9. Na Ka Pueo (attributed to Samuel Kalani Kaea)—instrumental on 6-string guitar, in C Major “Atta’s C” Tuning
(C-G-E-G-C-E).
More Latin feeling and another boat song, this time telling the story of a trip on the Pueo Kahi, named for a village near Hāna, Maui. In Hawaiian mele, a ship or canoe is often a poetic reference to a woman, referred to in the first line as the author’s true love.
“Na Ka Pueo” is especially popular with falsetto singers and has been performed by many, including Bill Ali‘iloa Lincoln, the Ho‘opi‘i Brothers, Chino Montero, and Cyril’s close friend, slack-key guitarist Ledward Ka‘apana, for whom it serves as a signature song. Cyril and Led have done a lot of playing together over the years but never recorded any of their meetings—another great Hawaiian music if only…