If you haven’t heard Hawaiian slack key guitar, here’s your chance to listen to legendary Maui musician George Kahumoku Jr., his son Keoki Kahumoku with Richard Ho’opi’i play at the lovely Fox Theater on February 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Hawaii’s Renaissance Man, George Kahumoku Jr, is a multiple Grammy & Hoku Award winning master slack key guitar and vocalist, songwriter, performer, teacher, artist and sculptor, story-teller and writer, farmer and entrepreneur.George is known for playing slack key on a jumbo12-string guitar because he loves the full sound and the lower bass tones of this guitar.

Go to the Fox website (click here) for tickets, starting at $20. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

George Kahumoku Junior’s website: http://www.slackkeyshow.com/

Fox Tucson Theater is at 17 W. Congress St. (between Stone Ave. and Church Ave.)

And if you want to hear Hawaiian music (and George’s) tune in tomorrow to the Mele O Hawai’i radio show by John Putnam on KXCI Community Radio 91.3 FM, Saturday mornings from 6 to 8 a.m. John’s a “local haole” from Honolulu who loves Hawaiian music and plays a wide variety of “all kine stuff” on his show. I’ve called a few times to request my favorite songs, 520-622-5924.

If you really want to get in the Hawaiian mood, eat authentic “grinds”/dinner first at Lani’s Luau, 2532 S. Harrison Rd. (NW Corner of Golf Links and Harrison) out east. They’re open till 8 p.m. Tuesday to Thursdays, 9 p.m. on Friday & Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Lani is from Kona on the Big Island and cooks food that is indeed “some ono” (delicious). Both the owners Zane and Leilani (Lani) know George and have a photo of him with them during his last visit to Tucson.

A friend told me about this two hour Hawaiian music show a while ago, but Saturday mornings from 6 to 8 a.m. is a bit early even for me. But I finally listened to it last week, and encourage you to do so as well if you enjoy Hawaiian music. The host is John Putnam, who play a variety of English (plus hapa-haole) and Hawaiian songs for this Mele O Hawai’i show.

KXCI community radio website info: www.kxci.org, 91.3 FM radio. Request line is 520-622-5924.

Last week Putnam played favorites by Raiatea Helm, Israel Kamakawiwio’ole, Cyril Pahinui, Mark Yamanaka, Brothers Cazimero, Cecilio & Kapono, etc. I just heard Cyril, Mark, and Lehua play live a few weeks ago at the Hawaii County “Magic of the Season” events. But the best singer for that holiday event was Henry Kapono (of former Cecilio & Kapono duo) who sang “Danny’s Song” and other favorites to a huge crowd in Hilo, Hawaii.

KXCI even lists their programming playlist (click here for January 5 show).

My favorite Hawaiian music station on the Big Island (when I get to go home) is KAPA 100.3/99.1 FM, where the radio hosts speak Pidgin English and have a Hawaiian word of the day for the listeners. And by the way, one of my favorite singers who plays slack key is Kohala local boy/friend John Keawe, who attended the same high school as me. I think I own all of his CDs.

And save the date: February 21 for George Kahumoku, Jr. at the Fox Theater, 17 W. Congress St.

Then after two hours of Hawaiian music, you can head over to Lani’s Luau for authentic Hawaiian food for lunch. They say they “speak aloha” at that restaurant, located at 2532 S. Harrison Rd. (NW corner of Golf Links Rd).

Listen to Mele O Hawai’i tomorrow morning, and every Saturday morning.

Information from one of my favorite guitar folk singers in Tucson:

Saturday, November 19 (6:30pm) Lani’s Luau (2532 South Harrison Road, Tucson – [520] 886-5828), Tucson’s authentic Hawaiian Restaurant presents:

An evening of Celtic Aloha!

Hawaiian Music Award winner Jamie O’Brien comes from a London-Irish family, but his heart lies across a different ocean. Tonight, he presents an evening of the music he loves: a little bit of Irish, a little bit of Hawaiian … a lot of Celtic Aloha.

Lani’s Luau presents Jamie playing solo from 6:30 to 8:30pm: songs, slack key guitar and ukulele. He has played Irish music for as long as he can remember and Hawaiian for over a decade. Since meeting and teaming up with slack key guitarist and singer, George Kahumoku Jr., to present “Oceans Apart – Islands Together”, Jamie has been making connections between the music and culture of the islands.

Jamie has taken his Celtic Aloha performance to Maui, Oahu, the Big Island of Hawaii, Lanai and Kauai, as well as across the Mainland from Washington State to Washington DC and many places in between. He has played with such musicians as Daniel Ho, Keoki Kahumoku, Ozzie Kotani and many others from the world of Hawaiian music and Aoife Clancy, Danny Doyle, Jim Eagan and many others from the world of Irish music.

Enjoy a meal at Lani’s Luau, Tucson’s authentic Hawaiian restaurant and enjoy the music of Jamie O’Brien and a Celtic Aloha. No cover charge, but reservations are recommended.

And read my previous blog about Jamie’s latest CD “Chasing Ghosts” (click here), which I listen to often in my car. Lani’s Luau is on the NW Corner of Harrison and Golf Links, and serves delicious (ono) Hawaiian food.