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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
 Posted - 07/01/2004 : 7:28:11 PM
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aloha kakou,
so, i was listening to willy k's version of "ke `ala o ka rose" from his "Awihilima" album. he starts off thanking "papa ka`opio" before asking everyone to sing along. according to "he mele aloha" this song was written in 1932 by danny ka`opio of ni`ihau when he was 17 and courting "a beauty named Loke". it's a very romantic song.
... so, does anyone know if there's a story here? is willy k. related to danny ka`opio?
aloha, keith
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2004 : 8:53:01 PM
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I just bought the album "Awihilima" in Hawaii recently and fell in love with that song. I think the answer to your question about Willie K and Danny Ka'opio is that Willie K knew/knows everybody in Hawaiian music over his lifetime.
I also bought Richard Ho'opi'i's album "Ululani" which also has "Ke 'Ala O Ka Rose" on it, but sung with a more stately, all falsetto setting. I like Willie K's version better, but both are beautiful. "Awihilima" has several standout songs on it making it my new favorite falsetto album. Check out "Noenoe Ua Kea O Hana" and his version of "Meleana E."
Jesse Tinsley |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2004 : 9:51:50 PM
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hi jesse - that's a likely explanation. danny was born in 1915, and so willy might know/have known him...
it is a great album, isn't it? you're right about "noenoe ua kea o hana" and "meleana e". i love his falsetto singing on "na moku eha" too.
aloha, keith
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2004 : 10:04:44 PM
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| Had both of those albums been vinyl, I would have already worn out the grooves. |
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ohanabrown
Lokahi
281 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 01:40:53 AM
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Aloha, Keith
Ke ala o ka rose is one of my favorite. Growing up, hawaiian music
was always played in the home. My grandmother made sure of it.
When i first heard the song i fell in love with it. The singer's name
was Linda Dela Cruz. What caught my ear was the music. It was recorded sometimes in the 40's. ( I was born in the 50's )
Many,Many,Many, years went by, and i got to meet Leonard Kwan
when ever he stopped on maui we'd get together with a friend. ( Paul.)
One day we were playing and i heard that same sound i heard, as a youngster. I mentioned to Leonard it sounds like ke ala o ka rose.
He said.... I backed up Linda Dela Cruz on slack key, back in the 40's.
He sang and played it for me, and i started to re-live the old day's just for a second. And again it was that sound that i heard, It was Leonard, adding his sweet stlye of slack key that brought out the sweetness in that song. ( ke ala o ka rose.) Thought i'd share this story. |
Kevin K. Brown |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 03:03:32 AM
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Sam Bernard also sang that song over the credits of the film "Hawaiian Rainbow" in his beautiful falsetto voice. It's worth the $10 or so for the DVD. It was a 1988 documentary.
I like the way Willie K infuses his music with so much energy, even playing all the instruments and doing it track by track. Only Willie K would whoop his way through such a beautiful song. "Awihilima" has a layered sound with lots of strings, sometimes too many, but always interesting. You hear mandolin and harmonica a lot, too.
Now I'm trying to convince my friends to carpool to Boise, Idaho for Aloha Live 2004. It's only eight hours away.
Jesse Tinsley
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 08:56:38 AM
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"Awihilima" is one of my favorites, too. (I nearly swoon at his "Noenoe Ua Kea O Hana" - he does it soooo ethereally!) I'm so glad he came out with a cd of traditional songs.
One thing I noticed too is that Willie is a great arranger. His "Meleana E" is a totally new take on an old kolohe song, transforming it entirely into a beautiful new thing. And his "Holoholo Ka'a" is wonderful, with allusions to the 1920s or 1930s sounds. Including the horns and meep-meep is so appropriate: I can just see an old Model T or something, rolling along!
aloha,
Sarah |
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Puna
Lokahi
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 11:55:52 AM
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Willie said that all of the songs on "Awihilima" are songs that his father used to sing. Perhaps Danny Ka'opio was a frequent visitor to the Kahaiali'i household?
Oh, and for those who liked the "Amy and Willie Live" CD, Willie sez a DVD version is in the works, available around Christmas
Eric |
Puna |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 12:26:48 PM
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| When you talk about Willie as an arranger, the albums he did with Amy Gilliom just jump out at you. Not to mention the great chops of their lead guitar. Their "Traditional" is my favorite -- but all are well woth a listen. |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 12:41:50 PM
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Remember, too, that Willie's father, the late Uncle Manu, was a very accomplished musician and knew all the musicians of his era, and he had a very deep and wide repertoire. Willie comes by his abilities and knowledge as a legacy. Of course, he has built upon that legacy.
David Lengkeek (who posts here rarely, and is Kitty's hubby) was a student of Uncle Manu's and Kitty took a video of a multi-hour session of them both playing and talking. Kitty was kind enough to make us a copy of that. Fantastic!
...Reid |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 10:05:03 AM
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This is an old thread, but I was reminded of it while listening to the kanikapila recordngs from the 2003 Kahumoku workshop. During a break in the song, I heard Dennis Kamakahi (I think) mention that the composer of "Ke 'Ala 'O Ka Rose", Danny Ka'opio, was a paniolo from Ni'ihau and that he was Willie K's grandfather.
Jesse Tinsley |
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