Jack de Mello and his lush orchestrations would change the history of Hawaiian music forever. Having said that, perhaps we should explore where and when the de Mellos began their love affair with the music of these islands and how that love affair would affect the growth of Hawaiian music in the 20th century.
Jack no longer works in the day to day operations of the label he founded in 1947. However his consultations remain a daily part in all aspects of the operation. His son, Jon began to produce music under the Music of Polynesia label in the mid 1960’s and developed his own label, The Mountain Apple Company, which today is a hybrid of traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. Jack continues to compose and record in the world of digital settings. He continues to license his compositions and orchestrations to music libraries around the world.
