Then, at a Christmas party in 1983, he met singer Kelii Kanealii. The two struck up an unlikely, 15-year musical partnership almost on the spot. Backed by chanter-storyteller Charles Kaupu and hula dancer Healani Yuen, Hapa begins a national tour Saturday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. With songs sung in Hawaiian and English, the group s material frequently celebrates the natural wonders of the islands, such as the sky, sea, rain, trees and flowers. And he believes that Hapa s audience has gradually become more cross-generational.
World music is the link between kids and their parents.
This powerful rendition features chiming acoustic guitars, muscular percussive work and, most significant, Kaupu s hypnotic, urgent chants. I can t tell you the dimension he brings to the song, and to Hapa overall. It s through his chanting that we re able to capture the spiritual essence of traditional Hawaiian music. One of 15 children in a musical family, he grew up in Honolulu s urban valley of Papakolea. Around the same time, Flanagan discovered a Ry Cooder album featuring Hawaiian guitarist Gabby Pahinui.