Willie K’s Blue Note return showcases his humor, talent

Willie K’s back — he resumed his monthly Blue Note Hawaii gig on July 17 — and clearly, he’s absorbing the incredible energy from his fans.

He looked and sounded wonderful: closely cropped hair has returned to his head, his profile continues to get leaner, his goatee is neatly trimmed, his voice is rich and nuanced, his musicianship undiminished.

But he had a new accomplice as he took the stage — a walking cane. No explanation needed; his cancer treatments have clearly made an impact on his gait, even if he’s regained his momentum and magic.

Throughout the evening, he delivered talk-show sound bites worth sharing:

>> After singing “Ho‘onanea,” which requires vocal stamina and those succulent falsetto tones that go high, higher and very high, Willie said: “I can see myself doing this song in a hot tub. Ho, man, I’m goooood.”

>> About his chemo and radiation challenges, he confided: “I know what everybody’s thinking (about his status). I’m working on it. The only healing … is to be onstage.” Certainly, those cheers and whistles seeped into his psyche, giving him incentive to push and persevere.

>> On a show he’d done prematurely on Maui, before his Blue Note return, and the consequences: “I wasn’t ready; I had to be walked out.”

>> On his frenetic fingers dancing on his trusty uke: “Jake Shimabukuro stole that s— from me … I’ve been doing this for 30 years! … I goin’ kick your a—!”

OK, the last one was in jest — demonstrating that Willie K has not lost his touch or his sense of humor. ….

SUNNY — WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY

With summer as an umbrella, and friends and family part of the motif, Robert Cazimero staged a summery evening July 19 at Blue Note Hawaii. The mix was typically Cazimero, whose first utterance onstage was “I will be amazing.”

And that he was, intertwining the triple topics.

“Summer means vacation,” he declared, so he was pushing staycations, singing about the joys of Hawaii via “The Wonderful World of Aloha” with a “There’s No Place Like Hawaii” endorsement. Later, there were obvious tunes like “You Are My Sunshine” and “Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer,” with the audience chiming in. Then, whoa, out of left field, Cazimero picked a sultry Ella Fitzgerald oldie, “It’s Too Damn Hot,” and you could practically feel the sizzle of heat and imagine the drip-drop sweat. A huge check mark for him.

For friends, the easy choices were “We Are Friends” and “You’ve Got a Friend.” But Cazimero’s surprise guest musician — longtime friend Horace Dudoit of Ho‘okena — epitomized friendship. Dudoit manned the stand-up bass and also chimed in with palsy-walsy support. Then Cazimero proudly named his best friend, Kaipo Hale, a noted composer, singer and authority on themes Hawaiian, and proceeded to sing a bonding ballad he wrote for Hale, “He Mana ‘o Aloha.” Sweet!

For family, older brother Rodney Cazimero made an uncommon appearance on a Cazimero show, sharing “The Days of My Youth,” the Kui Lee composition. While that was a thumbs-up contribution, his quirky “Ming Toi” novelty from his childhood past (pssst, Myrtle K. Hilo previously recorded it here) was a splendid distraction because it was nostalgic, nonsensical and nifty, if not totally PC with its racially charged slant on Chinese themes and elocution. But hey, it wasn’t mean-spirited. …

HELLO, AGAIN, BETTE

Hawaii’s Bette Midler is back where she belongs, center stage at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway, where she’s resumed her Dolly Levi role in “Hello, Dolly!” in a hana hou, six-week encore run. Thus, the box office is up where it belongs, too: Her first week’s grosses were $2,062,015 — 107.85 percent of its potential take. You may recall, Midler was on a two-week break last year when I visited. But I’ve secured tickets this time, before she closes Aug. 25.

Meanwhile, the buzz in Britain is that Midler likely will star in “Dolly!” when it plays at the London Palladium in 2019. Jolly good news, if true. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.