Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar and Ukelele

Mark Puryear (presenter); Ledward Kaapana ;NEA National Heritage Fellow Ledward Led  Kaapana is a master of the Hawaiian ukulele and ki ho'alu , the slack-key guitar a finger-style guitar art form that originated in Hawaii. This talent, combined with his vocal skills in the baritone and leo ki`eki`e (falsetto) range, have made him a legendary performer who has been entertaining audiences in Hawaii and abroad for more than forty years. Kaapana grew up in Kalapana in the southernmost district of Hawaii Island in a family of musicians. His teachers included his mother, Mama Tina Kaapana, from whom he learned to sing leo ki'eki'e, and his uncle, Fred Punahoa. Over the course of his career, Kaapana has dedicated himself to perpetuating the traditional style and repertoire of his Hawaiian home village, as well as engaging in innovative performances with virtuoso performers from other American traditions.