The concept of Celtic Aloha was born soon after Jamie met George Kahumoku Jr, slack key guitarist extraordinaire, singer, story-teller ... a truly Hawaiian Renaissance man! Jamie's flat-picking style of Irish guitar work seemed to fit perfectly with George's Hawaiian finger picking. And the songs also naturally flowed together.
slack key guitar master George Kahumoku Jr.
& Jamie O'Brien
& Jamie O'Brien
They first appeared together at O'Reilly's Irish Pub, Harrisburg, when George joined Slingo (Jamie on vocals & guitar, John Winship on concertina & fiddle and Matt Willen on mandolin & bouzouki) for an evening of "Music from the Islands". Soon after, George and Jamie performed a dinner-concert at Mulligan's on the Blue on Maui with hula dancer Nancy Kahumoku.
In 2005, "Celtic Aloha - Oceans Apart, Islands Together" with George, Jamie, Nancy, Daniel Ho (ukulele, guitar, vocals) & Jennifer Johnson (vocals, step dance) toured across Hawaii, playing to full houses at theaters on five islands (the Big Island of Hawaii, Lanai, Kauai, Maui and Oahu).
For more information and future "Celtic Aloha" tours, please contact Jamie or George.
"George Kahumoku and Jamie O'Brien beautifully represent
two island guitar traditions - Hawaiian Slack Key, beginning in the early 1800s,
and Celtic guitar, beginning in the 1960s. It's great to hear them combine
the traditions and their individual styles."
George Winston
"Celtic Aloha" next appeared on a concert tour across Pennsylvania and Maryland. It featured George and Jamie along with Keoki Kahumoku (ukulele, slack key guitar, vocals) and Job Cabato (slack key guitar, vocals) as well as Nancy (hula) and Hillary Horner (Irish step dance).
Keoki Kahumoku, Jamie O'Brien, Hillary Horner, Nancy Kahumoku, George Kahumoku & Job Cabato
photo credit: Christina Weissauer
Jennifer Johnson, Jamie O'Brien, George Kahumoku, Nancy Kahumoku, Lydia Miyashiro (tour manager) & Daniel Ho
rehearsing for a show