The Club & Music Scene

The Blues

The blues are alive and well in Hawaii, with quality acts both local and from the mainland drawing enthusiastic crowds. Junior Wells, Willie & Lobo, War, and surprise appearances by the likes of Bonnie Raitt are among the past successes of this genre of big-time licks. The best-loved Oahu venue is Anna Bannanas, 2440 S. Beretania St., between University Avenue/Isenberg Street. (tel. 808/946-5190), still rocking after 30 years in the business, with reggae, blues, and rock -- plus video games and darts.

Jazz

Jazz lovers should watch for the Great Hawaiian Jazz Blow-Out every March, at Mid-Pacific Institute's Bakken Hall, which is at the south end of Honolulu, near Diamond Head (tel. 808/734-0397).

To find out what's happening in the jazz scene while you're in town, check out www.honolulujazzscene.net. Diamond Head Grill (tel. 808/922-3734) features live music nightly; and Duc's Bistro (tel. 808/531-6325), downtown, presents live jazz nightly except Thursday, when vocalist Mihana Souza brings her style of Hawaiian music to the cozy venue. Also in Chinatown, thirtyninehotel, 29 N. Hotel St. (tel. 808/599-2552; www.thirtyninehotel.com) has live jazz at night; during the day, the same space morphs into an art gallery.

In Waikiki, tops in taste and ambience is the perennially alluring Lewers Lounge, in the Halekulani, 2199 Kalia Rd. (tel. 808/923-2311; www.halekulani.com). Recently renovated (higher ceiling, contemporary color scheme, and comfy intimate seating around the pillars), this a great spot for contemporary jazz nightly from 8:30pm to midnight. And with expert mixologist Dale DeGroff (the "king of cocktails") now the hotel's director of beverages, the drinks are better than ever. Be sure to try the Hpnotiq Liqueur (Dale's own creation), a blend of premium vodka, cognac, and fruit juices from France, served over ice or in various concoctions.

Also in Waikiki, Nick's Fishmarket, Waikiki Gateway Hotel, 2070 Kalakaua Ave. (tel. 808/955-6333), offers live entertainment nightly in its lounge -- mild jazz or contemporary Top 40 hits.

Outside of Waikiki, the Veranda, at the Kahala Resort, 5000 Kahala Ave. (tel. 808/739-8888; www.kahalaresort.com), is a popular spot for the over-40 crowd, with nightly jazz music and a dance floor.

In Honolulu, jazz fans will love Jazz Wednesdays at the Honolulu Club, 932 Ward Ave. (tel. 808/543-3900), where the seventh-floor lounge of this ultra-upscale fitness center turns into a jazz nightclub with a wall of windows overlooking the Honolulu skyline. Music begins at 6pm (and lasts until 9pm), but the tables start filling up at 5:30pm. Cover is $5 and the crowd, often from the surrounding offices, generally ranges from people in their mid-20s to 50s. Skip the high-priced pupu (appetizers), but the local jazz musicians are well worth the price of drinks (martinis, ranging from $6.75 to $7.75, are your best bet).

Around town, watch for Sandy Tsukiyama, a gifted singer (Brazilian, Latin, jazz) and one of Honolulu's great assets, as well as for jazz singers Rachel Gonzales and Loretta Ables. Other noteworthy groups in jazz, blues, and R&B include Blue Budda, Bongo Tribe, Secondhand Smoke, Bluzilla, Piranha Brothers, and the Greg Pai Trio.

Hawaiian Music

"Aloha shirt to Armani" is what we call the night scene in Honolulu -- mostly casual, but with ample opportunity to dress up if you can bear to part with your flip-flops.

Oahu has several key spots for Hawaiian music. A delightful (and powerful) addition to the Waikiki music scene is Hawaii's queen of falsetto, Genoa Keawe, who fills the Lobby Bar of the Hawaiian Regent Hotel (tel. 808/922-6611) with her larger-than-life voice. You'll find her here from 5:30 to 8:30pm every Thursday; the rest of the week, except Monday, other contemporary Hawaiian musicians fill in.

Brothers Cazimero remains one of Hawaii's most gifted duos (Robert on bass, Roland on 12-string guitar), appearing every Wednesday at 7pm at Chai's Island Bistro (tel. 808/585-0011), in the Aloha Tower Marketplace. Also at Chai's: Robert Cazimero plays by himself on the piano on Fridays at 7pm; and Jerry Santos and Olomana performs on Sundays and Mondays at 7pm. If you're here on May 1, Lei Day, the Brothers Caz give a special concert at the Waikiki Shell, as they do every year -- one of the loveliest events in Hawaii. Locals dress up in their leis and best aloha shirts, the air smells like pikake and pakalana, and the moon sometimes rises over Diamond Head.

Impromptu hula and spirited music from the family and friends of the performers are an island tradition at places such as the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Paradise Lounge (tel. 808/949-4321), which, despite its pillars, serves as a large living room for the full-bodied music of Olomana. The group plays Friday and Saturday from 8pm to midnight (no cover, one-drink minimum). At Duke's Canoe Club at the Outrigger Waikiki (tel. 808/923-0711), it's always three deep at the beachside bar as the sun sets; extra-special entertainment is a given here -- usually from 4 to 6pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and nightly from 10pm to midnight.

Nearby, the Moana Surfrider offers a regular nightly program of live Hawaiian music and piano in its Banyan Veranda (tel. 808/922-3111), which surrounds an islet-size canopy of banyan tree and roots where Robert Louis Stevenson loved to linger. The Veranda serves afternoon tea, a sunset buffet, and cocktails.

My best advice for Hawaiian music lovers is to scan the local dailies (especially Friday's pull-out TGIF section in the Honolulu Advertiser, www.honoluluadvertiser.com) or the Honolulu Weekly (www.honoluluweekly.com) to see if and where the following Hawaiian entertainers are appearing: Kekuhi Kanahele, an accomplished, award-winning chanter and kahiko (ancient hula) dancer; Hookena, a symphonically rich quintet featuring Manu Boyd, one of the most prolific songwriters and chanters in Hawaii; Kealii Reichel, premier chanter, dancer, and award-winning recording artist; Robbie Kahakalau, another award-winning musician; Kapena, for contemporary Hawaiian music; Na Leo Pilimehana, a trio of angelic Hawaiian singers; the Makaha Sons of Niihau, pioneers in the Hawaiian cultural renaissance; Fiji, a performer whose music is classified as Hawaiian Soul; and slack-key guitar master Raymond Kane.

Consider the gods beneficent if you happen to be here when the hula halau of Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett is holding its annual fundraiser. It's a rousing, inspired, family effort that always features the best in ancient and contemporary Hawaiian music. For the best in hula, check the dailies for halau fundraisers, which are always authentic, enriching, and local to the core.

Get Down with ARTafterDark

The last Friday of every month (except Nov and Dec), the place to be after the sun goes down is the Honolulu Academy of Arts' ARTafterDark, a pau-hana (after-work) mixer in the art museum that brings residents and visitors together around a theme combining art with food, music, and dancing. In addition to the exhibits in the gallery, ARTafterDark also features visual and live performances. Last year the themes ranged from "Plant Rice" -- with rice and sake tastings, Asian beers, live Asian fusion music, and a tour of the "Art of Rice" exhibit -- to "'80s Night," "Turkish Delights," "Cool Nights," "Hot Jazz and Blues," and "Havana Heat."

The party gets going about 6pm and lasts until 9pm. The crowd -- ranging in age from their 20s to 50s -- dresses in everything from jeans and T-shirts to designer cocktail party attire. Entry fee is $10. For more information, call tel. 808/532-6091 or visit www.artafterdark.org.