Customer Reviews

Na Mele'o Kawa Kahiko (Ancient & Traditional Chants of Hawaii)

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This offering by Kumu Hula George Lanakilakekiahialii Na'ope is simply extraordinary. Consisting only of voice and percussion, this CD is both a fine introduction to ancient Hawaiian chant and a consistently satisfying collection for those who just can't get enough of music for hula kahiko (the ancient form of hula). "Ulei Pahu" and "Na Nalu O Hawai'i" are particularly powerful, but every song is full of depth and feeling. George Na'ope is joined by a wonderful group of singers with distinctive voices. My only gripes are the other singers are not identified in the songs (it would be nice to know who they are!) and that neither the tape nor the CD has lyric sheets in Hawaiian or English. (You really do want to sing along!) I have also found that my cassette tape version has more balanced production values and that the CD version seems heavier on the percussion. I love this music, my kids love this music. I wish George would record another. If you want to learn more about the extraordinary career of George Na'ope, read his interview in "Voices of Wisdom--Hawaiian Elders Speak," by MJ Harden. It would be nice if this book was carried by Amazon-- if it's not, you can email the author at mjh@maui.net to obtain a copy.

To the writer from Kona....you are mistaken about Uncle George, he is alive and well and living on the Big Island. It would be wise to research this type of information before posting a reply about someone passing........ This CD is amazing and I highly recommend it to po'e hula, beginners and veterans alike.

My sister was taught under Uncle George and used to perform in his show at the Kona Lagoon Hotel. While me and my brothers grew up and hung out at the hotel nightly, we couldn't help but to learn Ulei Pahu, and we could do the kahiko also, but would never admit it (we were "breakers" at the time). It's good to see his music is now on CD. By the way, this is for the reviewer from Frisco; Uncle George will not be coming out with another album because he passed away years ago. When I left Kona at 17, Etua was Kumu Hula.