[ ENTERTAINMENT ]
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sasha on guitar and Petro Bass on hand drums.
7-string guitarist Sasha
and percussionist Petro Bass
will do their thing at the ARTS
IN A MARKET where numerous local musical artists have decided to pull up stakes and travel to the mainland to advance their careers, it's refreshing to hear Petro Bass recount his first five months on Oahu.
The former Atlanta resident, who now calls St. Louis Heights home, spent almost two years planning for the move to paradise after an initial visit with some friends.
"A Hot Taste of
Featuring Sasha and guest percussionist Petro Bass
Flamenco/Latin Jazz"
Where: The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave.
When: 8 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $10
Call: 521-9669
"One lived on Kauai, and one lives on the North Shore," he tells me during a visit to the Star-Bulletin newsroom on Monday. "They invited me to come a couple of years ago to visit, and I did."
Now in his late 40s, Bass is a career musician, having spent most of his career in New York touring and performing with the likes of The Four Tops, Phoebe Snow, the late Gregory Hines, Ben E. King and Bruce Springsteen.
Not long after arriving on Oahu and settling in to his new digs, Bass hooked up with friend Sonja Mendez, who had also lived in Atlanta for a time while playing with another band. Once Mendez put him in contact with other musicians here, things started to snowball.
"I've been fortunate enough to play with a lot of great locals and some international players that have been through here doing concerts," said Bass. He played at the Waikiki Shell earlier this year on the same bill when Maxi Priest and Arrested Development came to town, and has also performed at local venues like the Hawaiian Hut and Anna Bannana's.
At the same time, he's aware of the fact that Honolulu still needs work in getting support for some of its artists who produce nothing but original work, instead of cover tunes and radio-friendly rhythms.
"There doesn't seem to be a really heavy scene at this time," Bass laments. "It makes it a little difficult to try and get consistent work and get things going.
"(But) I've seen a lot of it in the works -- a lot of new groups, new acts, doing originals."
THE POSITIVE attitude Bass holds towards the local scene is key to making sure artists feel welcome to try new things and embrace new forms of music.
Staying in line with his promise to broaden the musical horizons of local residents, the percussionist persuaded another friend from Atlanta, Sasha Lisnichuk, to take a nine-hour plane ride and make a few appearances with him on Oahu.
For the Ukraine-born Sasha (he prefers to go by just his first name), the Brazilian seven-string guitar is the instrument with which he makes his living. After studying classical and jazz music in college, he studied with Brazilian guitar master Dr. Marcos Cavalcante and "fell in love with Brazilian music."
"He turned my direction completely the opposite way from where I was going," says Sasha. "(But) I'm not trying exactly to keep myself (associated only with) Brazilian ... I absorb so much, and when you absorb it and then you try to create, it comes out naturally."
The majority of his performance material are original compositions, making it highly unlikely Honolulu residents will ever hear anything quite like this kind of music ever again. Even the songs Sasha hasn't written himself are unique when performed, since the seven-string guitar he uses demands that everything be rearranged when played.
"I have an extra bass (string)," he explains. "There isn't a lot of musical literature around ... so (I) have to do it (myself). You can have the bass line, accompanying chords and a very distinct melody ... like a piano.
"It's a great challenge, and I love it."
IF LOCAL audiences are receptive to this type of music, expect Bass to bring more of his mainland friends out for a taste of paradise in the upcoming months.
"Sasha just happens to be the first one, and I hope to bring more," he said. "We're hoping that this opportunity opens the door for him to come back and do a larger venue the next time around."
And in addition to the jazz and Latin stylings he plans for this week's performance, Bass also hopes to round up a group of musicians willing to live on the edge of Honolulu's music scene.
"We're looking to put together a unit that's real diverse," says Bass. "Kind of like an urban, jazz, hip-hop kind of thing.
"I'm more into communicating with the masses ... not just jazz. To put it in a group, I can get to more people that way."
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