Some musical groups cover a lot of territory, but it would be hard to outdo Te Vaka: The 12-piece music and dance troupe represents a culture that spans some 16 million square miles of the Earth’s surface: Polynesia. Drawn from the Maori music of New Zealand, the chants of Tahiti and other far-flung outposts within the massive Polynesian Triangle, Te Vaka’s music is both traditional and original, mixing ancient chants and log drumming with modern instrumentation and the forward-looking songwriting of bandleader Opetaia Foa’i. Their vibrant, colorful, joyful performances provide a highlight to any summer.

Foa’i was born in Western Samoa into a farming and fishing village rich in traditional culture. He didn’t own a pair of shoes until he was nine, when the family moved to New Zealand. He took in other influences, and by age 15 was leading a band playing Jimi Hendrix covers and reggae tunes. By the mid-1990s he’d reconnected with traditional Polynesian music styles and formed Te Vaka.
The outfit has released five critically-hailed CDs and two live concert DVDs. On their first world tour in 1998, they were a sensation at the Austin-based South by Southwest festival.