‘Temple View Maori Concert Party’

Te Ao Hou, March 1965, Page 59

‘Temple View Maori Concert Party’ Zodiac ZLP 1015 12in 33⅓ LP This concert party was formed some years ago when the Mormon temple was built at Hamilton. The present disc is produced under the direction of the temple's Maori Culture Director, Anaru Kohu, with Joan Pearse as Choral Director. For some unexplained reason some of the tracks in this album were recorded in Waitomo caves. A romantic thought perhaps, but the record neither gains nor loses from the fact. This group unfortunately cannot help being compared with the Te Arohanui Party (mentioned above) because of its Mormon origins and the fact that a number of members are common to both groups. Of course such a comparison is unfair because the Temple View group lacks the intensive training which the other party received before going on its tour of the United States. The choral work is the best feature of this record and its version of ‘Pokarekare’ will stand out as easily one of the best recordings of this much used and abused song. This is a most attractive setting with some lovely harmonies. ‘Whitiki Taua’ starts most promisingly with a sensitively sung solo and then degenerates into a strict tempo pop tune with guitar accompaniment when the choir comes in. I also find fault with the group's pronunciation in the final line of this song. There is one haka taparahi—a remarkably dispirited rendition of ‘Ka Mate’ which has my vote as one of the most spineless haka renditions on record. ‘Tohu Aroha’ stands out as the best of the solo and trio items. The record has a very attractive cover photograph, reasonably adequate notes on the reverse, and of course the usual crop of mis-spelt titles without which no self-respecting recording company today thinks of issuing a Maori record.