Wood Craft Ben Wood

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Maestro Matt Catingub adds ‘High Chief’ to his resume

Honolulu Symphony Pops Conductor Matt Catingub was proclaimed a Samoan High Chief last Saturday in a ceremony performed by Samoa's 94-year-old Head of State Malietoa Tanumafili II. The Samoan leader was hospitalized the night before with pneumonia but insisted on conducting the ceremony. Matt's late mom was Samoan jazz singer Mavis Rivers. Frank Sinatra signed her to his Reprise label. Matt's wife, Vicki, and Jack and Cha Thompson also made the trip to Samoa for the ceremony. ...

The death of Louis Armstrong's drummer Danny Barcelona, 77, April 1 in Monterey Park, Calif., brought back memories. The Farrington High graduate was with the legendary Armstrong 15 years. In the early 1950s, Danny was with a hot jazz group that was tearing things up at the Tradewinds on Hotel Street in Chinatown. Other local boys in the band included George Wilcox, Bernie Hal-Mann and brothers Frankie and Bobby Kamaunu. Some of the guys and dolls I ran with at UH in those days enjoyed jazz. We would scrape up enough bread to hit the Tradewinds periodically to catch those cats. Trombonist Trummy Young was blowing people away at another bar on Hotel Street near Bishop Street. He later joined Armstrong and introduced Danny, the smiling drummer with the baby face, to Louie, who hired him. Dana Barcelona-Bonner, Danny's daughter, said from L.A. that melanoma killed her dad. She said he liked to play golf and eventually was hit with skin cancer. About five years ago, she said, his left big toe was amputated as a result. Condolences to Dana, Danny's wife, Dee, and the rest of the family. ...

Dr. Tsue has dinner party for kwan, meisel

Dr. Larry Tsue threw a dinner for Nancy Kwan and her filmmaker husband, Norbert Meisel, last night in the Bali restaurant's semiprivate Sunset Room. It was Norbert's birthday and Bali manager Alicia Antonio decorated the room expressly for his special day. Fifteen people attended. ... Manny LaGod, who sang and played bass for the Aliis when they were with Don Ho at Duke Kahanamoku's, will perform at Tower Grill next Saturday. ... Comedian David Spade dined at the new Ruth's Chris at Waikiki Beach Walk two nights in a row this week. ...