THE COMING OF THE MAORI KIWI. E.A. 66

Te Ao Hou, June 1961, Page 62

THE COMING OF THE MAORI KIWI. E.A. 66 This is a bit of a “stew” as recordings go … a little of this, and a little of that, tied together on the first side of the disc with what I suppose is termed a “heroic” commentary. Melodies strung together (of only a few years ago) in an effort to preserve in some form the Maori culture, have been used in sequence on side one, to indicate the hopes, privations, and eventual arrival of the great migration. The manner in which this is done causes me some amusement, as the only approximation to genuine Maori culture in this sequence is a brief snatch of a chant as the canoes are hauled upon the beach. For the rest, the long journey seems to have been a ukulele accompanied foxtrot-cum-waltz time exodus from Hawaiki. Perhaps I am being too critical with this particular section of the recording, but the heroic style of the cover suggests to me something more than Maorified European melodies. Side two is a unabashed presentation of what the tourist pays good money to see in Rotorua twice weekly. The tourist unabashedly enjoys it, and so do I. The fishing chant, Ka Ru, in particular, is presented with all the precision and so forth that advertises the Amorangi Boys, but with the added advantage of a sense of musical rhythm. This record was recorded in Malaya by the Concert Party of the 2nd Battalion, N.Z. Regiment. The Boys of the regiment seem to have enjoyed themselves. I enjoyed them too.