Maui Jazz & Blues Festival, annual Hawaiian falsetto contest under way this weekend

The Second Annual Maui Jazz & Blues Festival is under way this weekend at the Grand Wailea resort, on the island’s southeast coast. 

Among the headliners: jazz drumming legend Louis Hayes (who has played with John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cannonball Atterly and others), Louis Walker (electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter), saxophone master and Grammy winner Eric Marienthal, and other top-notch blues and jazz musicians. In addition, Hawaii guitarists Brother Noland (pictured, right) and John Keawe are slated for blues and slack key jazz performances, respectively.    

The fest’s concert is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Grand Wailea’s Molokini Garden. Click here for ticket information. For jazz fans who want more music an festivities, there’s a jazz-and-blues sunset cruise aboard a catamaran is slated for 5 p.m. this evening, followed by a jazz and blues “sneak peak,” 7 p.m. at the resort’s Botero Bar. The event will wind down on Sunday with a live Jazz brunch as well as a jazz-and-blues snorkel sail. For more information about the fest, click here.

Also under way this weekend on Maui is the island’s Festivals of Aloha.

• Queen Kaahumanu Center’s 40th Anniversary Celebration — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today in Kahului. This free event features activities for keiki, entertainment, cultural projects and educational demonstrations.

• The 11th Annual Richard Hoopii Falsetto Contest — 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua resort “Salon Ballroom.” In addition to Hawaiian-style singing, the event features cultural demonstrations, craft booths, and activities.

• Festivals of Aloha Ho olaulea — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lahaina’s Banyan Tree Park. The event which will feature the winners of the Richard Hoopii Falsetto Contest. The Festival of Aloha will wrap up next month (Oct. 19-21) with the Maui Nui Canoe Race, which includes three days of paddling a total of 100 miles — from Maui to Molokai to Lanai, and then back to Maui.

For more information about the Maui-based Festivals of Aloha, click here.