Do It!: Honolulu Intertribal Powwow, Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, Keys and Krates

SATURDAY – SUNDAY

Intertribal Powwow kicks off

The Honolulu Intertribal Powwow returns to Honolulu this weekend, offering the chance to observe a variety of dances with representatives and performers from several mainland tribes in attendance.

For men, there will be a Grass Dance, noted for its graceful motions reminiscent of grass rustling in the wind, the athletic Fancy Dance, the colorful Southern Style dance and a Traditional Northern Style warrior’s dance.

Women will perform an intricate Fancy Shawl Dance, the musical Jingle Dance, designed to scare away evil spirits, and traditional dances that display the participants’ beautiful fringed clothing and jewelry.

Performers include drum group The Wildhorse Singers, a Los Angeles-based group made up of members from many tribes; 808 NDNZ, a Hawaii group that has been performing for more than 20 years; and the Welhpima Dance Group from the Squamish Nation in Canada.

SATURDAY – SUNDAY

Symphony opens with Tao, Schwarz

Pianist Conrad Tao and conductor Gerard Schwarz return to the Blaisdell Concert Hall to open the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks season with a program of robustly Romantic music.

Lizst, Brahms and Rachmaninoff are all giants of the Romantic era of classical music, which stretched from the early 19th century to the early 20th century.

Liszt, best known for his pyrotechnics at the keyboard, also wrote some lovely orchestra works; his “Les Preludes,” an orchestral tone poem, is probably the most beloved. Brahms’ thick textures and deep emotionalism reach some of their finest expression in his “Symphony No. 3.” Frank Sinatra and “Fawlty Towers” both used excerpts of it, just two of the many examples of where it has appeared in pop culture.

Schwarz, the former longtime maestro of the Seattle Symphony who led the orchestra in an enchanting interpretation of Edward Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations last season, conducts the orchestra for “Les Preludes” and “Symphony No. 3.

Rachmaninoff, considered by many to be the last Romantic composer, was a great pianist known for his huge hands, which were put to good use in his “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” The piece gives the prodigy Tao an opportunity to flash his technique at the keyboard, which displayed in a performance of Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16” two years ago.

SATURDAY

Eddie Ortiz and company mark 15 years of Latin music in isles

Eddie Ortiz and Son Caribe have been stalwarts of Latin Music in Hawaii for 15 years. That’s an accomplishment worth a celebration, which will take place Saturday at Hawaiian Brian’s.

“Its a surprise to us that we’ve been able to sustain this,” Ortiz said. “We’ve performed every week for the last 15 years at one place or another. We haven’t taken a break.”

Ortiz started Son Caribe after finishing a 20-year stint playing in the Marine Corps Band. He and lead vocalist Cynthia Romero are original members. Many of the performers who have contributed over the years — about 300, by Ortiz’s count — have been drawn from visiting military personnel.

Salsa, merengue and other Latin dances have been a mainstay – Son Caribe roughly translates as “rhythm of the Caribbean” – but jazz, rock and other genres can be on the playbill too.

The band had long-running stints at the old Esprit Lounge and Rumours, and has played many other venues, recently performing in the Philippines and Japan. It also has played backup to many visiting guests, including Tito Puente Jr. and Chino Espinoza. “They’ll just come and send us their music, and we’ll perform as their band,” Ortiz said.

Among the guest performers coming for this Saturday’s celebration will be Luisito Rosario, a top vocalist from New York who has recorded with the band, and percussionist Sakura Sato from Japan. “She’s just an amazing player,” Ortiz said. “Believe it or not, she plays in salsa bands in Japan.” The Fuego Y Aqua Dancers and the Linda Melodia Dance Company will shimmy to the beat.

— Steven Mark

SATURDAY

Toronto trio Keys and Krates brings beat to The Republik

Canadian electronic music trio Keys and Krates brings its high-energy beat to The Republik this week.

The Toronto-based group features an unusual mix of instruments, with turntablist Greg Dawson, also known as Jr. Flo, mixing it up with keyboard player David Matisse and drummer Adam Tune. The three collaborate in the development of all their tunes, blending hip-hop with electronic music in a gritty style known as trap.

The group aims to make tunes as listenable at home as they are danceable in the clubs. That said, they’ve gotten the most attention for their dance music, winning a 2015 dance video award from the Canadian-based Much Music Video Awards for “Keep It 100” and a Juno Award this year for Dance Recording of the Year for “Save Me.”