By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– An eclectic lineup is featured this month at Blue Note Hawaii with an array of iconic national artists, local favorites and hilarious comedians. The Henry Kapono Artist to Artist Series continues with Jerry Santos of Olomana, followed by local greats Shawn Pimental and Lehua Kalima, one-man wonder Tavana, Kapono Nāʻiliʻili, Brother Noland and of course the incomparable Willie K. The Blue Note Hawaii Comedy Series continues this month with Steve Byrne and Louie Anderson. National recording artist and GRAMMY® Award-winning R&B icon Regina Belle kicks off the month and is book ended with a capella phenoms Take 6. More artists this month include bandoneon player JP Jofre and his Nuevo Tango Quartet, the amazing flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert and pop singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson. There are also two late-night shows with self-proclaimed blues road dog G Love, following his performances at the sold-out Jack Johnson concerts.
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 August Blue Note Hawaii lineup includes:
Regina Belle
Date: August 3 – 5
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $55, $45, $35
Regina Belle is an American singer-songwriter from Englewood, New Jersey. At a young age she began performing at Englewood’s Mount Calvary Baptist Church and was introduced to the Manhattans by New York radio DJ Vaughn Harper and began working as their opening act. Belle recorded the 1986 duet, “Where Did We Go Wrong” with the group, which helped to attract the attention of Columbia Records. They eventually signed her to a record deal. In 1987, she released her debut album, “All By Myself.” It included her first hits “So Many Tears” and “Show Me the Way.” Her follow-up album, “Stay with Me,” was then released in 1989.
Belle recorded a duet in 1991 with Johnny Mathis, “Better Together,” which appeared on his album “Better Together: The Duet Album.” Continuing her tradition of duets, Belle teamed up with Peabo Bryson for the songs “I Can’t Imagine,” “Without You” and “A Whole New World,” which was the featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney movie “Aladdin.” The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and won the Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal as well as the Academy Award for Best Song in later that year.
G-Love
Dates: August 4 – 5
Showtime: 11:30pm
Doors: 10:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25
G-Love proudly describes himself as a road dog who “will be touring until I fall off the earth” and plans to keep on pushing with Special Sauce from stage to stage. Whether his next record makes one dollar or a million, it isn’t a big concern to him. Anything he releases stands as a huge success because he made a gritty, honest album or track with the intention to “keeping it raw, keeping it immediate, keeping it real.” It’s an approach that he has honed over the years: “be original and be true to what you do.”
Steve Byrne
Date: August 9
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $36, $26
Steve Byrne has risen through the ranks of the comedy world to become one of the industry’s most innovative and sought-after performers. He has evolved throughout the years into an extremely versatile entertainer that delivers on a day-to-day basis. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, Steve Byrne was born to a Korean mother and an Irish father.
Byrne was the star and creator of Sullivan & Son, a half hour comedy on TBS along with Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Productions for three solid seasons. A true international comedian, Byrne has performed to sold-out crowds around the world. He has been a featured comic at the Just for Laughs Festival (Montreal, Toronto and Chicago), HBO’s US Comedy Arts Festival in Las Vegas and the CanWest Comedy Fest in Vancouver.
Hawaii International Music Festival presents JP Jofre Nuevo Tango Quartet
Date: August 10
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Join internationally renowned Argentinian composer and “master of the bandoneón” (The New York Times) JP Jofre for a special evening. The JP Jofre Hard Tango Chamber Band, based in NYC, was started in 2008 by bandoneonist and composer Juan Pablo (J.P.) Jofre. The group focuses on Jofre’s original works as well as authentic interpretations of legendary composer Astor Piazzolla. Mr. Jofre’s music has been recorded and performed by 16 time Grammy winner Paquito D’ Rivera and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra among others. The show will also include authentic interpretations of legendary composer Astor Piazzolla. JP will be joined by violinist Eric Silberger known for his “dazzling virtuosity” (Washington Post), celebrated pianist Kwan Yi praised for his “lyrical elegance”, and Hawaii Symphony Associate Principal Cellist Sung Chan Chang. The evening will include special guest appearances by Metropolitan Opera Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra and multi-faceted Seattle based pianist Carlin Ma.
Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra
Dates: August 11 – 13
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35
Liebert’s incredible global success on a musical level often seems like a simple outgrowth of his cultural background and powerful wanderlust in his formative years. He began playing guitar at 11, and traveled extensively through Europe and Asia intent on fully absorbing each musical tradition he encountered. By 1989, he had founded the first incarnation of his new band Luna Negra. Nouveau Flamenco began life as a self-produced local release called Marita: Shadows and Storms, copies of which local Indian artist Frank Howell distributed in his art galleries. Liebert has since become one of the most successful instrumental artists of the past decade, thrilling audiences throughout the world and releasing a catalog of classic recordings, including the remix collection Euphoria (1995), the live album Viva! (1995), the double CD Opium (1996) and the classical-oriented orchestral album Leaning into the Night (1997).
Willie K
Date: August 15
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25
As part of a family band—he was the second of nine boys and four girls—Willie learned how to play every instrument that might be needed in the show, from guitar and bass to the ukulele, quickly becoming a virtuoso on each. And he learned how to make music in virtually any genre that might please an audience. His albums released over the past two decades are devoted to everything from pure traditional Hawaiian music to Jazzy/Blues tunes.
Shawn & Lehua
Date: August 16
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Shawn Pimental is a 5-time Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner and Grammy Nominated Music Producer and Artist. He has produced records for Kealii Reichel, Lehua Kalima, Na Palapalai, Kaumakaiwa Kanakaole, Na Leo Pilimehana, Kainani Kahaunaele, Justin Young, Chad Takatsugi, Three Plus, Rebel Souljahz and many more. One third of the group Na Leo Pilimehana since 1984, Lehua Kalima has been performing for over 30 years. With her roots in Hawaiian music and her passion in folk and pop, Kalima has penned and recorded over 35 songs both with Na Leo Pilimehana and as a solo artist. A recipient of over 20 Na Hoku Hanohano awards with Na Leo, Kalima has also won an umprecedented 3 individual awards as a songwriter for Songs of the Year and the Hoku for Contemporary Album of the for her solo album ‘Rising in Love’ released in 2011.
Henry Kapono’s Artist to Artist Series: Jerry Santos of Olomana
We Are Friends ~ A Lifetime Party of 70’s Music
Date: August 17
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25, Ultra VIP $65
Outrigger Resorts and Kapono Inc. present the second show of their unique and exciting “Artist to Artist” series in collaboration with the special GRAMMY Museum® exhibit We are Friends: A Lifetime Party of ‘70s Hawaiian Music, with Henry Kapono hosting Hawai‘i’s iconic GRAMMY Museum® featured artists.
Best known for his work in the musical group Olomana, Jerry Santos has maintained an influential presence on the Hawaii music scene for over four decades. Born and raised on the windward side of Oahu and a graduate of The Kamehameha Schools, Jerry established himself early on as one of Hawaii’s most prolific song writers. As a founding member and lead singer of the legendary group, Olomana, Jerry helped to create a unique and easily recognizable musical style, blending Hawaiian music with contemporary rhythms.
This show is sponsored by Outrigger Resorts, Hawaii News Now and Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Blue Note Comedy Series: Louie Anderson
Date: August 18 and 19
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $55, $45, $35
Iconic comedian Louie Anderson, the three-time Emmy Award® winner, is one of the country’s most recognized and adored comics; named by Comedy Central as “One of 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time.” His career has spanned more than 30 years. He is a best-selling author, star of his own stand-up specials and sitcoms and he continues to tour the country performing to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. In 2016 Anderson was cast to co-star along with Zach Galifianakis and Martha Kelly in the hit FX comedy series Baskets. Anderson plays the extraordinary role of Christine, the matriarch of the Baskets clan. He based the character on his mother and his five sisters who were all a major presence in his life. Anderson won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Christine Baskets in 2016.
Freda Payne: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald’s 100th Birthday
Date: August 20
Showtime: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Freda Payne is a Detroit native who was discovered by her piano teacher at the early age of twelve. She began singing for local affairs around Detroit, winning talent contests on local TV as well as on the national TV show, the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour. She was an early protégé of Quincy Jones during his big band era and also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2008 in honor of Quincy’s seventy fifth birthday celebration. Freda is best recognized for her 1970’s hits, “Band of Gold” and “Bring the Boys Home.” Freda received a nomination for best R&B female vocalist for “Band of Gold,” and another nomination from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for her album Contact. Freda has film credits as well including The Book of Number’s, Rag Doll, Sprung, Nutty Professor: The Klumps, Cordially Invited, Rhapsody and The Divorce.
Tavana
Date: August 21
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Tavana’s blend of singer/songwriter, acoustic-blues-rock-roots music has been captivating audiences throughout the Hawaiian island chain and east to the mainland. Tavana has sent many of Hawaii’s visitors home with a fresh experience far beyond expectation. Tavana’s innovative sound has gained him radio play of original music like Vanster Hop, Warrior Song,Still They Want More, Wino, Desert Rain and My Carnival quickly gaining momentum among the local scene.
Take 6
Date: August 22 – 27
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $55, $45, $35
TAKE 6 is the most awarded a cappella group in history, with ten Grammy’s, ten Dove Awards (Gospel Music Awards), Best Jazz Vocal Group honors for seven consecutive years in Downbeat’s prestigious Reader’s and Critic’s Poll, a Soul Train Music Award, BRE (Black Radio Exclusive) Vocal Group of the Year, two NAACP Image Award nominations, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and countless other musical and humanitarian citations. Showing the global appeal of this phenomenal group, they celebrated their 25th Anniversary last year with a World Tour. From New York’s famed Blue Note to the Montreux Jazz Festival, from PBS to ABC-TV specials, they remain the quintessential and pre-eminent a capella group in the world, working harder than ever, and loving every minute of it.
Kapono Nāʻiliʻili
Date: August 29
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
One of Hawaii’s most sought after artists, Kapono Nāʻiliʻili, has performed with everyone from Kumu Hula Robert Cazimero to pop band, Crimson Apple. He has entertained fans in Hawaii, Japan, and numerous cities across the nation including Chicago and New York. Recognized as the latest half of musical duo, HAPA, Nāʻiliʻili is now concentrating on a solo career.
Brother Noland
Date: August 30
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Brother Noland has deeply influenced contemporary Hawaiian music and is widely considered as the “Father of Jawaiian Music.” Fluid in both Slack Key and standard guitar tunings, Brother Noland goes wherever the music carries him. “As far back as I can remember,” Noland says, “I was always surrounded by the beautiful sounds of Hawaiian music.” Brother Noland is popular for his unique interpretations (or “Nolandization”) of songs yet remains respectful of traditional Hawaiian music and culture.
Eric Hutchinson
Date: August 31 – September 2
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25
Singer, songwriter, performer, producer, DJ – Eric Hutchinson is a constantly evolving musician, driven by his passion and curiosity for all things musical and creative. He independently recorded his debut album Sounds Like This in 2007 and it became the highest charting album by an unsigned artist in iTunes history. Eric’s 2008 single “Rock & Roll” earned him his first gold record in the United States and the song became a #1 hit in Australia, New Zealand & Norway. He has traveled all over America and the world performing his music in places like Dubai, Oslo, London & Melbourne. Eric has toured and performed with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz and OneRepublic and has appeared on “The Today Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Conan,” and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. Eric is the creator of “Songversations,” a music listening card game that will be released by Abrams Books in Fall 2017.
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. Blue Note Hawaii also features a contemporary gift, including a dedicated location for musical acts to hold autograph sessions following each show. Guests can also dine at the venue, where a full-service restaurant and bar highlights the culinary talents of Chef Rodney Uyehara. Talent buying and programming is handled out of Blue Note Entertainment Group’s New York office. Additionally, the venue is 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; Beijing, China; Milan, Italy; Napa, CA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Honolulu, HI). 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.