At E Hula Mau 2000, we were introduced to a more than "ok" phenomenon.
We fell in love with the falsetto musicality of Leokāneokalani
Pryor, vocalist for Pilialoha
Christiansen's Oxnard hālau.
This guy absolutely knocked off all da slippahs -- and socks, too -- in the
house. He was THAT attention-gettingly good.
His performance generated a huge buzz at intermission. That is, after everyone put back their eyeballs back in
their sockets, after they bugged out way, way out.
You see, Leokāne is haole (no offense
is intended to the sensitive ones reading this, who are still not in tune with innocuous Hawaiianisms) -- blond, tanned, light eyes.
Haole,
only on his parents' side, but. Close your eyes, and the rest sounded
Hawaiian wale
nō:
-
Hopena `ōlelo
(Pronunciation) did not sound haole.
-
Leo ki`eki`e nani. (Exquisite falsetto.)
-
Lots of pu`uwai (heart) me ka ha`aha`a (with humility).
-
Just watching him sing, we picked up on his lokomaika`i (good insides-ness) and his Aloha for the music.
His voice caresses.
On Sunday, a group of us Big Island folks met each other by sheer chance (right!) in the lobby, when
Leokāne joined in on our conversation about the Pāhoa Cash and
Carry!
Leokāne, as it turns out is, is local from O`ahu, who became close to the
Keli`iho`omalu family in Puna, living with them for a time down
Kaimu, Kalapana way.
[BU, you listening? This is Puna Keli`iho`omalu's friend in Santa Barbara. Small world, `ea?]
Later: BU directed me to a photo
at Sam's house of BU, Puna Keli`iho`omalu, & Leokāne.
Talking story, we learn that he has a CD out. He doesn't have one on him, he
says, but he's going to make sure to get
us one, as he runs off to practice the next song, backstage.
Sure enough, when the competition was pau, there he was at the front door, pulling out the last copy out of
his bag for us. He's the real thing. He says he's going to do something, and he does it.
Before grabbing a quick snooze before the Mahalo Bash, we listened to Leokāne
Pryor's Maunahele CD. It is sooooooo wonderful!
I gauge Hawaiian music quality by the chicken skin method. It
was a warm afternoon, yet I was getting plenny chicken skin ALL OVAH.
So yes, using this infallible method, this ranks right up there.
With classics like Puamana, Kipahulu, Leinani, Pōhakuloa / Beyond the Reef,
Ka`iulani / `Āinahau, I'll Remember You, Ku`u Pua Paokalani, we experienced the breadth, depth and
sincerity of this young man's Hawaiian singing talent.
And then besides Hawaiian falsetto, there are beautifully rendered Cole Porter's
Do
I Love You, They Long to be Close to You, and All the Pretty Little
Horses (soon to be a movie with Billy Bob Thornton and Matt Damon), as well as his own originals,
`Ehukai (my favorite)
and Maunahele which deserve lots of air play.
So much for the nap.
We played Leokāne's CD over and over.
Nahenahe (soft, sweet and melodious), his music is an exciting "discovery" and such a restorative delight, that we didn't need a nap at all.
So, long story to say, mahalo e ke Akua no nā `ili kea nani
(thank God for the beautiful pale skins) in our lives who didn't feel out of place and
instead, made their own place in the Hawaiian community, not by intimidation and showboating, but by
ha`aha`a (humility), mahalo (respect), and Aloha.
Leokāne Pryor did exactly that at E Hula Mau 2000.
~Aunty D
