Cool Tropical Jazz at the city of Kapolei.......

.....and it's FREE!!!!! Free in this day and age???? Did anyone ever tell you the joke about why Chinese people have such large nostrils??? Because the air is free....get it???? All kidding aside it's true, world class jazz free.....check out the info from Abe Weinstein's website and be there next Sunday. Hooooo hooooo!!!! Now this is what you call Cool, Tropical and Jazz!!!!!!

HAWAII INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL AT KAPOLEI

When: Sunday, November 6, 2005
Time: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Where: Kapolei Hale (City Hall) 1000 Uluohia Street - Kapolei
Admission: Free and open to the public
Description: The Hawaii International Jazz Festival at Kapolei

With the support of Mayor Mufi Hannemann and the City & County of Honolulu along with Campbell Estate, the Hawaii International Jazz Festival is bringing a free Jazz Festival to Kapolei Hale on November 6th from 11 am to 7 pm. Great jazz artists from the Military, Iolani school, and from Maui and Honolulu will be performing continuous jazz throughout the day. Food booths and kiddie station will also be provided. Parking is free!

Artist Listing - Honolulu Jazz Quartet, Abe Weinstein & Friends featuring soloists: Gabe Baltazar, Jeff Peterson, DeShannon Higa, Miles Jackson, Larry Cook, Aaron Aranita & Pete Factora. Gypsy Pacific, The Kelly Covington Quartet, Iolani School Stage Band III, Schofield 25th ID Band/Lightning Swing Big Band and the 25th ID Band/Lightning Jazz Ensemble, Bobby Thursby, & more!

The music is free. Bring the whole family and enjoy a full day of jazz greats, food, and fun!

The Hawaii International Jazz Festival at Kapolei is sponsored by Campbell Estate and the City & County of Honolulu. The Hawaii International Jazz Festival at Kapolei will hopefully kickoff a series of free cultural events at Kapolei Hale.

-posted by Cool Tropical Jazz LLC @

Jazz Minds

Just got off the phone with my friend Aaron Aranita and he mentioned that he would be playing at the new jazz club "Jazz Minds" on Kapiolani Boulevard this Friday from 8pm to 11pm. He'll be putting together a jazz trio where he will be playing keyboards and perhaps a little sax.

Speaking of the sax, got a chance on Tuesday, October 4, 2005 to stop by "Studio 6" in the Musicians' Union building at 949 Kapiolani Boulevard to listen to Aaron Aranita as he was the special guest for the evening. Has it already been two weeks? My how the time passes by so quickly. Studio 6 if you don't already know is Honolulu icon Rich Crandall's weekly gig (will post some stuff on Studio 6 and Rich in the future to give you some background of this venue). Just a short note on Studio 6. Thank goodness the lights were dimmed. Reminded me of the days when this place called "The Magic Mushroom" existed. With the lights dimmed Studio 6 had a rustic jazzy ambience. You look at the walls hung with paintings and framed posters of jazz stuff and you see walls stained by water that was left from a heavy rain in passing. You get the drift don't you, cozy, but not your five star type of place. That October 4, 2005 evening had Rich Crandall on piano, Ernie Provencher on stand-up bass, Adam Baron on drums and Aaron Aranita as the featured artist on tenor saxophone. It was cool, real cool to partake of jazz at its very best.

The evening began with Rich, Ernie and Adam doing a jazz rendition of Donovan Leitch's 1966 No. 1 chart buster "Sunshine Superman". You remember the tune don't you? "Sunshine came softly a to my window today....." Well you know. 1966??? Sheesh!!!! Nice jazz rendition. Aaron then joined the trio to do "Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise", then "Where the Wind Blows" from his newest CD release. Ten songs in all and I was not a bit unsatisfied. Nice venue and great jazz in the comforts of a homey and cozy ambience. A great evening, this was truly Cool, Tropical and Jazz in one setting. Cool Tropical Jazz!!!!

-posted by Cool Tropical Jazz LLC @

This is Cool and Tropical Indeed

Coming in to work listening to the Bobby Curran show I got to hear the Michelle Wie press conference at the Kahala Mandarin Hotel. It's official, Team Wie is professional. For Hawaii this is HUGE!!! Hawaii is one of the greatest place to be and even with the problems we face day to day I wouldn't trade living here for anything (well, maybe ten million reasons could sway me, hehehe). But the mentality in Hawaii is so laid back, so cool, and we just don't like to "show off". Because of this we've developed this "nah, I don't want people to know that I'm good" kind of attitude in Hawaii. I remember my younger days at Ernst & Whinney, one of the big international accounting firms, of going to tax training class on the big island, the continental United States of America and meeting other tax professionals from around the country. As we proceeded and as the days went by I realized that I was just as smart or had the same problems as most of them. Of course there were some exceptionally brilliant individuals, but, as a whole, hey, I was no better or worse than anyone there. I was just as good, my problem was I wasn't very vocal, cause of my "Hawaii upbringing". Point of this story? We got a bunch of talented individuals in Hawaii and Michelle Wie is living proof of that. And giving $ 500,000 to the victims of Hurricane Katrina? Now that's what I call the heart of Hawaii, "aloha". You go girl!!! Our prayers and best wishes to you. Michelle go out there set the world on fire with the aloha spirit and make us in Hawaii proud!!! Team Wie, our goodwill ambassadors to the world. Now that is cool, real, real, real cool!!!!

-posted by Cool Tropical Jazz LLC @

Cool Tropical Jazz: Featuring Aaron Aranita on Sax

If you've never had a chance to hear Aaron Aranita blow his horn, this is it. Aaron is in high demand for his great piano playing, but on the sax is where this cat really excels. Aaron will be featured tomorrow night and will be accompanied to some of Hawaii's all star jazz greats including legendary Rich Crandall on piano, Ernie Provencher on bass and Adam Baron on bass. Now this is gonna be great jazz on a cool tropical Tuesday night.

Musicians' Association Of Hawaii /Local 677


STUDIO 6 http://www.livemusicbiz.com/now.htm

949 KAPIOLANI BLVD.***

*** Enter from behind on Waimanu St. (Look up & Mauka for the lamp in the window.

Tuesday, October 4th, 2005

CDLII. "LEVEE"

featuring

Aaron Aranita...sax


Rich Crandall...piano, Ernie Provencher...bass, Adam Baron...drums



8-10 PM

ADMISSION: $7

phone: 596-2905

2nd Floor Musician’s Union

949 KAPIOLANI BLVD. ENTER FROM WAIMANU ST.

-posted by Cool Tropical Jazz LLC @

Now this is Cool, Tropical and Jazz.....

Saturday is a day to kick back just a little bit and it's become a habit of mine to check in with Star Bulletin entertainment guru John Berger and his weekly Island Mele column. This week John reviews ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. For those who don't know, Jake is as they say in Hawaii,"da kine!!!!" You know, real "da kine". Jake is legendary, from his early days with Pure Heart you knew this guy was "special".


Island Mele
John Berger


"Dragon"
Jake Shimabukuro
(Hitchhike)
Hawaii often gets things late. Shimabukuro's fourth solo album has been available in Japan since June but was embargoed for release here until next Tuesday. Resourceful fans may already have gotten it either as downloads or courtesy of friends who bought it in Japan. Those who've waited for the American release at least get Shimabukuro's liner notes in English and learn of his experiences recording "live" to tape rather than digitally.

With only three days left before "Dragon" becomes available here, it's not jumping the gun by much to report that this is a remarkable album musically, as well as technically.

Shimabukuro establishes the album's exploratory theme with his opening tune, "Shake It Up!" His ukulele shares the spotlight with drums, bass, flute, electric guitar and a rich, albeit synthetic, horn section. The result is a driving fusion arrangement that should find favor with local jazz fans. Noel Okimoto (drums) and Dean Taba (bass) were the rhythm section for the entire project, and several songs present Shimabukuro as the leader of an all-star trio in his rhythm mates are equal partners.

A good example of the jazz trio concept is "3rd Stream," where Shimabukuro steps back and lets Okimoto and Taba take over. A real string section -- a quartet on one song, 10 musicians on others -- adds an incomparable lushness on several of the softer numbers.

"With U Always," a campaign song for Hawaii Tourism Japan, acknowledges his fans and sponsors in Japan.


www.jakeshimabukuro.com

-posted by Cool Tropical Jazz LLC @