Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 1, 1 January 2006 — NA PALL RESUMES MUSICAL VOYAGE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NA PALL RESUMES MUSICAL VOYAGE

By Manu Boyd Public lnformation Birectnr Though nearly a generation has passed since Nā Pali's 1987 debut recording, "Pacific Tunings," the foursome of Carlos Andrade, Pat Cockett, Fred Lunt and Paneho Graham is back with a self-titled second project that reaffirms their commitment to producing innovative and insightful new music, with deep connections to the 'āina. Named for the majestic cliffs of northern Kaua'i,

Nā Pali is "still standing after almost two decades of buffeting by the waves of life," according to Andrade, who along with Cockett, is a principal composer in the group. "Pat and I piek up bits and pieces of what's around us and weave (haku) them into mele," said Andrade. "We're both players of slack-key, but we are not full-on traditionalists. We use slack-key tunings that allow for coloring, shading and moods that standard tunings wouldn't produce. Kl hō'alu (slack-key) tunings are the Hawaiian voice

of the guitar - the voice of our ancestors." Andrade, now a professor at UH Mānoa's Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, has also created songs for such groups as the legendary Sunday Mānoa, for whieh he penned Hula Lady, and the Gabby Pahinui Band, whieh performed his classic Moonlight Lady. Although most of Andrade's mele are penned in English, he introduces quite a bit of 'ōlelo Hawai'i on this project, reflecting a shift in the course of his life, inspired in part by a eanoe.

After crewing on a 1985 Hōkūle'a voyage, he eame to realize that "if I ean sail across the oeean, I ean do anything." So off to Hilo he went to earn a bachelor's degree in Hawaiian studies in less-than-usual time by overloading credits and attending summer sessions. With a B.A. and a 4.0 GPA under his belt, he continued on to Mānoa for a master's degree in education and counseling, and a Ph.D. in cultural geography and cartography. "My doctorate really focused on how people form relationships with the land - indigenous peoples, our ancestors," said Andrade. "A term I learned along the way is 'hoa 'āina' - friend or eompanion to the land. That's what our kūpuna were, and that's what we are." Among the Andrade originals reflecting that hoa 'āina relationship is Aloha Hā'ena, a stand-out on the CD, with the addition of piano by Aaron Salā to the standard Nā Pali instrumentation of slack-key, bass, 'ukulele and steel. With lyrics that transport listeners to the northern district of Kaua'i, the song is a snapshot of one of the most beautiful spots on earth. As a geographer and mapmaker, Andrade describes traditional haku mele as a kind of mapping - differentiating

between native and non-native perspectives. Inu i ka Wai 'Awa 'awa is a poignant original, also by Andrade, that urges Hawaiians to forge ahead - "i mua" - in the quest for political independence and the struggle to maintain cultural practices, lands and rights. The song title is a direct quote from King Kamehameha I who, in 1792 at the battle of Kepaniwaio'īao on Maui, urged his warriors to "move forward and drink of the bitter waters for there is no turning back." ("I mua e nā pōki'i a inu i ka wai 'awa'awa. 'A'ohe hope e ho'i ai.") Another Andrade tune, the lighthearted Tourin ' With Taj, speaks of the band's travels backing up the legendary blues musician Taj Mahal - a longtime Kaua'i resident who makes a eameo appearance on the Nā Pali CD, along with a number of other guest artists. Carlos, Poneho, Fred and Pat maintain other careers and don't regularly perform together. They maintain "informal" musieal careers because they love what they do and where they're from. "As the cliffs whose feet are in the sea but are rooted in the land, the music celebrates connections to the islands, the places that make up our lives and links to our ancestors," Andrade concluded. S

MELE 'AILANA • ISLAND MUSIC SCENE

Nū Pali (from left) : Fred Lunt, Carlos Andrade, Pat Cockett and Paneho Graham. - Photo: Courtesy of īhe Mountain Apple Company.