The acclaimed Polynesian band Te Vaka returns to our island to play Lahaina’s Maui Theatre on Wednesday. A collective of musicians and dancers from Tokelau, Samoa, Cook Islands and New Zealand, Te Vaka has been praised as one of the greatest South Pacific bands of all time.
Their emphasis on cultural awareness led the Disney company to recruit the band’s leader, Opetaia Foa’i, to compose new songs for its forthcoming animated feature “Moana.”
Set in the mythical South Pacific world of Oceania, “Moana” follows a teenage navigator as she sets sail in search of a fabled island that can connect her to her ancestors. On the journey, she connects with the legendary demigod Maui, played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Composer Mark Mancina, who previously scored Disney’s “Tarzan” and “Brother Bear,” is also on board along with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is best-known for writing the Broadway musical “In the Heights.”
“I was surprised and thrilled,” says Foa’i about the invitation to create music for the film. “The producer contacted our manager and asked if we were interested, and of course we were. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity.”
Before making the decision to take part in the project, Foa’i says he needed assurance that it was culturally respectful.
“When they brought me to Burbank, they wanted to check me out, but I was basically checking them out, too. I wanted to see whether they meant what they were saying with respect to the culture, and I have to say, after being with them since 2013, they really do want to present the South Pacific culture in a very positive way. This movie is going to be something very special.”
Foa’i, who is based in Australia, traveled with some of the film’s producers and directors to New Zealand and Samoa for research purposes.
“And they went to Tahiti and Fiji,” he continues. “They brought their entire team to look at the environment to draw those elements into their animation.”
Currently composing songs for the feature, Foa’i and his band were recently invited to perform at Disney’s D23 fan expo, where news of the project was announced.
“It was amazing, like another planet,” he laughs. “Back in the green room there was Johnny Depp, Ellen DeGeneres, George Lucas, Dick Van Dyke and Dwayne Johnson, and I’m just sitting there with my mouth open. It was quite unreal. We got to perform one of the tracks from the movie and it went over well.”
Foa’i reports that Johnson, who is part Samoan, was also concerned about cultural authenticity.
“He is the voice of Maui in the movie, and I was very happy that he shared my passion for presenting the South Pacific culture in a positive way. He’s very thrilled about that,” Foa’i says.
Blending contemporary influences into their traditionally based sound, Te Vaka has thrilled audiences around the world with its infectious music that incorporates jubilant chant, heavenly harmonies, chiming guitars and powerful log-drum percussion.
“The log drums and chants are the soul of Te Vaka,” he explains. “The log drum is the instrument of the South Pacific.”
What you won’t hear is any hint of reggae.
“Reggae is so identified with Jamaica,” he notes. “I would rather centralize things with the Pacific. People ask how come you don’t use ukuleles? I prefer to use log drums and guitars.”
Te Vaka’s journey began in 1995, stemming from Foa’i’s frustration with playing in covers band, combined with a developing fascination with stories about his Tokelauan and Tuvaluan ancestors.
“One day, I decided to try and explore something that was based on my culture,” he explains. “I was lucky that WOMAD (the international World Of Music, Arts and Dance festival) was at the height of its activity at the time. We’ve done about 13 WOMADs around the world.”
Their songs are mostly sung in the language of Tokelau, an original dialect of old Polynesia, which is still spoken today on tiny coral atolls north of Samoa.
“I can write in English, but there’s enough people writing in English,” he says. “My goal is to promote or showcase the South Pacific culture as much as I can. I’m more on purpose writing in the Pacific languages, Tokelauan, Tuvalu and Samoan, the languages I know well. I tell the story of our ancestors and the navigators, and the Polynesian Voyaging Society that brought it back. I write about the past, the present and the future, because my parents come from Tokelau and Tuvalu, which are very low-lying and in danger of going under the water. So I write about the environment.”
Te Vaka’s just-released eighth album, “Amataga” (The Beginning), includes a tribute to the missing passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines flight 370, and a call for independence for West Papua, where thousands have been killed by the Indonesian military.
” ‘Tolu Fitu O’ was written two days after the crash,” he says. “I had a feeling there was something very strange about it. As a songwriter, I’m overcome with emotion and I really felt for the families. Papua is happening in my backyard, and one of my responsibilities is to highlight injustice, so I have to say something about it.”
Te Vaka in concert is known for its exuberant, dynamic performances, which typically draw standing ovations.
“When you’re brought up in the South Pacific, you have music and dance and it’s very positive,” he says. “Te Vaka is very positive on stage. When you see us you can’t help but smile.”
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Tickets will go on sale on Saturday for UB40, featuring founding members Ali Campbell, Mickey Virtue and Astro, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Jan. 30. Formed in 1978, UB40 is one of the world’s most popular reggae bands with sales of more than 40 million records. They have a new album out, “The Hits of UB40 Live.”
* Tickets are $49 for general admission and $89 for VIP (plus applicable fees) and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or online at .
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Korean soprano superstar Sumi Jo will join the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra for a special concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Castle Theater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.
Praised for the remarkable agility, precision and warmth of her voice, the Seoul-born singer was the first Asian opera singer to achieve worldwide success, including performing the title role in at least four operas at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, and at most of the world’s major opera houses.
Jo has made more than 50 recordings, including 10 solo albums, one of which won a Grammy in 1993, and in 2008, she performed at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
An Ottawa Citizen concert review praised: “Jo commanded the stage like the diva she is. She connects with the audience at an emotional level; charming and flirtatious one moment, passionate and sincere the next.”
Maestro Jorge Mester, former music director of the Louisville Orchestra and Pasadena Symphony, will lead the symphony in a program of popular opera favorites. The program will include Tchaikovsky’s “Polonaise” from “Eugene Onegin,” Offenbach’s overture to “Orpheus in the Underworld,” Verdi’s overture to “I Vespri Siciliani,” and Strauss’s arie “Spiel Ich Die Unschuld vom Lande” from “Die Fledermaus.”
* Tickets are $32, $42, $62 and $82 (plus applicable fees) and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or online at . Tickets are half-price in all categories for students with an ID.
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Max Baca and his band, Los Texmaniacs, will introduce the unique sound of conjunto music to the Castle Theater at the MACC at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Conjunto is a distinctive American tradition that began in the 19th century on farms and ranches of South Texas, when Mexican, Czech and German immigrants shared their musical traditions, blending accordions and polkas with classic Mexican folk music.
Baca is known as a virtuoso on the bajo sexto, the 12-stringed guitarlike instrument, which provides rhythm accompaniment for the accordion, to create the core of conjunto music.
Forming Los Texmaniacs in 1997, Baca wanted to create a band that incorporated elements of rock and blues while still honoring the roots of conjunto.
The other members of Los Texmaniacs include Josh Baca on accordion, Noel Hernandez on electric bass and Daniel Martinez on the drums. They have collaborated with various artists from different genres including country musician Rick Trevino, Tejano star Flaco Jimenez, rockers Los Lobos and hip-hop artist King Montana.
Baco told the San Antonio Express-News: “I learned from the old pioneers. What I want to do is I want to carry on the tradition, but in a modern way. I want to keep the root of the original pioneers, but modernize it a little bit, to where now you’re not just hearing regular pisadas or guitar riffs, you’re hearing jazzy, bluesier riffs on the accordion and the bajo sexto. And playing rock ‘n’ roll on the bajo sexto. I think that’s pretty hip, that sounds pretty cool.”
* Tickets are $45 (plus applicable fees) and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or online at .
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