Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 3, 1 Ianuali 1980 — Review The Gingers are Blooming and "Hi'ipoi i ka 'Aina Aloha [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Review

The Gingers are Blooming a nd "Hi'ipoi i ka 'Aina Aloha

It was the countryside and rural areas that many of our families eame from and still live. Today, those of us liying in urban areas still rfeturn onee in awhile to relax in the peaceful surroundings that the, countryside ean offer. TJie music copposēd and 'sung by people living there tends to reflect how they_live and view the world | around them and this is quite evident in the two records "Hjipoi I Ka Aina Aloha: Cherish the beloved Land n by Edith Kanakaole and "The Gihgers are blqomjn£" by Randy Parker. They are by musicians who eome from Ihe countrysides of thēse islands and their compositions are about how they perceive enjoy their way of living. " " "Hi'ipoi i ka 'Aina Aloha" is a belaied releasing of Edith songs about her homeland on the island of I?awaii in particular, the homesteads of Keaukaha. This is not an album of traditional chants, as she is renown for, but of traditional styled folk songs. She is aeeompanied by ukulele, slack key guitar, bass, traditional vocal harmonies. However, it is her voice that dominates through the record. It is a voice seasoned with experience and shows no effort in changing to falsetto. You ean just imagine the enthusiasm she had singing during the recording session. She>probably forgot that everything was being recorded. The compositions follow traditional folk songs for the words and stories are more impprtarit than the music, There are two songs written in tribute to Edith Kanakaole by her fellow instructor at the University of Haw'aii. Kaiani Meineeke. These two songs lend a well thought of break between her songs and are sung in a harmonic chanting hula style that reminds one of the Hawaii Ccj|ls program or other songs from the thirties or forties. This recording nicely follows the release of "Pure G_abby" by Hula Records. It ,will be enjoyed by those"looking for a traditional and authentic Hawaiian folk music that is not performed in Waikiki nightclubs. . ■; A more contemporary view'of country living

is to be found in the recording 4, The Gingecs are blooming' byKandy P.arker qū the new recording labei called "Ginger Records." Parker is one of tjxe many new musicians *performing contempo rary Hawaiian music.

He blends the instrume.ntation of slack,key guitar with the range of American folk, folk-rock.aiui other styles of popular music during the and early seventies. His compositions are remr niscent of other performers like ]erry Santos oi Olomana and Kapono Beamer of the Beanu r Brothers, The lyrics are optimistic, simple aiui express a delight in the beauty of island liviA today. There,are seven original compositions o: Parker s balanced with selected popular soumthat may reflect the music that has influenced iustyle, He is accompa}iied by Tim Ford, anoiiu . young,musiciai}, on guitar and vocal hannonūBut the emphasis is given to the siu£in,< Parker's songs and Parker's voice is a cleai\ svvi- ( tenor, This is a recardius to listcu to i\'U\ u;; unwind or think abqut the cguutrysid«' «'Ulu. rotnanUcaHy or simply because you nua !.u