More often than not, iconic Hawaiʻi things like plumeria, slippers and the ʻukulele are so ingrained in the culture and history of the Islands, many visitors—and locals too!—think that they’re from here. But many are not. That’s right, those oh-so-Hawaiʻi things, in fact, were brought over to the Islands from travelers who came to Hawaiʻi post-Western […]
The sound of strumming ʻukulele was missed at Kapiʻolani Park last year, as the ʻUkulele Festival Hawaiʻi was forced to cancel for the first time in its long, storied history. Put on annually by Roy and Kathy Sakuma—Roy was recently interviewed by HAWAIʻI Magazine on the “Have Aloha Will Travel” podcast, which you can see here—the
Who doesn’t love the plucky sounds created by the ʻukulele, one of Hawaiʻi’s favorite and most iconic instruments. A distant member of the lute family, the ʻuke was actually brought over to the Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira, however, Hawaiʻi locals—and monarchs like King Kalālakaua—quickly adopted the four-stringed noisemaker. Now, the ʻuke has gone global,
This episode of the “Have Aloha Will Travel” podcast is special for a few reasons. First and foremost, Roy Sakuma joins Cat and Kevin on the cast this week to talk about his history as a student of famed ʻukulele virtuoso Herb “Ohta-San” Ohta, how ʻukulele has changed his life and how he’s changing other
If you love the sweet, plucky noise of the ʻukulele, then you won’t want to miss this free performance by Hawaiʻi’s top ʻukulele masters. Presented by Aloha Festivals, and partnering with local news affiliate KHON2, the musical showcase will be going down on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9:30 p.m. HST. The entire event will be free
When you put your heart into something, it comes through, whether you want it to or not.” Paul Okami tells me this in KoAloha ‘Ukulele’s showroom in an industrial part of Honolulu as I admire the handcrafted koa instruments hanging on the wall. As I pluck a few strings, I understand what Paul means. There’s
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Molokai-born Raiatea Helm was only 18 years old when she wowed the world with her sweet, melodic voice in her debut album, “Far Away Heaven,” in 2002. Since then, she has released five more albums and earned two Grammy nominations and six Na Hoku Hanohano awards (Hawaii’s premier music awards). Growing up on Molokai, she
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In my small apartment, my ukulele does not have a stand. It’s a traveler. A vagabond of sorts. From the couch to the lanai (porch), from my bed to the breakfast nook, this mahogany noisemaker makes its way to all sectors of my humble studio. The little wooden instrument serves as the perfect momentary distraction
Hawaii ukulele virtuosa Taimane Gardner is a music prodigy who began playing at the age of 5, was discovered as a teenager by music legend Don Ho and has studied with modern ukulele superstar and island boy Jake Shimabukuro. She entrances audiences the world over with her fiercely passionate playing style and impressive mastery of the ukulele, whether
