It's a peaceful, quiet Sunday morning on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Bright sunlight reflects off a calm sea, a brief, warm shower forms a rainbow on the slopes of Mauna Loa. A small, colorful wooden church is shaded by mango and palm trees in a tiny coastal fishing village. The soft island air, redolent with the gentle scent of plumeria and the richer fragrances of passion fruit, is stirred by sweet music from the church. The songs are distinctly Hawaiian, yet somehow familiar. These are the hymns of Hawai'i, the songs that George Kahumoku, Jr. sang as a child growing up on the Big Island. They are the hymns that have helped to hold his family together over several generations.
With this recording, George realizes a dream he has had for many years. He has long wanted to preserve this music, which has been an important part of his spiritual life. When Daniel Ho proposed that they collaborate on a recording of Hawaiian hymns, George immediately agreed. These are the hymns, the hïmeni, that George learned as a young boy seated with his parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and their children around the kitchen table.
For George, the little and sometimes not so little tragedies of life are just ways of bringing one closer to God. "George Kahumoku has gotten a little off track, so let's give him a bout of cancer right at this point in his life," is the way he puts it. Especially at these times, not just the words, but also the melodies and rhythms of this wonderful music have brought him comfort and peace. He hopes that this recording will do the same for others.
