By Staff Reports
(HONOLULU) – January is the one-year anniversary of Blue Note Hawaii, the state’s premier venue for the world’s most celebrated artists, and what a year it’s been! The month of celebration kicks off with a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim by Mike Lewis, followed by two nights with Zanuck Lindsey & Friends, three nights with guitar duo Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, alternative hip hop artist G. Love, local icon Danny Kaleikini, composer, arranger and bassist Kyle Eastwood, incomparable jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, local favorite Robert Cazimero, Irie Love and Willie K.
A 15% kama‘aina discount is available to residents for most. 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.
The full January Blue Note Hawaii lineup includes:
Mike Lewis & Friends present: A Tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim
Date: January 1
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
A tribute to one of the primary forces behind the creation of the “bossa nova” style of music!
Mike Lewis has spent substantial time performing in Polynesia and the tri-state New York area, Mike Lewis has recently moved back to Hawaii after 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.
Don Ho to Hula Joe: Swingin’ and Croonin’ in Paradise with Zanuck Lindsey and Friends
Dates: January 3 and 4
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Local boy and Kamehameha Schools grad, Zanuck Lindsey, earned a B.A. in Music from California State University at Northridge. A professional musician for 30+ years, Zanuck has shared the stage with Tony Bennett, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Chaka Khan, The Doobie Brothers, Isaac Hayes, The Captain & Tennille, Tower of Power, Pauline Wilson, Yvonne Elliman, Jim Belushi, Merv Griffin, Lou Rawls, Azure McCall, and “La Boheme” and “Rigoletto” with the San Jose Symphony Orchestra.
His original song, “Heat of the Night” won 1st place in the 1987 National Songwriting Contest sponsored by Budweiser and Capitol Records. In 1999, his solo record “For Every Heart” was nominated for Best Contemporary Album in Hawai’i. Zanuck was awarded the 2000 Na Hoku Hanohano Best Jazz Album for “Hula Joe & the Hutjumpers” on Black and Tan Records.
As a producer, Zanuck has 8 CDs to his credit including “Only You” by Ho’omalie which was nominated for the prestigious Na Hoku Hanohano Best Hawaiian Language Performance. In 2013, his present group, Kapala, garnered a Hoku nomination for Best Island Contemporary Music album of the year. In November 2016, Zanuck’s latest album release is a collaboration with cousin Ron Kuala’au entitled, “KOKO” on Kapala Music.
Frank Vignola with Vinny Raniolo
Dates: January 5, 6 and 7
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
“It’s not jazz as we know jazz here in America.” – Les Paul
Frank Vignola, is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul.
Vignola covers a full range of styles as well as Gypsy Jazz in the Jean “Django” Reinhart tradition. Vignola’s jaw-dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him one of the brightest stars of the guitar.
Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo have performed with Tony Trishka, Bucky Pizzarelli and David Grisman, and have become one of the most popular Guitar Duo’s on the international music scene.
- Love
Dates: January 8
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $40, $30, $20
- 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.”
Kyle Eastwood
Dates: January 10 – 14
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25
In the 17 years since the release of From There To Here, prolific bassist/composer Kyle Eastwood has forged a dynamic musical path. His artistry is eclectic, yet refined and transcends the boundaries of jazz by exploring an ever-widening range of musical influences. While continuing to develop his parallel career as a composer and arranger on his legendary father Clint’s Oscar nominated films “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby” and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” Eastwood has reaffirmed traditions while creating truly contemporary, lyrical and melodic jazz.
Eastwood’s latest release “Time Pieces” is all at once a fresh landmark in Eastwood’s discography and a culmination of a recent reassessment of his personal and artistic aesthetic that began with the release of Songs From the Chateau in 2011. The new phase of his career has involved a powerfully swinging, yet eminently sensual quintet of young English musicians: starting with Andrew McCormack (piano), Quentin Collins (trumpet and flugelhorn) and now including Brandon Allen (tenor and soprano sax) and Ernesto Simpson (drums). Eastwood brilliantly confirmed this new creative foundation on The View From Here (2013), often giving the impression of connecting with jazz archetypes while focusing on the pure joy of group interaction.
Chris Botti
Dates: January 17 – 22
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $85, $75, $65
Kama‘aina discount only available for Tues., Wed., and Thurs., 9:00 p.m. sets
Impressions, GRAMMY® Award-Winning trumpeter Chris Botti’s new Sony CD, is the latest in a stellar parade of albums — starting with 2004’s When I Fall In Love and continuing with To Love Again, Italia and the CD/DVD Chris Botti In Boston — that have firmly established him as the world’s largest selling jazz instrumentalist. Add to that a GRAMMY® for “Best Pop Instrumental Album” and four #1 albums on Billboard’s Jazz Albums listings.Botti seemed destined to become a musician — and even to become the kind of musician he is today — almost from the very beginning. Born in Portland, Oregon, he was encouraged to pursue music by his mother, a concert pianist. He also had an early taste of the international world that would become his primary territory as a successful performing artist. His father, who is Italian, taught English and Italian languages, and he took the family to live in Italy for several years, beginning when Botti was in the first grade. Now a major artist in his own right, performing worldwide, 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. With Impressions and the albums that preceded it, Chris Botti has thoroughly established himself as one of the important, innovative figures of the contemporary music world.
Robert Cazimero & Friends
Date: January 27 and 28
Showtime: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $45, $35, $25
In the 1970’s, 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. His incomparable elegant voice is distinctive, whether he performs solo on piano or with his brother, Roland, as The Brothers Cazimero. Recording has played an important part of Robert’s career, and he has collectively (as The Brothers Cazimero) and individually released over 30 albums over the past three decades. The success of these recording projects can easily be measured by the fact that they all remain on the market. Fans of Robert and The Brothers Cazimero boast of a complete collection of CDs and tapes.
A prolific composer, many of Robert’s compositions (such a “Pane Mai”, “My Sweet Pïkake Lei” and “E Ku‘u Lei”) have become classics and been performed by numerous musicians. Robert Cazimero is one of the most respected kumu (teacher) of Hawaiian dance today, and his dancers, the men of Na Kamalei, appear with The Brothers Cazimero around the world. The many talents of Robert Cazimero have established him as a benchmark in Hawaiian music and culture.
Irie Love & Friends
With: Simple Souls, Lina Robins, Izik, Keilana, Twelvenoonandmidnight
Dates: January 29 and 30
Showtimes: 6:30pm & 9pm
Doors: 5pm & 8:30pm
Tickets: $35, $25, $15
Irie Love (her birth-given name) is a Hawaiian R&B Reggae singer, songwriter and performer. She was born and raised in Kailua, Honolulu County, Hawaii. She first gained notice as one of the finalists on the “Brown Bags to Stardom” competition in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1999. In 2000 she moved to Los Angeles, California and in 2002 she booked a tour as a back-up singer for the artist Pink. She continued as a back-up singer for the next three years singing for such artists as Dave Hollister and Chaka Khan. In 2006 she moved to Kingston, Jamaica to pursue a solo career in reggae music.
Love was introduced to the reggae group Morgan Heritage in Jamaica in December 2006. In 2007, Morgan Heritage signed Irie Love to their production company Gedion Music. She immediately began touring the world as their opening act alongside their younger brother Laza. She also sang backup for Morgan Heritage touring the United States, the Caribbean, central and South America, Africa, Europe and the UK.
In October 2008, Love released her first EP entitled Ehiku. Love is currently living between Hawaii, Los Angeles and London performing and recording with her mentor Salaam Remi, Lee Francis, Fiji and several other producers. Her 2012 singles “It Is Wut It Is” featuring Fiji, “My Love” and “Let It Fly” featuring Peetah Morgan of Morgan Heritage, all charted at #1 in the Hawaiian Reggae Charts. Her single, “My Love,” is also currently featured on Hawaiian Airlines in-flight entertainment.
Willie K
Dates: January 31
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.
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, Milan, Italy, Beijing, China, and Napa, California). 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.