“Hawaiian Falsetto Vol. 1”
Various artists
(Haku Records)
When Hawaiian falsetto virtuoso Richard Ho‘opi‘i created the Richard Ho‘opi‘i Leo Ki‘eki‘e Falsetto Contest on Maui in 2003, he gave male falsetto vocalists a third platform for competition. Island falsetto singers were already challenging each other at the Clyde “Kindy” Sproat Falsetto and Storytelling Contest on the Big Island and also at the Frank B. Shaner Hawaiian Falsetto Contest on Oahu. Shaner’s contest was one of the cultural gems of the annual Aloha Festivals events in Waikiki; singers came from across Hawaii, from the mainland and also from Japan to compete for the title and the Hula Records recording contract that came with it.
As the years passed, festival directors’ priorities changed and their support for falsetto waned.
By 2008, the Ho‘opi‘i festival was the only one still in operation. It continued more or less under the radar until this fall when the Haku Collective released this compilation of recordings by contest winners and contest judges.
The 13-track album showcases past winners of the Ho‘opi‘i festival: Pomaika‘i Krueger (2009), Po‘okela Wood (2010), Ezra Kau‘i Krueger (2011), Joshua No‘eau Kalima (2012), Micah Hoapili DeAguiar (2013), Grant Kaimana Kono (2014), Kamalei Kawa‘a (2015), Gregory Kahikina Juan (2016), Kason Gomes (2017) and Kama‘ehu Kawa‘a (2021).
Kama‘ehu Kawa‘a’s rendition of “E Ku‘u Morning Dew,” a song recorded numerous times in the last 49 years, stands out among all the beautiful falsetto performances as a fresh falsetto approach to an island standard.
Two of the contest’s judges — three-time Grammy Award winner Kalani Pe‘a and Frank B. Shaner Falsetto Contest winner Cody Pueo Pata — add their vocal magic to the collection. Leave it to Pe‘a to take “Akaka Falls” and rework it beautifully with hints of contemporary mainstream pop.
An archival recording of Richard Ho‘opi‘i singing “‘Ohu‘ohu Kahakuloa” serves as an appropriate acknowledgement of his importance as the founder of the contest and as one of the great falsetto voices of the 20th century; he died in 2018.
The musicians and backing vocalists heard on many of the tracks are not credited for their individual contributions but listed collectively as guest artists: Wailau Ryder, Ekolu Chang, Jon Ako, Iwalani Ho‘omanawani Apo, Ikaika Blackburn, Imua Garza and Ata Damasco. Their work enhances many of the performances.
The record label provides no information on the singers, the songs or even the names of the songwriters, so what you hear is just about all you get. Even so, these recordings are important documentation of Hawaiian falsetto as it is being sung in the early 21st century.
For more information or to purchase the album ($20), visit festivalsofaloha.com.
