Category: Show Biz

The Makaha Sons, led by Jerome Koko, will be joined by island songbird Robi Kahakalau, in performances at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Friday (Sept. 17) at Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki resort.

The concerts are emblematic of these pandemic times; folks want to periodically go out for a night of island music, but cost might be a factor. So if there’s an option to attend without the customary admission, it might be easier to take in a show.

Here’s the rub: residents who are fully vaccinated, with proper validation of the vaxx card along with a photo ID, may attend the shows at no cost.

The hope is that with free admission, fans and other show-goers will make donations to the Makaha Sons Foundation to help raise funds for the organization.

Along with  Koko on vocals and 12-string guitar, the group now features Kimo Artis on vocals and electric bass and Hanale Kaʻanapu on vocals and 6-string guitar. 

Saks Fifth Avenue Hawaii and One Community are presenting the Blue Note shows with a win-win prospect for all involved.

Admission normally is in the $25 range; drinks and meals are extra. Still, with free admission, it’s a bargain – for attendees and sponsors.

Doors open at 4:30 and 8 p.m.  For information and reservations, visit www.bluenotehawaii.com

The Makaha Sons Foundation is a Waipahu-based arts and cultural organization supported by the Makaha Sons. It supports Hawaii police officers and families afflicted with illness, and awards scholarships to high school seniors.

One Community is a consulting company that assists their clients in presenting their business objectives to key officials and decision-makers in Hawaii’s government and community.

‘Superstars’ reunited

Teddy Neeley (who played Jesus) and Yvonne Elliman (who was Mary Magdalene) in the film version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” are reuniting this weekend in Boston for a reunion concert as well as a screening of the film.

Neeley and Elliman also had music careers outside of the film and they’ll share their repertoire of faves, backed by an all-star band. Elliman, of course, is the Roosevelt grad who became a global sensation when she recorded the “concept” LP of the rock opera aka “Superstar” that also resulted in a Broadway stage musical in 1971 and a Hollywood film in 1973. Elliman is the lone lead who did the original recording (earning a Grammy) and the subsequent stage and movie versions.

If you’re in the vicinity, the concerts will be at the Regent Theatre in Arlington at 8 p.m. Friday (Sept. 17) and Saturday (Sept. 18).

The two stars will host a screening of a new digitally remastered version of the 1973 film at 6 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 19) at the same venue, with both Neeley and Elliman participating in a meet-and-greet after the showing. Elliman’s husband, Allen Alexander, posted this adjoining pic of Elliman on Facebook. …

Kokua with prayers

Al Harrington, veteran entertainer, has been hospitalized with multiple medical issues. Fans and friends may want to send prayers of support.

You know him as “The South Pacific Man,” a Waikiki singer and star of his own Polynesian show, back in the day when most hotels had showrooms, and as Det. Ben Kokua, in the CBS-Jack Lord original of “Hawaii Five-0,” and Mamo Kahike in the Alex O’Loughlin  “Five-0” reboot.
Some may know him as a former football player at Punahou, from where he graduated in 1954, and later became a Punahou school teacher. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

Power couples are normally a famous duo married to each other, or partners with individual or joint accomplishments. Wealth is not a factor; fame could be the game; however, singular achievement matters most.

The other common requisite of a power couple, whether wholly or individually: they are bold-faced names whenever they’re mentioned in columns like this one.

These folks are newsworthy because they make news or are commonly in the gossip mill.  In my world of dealing with bold face names, if you’re a somebody, you earn b.f. status.

This compilation/discussion/reflection is the result of brainstorming about PCs – with recognition a key for inclusion. If you know their names, you know why they’re powerful and popular, without a descriptive tag.

Famous politicos

Politicos easily are PCs: Barack and Michelle Obama. Bill and Hillary Clinton. Perhaps George H. and Laura Bush and George H.W. and Barbara Bush, Richard and Pat Nixon, Jimmy and Rossalyn Carter.  Indeed, John and Jackie Kennedy,  too! Clearly, presidents and their FLOTUS easily fall in this PC. category. Joe and Jill Biden certainly are newbies in this elitist realm, a work in progress still earning stripes; Donald and Melania Trump are a dubious PC, since he was dominant and she remained in the shadows, survivors amid the political snipes.

The Hollywood crowd

Power couples are especially plentiful in show biz or in the performance arena. In no particular order: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, Amal and George Clooney, Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley, Victoria and David Beckham, Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa, Jada Pickett Smith  and Will Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley,  Scarlet Johansson and Colin Jost and Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka.

More power couples, you ask?  How about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz , Ryan O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett,  Carrie Fisher and Paul Simon, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, Sean Penn and Madonna, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenneger and Maria Shriver, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Sonny and Cher? And you could include partners, or exes, of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Robert Downey, Ben Affleck, J-Lo, and, well, you get the idea. A few have died; some relationships have dissolved, but these folks were relevant in their prime.

Prolific and creative

Surely, a few PCs are mighty prolific and creative, too: Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg.

 In many instances, PCs don’t have to be married to each other but are prominent nonetheless, because of compatibility and creativity. First names not necessary, too, when you think of Abbott and Costello, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Bacharach and David, Lennon and McCartney,  Astaire and Rogers, Garland and Rooney, Simon and Garfunkel.

Infrequently, a PC could have a pseudonym, like The Property Brothers, who are actually twins Jonathan and Drew Scott, and The Blues Brothers, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

Extend this concept, and you can also have fictional PCs with individual potency and presence: Tom and Jerry, The Phantom and Christine, Romeo and Juliet, King Arthur and Guinevere,  Batman and Robin, Jack and Jill, The Lone Ranger and Tonto, and Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, or expand to real life, with Susannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb,  Pat Sajak and Vanna White, even Barnes and Noble. (Yes, real people; go to Wikipedia, to track who’s who).

One PC duo lacking last names: Barbie and Ken; another PC duo have last names you don’t know: Ben and Jerry  are real people, whose surnames are Cohen and Greenfield, respectively.

The island list

Hawaii has had its share of winsome twosomes, too. In the distant past, PCs included  Duke and Nadine Kahanamoku, Eddie and Peggy Sherman, Jack and Marie Lord, Ed Kenney and Beverly Noa, Kimo and Betsy McVay, Fred and Myrtle Lee, Wisa D’Orso and Jim Hutchison, John and Beatrice Burns, Neal and Lucy Blaisdell and Frank and Joyce Fasi. All but Joyce Fasi are deceased.

Current island PCs qualifiers include Ben and Vicky Cayetano, George and Jean Ariyoshi, John and Lynne Waihee, Jack and Cha Thompson, Henry Kapono and Lezlee Ka‘aihue, Paul Theroux and Sheila Donnelly, Thomas and Mia Kosasa, Denise Hayashi and Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong and Alice Inoue, Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka,

Troy Terorotua and Lisa Kim, Guy Hagi and Kim Gennaula, Kathy Muneno and Nainoa Thompson, Nina Keali‘iwahamana and Gordon Rapozo, Akemi and Rene Paulo, Han and Meredith Ching, Keali‘i Reichel and Fred “Punahele” Krauss, Kuana Torres Kahele and Marc Turner, Steven Ai and Carol Ai May, Keith and Carmen Haugen, Indru and Gulab Watumull, Michael W. Perry and Larry Price, Judge James Burn and Emme Tomimbang, Jack and Maydelle Cione, Cecilio and Kapono and Eddie and Myrna Kamae. A few aforementioned — Judge Burns, Maydelle Cione, Eddie Kamae and Gulab Watumull  — are deceased; Kapono continues on as a soloist, ever since Cecilio had legal issues; Price retired, ending his partnership with Perry.

Cleary, with time, PCs come and go.

If you have a suggestion or two, add to the list.

Mele Kalikmaka!

Robert Cazimero’s the first to announce a round of Christmas shows…at Chef Chai’s, his sorta home base for a couple of years now.

Cazimero dropped the dates — Dec. 15 through 19 at Chai Chaowasaree’s restaurant — in a conversation when he guest-performed at Blue Note Hawaii over the weekend. Chef Chai’s becomes a sometimes nightclub, when the popular Hawaiian singer-pianist takes over at least once a month, for his ongoing Full Moon Concert. Next one is Sept. 19, so make plans to save a table.

Christmas is Robert’s favorite holiday, and while the limited Chai’s space — cozy and hip — won’t allow for a line of hula dancers and halau crooners like in earlier Cazimero holiday spectacles in traditional showroom or nightclub venues in the past, he’s truly capable of filling the room with a bounty of festive yuletide and Hawaiian cheer even with a minimum of performing colleagues. After all, the spirit’s the thing..

With the surging pandemic, who knows if anyone else in any other venue, large or small, will venture to deck the halls with boughs of maile and share yuletide melodies and carols with an island undercurrent. The scaled-down barometer in place currently might mean fewer or smaller holiday concerts. However, if you’ve booked a show and can share the news, please advise, pronto. …

Personalities

While pianist Rene Paulo has been released from the hospital on the mainland, following his recent bout with COVID-19, sorry to to report that his wife Akemi Paulo, who used to sing while Rene played keyboards, now has caught the virus and is in quarantine. Rene and Akemi are the parents of jazz musician Michael Paulo and sister-singer Kathy Paulo, so offer prayers once again for a speedy recovery. …

Speaking of wellness: Horace Dudoit III of Ho’okena has weathered through his coronovirus isolation, and is back in the saddle again, performing in limited engagements. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

Social media has been buzzing with reflection and condolences following the death of David John “DJ” Pratt, the lead guitarist for the music group Kalapana, who died Tuesday afternoon at his home. He was 66 and was found unresponsive.

He was a founding member of Kalapana and has become the fourth to die, following the earlier passing of Mackey Feary in 1999, Alvin Fejarang in 2017 and Malani Bilyeu in 2018.

Pratt, Feary, Bilyeu and Kirk Thompson were the original members of the band, formed in 1974. Kalapana  presided alongside Cecilio and Kapono in a friendly competition to emerge as prolific and grounding local boys who wrote original hit songs and performed in Waikiki clubs in the heyday of the 1970s to the ‘90s. It was the glory days of recording, concertizing, and touring shows here and elsewhere.

Reactions to Pratt’s death touched the nerves of fellow musicians.

Michael Paulo, a saxophonist who played with Kalapana in recent years. mourned the passing of his pal. “Once more I lost a part of my musical soul,” said Paulo. “I never forget always being in awe of him as a young musician, when I first joined Kalapana. His playing live on ‘Can You See Him’ was powerful and amazing; I can see him still with his long hair flowing down his face and sweat running off his brow, while ripping it up on that acoustic guitar 45 years ago. I was so privileged to be part of those performances. Rest in peace, my friend. You were one of Hawaii’s greatest guitarists.”

Glenn Medeiros, once a Hawaii act recording and performing pop ballads nationally and now the principal of Saint Louis School, recalled his admiration of a musical peer. “God has graced me with the incredible opportunity to travel to over 30 countries in my life,” Medeiros said. “During that time, I met so many talented musicians. I’ve always felt that Hawaii is the home of some of the greatest guitarists in the world. I believe we lost the greatest of them. I never had the chance to work with him closely but I’ve always admired him from afar.”

John Valentine, for decades a notable guitarist in Waikiki and still on the scene, had a iconic visual response: an emoji of a broken heart.

Kamasami Kong, a former Hawaii deejay who’s now a leading media resource in Japan, had a succinct reaction: “I feel numb.”

Beyond his recording and performing career, Pratt was a popular recording and sound engineer for TV projects and an audio sound engineer for live and video sessions where his craft would be mostly heard and seen through the lens of other artists.

Pratt also was an honoree when Kalapana was tapped as a Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award winner, presented by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts.

In recent years, Kalapana members featured Gaylord Holomalia, Kenji Sano, Maurice Bega, Randy Aloya and Michael Paulo.

Further details of his survivors or information of funeral plans have not been made public. …

The ill crowd\

Time for sending prayers and get-well wishes to:

• Rene Paulo, the renowned poet of the piano who used to regularly perform with his singing wife Akemi Paulo.  He has been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a Facebook posting by son Michael Paulo.  Rene and Akemi relocated to California several months ago; a visit for a medical treatment apparently is how he caught the virus. Update: According to Michael, his dad is set to be released from the hospital Thursday (Sept. 9).
• Joe “Pekelo” Recca, the former singer and show emcee for Tihati Productions spectacles in Waikiki. His longtime battle with throat cancer has worsened; he is  hospitalized now.
• David “Kawika” Talisman, a private investigator with a history of music, composing and script-writing for TV shows. He also has been in the hospital to tend to issues with his prostate cancer.

On the road again

Local girl Tricia Marciel is prepping to spend the next few months at sea, joining an inaugural cast of performers aboard the Enchanted Princess, staging shows for the cruise’s maiden launching soon in the Caribbean. “After nearly two years of ups and down,” she said on Facebook about the pandemic and her new venture, “it’s going to be somewhat amazing to do what I love, feel purposeful and in my very small manini way, help a company and an industry that’s been very good to my recovery.” …

And in New York, Matt Yee brings his outrageous adult revue to the Triad Theatre, at 10 p.m. Friday (Sept. 10). If you’re in the vicinity, proof of vaccination is a requisite. Yee is known for his shows aboard the Atlantis and Royal Caribbean cruises in the recent past. …

And that’s Show Biz. …