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Iggy Jang loves the tango

Playing it, that is, not dancing it

Hawaii Symphony Orchestra Concert Master Iggy Jang (above) leads musicians in “Tango Extravaganza” presented at 7:30 tonight in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater in Kahului. Tickets are $35 (plus applicable fees). There is a 10 percent discount for MACC members and tickets are half-price for kids 12 and younger. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the box office, call 242-7469 or go online to www.mauiarts.org. Olivier Koning photo

Hawaii Symphony Orchestra Concert Master Iggy Jang remembers first being mesmerized by tango music when he was a student in Paris. That love for Argentina’s most popular musical style has never dimmed, and at 7:30 tonight he will perform at a special “Tango Extravaganza” in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater, joined by award-winning dancers Guillermo Merlo and Fernanda Ghi, bandoneonist Javier Sanchez and pianist Alfredo Minetti.

“I grew up in France, and I was studying in Paris in the early ’80s,” Jang recalls. “At that time, tango was very present in Paris. Even though my parents are Korean it stuck. I heard an album by Astor Piazzolla called, ‘Zero Hour Tango,’ and it really inspired me. It’s intoxicating. You get a small dose and you just can’t get enough. The sound got me hooked. I like to feel things deeply, and anything that gives me that opportunity I like to perform, and it has always been my desire to pay homage to the genre.”

An active soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, besides being concertmaster of the symphony, the acclaimed violinist is a faculty member of the music department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a regular at Ebb & Flow Arts events on Maui.

Jang has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia in concert halls such as the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, and the Seoul Arts Center and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, South Korea. Solo appearances include the Colorado Symphony, the Versailles Chamber Orchestra and L’Orchestre Regional de Cannes Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur in France.

A Rodolfo Lipizer Prize winner at the International Violin Competition, Jang also won prizes at the Lion’s Club of France Violin Competition and the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina.

Jazz at the Shops welcomes award-winning sax player Rock Hendricks Wednesday at The Shops at Wailea. Photo courtesy the artist

At the Maui show, Jang will play music by Carlos Di Sarli, Osvaldo Pugliese and Argentina’s most famous composer, Piazzolla.

Known as the world’s foremost composer of tango music, Piazzolla revolutionized the traditional tango by incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneon player, he pioneered the new style of “Tango Nuevo.” Among his acclaimed works, he adapted Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” into a set of four tango compositions titled “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.”

“We’ll do a few of his tunes that have been arranged for dancers,” says Jang. “Piazzolla is very famous in the world of classical music because his training was with the great French composition teacher, Nadia Boulanger. He wanted to study with her because he wanted to learn more about the fundamentals of classical music, but she told him not to deny his own passion and origin which was tango. She encouraged him to expand tango. There are influences in his music from Stravinsky to Bach.”

Co-directing the show is pianist Minetti, who Jang met through a friend on Maui.

“Alfredo has directed many different formats of tango,” he explains.

Born in Uruguay, Minetti grew up in Brazil, absorbing rich musical traditions from popular to classical. In Rio de Janeiro, he studied classical piano under Ondine de Mello. Moving to the U.S., in 2010, he created the Zero Hour Tango Festival, and produced the show “Identidad” with Ghi and Merlo. An accomplished pianist, Minetti has performed in Brazil, Argentina, Europe, China and Canada.

Also performing tonight, is Sanchez — born and raised in Buenos Aires — who has been playing the bandoneon for more than 25 years.

The bandoneon is a type of concertina (like an accordion) particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. Originally intended as an instrument for religious music, it is an essential element in most tango ensembles.

As a bandoneonist, Sanchez has toured the world with Orquesta Tipica, Tango Pasion, Tango Viaje al Sentimiento and Tango Emotion. He was a member of Latin Grammy-nominee Rodolfo Mederos’ orchestra, ‘Tipica,’ between 2005 and 2016, and won first place of the prestigious Che Bandoneon International Competition in August 2016.

“There’s a story that Piazzolla liked to say, that the bandoneon came from Germany and was used to replace the organ in churches that were too small for an organ,” says Jang. “He was kidding, but he said they made it from the churches of Germany to the brothels of Argentina.”

Also joining them is celebrated Hawaii guitarist Ian O’Sullivan and bassist Hayden Joyce.

“Ian has played a lot of Piazzolla concerts in the past,” says Jang. “This will be our first partnership with Ian. I’ve known him since I was teaching at UH when he was a very talented student. It’s great to share the stage with him.”

Tonight’s concert will offer tango dancers an opportunity to dance during selected pieces.

“We’re going to customize the program and add a few musical segments,” he notes.

So does he dance tango too?

“Not at all,” he answers. “It’s a high-skilled form, and I have a lot of respect for everyone who does tango.”

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It’s going to be a fun holiday celebration when Amy Hanaiali’i and Willie K team for a memorable Christmas concert, “A Ho’onanea Holiday Concert” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 in the Castle Theater at the MACC.

“W will be doing selections from both of our albums, ‘Mele Kalikimaka’ and ‘Hawaiian Christmas,’ “ says Amy. “And there will be a fabulous finale.”

Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday. Tickets are $35, $45, $55 and $65 (plus applicable fees). For more information or to purchase tickets, go to the box office, call 242-7469 or visit www.mauiarts.org.

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Maui County’s largest products show, the annual Made in Maui County Festival will feature live entertainment on Saturday at the MACC. Entertainers include reggae with Maui’s Marty Dread at 10:05 a.m., Na Hoku Hanohano-nominee Pat Simmons Jr. at noon and Grammy-winning slack key guitar master George Kahumoku Jr. with Kaui and Kamaunu Kahaiali’i at 2:05 p.m.

The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5, and is available at the MACC box office on Saturday only. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. Complimentary shuttle buses will be available on Saturday to and from the War Memorial Gym and the MACC. Free parking will also be available at the UH Maui College grass parking lot. 

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The Shops at Wailea continues its “Jazz at The Shops” musical series, with a performance at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday featuring award-winning saxophonist Rock Hendricks.

Hendricks is best known for his sax work with Paul Hardcastle, recording more than 30 songs, including Billboard No. 1 smooth jazz hits. He has performed with many leading musicians including Michael Jackson, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt and Michael Buble. A featured player on the Hoku-nominated album “The Reflections Project — Maui Jazz 2015,” Hendricks released his debut solo album, “Can’t Let Go,” in 2016.

The show is free. A four-hour special event parking voucher is available for $5 and supports a different Maui non-profit each month with 60 percent of the special event parking fees going back to the non-profit. The November non-profit recipient is Maui Community College Innovation Center.

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The Hitzig Brothers from West Virginia will play Charley’s Restaurant & Saloon in Paia at 10 p.m. Friday. The brothers blend original music with traditional Appalachian and Irish fiddle tunes, along with old-style country.

Almost solely self-taught on fiddle, guitar and tenor banjo, Xander Hitzig has toured with a number of bands, most notably the Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band and the Hitzig Brothers. He released the album “Come Hither From Go Yonder” in 2017 where he played all the instruments except for the mandolin on “The Train,” which featured his brother Orion Hitzig.

John Michael Jelliffe will join the brothers on bass. Tickets are $10 at the door. You must be 21 and older to attend. For more information, call 579-8085.

The Hitzig Brothers will also play Casanova’s Italian Restaurant and Deli in Makawao on Sunday between 2 and 5 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door and benefits Mana’o Radio. For more information, call 572-0220.

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Also at Charley’s, Sierra & The Nomads, with special guest Soulucious, will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday.

Originally from New York City, the band was formed on a cross-country bus trip to the Burning Man festival in 2010. Fronted by vocalist Sierra Carrere, they released an album in 2013, then Carrere moved to Maui in 2015. Singing in English and French, Sierra & The Nomads’ sound has been described as modern soul with a global groove. Tickets are $10 at the door. You must be 21 and older to attend. For more information, call 579-8085.

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Coming up, acclaimed jazz pianist David Benoit will perform with his brother Phil Benoit and the Gypsy Pacific band at 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Maui Coffee Attic in Wailuku. Tickets are $50. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 250-9555 or visit www.mauicoffeeattic.com.

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