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.
Everybody enjoys the summer. I don’t know too many people who can’t stand to see the sun. The same can be said about Summer, the Hawaiian soul-rock group who reunited for a second time at Terry’s Place. They played originals from their debut LP, In Malibu, including cuts like “Understanding the Man” (Terry’s favorite), “Firefly”, “Plenty of Reasons”, “Love Is…”, “New Year’s Eve 1976″, and many more—including “Juliette”, written by Ron Yuen and Mackey Feary of Kalapana.
Summer is just around the corner for most of you, the sun gradually warming the earth and breaking those spring clouds and rains away. In Hawaii, it’s almost always summer. Which […]
Have you ever wanted to rewrite lackluster liner notes of an outstanding album? Explosive, unexpected, fresh—that’s The Aliis, a group whose musical talents know no limits. But the liner notes to their 2xLP, The Aliis Live, fall short of proving the band’s powerful performance is worthy of royalty. I propose that The Aliis Live needs new liner notes. Here’s my take.
“Together Now” by Ernie Cruz Jr.
Thousands of people swarmed the Chinese Cultural Plaza in Honolulu’s Chinatown on the night of the Summer reunion show at Terry’s Place. Crowds filled the open space, food stands lined the walkways, strings of flags floated above the courtyard, and on stage was the biggest act of the night.
After some 40 years, the Glass Candle Band once again proves they are one of Hawaii’s best performing acts. Glass Candle rocked their reunion show at Hawaiian Brian’s for a remarkable end to 2011.
Time is a fragile thing. Each year melts away faster than the last. For musicians, recording a song is the single greatest tactic to beat the effects of time. Luckily for Glass Candle, their music lives on.
