The Na‘alehu Theatre has received an OHA ‘Ahahui Grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) in the amount of $6.000 for the 9th Annual GABBY PAHINUI WAIMANALO KANIKAPILA. The grant extends OHA’s continued support for Hawaiian Music and allows us to provide tents, tables, and chairs and provide security and safety for those who attend the event.

This annual gathering of more than 150 of Hawai‘i’s best musicians and hula dancers is held in Waimanalo to honor Gabby Pahinui and his contributions to Hawaiian music and to acknowledges the musical heritage of the Waimanalo community.

This FREE event also includes: educational and informational booths, music workshops, cultural demonstrations and displays, lomi lomi massage, food booths that support athletics and community groups, and some arts and craft vendors.

During Gabby Pahinui’s life, weekends at the Pahinui home in Waimanalo were a continuous jam session, hosting dozens of musicians, both young and old, who came by to jam with “the Master.” Memorable guests included slack key masters Leland “Atta” Isaacs, Sonny Chillingworth, and Ray Kane, along with David “Feet” Rogers, Joe Marshall, Aunty Jenoa Keawe, Jessie Kalima, Palani Vaughan, and Peter Moon to name only a few. With a welcoming pot of beef stew and rice always on the stove, his Waimanalo home became the perfect setting for a rejuvenation of Hawai‘i’s musical traditions. As Gabby’s fame grew, attendance at the weekend jam sessions mushroomed — sometimes hosting a hundred or more musicians and fans. The jam sessions would begin early on Friday morning and continue straight through to Monday morning.

During the early 80’s, Kanikapila sessions were again founded at Gabby “Pop’s” Pahinui’s namesake Waimanalo Park Pavilion to feature and perpetuate Gabby’s contribution and his Hawaiian style ki ho‘alu-slack key music. It has long been the dream of the Pahinui Ohana to acknowledge Waimanalo as a focal point of ki ho‘alu and Hawaiian music by reestablishing these musical gatherings and their ability to perpetuate, and preserve the uniqueness of Hawai‘i’s musical identity.

The Pahinui Ohana along with the Na‘alehu Theatre, and the Waimanalo community, strongly believe that by presenting the Annual Gabby Pahinui Waimanalo Kanikapila we will preserve and support a thriving Hawaiian culture, Hawai‘i’s continued music industry growth and our unique identity as a world-class destination while, at the same time, developing and strengthening community pride and partnerships among Ohana, Community Organizations, Businesses, and Government Agencies.

CONTACT: Please feel free to contact me with any requests or questions by phone: 808-722-8575 or email: cyril@cyrilpahinui.com

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