a r t i s t : Alicia Bay Laurel
t i t l e : Living In Hawai'i Style
d a t e : 2005
l a b e l : EM (EM1048CD)
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : Jun/2007
t r a c k s : 16
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 68,8 MB
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Alicia plays slack key guitar and sings sixteen Hawai'ian
songs and medleys, eight of which are original. Two renowned
Hawaiian musicians, chanter/percussionist Lei'ohu Ryder and
jazz guitarist/vocalist Sam Ahia, join her. The CD opens with
the first and only Hawai'ian birthday song (an original),
followed by environmental anthems, turn-of-the-century
instrumentals, Waikiki lounge tunes from the 1930's, hulas in
three part harmony, homages to Hawai'ian grandmother
musicians, tropical feel-good swing tunes, and odes to
landscapes of overwhelming beauty. The ten-panel full-color
booklet, written, illustrated and designed by Alicia, includes
the complete lyrics, translations of all the Hawai'ian words,
and little stories about each song that include notes on
Hawai'ian history, biology, geology, and social customs.
Alicia Bay Laurel first arrived on Maui in 1969, already an
accomplished open-tuned guitar player, having learned from
pioneering guitar legend John Fahey, a family member, during
her 'teens. She immediately fell in love with Hawai'ian style
open tuning--slack key. In 1974, she moved to Hana, Maui,
where she learned to sing in Hawai'ian from Clara Kalalau
Tolentino, the town kumu hula (and matriarch of a musical
dynasty that includes recording artist G-girl Keli'iho'omalu),
and slack key guitar from Clara's son-in-law, Jerome Smith.
Later, she studied slack key with Uncle Sol Kawaihoa, and
hapa-ha'ole guitar arrangements from jazz guitar great, Sam
Ahia. In January, 2000, after 16 years of performing
extensively on Maui, Alicia recorded her first, all-original,
solo vocal and guitar CD, Music From Living On The Earth, in
the Fahey-influenced tunings of her youth. The following year
she recorded a CD of original and historic Hawai'ian songs on
slack key guitar with vocals, Living In Hawai'i Style, with
guest artists Sam Ahia and Lei'ohu Ryder.
Lei'ohu Ryder: A spiritualist, composer, performer, and
educator with roots in Hawai'ian culture, Lei'ohu raises her
superb voice in song and Hawai'ian chants, which she can
compose on the spot. (There's one on the CD.) Her psychic
abilities yielded the discovery of the Kukuipuka heiau (temple
ruins), which she and others are restoring. Her CD, Lady of
the Mountain, was on the Top Ten on Hawai'ian radio stations.
Her web site is at www.leiohuryder.com.
Sam Ahia: Widely respected throughout the state of Hawai'i as
a great jazz guitarist/vocalist, Sam has appeared on dozens of
recordings, including his own, the all-original Ukumehame, and
Hawai'ian Time, a collection of Hawai'ian favorites.
Alicia Bay Laurel: In 1970, at the age of 20, Alicia saw her
first book published.
Completely hand-lettered and illustrated with her line
drawings on every page, Living On The Earth made the New York
Times Bestseller List in 1971, becoming a beloved handbook of
sustainable and imaginative living for thousands, and
influencing graphic artists to this day.
During the 1970's, Alicia created eight more published books.
In 1974, following a book tour in Japan, Alicia made her third
sojourn to the Hawai'ian Islands, decided to stay, and lives
here still.
In the year 2000, in celebration of the 30th anniversary
edition of Living On The Earth, Alicia recorded Music From
Living On The Earth, sixteen songs she composed at the time of
her first publication.
After a national tour as a singer/storyteller, she returned to
Hawai'i and created this, her second recording, a collections
of songs she created or admired during her years in Hawai'i.
The colorful ten panel booklet in the CD case, written,
designed and illustrated by Alicia Bay Laurel, features her
stories about each of the songs, with complete lyrics, and
translations of all the Hawai'ian poetry.
It's almost a course in Hawai'ian history, language, geology
and social customs.
Here, also, you'll meet her mentor, Auntie Clara Tolentino, a
Hawai'ian hula choreographer of chiefly lineage and matriarch
of musical dynasty that includes recording artists G-girl
Keli'iho'omalu (her oldest daughter) and (G-girl's daughter)
Princess Keli'iho'omalu.
On the first inside page is a letter Alicia received from
Alice Namakelua, the most famous woman slack key player and
court musician to the last monarch of the sovereign nation of
Hawai'i, Queen Liliu'okalani.
Alicia had seen Auntie Alice perform at a slack key guitar
festival in 1975, and wrote a song about her.
The letter thanks Alicia for a cassette tape of the song,
which had made its way to her bedside only weeks before her
death in 1986.
The cover illustration, a birthday party on the beach in
Hawai'i, makes the CD an ideal birthday gift.
http://www.emrecords.net/records/00063.html
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01-Hau'oli La Hanau (Happy Birthday) [01:39]
02-Kanikau O Hawai'i [03:31]
03-From Hawai'i to You [03:53]
04-Nankuli Blues/Vale of Feathers [04:13]
05-Waikaloa [04:28]
06-Ukulele Hula [04:18]
07-Holua, Kapalaoa, and Paliku [03:24]
08-Sassy/Manuela Boy/Livin' On Easy [03:18]
09-Moonlight and Shadows/Blue Lei [04:07]
10-Kawailehua'a'alakahonua [03:06]
11-Auntie Clara [03:39]
12-Living In Hawai'i Style [02:45]
13-Maui Chimes [01:59]
14-Kaupo [03:39]
15-Auntie Alice [02:27]
16-Kipahulu [03:13]
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53:39 min