By Staff Reports
(Honolulu) –Blue Note Hawaii is celebrating its second anniversary and the beginning of 2018 with an amazing lineup of music and comedy in January. Some of the national recording artists include folk guitarist and songwriter, Vince Herman and one of the greatest harmonica players of all time John Popper of Blues Traveler. Two of the greatest female vocalists of our time perform back-to-back with the return of Lisa Fischer and the debut of Rachelle Ferrell. The local favorites this month include Keauhou, Kimié Miner, Evan Khay, Willie K, Robert Cazimero, Kuana Torres Kahele and Mango Season. The official anniversary celebration welcomes back Chris Botti to lead his all-star band in a six-night series you don’t want to miss.
A 15% kama‘aina discount is available to residents for most shows. This is available online with code MAHALO15, as well as in person at the box office. Parking is validated at the OHANA East Hotel for $6 for four hours, and at the Outrigger Waikiki for $15 for four hours valet.
The full January Blue Note Hawaii lineup includes:
Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon
January 3
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $35, Loge $25, Bar $25
For the past quarter-century, guitarist/singer Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon has established himself as part of the great purveyors of Americana music, digging deep into the well that supplies his genre-splicing style.
John Popper of Blues Traveler
January 4 – 6
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $45, Loge $35, Bar $25
One of the most phenomenal harmonica players in history, John Popper formed his band, Blues Traveler, with his high school friends in the late 80s. Popper has co-written songs with many different artists spanning many genres and frequently appears as a guest performer with musicians both famous and obscure.
Keauhou
January 9
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $35, Loge $25, Bar $15
Comprised of Kahanuola Solatorio and brothers Nicholas and Zachary Lum, Keauhou strives to bring forth inspiration from Hawaiian music of the eras preceding them, and contribute to a renewed respect and interest for the incomparable beauty of traditional Hawaiian music. The trio recently swept Hawaii’s Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in May of 2017, winning 9 awards, including Hawaiian Music Album of the Year.
Blue Note Comedy Series: Hannibal Buress
January 11 at 7:00 & 9:30 p.m. (doors at 5:00 & 9:00)
January 12 at 7:30 & 10:00 p.m. (doors at 6:00 & 9:30)
General Admission $45
Hannibal Buress is a wildly popular comedian, writer and actor who is a favorite of fans and critics on big and small screens alike. With his first national theatre stand-up comedy tour sold out and The New York Times lauding him as one of the most “supremely gifted and respected” comics around, Hannibal is emerging as a comedy superstar.
Kimié Miner
January 13 – 14
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $35, Loge $25, Bar $15
Singer-songwriter Kimié Miner creates an inimitable musical style that dresses the listener in a flowing mu‘umu‘u at sunset on a cool, Hawaiian beach. Growing up on an island, surrounded by the ocean is a formative experience which can be heard throughout her work; giving her songs a loose, down-to-earth feel, and imbuing her lyrics with natural imagery.
Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton
January 16 – 18
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Table & Booth $55, Bar $45
Lisa Fischer has toured extensively as a hired-gun, singing behind the Rolling Stones and for her mentor Luther Vandross. She would later form her own group and set out on tour to showcase her and each members’ refined musical talents from years in the industry.
Rachelle Ferrell
January 19 – 21
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Table & Booth Seating $45, Bar $35
Contemporary jazz singer Rachelle Ferrell began singing at the age of six, which contributed to the development of her startling six-and-change octave range. Her range also includes the ability to reach the whistle register, which has been described as a “Minnie Riperton-like wailing.”
Evan Khay
January 22
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $35, Loge $25, Bar $15.
Singer-songwriter Evan Khay has performed throughout Hawai‘i and the Continental United States appearing as a solo artist and supporting musician. He blends various genres to craft his unique sound and to showcase his ambitions as an artist. Although Evan constantly plays for an audience, Evan is most passionate about writing, composing and recording original music.
Willie K
January 23
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Prem $45, Loge $35, Bar $25
The Hawaiian phenomenon Willie K is undoubtedly the only artist in the world who can go into an Irish pub in the middle of Maui and play anything from indigenous acoustic Hawaiian music to jazz, reggae, rock, country and even opera—and leave everyone within earshot slack-jawed in astonishment.
Robert Cazimero: Concerts for All Seasons – Winter
January 25
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $45, Loge $35, Bar $25
In the 1970s, Robert Cazimero was instrumental in the resurgence of Hawaiian music and culture. That resurgence began a career that almost thirty years later is stronger than ever. Musician, composer, kumu hula; his work in all of these areas is well-known throughout the world.
Blue Note Comedy Series: Kevin Nealon
January 26 – 27
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $55, Loge $45, Bar $35
Kevin Nealon sets himself apart from other comedic performers with his unique sense of humor, dry wit and likeable demeanor. Nealon is best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and has received critical acclaim for his role in the Showtime series, Weeds.
Kuana Torres Kahele: Music for The Hawaiian Islands
Hawai’i Keawe: A Tribute to Hawaii and the Music of Johnny Lum Ho
January 28
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $35, Loge $25, Bar $15
Kuana Torres Kahele kicks off a new seven-concert series at Blue Note Hawaii! Torres recorded seven CDs of original music, each album dedicated to a different Hawaiian Island. On January 28, he’ll perform the first concert in this new series dedicated to Hawaii Island, and will feature the music of Johnny Lum Ho.
Kuana has been involved in the music and hula scene of Hilo since he was 6 years old, training as a kane dancer under legendary Hilo kumu hula Johnny Lum Ho. Kuana will launch his Tribute to the Hawaiian Islands, a 7-part series, starting with the Big Island, and featuring the music of his kumu hula Johnny Luma Ho.
Mango Season
January 29
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $35, Loge $25, Bar $15
Led by this husband and wife duo, Mango Season evolved their sound from acoustic folk performed on the sidewalks and dive bars of downtown Honolulu into a full, sexy seven-piece band that delivers an intoxicating mix of vintage soul, jazz infused harmonies, and a shock of funk groove.
Second Anniversary Celebration with Chris Botti
January 30 – February 4
Showtimes: 6:30 & 9:00 p.m.
Doors: 5:00 & 8:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Premium $95, Loge $85, Bar $75
Trumpeter Chris Botti is a major artist in his own right. Performing worldwide and selling more than three million albums, he has found a form of creative expression that begins in jazz and expands beyond the limits of any single genre.
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, Beijing, China, Napa, California, and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil). 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.