By Staff Reports
(HONOLULU) – Blue Note Hawaii, the state’s premier venue for the world’s most celebrated artists, welcomes world-renowned guitarists Tak Matsumoto and Daniel Ho for one night only, March 19, 2017. Tickets are on sale now for this special event.
Tak Matsumoto & Daniel Ho Live! 2017
-Electric Island, Acoustic Sea-
March 19, 2017
Tickets: $65, $55 & $45
Showtimes: 6:30 pm (Doors open 5 pm) & 9 pm (Doors open 8:30 pm)
Tak Matsumoto and Daniel Ho have joined forces to release their first collaborative work entitled “Electric Island, Acoustic Sea,” releasing in February 2017. Japan and Hawaii, the music of two different island cultures has been blended by GRAMMY® Award recipient Takahiro Matsumoto and Daniel Ho in their first collaboration. Takahiro Matsumoto ‘s unique electric guitar plays a beautiful melody on this peaceful instrumental album, fused with colorful acoustic instruments played by Hawaiian-born Daniel Ho. This album is a blend of Japanese and Hawaiian cultures, electric and acoustic musical influences, performed by a producer and a multi-instrument player. The album features a fusion of traditional instruments including koto, ukulele, Ipe heke and slack key guitar, creating a genuinely warm and peaceful sound in a GRAMMY® Award-winning collaboration.
About Tak Matsumoto
Tak Matsumoto (also know as Takahiro Matsumoto) is a GRAMMY® Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer and songwriter. In addition to being the guitarist and lead composer for the hard rock duo B’z, he has also had a successful solo career.
He began playing guitar as soon as he entered high school and has appeared in music contests, school festivals and other venues since he was a student. He started his professional career as a session guitarist, participating in the studio work for many musicians. In May of 1988, while serving as a support guitarist at several concerts, he released his first solo album and soon after formed his own band, B’z, which made its debut in September of the same year.
In June 1999 he was selected by the Gibson guitar company as the first-ever Japanese Les Paul “signature artist,” and only the fifth person in the world to ever receive this honor.
In 2004, he formed TMG (Tak Matsumoto Group), forging ahead with his own brand of musical genius. That same year, Matsumoto established his own label, “House Of Strings,” which emphasizes guitarists and string musicians. He recorded again at a studio where the songs were played with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony of Orchestra, and then released as the first House Of Strings CD with the same title on the album.
In 2010, after the tour “Ain’t No Magic” as B’z, he worked with guitarist Larry Carlton. They released an album together called “Take Your Pick.” The album was considered for nomination in nine categories at the 2011 GRAMMY® Awards and won the award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
About Daniel Ho
From his simple beginnings in Honolulu to his life amid the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, Daniel Ho has worked over the years as a musician, producer, singer/songwriter, arranger, composer, engineer, and record company owner. The most compelling of these roles has been as a six-time GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, featured slack key guitarist, and artist in the “Best Hawaiian Music Album,” “Best Pop Instrumental Album,” and “Best World Music Album” categories.
Daniel’s musical inclinations were apparent at an early age. His first instruments were organ and ‘ukulele, from which he graduated to classical guitar, piano, electric guitar, bass, drums, and eventually, voice. His passion for music led him to study composing, arranging and film scoring at the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. He began his professional career as the leader, keyboardist, composer, and producer for Kilauea, a contemporary jazz group he formed in 1990. By 1997, Kilauea had released six chart-topping albums, two of which hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s jazz charts.
In 1998, Daniel set his sights on starting an independent record label and launched Daniel Ho Creations. His interests in photography and graphic design complimented the requisite responsibilities of marketing and production. Slowly, the releases grew into collaborative projects that featured himeni (Hawaiian hymnody), hula, ‘ukulele, and slack key guitar. To date, Daniel Ho Creations has released over eighty acoustic and Hawaiian-themed CDs by many of Hawai’i’s most respected artists, who are first and foremost friends. Daniel has received numerous Hawaiian music industry accolades including three Na Hoku Hanohano awards and fifteen Hawai’i Music Awards.
Daniel is an accomplished singer-songwriter and has shared his music as a soloist throughout the U.S, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Europe, and Australia. He has served as a cultural ambassador for U.S. Embassies; been featured with the Honolulu Symphony; performed as a keyboardist and guitarist for GRAMMY® Award-winning vocalist, Peabo Bryson; guest-lectured at Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA) and Tokyo University (Tokyo, Japan); authored nine music books; and toured as a clinician for YAMAHA Guitars. On a behind-the-silver-screen note, he sang the Hawaiian-language cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which can be heard during the end credits of the 2008 feature film, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
With the continued popularity of the ‘ukulele, Daniel’s original song, “Pineapple Mango (The Breakfast Song),” has risen to fame as an instrumental anthem plentifully covered by ‘ukulele enthusiasts around the world on YouTube. Currently, Daniel’s custom KoAloha D-VI tenor ‘ukulele is on display at the GRAMMY® Museum. In addition, he has collaborated with world-renowned luthier Pepe Romero in the design of the Tiny Tenor and XS Soprano ‘ukuleles.
Most recently, in 2014, Daniel’s album Our World In Song (An Odyssey of Musical Treasures) with Luis Conté and Wu Man was nominated for a GRAMMY® in the World Music category. Daniel is a YAMAHA guitar artist and plays ‘ukuleles made by KoAloha and Romero Creations.
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.