“To me, slack key is a ‘one man band’ – bass strings, guitar strings,
loose strings and heart strings – all combined to produce melodies of
Hawaiian Heart and Soul,” Ritz-Carlton Hawaiian Cultural Advisor
Clifford J. Nae’ole described.
“The technical definition,” musicologist Bob Brozman explained, “is
Hawaiian songs played in normal guitar position, with special open
tunings. Another way to refer to it is – the blues of Hawaii … a
fragile culture asserting its independent beauty.”
It’s Cyril Pahinui’s Blue Hawaiian Moonlight, the Ledward Kaapana
signature giggle, kanikapila and the Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key
Guitar concert series, hosted by George Kahumoku, Jr., at the
Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua.
The ki ho’alu concerts are held on Tuesdays, with two shows nightly at
6 and 8:30 p.m. Weekly Kahumoku shares the stage with different
masters, like Cyril Pahinui, Ledward Kaapana, Dennis Kamakahi and
Ozzie Kotani.
On October 12, 2004 series co-producers, Paul Konwiser, Sandy Wales
and Wayne Wong celebrate the first anniversary performance.
“One of our key objectives in this series was to provide a place where
these talented artists could play in a concert-like setting here in
Hawaii,” noted Konwiser.
“The founders (Paul, Sandy and George) are doing this from their heart
because of their passion for the music,” Nae’ole noted.
Konwiser admits he is a “slackhead” weekly during his tongue-in-cheek
warning to the audience: “There’s a band called the Grateful Dead,
with a bunch of fans known as deadheads. You should know that in
attending this concert, you are well on your way to becoming a
slackhead.”
“I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet. I love Hawaii, and I love
this music,” Konwiser added in a later interview.
“It creates sweet, healing sounds, and, when Hawaiian language lyrics
are included, it truly is like no other music I have heard,” Konwiser
commentd.
Wong’s love of the art is equally heartfelt. “Hawaiian slack key is a
unique cultural legacy. Each slack key master draws from the
traditions of the area where they grew up, intertwines music of their
‘ohana (family) and finally adds their own individual way of playing
…What results is different each performance and represents one of the
great acoustic guitar traditions in the world. George (Kahumoku) uses
a phrase in his workshop: ‘Ka pu’uwai ame ka’uhane me ke na manamana
lima’ (The heart and the soul through the fingers).”
Konwiser attributes the success of the past year to Kahumoku: “He is
the glue that holds it all together. His talent, generosity, huge
heart and love of these islands and their music make it happen. We are
along for the ride,” he said.
Hawaiian composer Aunty Edna Pualani Farden Bekeart agrees: “George
has brought slack key out of the country and into the modern scene.”
The anniversary show at the Ritz next Tuesday night (Oct 12, 2004)
features the talented Ledward Kaapana.
“This weekly event,” Nae’ole remarked, “is about sharing, about
‘remembering when’, about paying tribute and most of all…smiling and
laughing while sharing Hawaiian heart and soul …The only props absent
from the stage would be a couple of chickens, a hibachi and a case of
beer.”
"Sometimes I have more fun than the audience," Kaapana confided.
Copyright © 2004 Lahaina News and Louise Rockett.
All rights reserved.
Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Concert Series
at The Napili Kai Beach Resort, on Maui:
Weekly shows every Wednesday evening (starting Dec 30, 2009) --Showtime at 7:30pm
Tollfree Reservations: (888) 669-3858,
or info on the web at:
http://www.slackkey.com
Seating is limited so reservations are highly recommended. Tickets are $39.99 before taxes.
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