Jazz Maui to host benefit concert for King Kekaulike Music Program, May 25

Jazz Maui will present a special Sunset Jazz concert on Sunday, May 25, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolate Factory in Lahaina to raise funds for the King Kekaulike High School Music Program’s 2025 Japan tour.

The benefit performance features the Meg Okura and Sam Newsome Quintet, a collaboration between New York-based jazz violinist Meg Okura and soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, alongside keyboardist Jeff Hellmer, bassist Dave Graber and drummer Kevin Garland.

Proceeds will support King Kekaulike’s award-winning music program, which gives students opportunities to perform more than 50 times per year across Hawaiʻi and on tours to Japan and the Mainland US. The program has previously collaborated with guest artists such as David Garibaldi of Tower of Power, Valery Ponomarev of the Jazz Messengers and Grammy winners including Arturo O’Farrill and Delfeayo Marsalis.

Okura, a Grammy-nominated composer and bandleader, is known for her genre-blending work with the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble. Newsome has received critical acclaim for his innovative soprano saxophone style and has performed with jazz icons including Terence Blanchard and Donald Byrd.

The concert is part of the weekly Sunset Jazz series hosted in the chocolate factory’s open-air pavilion, which offers sweeping sunset views and a rotating lineup of top jazz talent. Guests may purchase chocolate and beverages onsite or work with chocolate sommeliers for custom pairings.

Seating is limited, and tickets must be purchased in advance at MauiChocolate.com/pages/sunset-jazz or JazzMaui.org.