Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 3, 1 January 1980 — Ka 'Ahamele a ka Brothers Cazimero [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ka 'Ahamele a ka Brothers Cazimero

E mahalo 'ia ana aku i ka Brothers Cazimero no ka laua alaka'i mele a pila i na mele HawaiM keia manawa. A ma ka la iwakalua kumamaha, me ke ahiahi, ua 'ahamele no ho'i laua me na po*e i hui pu *ia me laua ma ka Hale kahua ho'ike *o Blaisdell Arena i Honolulu nei. He 'ahamele i kohu maika'i i na mele a i ka ho'ike, a he mea keaka, a malia i ka hopena, ua ku iluna na po'e anaina me ka pa'ip'i, nolaila, ua kapa 'ia he 'ahamele kamaha'o no ho'i. Ma ka mahele mua o ka 'ahamele, ua lio'omaha 'ia me na mele hou mailoko mai o ka laua mau pa ieo hpu i kapa 'ia "Waikiki, My Castle by the Sea" ame "Pele." A ma ka mahele hope e ho'ike.mele me r;a 'oko'a o karikimaka me ke 'ano mele Hawai'i, Ua wae a kohu maika'i 'ia na mele ma'amau me na mele hou i kalele i na mana'o 'oko'a o Karikimaka« penei no: ua kohu'ia ka mele makamua i ka himeni a Makua Laiana, 'ō "La Krisamāka e oli ai" e ho'oma'a aku me ka leo oli ame ka hula kahiko a i ka hopena o ka 'ahamele ua fio'i hou ma\e~kahua ho'ike a ua himeni me ke leo mele hui himeni. A 'o ka hula i hui pu me fa, he hula i moakaka ai i ka 'ike a ho'omaopopo 'ana i ke ki'i Kuhi. A hau'oli ka pepeiao i ka ho'olohe mai o na hua'olelo nani e kukala i ka nu oli oJ<a hanau keiki hemolele. A 'o na hula apau loa, i ho'ike ai mekekeaka e like me na hula 'olu haole ('oia ka ballet), "O na po'e hula i hui pu 'ia, aia no ka Halau o Na Kamalei, he -mau po'e kane malalo o ka lakou kumu hula 'o Wayne Chang ame Robert Cazimero, ame ka Halau o Na Pua o Likolehua, he mau wahine ipe ka lakoukumu hula 'o Leinaala Heine Kalama. A'okanahanaho'ike, 4 oiakamea ahona o ke ahiahi a nui ka le'ale'a ame ka hau'oli i ka 'ikemaka i kana hula kolohe ame hula 'olu. Ua 'ahamele 'ia aku ma ka hale kahua ho'ike, no ka mea, makemake lakou e hoike ma ke kahua puni, alaila e 'ike ana na po'e anaina apau 1 ka ho'ike me ke ke'a 'ole. A me ke kahua'puni mawaenakonu o ka hale kahua malia ua kokoke pili na po'e ho'ike me ke anaina; 'a'ole mamao loa aku e like me na 'ahamele mamua. E ho'omaika'i ia Jon De Mello. ka luna ho'o noho i ka 'ahamele no ka koho a hana ho'ike ma keia kahua ho'ike puni. A ma ua kahua puni nei 1 'inana I na mea kupaianaha Karikimaka ma ka mana'o kamaha'o "e ho'omana'o ai 1 ka manawa Karikimaka e like me ka 'ianana o ka Teddy Bear, Kana Kaloka, ame na kii pepe wahine u 4 i no na *aina 'e. Kupaianaha a he mea kahaha i Mke ai. A 'o keia 'ahamele, ka 'ahamele Hawai'i hope oa o ka makahiki i hala aku nei a i ko'u mana'o e ho'okumu i ka mea e hiki mai ai e pili me ka mele a hula Hawai'i no ka makahiki hou. A 'ike no ho*i ia ka Brothers Cazimero, he mau kanaka loea a holomua i ka laua hana 'ana, 'a'ole he mea hemahema. Nolaila i ka manawa mua Iho, e*ike 1 ka Kula e hula me ke 'ano keaka a 'olu loa no hoi a 'o na 'ahamele 'oko'a e *ike mau ana i ka hoike kupaianaha a ina 4 a 4 01e kakou e manāka. O ka'Brothers Cazimerd. e ho'omau ana laua i ka leo huf ki'eki'e me ke kanipila hou e like me ka pa leo ~P ele.M Aka, eia ka o ka mana'o i * koe. e kaupo'o anel ka Brothens Cazimero i ka nu'u? \

Recognized as leading entertainers in the field of contemporary Hawaiian music, the Cazimero Brothers staged a unique concert on Christmas Eve at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The performance was given a standing ovation by a near sell-out audience, leading me to say that the performance was tasteful, theatrical and spectacular. The first half of the concert was a preview of songs for their latest recordings: "Waikiki, My Castle by the Sea M and It Pele" (this was reviewed in last months issue) and the secondf half was a mixture of Christmas music. The Cazinieros were tasteful in their selection of traditional and eontemporary songs emphasizing the many meanings of Christmas iiLa Hawaiian style. Their ehoiee of Lorenzo Lyons' hymn <{ La Krisamaka e oli ai (Happy Christmas) M was a sensitive and inspiring blend of our native traditions and Christmas heritage. They began the concert by adapting this hymn to traditional chanting and hula and closed the concert singing the hymn aeappelia in .ehoii harmony. The'hula acc6mpanying the hymn was a thoughtfully choreographed dance to eompensate for those who could not understand the Hawaiian Iyrics of "Oh Happy Chris{ni&3/ the birth of Jesu/ . . bringing peaee and comfort/ in heaven and here on earth./ All glory and praise to Jesu Christ, the living King." In fact, the choreography of all hula were simple and yet dramatic like modern ballet. They were performed by a cast consisting of the male dancers of Na Kamalei under the direction of hula masters Wayne Chang and Rōbert Cazimero 4 and the female dancers of Nā Pua o Likolehua, under the direction of their hula master, Leinaala Heine Kalama.'The performance of Leinaala Heine was exceptional. Her eomie hula and then her graceful interpretations of the songs sungby the Cazimero Brothers w r as the best performance of the show/ The stage being, in the round allowed the audierice a better vievv of these hula, and gave the audience a more intimate feeling compared to other concerts. This concept pf hjaving the stage in the round also added to the spectacular qpd theatrical. resulls, so tKat events of Christmas fantasy like the creating of dolls from around the wqrM, the visits of the "Paddingtoif teddy bear and Santa Claus could be enioyed.by everyone. There were some minor problems in staging sUch a performance like starting on time andbalancing the vfca! and instrumental sound. however, Jon DeMello of Mouniain Apple Company shouldbe praised for being able to execule the eiitir& performance resulting in a'standing ovation. This eoneeil. auspiously was the last maior performing arts concert for Hawaiian music in 1979 and it sets 'lhe tone of what one might anticipate in Hawaiian music and hula. We must realize Ihe Cazimeros are no longer the "kids ,% or upstarts. Thej are truely innovators and masters of their craft. We ean antieipate the art of Hawaiian dance to become ,more stylized and theatrical like the mo\eiūents ofb»Jlel as sho\vn in the eoneeil, We ean also anticipile that future performanees vvill bt 4 more spectacnlar in nature. unless there is a reactuin againsfthis as more

£roups aUempi 1 o oyerdo it and thr uriistr\ becomes artifieial. • As for the Cazimt;ros. e\prct ih»uu Uj ase more ol the rich, hi&h pitc!u\l uual I;armorat'h they are knowa foi\ for moiv t of ihe inno vations heard on KoLiiui "Polo" aibūnr* Finally. it ivmains io bv setin if tlu\\ have reachrd the ujtimate hei&hts of sophistiection,o*

- w £. " -I il»' J From top to bottom: (i) <f ta Kmamaka eki ai." (2) The Cazimero Brothers, (3) Leinaala and Paddingfon Teddy