Embark on ancestral paths

May 8, 2014

The 22nd annual Celebration of the Arts at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua this weekend will gather some of Hawaii's celebrated artisans, educators, cultural practitioners and entertainers.With the theme, "Ko Makou Alanui Kupuna Our Ancestral Paths," this popular cultural event will include music and hula by Maui's Kumu Kamaka'eu Williams and Ka Pa Hula o ka Ulu Koa, performing from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. Saturday in the resort's lobby lounge.The Celebration Lu'au and Show will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday in the Aloha Pavilion. The award-winning Halau o Ka Hanu Lehua, under the direction of ...

Power of yes

May 1, 2014

Jon Anderson, one of rock's most distinctive vocalists, is best known as "The Voice of Yes." The former lead singer and creative force of the legendary progressive rock band, Anderson in recent years has been delighting audiences around the world as a solo artist.Making his Maui debut Friday in the McCoy Studio Theater, Anderson said he's thrilled to be finally performing on the island he loves."My wife and I got married in Maui," he explains. "I'm very excited. I've always wanted to play there, and I love doing my solo shows."I got pretty sick on the last Yes tour 10 years ago, and ...

From Tokyo to Maui: Bob Dylan ‘Blowing in the Wind’

April 24, 2014

Bob Dylan rarely gives interviews - and when he does - he sometimes plays the trickster, seeming to enjoy teasing and confounding journalists with his enigmatic, bewildering responses."What's your new album about?" Dylan was asked during a press conference in 1965. "Oh, it's about all kinds of different things -rats and balloons," he announced."They're just about the only things that come to my mind right now."One writer noted, "snagging an interview with Dylan is almost as impossible as spotting Sasquatch." But when you do, look out, especially when he's feeling misunderstood."What are ...

Every note counts when Jimmie Vaughan plays

April 17, 2014

Hailed by Guitar Player Magazine as "a virtual deity, a living legend," Jimmie Vaughan brings his Tilt-a-Whirl Band featuring vocalist Lou Ann Barton to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on April 24 at 7:30 p.m.The former guitarist for The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmie has pursued a successful solo career since the mid-1990s, releasing a handful of critically acclaimed albums that has cemented his reputation as an eminent blues artist.His most recent recording, "Plays More Blues, Ballads & Favorites" with Barton, finds him covering lesser-known tunes by the likes of Ray Charles, ...

Sound & Style of the Maui Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival

April 10, 2014

One of the world's leading steel guitarists, Alan Akaka is among the musicians who will perform at the sixth annual Maui Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival offered for free Friday through Sunday at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel."The sound of the steel guitar sounds to me like Hawaii," Akaka says. "Many people over the years have told me it's not Hawaiian music without the sound of the steel guitar."Presented by the nonprofit Arts Education for Children Group and produced by the Ke Kula Mele Hawaiian School of Music, the three-day event brings together master steel guitar players and aficionados ...

Spirited songs

April 3, 2014

World music pioneer Jai Uttal is acclaimed for his multicultural fusion recordings. Since the early 1990s, he has released a series of influential albums based around Indian devotional music, seamlessly blended with elements of pop, rock, jazz, folk, electronica, and African and Brazilian rhythms.Describing himself simply as a pop musician influenced by the folk music of India, the Grammy nominated, multi-instrumentalist added Jamaican reggae and ska to his recent recording, "Queen of Hearts.""I've always been a fan of reggae, particularly Bob Marley," says Uttal. "For years at home, ...