Amy Hanaialii, a five-time Grammy nominee and 25-time Na Hoku Hanohano winner, returns to the Big Island this week for two performances.
The beloved Hawaiian vocalist and songwriter is known for her hai (falsetto) vocals, but she is also a classical and jazz singer. Her wide-ranging talent will be showcased on two levels with the first concert on Tuesday featuring Hanaialii and her pianist, Sal Godinez, offering up a duet of jazz during an intimate evening performance at a Kohala Ranch residence.
“There will be a little bit of Christmas, but a lot of classy jazz standards,” said Hanaialii, also noting that there will be some Hawaiian and R&B worked in. “It’s a totally different vibe — it’s piano and Amy in a real classy, intimate setting.”
The special Kahilu Gold Concert Series jazz and Hawaiian program will be preceded by pupu and tastings of her Double Gold 2nd Vintage Hanaialii Merlot and just-launched Hanaialii 2013 Chardonnay from Napa Valley’s St. Helene area. Her seventh and most recent album, “Chardonnay,” which features a duet with Michael McDonald, was released Nov. 20.
“Waimea is one of my favorite places on the planet and I am very excited that they wanted to do an actual wine event,” she said. “The album has a real Napa (Valley) feel to it. It just has a real sit back, have a glass of wine and listen to some great music vibe.”
The next evening, Wednesday, Hanaialii graces the stage at Kahilu Theatre with her full band for an evening of a different color. She has sold out the house during her two previous visits to the Waimea mainstay. Her signature wines will also be available for purchase at the show.
“What’s special about this particular concert is I do a lot of Christmas classics, but to hear the Christmas classics in Hawaiian is something you will never hear,” she said. “It’s so, so special. My band is so killer. It’s just perfect.”
Hanaialii is Hawaii’s top-selling female vocalist. Her accolades include five Grammy nominations and 25 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year, Hawaiian Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Group of the Year, Christmas Album of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year, among others.
She has also played for sold out crowds in Europe, Japan, China, all across America and French Polynesia. On her 2009 album, “Friends and Family,” she performed a duet with country music legend Willie Nelson; she has also performed alongside artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, Carlos Santana, Boz Scaggs, Diana Krall and Joe Crocker.
Her talent emerges from a disciplined blend of that classical training, fusing powerhouse vocalists, and honoring her family through her worldly heritage and rooted ancestral responsibility. She has spent much of her life, supported by her loving family and friends, honing her skills.
“I was very fortunate to be part of an entertainment family,” she said, going on to explain her grandmother, Jennie Napua Hanaialii Woodd, a Royal Hawaiian Dancer whose choreography was well-known and featured in such TV shows as the Harry Owens and his Royal Hawaiians, had a huge influence on her. “I’ve had it in my family forever. We’re all entertainers before anything.”
Tickets for the 6 p.m. Tuesday Kahilu Gold Concert Series performance at Kohala Ranch are $133 and can be purchased online at www.kahilutheatre.org. Tickets for the 7 p.m. Wednesday concert at Kahilu Theatre range in price from $20 to $68 and can also be bought online at Kahilu Theatre’s website.
One of the major goals of the concert series is to raise funds for Kahilu Theatre education programs. The education programs include after-school classes (Prince Dance Institute, smART Theatre, K-Arts) and summer programs (KPAW, Cirque Ohana Camp, Summer Arts). It also provides the theater a platform to showcase the talents of students from the programs. For example, students from two contemporary dance classes will perform poolside routines prior to Hanaialii’s performance on Tuesday.
Info: www.kahilutheatre.org, www.amyhanaialiigilliom.com.