Author: Wayne Harada

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MAKE ROBERT’S ‘MINE’ YOURS

Robert Cazimero’s new CD, entitled “Mine,” clearly is a labor of love. It’s his first solo disc in years, the first in collaboration with the prolific singer-musician Kuana Torres Kahele and Marcus Turner (Kahele’s partner in life and in music).

The CD arrives in the midst of the holiday season, so looms as a perfect stocking stuffer gift that will keep on giving throughout the years to come.

Simply, “Mine” is  alive with a trove of original tunes composed by Cazimero, rich in memories and reflection, about moods, places, and themes Hawaiian.

With Cazimero’s piano accompaniment augmented by Kahele’s upright bass and guitar presence of Imua Garza, the disc assembles a warm vision and tone suited to the singer’s identifying vocal dynamics in mostly cozy stance..

Cazimero’s “Mine” CD.

There’s a lot to embrace and the new compositions provide a cluster of potential hula melodies awaiting movements and interpretation by hula dancers.

A batch of “place” atmospheric songs is quickly contagious:

* “Nu‘uanu Poina ‘Ole” is an homage to the cool area of refreshing rain and fragrant scents of blossoms, amid astonishing cliffs and history of Kaniakapupu, a house of royalty.

* “’Anini Mine” reflects with poetic Hawaiian lyrics a memory of a dancer in gentle rain.

* “Manoaakalani” relates to a glorious and hospitable home where clouds and breezes are plentiful, rain falls freely, all protected by the arch of rainbow.

* “Ka Pali Hotel (Kama‘aina)” paints a picture of the waterfalls of Waikahalulu, the comforts of a Pali Hotel and its verdant gardens.

The reflections of bygone memories appear to flow gently and easily if you’ve lived a rich life influenced by the joys of nature fueled by your imagination and savvy to articulate these flashbacks in new mele.

Cazimero, of course, has been a prolific and productive trouper in the show biz scene here, headlining  in Waikiki showrooms in his prime with his late brother, Roland, and in recent times, providing intimate songfests  in smaller performance spaces.

 He opens a five-night engagement tonight (Dec. 15) at Chef Chai’s on Kapiolani Boulevard and likely will perform a tune or two from “Mine,” mixed with repertoire faves and perhaps a sprinkle of holiday tunes. Christmas is a joyous time to reflect, and it’s his favorite season. …

Blue Christmas

Frank DeLima

With Christmas a-coming and some folks eager to party hearty (with facemasks and vaccination proof, of course), Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki has a slate of local acts in the days ahead:

  • Frank DeLima, at 7 p.m. today (Dec. 15). This will be the only time and place to witness his inimitable Filipino Christmas parody clad in a Christmas tree costume that lights up.
  • Paula Fuga, at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (Dec. 17-18).
  • Jake Shimabukuro, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday (Decl 19-21).
  • “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with Mike Lewis and Friends, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 22).

For reservations, visit www.bluenotehawaii.com …

And that’s Show Biz. …

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SONGS FOR THE SEASONS…

Just asking…

Are there specific songs that you associate with the appropriate holiday or season in Hawaii?

Radio would be the prime source of listening to thematic music, unless you have a phonograph or CD player.

For the yuletide, KSSK has the lion’s roar, for its day-and-night programming of Christmas tunes all month beginning in November and concluding during Christmas weekend.

Bing Crosby’s “Mele Kalikimaka” 78 rpm disc.

That’s sweet.  And a lot of merry mele.

So I was wondering, what essential tune would you associate with Hawaii right now? I suppose “Mele Kalikimaka” is our logical anthem. Written by a local, Andy Anderson, but popularized initially by Bing Crosby (with assist from the Andrews Sisters) because it was the flipside of his megahit, “White Christmas.”

I yearn to hear Don Ho’s “Silent Night,” aka “Po La‘i E,” because he sang it in English and Hawaiian in his inimitable style; I no longer possess the LP on which he performed that tune.

What about other key holiday songs would you expect to hear throughout the year? My thoughts:

  • For New Year’s, “Auld Lang Syne.” Barbra Streisand and Mariah Carey have separate, powerful versions of this New Year’s Eve fave,  its turn-the-clock and calendar implications.
  • For Valentine’s, “At Last” by Etta James or “Close to You” by the Carpenters.Either exudes a strong aura of romance.
  • For Easter, “Easter Parade,” with Bing Crosby delivering the classic, timeless version.
  • For Fourth of July, “God Bless the U.S.A.,” by Lee Greenwood or “God Bless America” by Kate Smith. Patriotic to the max.
  • For Halloween, “Monster Mash,” Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s silly but a seductive novelty.
  • For Thanksgiving, “Autumn Leaves,” with Nat “King” Cole delivering the original vocal, and Roger Williams doing the precise instrumental version. Even if our trees don’t change hues.

Any thoughts to share?

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HARA LIFETIME ACHIEVERS NAMED

The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts will bestow its annual Lifetime Achievement Awards from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

The luncheon event will honor the following:

* Jeff Apaka –.For many years, he was a Sunday performer at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa. The son of Alfred Apaka, aka as the Golden Voice of Hawaii, Jeff was at one time the youngest entertainer headlining a show in a main showroom venue in Waikiki.

* Patience “Pat” Bacon – A longtime Bishop Museum employee of Japanese ancestry with an encyclopedic knowledge of Hawaiian culture, hula, language and history, Bacon was the hanai daughter of renowned Hawaiian scholar the composer Mary Kawena Pukui.

Jay Larrin

* Jay Larrin — .A veteran singer, composer, and performer in Waikiki hotel lounges in the 1970s and 1980s, Larrin is a Tennessee native with Hawaiiana in his heart, composing and performing his island-themed tunes such as “The Snows of Mauna Kea,” “Little Lei Lady” and “The Koolaus Are Sleeping” for locals and visitors alike.

* Aaron Mahi –.A native Hawaiian who graduated from Kamehameha Schools, Mahi was known as the bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and under his baton, the legendary  band was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.

* Dr. Puakea Nogelmeir – A prolific island scholar of things and themes Hawaiia, Nogelmeir is a Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning composer, kumu hula and associate professor of Hawaiian language at the University of Hawaii. He also has been a musical collaborator of Keali‘i Reichel.

Additionally, Life Achievement Recognition Awards will be presented to:

* U.S. Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka.

* Emma Kapi‘olani Farden Sharpe.

Tickets: $80, includes lunch.

Information: https://harahawaii.com/lifetime-achievement-award

Broadway buzz

“Diana,” the musical biography on Princess Diana, is one of the first casualties of the reopened Broadway season this fall. The show, which opened Nov. 17, also had been streaming on Netflix, will close Sunday (Dec. 19) after 33 performances at the Longacre Theatre.

Michael Jacowitz

Among its many producers is sometimes Maui resident Michael Jackowitz, who also is the driving force behind a yet-to-be-tested or unveiled Hawaiian-themed musical on the goddess Hi‘iaka, which has had input by local “names” Keali ‘i Reichel and Roslyn Catracchia, with ex-islander Patrick Makuakane choreographing and Stephen Schwartz of “Wicked” and “Pippin” musical hits also among the music collaborators. …

Passing mentions

Sorry to report the passing of Dennis Carroll, a professor emeritus of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Hawaii, and founder of the Kumu Kahua theater group. He died Nov. 12 at age 81.

Dennis Carroll

William Dennis Carroll was his full name, but he was known as Dennis, an active playwright in his prime and also launched Kumu Kahua’s annual playwriting contest to stir interest among local playwrights whose works  of local themes, culture and characters, would eventually be staged by Kumu Kahua.

Harry B. Soria Jr.

He was born in Sydney, Australia, and joined UH in 1969. Survivors include his wife, three children and four grandchildren….

And Harry B. Soria Jr., the centrifugal  force of territorial-era Hawaiian music,  died Dec. 7 of unknown causes at age 73. He was founder-host of “Territorial Airwaves,” his signature radio show, but also an award-winning record producer and liner note writer of numerous disc projects.

His massive recording collections– certainly the most valuable, authentic and complete archival files of a specific timetable in island music history –will be donated to the Hawaii State Archives.

Survivors include his wife, Kilohana Silve. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

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SHADOWS PREVAIL IN NEW ‘WEST SIDE’

Same story, new version.

Same issues, new vision.

Same gun, new vibes.

Steven Spielberg’s first musical, “West Side Story,” is a bold, brave and beguiling film, for a new generation of viewers, most of whom have not seen the glorious and gutsy landmark version directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The original earned 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, in 1961.

A tough act to follow for director Spielberg, who has wanted to do a musical to complete his filmography.

This is it.  And it becomes a dandy companion – then and now – to the legacy that is “West Side Story.”

Spielberg’s version has the vitality like the  Wise-Robbins one. And clearly, if you favored the first one, the latest might be second fiddle.

Not so.

Confrontations are plentiful in Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”

Spielberg embraces shadows galore in mounting this monument. From the dark tones of the opening sequence through the end credits, shadows become part of the mobility of the storytelling. One of the best incidence of shadow supremacy is the scene where the Jets and the Sharks prepare to rumble and challenge each other, and you see slowly moving elongated shadows of the duelers marching forward to each other. It’s a haunting form of choreography.

With a script by Tony Kushner (“Angels in America”), Spielberg manages to make everything and everyone sing and dance, and the words and movements reinforce and reflect on the original source of this creation.Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet tragedy ratchets up to contemporary sensitivities for a powerful exclamation point in filmmaking. Riveting!

Ansel Elgort as Tony, Rachel Zegler as Maria.

Tony (Ansel Elgort, a tall dude with a decent voice, with a younger Tom Cruise demeanor), is a former Jet gang leader now anti-feuding after a stay in prison for nearly killing a rival gang member. He falls for Maria (Rachel Zegler, a charming lark of a find, in her film debut) in the shadows of gym seating and tenement stairs.

It’s all part of the recipe, to coo and sing the romantic “Tonight” together and with overlapping gang foretelling violence, right down to the “Somewhere” death scene inspiring unity.

Rita Moreno as Valentina: an Oscar contender?

Filmdom’s original Oscar-winning Anita (Rita Moreno, still a scene-stealer) could be a contender again, for her custom-made new supporting role of Valentina, Doc’s widow. She’s seasoned and glowing; even sings “Somewhere” before the climactic version later. Her presence likely will overshadow the new Anita (Ariana DeBose, who can’t be discounted at awards time), despite a vibrant “America” performance.

Bernardo (David Alvarez) and Riff (Mike Faist) are the rival gang leaders, and only time will tell if they match up to the popularity of the George Chakiris or Russ Tamblyn.

The good news is that everyone sings (remember when Natalie Wood was merely mouthing the lyrics while Marni Nixon did the dubbing?) and everyone dances; the massive street leaping and twirling resembles the scope and sensation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights,” which might be interpreted as “Upper West Side Story” with its Washington Heights origins. The newbie is set in the current Lincoln Center ‘hood, where the gangs not only battle each other but question the reality of urban development, hence the fight turfs of abandoned buildings and hills of dirt.

For the record, Robbins’ original choreography is credited here, along with inventive and vivid new choreography by Janusz Kaminski.

Leonard Bernstein’s music and the late Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics are intact and rightfully acknowledged. The finger-snapping and toe-tapping might be new, but the melodies are like the Mona Lisa. Classics cannot be improved.

With the sorrowful windup, where Tony’s body is solemnly removed from the street, hope looms. The Jets and Sharks unite in grief, though issues still resonate,

Verdict: Racism. Violence. Gun control. Still a question mark. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

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SHARI LYNN, THE CONSUMMATE SINGER

In her final live performance of 2021, singer Shari Lynn continues to be a consummate songbird others can learn from.

She illuminates any tune she sings, investing an actress’ stance in interpretation, storytelling with lyrics that give melodies substance and breadth.

Her passion is luminous, as she brightens and heightens a song with her elocution and expressive delivery.

In her Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace gig last night (Dec. 10), she opted to stage a mixed bag of a show without sacrificing relevance. It’s the holiday season, so yes, there were a few Christmas pauses, with mentions of that Claus named Santa.  But the artist in her didn’t pause or miss the opportunity to put her imprint on exceptional songs with stellar lyrics, from two creators passionate of the tradition of tough, revelatory words to accompany infectious melodies for the brave souls willing to sing ‘em.

Thus, her pair of tributes to the late Stephen Sondheim, the prolific creator of some of Broadway’s brightest and innovative shows who died on Nov. 26, and Dave Frishberg, the underappreciated jazz pianist and composer who passed on Nov. 17.

Shari Lynn: She brightens a song with storytelling skills.

The homages were powerfully honest and pure, reflecting differing styles that challenge the performer and in her hands, their diverse songs reflected an invisible bond.

The Sondheim section included the inevitable, the reflective “Send in the Clown” from “A Little Night Music,” about ill-fated love that perhaps is his most popular title, plus the rousing Mama Rose’s show-stopper, “Some People,” from “Gypsy,” with all the histrionics and body language befitting an artist who has done the show and the tune and continues to celebrate their allure.

The Frishberg  collection included “I Can’t Take You Nowhere,” which might be bad grammar, but with tongue-twisting words, plus “My Attorney Bernie,” a fun piece about an attorney.

The opening song, an instrumental version of “O Christmas Tree” rendered by pianist Jim Howard and bassist Bruce Hamada, was solemn and mood-setting, soon diverting to a jazz version of “Santa Baby,” serious and seductive, unlike the wildly uproarous Jewish/Christmas parody that has become one of Shari’s trademark this time of year. Yep, she’s officially Jewish but practices the vows of Christmas complete with multiple decorated trees at home.

Her interpretation of a Barbra Streisand holiday album track,”The Best Gift,” again demonstrated her savvy in extending lyrics into smart tale-sharing, and yep, there was a skosh of Barb in her delivery.

Her onetime, longtime accompanist, keyboarder Don Conover, took the stage by playing piano on a medley of “Remember/Toyland,” a sweet cameo from the past.

Her parody of “My Favorite Things,” with hilarious and insane lyrics, was clearly and grandly goofy and fun.

An advocate of the Great American Songbook, Shari dusted off a couple of “standards,” like  “The Best Is Yet to Come,” the Peggy Lee-composed “I Love Being Here With You” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” tossing  in a hana hou in “Here’s To Love.”

With pandemic protocols lowering for restaurants and clubs, perhaps Medici’s should eliminate the plastic curtain fronting the stage. The see-through shield is a major distraction now; it’s like watching a show through shower curtains. Face masks, of course, still are necessary to attend. …

And that’s Show Biz. …