Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 10, 1 October 1997 — E Hái Mai [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

E Hái Mai

By Manu Boyd JON AND Randy, the popular music duo of the '70s and '80s who re-introduced the Beatles' classic "In My Life" and created such master- |j pieces as "Hawaiian Eyes," "Hawaiian Spirits C Live Again" and "Hawaiian Soul," have 1 emerged anew as a trio. Showcasing the evolved talents I of Jon Kamaka-wiwo'ole Osorio and Randy Borden, the 1 group has welcomed to the stage Stephen Keali'ihope'ole ' Brown an understated player with a resume that includes a handful of bands over the past decade. Clean, energetic and pleasantly familiar, "E Ho'i Mai" (return to a plaee that beckons), carries poignant messages that speak to the heart. Clear vocals and adept guitar work enhanee this contemporary Hawaiian recording. Offerings are all originals, except for Tim Garon's "Breath Upon the Winā" and Stephen Bishop's "Rock and Roll Slave. " "Pule no ke Ea" (prayer for sovereignty) by Osorio and fellow university professor Kanalu Young, has a sacred ring, asking the Great Creator and the spirit of Mauna'ala (the Royal Mausoleum) to lead us to where fear and pain are absent. The pieee is also performed as a solemn, a eappella reprise. Steve Brown's talents as both a vocalist and a composer unfold in " Take Me Home." Brown's great-grandmother, Ellen Wright Prendergast, was the eelebrated composer of "Kaulana nā Pua" more than a eentury earlier. Jon Osorio's compositions serve as lessons to those who aspire to write. His language is articulate and bears messages that transport the listener to places and times he

chooses to memorialize, whether here in the islands or far away. "Las Madres'" liner notes illustrate this well: "In the 1970s, the government of Argentina rounded up thou- * sands of young men, women and their children who were actively protesting the Peron regime. Most of these people were never seen aeain. For over 20 years, every Thursday, a group of the mothers of the 'disappeared' gather at the Plaza de Mayo and silently walk in a circle with eaeh other and with sup-

porters in a visual accusation of their government." This is a heartfelt tribute from a Hawaiian, many miles removed. For Randy Borden, the eall to "return to the plaee that beckons" brought him back to Honolulu from his current residence on the continent. His collaboration with Osorio on "From a Dancer" is perhaps the biggest hit on the project, with a haunting tune and fluid lyrics. "When I leave, I will take from this plaee the lei that we share. When I leave, I will hreathe in the grace ofthis love in the air. And it will live, as long as I live and with every song that I hear ... Ride on the songs you've heen given. Fly back to us when you hear them, hear them. I have seen all the signs ofmy life as they daily unfold. / am pleased to I have joined with you all in ihe dance ofmy souI." I E ho'i mai ... ■

Return to a placeataat beckons

Osorio. Borden and Brown "kani ka pila"