Hawaii - Traditional Hula

by Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau

Overview

An album of "traditional" hula from the cultural troupe Halau Hula Ka No'eau out of Waimea on the big island. While the full traditional form of hula involves much less dancing and more drumming and chanting, what this troupe does provide is "hula kahiko," a sort of traditional/contemporary blend of the original hula with the tourist-friendly forms that sprang up around the time of World War II and just prior. The music isn't bad, though the mix of old and new doesn't lend itself very well to this group, as they jump back and forth from name chants to ukulele-friendly light songs in pidgin English. The male vocalists tend to provide a higher quality, with the females often wavering on-and-off-key for a spell now and then. The children's chorus is also occasionally called in to provide songs that sound heavily influenced by the missionary schools set up on the islands by Europeans in the 1800s. There is a thick mix of styles presented here, sometimes working and sometimes not. When the troupe goes to a more fully traditional setting, they shine brightly. When they make attempts at the more contemporary, tourist-friendly, European-influenced music is when the trouble starts, most likely due to the automatic comparisons between them and other practitioners of the contemporary forms, many of whom stick fully to contemporary styles, giving them an advantage over those that switch between the eras of music. Pick it up out of curiosity, and use it as a starting point for further exploration into Hawaiian music. ~ Adam Greenberg

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2013
Label:	ARC MUSIC
UPC:	5019396245921

Tracks

1. N¿ P¿ [The Nights]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
2. He'eia [A Surfing Chant]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
3. Henehene Kou AKA [Your Laughter]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
4. Aia La O Pele [There Is Pele]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
5. Pa Kamakani [Blowing Is the Wind]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
6. Kahelelani [A Mele Inoa for the Island of Ni'hau]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
7. Halau Hanalei [A Hall of Rain at Hanalei]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
8. 'A'ohe U'i Hele Wale O Kohala La [No One in Kohala is as Beautiful As I]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
9. Mauna Lahilahi [A Name Song for Princess Ka'iulani]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
10. Halemano - Ku'u Wahine [My Woman]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
11. Pu'u Onioni [Hill of Decision]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
12. A I Ka 'Oe Palau [I Have Nothing to Say to You]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
13. Hopoe [For The Goddess of Hopoe]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
14. Kalalea [Mt. Kalalea - Mele Inoa No Emma]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
15. Kaulilua I Ke Anu O Wai'ale'ale [Haughty and Cold Stands Wai'ale'ale]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
16. Au 'A 'Ia [Hold Tight]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
17. Kahea a Ke Aloha [The Call of Greeting]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
18. Kaulana Na Pua/Mele Ai Pohaku [Famous Are the Flowers/Stone-Eating Song]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
19. Aia Moloka'i Ku'u Iwa [There at Moloka'i Is My Sweetheart]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
20. Poli Anuanu [Cold Bosoms]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
21. Ku Makou [Here We Stand]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
22. Ua Nani O Nu'uanu [The Beauty of Nu'uanu]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
23. He Ma'i No Iolani [A Personal Chant for Iolani - King Kamehameha V]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
24. Halemano - Kekuia Mau La [From The Legend of Halemano]  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
25. Hapa Haole Medley  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau
26. Aparima/Otea Tauraatua  - Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ha-Lau Hula Ka No'Eau   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer