By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– We’re thankful for this amazing November lineup at Blue Note Hawaii, the state’s premier venue for the world’s most celebrated artists. The month kicks off with the “troubadour of heartbreak,” Rachael Yamagata, followed by blind musical prodigy, Rachel Flowers, the subject of a critically-acclaimed documentary called one of the Hawaii International Film Festival’s thirteen must-see films. Next up is genre-bending bluesy soul artist, Citizen Cope, in a series of solo acoustic shows in the most intimate of settings. Then Peter Cincotti, called “one of the most promising singer-pianists of the next generation” by the New York Times. The month ends on a high note with “the Godfather of British Blues,” John Mayall. The lineup of amazing local talent continues with Adagio, falsetto impresario Kamakakehau Fernandez, the incomparable Willie K, Broadway star Loretta Ables Sayre, the Mike Lewis Band’s Tribute to Miles Davis, local favorite Anuhea, multi-talented songstress Meleana Brown and Kapono Na’ili’ili. Lastly, Blue Note Hawaii partners with Joy of Sake to present its first-ever sake tasting event.
Additional outreach to locals is the 15% kama‘aina discount available to residents for most shows at all price levels. This is available online with code MAHALO15, as well as in person at the box office. Parking is validated at the OHANA Waikiki East Hotel for $6 for four hours.
The full November Blue Note Hawaii lineup includes:
Rachael Yamagata
Dates: November 3
Show times: 6:30pm & 9pm, Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25
VIP Packages Available:
VIP Upper Table (Both Sets, 4 seats): $360.00
VIP Booth (Both Sets, 4 Seats): $360.00
VIP Table Seat (Both Sets, One Seat): $90.00
Rachael Yamagata first broke onto the music scene with her critically-acclaimed debut album 2004 “Happenstance” released on RCA Victor and would become hailed as the ‘troubadour of heartbreak’ in the press. She signed to Warner Bros. Records to release 2008’s “Elephants/ Teeth Sinking Into Heart” and launched her own Frankenfish Records label for 2011’s “Chesapeake and Heavyweight.” Her extremely broad range of fans defies the age and genre spectrum and has led to praise from and work with songsmiths like Ryan Adams and Conor Oberst to Pete Townsend, Deepak Chopra and many more. She’s pioneered indie artist status as a CEO, speaking at Chicago Ideas week on the topic, running two record breaking Pledge campaigns and is even profiled in two online classes at Berklee School of Music. She wrote Tightrope Walker (to be released 9/23/2016) after having a gosh darn mystical vision and has evolved an edge laden sound with a universal theme of perseverance, compassion and owning your own power. She returned to her roots and resides in Woodstock, NY.
Hawaii’s Finest Productions Presents
REVIVE THE LIVE WAIKIKI EDITION
Date: November 4 & 5
Showtimes: 8pm
Doors: 6pm
Tickets: $25, $20, $10, $5 increase day of show
No kama‘aina discount available
The Revive the Live concert series is making its way to the heart of Waikiki featuring some of Hawaii’s top island & reggae artists. We kick off Friday, November 4th featuring Hawaii’s roots heavy weights Ooklah The Moc alongside the legendary PeniDean (former lead singer of Natty Vibes) and The Easies. Come enjoy over three hours of amazing live music and one of Hawaii’s top DJs spinning between sets and after the show.
Line Up on November 4:
8:00-9:00pm – DJ
9:00-10:00pm – So Roots
10:15-11:15pm – PeniDean
11:30-12:45am – Ooklah the Moc
12:45am-2:00am – DJ
Line Up on November 5:
8:00-9:00om – DJ
9:00-10:00pm – Kapena
10:15-11:15pm – Hot Rain
11:30-12:30am – PeniDean
12:30-2:00am – DJ
Adagio
Date: November 6
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Since 2012, Adagio has been bringing a unique brand of R&B/neo-soul influenced jazz to the Honolulu music scene. The band plays regularly at Jazz Minds where it has been performing since its inception. This year they have been selected to represent Hawaii jazz at the Red Clay Jazz Festival on Kauai in August. The band is made up of vocalist Riya Davis, bandleader and keyboardist Joshua Kaye, drummer and vocalist Bonny B. and bassist Mark Tanouye.
Kamakakehau Fernandez
Date: November 7
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
If anyone could be described as having “Hawaiian heart and soul,” it is indeed Ryan Kamakakehau Fernandez. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, this 6-week old African American infant was adopted by Robyn Naeʻole and brought to the shores of Maui, Hawaiʻi. It is here that his new family and home shaped “Kamaka” into one of Hawaiʻi’s newest and most refreshing talents. Kamakakehau was one of the featured performers on the 2004 “Aloha Festivals Falsetto Contest Winners – Vol. 5” CD; he was the 2012 winner of 4th Annual Kani Ka Pila Grille Talent Search; and he worked with multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano (Hawai’i’s version of the Grammys) award-winning producer Dave Tucciarone on his debut solo album “Wahi Mahalo,” for which Kamakakehau won the 2013 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Extended Play – EP.
Willie K
Dates: November 8
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25
Raised on Maui, Willie Kahaiali`i (a.k.a. Willie K) has been entertaining audiences with his music since the age of 10. He has evolved into an eclectic and charismatic singer, songwriter, entertainer, and now actor. One of Hawaii’s most versatile talents, Willie performs a myriad of musical genres, including Hawaiian, Jazz, Blues, Reggae, Rock, Country Western, and even Opera.
Rachel Flowers
Date: November 9
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
A multi-talented instrumentalist and composer, Rachel Flowers is twenty-two years old. Born 15 weeks premature, she lost her eyesight at three months old due to Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). When she was two years old Rachel’s mother showed her how to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on the piano. Rachel picked up the melody immediately and was soon playing every song she heard by ear. The child had perfect pitch. Rachel is the subject of the new feature documentary, “Hearing is Believing,” by award-winning filmmaker Lorenzo DeStefano, screening Nov. 8 & 11, 2016 at the 36th Hawaii International Film Festival http://program.hiff.org/films/detail/hearing_is_believing_2016.
Citizen Cope
Date: November 10, 11, 12 and 13
Showtime: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $56, $46, $36
Limited kama‘aina discount tickets available
Citizen Cope brings his acclaimed, distinctive music to Blue Note Hawaii. Experience his work in an intimate setting as Cope runs through what promises to be an inspiring, remarkable acoustic set. Dug deep into the rich soil of American music, Cope’s roots are complex You may think of Bill Withers or Neil Young or John Lee Hooker or Van Morrison or Willie Nelson or Al Green. Yet, listening to Cope, you also may think of none of the above. You may not think at all, but rather feel a man exposing stories that haunt his heart. His sounds are southern rural, big sky lonely, concrete urban, and painfully romantic. In the past nine years, Cope has produced four albums of depth and distinction, each a critical chapter in his search for a sound that paints an auditory American landscape in which despair wars with hope and hope, tied to love, is elusive. He’s a one-man band, trying to make sense of all the nonsense that marks the 21st Century.
Loretta Ables Sayre
Date: November 14
Showtime: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Ables Sayre began singing professionally in 1979 as the first featured female vocalist with Keola and Kapono Beamer in the Ocean Showroom of the Reef Hotel in Waikiki. She was the opening act for comedian Andy Bumatai in the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1981. Loretta made her London and U.K. debut in late summer 2011 in South Pacific at the Barbican Theatre and appeared in the production’s U.K. tour in cities across England, Scotland and Wales. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress and a Theatre World Award for her Broadway and NYC debuts in the role and performed Bali Hai on the nationally broadcast 2008 Tony Awards Preview Concert. The run concluded with a live, nationally-televised PBS production of “Live From Lincoln Center; South Pacific.”
Get Jazzed For Sake
A Sake & Food-Pairing Event
Date: November 15
Event Time: 6:00pm
Doors: 5:00pm
Tickets: $55
Join us for an evening of sake, pupus and live music!
As with wine, there are simple rules to follow when pairing food and sake. Join us for an evening of tips followed by sampling of excellent daiginjo, ginjo and junmai sakes from The Joy of Sake. Then put your pairing knowledge to the test against a selection of pupus from Blue Note Hawaii’s executive chef, Rodney Uyehara. Enjoy live music from Mike Lewis & Friends from 6-8pm. Your ticket includes the menu below plus unlimited sake samples. No-host bar available.
MENU
– Shrimp & Scallop Chawanmushi
– Okada Crab Cake Sliders
– Crispy Salmon Skin Chazuke with Ikura
– Braised Short Rib Konbumaki
– Hamachi Carpaccio Shots
Peter Cincotti
Date: November 16 – 20
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $55, $45, $35
Peter Cincotti, singer-songwriter-pianist and native New Yorker, began playing piano at the age of three. While in high school, he regularly performed in clubs throughout Manhattan and by the age of 18 was being called “one of the most promising singer-pianists of the next generation” by the New York Times. In 2003, Peter’s debut album, produced by the legendary Phil Ramone, reached #1 on the Billboard jazz charts, making Cincotti the youngest artist ever to do so. This led to acclaimed performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, Paris’ Le’ Olympia, The Montreux Festival (where he won an award in their renown piano competition), London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, and many other prestigious venues around the world. Peter currently appears as himself in season three of the award-winning Netflix series House of Cards, singing a duet with the President himself, Kevin Spacey. In April of 2015 he performed with Sting and Annie Lennox at the Old Vic Theater Gala in a tribute to Kevin.
Mike Lewis: Tribute to Miles Davis
Dates: November 21
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
A native New Yorker who has spent substantial time performing in Polynesia and the tristate New York area, Mike Lewis has recently moved back to Hawaii from the Pacific Northwest. Fluent in jazz trumpet, lead trumpet, and recording projects, his resume includes touring and recording with Buddy Rich, Sarah Vaughn, Sammy Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Sonny and Cher, Billy Joel, Natalie Cole, Rosemary Clooney, The Temptations, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, and Bruno Mars. Teaching highlights include Jazz in the Schools Hawaii, Christ Church Polytech Jazz School, Friends Academy New York, and Washington Middle School Seattle.
First Annual Thanksgiving Celebration with Anuhea and Friends
Date: November 22 – 26
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25
Anuhea has enjoyed several iTunes & Radio Hit singles including “SIMPLE LOVE SONG” and “Higher Than the Clouds”. A major presence on the Islands with multiple hit songs being played in heavy rotation hourly, along with favorable critical comparison to fellow islanders Jack Johnson and Bruno Mars, Anuhea also enjoys the distinction of being specifically requested to perform by his Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Anuhea, who recently headlined sold-out North American venues in cities across the country including NYC, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Chicago and many more. She has also played NFL Halftime shows including the Pro Bowl and appeared on many music festivals including Wakarusa, Outside Lands and the Kokua Festival. Anuhea is the most played female artist on the radio in Hawaii and arguably the most famous female artist to ever come from the state of Hawaii, speaks fluent Hawaiian and is involved with many charitable organizations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and Pacific including Mana Maoli and Jack Johnson’s Kokua Foundation.
Lazar Bear Presents John Mayall & His Band: The Godfather of British Blues
Dates: November 27
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $58, $48, $38
No kama‘aina discount available
For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, “The Godfather of British Blues.” In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne’s label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing a true artistic and career renaissance. This revival continues with the release of a brilliant new studio album titled “Find a Way to Care,” produced by John and Eric at famed House of Blues Studios in Encino, California. Following up on ‘A Special Life’ and the 2015 releases, ‘Find A Way To Care’ and ‘Live in 1967’, Forty Below Records plans to release ‘Live In 1967 Volume II’ in 2016, and a new studio album is also in the works. Today, John can safely say he’s never been happier with his band and career and the road continues.
Meleana Brown
Dates: November 28
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Multi- talented Meleana Brown performs Gospel, Hawaiian, Classical Opera, ballads, Pop and R&B nationally and internationally. In 2010, Meleana was the opening act for Grammy-winning Bruno Mars in Honolulu. She comes from a talented family. Her cousin is Nicole Scherzinger, former lead singer of the Pussy Cat Dolls and her sister is Christina Brown of High School Musical, a star of music and television. Meleana performed alongside Celine Dion’s renowned violinist, Roddy Chung, at a benefit concert in Los Angeles in 2012. After auditioning for Duets on ABC she was singing on national TV, alongside nine-time Grammy winner, John Legend, within hours. She went on to travel all over the world singing as a featured vocalist on the high seas for a luxury cruise liner. In 2003, Meleana was one of the top 12 finalists on the popular TV show, American Idol, in a season that featured Grammy & Academy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, and Season Three winner, Fantasia. Meleana is currently performing at different venues throughout Los Angeles. She is also working on an album that is due to release in October of 2016.
Kapono Na’ili’ili and Friends
Featuring: Will Yokoyama, Josh Kaye, Mark Lindberg, Maka Perry
Dates: November 29 and 30
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Kapono Na’ili’ili, known for his beautiful vocals, as well as his mastery of a multitude of instruments, released Ala Iki, his long-anticipated debut solo album, on February 27, 2014. His performance on lead vocals, as well as lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and percussion demonstrate the reason he’s in high demand by other musicians to perform with them live and to contribute his skills to their recording projects. For the past two years Kapono was one half of the duo, HAPA, alongside Barry Flanagan.
About Blue Note Hawaii
Located in the former Society of Seven showroom inside Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Blue Note Hawaii will feature a year-round lineup of musical entertainment – from local talent to international sensations – for limited engagements. As a part of Outrigger’s ongoing commitment to the musical arts, the performance venue has undergone an extensive, multi-million-dollar revitalization, creating a brand new venue in the heart of Hawaii’s most famed beach resort destination. Blue Note Hawaii features completely new décor and a state-of-the-art sound and light system.
The 9,000 square-foot facility was designed by local architecture and interior design firm InForm Design, and seats over 300 patrons, showcasing two performances nightly in an intimate setting – seven days a week, 365 days a year. A contemporary gift shop is part of the plan, including a dedicated location for musical acts to hold autograph sessions following each show. Guest will have the opportunity to dine at the venue, where a full-service restaurant and bar will highlight the culinary talents of Chef Rodney Uyehara. Talent buying and programming will be handled out of Blue Note Entertainment Group’s New York office. Additionally, the venue will be available for private event bookings.
About Blue Note Entertainment Group
Blue Note Entertainment Group, founded in 1981 by Danny Bensusan, is a multi-faceted entertainment company that owns and operates New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, Highline Ballroom, Subrosa, and Lucille’s Grill; The Howard Theatre (Washington D.C.); and Blue Note Jazz Clubs Worldwide (Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan and Milan, Italy). The company also programs the Regattabar Jazz Club (Cambridge, MA). Blue Note Entertainment Group presents shows outside of its club network. The annual Blue Note Jazz Festival was established in 2011 and has since grown to become the largest jazz festival in New York City each June. Subsidiaries of Blue Note Entertainment Group include the GRAMMY®-nominated record label Half Note Records, whose catalogue includes over fifty titles recorded live at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, as well as Blue Note Travel, Management Group and Media Group.
About Outrigger Enterprises Group
Outrigger Enterprises Group is one of the largest and fastest growing privately held leisure lodging, retail and hospitality companies operating in the Asia Pacific, Oceania and Indian Ocean regions. As part of its unique hospitality offering, the values-based company extends exceptional hospitality and authentic cultural experiences, incorporating local traditions and customs into the guest experience at each of its properties worldwide. Guided by more than 68 years of family leadership, Outrigger runs a highly-successful, multi-branded portfolio of hotels, condominiums and vacation resort properties, including Outrigger® Resorts, OHANA® Hotels and Resorts, Hawaii Vacation Condos by Outrigger®, Embassy Suites®, Holiday Inn®, Best Western®, Wyndham Vacation Ownership® and Hilton Grand Vacations™. Currently, Outrigger operates and/or has under development 40 properties with approximately 9,000 rooms located in Hawaii (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii Island); Guam; Fiji; Thailand; Mauritius; Maldives; Vietnam; and Hainan Island, China. For online information, log on at www.outriggerenterprisesgroup.com and www.outrigger.com. Join Outrigger’s social network to Find Out. Find Outrigger! Follow @OutriggerResort on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OutriggerResorts. For on-going news, visit http://news.outrigger.com.