honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, February 8, 2009

THE 51ST ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS
And the nominees are…

By Zenaida Serrano

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Daniel Ho and Tia Carrere are nominated for " 'Ikena." Ho is also a producer on nominee "The Spirit Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar".

Advertiser library photos

spacer spacer

THE 51ST ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

7 tonight

CBS

For more info on the Grammy Awards, including a complete list of nominees, visit www.grammy.com

spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Milton Lau co-produced "Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Master Series, Vol. II.

spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

"Force of Nature" earned Mike Kaawa, left, and Led Ka'apana Grammy nominations.

spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Amy Hanaiali'i hopes "three is a charm": " 'Au makua" marks her third nomination.

spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
spacer spacer

Artists from the five album nominees were Grammy contenders in previous years — a first since the category was introduced five years ago.

"It's definitely exciting," said past Grammy winner Daniel Ho, who was involved with two of this year's nominated albums, " 'Ikena" and "The Spirit Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar."

Ho was nominated for " 'Ikena" along with the album's singer and former Island resident, Tia Carrere, who is also co-hosting and performing at the Grammy pre-telecast ceremony. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards takes place today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

" 'Aumakua" by Amy Hanaiali'i, "Force of Nature" by Led Ka'apana and Mike Kaawa, and "Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Masters Series, Vol. II," featuring various artists and produced by Chris Lau and Milton Lau, are also nominated.

"Hopefully three is a charm," Hanaiali'i said, laughing. This is her third nomination.

REPRESENTING HAWAI'I

With the previous four Best Hawaiian Music Album Grammys going to slack-key guitar-based compilations, many in Hawai'i's music community believe the time has come for a solo artist to win the top prize; Hanaiali'i is among the favorites.

"We have to start with baby steps," said Hanaiali'i, who emphasized that "the slack-key guys have done a tremendous job, an outstanding (job)."

"So hopefully it will open up to a singer," she said. "If I have the opportunity of winning this year, then it will open it up for everybody."

Ho, who was involved with Grammy-winning slack-key guitar-based compilations for three consecutive years, said previous winners have been scrutinized on many levels, including often being criticized for "just being another instrumental album," but he emphasized the quality of the entries.

Ho noted that this year's "Spirit" compilation album also features the talents of Richard Ho'opi'i, a falsetto singer; Bobby Ingano, a world-class steel guitar player; and Herb Ohta Jr., an 'ukulele player, as well as many performances with Hawaiian language in them.

"We wanted to send the message that, you know, we're really just trying to do the best job we can and represent Hawaiian music in the best way possible, and that's all," Ho said. "Keep it on a positive note."

HAWAI'I TIES

Other Grammy nominees have Hawai'i ties, including the Ho- nolulu-born Dean Pitchford, a fellow Grammy nominee in the Best Spoken Word Album for Children category for "The Big One-Oh."

Pitchford, the man behind the story and music of "Footloose," already has a Grammy and Oscar for co-writing the music in "Fame."

"It is exciting for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that it's completely a 180-degree difference" from past nominations, Pitchford said by phone from Santa Barbara. "I've had five other nominations in the past and they've all been for music."

Also part of the Grammy mix: Hawai'i entertainer Loretta Ables Sayre, who contributed to tracks on the cast album for the Broadway revival of "South Pacific," which received a nomination for Best Musical Show Album.

"We are really excited about our cast CD being nominated and we are keeping our fingers crossed!" she e-mailed from New York City.

• • •

THE NOMINEES

" 'Aumakua," Amy Hanaiali'i

(Ua Records/Concord)

The inspiration for Amy Hanaia- li'i's album came from a conversation she had with manager Allen Sviridoff of Los Angeles about 'aumakua — a family or personal god, protector or guardian.

"Rain is my family 'aumakua, different types of rain," Hanaiali'i said. "My manager was just intrigued that something like that even existed."

Hanaiali'i said she explained to Sviridoff that in the Hawaiian culture, everyone has different types of 'aumakua.

"He asked, 'In Hawaiian music, does it speak of these 'auma- kua?' " Hanaiali'i recalled. "I said (to him), 'Absolutely ... that's everything that I sing about. So it kind of started from there."

" 'Aumakua" is one of the best projects Hanaiali'i has recorded in her career, said Leah Bernstein, president of Mountain Apple Company, which produced Hanaiali'i's first four albums.

"It deserves to win because of her distinct talent as a vocalist," Bernstein said. "The musicianship of the players that back her is some of the best we have in Hawai'i, or anywhere for that matter, and that is what the Grammy is about — great music."

"Force Of Nature," Led Ka'apana and Mike Kaawa

(Ledward Ka'apana and Mike Kaawa)

Recorded during a live performance in Seattle, "Force Of Nature" pairs slack-key genius Led Ka'apana with 12-string guru Mike Kaawa. "It just came natural to us," Ka'apana said.

Ka'apana said he and Kaawa are honored to be nominated and called it a "big thing" for them.

"He is so deserving of a Grammy," fellow nominee Milton Lau said of Ka'apana.

Lau, who has known both performers for more than 20 years, called "Force of Nature" a great album.

Hanaiali'i agrees. "I think it's wonderful," Hanaiali'i said. "Uncle Ledward played on a couple of my past albums. ... Ledward and I go way back."

Lau said when Ka'apana and Kaawa perform together, it creates a certain synergy in the audience.

"The combination of Led and Mike is just kind of magical," Lau said.

"Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Masters Series Vol. II," various artists, producers Chris Lau and Milton Lau

(Rhythm And Roots Records)

The initial motivation for "Hawaiian Slack Key Kings Masters Series Vol. II" was simple: to give exposure to artists who deserve it, said Milton Lau.

"There are so many great (musicians) in Hawai'i who never have a chance to be recognized. ... We wanted to showcase as many artists as possible and the only way to do that is through a compilation," Lau said.

The album includes seasoned entertainers such as Nathan Aweau ("Intermission") and Ledward Ka'apana ("Fireman's Hula"), but it also features hidden, "big talents," Lau said, such as Palolo's Stephen Inglis ("Redwood Slack Key"), Kona's LT Smooth ("Freedom"), Tahiti's Florent Atem ("Wonder Island") and Maui's Ikaika and Kevin Brown ("Vaqueros Lullaby").

It's this diversity that makes the album a strong one, said Peter Medeiros, educational specialist and director of Slack Key Ensembles at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Music Department.

"There's more variety in terms of the offering because you've got a broader variety of artists," Medeiros said.

" 'Ikena," Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho

(Daniel Ho Creations)

" 'Ikena" — a joint project between Daniel Ho, Tia Carrere and lyricist Amy Ku'uleialoha Stillman — came to life when Ho was at a kanikapila session on the Big Island several years ago.

"I thought, you know, maybe I should try to write some Hawaiian-language songs," Ho recalled. "So I went upstairs and I gave Amy a call during the jam session."

Ho asked Stillman if she would consider writing some songs with him. Stillman — today an ethnomusicologist and professor of American culture at the University of Michigan, specializing in Pacific Islands traditions and dance ethnology — had never written a song before then and hesitantly agreed, Ho said.

It took them a couple years to come up with the material.

"We wanted to, of course, be respectful to the tradition," Ho said. "But we also wanted to introduce other kinds of harmonies and musical styles to it."

Grammy-winning songwriter Dean Pitchford, a close friend of Ho's who's currently a fellow Grammy nominee, called the album "just remarkable."

"I gotta tell you, I love 'The Spam Song' ... I love that they found a wonderful way of putting into music our adoration of Spam," Pitchford added with a laugh.

"The Spirit Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," various artists, producers Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku Jr., Dennis Kamakahi, Paul Konwiser and Wayne Wong

(Daniel Ho Creations)

"The Spirit Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar" is the fourth album in a series, featuring recordings from George Kahumoku Jr.'s weekly "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Concert Series" at Maui's Napili Kai Beach Resort.

"We're just keeping it going," Ho said of the album.

"Spirit" features well-known artists and has a distinctive sound quality, said the University of Hawai'i's Medeiros, who is also the author of "Hawaiian Slack Key: A Lifetime of Study" and "A Slack Key Anthology."

"Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Volume I," recorded from the concert series, won a Grammy for best Hawaiian music in 2006.

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.