SHOW BIZ
Kolivas and all that jazz, Leed and all that stuff
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
ON THE RECORD: John Kolivas' "Sounds of the City" CD, with his Honolulu Jazz Quartet, is just out. It provides an edge of excitement for his new regular gig, Jazz Sundays, 7-10 p.m. every Sunday beginning Sept. 7 at Kapono's at Aloha Tower Marketplace, where it will be formally launched. ...
Melveen Leed has a lot on her plate. She leaves Saturday for Tahiti to finalize her divorce, but happier times await in Nashville, where she'll record at Bradley's Barn between Oct. 20 and 25, this time with Harold Bradley supervising (he's president of Nashville's Musicians Union, and brother of the late Owen Bradley, who worked on Leed's earlier Hawaiian-country sessions). Leed has been invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry ("they asked me to sing 'Crazy' in Hawaiian and English, as well as 'Singin' the Blues' "). Among the tunes Leed will record: Danny Lopez's "A Part of Me, a Part of You," and she hopes to have the CD out by Christmas. ...
Traci Toguchi, a former Miss Hawai'i and ex-cast member of a touring "Miss Saigon" production, is completing her first CD, which she previewed on last Saturday's Perry & Price show. She will be quite visible (and audible) this weekend, appearing in the Okinawan Festival parade Saturday morning (as one of two Okinawan Miss Hawai'is — the other being Cheryl Toma Sanders), singing the national anthem at 11 a.m. (with Sanders on piano) at Kapi'olani Bandstand, performing with another ex-Miss Hawai'i, Billie Takaki, at a Beyond the Sea fund-raiser Sunday, and performing Sunday at the Okinawan Festival show that features Jordan Segundo (who's not Okinawan) and Jake and Bruce Shimabukuro (who are). ...
Segundo also has started initial work on his debut CD. ...
Lee Eisenstein, formerly of White/Eisenstein, is back in the Islands, working on a new CD set for release next year. He plays classical and slack-key guitar 6-8:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Honolulu Country Club's Sushi Restaurant (441-9445). ...
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WHEE, THE PEOPLE: When Keola Beamer performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Diamond Head Theatre, as part of his Mohala Hou tour, just hope there are no roaches crawling on stage. At his Paliku Theatre show last week at Windward Community College, a B-52 approached Beamer's mom, Nona Beamer, as she was to do her signature "Pupu Hinuhinu." Nearly everyone saw it — Auntie Nona, audience, and bassist John Kolivas. "Nona held her breath as it charged her," said Kolivas. "Then it made a turn directly at me and I smashed it with my foot." The crowd applauded. Keola didn't see the critter, so didn't know about the trauma. It was the second time Kolivas has stomped a giant cockroach — last time was at Kapono's. ...
Speaking of Nona: When her hanai daughter Maile Beamer Loo and her halau marked her Aug. 15 birthday, there was a remarkable surprise: a hula by Kent Ghirard, 85, who danced to "Nani Kaua'i." Remarkable, because he was wearing a body brace due to a fractured back. ...
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TRADE WINDS: Rich West and Beau Hodge, who conduct the 2 Boobs in the Morning Show on 105.9 FM (The Big Kahuna) got a big charge when U.S. Rep. Ed Case talked about his re-election plans. ...
False rumors have been surfacing about the Society of Seven. The buzz that the SOS Las Vegas, based at the Outrigger Waikiki's Main Showroom, will be opening in Las Vegas shortly is untrue. Similarly, the original SOS group, led by Tony Ruivivar and still at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, is not returning to Waikiki any time soon. Now you know. ...
Marian Benham is a co-chair of the Hawai'i Theatre docents program; we erroneously called her Mary in an item here last week. Apologies. ...
And that's Show Biz. ...
