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WHA04
CD - WHA
Black Pearl/Ode Records
2008
WHA contains 10 new songs celebrating love, protesting against free trade, acknowledging the independence struggle of Timor and paying tribute to Maori soldiers buried in foreign lands.
Produced by Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Moana Maniapoto, the album was recorded at Beaver Studios.
Bandmembers Cadzow Cossar, Horomona Horo, Max Stowers, Ashley Browne and Richard Nunns were joined by vocalists Amiria Reriti and Trina Maniapoto. Scott Morrison co-wrote most of the songs with Moana, all of which are in Maori.
The CD also features two brief archival interludes - recordings made in the Western Desert by B Company of the 28th Maori Battalion and a second on an unidentified marae.
About the Band:Moana Maniopoto has consistently pushed the boundaries of Maori music in both her recordings and live performances, fusing taonga puoro, haka, chants with soul, reggae and classical ‘to produce her own blend of traditional and contemporary styles without compromising either.’ ( New Zealand Herald, 2003).She draws on her identity as a Maori woman, with a background in traditional performing arts, to write songs that still manage to resonate with global audiences.
Her first band Moana & the Moahunters played the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Vancouver Folk Festival. Their remake of the classic ‘Black Pearl’ shot them up the New Zealand charts, earning the band their first gold single.
Moana and the Tribe were formed in 2002, quickly cementing their reputation as one of the most successful indigenous groups to emerge from Aotearoa. The bands CD Toru entered the European World Music Charts at 17 and followed it up a year later with the DVD Live & Proud (Pirate / SONY Records.).
They were profiled through specials on Bavarian Television ( Germany) and on Rai Uno (Italy). Moana & the Tribe launched the New Zealand feature film The Whale Rider into Germany in 2003 then returned to New Zealand to support superstar Youssou N’dour (2004). A highlight for the band was performing in the Cultural Olympiad throughout Greece.
In 2004, Moana became the first non-American to win a major U.S.A based songwriting contest with her song Moko. Moana beat over 11,000 compositions to win the Grand Jury Prize of the International Songwriting Competition.
Moana & the tribe have played nearly 150 international concerts. The most recent ranged from Kanak villages in the islands of New Caledonia to sell out concerts in Russia. Moana cites meeting and singing for Nelson Mandela during his Auckland visit as a personal highlight.
Moana is a recipient of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM), a Life Time Recipient of the Toi Iho Maori Made Mark and received the 2005 Te Tohu Mahi Hou a Te Waka Toi Award from Te Waka Toi (Creative New Zealand ), in recognition of outstanding leadership and contribution to the development of new directions in Maori art.
In 2007, Moana joined four other outstanding arts made Art Laureates by the NZ Arts Foundation.
