Tia Carrere, Daniel Ho Trio, and Halau Hula Keali'i o Nalani - Colors In Harmony

Featuring: Tia Carrere, The Daniel Ho Trio, Halau Hula Keali'i o Nalani, Zendeko Taiko, Danna Xue, Dani Joy Herreid, Chester Ikei, June Kuramoto, Greg Vail.

Event: 61st Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration
Produced by The Music Center, PBS SoCal, and CDK Productions

Music and English lyrics by Daniel Ho, Hawaiian lyrics by Amy Ku'uleialoha Stillman, Japanese translations by Kayo Yoshida, Chinese translations by Danna Xue.

Lyrics:
Here we gather from afar
Hear our song of peace
Woven melodies we are
Living Colors in Harmony

Available on iTunes and at www.DanielHo.com

Hate crimes have been on an unprecedented rise. “Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339 percent” in 2021 across major U.S. cities, “surpassing their record numbers in 2020.” (Compilation of hate crime data published by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, from nbcnews.com: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna...)


In the summer of 2020, Daniel Ho was approached by the Music Center to participate in a virtual performance in the Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration (an annual televised holiday program co-produced by PBS SoCal and CDK Productions). It was a time of discord—pandemic-fueled racism, George Floyd, political unrest, unemployment, riots. In search of hope amid the darkness, Daniel wanted to create a statement of solidarity with an approachable, It’s a Small World-like simplicity.


A song that promotes positivity, peace, and inclusiveness, the music and lyrics of Colors in Harmony are deceptively simple, yet layered with meaning and counterpoint. Daniel and his songwriting partner, Amy Kuʻuleialoha Stillman arrived at the song’s message in an effort to herald cultural awareness and bring people together during a volatile time.

The lyrics consist of four lines that are translated from English into different languages (Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog). There are over sixty tracks layered within five minutes that range from world percussion driven by a South African groove—interactions between the udu (ibo drum), talking drum, taiko, Chinese and Tibetan cymbals, Hawaiian hula implements, and drum set—to sounds of instruments such as koto, shakuhachi, cello, soprano saxophone, penny whistle, ‘ukulele, and Hawaiian slack key guitar. Melodically and dynamically, the song experiences ups and downs which include solo instrumentation and vocal breakdowns that signify beauty in their own right, yet they weave together in counterpoint and create depth and much more beauty when they overlap and come together. The sum of these parts lends to a grandiosity that, while still showcasing each culture or component in an independent strength, becomes amplified when set in a collaborative light.


Colors in Harmony is a tapestry of sounds and styles from around the world, movement encapsulated in dance and music performance, and a celebration of cultures, dispositions, and race. These elements have been woven together into a consummate, feel-good song (and video) with an impact that the songwriters hope will be a living example—something that will leave people smiling and hoping to strive to be better individuals, and to come together and carry on the message of aloha for one another, peace, and unity.