Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 8, 1 August 2006 — Eddie Kamae & Friends [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Eddie Kamae & Friends

is a reunion you won't want to miss

By Manu Buyd Public lnfnrmatinn Directnr ^^ddie Kamae states that L. "nothing soothes the soul like the voice of an old friend, and nothing brings back memories like the sound of music." In his most recent musieal compilation spanning decades, Eddie does both. Thirteen selections on "Eddie Kamae & Friends" offer a glimpse into Kamae's illustrious career of music and aloha. His friends featured here are remarkable. One of them is Diana Aki, who hails from Miloli'i, identified as the last true Hawaiian fishing village in the islands. Aki brings a folk style that few ean imitate, easily gliding through Hawaiian lyrics and telling near-forgotten stories - like that of the tsunami

that hit Miloli'i many years ago in the classic mele Lā 'Elima, whose Hawaiian text begins by saying, "On the fifth day February, tears fell along the roadway." She also performs a Queen Lili'uokalani pieee, Ka 'Ōiwi Nani, that makes menhon of a love letter the queen received on Wednesday night, identified as "he 'elele waha 'ole na ke aloha," a mouth-less messenger of love. Dennis Kamakahi offers up his own classic compositions, including a marriage proposal in whieh he compares his beloved to a honey flower in Pua Hone. Another Kamakahi favorite, Hualālai, takes the listener on a journey through Kona districts, starting at Keauhou where Mt. Hualālai is seen, then on to Kealakekua, Ho'okena, Miloli'i and Waikini.

Late greats

like Moe Keale I and Sonny S Chillingworth are ^ welcomed back | with open arms, I lending magic to this musical

reunion. Keale's performance of the hymn Mai 'Ae i ka Hewa is reminiscent of his own Ni'ihau church upbringing. He also performs Kamae's composition Dreams, penned along with his wife Myrna - a lullabye with the youthful teasing refrain "fiddle-dee, faddle dee ... you have a dream, I know you do." Chillingworth's sultry voice and trademark, masterful kl hō 'alu (slack-key guitar) are featured in Sunshine In Between the Rain and She's So Sad and BIue.

loe Marshall's upright bass and David "Feet" Rogers' steel guitar - mainstays in Kamae's legendary Sons of Hawai'i ensemble, are featured throughout this

musical reunion. Kamae continues to share his folk music and stories at special See KAMAEūn page 2G

MELE 'AILANA • ISLAND MUSIC SCENE

Donning his trademark palaka shirt, 'ukulele virtuoso Eddie Kamae keeps a watchful eye - and ear- on the music of his beloved homeland. Photo courtesy of īhe Mountain Apple Company.

] KAMAE I Cūntinued fram page 19

■ occasions throughout Hawai'i and abroad, and was recently honored at the Hawai'i Pacifika Film Festival in New York, where he amazed audiences with his fihns and music. He's a regular at Honey's at the Ko'olau Golf Club and the Elks Club in Waiklkl - particularly when fellow musician and friend Mike Ka'awa takes the stage. Eddie and Myrna also team up as composers and are worldrenown filmmakers, with the documentaries Li'a -Legacy of a Hawaiian Man, Words, Earth and Aloha, The Hawaiian Way and Keepers of the Flame: The Legacy of Three Hawaiian Women among their many accomplishments. Eddie Kamae is a remarkable Hawaiian who continues to set an awesome example for us all. For Iinformation on his many projects and contributions, visit online at www.hawaiianlegacy.com. ^