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John Hammond

Blues veteran John Hammond is probably the only musician who can claim to have had both Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix in his band at the same time, even if it was only for a few days."It's true, it's one of those amazing things that happened," Hammond recalls. "They were both good friends. I had a show at a club called the Gaslight (in New York) and Jimi had just come back from England and was a huge star, and Eric was over with Cream. They were there at the same time and they both asked to sit in."For more than 50 years, Hammond has explored the blues, recording and performing with ...

Exploring ‘Emily’

Acclaimed as one of contemporary jazz's brightest young stars, bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding has made a radical stylistic shift with her latest album, "Emily's D+Evolution," creating a brilliant jazz/rock/funk hybrid that's like a mashup of Prince, Joni Mitchell and Janelle Monae.Emily is Spalding's middle name and she told NPR that it's like a persona, "a spirit or a being, or an aspect who I became aware of. I recognize that my job, and it's ongoing, is to be her arms and ears and voice and body. Emily is exploring these ways of performing and means of expression that I was curious ...

Recordings to remember

With the 2016 annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards about to be announced Saturday evening in Honolulu, this week’s column offers an overview of nominated recordings that feature Maui musicians. With her being a multi-Hoku-winner (25 so far) since the late 1990s, it was no surprise that Amy Hanaiali‘i received nominations in five categories — Female Vocalist, Album and Song of the Year, Contemporary Album and Favorite Entertainer — for her CD “Chardonnay.” Released in conjunction with her own wine label, “Chardonnay” highlights Hanaiali‘i’s superb vocals and her ...

Maui shows to honor Prince

Prince will be celebrated with two great "Purple Planet" nights of music Friday and Sunday at Mulligans on the Blue, with many of his most popular songs sung by Eric Gilliom, with lead guitarist Nils Rosenblad and Shea Derrick fronting a stellar band including keyboardist Jerry Kovarsky, bassist Danny Meola, drummer Rick Bodinus and backing vocalist Joette Burke."Prince has a connection to our island, so I thought, let's do something that's hot, something that's awesome," says Gilliom.Featuring around 25 of some of Prince's greatest songs, the shows will include an array of hits from ...

A journey fulfilled

When she was only 15 years old, Amy Holland had her first major record label audition, singing in front of Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson at his home. She was being considered for the band's own music company, Brother Records, encouraged by Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, who was dating her sister's roommate."I was too young to realize how cool it was," Holland recalls. "He dropped me off at Brian Wilson's house with my guitar. It was, 'OK, see you later, he'll give you a ride home.' I didn't even know I should be nervous. I sang for him in his living room and he liked my voice. They were very ...

Tower of Power

Hailed as one of the world's greatest soul/funk bands, Tower of Power has been entertaining audiences for more than 40 years with the group's exuberant music. First becoming a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene in the 1970s, their infectious hits include "What is Hip?," "Don't Change Horses," "Soul Vaccination," "So Very Hard to Go" and "Down to the Nightclub."Among their many fans they can count Elton John, Santana, Rod Stewart, B.B. King, Ray Charles and Smokey Robinson, who have all invited TOP's legendary horn section to contribute to their albums."Carlos Santana first ...