CERRITOS - George Kahumoku Jr. and Da 'Ukulele Boyz, with special guest Ledward Kaapana, will bring the sounds of Hawaii to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 1.Called "Hawaii's renaissance man," Kahumoku is a multiple Grammy and Hoku Award winner, songwriter, teacher, sculptor, writer and farmer. The slack key guitarist has won Grammys for "Masters of Hawaiian slack Key Guitar, Vol. 1: Live in Concert from Maui," "Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar: Live from Maui", and "Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar." The Honolulu Star-Advertiser praised Kahumoku's "vocals and slack-key wizardry...[are] as cleansing as a Sunday drive." Celebrated for its energetic vocals and stage banter, the charismatic Da 'Ukulele Boyz brings a new-generation spin to traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. As children, cousins Garrett Probst and Peter deAquino competed as partners in the annual Keoki Kahumoku's Maui Ukulele contest, where their winning instrumentals, vocals and stage banter made them a popular act. They co-host the weekly "Slack Key Show" with Kahumoku. DeAquino also performs men's hula. Grammy nominee Ledward Kaapana's mastery of stringed instruments and his extraordinary baritone and falsetto have made him a musical legend, earning the slack key guitarist-ukulele master the 2009 Na Hoku Hanohano Award for "Favorite Entertainer." The 2011 National Heritage Fellow also earned Na Hoku Hanohano Awards for the albums "Jus' Press", "Lima Wela", "Black Sand" and "Force of Nature." In 2006, Kaapana's album "Kiho'alu-Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar" earned him a Grammy nomination and was named "Instrumental Album of the Year." Tickets to the Hawaiian show range from $35-$65 and can be purchased online at cerritoscenter.com or by calling (562) 467-8818.

********** Published: Dec. 26, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 37