Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 1, 1 January 2001 — Uluwehi's "In My Heart" oozes with romance [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Uluwehi's "In My Heart" oozes with romance

By Manu 8oyd N HIS second recording, Uluwehi Gurrero is refined and smooth as velvet. "In My Heart " is the project hhe that centers around a locket wom by the singer, somewhat reminiscent of the diamond heart in " Iītanic ." An inside photo unlocks the silver heart with images of family and loved ones beheld in his eyes. "Ulu," as he is known, has a knaek for arranging. Prior to his debut recording, his trademark style was prevalent on certain Keah'i Reichel cuts with harmonies that are simple and crisp. Outside of music, Reichel and Gurrero are "eokumu hula" of Hālau Hula o ka Makani Wili Mākaha o Kaua'ula, the award-win-ning Maui school that performs regularly

in Reichel concerts and cultural events. On this CD project, however, Reichel is conspicuously absent, both vocally and in liner notes. The Gurrero formula, nevertheless, upholds benchmark quahty. Start with strong lead vocals with a baritone-to-tenor-to-falsetto range. Add background singers that have good presenee without overwhelming. Enter the string quartet (two viohns, a viola and a eello). Guitar, flute, harp and piano join in, and you've got a musical tapestry reflecting nuances and moods as varied as the hues at dawn. "Nani Wale Ku 'u 'lke," a name chant for Queen Emma, has a tri-tone melody that was destined at some point to be performed with Western instrumentation, though some purists might prefer its unembelhshed, traditional form preserved as a hula 'ulī'ulī. Gurrero's presentation launches with Pacobel feel,

employing a virtual host of harpists, guitarists, flutists and more. Queen Lih'uokalani is honored in a medley for the Children's Center she left as her legacy. She composed " Nohea i Mu 'olaulani" for the Kapālama lands bequeathed to support orphaned children. Aunty Maha Craver, still a Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center mainstay, completes the medley with her song for the Mu'olaulani property, "Pu'uhonua Nani," describing the beautifiil sanctuary for Hawaiian children and her admiration for the queen. "Ka Hui Ka 'a Wai," also known as the Fireman's Hula, is a real kicker — the best sample of Gurrero's falsetto prowess. A fabulous photo in the insert depicts early Hawaiian firemen singing and dancing around a fire truck (sensibly "water truck" or "ka'a wai" in Hawaiian). That and other archival photos in

the booklet are attributed to Bishop Museum. Bishop Museum comes into the hght again through the published proverbs eollected by Mary Kawena Pūku'i in " 'Ōlelo No'eau." The CD insert is dotted with these poehe sayings that enhanee the project. "Ua ola loko i ke aloha" says that love gives hfe within, implying that love is imperative to one's mental and physical welfare. Songs in Enghsh, some Gurrero's own, ooze with sweetness, romance and love, helping to ihustrate the "In My Heart" theme. But whether or not your ears are accustomed to 'ōlelo Hawai'i, the Hawaiian selections - underscoring "selections" — tug at the heart and affirm a kind of Hawaiian inter-connectedness between people, places and keepsakes, best described as aloha. ■

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