Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 05, 1 May 2003 — Mark Ho'omalu's chanting: 'Call It What You Like' [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mark Ho'omalu's chanting: 'Call It What You Like'

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By Manu Boyd In his second time up to bat, Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu hits it out of the ball park with "Call It What You Like." The controversial kumu hula from Oakland has been criticized in the past for a number of issues including unusual chant phrasing, drum beats and playing the ipu heke on the head instead of the body. But in his own words, he is very comfortable with what he does and suggests that when you hear his chant renditions and don't know quite what to make of them, then, "eall it what you like." Since Ho'omaIu's debut release, "Po'okela Chants," the California transplant has been producing, creating, arranging, recording, teaching and sharing his hybrid craft. His sound catapulted to national and international aeelaim with last year's Disney box office hit, "Lilo and Stitch." Ho'omalu's composition and perfor-

manee of "Hawaiian —

Roller Coaster Ride" and "He Inoa no Lilo" on the film gave him — © *****

instant notoriety. Selections on "Call It What You Like" comprise 19th centu-

ry composition for such ali'i as King Kalākaua, Queen Lili 'uokalani, King

Lunalilo, Robert Kalanihiapo Wilcox and Queen Kapi'olani. What

Ho'omalu does is interpret these mele through choral-like arrangements with synchronized and syncopated kāhea or exclamations, and his own unique rhythms that are based

nn tm<iitional ipu and pahu drum patterns. The •** *•* " »»"■* *f ****** uiuui i uw

arrangements are exciting and give contemporary flair to old mele. ® "Kū ka 'Oli'oli i nā Moku" J"* t/n [ IU mua U

commemorates William Charles Lunalilo's victory in the first election of a Hawaiian monarch after the passing of Lot

I Kapuāiwa, King Kamehamea V, in ' 1873. If one had to peg a performanee style for this mele, it would likely be a hula noho 'ulī'ulī, a sit-

f ting dance with the 'ulī'ulī, with gentle, lilting chant and swaying body movement. But Ho'omalu rips into the Lunalilo tribute with *"*" mv uuiiuiuo uiuuiu rviiu

Tahitian-style 'ukulele and remarkable zest on par with the kind of See HO'OMALU on page 16

HO'OMALU from page 1 1 energy you'd feel at any Hawaiian campaign headquarters where the candidate won by a landslide. Another well arranged pieee recalls Queen Lili'uokalani's train, "Lanakila." With a riveting refrain of "'Eā, ehuku ehuku, wipa, kani kū 'eā!", "Ku'e Hao o ka Lanakila" transports the listener to the arid plains of Waimānalo, Moanalua, 'Aiea, the coconut grove at Waikele at the "sea of the silent fish" to Pu'uohulu and, beyond, Wai'anae. The Lanakila is compared to a porpoise as it slides along the alahao (track). What a trip! The last track, number 12, is a mele for Hi'iakaikapoliopele. But if you let the CD play on, a hidden cut, number 13, will give you insight into this Hawaiian artist's na'au and ideology. Ho'omalu's performance may not fit the kind of hula that many are accustomed to, but focus instead on the sound and let its magic kiek in. Is it traditional? No. Is it Hawaiian? Yes. What is it called? Doesn't matter. Call it what you like ... ■