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Before the advent of tupperware and da pepa plate, the calabash was made of the fruit of a vine, a hard-shell gourd that could be used to hold a wonderful assortment of food items. With this first introductory CD, we have filled a musical dish with sustenance for the heart and soul - not just an assortment of standard "covers," but a cornucopia of songs as divergent as the cultures that gave rise to them.
I grew up exposed to all different styles of music. Both my mother and father were musicians that played for the Shochiku Orchestra and I grew up listening to KCCN 1420am. My favorites were Gabby Pahinui, Jessie Kalima, Auntie Genoa Keawe and the Hui Ohana. Although I didn't fully understand the meaning of the words at the time, the songs still moved me.
I spent most of my weekends at my grandfather's house. He was an Okinawan uta-sanshin sensei (Uta means song. Sanshin is a 3 stringed instrument used to accompany the singer). My grandfather agreed to teach me the art of Okinawan Uta-Sanshin when I was 10 years old.
Around the same time, my Uncle Walter introduced me to Gabby "Pops" Pahinui. His gang used to hang out after golf at the old Evergreen Bar on Kapiolani and my uncle used to bring me to the jam sessions. I remember "Uncle Pops" ordering me a cheeseburger and 7up and I would listen to him jam for hours. I was fascinated by his falsetto style of singing and his unique arrangements to traditional Hawaiian songs.
I also continued my studies of the Okinawan Uta-Sanshin with my grandfather and traveled to Okinawa when I was 14 to test for an award given to those who have completed elementary studies in the art. At the time, I was the youngest person to have passed the test and I received my teaching certificate for Okinawan Uta-Sanshin when I turned 18.
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I didn't start singing Hawaiian music until I went to college at Loyola Marymount University. All the kids from Hawaii used to get together for jam sessions on the weekend. We put together a band and played the circuit for all the Southern California college luaus.
After graduating, I was introduced to Bernard Keali'i Ceballos, Kumu Hula for Keali'i O Nalani. I became a musician in the halau band. As the halau got gigs, the band formed an identity of its own playing dinner music before the hula shows. Soon the band got its own gigs and that's how Calabash was formed. Eventually, all the members of the band moved from LA or moved on to other endeavors.
I moved back to Hawaii and got reunited with Kyle Oyasato - one of the original Calabash members from LA and we formed a new Calabash group in Hawaii. Kyle recruited Charta Leong to play bass and Reynson Au to play drums. I was working with Lester Gantan at American Express Financial Advisors so I asked him to play keyboards in the band and record our album. We used some of the original Calabash arrangements and added new ones to the repertoire.
In 2002, I competed in the 8th Annual Frank B. Shaner Falsetto Contest and I was fortunate to win 2nd place with my rendition of Blue Darlin'. That was a wonderful eye-opening experience for me and it eventually led me to recording this CD. I hope you enjoy it.
- Keith Nakaganeku |
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