Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 6, 1 June 2001 — MELE ʻAILANA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MELE ʻAILANA

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Tzvo CDs plus one hook equals George Kahumoku in 2001

By Manu Boyd £ £ oing First" is one of many stories ■ "W"'n George Kahumoku Jr.'s "A Hawaiian Life." It speaks of his first big gig in California in whieh he and other better known Hawaiian guitarists were on the bill. As the "lesser known," he reluctantly performed his set first — and brought the house down. The crowd went wild, and right after his set, he sold thousands of dollars worth of CDs in the g!ow of his instant populartiy. It's a classic, kind of funny story that varies greatly with the other 13 selections that reveal family secrets and treasures. Story telling is something musicians generally do well, and by publishing his writing, Kahumoku is thrust into an exclusive arena with Brother Noland and Henry Kapono who recently released their own books. George Kahumoku Jr. is a slack-key artist, and is a member of George Winston's elite Dancing

Cat Records team whieh also includes the likes of Ozzie Kotani, Led Ka'āpana, Cyril Pahinui, Keola Beamer, George Kuo and

others. Dancing Cat has a real knaek for singling out slack-key talent and presenting it in a most impressive manner. "Nā mele Ho'oniponipo" (Hawaiian Love Songs) is one such project featuring songs ranging from "The Queen's Prayer" to "Moloka'i Slide." Liner notes give a wealth of p

background as well as

Kahumoku's personal ties to the songs. In another project, "Island Classics" - this one not under Dancing Cat, Kahumoku teams up with Daniel

Ho, another extreme talent. Geared more for a tourist crowd (for whom Kahumoku regularly gigs at Starwood Resorts), this CD reintroduces such 60s favorites as "One Paddle,

Two Paddle," " Pearly Shells" and "Little Brown Gal."

Hawaiian music is a legacy inherited by Kahumoku and passed on to his son, Keoki,

who recently teamed up with Herb Ohta Jr. in their energetic debut, "Hawaiian from the Heart."

George Kahumoku Jr. has learned well the Hawaiian value, "pa'ahana" (industrious, hard-working, productive), no doubt by the example set by his parents and grandparents who he so reveres in " A Hawaiian Life." ■