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Spirit
of Aloha | Features
| July/August 2007
Reportage
By: Len Takushi
Waikīkī’s Music for the Generations
In each of his career paths, Brickwood Galuteria has sat comfortably in the driver’s seat. He cruised along Hawai‘i’s entertainment scene, mastered the local radio waves and even navigated the state’s treacherous political waters. Now, through one of his latest endeavors—the Waikīkī Beach Walk’s fledgling Nā Mele no nā Pua program—Galuteria is savoring what just may be the sweetest ride of his life.
“I’m proud of this project because I’m very hands-on with it,” says Galuteria, the former Hawai‘i Democratic Party chairman who recently returned to the radio as a morning-show deejay. “But, beyond that, I think this program will do a lot to preserve the rich history of Hawaiian music. You always hear about sun, surf and sand, but if you take music and hula out of the equation, Hawai‘i becomes a very sterile environment. Nā Mele no nā Pua is our opportunity to share our music and culture.”
Nā Mele no nā Pua, or “Music for the Generations,” is a Hawaiian music heritage program at the Waikīkī Beach Walk, an 8-acre, $585 million retail, entertainment and hotel development on Lewers Street, in Waikīkī. The program was unveiled this past April with the debut of a permanent historical display, as well as the first of the program’s free monthly concerts featuring Hawai‘i’s finest musical performers. The concerts are held in partnership with both the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, the legendary Eddie Kamae and The Sons of Hawai‘i delighted an appreciative audience at the Embassy Suites’ Grand Lānai.
“Eddie was the perfect choice to start the concert series off,” says Galuteria, the creative mastermind behind the program. “You had the master up there, and The Sons of Hawai‘i has evolved over time. There are younger guys in the group now; as long as Eddie gives you a palaka shirt, you’re in! So, right away, you saw music for the generations. The concert was very successful.”
Jerry Santos of Olomana performed in May, and the popular group Hapa displayed its musical talents in June. Hawaiian headliners on Galuteria’s coming attractions list include Nā Leo, the Mākaha Sons, Raiatea Helm and Jake Shimabukuro.
Nā Mele no nā Pua was destined to be unique. Not many Hawaiian music programs, after all, were scripted into a development’s official building code. In its negotiations with the city and county of Honolulu for a green light on the Beach Walk project, the Outrigger Enterprises Group committed to having a strong musical presence at the site.
Enter Galuteria and his firm, No‘eau Consulting.
Galuteria was brought in last summer, he says, when the principals involved required “an actual rubber-meets-the-road musical initiative.” The original idea was to have an atmosphere similar to the Jazz Preservation Hall in New Orleans. At this point, however, there was no place for an actual room that could be turned into a Hawaiian music preservation hall.
“So I created a body of work for them,” says Galuteria, “and we created what we like to call a Hawaiian music hall without walls. We decided to spread everything throughout the complex itself.”
Next, Galuteria put in a call to an old friend, Larry Kimura of ‘Aha Pünana Leo, a program dedicated to the preservation of the Hawaiian language.
“Larry, I need a theme,” he said. “I want something along the lines of Music for the Generations.”
Kimura came back with Nā Mele no nā Pua, literally, “Song of the Flowers.” Figuratively, the phrase speaks of flowers that always bloom. The symbolism was perfect.
Besides the concert series, Nā Mele no nā Pua includes two permanent historical displays. The first exhibit, located along the makai corridor of the Embassy Suites-Waikīkī Beach Walk Hula Tower, is a 50-foot-long, glass-encased timeline, tracing the history of Hawaiian music from the pre-contact era to the present.
“It’s a walk down memory lane!” Galuteria marvels. “Everyone from Tom Moffatt to Jon de Mello came in with their makana—their gifts—to add to this exhibit.”
The second exhibit pays tribute to the musicians, composers and performers who are in the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.
One of the goals of the program, Galuteria says, is to entice more Hawai‘i residents to Waikīkī. “That was a major part of the initiative,” he says. “For many locals, Waikīkī seems inaccessible, and there aren’t many reasons for them to come into the area. But, more and more, there’s music all the way down the avenue here, and Nā Mele no nā Pua is a big part of that. Come down, enjoy the concerts and take advantage of what our visitors have. And now that you’re in Waikīkī, check it out!”
Ultimately, Music for the Generations sends the message that music and culture must continue to play major roles in Waikīkī.
“Outrigger is doing its part to ensure that music is given a prominent place on the avenue,” says Galuteria. “It shouldn’t just be something you plug in. It should be an overriding theme. What this project does for Waikīkī is send a signal: We’re here to do what is pono—what’s right.”
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