Two Hapas Make a Whole

Barry Flanagan left his New Jersey home for Hawaii years ago with a simple plan: relax and study the slack-key guitar for a month or so. So much for the round-trip ticket.

On that visit in 1980, Flanagan fell for the culture, beauty and serenity of the islands, settling on Maui. He learned about its indigenous language, poetry and songwriting. Then, at a Christmas party in 1983, he met singer Keli’i Kaneali’i. The two struck up an unlikely, 15-year musical partnership almost on the spot.

Taking their name from a Hawaiian term for “half,” Hapa, the duo performed but went 10 years before recording its first album. Still, it is one of Hawaii’s best-selling musical acts; “Hapa” has sold more than 250,000 copies. Backed by chanter-storyteller Charles Ka’upu and hula dancer Healani Yuen, Hapa begins a national tour Saturday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Their blend of Hawaiian and European folk-and-pop styles offers sweet-sounding vocal harmonies and an array of exotic musical textures, mostly derived from the 12-string rhythm guitar, paniolo guitar (think Hawaiian cowboy music) and the traditional slack-key, which involves re-tuning the guitar by slackening the strings to achieve open chording.

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With songs sung in Hawaiian and English, the group’s material frequently celebrates the natural wonders of the islands, such as the sky, sea, rain, trees and flowers.

“We feel the music transcends borders of nationality,” Flanagan, 40, said during a recent phone interview from his home. And he believes that Hapa’s audience has gradually become more cross-generational.

“Lots of young people come out to our shows,” said the singer-songwriter-guitarist. “World music is the link between kids and their parents. Youths are really much more open to music beyond the Top 40. . . . They’re sponges, and not just for our kind of music but that of the Chieftains, Gypsy Kings, B-Tribe and other ethnic- and roots-oriented groups too.”

Hapa’s latest release, “In the Name of Love,” climbed into the Top 10 last summer on Billboard’s world music charts. In addition to originals like “E Hele Ana E,” which tells of traditional Hawaiian gatherings, the album includes three well-known, pop-rock covers--Santana’s “Europa,” U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love),” and Santo & Johnny’s instrumental classic “Sleepwalk.”

It would be easy to accuse Hapa of pandering to commercial tastes, but skepticism fades upon hearing its compelling, drastically reworked version of “Pride.” This powerful rendition features chiming acoustic guitars, muscular percussive work and, most significant, Ka’upu’s hypnotic, urgent chants.

“I think you really shouldn’t do someone else’s song unless you’re going to put your own stamp on it,” Flanagan said. “We’d been performing ‘Pride’ live for three years with Charles--it’s been our set-closing number. I can’t tell you the dimension he brings to the song, and to Hapa overall. It’s through his chanting that we’re able to capture the spiritual essence of traditional Hawaiian music.”

(For an introduction to the lighter side of Hapa, an album released last year of surf-rock numbers, “Surf Madness” [Coconut Grove Records], is highly recommended.)

Though Flanagan sought out Hawaiian music, Hapa’s other half--vocalist-rhythm guitarist Kaneali’i--was born to it. One of 15 children in a musical family, he grew up in Honolulu’s urban valley of Papakolea. An uncle taught him to play the slack-key guitar, and by 1978, he was playing in a disco band with Martin Pahinui, the son of Gabby Pahinui, who’s known as the king of Hawaiian slack-key music.

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Around the same time, Flanagan discovered a Ry Cooder album featuring Hawaiian guitarist Gabby Pahinui. He was drawn not only by the sheer beauty of the slack-key music but also by the soulful spirit in Pahinui’s style.

“The minute I heard Gabby’s stuff, I wanted to go over there, to hear and learn more,” recalled Flanagan. “I was astounded by his playing . . . those elements of jazz and that Django Reinhardt-style [of swing] excited me. It’s one of the more enchanting sounds you’ll ever hear--yet it’s so difficult to master. You know, it was Gabby who got me to Hawaii, but it’s Keli’i who’s kept me here all this time.”

* Hapa plays two shows Saturday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, 5 and 8 p.m. $20-24. (714) 854-4646.