Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 6, 1 May 1980 — MOKULANA [ARTICLE]

MOKULANA

Banyan Records

Songs/NA MELE: side one (ka 'ao'ao 'ekahi) 'o'o 'a'a, 'o'opu'ai lehua, pueo, jibber-jabber, kahuH aku. Side two (ka 'ao'ao'elua): gentle nene, 'ulili e, water' flight, notchy, 'opae e.

In the ancient days our ancestors would tell of far away places that existed in the clouds. Some called it Kanehunamoku, a plaee hidden in the clouds. Such a plaee is the setting for a new called Mokulana. It is a lively and entertaining recording of songs meant to introduce children to examples of native and foreign wildlife. The songs are performed by Leon Siu and Malia Elliott and the Hawaii Children's Chorus under the direction of Wanda Gereben. The narrator is Jacqueline Leilani, "The Honolulu Skylark" and the voice of the host of Mokulana, a menehune, is Sol K. Bright. This album is a mixture of new and traditional songs about various animals. All of the songs are sung in a folk-rock style and those with the Children's chorus seem to be easy tunes that others ean sing along to. Some songs are in Hawaiian and others just in English, however, thēre is a well written script and picture book in the jacket that provides the words for all the songs. * ' The new songs composed by Leon and Malia definitely show their particular contemporary folk style. It should be nofed that the chorus is of a professional level. Their timing % is good as well as their enunciation. Also some praise goes to tHe synthesizer whieh provides a magical background of sounds and effects. , This is a good educational record for children in the third to fifth grade to listen to and enjoy. It also demonstrates another way in whieh children ean learn about these islands, after all Hawaiiana is not the domain of only adults. —Mokulana — 1 I ka wa kahiko, ua 'olelo na kupuna i ka mo'olelo no Kane-huna-moku, he wahi mamao loa i ke ao lewa. Ua ha-u mo'olelo hou a ho'opa'a 'ia ma ka palei no nakeiki'opio e ha'olphe ai no kela wahiikapa'ia'o Moku-lana. Me kekahi alaka'i huaka'i, he menehune no ho'i, e ho'olauna me na holoholona kama'aina a haole maloko o ka mo'olelo ame na mele ma'a uiau a* mele hou. Na Leon Siu a Malia Elliot ihakui na mele hou a i hui pu me na leo keiki o ka Hawaii Children's Chorus malalo o ke alaka'i himeni a Wanda Gereban. Afo ka leo menehune, he leo a Sol K. Bright ame ka mea ha'i mo'olelo 'oia 'o Jacquelin Leilani, ka Honolulu Skylark. A 'o na mele, he mau mele no ke ano "folk" ma ka 'olelo makua a Pelekania, 'a'ole loa he mau mele pa 'akiki e ho'oma'a himeni no ka mea ua ho'okomo iloko o ka buke pa leo, he palapala mo'olelo me na hua'olelo oua mau mele nei. A'o ka leo himeni, u'i i ka ho'olohe mehe kani o na manu a na keiki i himeni ai. Akaka loa ka puana 'ana i na hua'olelo a he kalakupua no ho'i ka makini kanipila "Synthesizer" i ko.pe i na leo o ka wao, ka moana ame na mea e a'e. He pa leo maika'i no na keiki 'opiopio loa (mai kapapa 'ekolu a i ka papa 'elima paha) e a'o i na holoholona o neia 'aina me ka nanea o ka himeni a ho'olohe pepeiao.