“WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS”
DeShannon Higa (Wind & Song Productions)
DeShannon Higa is one of Honolulu’s first-call horn men (trumpet/flugelhorn), but although he’s played on a long list of recording projects it’s always been as somebody else’s sideman. Until now. At long last Higa has stepped forward as the star of a recording project. It is a brilliant “debut” for Higa — both as a musician and song writer.
Higa’s compositions soar on the contrasting textures of trumpet and flugelhorn. They also display Higa’s command of an intriguing range of modern musical genres. A diverse assortment of studio guests contributes along the way.
Higa makes a noteworthy contribution to the evolution of Hawaiian music with his arrangement of “Kaulana Na Pua,” which was written in 1894 to protest the overthrow of the Hawaiian government. Higa’s work on flugelhorn conveys the poignant origins of the melody. Studio guests Tom Jennings (piano) and Jeff Peterson (nylon string guitar) strengthen the ties of Higa’s arrangement to the 19th century origins of the melody.
Visit deshannonhiga.com.
“OLA KA ‘AINA”
Various Kanile‘a ‘Ukulele Artists (Kanile‘a Ukulele 2018)
Ranching, logging, land-clearing for commercial development, invasive non-native plants and destructive non-native animals such as cattle, pigs and goats have cost Hawaii an estimated 90 percent of the endemic rain forest that existed two centuries ago. Koa is the keystone tree of the Hawaiian rain forest, and this compilation CD is a joint venture by Reforest Hawaii and the Kanile‘a ‘Ukulele company to fund restoration of koa forests to areas where koa once thrived.
Several of the strongest contributions to the cause are made in ‘olelo Hawaii (the Hawaiian language). Cody Pueo Pata opens the collection with a stirring oli (chant) celebrating the beauty of traditional Hawaiian forests.
Hoku Award-winner Jonah Kahanuola Solatario is joined by Lina Robins-Tamure and Kapua Kalua in making his call for the protection of koa forests.
Kalehua Krug shares his aloha for a surviving group of koa trees with “Ka La‘i O Kona,” and the husband-and-wife duo of Lina and “Bruddah Sam” Langi share similar sentiments with final song “Nani ‘Ekolu” — it’s a gem of a finale.
Ben Vegas and Maila Gibson deliver the reforestation message in English. So does Nainoa Gibson. Several of the other songs have nothing to do with reforestation but add heft and diversity to the project.
A 12-page liner notes booklet reinforces the reforestation message by providing CD buyers with song lyrics and English translations for those written in Hawaiian.
Kanele‘a is donating 100 percent of the proceeds to reforestation.
Visit kanileaukulele.com and reforesthawaii.org.
