A Christmas tale of tradition and transformation........

For a young boy growing up in Michigan, Christmas meant cold and snow and darker days and frozen nights. But mix in the twinkle of lights and decorations and stories of reindeer and Santa and the world was transformed from struggling with the elements and looking forward to warmer times to a magical place of celebrations and, one of the words that is connected to the season---joy.

For me, it also meant singing in the choir. My Mother loved to sing and passed that talent and enjoyment on to me. My high soprano (at the time) meant that I was always part of the tradition of Christmas Carols or Christmas performances---which also meant freezing your butt off while standing around on stadium seats outside involved in some "Pageant" in a gown that did NOT help the "staying warm" situation. I do recall being the soloist on "Silent Night" and feeling like I could barely squeak out the notes before the choir joined in to accompany me.

That all changed when the cold of Michigan was left behind for southern California. And even more so when California was left behind for the "tropics" of the Pacific islands. All thoughts of "traditional Christmas" were forgotten and set aside starting with a flight to Tahiti on Christmas eve to spend 3 months living in "paradise." So when I ended up moving to Maui, it was not THAT big of a deal to have "The Holidays" roll around and the weather did what it did in Hawaii-----basically stay the same as it was all the rest of the year. Now----that is a question I always got..."Doesn't it bother you to not have _____ at Christmas?" I would explain, as shown in the photo here-----

"If you want snow, you can drive up to the snow." (This from Haleakala mountain looking down to where I used to live in southshore Maui) I found there were other different traditions such as the amazing decorations at the local hotels and resorts. They really went all out with huge trees or ginger bread houses and lights---as shown here on the entrance drive up to the Grande Wailea Resort-----

And I found that the Hawaiian musicians, with their beautiful voices and harmonies, could create their own versions of traditional Christmas "carols." I witnessed this one of the first Christmas's I was there, when I saw a concert, Christmas day, on the lawn of the Sheraton Hotel featuring The Hoopii Brothers (with their high falsettos) Teresa Bright (a beautiful jazzy singer) and the Makaha Sons of Niihau with the gargantuan talents of brothers Skippy and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. The natural joy of all of these performers and the ease of performing live was impressive. Used to playing and singing together while hanging out at weekly beach parties and gatherings, their "togetherness" and playful "messing around" made for "good times!"
   My connection to the Hawaiian music scene was via my bringing CD's of Tahitian performers ----especially Angelo and Bobby Holcomb---to the local radio station on Maui, KPOA. We were connected through mutual friends and I was used the same type of performing "style" in Tahiti and found it to be an equal pleasure to witness it's evolving in Hawaii.
   I say that, because there was a switch happening in music in Hawaii from the "old school" style of Hawaiian tourist "revues" featuring performers like Auntie Genoa Keawe and, of course, Don Ho at traditional venues like the Waikiki "Shell" or the ballrooms of the hotels in Honolulu. The newer music had that "hanging out on the beach" attitude which included a LOT of joking around and "local boy" playful chatter that could then turn into the most beautiful harmonies and vocals. But it was more casual and not as formal.

   But---with that information provided---here is the Christmas tale as promised.....
  Of the new performers, everyone had told me to go see Willie Kahaiali'i---better known as "Willie K." He was a local Maui boy of immense talent AND, as I was soon to find out, an ego to go with it. He could play anything on the guitar---and I do mean anything from a perfect copy of Jimi Hendrix to local "slack key" acoustic. AND he had an equally impressive talent as a vocalist. BUT---his "local boy" image (which slipped over at times to a "bad boy" instead of just "local") and "all about me" attitude rubbed some people wrong---and especially the traditional Hawaiian performers. Willie was not the only one but he was an example, to me, of the differences that were obvious between the old and the new..
   One of the older traditions of Hawaiian Christmas was the yearly show on Christmas Eve in the ballroom at the Waikiki Outrigger with the legendary Don Ho and a long list of traditional performers. This had started in the mid 1960's (I believe he actually had a very successful Christmas LP) and carried on through until Don's passing in April of 2007. Now---think what you might about Don Ho and the image you may have of him, he was THE performer in Hawaii for YEARS and a shining example of that "tourist performer" tradition. When Don Ho died, one of the numerous questions that arose was---What is going to happen with the Christmas show? Don's show had always had a variety of performers backed by the Hawaii Youth Symphony and Choir and it was announced that they would be back, with an equally long list of performers once again, this time to provide a tribute Christmas show in honor of Don Ho.

    (I will add this disclaimer. I did not witness what I am going to describe. I was told the story by a friend from KPOA radio who WAS there and the story line is his.)

    Who ever put together the list of performers must have been aware of the struggle that had been going on within the entertainment community. Some---like the Cazimero Brothers----were able to blend the two styles and always had hula performers involved with their shows, but others were holding on tight to their chosen "path." It must have been a hard choice to decide WHO of the older performers would honor Don Ho and WHO of the newer would represent the younger generation?
     But, as this special evening wore on with performer after performer singing a varied selection of Christmas songs, the question on everyone's mind became WHO was going to fill Don Ho's traditional spot near the end in the singing of a more reverential song? As mentioned, I have sung in a choir and been the soloist singing Christmas "carols." There are the jaunty "Have a Merry, Merry Christmas" and "Rudolph the Reindeer" type songs and then there are the solemn "Silent Night" and "O Come all ye Faithful." Some you can kind of speed along through while others take a more intense determination to sing them precisely and with the respect they deserve. It can be a very difficult and challenging task.

   So---near the end of the evening----and with the lights turned down and candlelight filling the room and reflected on the faces of the Aunties and Uncles and elders sitting in the front row of the packed ballroom, with the choir rustling and clearing their throats in anticipation of the next song, out on to the stage, in a flowing white gown to match the red ones worn by the choir and with his long mane of wild hair pulled back into a tight ponytail came Willie K..........
   And with the very quiet beginning notes-----Willie K------closed his eyes----and sang the most beautiful version of "O Holy Night" that anyone had ever heard............

  I was told that the version was longer than the one here--slower----more 10 minutes than the 6+ presented---but just as presented---with half of it in Hawaiian-----and repeated verses near the end until the whole of the audience sat there with tears streaming down their faces enraptured by the effort and beauty of what they were witnessing...........
  It has become legendary---and the transformation and transfer of the traditions was one of the best Christmas gifts anyone could have hoped for..........

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Yb8INtg7c

     Merry Christmas!!