Live in Hawaii

Reminiscent of the Red Norvo Trio (plus drums), this group of American musicians shares a common Hawaiian history that dates back to the mid 70's.  Esteemed producer, Don Thomson assembled this quartet for a single live performance in 2019 at the Atherton Performing Arts Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Later broadcast on HPR's Sunday morning show "Applause in a Small Room" by host and sound engineer Jason Almirez-Taglianetti, this unique performance captures the energy and interplay between this diverse group of jazz musicians.

Uncommon in a guitar-led quartet, Noel Okimoto's vibraphone lends a unique color to the group's palette.  The standard guitar rhythm section would normally include piano as the principal harmonic foundation.  Replacing piano with vibraphone lends a different artistic expression, and the harmonic constraints of four mallets offers me a different space to solo and develop chord melodies.  Dean and Darryl offer a solid foundation that allows me to play effortlessly, and I like to think of our musical relationship as empathetic and inspiring.  I would be remiss if I did not thank our executive producer and patron of this art, Don Thomson.  The sound of the islands have influenced my playing since I was a teenager, and I'm thrilled to be able to finally share this live performance with you.  Mahalo.