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Wood Craft Ben Wood |
Armstrong tribute
on tap at jazz festivalLouis Armstrong will be remembered by trumpet man Tiger Okoshi and sax star Gabe Baltazar in the Hawaii International Jazz Festival July 18 and 19 at Blaisdell Concert Hall and July 25 and 26 at the Wailea Marriott on Maui, according to fest director Abe Weinstein. Gabe, besides playing sax, will sing some of the late great star's hits, giving them Louie's gravel-voice treatment. When I told Abe that Diana Krall's Grammy winning "Live in Paris" jazz album is so great that I bought two of them, without missing a downbeat he said: "We have Tierney Sutton in the festival, who sounds just as good as Diana." I laughed in disbelief, but Abe assured me he does not speak with forked tongue. I'll have to check her out July 18 at Blaisdell when she appears, backed by the 21-piece USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra ...
Just win, baby!
Some people are upset that UH football coach June Jones will be making $800,000 a year. I'm not. Hey, June made a whole lot of us happy by turning around the UH team. All he has to do to justify his paycheck is to win games and fill the stadium seats ... McKenna Motors Fourth of July BayFest celebration will feature the Grucci Brothers Fireworks display for three nights starting Friday at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base. The Gruccis have put on displays at six consecutive U.S. presidential inaugurations, the Olympics and at many other big-name events ...Jan Diehl and Jane Stubenberg turned me on to "Sex in the City" and now I'm hooked, even though one of the characters in the show just had a baby. A kid usually spoils a comedy show. As for you guys out there who haven't tuned in to the sexy Sunday night HBO series, don't think it's just for chicks. The four women are beautiful, funny and are fashion plates with high heels, except for Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) who had the kid. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the glue, the heart and soul that holds the show together. She's great. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is the beautiful, sweet "girl next door." And Samantha, Oh Samantha! This gorgeous creature, portrayed by Kim Cattrall, jumps in and out of men's beds as often as she takes a shower.
It's a great show ...
A Chihuahua in the models' parade at King and Bishop yesterday to push Neiman fashions inspired by "Legally Blonde 2," broke away from Alleyson Altz of CIA Models to create excitement before being grabbed by Neiman's Lucy Chelini ... Herb Alpert of Tijuana Brass fame and wife, singer Lani Hall, bought a Kahala property for over $2 million from Sandwich Isles Realty's Carl Smigielski. Mary Philpotts is remodeling. Herb was in Neiman's this week, chatting with salesman and ex-musician Denny Tanaka ...
Rick, the tour guide
Retired HPD detective Rick Ornellas played tour guide last Saturday for his mother-in-law, artist Edith Nani Coelho Sklar, in from California with her interior designer friend, Beverly Williams. Rick's wife is Nani's daughter, Lehua Hulihee, a kumu hula who was wrapped up in hula Saturday. Edith is a Sacred Hearts grad. Rick is in real estate with Mary Worrall ... I'll be on vacation until July 14. If you want to reach me, catch me if you can ...
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets
of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of
people, places and things every Saturday.
E-mail him at bwood@starbulletin.com