2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

[LikaNui]

And the Grammy nominees for Best Hawaiian Music Album are:

"Ka Hikina O Ka Hau (The Coming Of The Snow)," by Keola Beamer (Dancing Cat Productions). Beamer, a prolific singer-composer-musician from a fabled kama'aina family, is making his first appearance on the ballot.

"Hawaiiana," by Tia Carrere (Daniel Ho Creations). Carrere, a singer-actress, also is a first-time nominee.

He'iea," by Cyril Pahinui (Dancing Cat Productions). Pahinui, son of the legendary singer-musician Gabby Pahinui, also is a first-time nominee.

"Hawaiian Blossom," by Raiatea Helm (Raiatea Helm Records). This is her second nomination.

"Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," by various artists (Daniel Ho Creations). Ho, a musician and a producer, is a previous winner.

The awards will be Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, with CBS televising the event.

Will a slack key album win again? Does Tia Carrere deserve to be on the list, or does she just have that "name recognition" factor (which is my humble opinion on it)? Other thoughts and comments?
Please vote in the poll too!

[Leo Lakio]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Thank you, LN, for phrasing it "should go to," not "which will win." Every year, I base my Grammy votes on the former, not the latter.

[zztype]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

"Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," by various artists (Daniel Ho Creations). Ho, a musician and a producer, is a previous winner.

Daniel Ho should politely decline the nomination and give someone else a chance.

[mediababy67]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Daniel Ho should politely decline the nomination and give someone else a chance.

I just wish he hadn't been nominated again. Hoku Zuttermeister was on the preliminary list and I was hoping he'd be on the final ballot. Watch for his debut CD to sweep the Hokus next year. Don't think I could say the same for Daniel's and Tia's discs.

[Lei Liko]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Daniel Ho should politely decline the nomination and give someone else a chance.

At this point, I'll be happy if anyone but Daniel Ho wins. Nothing against him, but recognition for a non-slack key artist is long overdue, and it's time that those damn voters realize that.

[scrivener]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

...recognition for a non-slack key artist is long overdue, and it's time that those damn voters realize that.

I disagree. Two or three Grammys for ki hoalu musicians in the history of the awards is hardly due recognition for a sound that is distinctly Hawaiian and for talent as amazing as the artists who have been nominated. Wait a minute...what I mean is that I agree that recognition for a non-slack-key artist IS long overdue, but the slack-key artists haven't yet received their due props yet.

I know I said this last year, but come on: Should you vote based on whose turn it is, or should you vote based on whose album is truly the best of the year? Cyril Pahinui has never won a Grammy, yet he has put out some mind-blowing music this year (I've only heard a few of the pieces, but they are wonderful). I mean, let's say this is the GREATEST KI HOALU RECORDING EVER and easily the best recording of the year. Do you want to deny it its due just because a ki hoalu album won last year? I don't! Best is best; it is not "best of the genres that have not yet won."

Having said that, I can't in good conscience cast a vote here, because I've only heard the Cyril stuff and some of the Raiatea stuff.

[zztype]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

As I have said in the past, compilations should be excluded. It doesn't matter to me if a kiho'alu artist wins. I wouldn't mind at all.

But I would prefer that it be an album by a single kiho'alu artist or group, conceived as an album and representing a concerted effort by that single artist or group.

"Various artists" should be excluded from the balloting.

(Pahinui got my vote, instantly.)

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Initially, I was all for the slack key CD, just for the one track by Hawaii's most soulful steel guitarist - Bobby Ingano's 'Wailana', but ya gotta give it to a Pahinui. Bobby got the award for last year's efforts, so he's happy, and now Cyril deserves some of that.

[LikaNui]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Thank you, LN, for phrasing it "should go to," not "which will win." Every year, I base my Grammy votes on the former, not the latter.

Indeed. You should VOTE based on who it should go to. On the other hand, I've entered (and won!) contests here in Hawaii where they ask you to PREDICT who will win -- I had to put aside my personal preferences and decide how I thought the majority of the voters would vote.
I also agree with the comments saying that if a slack key album is best, then it shouldn't matter that the genre keeps winning.
Interesting poll results here so far. Nobody picked Tia Carrere yet. Does anyone think the mainland voters will pick her to win it?

[Leo Lakio]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Nobody picked Tia Carrere yet. Does anyone think the mainland voters will pick her to win it?

Yes. I think it will be a toss-up between "Treasures..." & Tia, when it comes to Mainland voters.

"Treasures..." is, of course, the third volume in the series of releases featuring performances from George Kahumoku, Jr.'s weekly concert series on Maui - the first two having won the Grammy Award the past two years, so they are shooting for the hat trick.

Carerre and Ho put together a very pretty album, definitely Hawaiian, definitely nahenahe, she sings better than most folks would have expected, and it's a cohesive collection that could be called a lullaby album. Name recognition will certainly work in her favor.

Beamer's album is beautiful, and he's unquestionably a superstar of Hawaiian music and highly deserving of such recognition - but it's probably his least "Hawaiian" album in a long time; this one's more his take on classical works. Lovely collection, though.

Helm & Pahinui - two CDs that represent the genre proudly. One a standard-bearer of a long family tradition of Hawaiian music, the other in the forefront of the "next generation."

Once again, who I will submit my vote for is not necessarily who I really think will win. Congratulations to all the nominees. Let the sleepless nights begin again.

[Lanikaibabe]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

my vote went to Raiatea... it was a tough decision. Lets see who gets the grammy. Too much talent just didn't get represented... I too, think Hoku Z's cd is amazing. Got to see him perform with the Makaha Sons at the U of MD a few months ago.

[akrauth]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Had a hard time choosing. Voted for Rai, but I won't be surprised if Cyril gets it, and it'll make me just as happy. They're both amazing in their own right.


I also think Tia may have a chance, being that she's been in Wayne's World and Lilo and Stitch to name a few.

Pomaika'i to all of them!

[LikaNui]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

Nominee Keola Beamer is going to boycott the Grammy ceremony, according to this story, which includes:

"While I'm grateful for the acknowledgment of my work, and certainly have respect for the Grammys themselves, I have decided not to participate in any of the Grammy events," Lahaina resident Keola Beamer said Friday.
Beamer described how he had experimented with the "tonal palette" of ki ho'alu, or slack-key guitar, to record classical works by composers Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, Felix Mendelssohn, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and others in his Grammy-nominated "Ka Hikina O Ka Hau – The Coming of the Snow" (Dancing Cat Records).
But "in my humble opinion, my album is not really a Hawaiian record and shouldn't be in the category," said Beamer, who has recorded more than 19 albums in the ki ho'alu style.
(...)
Beamer said he felt worthier artists, especially vocalists, should have been nominated instead of him.
He said his absence from the recording industry's epitome might bring "more attention to the category as a whole. Maybe we need a couple of categories of the Hawaiian music genre. ... One might be instrumental music, one might be vocal music. I would love to hear a winner with Hawaiian lyrics on it."
(...)
Ben London, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Recording Academy, said there were 50 submissions in the Best Hawaiian Music category. He theorized that if the category were split in two for vocal and instrumental entries, perhaps 25 would compete for five nominations in each classification, compared to "potentially hundreds for five nominees" in other popular categories. He called the single Hawaiian category a matter of fairness for now.
Regarding Beamer's decision to skip the awards, London said, "Every year, with five artists per category and 108 categories, not everybody decides they want to come to the show for a variety of reasons. Still, it's a great honor to be nominated, and I wish all the nominees the best of luck."
Beamer said he realized his move was controversial but stressed he did "not mean to criticize any of the other nominees. They deserve to pat themselves on the back.

Um... they deserve WHAT?!
Some people may well take offense at that last sentence.
And boycotting the Grammy award may earn some negative feelings toward Hawai`i from the academy, as Keola's boycott may be seen to be rude and insulting.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

I'd like to know just who submitted the album in that category - and apparently without Beamer's permission. Was it his record company? Then the beef will be with George Winston & friends.

Also from his website:
"During the Grammy awards, I am going to be on the Island of Moloka'i working with some at risk Hawaii youth who are facing uncertain times. I will try and help them to paddle the canoe in the right direction. With all due respect to the music business and the Grammy Awards, this is a much better place for me to spend my time and aloha."

[LikaNui]

Re: 2008 Hawaii Grammy nominees

The results are in, and are sure to be pretty controversial. Congrats to the Star-Bulletin for having this story up before their competition did.

Maybe it’s the beer-stained jacket he didn’t clean after he won his second Grammy in 2007. Maybe it’s the “lucky penny” he found when he won his first Grammy in 2006. Whatever it is, Daniel Ho and his Daniel Ho Creations ohana celebrated a threepeat today as “Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar” won the Grammy for Best Hawaiian Music Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.
It was the third year in a row that a compilation co-produced by Ho and released by his Los Angeles-based record label won in the Hawaiian music category.
“It’s a no less exciting that the previous two times,” Ho said in a quick telephone call moments after accepting the award. “I had butterflies and everything, I was so nervous ... it’s amazing.”
A crowd of producers and performers from the "Treasures" album joined Ho onstage to accept the Grammy. Producer Wayne Wong described the album as “being all about a team.”
(...)