Maybe someone here can answer this: The first track on Leinaala Haili's No Ka Oi is "Kai Wai O Ka Niu Haohao/Niu Haohao" (one of three tracks that Sonny arranged and plays on). I've found the background of "Niu Haohao" but can't track down that first song. The whole medley gets a pretty lively performance, with lots of whoops and such, and I wonder whether there's some paniolo connection--or maybe Sonny and the band were just feeling their oats that day.
Here's my draft copy for this number so far:
The medley of "Kai Wai O Ka Niu Haohao/Niu Haohao" (the latter is misspelled "Nui Haohao" on the track list) is a boisterous affair on which everybody seems to be having fun, perhaps because the kaona points to something more than the literal coconut (niu) of the titles. Sonny supplies high and low vocal harmonies, cowboy whoops and whistles, and Nashville-flavored electric-guitar breaks (incorporating quotations of "Little Brown Jug") while a band member in the background says, "Showoff!"
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Posted - 05/01/2006 : 12:00:57 PM
