2020 November 20th talkstory fun with Jaz & Ka’ea on KAPA radio KAPA Cafe Friday.
Ka‘ea: “I like to call the music you created together or individually, “Conscious Music”.
Has that always been a part of your creative process? Because thereʻs always a message “or something you can take away from not only the lyrics, but the movement of the music.
Jaz: Itʻs also partial folk music in a way, if you go back to the old albums of the liner notes like Sons Of Hawaii, the Americans were calling it “folk music” as storytelling…and your music is very much that style…Your ukelele style is very much that Peter Moon, Ohta San—simple but very classy, clean playing. Not that [vocalizing] bludahdaadaadaadaa all over the place kine—which fits the storytelling. It doesnʻt distract from the storytelling.ʻ
See the YouTube video here or the Facebook posting.
Some Highlights:
Begin: Aloha and about new CD Aūe Noho‘i: Pili ‘Āina Kahi
5:36 Jaz & Kaea:How were you inspired. [Y] The energy for the music comes from outside ourselves
7:10 KC:…people ask…what comes first? but when both come at the same time…thatʻs the most powerful kind…theyʻre gifts
8:23 Jaz: Sometimes that kind comes as an odd time like in the car or not at home…do you use technology when that happens?
9:26 Kaea: I like to call the music you created together of individually, “Conscious Music”. Has that always been a part of your creative process? Because thereʻs always a message “or something you can take away from not only the lyrics, but the movement of the music.
10:53 Jaz: Itʻs also partial folk music in a way, if you go back to the old albums of the liner notes like Sons Of Hawaii, the Americans were calling it “folk music” as storytelling…and your music is very much that style…Your ukelele style is very much that Peter Moon, Ohta San—simple but very classy, clean playing. Not that [vocalizing] bludahdaadaadaadaa all over the place kine—which fits the storytelling. It doesnʻt distract from the storytelling.
11:48 KC : I guess itʻs all a melting pot of how we grew up. Go down da beach wit a six-pack of beer…Primo, or Gold Label back then…[plenty laughing] Then you could have campfire and da bradahs would come down with the ukulele and oh ʻwhatʻs this song? whatʻs that song? You donʻt know chords, you donʻt know whatever, you just find sounds and play the music. And Pops [KCs father Ula or Red], I learned kihoalu from watching him. He would slack the guitar and make sounds.
12:22 KC: My older brother, bless his heart, heʻs been gone now…but I can remember my hanabuttah days, he would get together with his friends and on the ukulele they used to play Jobim-kine songs, he was really into Brazilian jazz and this kine energy—whatever you want to call it–- comes about [creating new songs ] I always tell Aunty , oh this must be my braddah when I used to watch him, because that kinda jazz influence came from him. Cause he was playing that kind in the early 60s and Iʻm small kid watching, what he doing? What he doing?
13:53 Kaea: …you folks have chosen a handful of musicians accentuating the mood, the intention, and you can hear the music. Like Jaz was saying you can hear, the sax. Where the instrumentation is placed, youʻre actually allowed to enjoy it. Like when we were small, my mother would put on Brothers Cazimero and we would clean house to. This CD, [Aūe Noho‘i] you can put on and listen to all day long. Because it has this really calming groovy energy to it. So it just fills the house with such goodness
15:07 YYC: He leaves plenty space—the space between the notes is just as important at the sounds.
Kaea: That makes sense! Itʻs like my body understands…because itʻs not being confused about what itʻs hearing. That makes sense to me. Space.
KC: When I hear music that every space is filled up…I cannot listen to it. I cannot hear it…guess Iʻve always been that way. I donʻt know if itʻs growing up with Hawaiian-kine music, kī hī alu, listening to Pops, listening to uncles at lūʻau playing their music, it was all those influences.