Jazz Maui’s 2018 East Meets West Festival, June 27-July 4

Jazz Maui’s 2018 East Meets West Festival begins on June, 27 2018, and runs through July 4, at various venues across Maui.  The festival features a lineup of professional jazz fusion and multi-cultural dance artists as well as hands-on music and dance workshops with visiting artists.

Produced by the Arts Education for Children Group, the East Meets West Festival encourages cross-cultural dance and musical collaborations in a variety of traditional and original styles inspired by east and west. Featured concerts on Friday, June 29 and Sat., June 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. will be the first community produced events held in the new King Kekaulike Performing Arts Center in Pukalani.

On Friday, June 29, the festival features a Best of Blue Note Tribute with the Mike Lewis & Friends Quartet featuring award winning jazz and r&b vocalist Ginai. Mike and Ginai are regular performers at the Blue Note Honolulu where they present a series of tribute concerts recognizing some of the great women of song including Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, Natalie Cole and most recently Sade.

Ginai is a three-time Hawaiian Music Awards winner and the winner of two Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards for her albums Hot Club of Hulaville, Django Would Go and Hula Joe & The Hut Jumpers. She has proven to be a compelling surge of dynamism that continues to shock your mind, body and soul with her charismatic, hypnotic voice and welcoming stage presence.

University of Hawai’i Maui College Jazz Band Director, Mike Lewis, has recorded and toured with artists such as Sammy Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Sonny and Cher, Billy Joel, Natalie Cole, The Temptations, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Bruno Mars and more.Mike and Ginai will also perform select numbers with the King Kekaulike High School’s Na Ali’i Big Band and Maui’s Chop Suey Jazz Orchestra.

Friday’s concert also includes a series of cultural dance performances led by guestchoreographer, SAMMAY, from San Francisco. SAMMAY is the Founding Artistic Director of URBAN x INDIGENOUS and a resident artist with the API Cultural Center.

SAMMAY is part of a global movement towards reindigenization through the indigenous contemporary arts collective, I Moving Lab. Her goal on Maui is to work with groups to explore “urban-indigenous” identity through contemporary movement and dances that seek to honor indigenous lineages.

She will perform solo and withlocal Hawaiian and contemporary dance troupes including the UH Maui Dance Club and Dance International Foundation. The concert will also feature a performance by Zenshin Daiko.

On Saturday, June 30, the Mike Lewis & Friends Quartet featuring Ginai will offer a second Blue Note tribute to the great women of song. The Chop Suey Jazz Orchestra will also take the stage and the Nā Ali’i Big Band will close the evening in a special performance joined by Mike Lewis on trumpet and vocals by Ginai.

Opening Friday’s pre-show concert at 4 p.m. will be the June Skies Combo and Tanama Colibri. On Saturday at 5 p.m., the June Skies Combo will be joined by saxophonist Joie Taylor. Food will be offered for purchase on both nights. Ticket prices for festival performances are $15. To purchase tickets, visit jazzmaui.org.

For those who wish to have a more intimate music experience, on Thurs., June 28 at 6 p.m., Mary Anne Fitch and Nam Le Viet of Lahaina will host an at-home concert, featuring the Mike Lewis and Friends Quartet with a performance by the June Skies Jazz Combo. East Meets West themed pupus and wines are included for $100 per person. For reservations, call (808) 283-3576.

Now in its second year, the East Meets West Festival also encourages visiting artists to offer workshops and clinics so that community bands, musicians and dancers can learn from the visiting artists.

Free vocal and music clinics will take place at King Kekaulike High School on June 27 from 12 to 4 p.m. A dance workshop with SAMMAY will take place on June 28 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Omori Studio at 1 p.m. Go to JazzMaui.org for more information and a detailed schedule. To register call (808) 283-3576.

Additional festival dates include performances by Gems of Jazz led by saxophonist Joie Taylo at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center at 11 a.m. On July 4th there will be a Concert in the Park on the Lahaina Library Lawn from 5 to 8 p.m. featuring two of Maui’s top jazz ensembles, the Chop Suey Jazz Orchestra and the Nā Ali’i Big Band. Over 70 members of the community will perform. The event concludes appropriately with fireworks.

Jazz Maui’s 2018 East Meets West Festival is sponsored by Hawai’i Tourism Authority, County of Maui Office of Economic Development, Makana Aloha Foundation, WorldWide Music Ventures, and the Story of Hawai’i Museum.

For more information, call (808) 283-3576 or visit JazzMaui.org.

Jazz Maui’s East Meets West Festival. Event flyer.

Ginai. Jazz Maui’s East Meets West Festival.

Mike Lewis Quartet performing at Blue Note. Jazz Maui’s East Meets West Festival.

Sammay. Jazz Maui’s East Meets West Festival.

Zenshin Daiko. Jazz Maui’s East Meets West Festival.