"Only You"

by John Berger Honolulu Star Bulletin 

Vol. 11, Issue 335 - Friday, December 1, 2006

 http://starbulletin.com/2006/12/01/features/records.html

Ho'omalie
(Ho'okupu HKPU 1001)


Zanuck Kapala Lindsey won a Hoku Award ("Jazz Album of the Year") in 2000 with "Hula Joe & The Hutjumpers," an album of contemporary big band swing music recorded in response to the swing dancing fad of the late-1990s. The Hutjumpers are long-gone, but Lindsey is back with a new group, Ho'omalie, and an album that will certainly have much more staying power.

The name translates as "to soothe or to make calm," and that's a perfect description for the group and its music. Lindsey and his partners -- John Heizer-Enos, Lopaka Ho'opi'i and Kimo Hussey -- excel at the smooth four-part vocal arrangements popularized in Hawaii by the Invitations in the 1950s, the Aliis in the '60s, and revived for a brief shining moment by Kealahou in 1985.

The opening chant is a bit of a jolt with no translation provided, but from the first bars of "Ka'ahumanu," the group lives up to its name. This album is an exquisite blending of traditional Hawaiian music and acoustic jazz.

Hussey is the vocal arranger, but the album is about more than harmonies. The title song is one of several that showcase the talents of the quartet on its own; a diverse group of guests brings everything from Hawaiian nose flute to cello to fluegelhorn to many of the others. Nina Keali'iwahamana sings lead on "My Sweet Sweeting"/"Ha 'ili," and Don Ke'ala "King Don 1" Kawa'auhau of Sudden Rush takes the mike on "Model T."

The imaginative use of rhythm, vocal arrangements, and the instruments of the many studio guests combine to make "Pohai Ke Aloha" a stand-out number in one of the year's most memorable releases.

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