Sometimes you gotta think beyond the music to really grasp its power. Think about the stories behind the songs, how the album came to be recorded, even how the band was formed. That’s where you’ll often find the heart and soul of why music exists in the first place.
Intoxicating, cool, funky, and surprising—the Alika Lyman Group’s performance at the Dragon Upstairs was a delight. This trio of talented individuals finessed their way through every song that night.
The Alika Lyman Group release their debut CD at The Dragon Upstairs this Friday. Their single, “Summer Me”, beckons to be played once, twice, or twenty times with its sound of lazy sunshine baking the brim of your hat.
Back when Mackey Feary split from Kalapana to form his own band, Hawaii’s music scene was reaching incredible heights with new releases from talented artists. The debut LP from Macky […]
Dig this funky rendition of Gershwin’s classic tune, “Summertime”. Except this time, it’s summer in Hawaii and Michael Paulo’s got a heavy roster of Hawaiian jazz artists in tow. Recorded live at Jazz Minds Café, Honolulu.
Michael Paulo ushered a rotating string of artists up to the stage at Jazz Minds Café in Honolulu. He traded drummer for drummer for drummer, bassist for bassist plus another bassist. Michael added a guitarist to the mix, also switching out the pianist and adding another keyboardist, and all the while taking his five to 10 minute-long solos to new heights. This is Michael Paulo’s Java and Jazz.
Every week, a group of musicians calling themselves Project Monday gather at Jazz Minds cafe in Honolulu. The result is a hot mix of Latin jazz fusion a la Blue note during it peak era. No other clubs out there are doing this kind of thing right now. You can’t find jam sessions like this in Honolulu, where some of Hawaii’s best musicians collaborate in a wide-open platform with no restraints.
“Brand New Day” by Ron Ka-Ipo
Thanks to the ohana over at coletivoACTION and Trip Magazine for translating my Top 10 article into Brasilian Portuguese and publishing it online here. A big mahalo to Hungry Ear […]
One store, ten dollars, one hundred records. That’s what this free mixtape is all about. It’s called 1x10x100, an ode to Harry’s Music Store in Honolulu and the soulful vinyl records that populated its record bins. Over the course of one weekend, I spent $10 and scored 100 records—soul, funk, disco, pop, jazz, fusion. I walked away enlightened, and I want you to hear what I found.
