May 16, 2006 Kaneohe Senior Ukulele Group

May 16,2006, it is another wonderful day in O’ahu. The day started early. Emi and I were to meet Al at 7:45 AM in the lobby, not a decent wake up time while on vacation if you ask me, but it was the time set by Al. I had met Al on the first day while entering the condo. He was carrying his guitar and I had my ukulele in hand. It was like fire and tinder. We just hit it off just like that. Anyway, he had invited Emi and me to go with him to his senior group in Kaneohe for a session of ukulele, singing, hula and fellowship. Al insisted on driving even though I wanted to drive; it was the least that I could do. In the early morning and moving against the flow of city bound traffic, we reached the senior center in no time at all. For whatever reason, Al likes getting there early. Pulling into the parking lot, you can almost feel the quiet of Kaneohe compared to Honolulu. Here the air is cool without air conditioning. It is still early, only 8:15, and the program starts at 9:00. Doing the math, that gives 45 minutes to wait, but it is time not wasted. A few people are also there and everyone knows everyone. It is one big family. Soon, introductions were made, conversations filled the air, and then music erupted spontaneously. The various people that came up to us had their instruments in hand and they started to play, started to sing. It was wonderful. It was music that was natural, notes and flowing from the heart, but I didn’t know the chords; I didn’t know the words. Al helped and called out the chords so that I could play, participate in a limited way. This continued with more and more players joining in. It was like a Hawaiian hootenanny. Al actually plays ukulele as his main instrument of music, but he was playing a guitar for this meeting. He wanted to challenge himself by switching to guitar. There was a bass guitar player present. He spontaneously took the lead by playing a riff of chords, the rest of the gang joining in with their ukuleles and voices. They just knew what he was playing and joined in. As for me I didn’t know right from left. Al had to again coach me, telling me the chords being played. I fell in love with their singing. It was so real, natural. And the best part, they knew how to do that Hawaiian yodel that I so want to do.
Finally it was 9 and the program started promptly. They were obviously not using Hawaiian time. Now, there were three guitar players and one piano player. In addition, there was a lady who briefly went over each song, sang lead, and reminded us when to modulate. And talking about modulating. They were modulating like crazy. They modulated constantly, between every verse for every song. It was fun and challenging to have to continually change chords. The songs were so varied that I could not even explain them except for the fact that I only knew about a third of them, but loved every one.
Emi loved the entire event, because they had a strong contingent of hula dancers, and they danced about nine dances, inviting Emi to join them. Emi is a wonder. Not knowing the dances, she was still able to move in time with them. She followed so well, one person was convinced that she had been there before. As for the hula, seniors or not, they were something . I mean great, and I know great when I see it. I didn’t suffer years trying to be a good hula dancer for nothing. If I didn’t become good, I did learn enough to recognize good. They were not your typical gracious ladies type dancers either. They were moving their bodies like young ladies just ready to party, and Emi was one of them.
For the rest of the day:
Lunch at Golden Duck. Our first taste of Chinese cake noodles, a very Hawaiian/Chinese style of cooking that is so loved by the locals, but I prefer gwun lo mein.
Went to our internet café to connect to the web.
Met with Al. I think he wanted to be sure I knew how to play any song and sound good.
Walked around the perimeter of Punchbowl in my flip flops in the evening. It wasn’t planned. If it was, I wouldn’t have been wearing flip flops.
Had dinner at the venerable Rainbow Drive-In.
Another day frittered away….