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It’s been kind of a grand prix of great nightlife acts in island venues these past few days, a realization that if you were willing to go out, you were charmed.
To reflect on three:
Shari Lynn set the bar — very high — when she titled her last Blue Note Hawaii gig “High Standards,” on Oct. 11.
She delivered a show reflecting the triad of her talents: teacher, singer and actress.
Her ambition crisscrossed with her intentions, her jazz-centric posture shaped her songbook and, blessedly, her personal girl-singer faves were invited to the party — in spirit, if not in song.
Clearly, Lynn elevated her reputation, personally and professionally. Her premise: Imagine if you could see Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney or Judy Garland at the Blue Note? They’d pack the joint, natch. So she resorted to imagination instead of impersonation.
With Lee, she employed a finger-snapping tempo on “Fever,” the singer’s indelible signature, effectively starting with only bass accompaniment from John Kolivas, then drum work by Darryl Pellegrini, finally with pianist Jim Howard (doubling as her arranger) chiming in. A fantastic workout, with her reliable pipes and her chic delivery.
A resourceful Clooney salute, beginning with “Hey There” from “The Pajama Game,” segued into a double-mic bit, where she sang the lyrics on one, and did echo-chamber sound effects on another, much like Clooney’s recording.
For variety, Lynn tossed in the romantic “Tenderly,” then changed the mood with the delightful novelty “Mambo Italiano,” expressly written for Clooney and musically coordinated by Mitch Miller.
Yes, Lynn makes a real effort to embellish her tunes with background snippets to illuminate and educate.
The Garland segment was superb, robust with informed interpretations of “You Made Me Love You,” “Over the Rainbow” and “Johnny One Note.” She then took a playful, teasing tone when she asked if anyone had seen the current “A Star Is Born” remake with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Of course, that yielded “The Man That Got Away,” from the 1954 film version featuring the incomparable Garland.
“Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” from “Oklahoma!” was a bright surprise, too, cloaked in a jazz tempo with unexpected pauses whenever she sang, “oh.”
Lynn did her best Donna Summer grooves on “She Works Hard for the Money.” Her new mantra, perhaps?…
CATINGUB’S COMEBACK
Matt Catingub brought his Omni Orchestra to Blue Note Hawaii with a “Jazz That Rocks Show” on Oct. 10. You couldn’t fault his musicality.
The maestro plays a mean piano and a wailing saxophone and also sings lead vocals. His savvy arrangements convert pop and rock tunes into soulful jazz-centric hybrids.
His sizzling band featured DeShannon Higa, easily the best trumpeter in town; Larry Cook, an eloquent alto and soprano saxophonist; Zanuck Kapala-Lindsey, a stellar singer-guitarist; Steve Moretti, an incredible drummer and singer; and Bruce Hamada, forsaking his stand-up bass for an electric one and demonstrating his solo voice.
Lead vocalist Christina Souza had her moments, but perhaps song selection didn’t suit her vocal gymnastics.
For Catingub, this was a homecoming since he’s the former maestro of the Honolulu Symphony’s pops orchestra and a leader of a jazz-pops band here.
A skilled musical arranger, he reworked familiar Top 40 hits from past decades (“Vehicle,” “You Make Me So Very Happy,” “Just the Two of Us,” “Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?”) and fueled each with jazz riffs.
A standout: A nod to Al Jarreau, via “Morning,” complete with Catingub doing some scat singing. …
OSMONDMANIA
Marie Osmond’s 59th birthday soiree, Oct. 13 at Blaisdell Arena, was a hefty celebration of Osmond and her irrepressible siblings.
The gig was like a family scrapbook coming to life on video (or still photos): A reflection of the breadth of achievement of Marie, who looks 39 despite her honest declaration of pushing 60; a time to honor her with Gen. Bob Brown delivering a Congressional medal from Gen. James Mattis, secretary of defense, for her sustained public service over the decades; and the last time that the original four Osmond Brothers would be performing together.
Familiar ditties like “One Bad Apple,” “Down by the Lazy River,” “Paper Roses” and “How Great Thou Art” prevailed. And Marie pranced all over the musical terrain, covering pop, rock, opera and country.
Her Broadway medley tapped fare from “King and I,” “Sound of Music,” “Chicago” and “Cabaret,” with onstage costume changes. She also must’ve donned at least another 10 or 12 outfits.
Brothers Merrill, 65, and Jay, 63, performed early and frequently; walking on stage with canes, Alan, 69, and Wayne, 67, appeared late and harmonized on an emotional “The Last Chapter,” closing their book on performances. (Alan wrote the song.) Brother Donny, 60, was not present.
Alan’s son and Marie’s nephew David Osmond was in brotherly motif, dueting with Marie on “The Prayer.” A next-generation of Osmondmania, maybe? …
ITEMIZATIONS
Augie Rey plays at the Elks Club, from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, with Kevin Mau guest-starring; Mau, who closed at Wailana Coffee Shop lounge, performs from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Nashville Waikiki lounge at Aloha Tower. …
Those bare shelves at Horace Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed Store in Diamond Head Theatre’s “Hello, Dolly!” were stocked with faux merchandise, after we mentioned the emptiness in a review. Loretta Ables Sayre as Dolly did more shtick (offering food to the audience, walking into a wall) at the show’s finale Oct. 14. …
And that’s “Show Biz.”
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.
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