George Kuo: Kiho’alu: Stories in Song
"The more I played and learned about Kiho'alu, the more the music became a way for the styles of my mentors to live through me. That's what I want to express in my playing."
During half a century in celebrated bands and as a soloist, George Kuo has established himself as one of Hawaii’s premiere Kiho`alu (slack key) guitarists. His nahenahe (sweet, soothing) style connects the music of current generations with the kūpuna (elders) of earlier times. “I feel a lot of appreciation for the old style of slack key from the 1940s, and the lifestyle of my grandparents, granduncles, grandaunts and all the older players," George says. “There’s a special aloha for them that I try to convey. I like to play nice and relaxed; not too much fancy stuff, keep it within the melody. It’s more delivering a message than playing runs.”
George was born November 17, 1955 in Honolulu. He grew up in Niu Valley and Palolo, picking up standard guitar in elementary school and switching to Kiho`alu in high school. He first learned this distinctively Hawaiian style from friends, such as Richard Rathburn and Antone Gabriel. Antone played in the style of his grand uncle, Albert Kawelo, who had taught slack key legend Raymond Kāne in the early 1930s. “When I heard Antone,” George says, “I said to myself that’s how I want to play...the old style.” George’s family was very supportive of his music. “My granduncle and aunt liked to hear that style too,” he says, “and they really encouraged me.” He also met and learned from legendary figures such as Ray Kane, Auntie Alice Namakelua, Tommy Solomon, Sonny Chillingworth, Atta Isaacs, Gabby Pahinui, Fred Punahoa, and Papa Kauhi. “That was a real rare opportunity to be with those old masters,” George says. “The expressions and the feelings that they get when they play, you can see it on their faces. They smile ’cause they feel the vibration, the ona (feeling of well-being). It goes throughout their body and moves their spirit." For a young person attracted to old style kiho’alu, the 1970s in Hawai’i were heaven. A revival of traditional culture was in full bloom. Many kūpuna (elders) were still recording and performing. Even more significantly, many were sharing their mana’o (knowledge) publicly—a big step for slack key, a style that before then was a private, closely guarded secret.
During his college days, George transitioned from backyard kanikapila (jams) to playing the clubs with Tino Jacob, Sonny Chillingworth and others. Raymond Kāne took on George as a bass player as well as a second guitarist for gigs. With his outgoing personality and willingness to share what he knew about slack key, Raymond Kaleoalohapoina'oleohelemanu Kāne (1925-2008) is affectionately remembered by those who knew him as the Slack Key Ambassador. He was a staunch traditionalist who performed in the style he learned as a child in the 1930s, while growing up in Nanakuli, on Oahu's then remote Leeward coast. Young Raymond was an accomplished diver, and traded fish for his guitar lessons. He did so secretly, as his mother disapproved of music. At that time, slack key was a closely guarded style kept within families, and it was unusual that Ray could learn from someone not in his 'ohana (family). Perhaps because of this, he was open to teaching anyone who expressed interest, and performed for numerous school programs and documentaries. When picking, Raymond alternated between thumb and index finger in a simple, but very sweet style.
"We had a good run playing the bars and dives as well as concerts in Hawaii and the mainland," George says with the deep guttural laugh everyone who knew Uncle Ray would expect to hear. "In his younger days, Raymond was a beach boy & he always made sure everybody had a good time."
While attending the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, George also joined a group of like-minded students his own age, including Aaron Mahi, Alan Akaka, Haunani Apoliona, Larry Kimura, and others in the group Ka Leo Hawai'i. During these formative years, George acquired a large repertoire of standards and originals, to which he continues to add to today. In 1979 he won a slack key guitar contest at the Waikiki Shell, but decided to keep his music a sideline and take a full-time job with the Board of Water Supply. This pleased his family and ensured he had the means to accept only the gigs he wanted, even when there was no pay involved.
In 1980, George released his first album, Nahenahe, on the Hula label. He also formed the group Kipapa Rush Band with slack key guitarist Wayne Reis, who played in the tuning of his uncle Atta Isaacs; Ocean Kaowili, a talented singer and standup bassist who likes to play sitting down; Hawaiian culture and arts advocate Herb Lee Jr. on 'ukulele; and Charlie Fukuba; now a highly respected 'ukulele builder but then a young lap steel guitarist inspired by David "Feet" Rogers of the Sons of Hawai'i. In 1985 the group recorded the album Hardly Working for the Kahanu label. “We went for a traditional feeling," George says, "with a little of today’s music.”
Their devotion to the sound and style of the old-time sound attracted the attention of Eddie Kamae, 'ukulele virtuoso, popular composer, and leader of the celebrated group The Sons of Hawai’i. In 1986, Uncle Eddie asked George to join the Sons. "It was a great honor," George says. The group had been active for three decades by this point, and through all those years, Eddie Kamae on 'ukulele, Dennis Kamakahi on 12-string guitar, and Joe Marshall on acoustic bass, had stayed together, as many top artists passed through the ranks. The Sons of Hawai’i were leading figures in the late 20th century revival of Hawaiian culture, and their dedication to the culture inspired many young musicians, including George. Their freewheeling approach to performing was also very comfortable to musicians who had come of age playing in the loose, give and take of kanikapila (jam sessions) with friends and family. “Eddie was never one to tell anybody what to do,” George says. "He'd just say, ‘let’s go and play and have fun’, and we'd go. It wasn't a rehearsed thing. You developed your rapport through playing.”
Dennis Kamakahi was already playing slack key with The Sons at the time. Adding George gave the two of them a chance to trade licks on stage and off. In 1992, when Eddie withdrew from active gigging to concentrate on documentary films, George and Dennis began to travel a lot together to the mainland and Japan, playing with Steven Hall, Martin Pahinui, Aaron Mahi and others. Around this time, radio announcer Bill Bigelow asked George to join the Hawaii Calls ensemble for performances at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The program starred Nina Kealiiwahamana, Barney Isaacs, Gary Aiko, and many other greats who had been featured on earlier incarnations of what had been, since 1935, Hawaii's most famous musical export. "I was the new kid on the block," George says. "To play with Nina, Barney, Gary, and all the other greats was a dream come true. The show only lasted a year, but we had some great times together and I learned a lot."
In the early 1990s, George met pianist and slack key enthusiast George Winston, who was setting up recording sessions with legendary slack key players for his Dancing Cat record label. George recorded for Dancing Cat as a soloist and in a number of collaborations. In 1996, he won the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Instrumental Album of the year, for Hawaiian Touch, his duets with steel guitarist Alvin "Barney" Isaacs, Jr. of the esteemed Isaacs Hawaiian music family. The album marked the first time pure duets of acoustic steel and slack key were commercially recorded and released. In the studio, Uncle Barney and George cultivated the same spirit of friendly improvisation they had acquired from long hours of music together at home, in hotel rooms, and after playing golf. Many Hawaiian musicians are avid golfers and jam sessions around the 19th hole with cold beverages and friends are an Island institution. "We had a lot of fun just bouncing back and forth off each other," George says. "That's basically the whole theme of the album—give and take. We wanted to capture the feeling of the Gabby and Barney Waikiki label recordings, where somebody would think of a song and they would work out arrangements and modulations utilizing everybody’s talents, each other’s specialty. It represents a spontaneity that’s very special. Hey, sometimes you can only play these runs that one time and that’s it.”
In 1997, George's solo album, Aloha No Nā Kūpuna: Love for the Elders, won him a second Hōkū. “There’s no overdubbing on the album,” he says. “Most of the arrangements were done in the studio, or a day or two before. I like spontaneity.” A lot of George’s ideas come from playing with others or by himself after work. “I play a lot outside on my porch late at night,” he says. “I enjoy the sound of the guitar in the night.” Still, recording solo was something he never expected to do. “It’s a different experience,” he says, “but once you get into it, it comes out real nice.”
Also, for Dancing Cat George recorded with Dennis Kamakahi, his son David, and Martin Pahinui as the slack key supergroup Hui Aloha. The group emerged spontaneously at one of Martin's solo sessions in San Francisco. The other three musicians were in the area, dropped by Martin's recording session, and he invited them to join him on an impromptu performance of the classic paniolo song Pu'uanahulu. As they played, each player took a solo, passed it on, took another. Soon, almost seven minutes of magic had passed and a new quartet was born. They decided to do an album together and tour. They also performed for the Hawai'i Public Television series Nā Mele. "It's not often the viewing public gets to experience the free exchange that is such a big part of the Hawaiian musician's life offstage," co-producer J.W. Junker says. "We are all fortunate KHET saw the value in letting the musicians play without any interference, just the way you'd hear them in the dressing room before a concert, back at the hotel into the wee, small hours or at the 19th hole after a round of golf."
A good way to describe this musical sharing is pāna’i like. “It means to give and take, to reciprocate,” says George Kuo. “Puakea Nogelmeier gave me that name as a way of reflecting all the things that Gabby Pahinui, Atta Isaacs, Sonny Chillingworth and other Slack Key elders shared with our generation when we were growing up, now we can pass on skills and knowledge to the next generation.”
George has also regularly performed at slack key festivals and toured the mainland and Japan in a variety of ensembles. Other highlights of George’s performing career include playing on the Garrison Keillor Prairie Home Companion Show with Chet Atkins and Johnny Gimble in 1993, when the show visited the Islands. Meeting Atkins led to chats and correspondences about slack key, a style Atkins always enjoyed. In 1997 George performed with Dennis and Aaron Mahi at the Hollywood Bowl with the Honolulu Symphony. He also loved touring Europe and would happily return any time. Starting in 1998 until Covid-19 closed down live music, George performed weekly in Honolulu with Martin Pahinui on rhythm guitar and Aaron Mahi on bass at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Hotel. Other musicians often sat in, especially the highly acclaimed steel guitarist Bobby Ingano. Since Covid let up George, Greg Sardinha, and friends are making semi-regular appearances at the Waikiki Elks Club.
After retiring from his full-time job with the Board of Water Supply in 2012, George has found time to get more actively involved in organizations dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the music he loves. Currently, he sits on the boards of the Musician's Association of Hawaii, and the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. The Musician's Association is dedicated to making sure musicians are treated right in what has always been a tough business. The Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring the memory of Island musicians, supporting programs that inspire the young to perform Hawaiian music, and lobbying the powers that be to build a museum. George's inevitable induction to the Hall of Fame came in 2012 with Ka Leo Hawai`i. George is also helping go through the Dancing Cat archives to compile new releases from the many hours of tape recorded in Hawai'i and at Different Fur Studios in the Bay Area. "George Winston's dedication to preserve the feeling is very inspirational," George says. "Revisiting these old recordings has got me pumped up again. I had an idea what the archives would be, but they've lived up to my expectations, and more." George is also teaching a few students playing with friends whenever time permits, and keeping faith with what first inspired him: the old-time style. "To me that’s what the enjoyment is about right there."
SONG TITLES
1. Ku'u Pete
Donkeys were once a common sight on the coffee farms of the Big Island of Hawai'i. They would carry the harvested beans from the uplands to the harbor along steep trails. Their distinctive braying at night earned them the nickname of Kona Nightingales. When the widespread use of jeeps forced the Kona Nightingales into retirement, some drifted up on to slopes of Hualālai. Others got adopted, becoming loveable if sometimes stubborn pets.
Close friends Irmgard Keali'iwahinealohanohokahaopuamana Farden 'Āluli (1911-2001) and Mary Abigail Kawenaʻulaokalaniahiʻiakaikapoliopele Naleilehuaapele Wiggin Pukui (1895-1986) wrote this fun song about a surefooted donkey as agile and nimble as he is obstinate. Stones were never a problem for this favored pet, but when he plopped down in the road, he couldn't be shifted. 'A 'ohe ka maliu iho, he will not heed. Noho iho i ke ala nui 'ē, he plops down right in the road.
"Ku'u Pete" was a favorite of The Sons of Hawai'i, which Eddie Kamae always sang with gusto. In George's arrangement for slack key, he evokes the sound of Eddie singing the ēhēhē ēhēhē vocables added to the first, second, and final lines in each verse. George learned the song when he was playing in The Sons, and still plays it a lot. He especially enjoys playing it on his double-neck guitar. Made at the Yairi Company of Gifu Japan, George's double neck combines a 6-string and a 12-string, allowing him to shift back and forth between tunings as well as timbres in the same song. "It's my favorite guitar," George says. "I'm still discovering new things and ways to explore the tricks."
George first learned about the guitar from Alvin Meyer, a good friend of Eddie's. "When I was playing with The Sons," George says, "Uncle Alvin invited me to play golf and play some music. Uncle Alvin's wife, Kazu, is from Japan and they traveled there quite a bit. Kiyo Oazaki, a famous performer in Japan, got a double neck for Uncle Alvin, and then arranged for me to get one. Sonny Chillingworth got one too. Later on, Mike Kaawa bought it from Sonny's daughter, Mahina, and then I bought it from Mike, so now I have a spare."
Tunings:
6 string guitar in G Major “Taro Patch” Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D)
12 string guitar in C Mauna LoaTuning (C-G-E-G-A-E)
2. Old Limu
One way to describe something old is to say it has limu (seaweed) growing on it. This original by George came about spontaneously while he was getting his guitar ready to travel, after a session at Different Fur. "I was slacking the strings real low to take pressure off the neck," George says. "and it created a lot of sustain, like the D'Armond pickups the guitarists used on the old Tradewinds and Waikiki records. I started to play around with a melody, and asked Howard if he could spare a little more time. He said okay, and we made a fast recording."
The old-time feel of the song lends itself well to the hammer-on, a popular effect in slack key that is achieved by plucking a string, then quickly fretting directly above the note to create a second tone while the first is still sounding. You can also hear the counterpart effect, called a pull-off, in which a second tone results from pressing a string all the way down to the fretboard, striking, and quickly releasing.
Like most slack key melodies in the old-time style, Old Limu is short so the artist can repeat it multiple times using different variations. As this performance goes on, George also embroiders the melody with chimes, a popular slack key and steel guitar effect achieved by lightly touching the string without pushing it all the way down to the fretboard. When done at natural harmonic points, especially at the fifth, seventh and twelfth frets of the instrument, the sound really rings out. In many ways, the effects favored by slack key guitarists connect the style to Hawaiian vocal techniques, and expertise is judged not by how fancy a person plays, but how well the player can express a feeling or convey a mood using the traditional techniques.
Tuning:
6 string guitar in G Major “Taro Patch” Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D), tuned down 4 half steps to sound in the key of E Flat.
3. Sweet Hāhā `Ai A Ka Manu
"The first time I heard this song was on an old Johnny & Pua Almeida album," George says, "and then later I played it with Eddie when he started to perform it in conjunction with his Listen to the Forest documentary. In this new arrangement for slack key, I added some fast finger-picking, almost like a bluegrass style. Slack key and bluegrass have some of the same feelings, especially at the fast tempos."
In the Eddie Kamae Songbook, Myrna Kamae writes that Sweet Hāhā `Ai A Ka Manu is a traditional song Eddie Kamae set to music. "He came across this song when he was interviewing kūpuna for his film Listen the Forest," Myrna says. "William Kuwalu of Kekaha, Kauaʻi, shared it and his memory of hunting in the deep forests beyond Kōkeʻe with his father and uncle and coming upon a singularly beautiful tree for whom the song is named. For Eddie, the song was another example of how our music is inspired by the natural beauty of the environment."
Tuning:
6 string guitar in Leonard’s C Taro Patch Tuning (C-G-D-G-B-D)
4. Beautiful Ilima
In the 19th Century, nā ali'i (the royals) of Hawai'i played prominent roles in music, serving as protectors of traditional mele hula and mele 'oli, and as patrons of new musical forms, such as brass band music, leisure dance, parlor music, hymn singing, opera, and more. Many ali'i were accomplished performers and composers.
Best known are the four siblings, King Kalākaua (1836-1891); Queen Lili'uokalani (1838-1917); Princess Likelike (1851-1887); and Prince Leleihoku (1855-1877). Known collectively as Nā Lani 'Eha (the royal four), they played a wide range of instruments and engaged in friendly competitions with their own glee clubs. Many of the songs they composed remain popular.
This beautiful and poignant ballad is also known as Lunalilo. It was written around 1873 by the Princess Emma Alexandria Kano’a De Fries honoring her son, John Alexander Liholiho Kalaninohoponoo Lunalilo. It expresses traditional images such as fragrant flowers and the misty dew, and later became known as Beautiful Ilima, after the flower mentioned at the start of the English language chorus. Ilima flowers are associated with one that is beloved, with ali'i, and with the island of O'ahu. For slack key musicians of George's generation, the most influential recording was made by The Sons of Hawai`i under the title of Liloliho on their 1964 album Music Of Old Hawai’i (Hula Records 506). The beauty of their performance is highlighted by the delicate steel guitar of Feet Rogers and the heartfelt singing of the group, which at the time included Gabby "Pops" Pahinui.
Slack key patriarch Phillip Kunia "Gabby" Pahinui (1921-1980) was a cofounder of the group, and the most influential slack key artist of the modern era. A charismatic performer with the unique ability to incorporate widely disparate influences into an instantly recognizable style, Gabby was the first to record slack key as popular music, a leading figure in expanding its role as a soloing instrument, and a master of the delicate balance between tradition and innovation that attracted a wide audience to what had been a private, personal music. As the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame website expresses it so well: "His legacy is not only the consummate skill of his playing, but also the special spirit evident in his musical performance."
"I first heard the song on Hula 506," George says, "and I have loved it ever since. It's a very moving song, digs deep." George previously recorded Beautiful Ilima with Gabby's son Martin in the group Hui Aloha. Martin, Aaron Mahi, and George often played it in their trio, with Martin singing in his father's style and Aaron in his glee club style bass voice. "It always brought back good memories of our mentors," George says.
The song also proved lucky for the O'ahu Board of Water Supply. When I worked at the Board of Water Supply," George says, "I always participated in the music competitions between the island boards at the statewide conferences. Kaua'i was winning every year. They wore purple palaka, and sang Beautiful Kauai loud and proud. The year O'ahu hosted the conference, my boss, Kazu Hayashida, said, "George, we have to win this one. So, I asked Aaron to come in and help us rehearse. He was the bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band then and had lots of experience with the Kamehameha Glee Club. Instead of loud and proud, he had us sing soft and sweet. Finally, we won one."
Tuning:
12 string guitar in C Mauna LoaTuning (C-G-E-G-A-E), tuned down two half steps to sound in the key of B Flat.
5. Pao Duce
This original is George's way of portraying the flavor of Portuguese sweet bread in music, along Portugal's musical gifts to Hawai'i. "My vision for the song is when I get together with Nina's Kongee Kongee Golf Club, and she brings the Portuguese side of the family," George says. "They would get up and dance the chamarita. Lani would dance hula, and then Boyce. Mahi Beamer and Sam Kapu would show up at 6:00 in the morning, the party still going."
The arrangement opens with a lovely rubato section, which some slack key artists call waterfalls. Once the mood is set, the performance moves on to an evocative melody reminiscent of the gracious styles of Sonny Chillingworth and Raymond Kāne. George knew both of these influential artists well and played with them on many occasions. “That was a real rare opportunity to be with those old masters,” George says. “The expressions and the feelings that they get when they play, you can see it on their faces. They smile ’cause they feel the vibration, the ona (feeling of well-being). It goes throughout their body and moves their spirit. To me that’s what the enjoyment is about right there. If I ever run into an old timer who tells me he plays slack key, I always encourage him because once they go, pau, the end, you can’t hear that anymore." George plays Pao Duce in a wahine tuning, which is a tuning set to a Major 7th chord. The wahine G tuning is closely associated with Auntie Alice Nāmakelua, another of George's early influences.
Alice Kuʻuleialohapoʻinaʻole Kanakaoluna Nāmakelua (1892-1987) was an influential composer, perhaps the first female steel guitarist, a kumu hula (hula teacher), and a lei maker. Like her cousin, Kawena Pukui, Auntie Alice was attracted to Hawaiian cultural traditions from a young age, and dedicated herself to sharing her mano'a. Starting in 1935, she launched many Hawaiian culture programs with the Department of Parks and Recreation of the City and County of Honolulu. She also created songs for public events or inspired by observations. Many of these are still widely performed today. Her own recordings are highly prized for the solid, straightforward playing as well as for her command of 'olelo Hawai'i, the Hawaiian language.
Tuning:
6 string guitar in G Wahine Tuning (D-G-D-F#-B-D), tuned down 2 half steps to sound in the key of F.
6. Waimānalo (Na Ke Aloha I Hanai Mai)
The middle to late 19th Century was a remarkable time in Hawaiian music, when nā ali'i actively encouraged the revival of hula and chant while also embracing imported music styles and concepts, like leisure dance and purely instrumental compositions. Waltzes became fashionable and many classics composed in 3/4 time during that era continue to enjoy widespread popularity.
Hawai’i’s beloved Merrie Monarch, King Kalākaua wrote this lilting love song under his nom de plume, Figgs. George was inspired to arrange the song for slack key by Eddie Kamae's film on Sam Li'a entitled Li'a: The Legacy of a Hawaiian Man. "Kindy Sproat sang it in the film," George says, "and we backed him up. It had that old time feel of the North Kohala."
Tuning:
6 string guitar in G Major “Taro Patch” Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D), tuned down 2 half steps to sound in the key of F.
7. E Nihi Ka Hele
Another song associated with the royal composers, E Nihi Ka Hele can be translated into English as “step softly”. The song, popularly associated with King Kalākaua’s Healani Glee Club, dates back to 1887. It centers on the trip King Kalākaua’s wife, Queen Kapi’olani, and sister, Lili’uokalani, took to England. It is highly poetic and makes good use of many traditional Polynesian literary devices, including nature imagery and ka'ona, or hidden meaning.
The first verse asks the ocean to stay calm and the wind to blow gently. The second describes California and compares the snow there to the skin of the princess. The third verse reminds the travelers to return home. "I always try to play it with the mele in my head, "George says. "The meanings are very significant, besides having a beautiful melody and nice rhythm. Thinking about it now, it reminds me of the feeling of the old backyard jams we'd have with Aaron, Dennis Kamakahi, Martin, Steven Hall, and so many others. There was always a good feeling."
George first heard it when Nina Keali'iwahamana did it with her family on a Waikiki label recording. Nina's family has deep roots in Hawaiian music through her mother, Victoria Keali‘ika‘apunihonua I'i Rodrigues (1912-1987). Auntie Vickie, as she was known, was a leading figure in Hawaiian music and hula for more than fifty years. As the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame describes Auntie Vickie's contributions: she was a composer, musician, singer/recording artist and both choreographer and teacher of hula. In her long career, she organized many important Hawaiian programs, and reintroduced many popular songs from earlier times, including "Hawai`i Aloha", "Ka Na'i Aupuni", "Kaulana Nā Pua" and "Ku'u Pua I Paoakalani", among others.
All five of Vickie's children from her marriage to Clarence L. Rodrigues became popular entertainers in their own right: Lani Custino; Mackie Lahela Rodrigues; Boyce Rodrigues; Nina Keali`iwahamana Rapozo; and John Ioane Rodrigues. Their two albums performing together as a family, Nā Mele 'Ohana (Hula 501) and Nā Mele Punahele (521) are highly prized by Hawaiian music aficionados.
Tuning:
12 string guitar in C Mauna Loa Tuning (C-G-E-G-A-E)
8. Kiss and Never Tell
Lena Machado (1903-1974), Hawaii's Songbird, popularized this song, which is credited to bandleader Johnny Noble, for whom Lena sang at the beginning of her career. It asks a gentle companion of the evening to join the singer in the quiet midnight, when the forest is silent. A midnight walk is mentioned, and the secret kiss, from which the song takes its title.
"It really caught my attention when I heard Kawai Cockett's recording with the Lei Kukui Serenaders on the radio," George says. "I also like Leina'ala Haili's version when Sonny was part of her group. It has a very catchy melody." For George's solo arrangement, he slows down the tempo to give it a nice slack key feeling reminiscent of Raymond Kane's late-night style. As Uncle Raymond liked to joke, slack key was created to put the cattle to sleep on Hawaiian ranches, but the way some of the young guys are playing, it would start a stampede!
Tuning:
6 string guitar tuned to G Major “Taro Patch” Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D), tuned down 2 half steps to sound in the key of F.
9. Māhukona
An old, sweet, medium slow song with a catchy melody, Māhukona tells the story of a love that has run its course. The title refers to the port where the Kohala Sugar Plantation picked up its cargo to ship around the islands. "Nina suggested I do this one when I was playing with her a lot. I translated it to slack key guitar, and she would sing it. We performed it a couple times on Hawaii Calls, and when I would visit North Kohala, I got more inspiration from the beach there.
Tuning:
6 string guitar in Leonard’s C Taro Patch Tuning (C-G-D-G-B-D), tuned down 3 half steps to sound in the key of A.
10. Kaho'olawe
A song for the sacred island, known in ancient times as Kohe Malamalama o Kanaloa, Kaho'olawe was composed by Emma Bush. The text describes the aloha of Kaho`olawe and beauty of the Hinahina flower that grows on its beaches and the beauty of its winds and pali cliffs.
George says Kaho'olawe is one of his favorite songs. He first recorded it with The Kipapa Rush Band in the early 1980s, and still plays it often. He usually sings it, but for the album, he performs it as an instrumental, maintaining the answering between a vocalist and the band that is a hallmark of Hawaiian music. "I first heard it sung by Marcella Kalua with The Sons of Hawai'i, George says. "I was attending the University of Hawai'i, when Uncle Harry, George Helm, Emmett Aluli, and the others were spreading the word on Kahoho'olawe. Protecting the island was an important part of the movement, and getting it back was a great victory."
Tuning:
12 string guitar tuned to C Mauna Loa Tuning (C-G-E-G-A-E), tuned down two half steps to sound in the key of B Flat.
11. Medley: Ulili E/Beauty Hula
This traditional Hawaiian standard describes a sandpiper running along the shore of a calm, deserted beach. The darting back and forth between the waves is reflected in the melody and in the answering approach to the playing. The classic Gabby Pahinui and Eddie Kamae duet version on Hula 503, established Ulili E as a popular standard. It has been recorded by Dennis and David Kamakahi, Israel Kamakawio'ole, and others. It is another one of George's favorites, and brings back memories playing with Dennis in The Sons, then later in duets and with Hui Aloha.
By the prolific composer and bandleader John Kameaaloha Almeida (1897-1985), Beauty Hula describes a beautiful miulan blossom in the gentle Tuahine rain of Mānoa valley on the island of O'ahu. The flower of the champak, a tree imported from the Himalayas, miulana is usually associated with a sweetheart of Asian descent.
Tunings:
6 string guitar tuned to Leonard’s C Taro Patch Tuning (C-G-D-G-B-D) tuned down 2 half steps to sound in the key of B Flat.
12 string guitar tuned to C Mauna Loa Tuning (C-G-E-G-A-E), tuned down 2 half steps to sound in the key of B Flat.
12. Wai Ulu
E awaiäulu i ke aloha (a love securely bound) likened to full flowing waters, is the subject of this popular mele ho’oipoipo (love song) attributed to Lala Mahelona and George Kalelohi, Sr. Often played at weddings, the song is popular with slack key guitarists.
Gabby Pahinui recorded it with Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawai’i on The Folk Music of Hawai’i (Panini 1001), Sonny Chillingworth recorded it on Sonny Solo (Dancing Cat 38005), and Led Kaapana recorded it with Hui ‘Ohana on Ono (Poki 9010) and with the Ho’opi’i Brothers on Aloha From Maui (Mountain Apple 2053). George learned it playing with The Sons.
Tunings:
6 string guitar neck tuned to the G Major “Taro Patch” Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D)
12 string guitar neck tuned to C Mauna Loa Tuning (C-G-E-G-A-E)
13. Ka Pua O Ka Lehua
Opening with the beat of a pahu recreated on the body of the guitar, Ka Pua O Ka Lehua evokes the feeling of mele kahiko, traditional Hawaiian chant. Samuel Li'aokeaumoe Kalāinaina (1881-1975) composed this mele in the traditional strophic form about Pele, goddess of fire, who dwells in the crater of Halema'uma'u. According to the Eddie Kamae Songbook, Sam entrusted the mele to Luther Makekau, asking him not to share it until after Sam's passing. More than seventy years later, Eddie Kamae crafted an evocative new arrangement, adding minor chords, for his powerful performance in the documentary Li'a: The Legacy of a Hawaiian Man.
George played on that recording, keeping his playing beautifully simple and direct. "I really like the unusual phrasing and chords Eddie added," he says. "They are pretty unique, and give the song a great feel."
Tuning:
6 string guitar tuned to C Mauna Loa Tuning (C-G-E-G-A-E), tuned down 3 half steps to sound in the key of A
These songs were recorded between 1990 and 2004. The mixing and mastering was done between 2022-2023.
Texts for many of the songs are available, with translation, at Huapala.org
For songs associated with Eddie Kamae, visit The Eddie Kamae Songbook: eddiekamaesongbook.org
Hawaiian Legacy Archive Foundation: hawaiianlegacyfoundation.org
Huapala Mele Collection with Translations: hualpala.org
For more information on the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame, visit their website at hmhof.org
Produced by: George Winston, George Kuo, Howard Johnston and Sean M. Lennon
Engineered by: Howard Johnston and Sean M. Lennon
Additional Engineering: Porter Miller, Tyler Crowder, Justin Lieberman and Adam Munoz
Recorded and Mixed at: Audio Resource, Different Fur Recording and 9th St. Opus
Project Coordinator/Research: Gail Korich
Mastered by: Ken Lee Mastering
Cover Photo: Kim Taylor Reese
Design: Lynn Piquett
Liner Notes: Jay Junker