Award-winning recordist Gordon Hempton spent 18 months capturing the sounds and songs around Kona Village Resort, resulting in a 30-minute CD called "Sounds of the Village, Natural Melodies of Kaupulehu." (Photo by Karin Stanton/Hawaii247.com)

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It was August 2006 when an article in a magazine caught the eye of Kona Village Resort general manager Ulrich Krauer. The article titled “The music of water,” told the story of Emmy-winning sound recordist Gordon Hempton.

From that article launched an idea that has become reality with the production of a CD, “Sounds of the Village, Natural Melodies of Kaupulehu.”
Hempton, known as The Sound Tracker®, spent more than 100 hours during an 18-month period recording every nuance of sound at the 82-acre oceanfront Kona Village Resort.

He captured stormy ocean waves crashing on the shoreline and gentle waves curling across the sandy beach at high tide. He captured the nose flute and a traditional Hawaiian chant. Songs of the humpback whales are interspersed with birds chirping and the whispering wind in coconut fronds.

The resulting sound portrait has no added music, no mixing and no studio editing or enhancements. It is the sounds of Kona Village in their purest form.

The 30-minute CD is a soundtrack of memories for guests who have visited numerous times since the resort opened in 1965. For those who have never visited the thatched-roof enclave of Kona Village Resort, the CD paints a picture of a tranquil Hawaiian paradise and makes ideal ambient listening.

“Meeting Gordon for the first time confirmed my hunch that people could and would truly appreciate being able to take home the sounds of Kona Village,” Krauer said. “Gordon has captured an often unrealized but integral part of anyone’s stay and experience at Kona Village. The CD exceeded my expectations.”

Because of Hempton’s innate ability to hear what others do not, Krauer said, the highlights sounds from nature listeners may never heard heard or sounds they have long forgotten.

Sound recordist and acoustic ecologist Hempton lives in Joyce, Wash., where he enjoys the wonderful listening opportunities of real life.

“In my 28 years of seeking quiet places in nature, the soundscape of Kona Village Resort is a priceless achievement and fortunately, one that we can all share,” Hempton said.

Hempton is not just The Sound Tracker®, he also is a writer. His book, “One Square Inch of Silence: One Man’s Search for Natural Silence in a Noisy World,: co-authored with John Grossmann, will be released in March, by Free Press of Simon & Schuster, New York.

To purchase “Sounds of the Village” CDs, ($8 plus tax and shipping), or “Under the Village” DVDs, contact the resort at 325-4260 or e-mail boutique@konavillage.com.

 

"Sounds of the Village, Natural Melodies of Kaupulehu" features humpbacks, birds, wind, Hawaiian chant and ocean noises.(Photo by Karin Stanton/Hawaii247.com)