Ka Lei o Punahou 

Punahou Sessions is a set of live music videos created and produced by Allen Murabayashi ’90 in honor of Punahou’s 175th anniversary, to celebrate the extraordinary depth and diversity of talent among alumni and students who create music.
“Ka Lei o Punahou” was composed by Mary Kawena Puku‘i and Irmgard Farden Aluli and is a mele inoa honoring Laura Pratt (1921) Bowers, a longtime volunteer and staff member at Punahou. Music rights granted by Universal Music Publishing Group.
Visit punahou.link/1RANhLW for more information about Punahou Sessions.
Producer's Note:
I found a video of Pomaika‘i Keawe ’99 Lyman singing on RU-vid and knew I needed to include her [in Punahou Sessions]. When she’s not carrying on the tradition of performing Hawaiian music like her legendary tutu, Aunty Genoa Keawe, she’s teaching keiki to play ukulele or getting them in shape with her company Hawaii Elite Athletic Training. There is a surreal clarity to her voice, and her ukulele playing is awesome. In my brain, I figured I’d just slap together a few other late 90s musicians together and form a super group. But who else to include …
It started with sunset drinks at the Halekulani with Kathy YL Chan ’04. I posted a photo of the evening’s musicians to Facebook and got a response from Katie Baker ’01 who proclaimed, “Eh! That’s Jeff Au Hoy ’98 on steel guitar.” Turns out Jeff’s sister, Cathy ’00, was one of Katie’s best friends, so it was an easy connection to make. Jeff is one of the State’s best steel men, having played with the likes of the Brothers Cazimero, Pueo Pata, Cyril Pahinui and more.
Darin Leong ’95 had already volunteered to help mix and master all the audio, so I figured I’d ask him for another favor. Darin’s sister, Tisha ’88, was friends with my sister ,Janice ’88, back in the day, but I don’t remember hearing about her brother being such a great musician. But he is a phenomenal guitar player, and he has the Hoku nomination to prove it.
Pomai suggested “Ka Lei o Punahou” and she knew a bass player who was already familiar with the tune and harmonies. Keoni Souza performs with Na Hoa and is married to Mahina MacFarlane ’06. Hawaiian music sometimes gets a bad rap for being simplistic, but its form of falsetto singing is globally unique, and you’d be hard pressed to find a guy who can sing more beautifully (and higher!) than Keoni.
This was the very first session we taped, and as the musicians started practicing in the hallway at Omidyar K - 1 Neighborhood, I had a suspicion that the project would be a success. Was it the tears forming in my eyes that told me so? No, those are allergies! Just kidding. It was the music, man!
Allen Murabayashi ’90