Hawaiian Duo Finds Resonance With the Faithful

Those who have spent much time in the Islands know there are no bad days in Hawaii--only variations on paradise. Hawaii’s Cecilio Rodriguez and Henry (Kapono) Kaaihue brought a musical interpretation of that idyll to Humphrey’s on Friday night. The singing duo--known professionally as Cecilio and Kapono (“C and K” to their long-time fans)--celebrated its 19th anni-versary of making music by delighting a sold-out crowd of 1,200 with almost two hours of old and new material.

In the fickle world of contemporary music, Cecilio and Kapono is something of a phenomenon. The musicians first made their mark in the ‘70s as recording artists for mammoth Columbia Records. At the time, the public’s appetite for harmony-driven singing-songwriting duos of the Loggins and Messina/Seals and Crofts ilk seemed insatiable, and Cecilio and Kapono drew well in their San Diego club appearances.

Such two-man teams fell out of favor with the late-’70s sea change in popular taste, and even Cecilio and Kapono began pursuing individual projects in between collaborative efforts. However, the duo remained immensely popular in Hawaii, where their concerts still draw crowds in the tens of thousands, even though they haven’t released an album on a major label since 1978.

Likewise, Cecilio and Kapono’s sporadic appearances on the Mainland invariably convene the rabid faithful in large numbers. The Humphrey’s show, which attracted a diverse mix of transplanted Hawaiians (Kapono is full-blooded Hawaiian), Samoans, Asian-Americans, Latinos (Cecilio is part-Chicano, part Yaqui Indian) and haoles, or Caucasians, sold out well in advance, even though the two last performed there in 1984.

Cecilio verified the duo’s loyal fan base with his opening remarks, in which he asked for applause both from those attending a Cecilio and Kapono show for the first time (“our new friends”) and from long-time fans (“our old friends”). The ripple of polite response from the former was swamped by the latter’s lusty ovation.

It wouldn’t take long for the novitiates in attendance to grasp Cecilio and Kapono’s appeal. Backed by a four-piece band (drums, bass, keyboards, and reeds), the guitar-wielding duo opened with the title tracks of two recent, Hawaiian-label albums--”Goodtimes Together” and “Life’s Different Now”-- and one Columbia release, 1977’s “The Nightmusic.” By the third tune, the audience was fully, vocally involved in the proceedings.

Although stylistically contemporary, Cecilio and Kapono’s sound is a feel-good blend of bouyant rhythms, dulcet chordings, sing-along choruses, and strong, fluid vocal harmonies that reverberate with the timeless essence of island life. There is neither art nor artifice in their approach; the lyrics celebrate the simple pleasures of life and love and accept their attendant pains as the price one pays for them. In their music, as in Hawaii, even the rain is warm and temporary.

However, during the course of Cecilio and Kapono’s 21-song set, which included several selections from their new album, “Summerlust” (due for Stateside release in about two weeks), the duo demonstrated that their music’s pacific-smile quotient is not all that recommends them as performers.

Both are above-average guitarists, as indicated by their improvisational trade-offs--Cecilio on a Les Paul electric, Kapono on an amplified acoustic--on the slightly harder-edged “Sunshine Love.” Elsewhere, Cecilio’s skills on harmonica were beautifully showcased in the evocative, melodic lace-work he contributed to “Goodtimes Together” and the 1977 ballad, “Sailin.’ ”

In addition, each is blessed with an exceptional voice, and their seamless harmonies are all the more impressive for the ease with which they take turns singing the difficult high parts. Their performances on the songs “Summer Lady” (from 1975’s “Elua” album), “Have You Ever Had That Feelin”’ (1977’s “Night Music”), and “Gotta Get Away” (1974’s “Cecilio and Kapono”) were clinics on vocal versatility and tricky, on-pitch maneuvering. A mid-show cover, sans band, of Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” was a tour de force performance that made CSN’s live renditions seem weak-kneed by comparison.

These guys also are quick-witted. Cecilio’s amplifier was acting up early in the show, and he and a stage hand worked on it while Kapono was introducing a song. “This next song is from. . .” began Kapono, when he was interrupted by a loud, distorted squawk from the amplifier, “. . .Jimi Hendrix,” he deadpanned without missing a beat.

Cecilio, who did most of the talking, at one point assured the audience that the duo would perform a number of old songs. “But, if you don’t hear one of your favorites,” he added, “don’t worry--some of the notes from that song can be found in other songs we’ll be doing.”

Cecilio and Kapono’s newer material, including a lovely ballad called “Wishing” and the mellow groover, “Summer Dreamin,’ ” was strong and enthusiastically received, and served as effective transitions between such sing-along faves as “Friends” and the Seals and Crofts-ish “Goodnight and Goodmorning.”

An encore was all but guaranteed, and the duo answered with the ballad “About You” (1975) and aptly named “Lifetime Party,” the latter a spirited track from their eponymous 1974 album that could be categorized as “Hawaiian-and-Western.” In spite of the generous length of the concert, the audience still wasn’t sated, but Cecilio begged off.

“Hey, we can’t possibly play every song we’ve ever recorded,” he implored, to which several people shouted, “Why not?” If word-of-mouth still counts for anything, one went away convinced that the next time Cecilio and Kapono play San Diego, there will be many more “new friends” in attendance.