The Music of Pilioha

Pilioha started in the early ‘90’s as a duo, first cousins Glenn Mayeda Jr. (bass) and Gary “Kalehua” Krug Jr. (rhythm guitar) always longed for the right person to blend not only with their music but also with their warm personalities. What they eventually found in 2001, was a young and talented lead guitarist, Kamuela Kimokeo, who not only gelled with them musically, but fit in as if he were a younger brother.

The name Pilioha literally means “a family relationship.” It is not only a fitting description of the trio, but a reminder to them of how important their relationship is with one another, as well as with their families.

The Music of Ho’okena

Ho‘okena got started in 1986 and remains one of Hawaii’s longest-lasting Hawaiian Music group.  Their most recent CD is  Cool Elevation. Ho‘okena maintains high standards of vocal blend, clean instrumentations, intricate arrangements and fresh new compositions. Ho‘okena is respected in Hawaii and abroad as leaders in the Hawaiian music scene. “Ho‘okena is a very unique and diverse group” says group leader Manu Boyd. Each of us has a responsibility in running our Record Company and Label Ho‘omau Inc., which was created in 1987. In addition to our Music Company, we each maintain separate careers, which make our music time together fun, fresh and very therapeutic. Whether it’s playing for thousands of Hawaiian music lovers at a concert in Japan or the mainland, or just a rehearsal at someone’s house, playing music together is always rejuvenating.

Nani Dudoit, Horace’s lovely wife, graces Ho‘okena’s stage with incomparable hula. A long-time student of Kumu Hula Leina‘ala Kalama Heine’s “Na Pualei O Likolehua”. She has performed with the Brother’s Cazimero since the late 70’s and exclusively with Ho’okena since the beginning. The mother of three boys, Hula Stylist extraordinaire. Traveling extensively throughout the mainland as well as Far East to Japan, and not to mention the neighboring islands, sharing their love of music, dance and culture which is truly Hawaiian!

Nani Dudoit & Ho’okena

Nani Dudoit has been Ho‘okena’s “hula stylist” since 1986. She is a 1978 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and a member of the hula halau, Na Pualei o Likolehua, under the direction of kumu hula Leina‘ala Kalama Heine for 25 years. In the early 80’s, she performed in the Brothers Cazimero show as one of the featured dancers of the Royal Dance Company at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel Monarch Room. Nani has graced stages in New York City (Carnegie Hall), Australia and Japan. Nanai is married to Horrace from Ho’okena.

The Music of Andy Cummings

The Music of Genoa Keawe

Genoa Keawe was born in the Kaka`ako neighborhood of Honolulu. She began her singing career at age 12, when she joined the choir of the Mormon Church. A year after graduating from eighth grade, she met and married her husband Edward and began her family of 12 children. Her mother-in-law taught Genoa the Hawaiian language. Soon she was singing in both Hawaiian and English for military clubs, prior to World War II. Popular singer Alice Namakelua was of particular help to Genoa with her Hawaiian language phrasing and vocal style. It was at this time that Genoa began singing with the Honolulu Rapid Transit musicians, and credits John K. Almeida for giving her her radio start. She heard him sing when she was 11, and met him in 1946. Almeida, who was broadcasting a show on KULA radio, asked for “anyone who could sing” to come to the station and perform. Genoa responded, and was asked to return again and again. In 1971, she hosted a banquet honoring her patron. In 1946, Genoa recorded the first of over 140 singles on the “49th State” label. Among the songs was an English language version of Irmgard Aluli’s signature composition “Puamana”, entitled “Sea Breeze”. With her groups “Genoa Keawe and her Hula Maids” and “Genoa Keawe and her Polynesians”, she backed up other singers on many recordings. She moved on to record with Don McDiarmid Jr.’s company, “Hula Records”. Many of Auntie Genoa’s most popular songs recorded from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, are now available on CDs. Among the most requested in Genoa’s live performances are Lena Machado’s “Kaulana O Hilo Hanakahi”, Alice K. Namakelua’s “Nani” and, of course, Genoa’s signature song “Alika”. In 1966, she started her own record company, Genoa Keawe Records with her son, Gary Aiko and vocalist Joe Keawe, a relative of her husband’s. It was in that year that she took her now-famous vocal styling to Japan, and has been invited to perform there many times since.

Genoa is probably best known for her Falsetto singing, which some consider more accurately described as “head voice”. She is one of the very few female vocalists who come closest to sounding like the true Hawaiian falsetto, which dates from pre-contact chant practices. Falsetto use became popular with the introduction of European hymn singing and popular music, although its origins in the Islands are still shrouded in mystery and open to conjecture. Genoa Keawe’s importance to Hawaiian music is best described by Hawaiian ethnomusicologist Amy K. Stillman: “In addition to her unrivalled falsetto technique, bell-like yodeling, and her trademark ability to hold high notes for over two minutes, Genoa Keawe is particularly significant for her focus on presenting repertoire for modern hula, i.e., hula performed to westernized melodies and the accompaniment of western instruments such as guitar and `ukulele.” Operator of a hula studio in the Pauoa neighborhood of Honolulu for many years, “Auntie Genoa” has served as a resource for scores of Hawaiian musicians for over 50 years. Her warm and caring personality earned her her nickname early in her career.

Many accolades and awards have come to this celebrated singer of Hawaiian music. In the year 2000, Genoa Keawe was honored with the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts, the National Heritage Fellowship, presented in a Washington D. C. ceremony by the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the recipient of multiple Na Hoku Hanohano awards, the Hawaiian recording industry’s equivalent of the “Grammy”. In 1987 the King Kamehameha Hula Competition was dedicated to her, as was the 1998 Prince Lot Hula Festival.

Auntie Genoa, however, considers her greatest award her continued ability to sing, her “gift from God”. She says “it’s a gift I asked for… I wanted to be a singer, so I prayed every night, and thank God I still have it.” She does, and shares her very special gift every week in performance with her group at the former Hawaiian Regent Hotel, now the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort at the Moana Terrace.

Alan meets Geona Keawe on Moana Terrace

The Music of Ledward Ka’apana

Ledward Ka’apana’s great skill and easygoing attitude have made him one of Hawai’i's most beloved traditional musicians. Ledward Ka’apana is a master of slack key guitar is also accomplished on ‘ukulele, autoharp, bass and steel guitar. He is a fine baritone and falsetto singer as well. Perhaps most importantly, the man known affectionately as lima wela (“hot hand”) blends his virtuosity with an infectious joy for performing, a generous spirit and a rascally sense of humor.

Ledward was born in 1948 and grew up in a very musical family in the tiny village of Kalapana on the Big Island of Hawai’i. He was encouraged by his elders and inspired by his mother, singer Tina Ka’apana and his uncle, legendary slack key player Fred Punahoa. Ledward developed a seemingly inexhaustible ability to improvise. He also absorbed the influences of country, jazz, latin and even rock n’ roll that he would occasionally sneak into his music. In 1977, Led formed the legendary trio Hui ‘Ohana with his twin brother Ned and cousin Dennis Pavao and produced a CD retrospective of their work, Magic Islands which was recently released by Hawaiian Music Island. In addition, Led’s solo work, his series of duets with steel guitar master Bob Brozman and his collaborations with artists such as Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs and Alison Krauss have established him as one of Hawai’i's foremost musical ambassadors.

The Music of Dennis Pavao

The late Dennis Pavao (1951-2002) first came into the public eye as a teenager in the early 1970′s when he formed the legendary Island trio, Hui Ohana, along with his cousins, Nedward and Ledward Ka`apana. Dennis was instrumental in the renewed popularity of the male falsetto voice (known in Hawaiian as ka leo ki`eki`e). After the breakup of the group, Pavao continued to record solo albums. He won several Na Hoku Hanohano awards in the process. He performed extensively through Hawai`i, the Mainland United States and Japan. Sadly, Dennis Pavao passed on January 19, 2002 at the age of fifty.

The Music of Mike Kaawa

Mike Kaawa is Hawaii’s finest 12-string guitar player and one of the best known and highly regarded musicians in Hawaii. Mike Kaawa describes his music as “Hawaiian with an attitude”. Mike Kaawa’s music journey began at the early age of 10 when he and fellow baseball buddies, Greg Sardinha and BenVegas formed their very first band. The group performed steadily at their Palolo baseball team’s parties and events. The band lasted until Sardinha and Vegas decided they wanted to play rock ‘n roll music. Mike Kaawa being true to his Hawaiian roots, said farewell, and was replaced by then young Mackie Freary. Since then, Mike Kaawa’s career has spanned nearly 4 decades participating in several prominent groups on the islands.

Mike Kaawa is an illuminating performer who has brightened some of Hawaii’s most popular stages and has captivated audiences with his enchanting stage presence and vocal abilities. With strong instrumentation and distinct vocal expression straight from his heart, Mike Kaawa has created his own unique sound only few musicians have achieved.

Listening to Hawaiian Radio

The Music of Owana Salazar

Owana Salazar was born into a family well versed in music and deeply rooted in Hawaiian history. She possesses the ability to reach out in song to intimately embrace her audience wherever she goes. Owana’s profound interpretation of Hawaiian classics, traditional and contemporary music and jazz standards, is truly a reflection of her ancestry and upbringing in knowledge and culture. No matter what genre of music Owana performs, she will bring the listener to an unforgettable experience. Her first recording in 1986, “Owana and Ka`ipo, In Kona” was final ballot nominee in the category of Most Promising Artist in the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, an island music industry salute. The following year, her second recording, “Owana”, was final ballot nominee for Contemporary Hawaiian Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year.