‘Hawaiian Music’

Nate Kana‘e
(Ai Chance ‘Um)

Beautiful acoustic Hawaiian music played in the old Hawaiian style and recorded to preserve and perpetuate the language and traditional music of Hawaii — that’s what Nate Kana‘e’s economically packaged album is all about.

Kana‘e sings a dozen Hawaiian standards — "Ipo Lei Manu" and "Hi‘ilawe," to name two — and accompanies himself on the standard Hawaiian string instruments of the 19th and 20th centuries.

He sets the mood with a nahenahe (sweet, melodious) arrangement of "None Hula" and plays each song that follows in a similar back-porch style. It’s easy to imagine him sitting off somewhere playing these songs for relaxation after a long day.

"Nani Kaua‘i" catches the ear as Kana‘e’s voice slides up into falsetto territory. "Kaua‘i Beauty," another song about the Garden Island, is mesmerizing both for the elegant simplicity of its instrumental introduction and for Kana‘e’s falsetto as he sings the lyrics.

"Hi‘ilawe" is a third highlight number. Many people are doing "Hi‘ilawe" these days; Kana’e does it well.

He recorded and produced the album as a fundraiser for the Manaleo Hawaiian Cultural Foundation in Napa, Calif., which provides cultural programs for Native Hawaiians in Northern California. All proceeds will go to the group.

"Hawaiian Music" is available for $10 at www.manaleohcf.org.

Lyrics, translations and background information on many of the songs are available at www.huapala.org.

www.manaleohcf.org

"None Hula"