Review Text
This beautiful debut CD sparkles with the aloha these two musicians have for their listeners, each other, and the islands and music of Hawai'i. Close, pure vocal harmonies combine with scintillating slack-key guitar on traditional and modern Hawaiian songs, with a few hapa-haole numbers and original compositions added to the mix. "Beautiful harmonies and crackerjack slack key. We feel [Pulama's] passion and love for na mele o Hawai'i." - Kaleo and Elise Ching (authors of Faces of Your Soul and Chi and Creativity) "[Pulama's] warmth and love for Hawai'i shines from within." -Keoki Cortez (The Manaleo Hawaiian Cultural Foundation) "A joy to listen to ...All [Pulama's] harmonies and arrangements are beautiful" - Kumu Haumea Aynaga (Hula Halau: Hiva Nui~Na Pua O Ka Honua) 'This is a sweet and satisfying gem of island music from the Bay Area. Jim and Paula have a magnificent harmony to accompany Jim's slack key prowess. If you favor island music or long for the magic of Hawaii, this is the album for you. Seldom heard selections bring true Hawaiian artistry to light. A great treasure and a group not to be missed.' - Edward Ohde (Amazon Customer Review - The Song Within The Song) ¤ About "The Song Within The Song" Every Hawaiian song has a kaona-a hidden meaning that shimmers in the air when the song is sung. At one of our first performances, an audience member told us he liked "the song within the song" best. Our kaona tells of a chance meeting after years of living close by, and of a makana-a gift of music-that only our joined hearts could open. ¤ About the songs 1. E Ku'u Sweet Lei Poina'ole / E Maliu Mai 7:21 (Emma De Fries / Irmgard Farden 'Aluli) These songs, E- Ku'u Sweet Lei Poina'ole ("My Sweet Unforgettable Lei") and E Maliu Mai ("Hear My Call"), were among the first songs we played together. They immediately became our favorites and our most requested songs. These were defining moments for us, knowing that we were meant to be making music together. 2. Pua Hone 4:10 (Rev. Dennis Kamakahi) Dennis Kamakahi, one of Hawai'i's most prolific and beloved songwriters, wrote this song as a marriage proposal for his "Honey Flower," now his wife of many years. Our arrangement is based on the version by George Kahumoku Jr. Jim plays the bass, guitar, and 'ukulele parts on a single guitar. 3. In A Little Hula Heaven 4:11 (Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger) In A Little Hula Heaven was written for the 1937 Paramount film, Waikiki Wedding. This arrangement was inspired by the wonderfully jazzy version from the 1990 Teresa Bright CD, Self Portrait. 4. KHBC 2:48 (Vicki I'i Rodrigues) This song was written for the very first broadcast of the Big Island's first radio station on May 1, 1936. In March 2003, the Hilo Broadcasting Company announced the return of KHBC-"Ka home a'o Pele" ("The home of Pele")-to the Big Island airwaves. 5. Aloha Kaua'i 2:15 (Maiki Aiu) Because we loved it so much, we took this version of Aloha Kaua'i straight from the source: kumu hula and songwriter Maiki Aiu's 1970's recording with her husband's band, the Kahauanu Lake Trio. We picked up the tempo to accommodate our hula dancers. 6. E Ho'olana No Lokahi / E 'Ilau Hoe Kakou 7:18 (James Romano) Jim wrote these two songs for the annual canoe-blessing ceremony of the Lokahi Outrigger Canoe Club of Petaluma, California. E Ho'olana No Lokahi (Launching for Lokahi) uses chants to tell of the 1976 launching of the Hokule'a, the double-hulled canoe that became the lodestar of the Hawaiian renaissance. On it's maiden voyage, the Hokule'a sailed from Hawai'i to Tahiti, using only traditional methods of navigation. The chants used in the lyrics are: E Kia'i, an invocation to the guardians and guides of the canoe-builders and crew, written by Mary Kawena Pukui; Kiauau, a traditional work chant used in pulling a canoe into the water; and Lolo 'Ana, a traditional offering to the gods to keep the canoe safe upon the sea. The second song, E 'Ilau Hoe Kakou ("Let's Paddle Together"), si
