Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2008 — Pahinui, back from the Grammys [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Pahinui, back from the Grammys

Reviewed by Blaine Fergerstrūm Media Prūductiūn Specialist Fresh from the Grammy Award eeremony in Los Angeles, Cyril Pahinui shared an intimate perfonnanee with hometown fans at Borders in Pearlridge Center, telling stories about his eareer playing Hawaiian musie, on growing up Pahinui, and about his famous dad, slaek key guitar master Gabby "Pops" Pahinui. He also showed off his Grammy medal for nominees, emblazoned with "50" for the awards' 50th year. While Pahinui's alhum, He'eia, was nominated for the 2007 Best Hawaiian Musie Alhum, Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, a eompilation featuring various loeal artists - ineluding Pahinui - won the award during eeremonies held Feb. 10. Having returned home, Pahinui perfonned a short take of Hurrah, Lani Ha'aha'a as a wannup before the seheduled start time,

asking if anybody in the audienee played guitar. "Nobody here plays Hawaiian guitar?" He said he had eome a long way sinee playing with Palani Vaughn and The King's Own baek in 1967. "I was just a teenager then! Look how far I eame. I played all over ereation, all over the U.S., in lapan, in Europe. I played in Carnegie Hall, twiee!" Opening with the voeal version of Hula O Makee, he eneouraged the erowd to heeome members of the Reeording Aeademy so they eould vote for Hawaiian musie. "Then you ean all vote, not only for Hawaiian musie, but all the musie eategories. Cost only about $100 to be a member. Some guys over here ean drink more than that!" Saying, "Here, I show you," he pulled a hlaek ribbon from inside his shirt, revealing the medallion awarded to all Grammy nominees. Pahinui then began to tell the story of how he had reeently been taken to Waipi'o Valley on Hawai'i

Island. As a friend drove him down the steep trail and into the valley, he stopped the ear, pointed up and told Pahinui, "Look, up there. That's Hi'ilawe!" "I had heard that song and played that song all of my life. It was my dad's trademark, I played it and all my brothers played it," Pahinui said, "but that was the first time I aetually saw Hi'ilawe - the waterfall in the song!" During that visit, they eame upon a hālau just finishing work in a kalo lo'i toward the baek of the valley. He asked the kumu if the group knew Hi'ilawe and Kamakani Ke Ali'i Aloha, whieh they did. He played and they daneed the two songs just helow the falls, one to honor his father, the other to say mahalo. He played both songs for the Borders erowd and shared stories about his famous father. "You know how hard it is to learn Hawaiian musie in my house?" he asked. "Every time the old guys get together with my dad

to play musie, Pop would tell the kids, 'Go away! Beat it! I no like you guys hear us guys' funny kine talk! ' " But Cyril would linger just outside the door, listening. "Hoo, all the swear words eome out! But that's the only way I eould hear them play Hawaiian musie." Pahinui played another of his father's standards and the title song of his Graimny-nominated alhum, He'eia, then finished his set with Harvest of Rainbows.

Showing aloha for his fans, he lingered long enough to sign autographs, greeting and thanking eaeh one. Pahinui will appear at seleeted loeations aeross the state in eonjunetion with his He'eia CD. Keep up with Cyril Pahinui through his web site www.eyrilpahinui.com. A list of Grammy winners ean be found at www.graimny.com/ GRAMMY_Awards/50th_show/ list.aspx. I

— MELE 'AILANA • ISLAND MUSIC SCENE

Cyril Pahinui entertains the crowd, shows off Grammy nominee ^ medal. - Pholo: Blaine Fergerstrom