"JAZZ ISLAND" BY GINAI; BLACK HAWAIIAN RECORD

Distinguishing notes: Ginai, a veteran club singer, has ultimately found her niche as a jazz stylist of the first tier. She puts her own spin on some iconic tunes and easily proves ownership, thanks to resourceful and rousing arrangements and first-rate performances. Backed by the Honolulu Jazz Quartet (John Kolivas, bass; Daniel Del Negro, piano; Adam Baron, drums; Tim Tsukiyama, saxophone) and blessed with guitar support from Nueva Vida's Robert Shinoda, Ginai shows that even classics can shimmer with new elegance.

"Them There Eyes" is a lively, involving opening tune, complete with scat- singing; "Take Five," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Blue Moon" and "Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me" yield romantic intimacy plus go-with-the-flow jive. She combines "Puamana" (with Hawaiian and English renderings) with "All Blues" in a seamless marriage of Hawaiian with jazz. With Kolivas, she co-authored the title song, which captures a sizzle-in-the-tropics mood that sounds like a potential soundtrack tune for any TV or film endeavor that needs that exotic enticement.

The outlook: Her fans adore her as a jazz force; the CD galvanizes a spot in the growing galaxy.

Our take: By looking at the past, Ginai paints a bright future for herself.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.