Shortly after Robert Cazimero’s glorious resurrection of Lei Day last year at Bishop Museum, he bequeathed without ceremony the responsibility for the 2019 production — if there was going to be one — to Keauhou, comprised of musicians-singers Zachary Lum, his brother Nicholas Lum and Jonah Solatorio.
Cazimero had produced and shaped the Hawaiiana-filled May Day extravaganza for 30 years at the Waikiki Shell but revived the popular attraction last year following a 10-year gap, and Lei Day was reborn. Keauhou and guests Jerry Santos and Marlene Sai were joined by five hula halau in 2018, providing a nostalgic spectacle, accompanied by a gigantic headache of parking and traffic woes.
Lei Day is returning from 3 to 9:30 p.m. May 1 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, reinvented and retooled with next-generation tutelage.
“I passed the kuleana to Keauhou,” said Cazimero. “Young, talented, with respect for the old and a beat on what’s happening today,” he said of the threesome. “Their commitment to ‘Make a Lei, Wear a Lei, Give a Lei’ is pa‘a (solid).”
Keauhou, schooled at Kamehameha, brings a pedigree of Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and a loyal fan base to the forefront. The gents — prolific Hawaiians who compose originals and dance hula under kumu Cazimero — are natural inheritors of the Lei Day legacy.
“We gladly and humbly accepted this honor,” said Lum. “That he would trust us with this storied tradition, one in which he invested (with late brother Roland Cazimero) decades of music, hula and the magic that abides, is very humbling for the three of us.”
Lum is touched by the breezy response and support. “The excitement of our family, friends, peers, hula brothers and those in and around the Hawaiian music-hula community continues to encourage us to make this event one of simultaneous nostalgia and revival,” he said. “It goes without saying that we are so grateful for the guidance our kumu give us in this inaugural journey.”
Moreover, the cultural event has drawn widespread backing from title sponsor Hawaiian Airlines and organizations such as Hawaii Tourism Authority, First
Hawaiian Bank, Walmart, Matson, Island Heritage and Wahea Foundation. It’s a foundation previous Lei Days didn’t have.
The two-pronged program includes:
>> A makeke (marketplace), from 3 p.m., with refreshments and crafts, and musical performances by Hawaiian Airlines Serenaders (4:15 p.m.), Kaumaka‘iwa Kanaka‘ole and Shawn Pimental (5 p.m.) and Na Palapalai
(6 p.m.). Kolohe Krew
will emcee.
>> The formal concert, from 7 p.m., features Cazimero and his Halau Na
Kamalei o Lililehua, Keauhou, Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua directed by kumu hula Ke‘ano Ka‘upu IV and Lono Padilla, the Kamehameha Schools
Concert Glee Club, and
Kahulanui. Keauhou will host.
A throng of 3,000-plus is anticipated; VIP tables — $1,000 for 10 seats, sold out in the first few days of sales — include a custom menu prepared by chef Mark Noguchi of the Pili Group. General admission tickets are $35; food and beverage will be available at the makeke. Visit keauhouband.com.
“Our ultimate goal for May Day is to make and grow the event as an established celebration for the local community at large,” said Lum. “We hope to create a venue in which all can celebrate mele, hula, lei, food and many other Hawaiian cultural practices.”
He credits his alma mater for his immersion in the traditions of Hawaii. “Kamehameha definitely provides its alumni with unique performance opportunities,” said Lum. “Now, as director of choral music at the high school, being part of the team that facilitates events like the Song Contest, has definitely provided me with more experiences that lend itself to our producing May Day and other events. We (Keauhou) are happy to be the facilitators of this collaboration.”
With relief, Cazimero added, “Come! Share! Remember! Tell stories old and new. Find colors and flowers of island hues and music as sweet as ginger memories. Let yourselves become part of something beautiful from the past, finding new breath today.” …
And that’s “Show Biz.”
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.
