Kaleponi

I’m not sure where the time went, or what I accomplished while I was ignoring this happy place, but I’m back to catch up on the past year-plus. And the main thing to catch up on would be the videos I’ve posted on the good old YouTube channel. The last video I shared out here was Aloha `Oe back in October of 2020, and I have recorded and posted a variety of clips since then. Here they are in order of production:

Punahele means Favorite in Hawaiian, and Uncle Ray Kane used that title for this instrumental composition.

It is one of my favorites for listening and for trying to play. I confess that I never catch the infectious bounce and swagger that Ray brings to the tune, but I keep trying.

Every now and then I get the urge to do a “self-duet” video. Often these videos are as much about some aspect of technology as they are about compelling music. In this one I’m fooling around with a medley of Hula Lady and the classic hula, Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai. But I’m also demonstrating the power of a free video editor, Shotcut.

This little clip is lacking a bit in artistic merit, but at least it gave the Brass Toucan an opportunity to put in an appearance.

Thanks to the planning and research by lovely Lynnie, we get to spend some days in Hawai`i most years. Although 2020 was a no-go due to the pandemic, we did manage to make the trip in 2021. And being in Hawai`i means shooting videos in beautiful scenery, often with Ledward Kaapana alongside. I set out to do a tribute to our most watched video, a duet on Black Sand shot in Led’s backyard.

The original version from 2012:

and the tribute version from 2021:

I’m happy to say that there have been some real improvements in audio and video quality over the years. And Led has upgraded the plantings around his house so the backyard is even more lovely. But the majesty of the Ko`olau looming in the mists of Kane`ohe is timeless.

This next clip was shot the same day as Black Sand. This is Ledward’s latest composition, Hele Wawae, The Walking Song, and it’s a lovely tune to compare to Black Sand because that one was composed by Led’s dad, George Kaapana.

I’m honored to say that the world premier of Hele Wawae was on the duet CD I produced for Led and I, Kaleponi & Kalapana.

Back home in Walnut Creek I spent quite a few hours listening to different versions of Pua Lililehua, Kahauanu Lake’s song for his wife Maiki. It’s a rich melody and one that I’ve often admired, and I finally decided to put in the time to develop an arrangement I could play.

I wound up including Pua Lililehua in all the shows I did around Northern California with Ledward during February of 2022.

Naturally while Led was here for his tour we found a moment to shoot some video. One of the traditional tunes on our duet CD is the classic song about working and playing at Waikiki, Kaimana Hila.

It’s one of the first tunes I figured out “by ear” in my early slack key development because Lynn was learning a hula for the song. I was pretty proud of myself for figuring that out, but of course playing it with Ledward is like going for a graduate degree.

The last of this collection is Led’s interpretation of another Ray Kane composition, Keiki Slack Key. Ray told a story about visiting the Waimanalo grammar school and seeing all the local kids running around. He said Keiki Slack Key was inspired by those kids and their energy.

Led slows things down and emphasizes the sweetness of the melody while staying strictly within Uncle Ray’s structure. And I just hang in there enjoying the sound and feel of slack key.