Kaleo Wheeler has an extensive and diverse background and experience as a singer and performer, ranging across different styles of music, including contemporary pop, musical theatre, and traditional chants and songs. She customizes each concert or presentation to the particular song style that the audience of group resonates, and specializes in traditional Hawaiian theme concerts and presentations. Below are excerpts from her current album, Ulana, The Way of the Heart.
Ulana is a reflection of Kaleo's own spiritual exploration. Her intention, through it, is to bring comfort, support, understanding and hope to help with all the stress and challenges that so many of us are feeling with the issues of the world around us.
Ancient traditions used song and story to help people to reconnect and remember their value and purpose. They helped by giving tremendous insights through their mythis and legends. Kaleo found going back helped her to go forward in her journey. There are songs and chants from the different cultures that she has explored and is grounded in the Hawaiian tradition, of Living in Aloha, a natural, gentle way of life incorporating forgiveness, gratitude and blessing. In sharing her journey and what helped her, she hopes that it can be of help to you on your journey as we all continue to go through this timeof change and uncertainty.
“Ulana is a powerful statement of love, wholeness, and respect for all life. Bask in its energy and you will be transported to a realm where the spirit is real.” -Alan Cohen, author of "A Deep Breath of Life"
Click on the title of a song/chant for the lyrics and translation
Track 1 Oli Aloha
(Kaleo Wheeler)
Given to me by Aloha Dalire, Kumu Hula; written and given to her by Emma DeFries, her aunt and respected kahuna. It has become my personal chant that I use to open everything I do. It is also Aunty Aloha's family chant; and in respect to her, I have not included a sample of this track on the site nor the lyrics or translation. It is only availabe on the actual CD as part of the whole journey that is reflected in the CD.
An Hawaiian Chant of Invocation.
It is invoking the energy of Aloha, the energy of Divine Love. I have been chanting for many years - including chants from the Hindu and Native American traditions. I have always found chanting from each of these different traditions to be a very powerful and very spiritual experience. When I began chanting this Hawaiian Oli over ten years ago, something happened between it and my voice that I never experienced before. There is a resonance in my voice and a surge of energy that builds as I chant it, and people tell me it touches them on a very deep level. Each time as I start it, I wonder if I will feel that again; and each time I do. I believe that the Hawaiian language is a very ancient language; and in both hearing it and/or chanting in it, its frequency helps us to reconnect to our core and the rememberance of who we are.
Track 2 Aloha is my Home
(Kaleo Wheeler)
written and composed by Kaleo Wheeler, Shawn Gallaway and Richard Shulman A modern song
This is the signature song for Ulana, The Way of the Heart. It is based on my personal and spiritual exploration of many years in trying to figure out and make sense of what this life experience is about - including having to go into those times of the "dark night of the soul" that is part of the human condition. In looking for anwers, I have been honored to study with teachers from several different spiritual traditions who still have knowledge and memory of the old ways. They all helped me on my journey, but it was when I connected with that intangible force that is the foundation of everything that is Hawaiian – the Aloha Spirit – that I knew I had come Home. “Living Aloha” is what weaves everyone and everything together – no matter what culture, country or background you come from. It is the connection between the generations; between this world and the next; and our connection to the ‘aina, the land/nature. We come out of those dark nights of the soul and back into the light when we stay connected to our hearts and to the Divine Love that is there; when we come from forgiveness, gratitude, purpose and passion (following our heart), and through song, movement and community/family (‘ohana). It is the joy of living and the celebration of life through the inclusiveness of all the traditions – helping us to remember that we are all One Family.
Track 3 Kamali'i O Ka Pō
(Kaleo Wheeler)
words by Kawaikapuokalani Hewett; music by Blaine Kamalani Kia
An Hawaiian Chant
This is the first chant and hula that I learned from Kawaikapu. There is something very special about it. The music is so flowing and uplifting, that people are drawn to it without knowing what it means. I have watched people as they listen to it feel the urge to sing along or get up and start dancing to it. Yet the message of it is serious and very important with where we find ourselves at this time on the planet. It is asking us as human beings to remember that we are also children of God. It is asking us to pay attention - to remember our kuleana (responsibility) as children of God. Are we honoring and embracing the knowledge from our ancestors and this blessed opportunity we have from the Great Mother giving us life? Are we being responsible to our elders, to each other, to ourself? Are we taking care of the land ('aina)? How are we living our life? An important question with what we see going on around us in the world right now. With the changes that we would all like to see, we each have to be responsible in our own lives for those changes to happen.
Track 4 Longhouse
(Kaleo Wheeler, Shawn Gallaway & friends)
written and composed by Shawn Gallaway
A Song Based on the Native American Tradition
This song expresses the importance of coming together in community, fellowship and ritual. It is a 'helping hand" for us to remember and reconnect to the Divine Love (Aloha) within each of us that sometimes gets lost and forgotten as we live in this physical world of duality and separation, especially with the stresses and challenges we are all experiencing in today's world. We can then go back to our individual lives, knowing that we are never really alone - that we are all Divine Beings and part of One Family, each having a human experience to help us to grow and evolve as Spiritual Beings.
Track 5 Tha Mis A 'Cur
(Kaleo Wheeler)
from the Ceille De tradition, written on the Isle of Iona in Scotland
A Celtic Sacred Chant (Fonn)
The Celtic tradition has always had a special place in my heart, being my ancestry, as with many of us here in the US. This particular chant (or fonn) is so powerful and so beautiful yet so simple, I feel honored to be able to include it in this CD. It comes from a tradition in Scotland called the Ceile De, whose origins lie in Druidism but also embrace a deep reverance for the Divine. the Christ-consciousness, and Mother Earth. As with the Hawaiian Oli, I find this chant to touch something very deep and spiritual within me, helping me to feel that everything is okay within me and in the world around me. Its message is so simple - if we come from the love in our heart, the Divine Love or Christ-consciousness that is there waiting to be fully born within us, then everything else within us falls into place and is in balance. This particular chant is even more special to me because it was composed on the isle of Iona, off the coast of Scotland 200 years ago. I spent time on Iona in 2000 and found it to be a deeply spiritual, mystical and wonderful place. I now have the opportunity to share my experience of Iona with others through this fonn
Track 6 Terina
(Kaleo Wheeler)
Tommy Taurima
A Maori song from New Zealand
I have been singing this song and performing the dance to it since the late 80's. It is a simple song, yet the message expressed in it seems to touch something with everyone who hears it. It is about the love of family, 'ohana in the Hawaiian tradition, shown through the love of a Maori grandparent for his granddaughter. He is giving her a blessing, praying that as she grows, she will do so in the loving energy that is found in her family tree. I believe that this song is healing for everyone who hears it, because it touches the child within each of us who is perhaps still yearning for a sense of acceptance, continuity and family. How many of us received a blessing like this when we were young? It is about honoring our elders, our kupuna, and seeing the continuity between the generations which is often lost in our modern world.
Track 7 Fly Like an Eagle
(Kaleo Wheeler)
author unknown
A Native American chant
This is a chant that I have been doing for years. It might be familiar to you. It is to many people; and as is often the case when a chant has been shared orally for years, there are different versions of it. This is the version that I learned from my teachers,and I share with you. The different versions don't really matter - it just shows how powerful the chant is and the message in it, for so many different people to have been chanting it for so many years. It is about the message, and how universal it is. When you are connected to your heart, then you are in love with yourself and everyone around you; and you can soar high and fly like an eagle.
Track 8 E 'Akahai E Na Hawaii
(Kaleo Wheeler)
written & composed by Kawaikapuokalani Hewett
An Hawaiian Chant
This is a simple chant, yet it is the most important track on this CD - it is the meaning of Aloha. Each letter in the word Aloha represents a specific Hawaiian word that describes a characteristic trait of aloha: 'akahai (to be unassuming), lokahi (to be in unity), 'oia'i'o (to be kind), ha'aha'a (to be humble), and ahonui (to have fortitude). This acronym was created by Aunty Pilahi Paki, an elder (kupuna) in Hawaii in the 70's when she saw how superficial the meaning of aloha had become. In 1986, this definition was adopted in Hawaii as "the Aloha Spirit Law". Together, the 5 traits combine to express the emotional and spiritual truth of Aloha. Internalized, these traits create a deep sense of belonging to a community and caring for each other. They are also universal. To live in anger and fear, there is no aloha and no life; to live in love and aloha, creates life and healing. Now that the world is one big - at-risk - community, Aloha is needed now more than ever. It was Aunty Pilahi's dream for the message and energy of aloha to be spread around the planet to help to bring peace to the world.
Track 9 Bobo Malé
(Kaleo Wheeler & friends)
author unknown
A Traditional West African chant
A Traditional West African Chant used in Community Ritual. It was brought from West Africa to the US by Malidoma. Its meaning - when we come from love and harmony - our spirits can dance as One Family. And we did as we were recording it - friends helping me and singing with me on it.
Track 10 Healin' Comes
(Kaleo Wheeler)
written & composed by Shawn Gallaway
A Modern Song
This song was composed on Christmas morning in 2006. It is a prayer and a vision for the future. When we all come together in Divine Love, peace can happen and healing will come for all the generations to follow.
Track 11 Oli Mahalo
(Kaleo Wheeler)
author unknown
A traditional Hawaiian Chant of Thanksgiving
The Hawaiians believe that it is important to remember to give thanks for all the gifts that are always around us and that are always coming to us from the Divine.
Track 12 Aumakua
(Kaleo Wheeler)
From Aloha International, author unknown
An Hawaiian Pule (prayer) of blessing
Track 13 Aloha Nui
(Kaleo Wheeler)
words written by Kawaikapuokalani Hewett
An Hawaiian interpretation of Amazing Grace.
This is a very different version of Amazing Grace - from the Hawaiian point of view. It is not a direct translation. It is taking the message of the song and intrepreting it from the Hawaiian perspective, from Aloha. Instead of taking the English words that we are familiar with and translating them into Hawaiian, Kawaikapu took the essence and meaning of the song, wrote it in Hawaiian and then translated that into English. These are the English words that you hear on the track.
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