High Standard

Te Ao Hou, June 1963, Page 53

High Standard It is fortunate that Pye has preserved ‘Maori’ on a recording which does nothing to tarnish the group's deservedly high reputation. The items recorded range from stick games, through action songs, waiata, chant, haka taparahi and peruperu. Despite the disadvantages inherent in recording an actual stage performance, the presentation is first-class. The choral items such as ‘Patupaiarehe’ and the Hinemoa Love Song are gems of precision and harmony. Here is a record which, despite one or two uneven patches, mainly in ‘E Pari Ra’, displays ample evidence of careful rehearsal, a feeling for what is being done and an obvious determination to provide the audience with the best. If any reader wishes to recommend to a local or overseas pakeha friend a record which combines variety with competent performance, then I commend this disc to their attention. Mention must also be made of the technical quality of the record. The reproduction is clear and true and free from the audience's coughs and snuffling which often detract from tapings of stage performances. My only cavil is the fact that some of the space on the back of the record could well have been devoted to a more detailed description of the items presented. Guide Rangi and the Rotorua Arawa Concert Party Stebbing SLP 1006 12 in. 33⅓ LP The cover states that this is a record of ‘a typical Maori concert’. I would not quarrel with this description after seeing some of the concerts which have been doing the rounds of late, but one can only wish it were not true. This record is, I fear, a very patchy offering. Its faults are ragged harmony, faltering starts and a lack of cohesion amonst the group. The haka taparahis in particular at times degenerate into shouted jumbles. I have a great admiration for Guide Rangi and the Arawa party, which is one of the few groups giving regular public performances of Maori items. Their concerts are happy affairs and do much to create a favourable image with the thousands of visitors, many of them from overseas, who attend their performances. However I would not like an overseas listener to form an impression of a ‘typical Maori concert’ from this disc. If ever there was a case of familiarity breeding contempt, it is demonstrated in the approach to the audience illustrated in this recording.