Maui Jazz & Blues Competition Returns to Kapalua

As a filmmaker, Kenneth Martinez Burgmaier traveled to greater than 60 nations filming music festivals. He was particularly keen on jazz and blues festivals, however by no means noticed one come to Hawaiʻi, the place he has lived for the previous 30 years. So he determined to create his personal.

At this time, Burgmaier has produced greater than 75 jazz and blues festivals over 25 years throughout 4 Hawaiian islands.

From Oct. 20–26, the Maui Jazz & Blues Competition returns to Kapalua. The weeklong occasion takes place at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, recognized for its world-class hospitality and help for the humanities. The competition options Grammy Award-winning musicians and internationally famend instrumentalists performing jazz, blues and Cajun zydeco — a fusion of Cajun and zydeco music performed with accordion, fiddles, washboards and French lyrics.

Burgmaier additionally hosts “Jazz Alley TV,” a jazz, blues and world music tv sequence that has been airing for 35 years. The present sponsors Burgmaier’s Jazz & Blues Festivals, hosted yearly on Hawaiʻi Island at Mauna Kea Seashore Lodge; on Maui at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua; on Oʻahu at The Ritz-Carlton Oʻahu, Turtle Bay; and on Lānaʻi at 4 Seasons Resort Lānaʻi. He stated attendees embrace a mixture of Hawaiʻi residents and guests from California, New York, Japan and past.

Grammy-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal, an everyday on the Large Island Jazz & Music Competition, will carry out on Maui for the primary time this yr. He stated he’s excited to reunite with native Hawaiʻi musicians in addition to New Orleans band The Iguanas.

Marienthal, who ceaselessly performs on cruise ships and at venues around the globe, stated Hawaiʻi affords a singular expertise.

“Hawaiʻi is a particular place to get to play,” he stated. “It’s inclusive, loving, open … an atmosphere for musicians to really feel snug to play their music.”

This yr, Burgmaier is capping attendance at 1,000 folks to protect an intimate ambiance. In previous years, the competition has drawn as many as 3,500 attendees to the pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton, which Burgmaier stated felt too giant. He’s particularly excited to carry Cajun zydeco to Hawaiʻi — a style not often heard outdoors of Louisiana.

Two of the featured Cajun zydeco musicians, Wilson Savoy and Jourdan Thibodeaux, have been lately featured on  “60 Minutes”  in a phase about preserving Cajun musical traditions – one which stretches again eight generations in Savoy’s household. On the present, Thibodeaux spoke passionately about cultural survival.

“You both stay your tradition otherwise you kill your tradition,” Thibodeaux stated. “There isn’t any in-between.”

He stated the phrase, which he incorporates into his lyrics (in French), displays the homogenizing results of globalization. He believes it’s everybody’s accountability to carry onto their identification — and he recommits on daily basis to “stay his tradition.”

One of many competition’s most beloved moments, Burgmaier stated, is the ultimate jam session on closing evening, when all of the musicians return to the stage for a hana hou (encore) — a once-in-a-lifetime expertise.

In help of native residents impacted by the 2023 Maui wildfires, the Maui Jazz & Blues Competition and The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, are donating greater than 100 competition tickets to fireside survivors in Lahaina.

“I’m honored to carry the Maui Jazz & Blues Competition again to the west facet of Maui,” Burgmaier stated in a latest press launch. “After every little thing this group has been via, we’re prepared to show up the quantity and ship an epic weekend of world-class music and good vibes.”

Maui Jazz & Blues Competition Schedule

Friday, Oct. 3
Competition Kickoff Live performance
That includes Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Grasp Delfeayo Marsalis and the Royal Household of Jazz
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
Free

Monday, Oct. 20
Maui Jazz & Blues Competition Band
That includes Quick Freddy and the Blue Lava Blues Quartet
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
Free

Tuesday, Oct. 21
Rejoice Girls in Jazz & Blues
With the Maui Jazz & Blues Wahine Trio:
Dr. Joie Taylor (saxophone), Nā Hōkū winner Louise Lambert (piano), Andrea Partitions (violin)
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
Free

Wednesday, Oct. 22
Maui Jazz & Blues Fest Trio
That includes Grammy-winning Hawaiian singer-songwriter Kalani Peʻa, Grammy-nominated Mark Johnstone, and particular appearances by different Grammy-winning jazz artists
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
Free

Thursday, Oct. 23
Cajun Zydeco Blues Jubilee
That includes Grammy winner Wilson Savoy, Cajun ambassador Jourdan Thibodeaux, Grammy-nominated Roddie Romero, Chris Thomas King, Mark Johnstone, Dave Graber, and Alex Keeney
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
$10 per particular person

Friday, Oct. 24
New Orleans JazzFest Expertise
With The Iguanas, Eric Marienthal, Grammy-winning trombonist Charlie Halloran, and JazzFest musicians
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
$10 per particular person

Saturday, Oct. 25
Major Competition Occasion
That includes:

• Eric Marienthal (Grammy-winning saxophonist)

• Chris Thomas King (Grammy & CMA-winning blues guitarist and actor)

• The Cajun Zydeco Expertise

• Wilson Savoy, Jourdan Thibodeaux, Roddie Romero

• The Iguanas

• Donald Harrison (NEA Jazz Grasp and Treme star)

• Zenshin Daiko Drummers

• Maui Jazz & Blues Competition Band

4:30–9 p.m.
Aloha Backyard Pavilion, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
Basic admission: $145
VIP: $245 (consists of most well-liked seating)
VIP desk for 10: $2,000 (very best for teams or company)
Adults 21+ solely

Sunday, Oct. 26
Jazz Brunch
That includes performances by the Maui Jazz & Blues Competition Band with Donald Harrison, Charlie Halloran and Joe Cabral of The Iguanas.
Menu consists of blackened shrimp and grits, gumbo, muffaletta sandwiches, crawfish mac and cheese, beignets and extra.

11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Ulana Terrace, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
$95 for adults
$35 for youngsters ages 6–12
$15 for youngsters 5 and beneath
Reservations: OpenTable or name 808-665-7089
Kamaʻāina low cost accessible

Buy Tickets at MauiJazzandBluesFestival.com