Ka Ulu Hoi

ʻAuhea ʻoukou e ka poʻe makeʻe mele Hawaiʻi! Pōmaikaʻi maoli kākou i ke pā sēdē hou ʻo “I Leʻa” i hoʻopuka ʻia mai nei e ka hui hīmeni ʻo Keauhou. Kaulana nō ua hui hīmeni nei ma muli o ko lākou mau leo nahenahe, ko lākou hana maiau, ko lākou ʻimi naʻauao, a me ko lākou aloha nui i ke mele Hawaiʻi. He 17 makana Hōkū Hanohano i loaʻa i ua hui hanohano nei no kā lākou mau sēdē ʻekolu ʻo Keauhou (2017), I ke Kō a ke Au (2018), a me Ua Kō, Ua ʻĀina (2019), e laʻa ka makana Haku Mele ka makana Entertainer of the Year, ka makana Album of the Year, a me kekahi mau makana hou aku.

Eia naʻe, ma hope o ka makahiki 2019, ʻaʻohe mea hou a Keauhou i hoʻopuka mai nei! He mau makahiki nō ke kakali ʻana o lākou a kena hou ai ka ʻono. E nā hoa ē, ua pau nō ka wā kakali! ʻEkolu makahiki ma hope mai o ka hoʻopuka ʻia ʻana o ke kolu o nā pā sēdē, eia nō he pā sēdē hou aku, ka hā hoʻi i hoʻopuka ai lākou. ʻO I Leʻa ka inoa o kēia pāleo hou, a eia nā mele i loaʻa ma luna ona: ʻo "Heha Waipiʻo," "Radio Hula," "Pua ʻŌhai," "Lilikoʻi," "Koni Au i ka Wai" me "Ka Ipo Lauaʻe," "Ulupō Nui," "Ka Wehi no Kuʻu Home," "Launa ʻOle Kō Hie," "Kuʻu Ipo Onaona," "Ka Wai ʻApo Lani," "Kaʻililauokekoa," a ʻo "Hoʻoluana." E nānā pū kāua i ʻekolu o ua mau mele nei i nahenahe maoli i kuʻu pepeiao.

Pua ʻŌhai

Na John K. Almeida

Aloha kuʻu pua ʻōhai

I loaʻa i ke onaona lima

ʻElima aʻu kai aʻi ʻike

Ma ka moana mai o ka hema

Hemahema ʻoe i kaʻu ʻike

I kou miki ʻole iho kawele

Ua pau ka lepo i aneʻi

Ke koʻana wai o ka ʻākōlea

Pā mai ka makani huʻihuʻi

Kokololio aʻi kō piko

He piko hana ʻolu kēia

He uʻilani ʻoe ke ʻike

Ua ʻike aku nei paha ʻoe

I kahi wai aʻo Hanakaʻuwali

Haʻina ʻia mai ka puana

No ka pua ʻōhai ke aloha

Mahalo nui kēia i ke mele ʻo “Pua ʻŌhai” na John K. Almeida i haku. Kaulana loa ua haku mele nei i kona loea i ka haku mele ʻana, ka hoʻokani pila ʻana, a me ka hīmeni ʻana. I loko o kēia mele ʻo "Pua ʻŌhai," aia nō he loina mele Hawaiʻi aʻu e mahalo nui ai, ʻo ia ke kuʻina o nā paukū ma o ke kani like o nā hua ʻōlelo. Ma muli o ua loina mele Hawaiʻi nei, hiki ke hoʻopaʻanaʻau ʻia nā hua ʻōlelo me ka maʻalahi, a ʻo ia hoʻopaʻanaʻau ʻana i nā mele ka mea e hoʻōla mau ai i ke mele. I ola nō ke mele i ka hoʻopuka ʻia i ke ao. Mahalo hoʻi au i ke ʻano o ka hīmeni ʻana i nei mele. Ke hoʻolohe aku, kohu like ka leo o Nick Lum me ka leo o John Almeida ma ka puana a ma ke koikoi o ka hoʻopuka ʻana i nā hua ʻōlelo. ʻAʻole paha kēlā like loa he mea i lohe pinepine ʻia i kēia au e holo nei. ʻO ia like loa o nā leo ka mea waiwai nui ma kēia mele nei, i kūpinaʻi mau ka leo o kēia haku mele kū hoʻokahi ʻo John K. Almeida.

Ka Wai ʻApo Lani

Na Liliʻuokalani

Me he alo ala o ka wai

Ka mākolu o ka wai ʻapo lani

Ka walu o nā lani ka ʻao nōʻā

Ka lalapa ka ʻena kū moku

Hui: A hiki mai ke aloha

A e pono mai ana

Ke kāheka kai kapu a Kāne

Ka mole, ke aʻa o ka ʻāina

Ulu hoʻāliʻi ka lani

Ka hoaka lei hiwahiwa

Ua ola kuʻu kini, ua nui ka ʻālana

Me kuʻu lāhui ponoʻī

He mānai kōmi ka leo

Mai ʻena ʻoe i ke kanaka

ʻOiai ke kuleana i loko

ʻOi lēhau i ka makemake

ʻO ka lua o nā mele e mahalo nui ai au, ʻo ia kēia mele nei ʻo "Ka Wai ʻApo Lani" na ka mōʻī wahine ʻo Liliʻuokalani. ʻO ia kekahi o nā haku mele ma ka hui haku mele no lākou ka inoa ʻo “Nā Lani ʻEha.” ʻO nā haku mele ʻē aʻe ma ua hui nei, ʻo ia ʻo Davida Kalākaua, ʻo Likelike, a ʻo Leleiōhoku. Na lākou he mau mele i hele a kaulana loa mai ka wā a lākou i ola ai (nā makahiki1850) a i kēia wā ʻānō. Mahalo nui au i nā mele i haku ʻia e Liliʻuokalani ma muli o kona kūpaʻa i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. I loko o nā lālani mele, ua hiki ke ʻike ʻia kona akamai ma o nā hua ʻōlelo i lohe pinepine ʻole ʻia i kēia wā e neʻe nei, a me ka nui o nā manaʻo i loko o nā hua ʻōlelo i lohe pinepine ʻia, e like me ka lālani mele hope ma ka hui. ʻO nā hua ʻōlelo ʻo “mole” lāua ʻo “aʻa,” he mau hua ʻōlelo ʻano laha, akā ʻaʻole i pāpaʻu ka manaʻo a me ke kaona. ʻO nā mele i haku ai ʻo ia, he pahuhopu ia naʻu e kūlia mau ai. Eia hou aku, mahalo hoʻi au i ka leo hīmeni o Keauhou lāua ʻo Raiatea Helm. Ua launa pono ka leo me nā hua ʻōlelo, a ua nahenahe nō kēia mele ʻo "Ka Wai ʻApo Lani" ke hoʻolohe aku.

Hoʻoluana

Na John K. Almeida

Darling kuʻu hoa hoʻoluana o ke kau

Kuʻu lei aʻu i kui a lawa

E pili mau e pili me aʻu

Moani ke ʻala o ka pua pīkake

Koʻiʻi i ke kakahiaka

Onaona i ke awakea

Maikaʻi kuʻu ʻike ʻana i ka uʻi

Nē mai ana, e lana ka manaʻo

E hui ka ʻōpua, ka liʻa

Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana

Kuʻu lei aʻu i kui a lawa

E pili mau, e pili me aʻu

ʻO ke kolu o nā mele e mahalo nui ai au, ʻo ia ke mele ʻo "Hoʻoluana" na John K. Almeida. ʻO ka mana i like me ka mana a Keauhou, ʻo ia ka mana a Pua Almeida (ke keikikāne a John K. Almeida) a me kona hui hīmeni ʻo The Sunset Serenaders. I loko o kēlā mana, ua hiki ke lohe ʻia ke kaila o ke mele jazz ma o ka hoʻokani ʻana i nā pila (e like me nā pila bāna). Mahalo hoʻi au i kēlā mana ma muli o ka ʻokoʻa loa o ua mana nei me nā mele Hawaiʻi kahiko i lohe pinepine ʻia. He mea ia e hōʻike ana i ka hiki iā kākou ke ʻimi i ala e hoʻolālā ai i ke mele Hawaiʻi, ʻoiai kākou e mālama pono ana i nā mele kekahi. ʻO ka mea waiwai loa noʻu ma ka mana a Keauhou i oki ʻia ma ke pā sēdē ʻo I Leʻa ʻo ia ka mālama ʻana i ke kaila a Pua Almeida mā (ma kekahi ʻano). Hiki ke lohe ʻia ke kaila jazz ma ka hoʻokani pila ʻana, a ma laila nō koʻu hoihoi.

Hoʻomaikaʻi iā Keauhou i ka hoʻopuka ʻana i kēia pā sēdē hou ʻo I Leʻa. Ua ola hou nā leo o ko kākou poʻe kūpuna! Ola nō ka leo o Keauhou kekahi! ʻAʻohe lua e like ai! E kuʻu makamaka heluhelu, mai kali a pau nā niho, e hoʻolohe mai i kēia pā sēdē keu a ke akamai. E ola ia mea kupaianaha a ka Hawaiʻi he mele!

© Puʻuwaihaokila Nakahara 2022