NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis. Photo by Kenneth Martinez Burgmaier
As a filmmaker, Kenneth Martinez Burgmaier traveled to more than 60 countries filming music festivals. He was especially fond of jazz and blues festivals, but never saw one come to Hawaiʻi, where he has lived for the past 30 years. So he decided to create his own.
Today, Burgmaier has produced more than 75 jazz and blues festivals over 25 years across four Hawaiian islands.
From Oct. 20–26, the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival returns to Kapalua. The weeklong event takes place at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, known for its world-class hospitality and support for the arts. The festival features Grammy Award-winning musicians and internationally renowned instrumentalists performing jazz, blues and Cajun zydeco — a fusion of Cajun and zydeco music played with accordion, fiddles, washboards and French lyrics.
Burgmaier also hosts “Jazz Alley TV,” a jazz, blues and world music television series that has been airing for 35 years. The show sponsors Burgmaier’s Jazz & Blues Festivals, hosted annually on Hawaiʻi Island at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel; on Maui at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua; on Oʻahu at The Ritz-Carlton Oʻahu, Turtle Bay; and on Lānaʻi at Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi. He said attendees include a mix of Hawaiʻi residents and visitors from California, New York, Japan and beyond.
Grammy-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal Photo by Kenneth Martinez Burgmaier
Grammy-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal, a regular at the Big Island Jazz & Music Festival, will perform on Maui for the first time this year. He said he’s excited to reunite with local Hawaiʻi musicians as well as New Orleans band The Iguanas.
Marienthal, who frequently performs on cruise ships and at venues around the world, said Hawaiʻi offers a unique experience.
“Hawaiʻi is a special place to get to play,” he said. “It’s inclusive, loving, open … an environment for musicians to feel comfortable to play their music.”
This year, Burgmaier is capping attendance at 1,000 people to preserve an intimate atmosphere. In past years, the festival has drawn as many as 3,500 attendees to the pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton, which Burgmaier said felt too large. He’s especially excited to bring Cajun zydeco to Hawaiʻi — a genre rarely heard outside of Louisiana.
Two of the featured Cajun zydeco musicians, Wilson Savoy and Jourdan Thibodeaux, were recently featured on “60 Minutes” in a segment about preserving Cajun musical traditions – one that stretches back eight generations in Savoy’s family. On the show, Thibodeaux spoke passionately about cultural survival.
“You either live your culture or you kill your culture,” Thibodeaux said. “There is no in-between.”
He said the phrase, which he incorporates into his lyrics (in French), reflects the homogenizing effects of globalization. He believes it’s everyone’s responsibility to hold onto their identity — and he recommits every day to “live his culture.”
One of the festival’s most beloved moments, Burgmaier said, is the final jam session on closing night, when all the musicians return to the stage for a hana hou (encore) — a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
In support of local residents impacted by the 2023 Maui wildfires, the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival and The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, are donating more than 100 festival tickets to fire survivors in Lahaina.
“I am honored to bring the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival back to the west side of Maui,” Burgmaier said in a recent press release. “After everything this community has been through, we’re ready to turn up the volume and deliver an epic weekend of world-class music and good vibes.”
NEA Jazz Master and Big Chief Donald Harrison. Photo by Kenneth Martinez Burgmaier.
Maui Jazz & Blues Festival Schedule
Friday, Oct. 3
Festival Kickoff Concert
Featuring Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis and the Royal Family of Jazz
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
Free
Monday, Oct. 20
Maui Jazz & Blues Festival Band
Featuring Fast Freddy and the Blue Lava Blues Quartet
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
Free
Tuesday, Oct. 21
Celebrate Women in Jazz & Blues
With the Maui Jazz & Blues Wahine Trio:
Dr. Joie Taylor (saxophone), Nā Hōkū winner Louise Lambert (piano), Andrea Walls (violin)
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
Free
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Maui Jazz & Blues Fest Trio
Featuring Grammy-winning Hawaiian singer-songwriter Kalani Peʻa, Grammy-nominated Mark Johnstone, and special appearances by other Grammy-winning jazz artists
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
Free
Thursday, Oct. 23
Cajun Zydeco Blues Jubilee
Featuring Grammy winner Wilson Savoy, Cajun ambassador Jourdan Thibodeaux, Grammy-nominated Roddie Romero, Chris Thomas King, Mark Johnstone, Dave Graber, and Alex Keeney
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
$10 per person
Friday, Oct. 24
New Orleans JazzFest Experience
With The Iguanas, Eric Marienthal, Grammy-winning trombonist Charlie Halloran, and JazzFest musicians
6–9 p.m.
Alaloa Lounge
$10 per person
Saturday, Oct. 25
Main Festival Event
Featuring:
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Eric Marienthal (Grammy-winning saxophonist)
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Chris Thomas King (Grammy & CMA-winning blues guitarist and actor)
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The Cajun Zydeco Experience
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Wilson Savoy, Jourdan Thibodeaux, Roddie Romero
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The Iguanas
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Donald Harrison (NEA Jazz Master and Treme star)
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Zenshin Daiko Drummers
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Maui Jazz & Blues Festival Band
4:30–9 p.m.
Aloha Garden Pavilion, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
General admission: $145
VIP: $245 (includes preferred seating)
VIP table for 10: $2,000 (ideal for groups or corporate)
Adults 21+ only
Sunday, Oct. 26
Jazz Brunch
Featuring performances by the Maui Jazz & Blues Festival Band with Donald Harrison, Charlie Halloran and Joe Cabral of The Iguanas.
Menu includes blackened shrimp and grits, gumbo, muffaletta sandwiches, crawfish mac and cheese, beignets and more.
11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Ulana Terrace, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
$95 for adults
$35 for children ages 6–12
$15 for children 5 and under
Reservations: OpenTable or call 808-665-7089
Kamaʻāina discount available
Purchase Tickets at MauiJazzandBluesFestival.com
