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Hawaiian Music
Swaying palms, rolling waves and flower laden cocktails come to mind with the mention of Hawaiian music, unless you’re an islander or a recent visitor.
Before the arrival of the first trading ships, natural elements such as stones, sticks, shells and gourds were the instruments of choice for the earliest Hawaiian music which was primarily in the form of religious chanting. Without a written language until the missionaries arrived in the early 1800’s, chanting, with its complex and changing rhythms, enabled the Hawaiians to preserve their legends and history.
Missionaries brought melody to the Hawaiians. Enthusiasm for the Hawaiian translation of the hymn book made it an instant best seller, and before long islanders was writing their own melodies. Many beautiful Hawaiian songs were written by Hawaiians during this era, especially by royalty. Queen Liliuokalani’s, “Aloha Oe,” (Farewell to Thee), which quickly became known throughout the world as a symbol of Hawaiian music, is still a favorite today. When the steamships began bringing international visitors to the islands in the eighteen hundreds, they brought along the guitar and ukulele, instruments which would put Hawaiian music on the map.
During the early 1900’s, Hawaiian music gained a strong following as Hawaiian bands toured the mainland. In the 1930’s, the Ala Moana Hotel on Waikiki Beach began broadcasting a radio program called “Hawaii Calls” which would, by the 1950’s, promote Hawaiian music on over 750 stations around the world. Most of what was considered “Hawaiian” during this time is called “Hapa Haole,” featuring primarily the steel guitar, sliding a steel bar along the strings of a guitar laid across the lap, while plucking notes with the other hand. Slack key, a style of guitar tuning in which steel strings are loosened, and ukulele mixed with American lyrics were also synonymous with the “Hapa Haole” Hawaiian sound.
Hawaiian music took a back seat to rock and roll music during the 1950‘s. By the 1960’s interest began to rise due to the popularity of folk artists like Eddie Kamae and Gabby Pahinui. During this time Don Ho, who would become the most famous Hawaiian music entertainer of all time, captured the hearts of fans around the world singing easy listening standards with an island style twist.
In the 1970's groups such as the Sunday Manoa, Sons of Hawaii, and Hui Ohana blending contemporary sounds with traditional Hawaiian elements, launched what is known as the Hawaiian music Renaissance, earning Hawaiian music a permanent spot on the world music scene. During this decade, groups like Cecelio & Kapono, Kalapana, Olomana, and Country Comfort dominated the contemporary music charts with light rock mixed with island rhythms.
The popularity of traditional Hawaiian music was further solidified during the 1980’s with the rising stars of popular artists such as the Brothers Cazimero, Makaha Sons of Ni ihau and The Peter Moon Band. During this time artists such as Kapena, The Krush, Brother Noland and Na Leo Pilimehana climbed the light rock and contemporary island music charts. Eventually most of these artists would perform music in a variety of genres, including Hawaiian music, Island Contemporary, rock, R&B, gospel and reggae on their albums.
The decade of the nineties was an exciting time for Hawaiian music. The Ka’au Crater Boys, Hawaiian Style Band, Hapa, pushed the popularity of Hawaiian music mixed with Island Contemporary to new heights. During this time the islands experienced the dramatic rise in popularity of Island Reggae music with artists such as Fiji, Kapena and Willie K topping the charts. The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts established a Reggae category in 1998 and Natural Vibrations received its first Na Hoku Hanohano Award for excellence in Reggae music. Continuing to mix Hawaiian and Contemporary music styles, single artists, Kealii Reichel, Sistah Robi Kahakalau, Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoole and Amy Hanaialii Gilliom dominated the music scene by the end of the decade.
By the turn of the twenty first century, newbie’s on the island scene, Pure Heart, the group which launched the career of ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, took Hawaiian music by storm with their brand of Island Contemporary and Reggae music. The falsetto style of trio of Na Palapalai and Raiatea Helm climbed the Hawaiian music charts while artists such as the groups Three Plus, Ekolu, Norm and Justin Young led the way for Reggae music’s dominance over local radio airwaves. Artists like Justin Young, Norm, Ka ala Boys , Troy Fernandez and Kawika Regidor, mixing Island Reggae and Island Contemporary with R&B and Soul, could be heard island wide as the popularity for music with a strong island vibe grew by leaps and bounds. This was the decade of the compilation as Hawaiian music fans were increasingly drawn to various artist collections such as the “Hawaiian Style,” “Island Love Shack,” and “Reggae in Paradise” series which featured the best in Island Contemporary and Reggae music. With the world wide popularity of Jake Shimabukuro, the tiny ukulele became the mighty uke. Hawaiian music fans also began to crave the incredible talent of local ululele virtuoso’s such as Troy Fernandez, Herb Ohta, Jr., Benny Chong, Brittni Paiva, Taimane Gardner, Brian Tolentino and Kalei Gamiao which opened the door for many under the radar artists and inspired a whole new generation of ukulele players.
