Category: Music Feature

Ledward Kaapana, slack key master guitarist
and Milton Lau his manager.

Interview by Dmae Roberts in 2005
In Ledward’s home where he was interviewed while playing songs.

(Led Kaapana’s mastery of stringed instruments, particularly slack key guitar, and his extraordinary baritone and leo ki`eki`e (falsetto) voices, have made him a musical legend. He has been thrilling audiences for more than 40 years. With easy-going style and kolohe (rascal) charm, he has built a loyal corps of Led Heads from Brussels to his birthplace on the Big Island of Hawaii. Recognition by his peers earned Led 4 Grammy nominations in his own right and 2 wins on slack key compilations.) Read more...

Interview Transcript
Introductions
VR Venkataraman: My name is VR. I am an ethnomusicologist and I play the south Indian Percussion drum called Mrdingan. I’m also a professor of Mathematics .

Aishu Venkataraman: My name is Aishveria Ventakaraman. I play the violin I play Jazz, Western Classical but mainly I focus in South Indian classical also known as carnatic music.

Srivnia Venkataraman: I’m Srivnia Venkataraman …. , Aishu’s mother. I am a physician. I sing carnatic music… when I’m stress, I sing! Read more...

[00:00:02] Ok am Wilma Pang and I teach at City College. I teach music. I teach in music like music appreciation and theory. That’s my basic courses. But I have been in the community the Chinese community for orgy over 30 years and I’m quite active in the Chinese community organizing programs particularly musicians to perform on streets of Chinatown. Yes. I organized them to play there last year and during the stars three years ago and Chinatown was abandoned.

[00:00:52] What happened was I personally engage in pay for the Lion dances to perform every every evening to drum up people to come back to Chinatown.

[00:01:05] At the same time I organized the musicians to perform in a particular spot and the musicians they chose to play in front of the Golden Dragon because they liked that spot at all also the owner or the manager of the Golden Dragon and they really you know you really like them to be there. Tim Lee was the manager of the Golden Dragon so I know the music very well and we do perform also last year in 2004. We perform at City College. Read more...