Show Biz: ‘Little Albert’ Maligmat is taking his singing talents to the desert

Albert Maligmat, former Society of Seven lead singer-drummer and still a favorite on the local club scene, is moving to Arizona in the weeks ahead.

“I couldn’t stay here (in Honolulu) to retire,” said Maligmat, known as “Little Albert” throughout his career. “Little Albert is 71 — and loving it,” he said. “I’ve been performing for 50 years, and 36 of those years were here.”

The high cost of living, however, was a key reason to move. He and his wife, Linda, are buying a 3,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home with a pool in Arizona. “We couldn’t afford do that in Honolulu.”

Another reason was the opportunity to continue singing and clubbing with a new group, a foursome called Island Crooners, a partnership with Richard Natto, formerly of Toma-Natto and the Society of Seven LV (Las Vegas), Gerald Ishibashi and Angelo Pagan. Maligmat will be on guitar and bass, Natto and Ishibashi on guitars, and Pagan on percussion.

“Not sure who’s the leader, but our thing is old school, with some island music in there somewhere,” he said of the band’s musical posture. Surely, he has the most widely known name in the lineup.

The Maligmats will be anchored in Gilbert, Ariz., with Ishibashi and Pagan based in Los Angeles. Natto, a Big Island resident, will commute to gigs.

“Gilbert is 25 minutes from Phoenix, next to Chandler, and is a growing community,” he said. Because Maligmat previously lived and performed in Las Vegas, he’s accustomed to the desert heat.

Maligmat has had an on-again, off-again relationship over a 15-year span with the SOS show band, led by Tony Ruivivar and now working in Las Vegas. His last stint was in 2006, when he briefly rejoined the group for the last time.

But, he said, he’s grateful for his SOS ties, which enabled him to sing lead, and more.

“Because the SOS was doing a lot of impersonations, I had to learn to do some, too,” he reminisced. “I just fell into it, learning from Gary Bautista (a former SOSer and multi-impressionist, now deceased).” Among his celeb impressions: Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Jose Feliciano, and Joe Cocker. In recent years, he’s added a few more, including Tony Bennett, Rod Stewart and Steve Perry of Journey.

His montage of impersonations has been popular in solo gigs in Waikiki. He just terminated a Tuesday slot at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Bar, where he and his brother Eddie Maligmat were a featured duo for a decade. Eddie will remain in Honolulu, doing convention shows.

The Island Crooners likely will seek gigs at Indian casinos in the Pacific Northwest. …

‘ONE MORE TIME’

The Jack Cione-directed “Follies” show at the Arcadia Retirement Residence, “One More Time,” had a brief, five-performance sell-out run.

The musical revue, mostly lip-synched but clearly an indication that seniors (with a few none-elderly guests) still can pump it out, clad in scintillating costumes and occasionally whirling and twirling in choreographic splendor.

“Follies,” you may recall, had a 14-year run at Arcadia, and this “hana hou” revival popped up after a three-year hiatus.

There were a handful of standout numbers:

>> “Welcome to Cabaret” was inspired by “Cabaret,” the hit Broadway musical and feature film, with Marci Taylor-Kaneshige and Marge Boyer sharing emcee chores. A parade of showgirls, dancers and waiters validated seniorhood, and blonde-wigged Elva Yoshihara’s “Don’t Tell Mama” and blonde-locked Sheila Black’s “Shimmy Like My Sister Kate” (not from “Cabaret”) capped the lively opening segment.

>> Becki Cuellar-Han’s “I’m a Good Girl,” a series of eye-popping and quickly timed costume changes (seven in all), was masterful and mystical. How the heck could she peel off gowns and dresses so swiftly and nimbly while concealed in a hooped circular “undressing room”?

>> Gents John Kotake (“Faraway Places” and “Les Girls”) and Kevin Chee (“Side by Side”) fronted other memorable production numbers. …

SHOW BREEZES

Two native sons will appear in separate regional music fests on the mainland:

>> Jack Johnson, the acoustic-folk fave, will perform at the 2020 Forecastle Festival at the Waterfront Park in Louisville, Ky. Kentucky-based Cage The Elephant and The 1975 share the spotlight. …

>> Bruno Mars, Hawaii’s global giant, will be joined by Janet Jackson at the Essence Festival of Culture, beginning July 1 in New Orleans. Janelle Monae, Patti LaBelle and Ari Lennox are also on the Big Easy bill. …

And that’s “Show Biz.”

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