Thanks to GlobalFEST 2015  we are blessed to have a visit from Kahulanui who hail from Hawaii for a big mid-winter thaw out in the nation’s capital! Hawaiian swing like you’ve never heard it at Tropicalia in Washington, DC for an intimate concert with this killer group. There is a new wave coming from Hawaii, a blend of traditional music and the Big Band Swing brought to the Aloha State by U.S. servicemen during World War II. Its leading exponent is Kahulanui, a nine piece band—four horns plus guitar, bass, ukulele, drums and steel—whose energy and dynamic arrangements have caused a sensation throughout the Islands. Kahulanui band leader, Lolena Naipo, Jr. found inspiration from his Grandfather, Robert Kahulanui, who was a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band during an era when horns and drums were a part of Hawaiian music. Should be a great way to thaw out in the middle of a DC winter!

Learn more about Kahulanui HERE

Kahulanui (The Big Dance) is an inspiration passed down three generations from Grandfather Robert Kahulanui Naipo, to Dad Rodgers L.L. Naipo Sr., to Grandson and Kahulanui band leader, Lolena Naipo, Jr. Lolena remembers stories of his Grandfather who was a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band during an era when horns and drums were a part of Hawaiian music. “Throughout Hawai‘i in the 1920s and 1930s, one could find orchestras playing Hawaiian Swing and the house would be jumping. Kahulanui borrowed from these influences and performs classic Hawaiian songs in a syncopated style making Hawaiian Swing vibrant and alive in Hawaii today.