---

[ ISLAND HOPPING ]

---

Music in Hamakua

The Hamakua Music Festival brings world-class musicians to the Big Island each year for a series of jazz, classical, Hawaiian and Latin music concerts. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the music festival begins Oct. 10, with six performances over three weekends, at the Honoka'a People's Theater.

The concerts are:

Oct. 10: David Benoit and Rita Coolidge perform together for the first time. Benoit combines his upbeat fun and funky jazz piano with Coolidge's soulful voice for an unforgettable evening featuring the two multiple Grammy winners; 7 p.m.

Oct. 11: It's "Ladies Night" with Chilean jazz songstress Claudia Acuña and flutist Holly Hofmann. Acuña will charm with her evocative Latin melodies and jazz standards while Hofmann, one of the country's premier jazz flutists accompanies, joined by Hofmann's husband Mike Wofford, formerly jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald's pianist and music director; 7 p.m.

Oct. 12: Concert-goers will experience three generations of jazz greats in a single night: legendary saxophone player James Moody and guitar great Mundell Lowe will be joined by 16-year old piano prodigy, Eldar Djangirov.

Moody's career began in 1946 with the bebop big band of Dizzy Gillespie, while Lowe's career began before World War II in the jazz clubs of New Orleans. Lowe later worked in New York with artists like Charles Mingus, Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker. Djangirov, from Kyrgyzstan, has been heralded as an "impeccable mix of talent, temperament, and total creative abandon"; 3 p.m.

Nov 1: The Nashville-based country group with Russian roots, Bering Strait, performs its wild bluegrass and folk melodies; 7 p.m.

Nov. 2: One of Hawaii's best loved female vocalists, Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom will return to the Honoka'a People's for an all-new show reflecting her journey through life and her love for the Hawaiian language and culture; 3 p.m.

Nov. 21: The grand finale concert will feature 2001 Van Cliburn Gold Medal-winning classical pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch. Born in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, Ioudenitch has won top prizes in many international piano competitions, including the 1990 Maria Callas and the 1994 Kapell competitions; 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20 general and $25 preferred, available at Byrd's Audio in Waimea; Honoka'a Marketplace; and at Borders Books in Hilo or Kona. Or call 808-775-FEST (3378).