Leilani Bond, kumu hula and musician, received a song on her birthday. “Aloha ‘Aniaiau” was composed especially for Bond and presented to her as a gift on her birthday, she said while preparing to take the stage at Kukui Grove
Leilani Bond, kumu hula and musician, received a song on her birthday.
“Aloha ‘Aniaiau” was composed especially for Bond and presented to her as a gift on her birthday, she said while preparing to take the stage at Kukui Grove Shopping Center, Saturday at the kickoff for the Lokahi Giving Project where she was one of the entertainers.
This song serves as the centerpiece for her newest album which she said will be available in February.
A gift of song is one of the most precious ways to bestow love and honor on someone, a flier announcing the new CD states.
While the melody breathes life into a song, the words capture its enduring thoughts and many of the songs on this latest release were written for her as gifts from friends and the extended ‘ohana of Halau Hula O Leilani.
Bond said that her halau will be hosting its annual “A Kaua‘i Christmas Hula Concert,” Dec. 21 at the Hilton Kaua‘i Beach Resort starting at 7 p.m.
“A Kaua‘i Christmas” is another tune composed for the entertainer who is the daughter of well-known local composer and entertainer Larry and Gloria Rivera.
Bond and some of her halau dancers performed this number as part of its offering at the Saturday program for the Lokahi Giving Project.
“They (daughters Leilani and Ilima) all copy me,” Rivera said. “They record the music and perform with their dancers, and today, I’m all by myself.”
Growing up in a family of musicians that performed at the Coco Palms Hotel, Bond developed her deep love in traditional Hawaiian music and hula.
Today she performs at the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa and at the Coconut Marketplace.
“A Kaua‘i Christmas” is one of the numbers on a CD named for this centerpiece number and available since its release in 2006, Bond’s fourth album.
That CD also features three Kaua‘i-composed and were recorded for the first time.
In her latest release, Bond states “E Manu Rere Hau,” a Tahitian song, is another gift to her from its composer.
Those original compositions join more familiar tunes that the flier states are gifts themselves because they are well-known and reveal the island’s beauty through melody.
Rounding out the offering, Bond performs “You’ve Got A Friend” and “You Ku‘uipo” to express her feelings of gratitude to her dear friends and “a special someone.”
Joining her on the album are Na Hoku Award winners Willie Kahalali‘i, Eric Gilliom, Holunape and Zanuck Lindsey.
Na Hoku Award producer Michael Ruff and engineer Ron Pendragon also lend their talent to this latest CD.
For more information, visit her Web site at www.leilanirivera.com.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
