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++Iz++ |
OVER THE RAINBOW // and free
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» Listen to Icelandic Music » Bruddah IZ Tribute Page » Watch Over the Rainbow clip on YouTube 
Pictures of Little India Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
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As I mentioned before, later this year (June 2007 to be more precise), millions of people around the world will mourn or rather celebrate the untimely death of one of the greats of World Music -- Israel Kamakawiwoole. Untimely, because the Bruddah Iz died at the age of 38, at the peak of his career and popularity -- it was the same tragic die young scenario which also hit Marley and Bruce Lee. It leaves you wondering: "what if?"... what if he had remained alive, just how far could he have advanced the course and cause of Hawaiian music. According to the folklore, Israel Kamakawiwoole was born on May 20, 1959, on the island of O'ahu at Kuakini Hospital to Henry Kaleialoha Naniwa and Evangeline Leinani Kamakawiwoole. He was raised in the community of Kaimuki on the outskirts of Waikiki where his parents had met and married. He began playing music with his older brother Skippy at the age of 11, being privy to the music of the great Hawaiian entertainers of the time such as the likes of Peter Moon, Palani Vaughn, and Don Ho, who frequented the establishment where Iz's parents worked. His uncle was Moe Keale, a living legend in Hawaii (who later died of a heart attack at a young age. As fate would have at, fatal heart attacks suffered at a young age would become a pivotal theme in Israel's life -- afflicting not only his father and his close comrade and brother Skippy, but also himself. But we will come to this later...)
In his early teens, his family moved to Makaha. There, he met Louis "Moon" Kauakahi, Sam Gray, and Jerome Koko. Together with his brother Skippy they formed the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau. As the aforementioned Brudda Bu wrote: "One day when he was 15 years old, Israel was sitting at a picnic table on Makaha Beach playing his ukulele when Jerry Koko stopped by to talk story. Jerry invited Israel over to his house to kanikapila (play music). He then met Moon Kauakahi and Jerry's brother, John Koko. Israel told the boys about his brother, Skippy, and how he could play guitar. After playing togther for awhile, the boys decided to start a group and the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau were born. First consisting of Israel, Skippy, Moon, Mel Amina (Israel's cousin) and Sam Grey, their first big break was being on the Jerry Lewis telethon."
Their first big break indeed came on the Jerry Lewis telethon, but before that auspicious occasion, the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau developed their skills the usual way: playing at backyard parties. After their first "public gig," Nanakuli High School's May Day Program, the group chose the name their origins and reflected the Ni'ihau heritage of the Kamakawiwo'ole brothers. u p w a r d FROM THAT FIRST APPEARANCE ON THE JERRY LEWIS TELETHON, THE ONLY WAY WAS UP. The Makaha Sons recorded No Kristo in 1976 (for a translation of the lyrics of this traditional Hawaiian ode to Christ, click here). Five more albums during as many years, though Skippy's death of a heart attack in 1982 came as quite a blow to his younger brother. The group soldiered on, to become Hawaii's most popular traditional group with breakout albums like 1984's Puana Hou Me Ke Aloha and its follow-up, 1986's Ho'ola.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole decided to begin recording on his own with 1990's Ka 'Ano'i, which became the most popular Hawaiian album of the year. Though he continued his solo career, by 1991 he had recorded with the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau again, and that year's Makaha Bash 3 set still more records in Hawaii, thanks in part to the single "Broken Promise." Another Makaha LP, Ho'oluana, appeared in 1992, though it was the last with Israel. His second solo effort, Facing Future, appeared in 1993.
And then one afternoon, Santa Monica KCRW radio host Chris Douridas cued up "Over the Rainbow" as part of his program Morning Becomes Eclectic, to cheer up listeners on a rainy day. After it faded out, Douridas announced the 800 phone number on the back of the Facing Future CD. In two days, Mountain Apple received over 2,000 calls from southern California, people crying and asking about the music, many of them stuck on the freeway when they heard it.
Movie producer Martin Brest bought the rights for use in his film Meet Joe Black. As the end credits rolled, movie audiences stayed in their seats to listen to "Over the Rainbow." One of America's most recognizable melodies, first made popular by Judy Garland, the tune had always embodied optimism, depicting a world where dreams really do come true. Israel's version was something else entirely: haunting and delicate, stripped down to a lone voice and a ukulele, an unexpected minor chord contrasting, almost unconsciously, against the happy lyrics of wishing upon a star. After the film's premiere in Hawai'i, people were sobbing in the theater.
Producers bought the very same song for Finding Forrester, Made, The Big Bounce, and 50 First Dates, and episodes of ER, Providence, Charmed and Party of Five. The song was aired in an eToys ad during the Super Bowl, and then in commercials throughout Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand.
"Rainbow" came to personify Hawai'i to the outside world. Celebrities publicly announced their love of Israel's music: novelists, actors, directors, baseball players, sumo wrestlers. Bruddah IZ was the state's first artist in history to have an album certified gold. Posters and calendars of his face decorated record stores around the world. "Over the Rainbow" became the No. 1 bestselling song downloaded from the World Music section of iTunes. Israel had produced the most recognizable and beloved Hawai'ian song in 50 years. And he didn't live to see any of it.
Israel continued to win awards and sell very well with 1996's N Dis Life, but his ballooning weight problem (at times, he weighed over 750 pounds) caused his early death at the age of 38. (source: John Bush, All Music Guide.)
Over a period of 15 years, The Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau recorded 10 albums and won numerous Hoku awards (the Hawaiian Grammy). They started the Makaha Bash, a huge concert at the Waikiki Shell every year on Memorial Day weekend.
From 1976 throughout the 1980s, the Hawaiian contemporary band gained in popularity as they toured Hawai'i and the continental United States and released 10 successful albums.
Such are the facts, as recorded by Wikipedia and other sources (and I am grateful for the lifts.) Such are the facts, but what of the man -- more importantly, what of the spirit behind the man? Even more importantly, what of the music behind the spirit behind the man -- the music of the man's soul. This is what this website intends to find out.
o n l i n e BUT FIRST, BEFORE WE START, HERE IS A SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWIOLE RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET, FROM LYRICS TO TABS TO CLIPS ON YOU TUBE TO PLACES YOU CAN GET FREE HAWAIIAN ALBUMS:
Ahi Wela (Fire Of Love) -- Lyrics in Hawaiian and English. p e r s o n a l LIKE OTHER NATIONAL HEROES WHO PERSONIFIED THEIR COUNTRY IN THE MEDIA (BRUCE LEE FROM KONG KONG COMES TO MIND), ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWO'OLE HAD THE POWER TO AFFECT PEOPLE HE MET ON AN ALMOST SPIRITUAL LEVEL. To many of his fans, he literally was a god... or at least close to being one. On Hawaiian Stories site, Myles wrote:
"Many of you already know the tragic and complex story of one of Hawai'i's great musicians and cultural leaders, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, affectionately known to many as Braddah IZ. To the uninitiated, he was simply an overweight musician who died at the age of 38 from respiratory complications due to his obesity. To those of us who grew up with his music, he was larger than life in every way. In 1993, after completing 9 albums with the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau as well as 2 on his own, he found himself hopelessly on welfare. He knew his days were numbered and made the difficult decision to part with the Makaha Sons and try to secure some type of future for his wife, Marlene and especially his daughter, Kawehi. It wasn't long before he had moved from welfare dependence to a six figure income on his own label Big Boy Records. This move to maturity was evident not only in the decisions he made for his family but in the way he communicated to the people of Hawai'i, especially the young people. As a rambunctious youth, he got into his fair share of trouble and dabbled in drugs as did most of his peers. During these later years he often took time during performances to tell kids to stay away from drugs and in reference to the increased gang activity in the Islands, once made the statement, "Handkerchiefs are for wiping the sweat from your face...not for hanging out of your back pocket." He also spoke of the sovereignty movement and his hopes for the future of native Hawaiian people. It was as if he was making the time he had left, count. He always spoke from the heart, like a brother, or a father to his children. In his CD Facing Future, he wrote:
This live album (recorded in the United States) includes songs like "Ahi Wela", "Hene Hene Kou Aka", "White Sandy Beach", "Maui Hawaiian Sup'pa Man", as well as that evergreen midPacific classic, "Hawai'i Aloha". According to Amazon: "This compact disc is being released on IZ's birthday, as a gift to his fans from his 'ohana. The aloha he felt for all of his audiences was passionate -- whether they were seeing him in concert or just listening to one of his albums. IZ's life is in his music."
Blakes, a recovering classical movie buff, wrote: "In an airport in Botswana, awaiting a plane to Johannesburg (delayed for several hours), I observed a distinguished-looking man, sitting completely relaxed, with a smile on his face, listing to his iPod. Finally, out of boredom I commented about how un-stressed he seemed to be; he promptly passed over his earphones. WOW! It was Iz singing "Over the Rainbow" (a song I am completely and thoroughly sick of!) Of course, his version was familiar and for the first time in years, I loved the song. Unfortunately, I then forgot the artist's name. Thank goodness it came back to me.
"Bought this CD at probably the last Tower Music Store in the nation, along with 15 others (all classical) and can't stop playing it. Right now I'm in the process of buying this album for a friend, along with all the rest of his collection.
"So long, Beethoven! (Not really, but this is a whole new wonderful addition to my listening life.) I think IZ belongs in every top-notch music portfolio."
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LATER THIS YEAR (AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR 2007, TO BE MORE SPECIFIC) MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WILL MOURN THE DEATH OF ONE OF THE MUSICAL GIANTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWO'OLE. Among the number of greats who arose in the field of "world music" in the 20th Century, few have shined as bright, or aroused such passionate devotion from their followers, as the one they call "Bruddah Iz" -- Israel Kamakawiwoole. Over there in Jamaica they had a reggae singer called Bob Marley who is worshipped as a god -- he kind of compares with Israel Kamakawiwoole in terms of his stellar star appeal. In Hong Kong Bruce Lee came to symbolise the passions and ambitions of an entire people -- while being a singer rather than a movie star, Israel Kamakawiwoole was in the same kind of league. Like Marley and Lee, Bruddah Iz possessed a personal chemistry which was almost Messianic. As Brudda Bu wrote on his 
