Noel Okimoto: Ho'ihi

Honolulu-born Noel Okimoto has been playing drums professionally since he was eleven years old. He has learned over the years to supervise the drum kit with equanimity and deference, a standard that Okimoto's octet endorses when approaching the music on his second album as a leader, Ho'ihi (ho-ee-hee), a Hawaiian phrase that translates roughly into "treat with reverence and respect."

While Okimoto is a proud son of the Islands, those who are searching for Hawaiian-inspired themes will have to look elsewhere, as Ho'ihi has none to offer. This is sharp, straight-ahead contemporary jazz, more bop-than Pacific Ocean-inspired, ably construed and eagerly served by Okimoto and his talented teammates. Much of the music is upbeat, as suits Okimoto's gregarious nature, and rhythmically strong, as suits his innovative skill set. The opening "Cachorra" sets the compass, its charming Brazilian beat reinforcing sharp solos by trumpeter DeShannon Higa and flutist Allen Won. Okimoto's drums introduce "Up Syndrome," another swinger that leads to the funky "Braying" and limber "Karing Karing," Okimoto's warm tribute to one of his mentors, saxophonist Gabe Baltazar.

Vibraphonist Abe Lagrimas, who plays a supporting role on the earlier numbers, asserts himself more fully with seductive solos on the lyrical "Patina Ballerina" and prancing "Lethologica," which precede the gladsome "Longest Day," on which Won's nimble soprano shines, as it does on "Karing Karing." The mood changes and tempo slows on "Wayne-ing Days," Okimoto's salute to the late saxophonist Wayne Shorter, before accelerating again on "Cachorro," a fast-paced showcase for the rhythm section. The jaunty "Nine and a Half" and jazz waltz "Under the Bottom" follow, leading to the session's carefree and pleasing finale, "Opuscule for Rowan."

There is an abundance of pleasurable music to respect and savor on Ho'ihi, an album whose brightness is immutable and whose heart is definitely in the right place.

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