Hula Dancer livens things up for patients

http://www.hawaii.va.gov/visitors/Center_for_aging.asp

I entertain every Monday morning at the Veteran's Administration Center for Aging. The guys asked for Hawaiian music so I complied with contemporary Hawaiian favorites. During my bantering with the patients, I mentioned that I had been looking for a hula dancer to help me for the past ten years. One of the patients happily volunteered his wife Lori who had stepped out of the room.

When she came back in, I told her that her husband  had volunteered her to dance. She was so gracious about it. She asked for Hanalei moon and got right into it. And, like all hula dancers, she guided me by calling out the first few words of the verses that she wanted.

 Here, Lori is calling out the key words to the verse she wants to dance to.

 When you see,

 Hanalei by moonlight

 You will be, in heaven by the sea...

 Here, she's likely scolding me because I sang the wrong words.. Har! At my age,

remembering lyrics is not easy.

The patients had so much fun. I hope Lori comes and participate again. Brings joy into the lives of the elderly.

MUSIC IS GOOD MEDICINE

MUSIC AS THERAPY... Jake Shimabukuro


We have featured many big-name entertainers who quietly perform at nursing/care homes believing that they are feeding the souls of people through their music. Another such entertainer is Jake Shimabukuro.

I ran across his Facebook page "Music Is Good Medicine" the other day and found that he entertains both the young and the elderly. He believes that music soothes the soul of everyone, young and old. Music can be used to inspire, heal and influence everyone to better their community.

http://www.musicisgoodmedicine.org/?t=home

Many of those in nursing/care homes are elderly and have not heard of Jake. That changes real fast once he begins strumming and plucking his ukulele with his lightning fast fingers. As his music has matured, his style has changed to where he now brings out the soul of the song and the instrument, rather than try to put as many notes into each measure.

What a thrill it is for the elderly to have someone of Jake's stature and talent to come and give them an hour of live entertainment. It's unusual for someone so young to give back to the community this way.

Read his bio:

http://www.jakeshimabukuro.com/?t=bio

I did not interview Jake for this feature. His webpage and his Facebook page gives most of the information you need so writing this feature was a slam dunk.

I thought it was important for you to know what people in our community are doing to make this a better place to live.

Tommy Fujiwara

TOMMY FUJIWARA, Another Icon who gives back


I first came across Tommy Fujiwara when I was in high school and his brother, a classmate, brought him to a school assembly to entertain us. He was a nightclub comedian and crooner, opening at the Clouds nightclub, where the Queen Kapiolani Hotel now stands near Kapahulu Avenue. He later performed at the Oasis nightclub at Waialae and Kapiolani Boulevard.

Sorry, best picture I could find

Most people know him as a semi-regular on Hawaii Five O although he has had parts in many other T.V. shows that were filmed in Hawaii. He had an uncredited part in the movie, Around the World in 80 Days in 1956.

His T.V. credits also included Charley's Angels, One West Waikiki, Jake and the Fatman and of course, Magnum P.I.

A few years ago, OC 16 had a show (may have been called "Heroes") where they featured people who gave back to the community. Tommy Fujiwara was featured as a person who went to care homes and senior citizen gatherings and entertained. He sometimes did that five days a week. He brought a guitar and entertained the seniors by singing ballads from years past from his repertoire of 2,000 songs.

Many don't know that Tommy was a very good crooner when he worked the nightclubs as a comedian and M.C. I wouldn't be surprised if he could also hoof it a bit as club entertainers were required to do in years past. When I checked with the older musicians that I know, they all raved about him as a singer.

It amazes me that a big name star like him thought enough of his community by sharing his talents with those who are not able to go out and enjoy live entertainment. Or, as he puts it, lifting their spirits. And, doing it quietly and without fanfare. Until that T.V. show caught up with him and did that feature.

He sure inspired me.

STEVE AKANA, BIG HEART AND A GOLDEN VOICE

A good friend told me there was a person who sang like Brother Iz who spends days in the lobby at Queen's Medical Center accompanying himself with his tenor ukulele and entertaining the patients, staff and visitors. I decided to call him last week Sunday and he called back that evening.

Steve singing Brother Iz's "Rainbow/Wonderful World"

We talked for a bit and he asked if he could accompany me at the V.A. Center for the Aging at Tripler the next day where I perform every Monday. I hesitated because I usually have my CRV packed with my keyboard and sound system for that gig. He told me he would catch the bus and meet me there. So, I told him I'd repack things and pick him up and away we went.

I normally also like to hear a person play or sing before I invite anyone to perform with me because I have a slew of bad experiences with people who are decent karaoke singers but can't keep time or pitch when singing live. So, I was a bit apprehensive because while these are free gigs, I can't subject my audience to someone who can't sing. Even someone like me has standards. Especially when applied to others.

I decided to open up with a couple of instrumental tunes and he followed the chords reasonably well. Then, I sang "Hawaii" which has some very difficult chords and he was able to fake his way through. If it turned out that he couldn't follow my chords, I could always crank up the volume on my keyboard. I was playing with an amplifier and he was acoustic. Har! Then, I asked him to sing "Kamalani" and if you closed your eyes, it sounded just like Brother Iz singing. We were all pleasantly surprised. That was enough for me. I ditched my keyboard, joined the audience and Steve finished the hour by himself.

Steve first began volunteering at Queen's Medical when his sister was hospitalized about two and a half years ago. He is there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from about 8 in the morning to 12 noon. On Thursdays, he catches the bus from his home in Palisades and goes to Kailua and performs at Ann Pearl Nursing Home. In fact, Steve catches the bus everywhere, even to the 2 - 3 wedding gigs he does each week.

Steve wrote a song for the 29th brigade, Hawaii Army National Guard when his daughter was called to duty in the Middle East. He was featured on the T.V. show, "Living local" where he performed that song. My old unit, the 111th Army Band, Hawaii Army National Guard also featured him when they had the Aloha ceremony for the 29th Brigade at the Stadium before they shipped out. He is even in a commercial on local T.V. where he sort of resembles Sam Choy.

Steve is very professional and interacts with the audience well. I've received positive feedback not just from the audience in the room, but also from those who listened in from the hallways and from their offices. Heck, the folks at Tripler may not want me back after listening to Steve. Better practice some more.

I'm still in awe as to how many people give of themselves to make our community a better one.

WALLEN ELLINGSON

WALLEN ELLINGSON... HEALING WITH MUSIC


Wallen plays the accordion and the bamboo flute. I'm guessing not at the same time. He also gets paid to climb trees. Actually, he trims trees and has been doing that for the past 25 years. That impresses me because at my age, just climbing up a ten foot ladder gets my legs shaking.

Wallen with his accordion

Wallen has been a fulltime caregiver for his mom for the past three years with the help of his brother. So Wallen has had to put a stop to his gigging as a musician because watching over his family takes up most of his time. He has also cut back his tree-trimming work to two days a week... just enough to pay the bills to support the family.

As a musician, he played mostly at private functions and joined others at Oktoberfest celebrations. The accordion is made for German, Polka, Italian, Tangos, etc. music and shines when used in those types of venues. I would have a difficult time figuring the fingering on the chords, the notes and then have to worry about squeezing it back and forth to keep the sound going. So I have a lot of admiration for those who can play this instrument. I've also been a fan of Lawrence Welk and the chromatic runs he uses. Guess that ages me a bit.

A few months back, Wallen's mother took a turn for the worse and was hospitalized and then was placed in Palolo Chinese Home. So he and his brother began spending much of their time there every day, visiting, doing crossword puzzles and keeping her mentally active.

Wallen began taking his accordion and flute to the Home and found that the residents came alive when he played for them. For people in their 80s, the accordion was a very popular instrument to learn when they were young, just as the ukulele or guitar is popular with today's generation. So when Wallen plays for them, their faces light up. That positive feedback, in turn, made Wallen more committed to play for the patients. He's looking for other musicians to join him so he can play both the accordion and the bamboo flute. The accordion itself is a stand-alone instrument but he needs someone to lay the chords and rhythm while he plays the flute.

In spite of the hardships of caring for a family member, Wallen still looks to making life better for patients and residents at the home. And he's convinced that he can reach more through music as evidenced by the appreciation and feedback he's received thus far.

You can contact Wallen at ELLINGSONG@HAWAII.RR.COM.

There still are amazing and giving folks in this world. I am grateful to you readers for referring such giving people to me so I may be able to feature what they do in this blog. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

DALE SENAGA

DALE SENAGA.... RENAISSANCE MUSICIAN


Dale is the person who had the most influence over persuading me to entertain at nursing homes. Some may not agree that this is a good thing, but nevertheless, I had been out of music since 1991 and when I got a piano for $100 in 2001, he literally taught me how to play via email and phone conversations.

Dale Retired from the Royal Hawaiian Band at the end of 2009 where he also was awarded the C & C of Honolulu Employee of the Year

Dale has been entertaining at nursing homes since 1991. He and Henry "Boxhead" Yoshino, a noted saxophonist in Hawaii were regulars at Leahi and Kuakini Hospitals among others. Currently, Dale plays solo at the Avalon Nursing Home. He even made a special DVD especially for the Avalon patients in a "karaoke" format, where the patients sing along to old Japanese and Filipino songs. He specifically put the words in large letters so that everyone could read from the T.V. screen and sing along.

Dale retired from the Royal Hawaiian Band after more than 31 years of service. He played the French horn but was more noted for his arrangements that the Band continues to use in their performances. Dale is an accomplished pianist, having backed some of the biggest names in Hawaiian entertainment like Don Ho, Gabe Baltazar, Aiko, the Young Brothers (not the shipping company, but Imai and the late Moku), among many others.

He had not been active in the entertainment community as a pianist while he was fulfilling his duties as an arranger for the Band, so it wasn't until he retired that he is being "rediscovered" as a darn good pianist by some of the top musicians in Hawaii.

Dale's legacy in the music world may come as a result of his arrangements of Polynesian songs and music from the Asian and Pacific Basin. Most of the musicians and music lovers look towards Brahms, Mozart and others as the standard of "good" music. Dale has explored what Hawaii has to offer by creating orchestral arrangements using Hawaiian, Korean, Japanese, Polynesian, Filipino, etc. songs and presenting these pieces for all music lovers to enjoy. Take a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5iwTjlHJvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1kJB514QHM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9k9wTz2XHw&feature=related

Besides the pieces arranged for the Royal Hawaiian Band, Dale has arranged for the University of Hawaii Orchestra and the Hawaii Youth Symphony. His reward for his donated efforts, according to Dale, is that he has an opportunity to expose young musicians to the beauty of the music and cultures from the Pacific. With the struggling Honolulu Symphony in a state of recess, tourists and residents will become increasingly exposed to Dale's musical creativity through the University Symphony and the Hawaii Youth Symphony and, of course, the Royal Hawaiian Band, where they will continue playing Dale's arrangements through the new century.

This is perhaps my first feature where I didn't have to conduct an interview since I've known Dale for about 45 years. When he was in the Hawaii National Guard Band, he was my roommate whenever the band traveled. If you're ever forced to have to listen to me play the piano and sing, you would do well to remember that Dale was the only music teacher I've ever had.

DON NAKAMA, ENTERTAINER FARMER

DON NAKAMA, HARMONICA MASTER

I ran into a very skillful harmonica player the other week, Don Nakama. It turns out that Don, at the young age of 79 has been playing this instrument for over 50 years. It wasn’t until about 10 years ago, though, that he got serious about this instrument and learned from Hoshi Sensei, how to also play by reading music. This stepped Don up into another level as a musician.

Shiro Matsuo, Tony Kawasaki (hidden), Don Nakama and faithful wife Kay in background

Don has been entertaining at senior citizen groups, nursing homes, and adult day care centers for over 10 years. As part of his show, he also sings, tells jokes (he tells me nobody laughs) and even does magic in addition to his great harmonica playing. The day I caught up with him at Pearl City Nursing Home, he even had a celebrity guest playing the ukulele and singing. The dapper Shiro Matsuo, the saimin king. Both were having a ball entertaining the patients there.

Don also brings his wife Kay along, I suspect, to impress her of his skills and sometimes brings his own sound man, Tony Kawasaki to mix his sound. He regularly entertains at Pearl City Nursing Home, Pearl City Hongwanji adult day care, Waipahu Day Care and Wahiawa Hongwanji.

Don is a farmer and still operates his farm every day, Don Nakama Farms, where he grows papayas, bananas and avocados. In fact, he makes his rounds every week at the Leeward Farmer’s markets in Wahiawa, Waipahu, Waiau and Waikele. If you don’t see him there, he likely has sold out his inventory for the day and went home.

If you do see him, ask him to play a few tunes or show you some of his magic tricks. I’ll bet he accommodates you.