The Vibe

Dae Han

Dae Han’s swift, technical style on the drums compliments every situation, from jazz and funk to R&B, reggae, and hip hop. Dae Han is the unsung backbone behind progressive Honolulu acts and international artists. He’s the go-to drummer whenever Japanese rapper Shing02 tours the US and Asia with a full band. In 2019, Takuya Kuroda tapped Dae to organize a band to support the Brooklyn-based trumpeter’s gig at Blue Note Hawaii. Dae also recently teamed up with guitarist Gilbert Batangan and bassist Mark Tanouye to open for Khruangbin. Every year he organizes an always impressive jazz-forward tribute to the late J Dilla.

Arthur Davis

Arthur Davis grew up in O’ahu, Hawai’i, playing the trombone since the age of 14. Arthur was a member of the University of Hawai’i Jazz Ensemble. Arthur has also been a guest musician playing trombone for various local bands, notably Funkshun and Funk Vision. In 2014, Arthur performed with the Doo-Wop band, The Love Notes, while opening for Bruno Mars’ Moonshine Tour at the Blaisdell Arena. Arthur has also recorded trombone on Paula Fuga’s recent album Rain on Sunday.

DeShannon Higa

DeShannon Higa has done work as a trumpet player, jazz and studio musician, composer, arranger, and producer in his 35 years of professional experience . He hasperformed locally and globally with many renown artists including Al Jarreau, JeffLorber, Michael Feinstein, Burt Bacharach, the original Elvis Presley band, Diana Krall,and Wynton Marsalis. DeShannon has won several Na Hoku Hanohano awards with local crooning legend Jimmy Borges and with a swing band he co-founded called Hula Joe & The HutJumpers. In 2018 DeShannon released his first solo album entitled “Words Cannot Express” to critical acclaim and a Na Hoku nomination for Best Jazz Albumas well as Most Promising Artist. He currently serves as the official musical composer andarranger for the world renown Royal Hawaiian Band(est. 1836). DeShannon also serves as the Worship Arts Director at Harbor Church Honolulu, overseeing the musical and technical aspects of their Sunday morning worship services. When he’s not busy touring or performing, DeShannon enjoys flying drones,photography and videography, gourmet cooking, and traveling. DeShannon is an Adams Brass artist and plays Adams instruments and Monette mouthpieces.

Kelsea Armstrong

Kelsea Armstrong is a queer soul/rnb artist based in Honolulu. With poetic and sonic influencers from Amy Winehouse to Hiatus Kaiyote, their songs present something between emotional complexity and raunchy humor; (un)seamlessly styled by soulful vocals and vintage melodic choice. Armstrong’s expansive music career stretches from the niche of chart-reading big band jazz vocals to solo setlists of their original music that has earned a cryptic interest throughout urban Honolulu. She is well known for her background as a jazz vocalist in Hawai‘i working alongside ensembles like Honolulu Jazz Quartet and Mike Lewis’ big band. These foundations have well-prepared them for both jazz and funk/soul-influence in their original music that has maintained the artistic flexibility to perform alongside DIY groups like Ragamuffs and The Mauve.

Maryanne Ito

Maryanne Ito has the potential to permanently carve her name into the R&B landscape. The Honolulu, Hawai‘i-raised soul singer has a panoramic vision for enlightening the world through her music – one which captures the essence of various genres: from Hip-Hop to Neo-Soul, Reggae and Jazz. Her voice, filled with conviction, is rich and textured – and immediately grabs your attention. While most of her music focuses on love, she also dedicates a fine balance about relatable, everyday struggles that life throws at all of us on any given day.

Maryanne’s debut album “Waking Up” peaked at #4 on the UK Soul Charts, after it was released in 2014. The following year, she clutched the R&B Album of the Year award at the Na Hoku Hano Hano Awards, and also won the International Pacific Artist of the Year at New Zealand’s Vodafone Pacific Music Awards. In 2019, she released “Live at the Atherton” with Honolulu based record label, Aloha Got Soul. Now, the gifted singer-songwriter is bound to take her talents, and push them across boundaries that were once merely a dream.