Music of the Maori— The Waihirere Maori Club

Te Ao Hou, December 1965, Page 58

Music of the Maori— The Waihirere Maori Club Kiwi LC-21 12in. 33 ⅓ LP. Recently for the first time, I had the pleasure of seeing this excellent group on the concert stage under their dynamic young leader Ngapo Wehi. This record does not do them justice. I must hasten to add that this is not Kiwi's fault nor that of the NZBC (who recorded the tapes). It is just that much of Waihirere's appeal is visual. Their actions and presentation are crisp and impressive. Their singing is less so. Much of it is thin and there is a lack of substantial and effective harmony. Take, for example, the imaginative arrangement of Waiata Poi on side two. The voices trail off at the end of the lines. Sometimes one can hardly hear the men. The performers seem to be singing at about half steam. Although five of the items on this disc have been performed on Waihirere's other two records there are also some interesting new songs, including some of Waihirere's specialities which are deservedly gaining in popularity with other concert parties. ‘Kei ia Koe” and ‘Karanga e te Iwi’ are two such songs. They were specially written by Bill Kerekere, a former leader, for the Club's performance before Royalty at Waitangi. On the other hand, Kerekere's choice of tune for his setting of ‘Karanga Mai Koroki’ takes a bit of getting used to. It has a pasa doble type rhythm and a background parrot's chorus called ‘Karanga … karanga….’ However it is unusual, and with Bill Kerekere, Waihirere have had a leader who is not afraid to try something which is different. If Maori music is to appeal to younger people it must move with the times. The same writer has taken a popular hymn ‘Tapu, tapu, tapu’ and boldly adapted it by interweaving it into the fabric of a larger work. An excerpt from this work, the song ‘Tapu, tapu, Anei taku Inoi’, is heard on this record. Two classic haka taparahi are featured. These are ‘Ruamoko’ (an improved version to that on Waihirere's ‘Treasure Chest of Maori Music’) and ‘Kura Tiwaka’. There is also a peruperu. It is perhaps a little inaccurate to say, as do the notes on the record cover, that ‘the East Coast tribes are not accustomed to the peruperu.’ However, it is true that East Coast parties seldom seem to perform them nowadays. For this reason ‘Tena i Poua’ is welcome on this record. Peruperu, with its precision and call on physical stamina, seems in grave danger of fading away altogether except amongst Te Arawa. Waihirere are at their best in chant-like numbers with a pre-European flavour such as their powhiri ‘Waitangi’ and their poi-patere ‘Takitimu’. It is good to know that Waihirere are taking modern songs written in this idiom and giving them a prominent place in their repertoire.