Inia Te Wiata's Festival of Maori Song— WAITA MAORI

Te Ao Hou, December 1966, Page 58

Inia Te Wiata's Festival of Maori Song— WAITA MAORI Kiwi SLC 004 12in LP 331/3 rpm I must say that I placed this record on my turntable with more than a normal feeling of anticipation. It semed to have everything—musical direction by Inia te Wiata, the soloists and cast of Porgy and Bess and some of our best loved Maori songs. It has received some rave reviews in the daily press. Harry Dansey was almost lyrical about it in the Auckland Star. The result is certainly remarkable but I would be less than honest if I did not admit straight away that it is definitely not this critic's cup of tea. What is Inia trying to do? To make a Maori record with a difference? He has succeeded. To make a record which is faithful to the conception of the music on it and to the musical spirit and traditions of his race? He has failed. To use a trite phrase, the record is just not Maori. The group appears to have been completely brain-washed by performing in Porgy and Bess. Anyone hearing this record out of the blue would be excused for thinking that it featured the Black and White Minstrels. There is an overall impression of artificiality and striving for effect which contrasts strongly with the usual easy naturalness of Maori singing. Much use is made of controlled dissonance—particularly marked in Karu. If this were used sparingly it could be effective but it is used constantly and before the record finishes it jars and irritates. Part of the trouble also is an almost complete absence of light and shade in the singing. There seems to be little feeling for the mood of the words and many of our most cherished love songs are belted out in the strict tempo. The female singers screech stridently in the upper registers like a chorus of celestial parrots. Isobel Cowan sounds like Ima Sumac in Hokihoki, Sophie Tucker in Tahi Nei Taru Kino and as if she were being slowly strangled in Te Arawa E. There are some regrettable lapses in the versions of the words which are sung, notably E Pari Ra and Hine e Hine (‘Kua ngenge ana koe’). The guitar-uke accompaniment is extremely obtrusive in many of the numbers. The recording engineers are partly to blame (it was dubbed in Sydney I hasten to add in fairness to local people) for the instruments are far too close to the microphones. The result is that the accompaniment is magnified to the point where it sounds like a banjo band down on the ole plantation. In his singing of the verse of E Te Iwi E Inia takes it real slow as the saying goes, but all along we are aware of a latent strumming in the background. When the chorus is reached, singers and accompaniment combine in a veritable frenzy of sound. It is sad that for only one fleeting moment on the whole record do we glimpse the tremendous potential of this talented group. In several parts of Aue. E Te Iwi E, there is no guitar and the singing is disciplined and restrained yet full of plaintive harmonies. Alas it is all too short. The guitar lurks in the background and the celestial parrots are ready. We reach the chorus and WHAM! Oh well, back to the plantation. P.S. It has an attractive cover.