Music club Blue Note Hawaii has opened at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, in a room that hosted musical variety act Society of Seven from 1969 through 2013.
Platinum-selling, world-renowned saxophonist Kenny G presides over the new venue’s official grand opening this week, after the site was improved with a multimillion-dollar makeover, including a new interior and new sound and lighting systems.
| KENNY G
When: 7 and 9:30 p.m. Jan. 14 and Jan. 15-17
Where: Blue Note Hawaii, Outrigger Waikiki Hotel, 2335 Kalakaua Ave.
Cost: $38.25-$85; $10 food and beverage minimum
Info: bluenotehawaii.com or 777-4890
Note: Discounted parking is available at the Ohana Waikiki East Hotel, 150 Kaiulani Ave.: $6 for four hours. Parking at the Outrigger Waikiki is $8 per hour.
Upcoming appearances:
>> Roy Hargrove: Jan. 18-23
>> Earl Klugh: Jan. 26-31
>> Roberta Gambarini: Feb. 2-7
>> Dee Dee Bridgewater: Feb. 9-14
>> Joe Robinson: Feb. 23-24
>> John Scofield & Joe Lovano Quartet: March 1-6
>> Pedrito Martinez Group: March 8-13
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Outrigger Resorts is partnering in the club with New York-based Blue Note Entertainment, whose other properties include New York City’s Highline Ballroom and B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. Blue Note Entertainment also owns clubs in Japan and Italy, and is newly opening Blue Note Beijing in 2016.
The Society of Seven was known for its musical impressions of mainstream celebrities, and for many years one of the most consistent was SOS member Wayne Wakai’s impression of Kenny G. And while the SOS is no longer in town, Hawaii now has a chance to experience the real thing.
Wakai may be there in spirit. In 2016 Blue Note Hawaii is set to become the best thing Waikiki has had in terms of a major jazz showroom since Mai Tai Sing presented a cavalcade of jazz greats — Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz and Herbie Mann, to name four — at Trappers in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki in 1980s. It takes nothing away from Marsalis, Hubbard, Getz or Mann to say that when it comes to record sales, Kenny G — born Kenneth Gorelick — is as big as it gets.
KENNY G is one of the world’s best-known instrumentalists, a Grammy Award-winning saxophonist who’s incorporated elements of R&B, pop and Latin music with a jazz base.
It’s been almost 30 years since “Duotones,” his fourth album, catapulted him from jazz chart success to pop market stardom. “Duotones” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart and was certified quintuple platinum with sales of 5 million copies.
One of his original compositions, “Songbird,” rose to No. 4 on the Hot 100 singles chart.
At this date Kenny G is one of the most successful instrumental musicians in the record business, with worldwide sales of more than 75 million records (45 million in the U.S. alone). Since the early ’80s his melodic instrumental albums have appeared on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart more than a dozen times.
Adding to those sales figures is his 14th studio album, “Brazilian Nights,” which was released a year ago, in January 2015. Fans of his new work can anticipate hearing some of his “Brazilian Nights” material. For many ticket buyers, of course, the show won’t be complete until he plays “Songbird.”
