Hana Hou! We made it to our 2nd Pacific Rim Jazz Festival. Ran into many friends there too. So proud to see our local talent sharing the stage with some big names. Check out these golden moments below.
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Local Talent:
The Bentos - A Neo soul jazz band that plays a mixture of classic and modern jazz, R & B, hip hop, and soul. http://the808life.com/music/the-bentos/ The Bentos: Jackson Helm - Vocals; Ethan Capone - Keyboard;; Ian O'Sullivan - Guitar; Mark Tanouye - Bass; Mark Lindberg - Drums; and Ambrose - Sax.
Rene Paulo - Known as Hawaii’s “King of the Keyboard”. A former graduate of the Julliard School of Music. Rene is great showman and known for his unique piano playing style. He is Michael's father - Musical talent runs in this family. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rene_Paulo
Ginai Hill - One of our favorite singers. Ginai is both a talented singer and song writer. She has CD releases in Japan and Hawaii, has won 3 Hawaiian Music Awards, and 2 Na Hoku Hanohano awards. She performs with Nueva Vida, Honolulu Jazz Quartet, and the Hot Club of Hulaville. On this night she released her new EP entitled 'Conversations', and was backed up by Riya Davis of Adagio, and NJ of EightOEight. http://ginaimusic.com/artist/jazz/
Michael Paulo - The Festival Producer & Founder of the Kapolei Foundation Michael Paulo Music Scholarship. Michael is a World renowned saxophonist. He has played with Al Jarreau, James Inram, Rick Braun, Kenny Loggins, Patti Austin, and Herbie Hancock to name a few. http://www.michaelpaulo.net/
http://kapoleifoundation.org/foundation-scholarships-and-grants
Alvin 'Pops" Okami - A former musician from the Waikiki circuit with names like Linda Green, Kui Lee, Ohta-san and the Royal Hawaiian Ban. The Founder of KoAloha making Ukuleles, who also release his first solo cd "Uke and Me". Pop's donated a KoAloha Ukulele that sold at the festival's live auction for $1,200. Proceeds benefited the Kapolei Foundation Michael Paulo Music Scholarship.
http://www.koaloha.com/Images/Gallery/GalleryMain.html
International talent:
Spencer Day - A vocalist, songwriter and pianist. This was his 1st visit to Hawaii. He sang 'Till You Come To Me', and 'The Mystery of You', (Sandy's favs). http://spencerday.com
Keiko Matsui - Japanese smooth jazz, jazz fusion, new age keyboardist. Keiko celebrates 25 years performing in the USA. http://www.keikomatsui.com/
Gregg Karukas - New age, smooth jazz, keyboardist. Grammy award winner. http://www.karukas.com/
Mindi Abair - A spirited blonde saxophonist that has sold over a half million records as a solo artist. Mindi was featured on American Idol in 2011 & 2012. http://www.mindiabair.com/
Brian Simpson - A keyboardist that is the music director for Dave Koz. Brian performed with many of the top smooth jazz artists. http://www.bsimpsonmusic.com/
Bobby Caldwell - Bobby is a R&B, jazz, smooth jazz artist, songwriter. On this night he was backed up by local vocalist Riya Davis of Adagio. http://www.bobbycaldwell.com/
Sheila E - 'Everyone knows her! "The Glamorous Life" - Another one of our favs. Sheila is a vocalist, percussionist, songwriter, arranger, producer, and drummer. She has played for Natalie Cole, George Duke, Gloria Estefan, Diana Ross, to name a few. http://www.sheilae.com/
Again, thank you Michael Paulo for bringing the best local and international smooth jazz talent to Hawaii! Mahalo to all the hands, musicians and singers that put this great event together. We'll be back for more in 2014! Till then, Don't Stop The Music!
