The East Hawaii Jazz & Blues Festival is returning this weekend at a reduced capacity and in a new venue.
The 8th annual festival kicks off on Sunday at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel with 10 acts on multiple stages, and additional performances at the hotel and around town through Black and White Night on Nov. 4.
The festival is the signature fundraising event for the Hawaii Island Veterans Memorial Inc. and features a “heavy” pupu buffet, dessert station, wine tasting, no-host bar and nonstop music performed by some of Hawaii’s finest jazz and blues musicians, along with highly acclaimed artists from the mainland.
This year’s headliners are saxophonist Micheal Paulo with special musical guest Brother Noland, featuring Micheal Ruff on keyboards, Olivia Ruff vocals, Fred Schreuders guitar, Garin Poliahu drums and L.A. bassist Darryl Williams; Oregon Music Hall of Fame Organist Louis Pain and his trio featuring saxophonist Renato Caranto; and San Diego-based vocalist Allison Adams Tucker featuring a stellar supporting cast of Oahu musicians including Ethan Capone on piano, Dean Taba on bass, drummer Darryl Pelligrini and saxophonist Jason Gay.
Also on the bill on another stage is local Latin and world music group Fuego, vocalist Jeannine Guillory Kane, and the Deems Tstutakawa Friends Band doing a tribute to their former bandleader who headlined the past seven East Hawaii Jazz and Blues Festivals and passed away last year.
Performing in the Wai‘ole Lounge that day is Benny Uyetake and Don Corey, Bub Pratt and Joey Carrol, and Ed Bisquera and Nick Wong. Jazz x 2 will be providing the “walk in” music as people enter the festival.
The East Hawaii Jazz & Blues Festival has helped raise awareness and resources necessary for HIVM to meet its mission of providing affordable housing and quality health facilities to our Hawaii Island veterans.
HIVM is actively pursuing that mission through the development of its 92-unit senior affordable housing project. The $45 million independent living community is being developed in partnership with EAH Housing and is scheduled for a January 2023 groundbreaking.
The group’s other initiative focuses on developing a full-service medical facility in partnership with an established Hawaii Island based medical group. This facility will be located just below the senior living community, and would provide much needed work and office space for physicians and specialists to serve both military veterans and the larger community.
The title sponsors of the festival are US Renal Care, EAH Housing, Big Island Docs and the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. Tickets are $75 general admission and $100 VIP and available online at hawaiiislandveterans.org. Tickets also are available at Basically Books, Big Island Climbing and the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.
Information about the festival can be found at ehjazzbluesfest.com.