An Inspiring Hawaiian Evening

Last Friday, my family and I watched a truly wonderful and memorable concert. It was a night filled with unforgettable stories of hardship and despair, of joy and happiness, of success and triumph, and a whole lot of Hawaiian music and some mean slack key guitar playing. It was the Hawaiian Holiday Concert at the Mission.

That Friday wasn't as chaotic as in past weeks. The only family activity lined up for the day was this concert. I wasn't able to go to the office that day because I was suffering from another gout attack. Obviously, I had difficulty walking, but I mustered enough energy make it to the evening's festivities. In the weeks prior, we heard that tickets were selling fast, and we knew that the place would be packed. So we left the house at 6pm to grab a quick bite. By 7, we were at the Mission for the 8pm concert.

Concerts at the historic Old Mission San Jose church in Fremont, CA are always divine. With its high ceilings and relatively narrow yet long structure, the acoustics are just exceptional. A perfect venue for any up close concert or musical event.

I attended the concert with no expectation whatsoever. Aside from whatever Hawaiian music I've heard in the past, I have no idea of what was to happen. As a matter of fact, I've never heard of slack key guitar playing either. Let's just say that I was more curious. At the very least, I hoped to be entertained. It was a concert after all, right? From what I've read, the performers are big players in slack key guitar playing and in Hawaiian music, in general. This made me excited. I was in for a treat.

LT Smooth

This concert was the brainchild of Patrick Landeza (more of him later). The master of ceremony was his equally popular brother, Fr. Jason Landeza, who was a former associate pastor at St. Joseph. Currently, he is the pastor at St. Felicitas, and the chaplain of the Oakland Fire and Police departments.

Bill Griffin

Opening act was big hitter LT Smooth, probably one of the Island's best slack key guitar player. Accompanying him was ukelele luthier and mandolele player and instrument maker, Bill Griffin, and 7-time Grammy nominated producer Chris Lau. One interesting note. LT Smooth flew in from Hawaii just for this special concert. He arrived the day before the concert and had to fly out the morning after for an engagement back at the Islands. And airfare and accommodations were paid for by a close benefactor, who wanted to remain anonymous.

Chris Lau

LT Smooth started the evening with a brief narrative of his horrid, painful past, beginning at the tender age of 10, growing up in New Zealand, as he quietly plucked the strings of his guitar to a soft melody. Barely into his story, I was already in tears. Really!?!? I didn't care because I knew that I wasn't the only one. I was asking myself, "what's going on?" I came to be entertained, not cry. And the tears kept flowing as he continued on to sing his rendition of "Amazing Grace." His one-liners and good sense of humor did help lighten up the evening in between sobs.

Patrick Landeza

Next came the big kahuna. The main man himself, Patrick Landeza. He also shared some interesting stories of his childhood, growing up in the "Island of Berkeley" (California, that is). Particularly touching was his narration about his late father, how he strived hard to provide for the family, and how dearly he was missed -- a segue to beautiful song dedicated to his father. Tears started to roll down again. Patrick was funny. His interjections of humor made the evening lively and light. His music selection was appropriate for the evening and the season. Traditional and well-loved Hawaiian tunes filled the air.

A 15-minute intermission ensued. This allowed the audience to stretch, exchange pleasantries, and wipe off any remaining tears. It was also an opportunity to purchase homemade fruit jams, CDs of all the musicians at the concert, as well as some other memorabilia.

The evening also showcased local talents from St. Joseph School. Catherine, a 6th grader, sang the classic "Silent Night" while her father, Khac-Quan, played the violin (himself a virtuoso). Four 8th graders (Bianca, Ashley, Matthew, and Dana) performed an original Christmas composition (by Dana) to the delight of the audience. Another special number was a duet between Patrick and fellow newbie SJS middle school math and science teacher, Neil Sugay (and Holy Spirit Catholic church's music director, too), with their rendition of the popular "I'll Be Home For Christmas." In another piece, Patrick invited his mother, Frances, to sing with him a traditional Hawaiian song.

The night was capped by a jam (no pun intended) of all musicians, headed by LT Smooth on guitar, which included Bill Griffin on mandolele, Chris Lau on upright bass, and St. Joe dad, Khac-Quan, on violin. It was LT Smooth at his wildest slack key guitar playing. I have never seen any guitar player detune multiple guitar strings while playing a piece and still sound GREAT. Didn't sound off key to me. It was just an unbelievable site (and sound).

For those not in the know, like me, Patrick Landeza is considered one of the top slack key guitar style performers. He has learned from the great masters of this guitar playing style, and is the Bay Area's own slack key master. He had been nominated and had received numerous awards in the area of Hawaiian music and slack key guitar playing. Last January, Patrick performed at Carnegie Hall in NYC in Listen for Life's "Power of Eight" concert, which promoted peace through music. He has recorded a number of CDs, and continues to do concerts all over the Bay Area, and beyond, as he shares his brand of music and guitar playing style.

Aside from his music, Patrick is also a middle school social studies and religion teacher at St. Joseph in Fremont, CA. Prior to St. Joe's, he taught at St. Elizabeth High School and St. Martin de Porres in Oakland. For his hobby, he makes fruit jams. In his first year at SJS, Patrick has embarked on a service project for his middle school students. The 6th graders helped prepare a Thanksgiving meal for the underprivileged in the community, while the 7th graders are putting together care packages for homeless shelters. And the 8th graders are providing toys and other goodies for a sister school in Oakland. The proceeds of this concert will help support these service projects as well.

It was truly an amazing night of music and fabulous guitar playing all around. The $20 was definitely a steal. The concert was able to generate a sizable amount of money that would help fund the various middle school projects of St. Joseph. Kudos to Patrick Landeza for an exceptional undertaking. I'm sad that it's my son's last year, but I'm glad he had a chance to work with this teacher and have this experience. The school and the community need more Landezas !!!

Fr. Manny ?!?! Mrs. Cooper ?!?!

By the way, I heard that a luau is on the drawing board for next year. If it happens, make sure you're there. Aloha !!!

(The author would like to acknowledge Ewa by Gentry Community Association, kanileaukelele.com, Liko Puha & Hawaiian Music and Culture Summit-Folsom, sonomanews.com, landezapresents.com, and Gina Mehta for some of the photographs used in this blog.)