Artist/ work

                                                      

                                                           Keali’i Reichel

Keali’i Reichel was born on the island of Maui in Hawaii.  He grew up in Lahaina, Maui and attended Lahainaluna High School. He is one of Hawaii’s most  popular contemporary Hawaiian singers, songwriter, choreographer, hula dancer, chanter, scholar, and teacher from Hawaii. His music is based on the Hawaiian culture’s ancient music and ancient hula called kahiko.

In his early adulthood, at the age 24, he was convicted for theft and was sentenced to community service.  It was this life changer that turned him around and influenced him to study the Hawaiian culture.  He focused on learning the Hawaiian language, on the art of hula and it’s music. In 1994 at the age of 33, he recorded and released a collection of traditional Hawaiian music. The first song he released was Kawaipunahele. This is one of my favorite songs because I grew up listening to it as a child in Maui. He released three albums: Lei Hali`a, `E O Mai, and Melelana, which put him at the top of the best Hawaiian music entertainment industries.

            In his music he most often included the vocals over a guitar, a bass, ukulele and drums.  Also he included Western string instruments, the violin and cello. His music emphasizes the Hawaiian language with chanting and singing.  He will occasional intersperse English into his music. He performs stage productions that incorporate the old kahiko-style hula and modern hula with his music. He also performs with the Maui Youth Theater  on Maui.

The song I chose to talk about is “Kawaipunahele”

I made a time line to show what I heard.  I want to describe the instruments played and how it is mixed  with the voices of the vocalists.

Example of the song:

0:00  It starts with soft strumming from each string on the guitar.

0:11  Solo singer (Keali’i)

0:16   Strumming starts to get quieter.

0:23  He holds his voice “OOOoooheeleee” giving it a soft rhythmic sound.

0:33  The singer and the instrument start to change quieter while he says “kaluwa” and then holds “eeehh” in a strong deep voice.

0:43  For less than a second, the guitar stops.

0:45  The lead singer (Keali’i Reichel) sings while the call and response repeats what he says, but sings one long word.

0:46  A second singer syncs in with the lead singer (Keali’i Reichel)

0:49  “HhEEELLLEEeee” in a high to low vocal. From the call and response singer and the lead singer.

1:00-1:05  Call and response takes the lead.

1:08  Lead singer syncs with call and response singers into harmony.

1:16  Different strumming from the guitar changes the sound flow of the music.

1:30 Violin layering the lead singer and the call and response singer

2:20 Change of rhythm with the lead singer and the call and response singers while the lead singer is singing.

2:17  Third singer jumps in the lead and the call and response “EEEeeeehhh

2:25   It starts getting louder

2:55   Sound starts getting lower volume

4:00  The song would go silent and then a heavy strumming from guitar.

4:30  Call and response from the other singers join the final ending.

4:37  Different strumming from the guitar change in the string tones

4:39  Slowing down the strum

4:44  Declaration with one strumming of the guitar.

I choose this artist because he is one of my favorite Hawaiian singers and he is from Maui and I’m from Maui.