Movie profile

The Hawaiian Way - Ki Hōʻalu Slack Key

The Art and Tradition of Slack Key Music

This film is a moving journey into the beauty and meaning of Hawaiian slack key music. Award-winning director Eddie Kamae"s rare combination of master musician and cinematic storyteller is the key to showing how Hawaii"s cultural traditions and the ki ho"alu guitar intertwine - and opening the door to a greater love of that music. Candid interviews and archival images combine with the music of many virtuoso performers, from legendary Fred Punahou and Gabby Pahinui to Raymond Kane and today"s Ledward Kaapana, to tell the slack key story from the 1830s to the present. It shows how this music perpetuates family tradition as songs, techniques and special string tunings are passed from one generation to the next.

Directed by Eddie Kamae