Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Music | September/October 2002

Adventures in Dining
By Ozzie Kotani

Musical Nostalgia

This collection of old favorites brings back the liveliness of Hawai'i's music scene in the 1960s

"Pau hana" refers to the end of the workday, when it's time to kick off the shoes, sit back and enjoy what life has to offer besides an eight-hour shift. In other words, pau hana is the time for relaxing and having fun. The recently released CD Pau Hana Party brims with the spirit of pau hana, featuring songs from the past that livened up so many Island gatherings. It's a collection of classics by some of Hawai'i's favorite recording artists.
Harry B. Soria Jr., who produced the album with Michael Cord and provided both the anthology and historical liner notes, explains: "Pau Hana Party is a celebration of the work of a small group of Hawai'i-based recording-industry entrepreneurs who were active immediately after Hawai'i became a state in 1959. The music they recorded embodied the sound heard in the active nightclub circuit of the 1960s by adding different colors and patterns to the artists' work through innovative arrangements and subtle percussion."
One example is "I Ka Po Me Ke Ao" by Jesse Kalima & His Group, which features Jesse on his electrified 'ukulele (Jesse was the first entertainer to amplify the popular instrument). Opening with solo 'ukulele, the piece quickly picks up behind a driving bongo-drum pattern and a moving bass line that blend together nicely to support Jesse's playing and soulful singing.
Other classics, like Sonny Chilling- worth's "Waimea Cowboy," Bill Kaiwa's "Laupahoehoe Hula," The Invitations' "E Ku'u Baby Hot Cha Cha," Myrtle K. Hilo's "Will You Love Me (When My Carburetor Is Busted)?" and Melveen Leed's "Pauoa Liko Ka Lehua," make this an outstanding album. It's filled with wonderful falsetto, rich vocals-ranging from silky smooth to husky and powerful-virtuoso 'ukulele, steel guitar and slack key, singular piano stylings and superb bass and percussion accompaniment.
"This is a must for any musical library and it's pure party, pure fun," says radio personality Brickwood Galuteria of Hawaiian 105 KINE-FM.

Pau Hana Party, produced by Harry B. Soria Jr. and Michael Cord; Cord International and Hana Ola Records; 2001.

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