some time to develop a taste for it.

Guitar

The guitar appeared on the Islands from numerous sources, sailors, missionaries, and other visitors. In particular Portuguese immigrants of the 19th century brought with them the cavaquinho, a small guitar-like instrument that evolved into the uniquely Hawaiian version called the ukulele.

Early Hawaiian musicians also created their own musical styles using the traditional guitar. Slack-key guitar, wherein a classically tuned guitar is de-tuned by loosening one or more strings, as well as steel guitar, which is played using a metal slide across the fret board, instead of the fingers.

Traditional

These songs couple the guitar innovations discussed above with Hawaiian language lyrics. The song titles mentioned previously (Pupu A O 'Ewa and Aloha 'Oe) are fine examples.

Contemporary

Contemporary Hawaiian music takes its influence from many sources, including traditional Hawaiian, Country, and Reggae (a genre sometimes referred to as Jawaiian).

Modern Hawaiian artists are super stars in the islands, but relatively unknown on the mainland. I am confounded by this. I find it indicative of a singular hubris on the part of the mainland record labels and radio stations. Perhaps they don't feel that listeners raised on hip-hop and pop-rock could appreciate the guitar and ukulele driven melodies and emotional Hawaiian language lyrics. 

In part two of this series, we'll explore a few of the most accessible contemporary Hawaiian artists, perfect listening for those wanting an easy introduction to ka mele Hawai'i.