Jimmy Borges and Ginny Tiu, Memories from Mildred Bergman

http://www.generationshawaii.com/ Voice of a Generation By Elissa Josephsohn
Jimmy Borges, aka Gorgeous Borges, is Hawaii's own legendary jazz singer.

Voice of a Generation

By Elissa Josephsohn

"Gorgeous Borges." Kamaaina who read Dave Donnelly's column in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin can barely count high enough to recall how many times the newspaperman described Jimmy Borges this way. Fellow columnist Eddie Sherman, now read in this magazine after decades with The Honolulu Advertiser and MidWeek, says, "I don't think there's a person who doesn't like Jimmy. He's nice to everybody - and he can carry a tune, too!" The great Tony Bennett said, "Wherever this man goes, follow him. He's one of the best singers I've ever heard."

They are, of course, describing one of the talents who has become legendary in Hawaii and beyond for being one of the top jazz singers ever heard. Along the way he's gotten the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts (Na Hoku Hanohano) and the Music Foundation of Hawaii's Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement as a vocalist. It's a long way from Borges' Kalihi roots where he was born prematurely across from the fire station on Self Lane and made his first bed in a cigar box.

"No one else in my family was musical," he says. "My mother was a teacher and my father's side was filled with businessmen. My dad worked for Dillingham Insurance Co. and Liberty House; my uncle ran Oahu State Prison. I moved to the mainland when I was 11 years old - my father got transferred to the home office of Aetna Insurance - but Hawaii was set in my genes and my mind, and so was music."

Borges' early career in California was as wedded to sports as anything else. He went to San Francisco State University on a football scholarship, but found it hard to get to practice since he lived in Oakland and didn't have a car. "But what I did have was a girlfriend named Ann Richards who sang at rallies at school," he says. "She eventually married Stan Kenton, the jazz great. She asked me to sing with her, and I found the applause as reinforcing as the cheers on the football field. Before I knew it, I was a 'crossover' entertainer. I loved the attention I got and wanted to make my mark on the world - without getting beat up in a game."

Before long, he was appearing with the likes of vibraphonist Cal Tjader and going to school with Paul Desmond, who wound up in the Dave Brubeck Band. He pulled out his mother's treasured big band records that he'd always loved, started singing the famous tunes, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Borges quit school and started sitting in with groups all over the Bay Area. He did Johnny Mathis songs and worshipped Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé as musical heroes. He took his career aggressively into his own hands, sending notes to bandleaders and putting together a group for Vegas - "not that I had a gig in Las Vegas, but it got me with great musicians to say I did!" This typifies the Borges attitude: "You have to believe in yourself and to do whatever you do - play football, sing - from the bottom of your heart," he says. "You can't be afraid. You have to put yourself on the line. You have to be enthusiastic. And you have to love whatever you do."

This belief shines through all the shows and all the years. Now at age 73 and one of the most dapper gentlemen in town, Borges and wife Vicki, office manager at the Hawaii Theatre, are sought-after guests both on the party and performing scene. He's done a record 30 concerts with the Honolulu Symphony, as well as appearances at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Hyatt Regency Waikiki at the legendary Trappers, Moana Hotel, Keone's Lounge, and around the globe in such spots as the Bohemian Club in San Francisco, the Dunes and Frontier hotels in Las Vegas, Palmer House in Chicago, Ambassador Hotel and Cinegrill in Los Angeles, Fontainebleau and Diplomat hotels in Miami, the Latin Quarter in New York, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, the Schubert Theatre in Boston, up and down the West Coast with songstress Shari Lynn, Aotea Center in Auckland, JVC Concert Hall in Tokyo and a nonstop parade of others. He's appeared at the huge San Diego Fair, with the U.S. Navy Concert Orchestra, with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Woody Herman, and on tour in Florida. He's sold out the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and has starred in the Hawaii International Jazz Festival since its founding, as well as hopping over to sing and host the first Maui Jazz Festival.

He continues his relationship with the Honolulu Symphony, having known its pops conductor and arranger Matt Catingub since he was a youngster. "In the old days, I was on the Lurline with Sarah Vaughan, George Gobble and the great Samoan singer Mavis Rivers, who's Catingub's mother. I shared a bill with her in 1970 and got off the ship here in Honolulu, where I was born, and stayed. I played the old Knight's Palace owned by Ray Kini. I was in the main showroom since I'd gotten such good reviews on the cruise ship. Upstairs in the lounge were some 'smaller' acts - folks like Gabby Pahinui and the Kahauanu Lake Trio. Those were the years! This is where Chris Hemmeter 'discovered' me to take me to Trappers, and where Eddie Sherman couldn't figure out what had hit with this brown jazz singer dressed in a suit with an ascot tie performing with a San Francisco accent," says Borges.

His reputation for excellence was much deserved. "I'd never 'messed around' on the road," says Borges. "I never burned the candle at both ends. I've always taken my performing seriously and consider consistency the greatest factor for a singer. I give the audience the best I've got."

With that in mind, Borges set out to get the arrangements owned by Frank Sinatra. "I called ad man Frank Valenti who knew Sinatra and he called Larry Vogel at the Honolulu Symphony. Larry said if I could get the arrangements, which are the best ever done, he'd find a way to get a concert with the Honolulu Symphony, whose board he was heading at the time. I had only met Sinatra once in a recording session in L.A. - my first wife actually had dated him way back when - but Valenti put in the call. Six, eight weeks went by and nothing. Then the message came back: 'Let the kid have whatever he wants.' I couldn't believe it. I went to Sinatra's office at Warner Bros. and went through 2,000 arrangements to get the 64 I have. This literally is $1 million worth of work and I still have 'em. I also found out that before Sinatra said yes, he sent his scouts to hear me at the Paradise Lounge at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. He didn't want to deal with an impersonator but wanted to share with someone who had their own style. It wasn't an easy decision either what to take - for example, Sinatra had 11 arrangements of Cole Porter's 'Night and Day,' in different keys, by different arrangers. I listened to everything he recorded so respectfully and it's to my great credit that 'Mister' allowed me to use his arrangements then and now," says Borges. Audiences agreed about the Sinatra concerts, giving them many awards and causing them to be repeated four times with the orchestra.

As producer Burton White recalls, he initially met Borges when he was working with the Honolulu Symphony on that initial concert. "I explained to him what I was thinking. He got more and more excited, which excited me ... He was beyond great, a seasoned performer with a smooth delivery and a great voice. I noticed him turning upstage a lot at the beginning of the songs and then turn back with a big smile ... The concerts were a great success. A few days later he asked if I could meet him at the Hilton where he was singing. He said he wanted to thank me again and gave me a card which I put in my pocket. When I got home, I opened the card and a check fell out. The note read that this was a check for 10 percent of his take from the concert. What a gent!" says White, who now serves as artistic director and producer at the historic Hawaii Theatre.

In addition to singing, Borges made a name acting, especially in the Jack Lord "Hawaii Five-O" years when he was a semiregular on the top-rated CBS show. "I was part of the 5-O gang and closest to Jimmy MacArthur, who played Danno. Those were the days - the good guys always won, there were no gray areas. The show had a moral edge ... and it made Hawaii the star," recalls Borges.

Borges also is known as a golfer, with many a celeb coming to town to join him on the links. He's played with the likes of Robert Wagner and Don Johnson, Berry Gordy, Lucie Arnaz and such local headliners as Amy Hanaialii and Tad Fujiwara. Cecilio Rodriguez of C&K fame is his regular partner. And being asked by Barbara (Mrs. Frank) Sinatra and Wagner to perform and play golf in the legendary Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament in Palm Springs remains a testament to his popularity and his prowess on the course.

"I adore golf. It's like being on stage performing but it's all you, an individual sport," Borges says. "No one takes the blame, and if the shot's good, well, I get all the credit. Golf helps me focus on the minute points of life and that helps me in singing because I believe in telling a story properly. It's more than a voice - it's like the chewing gum story. When the flavor of the ballad goes away, what the audience remembers is the emotion."

"This is the most comprehensive and utterly fantastic website I've ever seen! I'm happy to be included in the cornucopia of information you have assembled. You're amazing!"

Staring Hawaii's most respected vocal jazz performer Jimmy Borges along with alto saxophone player Gabe Baltazar and jazz musician Betty Loo Taylor.

Don't miss this Free Performance/first come first served/seating event! Sunday October 26, '08

Produced by Outrigger Enterprises Group in association with the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts

~Memories, with Aloha From Mildred Bergman 1978, Lee and I had gone to hear the early evening music at Trappers, but little did we know, as we lingered with a drink at the end, that the REAL THING was about to begin! Opening that night with ALL NIGHT LONG, (for music lovers everywhere), Jimmy Borges stunned us with that sound and the style that is his own. We were captured by his jazz, and the glitter he gave, in everything, to his powerful orchestra. We danced every night until they turned out the lights, as Jimmy Borges forever changed our lives.

1984 That's why we were there in Trappers the night when we met Danny Couch when he appeared on the scene, and we were swept away by the impact. He and Jimmy Borges could take even something standard and make it sound all new. Besides, their fun was contagious, irresistible in any room. Celebrity musicians who came to the island found their way to them, wherever they might be, adding to their party time.

Star Bulletin Dec. 11 THOMPSON PLAYS THE CUPOLA: Afatia Thompson, second from left, was joined by his father, Jack "Tihati" Thompson, left; cousin Nalani Parker; mother, Cha Thompson; Matt Catingub; and Jimmy Borges as he celebrated the release of his second solo album, "Seasons of Love," with a late-evening party Sunday at the Honolulu Design Center.

Jimmy can also be found on "Back to Romance", a rare all-male recording of Hawai`i's leading men with the lush orchestrations of the Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawai`i. Back to Romance represents a true expression of a man in love. From Robert Cazimero's dreamy rendition of "I Only Have Eyes For You" to Fiji's R&B touch on Paul & Linda McCartney's "My Love," each song was handpicked by the artists. Robert Cazimero, Nathan Aweau, Henry Kapono, Hapa, Fiji, Jeff Peterson, Eric Gilliom, Cecilio and Kapono, Afatia, Kaukahi, Kawika Kahiapo, Jake Shimabukuro, Bruce Hamada, Jimmy Borges and the man himself, Matt Catingub who answered this question

An all male CD? What are men's most intimate thoughts of romance? With passion in their hearts and love on their minds, Hawai`i's premiere male recording artists and the Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawai`i answer that question with Back to Romance

Once again, may I say that you’re a Web-site Wizard. You have EVERYTHING covered. I’d be very happy to have you update and feature some new stuff about my career. Below are some new facts:

On March 16, 2006, I received the first-time presentation of the Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement as Vocalist from the Music Foundation of Hawaii. Other recipients were Don Ho, Cha and Jack Thompson (Tihati, Inc.) Al Harrington, George Naope,etc.

In September, 2007, I did a PBS SPECIAL called JIMMY BORGES:AFTER DARK which was shown locally with plans to go national eventually. It featured myself with many of Hawaii’s top local-born jazz artists like Gabe Baltazar, Noel Okimoto, Betty Loo Taylor, Matt Catingub (our symphony “pops” conductor), Steve Jones and Pauline Wilson. It was first broadcast as a fund-raiser and we raised over $25,000 for KHET in just two hours, which is very good for a small island.

On March 15, 2008, The Cazimeros, Olomana and I received The Lifetime Achievement Award Hoku from the Hawaii Association of Recording Artists at the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The Award presentation will be featured again during the HOKU Awards on June 20^th at the Convention Center.

GENERATIONS HAWAII magazine, a publication for the over-fifty crowd is doing an in-depth article and magazine cover on me and my entertainment career for the November 2008 issue.

I hope you can make it to the Hoku’s again this year and you can re-introduce yourself to me and my wife Vicki.

Again, your work is excellent and you write so well. I used to be an editor for my battle group newspaper during my days in the military at nearby Fort Lewis so I have some idea of a writer’s skills. Also, please send me an e-mail and/or telephone contact for Mildred Bergman. She is one of the most elegantly lovely ladies I’ve ever met and like you a great lover of music and our culture.

Danny’s such a wonderful talent and he couldn’t have any one better than you to chronicle his life and career. His “Have You Seen These Islands” is one of the finest contemporary Hawaiian songs ever written.

Aloha Dear Mr. Borges, What a delight it was to receive your wonderful message this afternoon. Thank you so much, your comments are deeply appreciated.

HAPPY 5-0, JIMMY!: Jimmy Borges told the crowd at the Hawai'i International Jazz Festival "Springtime in Honolulu II" concert l2005 is his 50th year as a professional entertainer, and he's not ready to retire. "The passion for music never goes away, and if you're lucky you can go on doing it," he says ....Jimmy Borges the popular island crooner who’s forged friendships during his stellar 44-year career with famous stars such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Robert Wagner, Jack Lord and Shirley MacLaine. , Hawaii's respected vocal jazz-master, and "Sinatra-phile". Frank Sinatra himself provided Mr. Borges with his original arrangements for some very unique shows. Jimmy and his family left the isles when he was a kid and moved to the San Francisco Bay area. Later, when Jimmy moved back home, we became pals. We also found we shared things in common. We live and die with the S.F. 49ers. We love golf and play together to this day. And we are great fans of Frank Sinatra. In the past year I found Jimmy and I had similar tastes in another area. When I took Cynthia Child to his gig at the Alana, Jimmy walked up and said, "Cynthia, years ago I had a crush on you." OK, that's understandable. A few months later I took Margaret Murchie to see Jimmy's show. He walked up and said, "Margaret, years ago I had a crush on you." Hummm, remarkable coincidence. Recently, Jimmy called and said: "Ben, I hear you took Jean Dickinson to the IHS Big Band Bash. You won't believe this, but years ago I had a crush on Jean." I am still flabbergasted ... "Crush" Borges will repeat his smash pops concert with the Honolulu Symphony Oct. 24-25 in the Concert Hall. Sinatra let Jimmy and the Symphony have his music charts for this concert, which was presented in '91 and '93 and is being brought back by popular demand. Jimmy will do seven songs that were not in the early concerts. I hope Borges sings his theme song, "I've Got a Crush on You" ...

Mele Kalikimaka to All Our Nabors Christmas '05
Jim Nabors, second from left, celebrated with Jimmy Borges, Emma Veary and Matt Catingub Dec. 4 at the post-show reception for his annual Christmas show, "A Merry Christmas with Friends & Nabors" at the Hawaii Theatre.

The production was Nabors' best-ever Christmas show here. Nabors was in great voice throughout, and the interaction with Borges, Veary and Karen Keawehawai'i added warmth and humor -- Borges threw everybody off when he ad libbed some mildly risque lyrics on "You Meet the Nicest People Everywhere Around Christmas Time." Nabors' duet with Veary on "Silent Night" was another highlight in a perfect Christmas show.

On the passing of Friend Don Ho: "The world will never have another person like Don Ho," entertainer Jimmy Borges said with tears in his eyes. Borges was overcome with grief at hearing his dear friend Don Ho had passed away. The two shared many happy times together.

Borges is sure of one thing Don Ho lived a rich, full life. "Oh god, trust me he did. There's women all over this world, they're going to be crying when they hear this, because he was close to so many. They loved him. The women loved him," Borges said.
The women loved him and the men admired him. He was well-respected by his band members. Benny Chong played guitar with Ho when he was with the Aliis. He was supposed to play with him Sunday night. "He reminded me a lot of my father. He (Ho) treated me very, very well. We had great mutual respect," Chong said. "I used to see him tell the people, 'Take care of the boys, take care of them, make sure they're taken care of you guys, okay?'"

Entertaining was his life, but Ho always found time to nurture his family and help others."It's what he did with his position in helping many of the young rising stars of Hawaii," Chong said. Borges recalls Ho's advice when he returned to the islands to entertain. "He said, 'Do what you do Jimmy, do what you do. If they like you, you're gonna stay. If they don't like you, you go back to San Francisco,'" Borges said with a smile.

His easy, laid-back style endeared him to family, friends and strangers. "Don's way was not, if you don't have to do anything fast, don't do it." Though his voice has been silenced, Don Ho's spirit will live on forever. "Every time you say aloha and every time you hug someone, then you're replenishing his spirit," Borges said with tears streaming down his face. ~ Jimmy Borges and Benny Chong

Oct. 8, 1979 "IT was our version of Manhattan Transfer," said Jimmy Borges of the makeshift quartet jamming at Trappers. Joining Borges on stage were Don Ho, visiting country singer Tanya Tucker and Linda Hart, one of the Harlettes backing up Bette Midler. (Oct. 8, 1979) ...Mai Tai Sing was hired by the original manager, Ed Sullivan, to open and manage Trappers, a great night spot where Jimmy Borges and the Betty Loo Taylor Trio performed.

"Hawaii had a great jazz scene going on back in the '70s. There were the guys like Jimmy Borges, Betty Lou Taylor and too many great players to mention.

Remember when magician John Hirokawa from the days when he did tableside magic between Jimmy Borges’ show sets at the old Trappers Club?

Hawaii International Jazz Festival "The April 1 show was at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort and Spa in the Ballroom, and followed by an extraordinary jam session in the old Trappers Lounge," "'Return to Trappers' featured Jimmy Borges, the Rich Crandall Trio, and lots of surprise guests." Last year's festival carried the "Swingtime in Hawaii" theme, recalling the 1940s when locals, visitors and military personnel deployed in the islands mingled happily at big band dance venues. When it comes to jazz traditions, there’s probably no more dedicated curator than singer Jimmy Borges. Borges does one thing and one thing only - keep the Great American Songbook alive and fresh.

Did you check out "Swingtime in Hawai'i" at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki ballroom with live performances, an 11-piece swing band and dancing? Hope you Stuck around afterward, though, for an intimate Trappers crew reunion and show at the old basement lounge across the street.

One of Waikiki's most elegant showrooms in its day (1976-91), Trappers also was where live local and national jazz acts and the kicky vocal stylings of Mr. Jimmy Borges ruled.

Jimmy Borges and a couple of longtime Trappers staffers shared a few of their more politically correct lounge memories.

Jimmy Borges, Trappers resident vocalist, 1976-86: "Once we set things up at Trappers, I had Betty Loo Taylor as my piano player, a bass player and a drummer. (Here Borges, uh, 'colorfully' explained how the latter two didn't exactly look the part of elegant jazz-lounge players.) When Ed Sullivan, the general manager, was showing me the stage, he pointed out my stool, the red piano for Betty Loo and two big flower plants. Then he asks, 'Can we hide the drummer and the bass player behind the plants so that people don't see 'em?' And he wasn't kidding."

John Morita, bartender, 1976-91: "Jimmy ran the stage. He'd set the mood ... set the pace for the night and could change it in an instant. He was just smooth ... a master of the stage."

Borges: "We had some of the best musicians in the world coming in. Joe Williams. Wynton Marsalis. Joe Sample. Tony Bennett came to see us whenever he was in town. ... He would sit in the back. And every time I would ask him to join us, he'd say, 'No, no thanks. I just want to listen.' "But he'd sit back there and sketch us. Tony is a fine artist. And he'd sketch the whole band and give us all of the sketches. ... I still have sketches that Tony Bennett did of us."

Carolyn Taum, cocktail server, 1979-89: "Jerry Lee Lewis came in once during happy hour, unannounced. He just sat down at the piano and rocked the place. We filled to capacity and people on the street were trying to get in. He stayed there all night."

Morita: "I got Smokin' Joe Frazier's autograph on a $20 bill. O.J. Simpson was there once, too. Evel Knievel came in quite a few times."

Borges: "I would never force anybody (famous) on to the stage. ... I would always go up to them privately and ask them first. And with a request like that, most of them would say 'yes,' especially locals. Don Ho, Danny Kaleikini, Robert Cazimero ... all got on stage. And my group was so good, they could play behind anybody."

Borges: "People dressed up to come to Trappers. It was a very elegant crowd ... Elegant without being snotty. ... But the dress code was strict. ... They turned away Al Jarreau at the door because he arrived in a sweater. That sweater was probably $800 and from France. And they wouldn't let him in!"

Taum: "This guy came in at happy hour one day, and he looked like a friend of mine who had done Marlboro commercials. ... I asked him what he did and he said, 'Well, I just got hired to do this TV series called 'Magnum P.I.' And I was, like, 'Oh, that's great! Good luck! I hope it does well!' It was Tom Selleck. ... He came in a lot after that."

Borges: "Trappers was a perfect mixture of ambience, quality music, quality drinks and aloha. There was no place like it then and no place like it now."

Jimmy Borges told the crowd at the Hawai'i International Jazz Festival "Springtime in Honolulu II" concert that 2005 is his 50th year as a professional entertainer, and he's not ready to retire. "The passion for music never goes away, and if you're lucky you can go on doing it," he says .... Jimmy Borges, Trappers resident vocalist, 1976-86 with Ed Sullivan, the general manager. The popular island crooner who�s forged friendships during his stellar 50-year career with famous stars such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Robert Wagner, Jack Lord and Shirley MacLaine. , Hawaii'sJ respected vocal jazz-master, and "Sinatra-phile". Jimmy Borges also stared in Jake and the Fatman, Magnum PI, Hawaii 5-0, and The Rockford Files.

Raven - Det. Robbins - Bloody Beach (1993)
Jake and the Fatman - Sam Howard - Exactly Like You (1990)
Jake and the Fatman - Player - Side by Side (1989)
Magnum, P.I. - Off. Lee - Little Games (1985)
Magnum, P.I. - Sgt. Leong - Billy Joe Bob (1981)

The Rockford Files - Marshal Mingus - The Hawaiian Headache (1979)
Hawaii Five-O - Teo - The Execution File (1979)
Hawaii Five-O - Ron - Number One With A Bullet (2) (1979)
Hawaii Five-O - Ron - Number One With A Bullet (1) (1978)
- Attendant #1 - Frozen Assets (1978)
- Marco - The Friends Of Joey Kalima (1977)
- Himself - A Capitol Crime (1977)
- Kum Chi - Loose Ends Get Hit (1976)
- Walter Mapu - Sing A Song Of Suspense (1975)
- Lew Chang - A Woman's Work Is With A Gun (1975)
- Miles Foster - Welcome To Our Branch Office (1974)
- Big Mardo - One Born Every Minute (1974)
- Hotel Manager - The $100,000 Nickel (1973)

- Witness - Little Girl Blue (1973)
- Himself - Death Wish On Tantalus

Mountain (1972)

23-Nov-1979 Stephen J. Cannell d: William Wiard The Rockford Files.
"Hawaii Five-O" (1968) playing "Big Mardo" (as James J. Borges) in episode: "One Born Every Minute" (episode # 6.17) 8 January 1974

"Hawaii Five-O" (1968) playing "SCCA Official" (uncredited) in episode: "Death Wish on Tantalus Mountain" (episode # 5.2) 19 September 1972 The scenes shot by the park with Jimmy Borges are a little tough to tell which park exactly it is. It's not the most famous park in NY which would be Central Park. The park could also be Washington Square Park, but it's really hard to tell. There were possibly shots of the Guggenheim museum, when Sonny and Rico are being chased and Sonny and Rico run in different directions and Sonny runs onto the block of the Guggenheim. Miami Vice

Magnum, P.I. - Coast Guard Officer #2 - This Island Isn't Big Enough (1986)
- Happy Ho - Did You See the Sunrise? (2) (1982)
- Happy Ho - Did You See the Sunrise? (1) (1982)

Biography:
On 9/24/2003, the City and County of Honolulu Council voted by 9-0 to confirm the appointment of Jimmy Borges to the Honolulu Police Commission.

Mr. Borges was nominated by Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz of the Wahiawa/Waialua district. The entertainer & sometime TV & screen actor was joined by his wife Vicki, and his family & associates in the Council Chamber audience. Mr. Borges' response to Councilmember Djou's line of questioning was short, to the point, and "humble." This is the quality of Mr. Borges that long-time fans and observers have held about the singer and sometime master of ceremonies: he is "nice" and "humble." Councilmember Dela Cruz said that with Mr. Borges' appointment to the Commission, the body will be the most "talented" Commission.

Jim Nabors in Concert The Huber Marionettes The entire cast and audience were moved by Jim Nabors' performance of " O' Holly Night" in the finale. It received a standing ovation every night.

An Occasional Man.. Clutch Cargo Cult.. Terminal.. Da T'ing He Grow..
Polymore'.. Maidenhair Fern.. Exotica '97.. Forever and Ever.. Barbi in Bali.. Close Your Eyes.. Itchy Palms.. Bam-Boozled.. Hot Like Lava (Exotic style with bird calls, jungle sounds, bongo drums, etc.)

This band has faithfully, though with tongue firmly planted in cheek, recreated the lounge music of Hawaii that was so popular in the 50s, right down to the birdcalls. The musicianship is absolutely first-rate, and there are several guest artists like Martin Denny, king of schmaltzy piano, as well as Teresa Bright and Jimmy Borges. With songs like Occasional Man, Barbi in Bali, Maidenhair Fern, Clutch Cargo Cult and Bam-Boozled you can understand why this CD is titled The Forbidden Sounds of Don Tiki.


1.	Exotica '97

2.	Occasional Man,

3.	Barbi In Bali

4.	Hot Like Lava

5.	Close Your Eyes

6.	Maidenhair Fern

7.	Terminal

8.	Polyamore

9.	Clutch Cargo Cult

10.	Bam-Boozled

11.	Itchy Palms

12.	Da T'ing He Grow

13.	Forever And Ever

Hideaway Heaven CD - Rare Rockin' Records 1002
6. Sweet Paradise - Dan Folger 7. Take Me Home - Deanna Kimball 8. The Earth Stood Still - Jimmy Borges 9. I Wanna Be There - Vic Dana 10. But Yesterday - Jamie Coe ...

Mildred Added... In the Hilton Paradise Lounge, Jimmy Borges introduced us to Ginny Tiu, and reminded us that she was once the little five-year-old Chinese darling in pony tails whose fingers flew over the piano keys on the Ed Sullivan Show. She is still amazing, and she grew enough for her feet to reach the pedals. She never hammers the keys, she gathers the notes in swirls to give feeling to everything from classics to music of the day. Beethoven may begin, dramatic with da-da-da-dah, and then be spun into outrageous jazz.

She is playing now on the veranda at the Moana Hotel, and it was Christmas time one evening when only a cluster of people had the time to stay late. Until she played "Oh Holy Night" while Danny Couch gave it his full voice. Suddenly, people flooded out of the woodwork to crowd in for the inspired 'Fall on your knees' It was Christmas!

No one can forget Ginny Tiu. And she remembered Jimmy Durante, who helped her when she was playing a part in a movie with him. The actor who was the villain was scaring her to tears that were for real. She said it was The Schnoz who gently explained on his knees beside her that it was on pretend. She was a little girl who grew up working far into the night, but she missed any hit of breakfast time. She doesn't read notes, she just plays them... Beautifully.

Lee and I have loved the music of Sydette, Shari Lynne, Azure McCall, and giving more than music to people in need. One night at Trappers before none o'clock, we sat talking to a Hollywood drummer who had arrived to play a concert, but he had just come ups from the beach, and he worried that, dressed in his sloppy beach attire, he would not be allowed to stay. Lee told him that if he got thrown out, we would go with him. He laughed, "Promise?"

Nine o'clock. Just beginning to sing, Jimmy Borges stopped the music, introduced the Hollywood drummer as one of THE greats, and invited him to play Okimoto's drums. Ragged shoes and all, he was what Jimmy Borges called him, fantastic. Nobody cared how he was dressed. Noel Okimoto is fabulous, and Danny Couch is phenomenal on drums.

THIS localite was acquainted with Presidents John Kennedy and George Bush, as well as Elvis Presley and Ed Sullivan, Gov. Ben Cayetano. But for all her past celebrity, pianist Ginny Tiu is one of the most unpretentious people I've met. The sister of First Lady Vicky (Tiu) Cayetano, Ginny has performed at Buckingham Palace and Carnegie Hall, played for both Kennedy and Bush and appeared with Elvis in one of his biggest moneymakers,"Girls! Girls! Girls!" set in Hawaii. 1962, Elvis plays a Hawaiian charter boat captain. Suddenly finding himself without a boat, he tries to buy a sailboat that belonged to his father. He works as a tuna fisherman by day and a nightclub entertainer by night, trying hard to save enough cash to buy the

boat. Of course there are numerous girls in Presley's life, but when his best girl helps him get his boat, romantic problems ensue. Girls! Girls! Girls! (sung by Elvis Presley onscreen with The Jordanaires offscreen, danced by Elvis, Ginny and Elizabeth Tiu and Chorus Girls) Earth Boy (sung by Elvis Presley with Ginny and Elizabeth Tiu) Ginny Tiu played [Mai Ling], Elizabeth Tiu [Tai Ling], Alexander Tiu [Mai Ling's Brother]

And she was on the Ed Sullivan show, playing for the very host who introduced Elvis to much of America. Ginny is a very giving person, and has agreed to perform at many nonprofit organizations. Ginny Tiu was actually better known, as a child pianist. Ginny was to be in World's Fair too, but she could not make it so her sister Vicky was put in her place. Ginny Tiu is at home at the grand piano at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel, where she marks her 10th anniversary

Ginny Tiu was a child when she had to make a decision that would be difficult for any adult to make: Did she want to film another movie with Elvis or perform for President John F. Kennedy? "I wanted to do another movie with Elvis (because) being 8 years old, I didn't appreciate the value of playing for President Kennedy. (Shooting) the one I did with Elvis was a short part that only took two weeks max to film, but the role that I was supposed to do (in the next one) was about three-quarters of the movie ... to be with Elvis for three months ... let (my sister) Vicky do the other stuff!

"Looking back now, I'm very, very thankful that I got to do both," Tiu said as she recalled a couple of the highlights in a career that began when she made her national television debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" at age 5 and continues tomorrow when she celebrates her 10th anniversary as the late-evening headliner at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel's Banyan Veranda.

Tiu usually plays on the Veranda from 8:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. There's no cover charge for seats under the banyan tree, and those who get hungry can purchase dinner on the Veranda. Tiu didn't imagine how long the Veranda gig would last when she started, but said she had a feeling after a few months that she "would be there for a while."

Photo Courtesy of Ginny Tiu
Given a choice between starring with Elvis Presley or performing for President John F. Kennedy, an 8-year-old Ginny Tiu chose show biz over politics. She's shown in a movie still from "Girls! Girls! Girls!," which also featured her sister Elizabeth Tiu, 5, right, and her brother Al.

Sheraton Moana Surfrider is just that kind of place," she said. "I enjoy the clientele. People come back every year, and they're always so glad that I'm still here, and then you get a lot of local people, too." As for her life as a child star, Tiu says it all came naturally. She was intrigued by the sound of the piano and starting playing at 3 1/2.

"My dad played the piano but he didn't do it professionally, and I was mesmerized by this beautiful music coming out of this piece of furniture and I wanted to get to the piano. "He didn't want me to because I was always eating candy (with) sticky fingers and all that, but when he was out one day and my mother heard me picking out tunes that I'd heard him playing -- simple, of course, but I could actually find the notes that I'd heard -- she told him he should listen to me. Then he started teaching me." Tiu says that although she was never forced to play, there were times when practice seemed more like work than fun. "I'm glad I didn't get turned off by it, but sometimes I didn't feel like practicing for four hours. Practicing for more than two hours became work. I wanted to go out and play with the other kids ... but I still love it, and I thank God every day that I get to do what I enjoy so much."

Ginny Tiu celebrates her 12th anniversary this year at the Sheraton Moana-Surfrider.

Tiu grew up in the Philippines, and a family friend who heard her play sent a recording to another friend at an American radio station, who responded by inviting Tiu to be a guest. So Tiu and her parents left the Philippines for what they expected would be a quick two weeks in America. "But Ed Sullivan heard about me and had me in his show, and then boom! Everything happened. Everybody wanted to be my manager, everybody wanted to be my agent, because they didn't have to work. The offers were coming in (on their own). That's why we didn't move back." Tiu made the rounds of the major network variety shows such as "The Perry Como Show" and "The Tonight Show." The two weeks became a year,

and finally her parents made the arrangements to bring her brothers and sisters over as well.

And then, in 1962, Tiu was invited to work with Elvis. "Colonel Parker approached my parents ... and that's how I got into 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' My other sister Liz was also in it with me, and my brother, Al, was in there at the end. Vicky (who grew up to become Hawaii's first lady after marrying former Gov. Ben Cayetano) made the second movie because I had other commitments that I couldn't get out of. One of them was playing for President Kennedy."

It Happened at the

World's Fair 1963, The motion picture was filmed in Seattle, Washington Seattle
This time it's the world's fair at Seattle. Elvis is an pilot, with whom it goes up and down financial, in love and in the air.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GINNY TIU Ginny Tiu age 5. THE '50s and early '60s are remembered as a time when mainstream American pop culture had a "whites only" aura, but Tiu's appeal transcended such notions. Fans could buy a large Ginny Tiu paper doll that came with numerous ensembles, including the Chinese-style "pajama" outfit she wore onstage. There was also a conventional Ginny Tiu doll (it might be described these days as a "celebrity action figure") whose wardrobe

included the pajamas and which gave Asian-American girls an alternative to conventional dolls with Caucasian features. Tiu kept at least one of the paper doll sets and two of the figures. One figure is in pristine boxed condition. The other received a lot of play from one of Tiu's nieces. Looking back, Tiu says she understands why some child stars have problems dealing "with the real world" when they outgrow their childhood celebrity status. For every kid who makes the transition to adult entertainer, there are many others who discover that "cute" has a relatively short shelf life.

"All of a sudden, they grow up and it's 'What happened? Where's everybody?' Sometimes you lose touch with the real world (because entertainment) is not the real world. I went through the awkward stage -- you're not cute anymore, you're not a kid but you're not really grown up yet -- but we lived through it and kept going, and I'm still (performing)."

"I was told that I have this gift, but it's a gift from God and nothing to get big-headed about. It's a gift, and your responsibility is to develop it to its fullest and then to share it with the rest of the world."

Tiu continues to add to her resume with tours of Europe, Asia and South America. She's released two albums since she opened at the Moana, "As Time Goes By" and "Piano Music to Dream By." A third CD is in the planning stages.

"When I came to Hawaii, I wanted to enjoy settling down and staying in one place. I still do my concerts and travel overseas, but I have cut back a lot. I still do what I enjoy. Sometimes when I have a stressful day, I look forward to playing at the Moana. I love it."

Lea, Stupendous! You have done so well, I am fascinated with the full information that tells me more and more. You have put it together beautifully, I guess you can tell and take pride. Sorry the inside look of Trappers does not depict the intimacy that once was the real Trappers. That picture was after the room was to turn it into du-wap. Other pictures of Jimmy and Ginny Tiu bring them back so close. You have done a great job. ~ Aloha Mildred

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Background is "Trappers" an establishment where many recognized artists were debuted (no longer there) From Mildred's private collection

Voice of a Generation

By Elissa Josephsohn

It’s Borges Five-O, the show that will never, ever end

Tiu generous with talent




Jimmy Borges and Abe Baltazar Performing at the 2008 Hoku Awards, photos by Lea Cook