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Click on album cover for high resolution jpeg. |
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| Song List
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| Kawaikapu's Notes
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| Honehone i ka poli… sweetly resounding in my heart… There was a time in my life where I tried to please everyone with my poetry and my music. Where writing that perfect poem, perfect lyrics and perfect melody was my only goal. Always, it seemed, I was looking for acceptance by trying to make others happy. As I am growing older and hopefully wiser, I have come to realize that to make others happy I must first be content with myself. So, I have come to accept who I am and how I came to be. During this great opportunity known as life, I will contribute as much as I can by sharing the peace and love in my heart through song. Honehone i ka poli… my music must resound sweetly in my heart first, allowing me to share it with others. Entwined in composition are chances to relive memories of happiness, excitement, wonder, and despair, all given new life through melody. They are stories passed down from teacher to student, parent to child, and nature to its creatures. They are God’s lessons that bless us with compassion and understanding through prayer and humility. They are moments past and present that will always thrive. Honehone i ka poli… sweetly resounding in my heart, now and forever in song. Also a source of inspiration in my poetry and music are my ties to nature. To keenly recall sights, scents, sounds, and touch. The sound of my grandmother’s voice calling to me in the early morning as gentle and soft as the wind rustling the leaves in the trees above. The chorus of native birds singing as their melodious tones echo throughout the forest. The trickling tempo of raindrops falling on the ape leaves and the kalo. The pounding of the waves on sandy shores. Honehone i ka poli… nature’s songs resounding sweetly in my heart. Each piece on this album is a distinctly colored lei of memories and experiences woven lovingly and worn close to my heart. Each blossom strung represents my feelings, thoughts and expressions. This endeavor shall always be my most memorable as I have the opportunity to introduce to you my daughter, “Ula,” whose lilting voice accompanies me on all of the songs. She is also featured on a solo song entitled Pua Aloalo written for Uncle George Na‘ope. What greater gift for a father than to record music with his daughter. Honehone i ka poli… it will resound in my heart eternally. To feel deeply is to know and to understand. To be connected is to have a place in time. To take one’s spectrum of emotions and bring them to life is to create a personal masterpiece. My hope is that these songs will touch you and that they will be heard, remembered and sung for all of time. Honehone i ka poli… I hope that it will resound sweetly in your heart, too. Honehone i ka poli… sweetly resounding in my heart. |
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| Song Notes
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| All songs written by Kawaikapuokalani Hewett. 1. E 'Akahai E Na Hawai'i I truly believe in the power of prayer. This hymn is my prayer to God asking for wisdom and compassion in all the things that I say and do. Teach me Lord, to be unassuming, harmonious and truthful. Help me always to remain humble and patient. 2. Pu'uwai There is a very special crater at Kilauea that was known to my teacher, Emma DeFries, as “Pu'uwai.” She would visit there often and chant her many pule and offer her ho'okupu to Pele. She believed that this crater was the heart and soul of the fire goddess. On a visit to Pu'uwai in April of 2008, I was flooded with many beautiful memories of the times spent with Aunty Emma. She was a remarkable person and a very ancient spirit. She was my mentor and I thank her for all that I have become through her guidance. As I stood there that day chanting and presenting my own ho'okupu to Pele, I was inspired to poetry and song. 3. Pua Aloalo In October 2007, I was fortunate enough to travel with Uncle George Na'ope, Iwalani Kalima and Skylark Rossetti to the island of Hachijo to judge a hula competition and to perform. When we arrived at the airport we were greeted by the people of Hachijo singing “Hawai'i Pono'i,” and given leis of pua aloalo, or hibiscus. Conceived in this moment was this mele in honor of Uncle George and our memorable trip to Hachijo. 4. Ka'onohiokala Ka'onohiokala was the ancient god of the sun who due to unfaithfulness to La'ieikawai, his wife, was punished and transformed into a wandering spirit. He was banished from his home in the heavens. La'ieikawai was consequently transformed in the goddess of twilight or, “Ka Wahine o ka Li'ula.” 5. Aia i Moloka'i Ku'u Lei Nani Moloka'i is truly my splendid lei of kukui blossoms. It is a lei woven with fond recollections that I shall always wear close to my heart and never forget. Many of my kupuna who include Isaac Lewis Kana'e, Kumahaulu, and Naea and Mary Kumukahi Kana’e are from Moloka'i. They are the source of my deeply rooted connection to the island. I originally wrote this song as a chant while employed as a lecturer at the Moloka’i Educational and Resource Center. 6. Ka Lei Lehua Ho'oheno i ka Poli Living in Ola'a on the Big Island of Hawai'i is a great experience and inspiration in itself for me as poet and a composer. I am there in the midst of the home of the fire goddess Pele, surrounded by constant movement, growth and volcanic activity. This song is a poignant reflection of Hi'iaka's feelings after realizing Pele has destroyed the Kaua'i chief Lohi'au, the man with whom she has fallen in love. 7. He Milimili 'Oe E Ku'u Ipo Uncle George Na'ope has always been one of my biggest supporters in the hula and the haku mele tradition. He was the first one who spoke up on my behalf after composing the song, “Aerobacize,” when others were quick to criticize my work. Uncle is a special soul, and this song dedicated to him came to me in a dream while I was performing in Japan in March of 2008. 8. Pua Kupaoa There is no softer or more fragrant blossom at Kilauea, than this blossom, the Kupaoa. This song is a reflection of Lohi'au’s love for the fire goddess Pele. He compares her exquisiteness to the delicate Kupaoa blossom. It was Aunty Edith Kanaka'ole who first revealed to me the beauty of this dainty flower at Kilauea on a class excursion while attending the University of Hawai'i in the early 1970’s. 9. Pu'u Kolea At Pu'u Kolea in Kala'e on Moloka'i sits the home of Bronwyn and Rikki Cooke. I was privileged to teach many hula intensive courses sponsored by Aloha International at their beautiful retreat center. It was there that I composed this mele, “Pu'u Kolea,” a lei of memories and the happy times spent with family and friends. 10. Lei Ana Moloka'i The kukui blossom glows as white as the misty moonlight. It is stunning when woven into a lei and is always worn with pride by the people of Moloka'i. This is one of the very first songs that I presented and taught at a series of hula retreats on Moloka'i at the hui. It is a tribute to the island of Moloka'i and her people. “O ka heke no ia.” 11. E Ma'alili A'e Nei My dad, Alexander Kapilialoha Hewett is from Waialua on the island of O'ahu. He was born and raised in the district of Kamananui by his mom, Mary Kahinupawaokalani Auoholani and his father, Alexander Murray Hewett. It was after my high school graduation that I remember meeting my dad's sister for the first time, my aunt Hazel Kuewa. She shared with me that day the story and the genealogy of her middle name, 'Ahukiniala'a. Her reminiscences of her life and her childhood will always remain in my memory. To this day, much of my family still lives at Pa'ala'a. For the memories and the aloha for Waialua. 12. Kahikilani Kahikilani had forgotten his promise to always be faithful in love to the beautiful and mystical Ka'iulani. He broke her heart when he removed the radiant lei of lehua blossoms that she had woven for him and replaced it with a lei presented to him by another woman seeking his affections. Ka'iulani never forgave him for his hurtful actions and when he tried to follow her and make amends, he was transformed into stone. |
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| Dedication & Mahalos |
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| This album is dedicated to my mother, Alice Pualeilani Kana'e Hewett, for the many years of simply being my mom. A big mahalo to Daniel Ho & Lydia for giving me this opportunity to collaborate, connect and create. Mahalo also, to Lowell & Puanani Edgar, and their daughter, Nani, for all the aloha they have shared with Ula and me, from getting the wheels rolling in preparation for this project to seeing it through to completion. |
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| Credits
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Record Label: Daniel Ho Creations Recorded: April 2008 Produced by: Lowell Edgar and Daniel Ho Release date: July 8, 2008 |
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