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Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
 Posted - 01/26/2005 : 08:10:15 AM
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With the recent release of The History of the Sons of Hawaii to DVD and the the book Hawaiian Son, I've been reading about the Hawaiian Legacy Foundation. The more I read, the more I'm interested in Eddie and Myrna Kamae's work.
I'm excited at the news that any contributions to the foundation will go toward releasing other films to DVD. I know there has been discussion here about these documentaries in the past, how they were made and distributed for schools, and how they're very difficult (if not impossible) to get now. Of particular interest to our online `ohana is THE HAWAIIAN WAY: The Art and Tradition of Slack Key Music (1993). I'm quite certain that I saw part of this video on television while visiting Kaua`i in December 1993 sparking my interest in slack key.
Just wanted to share this info and urge any of you to read up on http://www.hawaiianlegacy.com/background.html
If you're so inclined, please consider a donation. The projects are of high quality, and I hope to be able to view them on DVD soon.
(Ok, off the soap box now.)
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Andy |
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Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 09:14:09 AM
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Andy,
I agree with you. If you want a look into the heart and soul of Hawaiian music and also learn a little about what it is to be Hawaiian and what it may mean to some, Eddie Kamae's body of work is the best collection of materials without any doubt. I use some of Eddie and Myrna's material to teach with. To my knowledge there are no more than three or four contemporary sources that I would reference on Hawaiian music for a university course. His perspective, attention to detail and the sheer quality of the work from an educational point of view is unmatched. I reccommend to my students to go to the Hawaii public libraries and borrow these materials, so that they can get an understanding of slack key of as it is played by the common man, and how Hawaiian music in general is used within one's lifestyle.
Peter |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 09:24:48 AM
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I second that emotion, Andy. The impact that Eddie Kamae has had on Hawaiian music and culture cannot be overstated.
I recently received both the book and the DVD -History of the Sons of Hawaii. Haven't read the book yet, but I opened package & popped the DVD into my player before the envelope hit the the ground. Althoough I've been a huge Sons fan since the first album -- I heard it when it was new, at some party or other -- I was unaware of just how much Eddie had to do with creating not only the sound of the band, but the entire vocabulary.
In his search for a new sound, Eddie Kamae became a collector -- a song catcher, if you will. He'd search out the kupuna who knew wonderful old songs, or, sometimes, only fragments of songs. And through his efforts, and the Sons of Hawaii, these songs live today.
TRhe story is told with some terrific performance clips and interviews with many of the great musicians who have passed through the band or who were involved in the scene.
I strongly urge anyone who cares about Hawaiian music & culture to see this extraordinary film and help support the Foundation.
And, like you, Andy, I'm hoping Eddie and Myrna's other important films will someday be available.
Cheers,
Mark |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 10:07:12 AM
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Yup,
I just finished the DVD and Book. The book is, as the title suggests, a biography of Eddie with emphasis on the SOH and their triumphs and trials, and his almost predestined immersion in seeking out, finding and presenting the authentic voice and life of the generations before him.
He was guided and helped by the best: by Kawena Pukui, Pilahi Paki, and `Iolani Luahine, Myrna (of course) as well as others. He also guided and helped the best: Feet (who he treated much as a brother), Dennis, George Kuo, Pekelo, and others.
It is a moving and informative and fascinating read. Too bad there aren't Nobel prizes for people like Kawena and Eddie.
...Reid
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 10:28:42 AM
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I'm about halfway through Hawaiian Son (going slowly, taking notes), and it has already made me go back and revise a couple sections of Aloha Guitar. There may be oral-history documents sitting in the archives of the Bishop Museum or similar institutions (I know there's at least one taped interview with Auntie Alice in the Bishop collection, for example), but Eddie's films and now this biography/memoir are the best *published* accounts of Hawaiian music after WWII that I've been able to find.
I wonder if we're in a mini-Golden Age of recovery of lost (or neglected) musical history--the last few years have seen Henry Sapoznik's Klezmer!, Seth Rogovoy's The Essential Klezmer, Paul Balmer's Stephane Grappelli: With and Without Django (and the terrific bio-documentary that preceded it), and now Hawaiian Son and Michael Dregni's Django bio. And those are just the ones about my own obsessions. . . .
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Pops
Lokahi
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2005 : 4:29:06 PM
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| My wife bought me the SOH DVD for Christmas and I think every slack key devotee and every public library ought to go out and buy themselves a copy. The professionalism of the production is A+, and the music can't be beat!!!! Mr. Kamae is a national treasure and I hope he knows just how much he is loved and respected by this community. I'd also love to know how to get a copy of the slack key documentary! I'm sure it's great! |
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