Te Vaka - Album review by J. Poet, Wired Magazine, USA, November 1997 Original, Contemporary
Pacific Music
Opetaia Foa'i,
group leader and main composer of Te Vaka, was
born in Samoa and grew up in New Zealand.
Accordingly, Foa'i’s vision of Pacific music
combines elements of music indigenous to both, as
well as Tokelau and Tuvalu (neighbouring Islands
colonized by New Zealand), and lightly flavours
them with Aboriginal and European styles.
The first sound on this disc to grab your
attention is the poly-rhythmic attack of Te
Vaka’s percussion. Log drums and the Pacific
version of the conga (originally made with shark
skins) are found throughout Oceania, and Te
Vaka’s rhythms, especially on the tunes
based on traditional dances, are as vigorous as
anything coming out of the Africa diaspora.
"Ika Ika," in which a fisherman dreams
of cooking the day’s catch, and the closing
ceremonial "Siva Mai" may have echoes
in the Caribbean, but it’s the scorching
staccato of the log drums that makes these tracks
rock.
Melodically, Te Vaka is anchored by both the
chiming tones of Foa'i’s inventive acoustic
guitar picking (using an open tuning favored by
many Pacific Islanders) and the bands affable
vocals, augmented here by male and female
choruses that give the tunes an added spiritual
depth. The group’s overall sound is
soothing, full of melodies that celebrate the
South Pacific’s easy-going lifestyle; yet Te
Vaka also takes on the weighty subjects of
economic displacement and the genocidal raids
South American slavers made on Tokelau during the
1850’s.
With the exception
of the current revival of the Hawaiian slack-key
guitar, most of the music that’s passed off
as "Pacific" is either watered-down
tourist fare or hokey, Martin Denny-inspired
exotica. Te Vaka’s forceful rhythms,
inspired melodies, and heartfelt songwriting
offer a long - overdue, stereotype-smashing
glimpse into the true soul of the South Seas. - j.poet
©Wired Magazine
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NEW AGE RETAILER
USA October 1998
PJ’s Picks
PACIFIC MUSIC
Te Vaka
If you are looking for something refreshingly new
and bright. Rejoice, for Te Vaka is here to bring
Island bliss to the heartland! Ceaselessly
globe-trotting, this 10 piece ensemble is
bringing the cheerful pleasures of Pacific Island
Music to the world with colourful style and joie
de vivre. An impeccable songwriter, Opetaia
Foa’i crafts rootsy folk music sung in the
Polynesian dialect of Tokelau with attractive
swing rhythms performed on indigenous
instrumentation, including log drum and
open-tuned guitar. The songs "Papa e"
and "Tautai e" don’t need English
translations for one to savor the lovely
male-female duets, powerful backing chorus, perky
percussion, warm guitar rhythms, and beautiful
melodies. Also, renowned for it’s percussive
skills, the ensemble gives a dazzling virtuosic
display on "Pate mo tou vae" complete
with breath-expelled chants and traditional
cheering. Gypsy Kings and Ladysmith Black
Mambazo, move over. With such and abundance of
skills and musical appeal, Te Vaka gets my vote
as best new-world music group!
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