Stories

If all you got is love, what would you do with it? Record an album of love songs, of course! And that's just what Filipino crooner Jonathan Potenciano did with I've Got Love, his first U.S. release. Jonathan's been an entertainer in Las Vegas for over 20 years, and he's currently performing with JAMM: Jonathan and Music Magic (totally different than the Music Magic I've been blogging about). They've been together for a long time now, check out the photo below! A soulful vocalist whose love for Frank Sinatra is evident in almost every tune on the album, Jonathan has...

Just got an email from Supes aka Irwin Santos: "... the 70s Nightclub Reunion DVD Set is ready to launch! Email Irwin to place your order: Click Here" There’s over 3+ hours of music shot in HD and presented in Standard Definition Widescreen & Dolby Digital Stereo. The audio is a combination of ambient microphones, plus the feed that was coming from the mixer. When combined…BOOM!!! Just sit back, crank up the volume, and listen to a LIVE performance. Thousands of cut edits between camera angles and synchronization to music, separate this from any other video presentation that’s ever been...

Today is a special day, my girlfriend's birthday! This post is in honor of her and her Japanese roots. It's also a post about a Kalapana album that not many people know about. Enjoy! Kalapana sat down in 1991 to create what should be a monumental album in their long list of recordings, but has been largely overlooked in their discography. My guess is that people enjoy the 1970s and 80s sound of Kalapana, but never really got used to the 90s sound of this CD. Kalapana plays Southern All Stars—featuring ten tunes written by prolific songwriter Keisuke Kuwata—showcases the...

Sometimes a realization hits you so hard, you don't believe it's been staring at you for so long. Case in point: I recently re-connected with guitarist Alika Lyman, a good friend of mine since elementary school. We had fun on field trips, played games at recess, and later hunted for records in our high school days. We started talking through Facebook about Kalapana, Mackey Feary, and Hawaiian music. Next thing I know, Alika says, "Speaking of which are you familiar with exotica music? My uncle had a great group in the 60s, Arthur Lyman." Why it took me 15 years...

Music Magic, their name lives up to the show! Some 28 years after the group disbanded, Music Magic proves worthy of their name with a string of reunion shows at Jazz Minds Café. I was lucky enough to catch one of their weekend performances on a Friday night (one of five gigs total). It blew me away. Jay Molina, Darryl Blouin, Fred Screuders, Al Pascua, Peter Factora, and Fred Li all sounded tight as ever. (Not that I would know, this was my first-ever Music Magic performance!) Super funky, super soulful, super jazzy. Just the right blend. Fred Schreuders (left)...