Fine moments plucked into 'ukulele special

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

•	'Na Mele: Traditions in Hawaiian Song' 7:30 p.m. Thursday PBS Hawai'i

The program, " 'Ukulele 2002: A Weekend with the Masters," was taped at Windward Community College's Paliku Theatre last summer. PBS joined hands with the school's Hawai'i Music Institute to bring the concert, in excerpt form, to a wider audience, thus helping to build a bridge from the educational aspect of the favored instrument to the entertainment quotient on the tube.

The concept works.

Happily, some of the performers sharing their talent are also part of HMI's teaching staff, including Melveen Leed, Byron Yasui and Brother Noland. They are joined by other masters of the uke, Gordon Mark, Bryan Tolentino, Benny Chong and Ron Loo with his young son, Ron.

The Paliku environment is a departure from PBS' in-the-studio format without an audience. Thus, feedback (applause, happy smiles of approval) is part of the new joy.

Leed sings (in falsetto tones) and plays "O Kalena Kai," showing off her cheerful personality in the process. Brother Noland and Tolentino appear together, on "Henehene Ko Aha" and "Meleana," sharing vocal fireworks. The father-and-son team enlivens "Noho Paipai" and "Po'omaikai" with confidence and ease.

The instrumentalists fare well, too. Mark is all precision and polish on the classic "Ku'upio I Ka Hee Pue One" and Chong chooses a non-Hawaiian entry, Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses," to stretch the virtuosity of his playing and the instrument. Yasui's frenetic and focused "Anahole" is typical of his individual artistry.

Leed, always the chatty one, says of the uke: "It's part of our body," meaning it's clearly an inherent part of her soul. She and others are accompanied by Helene Woodward on stand-up bass fiddle.

Ideally, the full-on concert would be an ideal representation of the assembled talent; because of the half-hour time constraints of "Na Mele," the subjective insertions don't tell the whole story of the gamut of emotions possible to evoke from the 'ukulele.

Then again, the educational considerations restrict participation from other uke wizards such as Jake Shimabukuro, Herb Ohta Sr., Herb Ohta Jr., Roy Sakuma, Troy Fernandez and sundry others. Maybe next year?

Wayne Harada is entertainment writer for the Advertiser. Reach him at 525-8067 or wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.