Ernie Cruz Jr. "Together Now"

"Together Now" by Ernie Cruz Jr. In 2011, I attended the Na Hoku Hanohano Festival workshops and had the pleasure of hearing stories and insights from some of Hawaii's best musicians. Ernie Cruz Jr. was one of them. Ernie talked about rhythm at the workshop. The tempo, the beat—this is what brings the soul of a song together. It's the heart of the music. When Kalapana introduced a fresh sound to the islands in the late 1970s and 1980s, the people of Hawaii immediately connected with this "contemporary style" Hawaiian music. Songwriters throughout the islands started composing music and playing in this beautiful, new style. Some 30 years later, Ernie's friend Jerry Medeiros wrote "Together Now" with this contemporary style in mind. Jerry got married in September 2011, and Ernie and his group surprised Jerry by playing "Together Now" at the wedding. Here's a new version of the song, recorded for the HI*Session video series, whose mission is to provide intimate, quality live Hawaiian music performances to the world.