Hawaii Tribune-Herald A little island music Torres Kahele brings lei-making, songs celebrating Lana‘i to Palace Acclaimed Hawaiian composer, choreographer and recording artist Kuana Torres Kahele maintains a busy international travel schedule but will be home in Hilo for two events April 15, starting with a leimaking workshop at 11 a.m. followed by a concert showcasing songs from his latest album at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theater. The album, “Music for the Hawaiian Islands Vol. 5, Lana‘ikaula, Lana‘i,” features new songs composed by Torres Kahele celebrating the land, history and families of Lana‘i. The album, which debuted in March, is the latest in a collection of six albums that pay homage to each Hawaiian island with original scores written specifically for hula. All four earlier volumes in the series — for Hawai‘i Island, Ni‘ihau, Maui and Kaua‘i — debuted at the top of the Billboard World Music chart. Torres Kahele has written more than 100 new songs for Hawai‘i as part of this project. “I think people are still surprised that I kept my pledge to complete this huge undertaking,” he says. “I am already writing for Moloka‘i, which comes out this fall and O‘ahu is next spring, 2018.” Torres Kahele took the year off from recording in 2016 — pushing the pause button on his seven-CD series — while he waited to decide on a new music distributor. The Mountain Apple Company, which previously distributed his music, went out of business at the end of last year. “We basically stopped working in 2016 and waited to see what would happen,” he says. “When we release a project, it’s a big deal and we invest a lot of time and money.” Come the start of 2017, however, Torres Kahele was ready to record again and set to work on the Lana‘i album. The final product features 11 tracks, including two ‘oli and nine original mele about the smallest of the Hawaiian islands, which Torres Kahele says offered musical inspiration at every turn. “They are historical snapshots of the places and people both past and present,” he says. “I hear a lot about how the music industry is dying. CDs are dying. Hawaiian music is dying. Well, it isn’t in my world. Hawaiian music is thriving. I traveled all over the world By KATIE YOUNG YAMANAKA Special to the Tribune-Herald See CONCERT Page 8
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