Grammy Winner Gregg Karukas will perform two shows at Gertrude’s Jazz Bar in Kona Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7 and 9 p.m. There is a $10 cover charge and you can reserve a table on Yelp. For more info, call (808) 327-5299 or visit https://www.gertrudesjazzbar.com.
The GK Soul/Jazz Party will feature Gregg Karukas (Boney James, Larry Carlton, Sergio Mendes) – organ featuring Michael O’Neill (George Benson, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder)-guitar, Russ McKinnon (Tower of Power, Barry Manilow)-drums.
Grammy-winning keyboardist/composer Gregg Karukas returns to Kona and his musical roots for a unique evening with longtime collaborator (and George Benson’s second guitarist and producer) Michael O’Neill. They’ll be featuring some new/old sounds for Gregg, as he has been developing material based on the classic Hammond organ group format. Soul Jazz for the 21st century with a rotating cast of all-stars. Fans of Seawind star Pauline Wilson will recognize Gregg as co-writer of a few songs on her Intuition CD. This is Gregg’s first return to the Big Island since performing for three years at the Dolphin Days All-Star Concerts at Waikoloa Hilton with Michael Paulo, Jeffrey Osbourne, Pauline Wilson, Kenny Rankin, Brenda Russell, Rick Braun, Peter White and Oleta Adams.
“Most all my recordings have featured grand piano or Fender Rhodes with great bass players; but recently, I have had so much fun jamming on my vintage Hammond A100 organ and have made it a personal challenge to work toward developing my sound on this beast, holding down the bass parts with my left hand and pedals. Grooving, paying tribute to the B3 masters, and trying new things is what it’s all about.”
Gertrude’s Jazz Bar & Bistro is located at 75-5699 Ali’i Drive in Kailua-Kona. To learn more about Gregg Karukas, visit his website http://www.karukas.com.
Photo: Sherry Barnett