Willie K is arguably Hawaii’s most versatile music star. Uncle Willie performs with an astounding palette — blues, rock, Hawaiian, country, opera, jazz, you name it — and his sellouts in venues on Maui and his once-a-month engagement at Blue Note Hawaii in the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel validate his popularity.

But starting Nov. 12, Willie said he will expand his scope of island appearances with a monthly performance in a new club that boasts his name at Hilo’s Naniloa Hotel on the Big Island. Willie K’s Gig, as the showroom will be called, will host Willie for a performance on a Friday or Saturday, with other acts taking the stage the rest of the time.

The inspiration, he said in an interview, is the Blue Note, with its revolving door of visiting and local troupers, and its diversified musical streams.

“From my point of view, the Blue Note is a nightclub for everybody — top of the line — and it feels great to have a club like that in Waikiki,” he said. “Our club (in Hilo) hopes to have that kind of format.”

The undercurrent is that Willie also could be turning a page in his work manual. With more local gigs, he would travel less, allowing more quality time with his Maui-based family. He’s hired a Big Island promoter to book artists and build a community of performers and showgoers.

“It’s ‘the Willie K Triad,’” he said of island-hopping. “I do two nights a week on Maui, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and I do a brunch on Sundays.” He also has select Tuesdays at the Blue Note in Waikiki through year’s end, a contract that conceivably will continue in 2017.

“It’s a whole new world right now,” he added. “I’m stepping into (new) business ventures. I’m eventually closing part of my career.”

Though he wasn’t a big fan of playing in Waikiki, the Blue Note gig has changed his perspective. There’s been buzz that if Willie can secure a plum Waikiki venue — like the Royal Hawaiian’s Monarch Room, which is available weeknights — he might embrace options to stay put. “Right now, every other week, I’m going to the mainland; I’m going to Europe, to China, all over. It’s tiring.”

In rewriting his work ethic, he will let the fans come to him, rather than vice versa.

“Ending touring would be great for my family,” he said. …

COLLABORATION: Willie K’s recent one-nighter with Davell Crawford at Blue Note Hawaii showcased remarkable chemistry. The Maui resident and the New Orleans/New York trouper, both of whom particularly adore jazz and blues, made improv work for them. Willie brought along his trusty guitar, but lacked an ukulele, so he literally ran down to the uke shop in the Outrigger Waikiki’s lower lobby to purchase an instrument and broke it in during the jam. Crawford is a singer-pianist (and a marvel on his Steinway) who quickly found common ground. Both capitalized on the key element of jazz, notably the extended instrumental riffs.

In the end, the Blue Note pairing largely was a test of will and desire, of chance and experimentation, of sharing and comparing. The union likely will result in similar jams on Maui and in New Orleans. See my blog for the full review. …

JAZZ AND MORE: Shari Lynn, the singer-actor-educator behind the Sunset Jazz at La Pietra, offered pleasures galore in the 9/11 gathering on the slopes of Diamond Head. Shari shared the spotlight with Rocky Brown, Kip Wilborn, John Kolivas’ Honolulu Jazz Quartet and Mike Lewis’ 15-member jazz band, along with Shari’s Sunset Jazz regulars, Jim Howard, Kolivas and Daryl Pelligrini.

There was more: a segment on Broadway’s musical riches, a salute to the first responders and military soldiers who preserve America’s democracy, a nod to the late Jimmy Borges, (with a parody written by Shari, to the tune of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”). A music teacher at La Pietra, Shari also tapped her younger girls to chime in on “My Favorite Things” but it was her high schoolers rapping to “Hamilton,” complete with hip-hop body language, that was a viable indicator that her youths are inspired by the Great White Way. Go to my blog for more. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com. Read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at staradvertiser.com.