Hopkins packs wallop
By John Berger
in jazz festival opener
Special to the Star-Bulletin
Hawaii International Jazz Festival: 7 p.m. daily, through Sunday, Hawaii Theatre. Tickets $25-$30. Call 528-0506
Does Linda Hopkins moonwalk? Believe it! Talk about old-school singers, the jazz performer used the mike to perfection, but probably could have done the whole show "unplugged" and still be heard throughout Hawaii Theatre.
Hopkins capped almost five hours of gospel, blues and jazz at last night's opener of the fifth annual Hawaii International Jazz Festival. The festival continues through Sunday, but Hopkins and her co-stars -- Gene Harris, Niki Harris, Ernie Watts, Azure McCall and the Out Takes -- are going to be a hard card to follow. Vocalists Hopkins and Niki Harris received several well-deserved standing ovations and left the audience wanting more. Playing the blues on an acoustic grand piano, Gene Harris turned back the clock to an earlier era in classic American music.
But Hopkins was flat out seductive singing fine old sex songs like "Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On," but there isn't a Christian church in Hawaii that wouldn't benefit from having her drop in on Sunday to sing "Shake a Hand" and "Amazing Grace." Over half of the late-night crowd on ground level availed themselves of the opportunity to go down front and shake her hand. All that was missing was the choir and the collection plate.
Hopkins' treatment of "Amazing Grace" was exactly that -- amazing. The beautiful Christian hymn is most often sung as a first-person testament of personal salvation in Christ. She conveyed a sense of benediction and a prayer that enveloped the audience. She gave fresh perspective to a beloved and familiar song.
With such a headliner it's ironic but true that if the program had ended at intermission it would still have been a full and satisfying 2-1/4-hour show. Gene Harris was brilliant on piano -- and an engaging host/master of ceremonies of his segment. Ernie Watts sat in with Harris and several of the Out Takes. The band opened the show with an instrumental number before bringing on McCall for a short but first-rate set. In some recent shows the local acts were obviously of much lower quality than the headliner. McCall fit in perfectly and distinguished herself as designated representative of Hawaii's female jazz vocalists.
Then came Niki Harris -- versatile, irrepressible and obviously as happy to be performing with her father, Gene Harris, as he was proud of her. She reinterpreted "Teach Me Tonight" in ways certain to edify Top 40 fans who know only Al Jarreau's classic rendition. She laid down a smoky and introspective vision of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," got the crowd rocking with "Stormy Monday" and delivered an imaginative, show-stopping treatment of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" that displayed her range, vocal finesse and formidable talent as a song stylist. It was a performance that should have been seen and studied by every local pop vocalist. World class all the way.
Watts led the Out Takes through an instrumental celebration of postwar jazz greats, including Stanley Turantine, Charles Mingus and Charlie Parker.
Credit the Out Takes -- Noel Okimoto (drums), Allen Won (sax), Jamie Fox (guitar) and Steve Jones (subbing for bassist Benny Rietveld) -- and guest pianist Rich Crandall with great work as the house band backing the others as needed.
John Berger has covered the local
entertainment scene since 1972.
