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Hawaii’s Bruno Mars is composing new songs and prepping to go into the studio to record a follow-up to his "Unorthodox Jukebox" CD.
But prior to the arrival of this in-the-works project, Mars will get valuable exposure when his "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Gorilla" collaborator Mark Ronson releases "Uptown Funk," which drops Monday. It’s the lead single penned by Mars from Ronson’s fourth album.
The U.K. producer recorded it at Prince‘s home studio in Minneapolis. With the scarcity of new Mars ditties for radio airplay (since every cut from "Jukebox" has hit the charts), this one will preview Mars’ upcoming artistry and dynamics. Both Mars and Ronson took to social media to hype the single, which was completed "after countless sessions and sleepless nights," said Mars. …
Further, Ronson and Mars will guest on NBC’s "Saturday Night Live" to perform "Uptown Funk" on Nov. 22, when Cameron Diaz guest-hosts. …
DIVINITY: The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler, who also has island roots, will kick off a concert tour May 8 in Hollywood, Fla., to promote her just-out "It’s The Girls" CD, in which she does girl group covers from the past seven decades. She’ll try to emulate the aforementioned Bruno Mars as she crisscrosses the U.S., explaining to the Associated Press: "Bruno Mars is my hero. Bruno Mars has eight trucks (when he tours). … That’s how I want to tour." Some acts hit the road with 40 trucks and 90 people, but the Mars model is what she’ll apparently follow. …
The CD updates 15 songs by the likes of the Andrews Sisters ("Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen"), the Ronettes ("Be My Baby"), the Shirelles ("Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"), the Supremes ("You Can’t Hurry Love") and TLC ("Waterfall"). I can only imagine her ingenuity in staging these classics with tales about each title, too. …
Hey, Tom Moffatt, shouldn’t you bring Midler here for this show? …
PLATTER CHATTER: Veteran composer Eddie Suzuki has a late-in-career new CD, "Collectors Edition." The disc includes his signature "Maile Lei," along with "Over the Rainbow," "When I Fall in Love," "I’ll Remember You" and "Maunalani Hale." Nostalgia rules; Suzuki is in his 80s, and he’s still on a creative spurt. …
And ukulele wiz Taimane Gardner, who regularly performs at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki and the Hilton Hawaiian Village, is prepping a new CD, surely to be a best-seller at her live shows. She’s a talent to reckon with. …
LOVE ON THE MOVE: "Here Lies Love," the Imelda Marcos audience-interactive disco musical, will close at the Public Theatre in New York in January, so if you’re bound for the Big Apple over the holiday season, you might check out Hawaii girl Ruthie Ann Miles as Imelda. The show will launch national tours in the months ahead, but no word yet if Miles will be involved. …
The musical chronicles the rise and fall of the Ferdinand Marcos era in the Philippines. A cast album bypasses the off-Broadway performers and instead corrals a number of guests rendering the tunes of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Among the voices: Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, Santigold and Natalie Merchant. …
NIGHT WATCH: "CabaRAE," Waikiki’s newest show, opens Saturday to an invite-only crowd in its new permanent space on the ground floor of the Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Tapa Tower. Thus, producer Alan Goldberg brings a bright beacon to Honolulu’s nightlife featuring a parade of variety acts, including a hula-hooping Elvis Presley and marvelous aerialists. Shows are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, with post-performance lounge access from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. …
Morgan Grant, jazz drummer who played with Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny, Gabe Baltazar and Betty Loo Taylor in the past, was feted on his 80th birthday at Side Street Inn on Kapahulu Avenue on Oct. 20. Friends and family partied, with drummers Buddy Greve and Frankie Kim performing along with keyboarder Taylor. …
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