It’s been quite the holoholo for Kahulanui the past couple of years.
It’s been quite the holoholo for Kahulanui the past couple of years.
“Hula Ku‘i,” the nine-piece Hawaiian swing band’s debut album, was nominated for the 2013 Hoku awards. They didn’t win, but the band earned raves backing Nathan Aweau as he performed “On Broadway” on the live statewide awards telecast.
The album then garnered a 2014 Grammy nomination. Again, Kahulanui didn’t win, but the band with the airtight horn section made new fans on a national scale with its retro-cool, pre-statehood style of Hawaiian music.
In a pair of concerts at Nani Mau Gardens — one a fundraiser to get the band to the Grammys, the other headlining East Hawaii’s Jazz and Blues Festival — Kahulanui wowed its Hilo audiences, which rewarded the band with hana hous and standing Os.
“We’ve gotten really great audiences in Hilo,” said Lena Naipo, the band’s leader, singer and guitarist.
Grammy-winner Charles Michael Brotman, who produced Kahulanui’s CD, said Naipo’s musicianship and showmanship are special.
“Musically, he’s really an artist. He’s doing something that nobody else can do,” Brotman said.
Kahulanui is about to step onto one of the world music’s biggest stages. They’re one of 12 acts selected to play globalFEST, the U.S.’s premier world-music event, Jan. 11 at Manhattan’s historic Webster Hall.
“Many of the groups that have played globalFEST, that’s the springboard that’s launched their careers. Only 12 bands and artists are selected every year. So that’s a pretty big deal,” Brotman said.
World-renowned artists who’ve been showcased at globalFEST include Angelique Kidjo, Lila Downs and Mariza. Artists sharing the globalFEST bill with Kahulanui include Emel Mathlouthi, the Tunisian singer-songwriter known as the voice of Arab Spring who recently sang at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Before Kahulanui takes its bite of the Big Apple, the band will play a fundraising show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at the Palace Theater in Hilo. Hilo songstress Kainani Kahauna‘ele will also perform.
“Since the Grammy nomination, we’ve been doing really well, but since the band is so large, the cost to get us places, just the airfares and hotels and stuff is outrageous,” Naipo said. “But playing globalFEST will open the doors for us to do a lot of things.”
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Advance general admission tickets are $30, available at the Palace box office, Basically Books, Music Exchange, Most Irresistible Shop and online at www.kahulanui.com.
There’s also a $65 VIP package, which includes orchestra seating and a reception at 5:45 p.m. with Hawaiian falsetto stylist Lito Arkangel entertaining, plus complimentary pupus, champagne and a Kahulanui CD gift bag.
“We’re doing a package fundraiser for the nonprofit organization we’re opening up. It’s called the Hawaiian Swing Jazz Foundation,” he said. “Because we’re not just going to be playing on the mainland, we’re going to be doing workshops educating people on the music. When you see the kind of music we do, it comes with a history and it comes with a background of what happened during a period of time that’s been almost forgotten, really.”
Pua Tokumoto, the wife of Kahulanui steel guitarist Dwight Tokumoto and producer of Hilo’s Tahiti Fête, put together Saturday night’s soirée, as she did in January to get the band to Los Angeles for the Grammys.
“We thank Hilo for supporting us in our ventures,” Naipo said. “If anything big happens for us, we’ll never forget Hilo.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.