Pioneers of Maori sound

From the backblocks of the King Country to the bright lights of Las Vegas, a new television series sheds light on generations of Maori musicians. Shane Gilchrist reports.

Phil Crown, producer of a television series celebrating high-achieving but little-known (here, at least) Maori musicians, headed to the United States last year to gather material for his documentary.

While there, he witnessed Mary and the Maori Hi-Five being honoured on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.

His was the only New Zealand news camera in attendance.

All the more reason for his 13-episode series, Unsung Heroes of Maori Music, which began on Maori Television last night and details the achievements of generations of our homegrown talent.

"There are a lot of stories that need to be told," says Crown, who has spent the past decade developing his idea and traces Maori music from a specific point - the arrival of Europeans en masse in the 19th century.

With them came brass instruments and Western harmonic structure, later an inspiration for the Ratana movement's powerful musical influence.

"It is an old phrase, but music is a universal language. It means the same thing.

"Play a minor chord and it feels the same way, no matter what language they speak.

"I think Maori were attracted to the new sounds.

"There was a curiosity. I think Maori are quite inquisitive by nature, but the beauty of it is they take something and do something creative with it in their own way."

In the early 20th century, Ratana introduced many Maori to brass bands, setting out a disciplined approach to theory and technique that influenced generations of musicians, particularly in the jazz and swing genres, but also including the Te Reo brass band, the Remnant Set and contemporary artists such as Ruia Aperahama.

That tradition of reading and writing continues to this day, Crown says, recalling a tale involving the legendary Tuhi Timoti, who was able to listen to a song off a record then immediately write out the sheet music for it in another key.

Regarded as a major influence on Maori musicians of his time, Timoti was known for the discipline he instilled in his band-mates.

A talented guitarist, he formed the Tuhi Tama band in 1978 alongside another renowned guitarist, Tama Renata, perhaps better known for his contributions to the Once Were Warriors soundtrack and his work with reggae act Herbs.

"You have to recognise the world-class talent," Crown says.

"Take Mary and the Maori Hi-Five - they played in Vegas.

"If anyone can last more than five minutes in Las Vegas in the 1960s, when it was all happening ... to do that now, the person would have to be a huge talent.

"The level of musicality wasn't a fluke; they were really good."

Crown also points to soul singer Leo De Castro who, in 1972, wrote the Renee Geyer single Heading In The Right Direction, "a bit of a Maori anthem".

"I went over and interviewed a few Australian musicians, including [leading producer] Mark Punch, who said Leo was one of the greatest soul singers he has ever met.

"He came from deep in the King Country.