Back in 1972 during Greenwood’s inception, there were no emails, worldwide web, social media, smart phone/pad technologies and all the apps that are available today.
Back then, we didn’t think of the term “playlist” when referring to a list of songs that we might have had as our “favorites” on our cassette tape. All the music and lyrics we had for potential tunes that our band might perform, consider or wish we could cover was in a form of a book…a “music book.”
The “book” for me was in a form of a spiral spine note book that eventually graduated to a 3-ring binder. It would be a collection of various genres, artists and if you were to turn through the pages, stop and randomly point to one page, it could be anything from a Soul, Latin, Funk, Rock, R&B, Calypso, or Contemporary score. In essence, that’s what our second offering “Music Book” is. The lineup of songs includes several of which we didn’t have room on our first freshmen CD in 2014, so in essence, is in the same light as songs that were “Lost in Paradise.” Hits which made it in Hawaii, but did not necessarily charted high or at all on the Billboard Top 100, as well as Japanese covers that were planned originally for our 1984 LP which never came to fruition. The rest of the songs that rounds out Music Book’s lineup are three of which features the vocal talents of Motown recording artist Rare Earth’s lead vocalist Peter Rivera, and the current lead vocalist for the Average White Band and formerly of the Tower of Power for many years, Brent Carter.
We started this project in 2017 laying down the first four of ten song tracks. However, along the way, having back to back years of two major 70’s Nightclub Reunions that our band had to prepare for, it took up the needed studio time we would have otherwise allocated. Then…COVID hit and we were altogether forced to shutter and studio time had to again, be put on indefinite hold. Through the adversity and all the challenges that came with a “Pandemic”, we found a way to finally, safely navigate with a total collaborative effort, our course, back into the studio to finish Music Book. And so, the journey…voyage continues!
credits
released July 19, 2020
Produced By: Robin Kimura & Greenwood
Arranged by: Robin Kimura & Greenwood
Vocal Arrangements: Dwayne Higa
Horn Arrangements: Randall Hoo, Dwayne Higa, Mark Silva, Wayne Nakamura, Miles Ichida, Robin Kimura
String Arrangements: Dwayne Higa
English Lyrics Re-Write: Robin Kimura (Music Book), Michael Chock, Curtis Takahama (Loveland Island)
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered: at Rendez-Vou Studio Hawaii
Engineered by: Pierre Grill
CD Design & Concept: Warren Furuya
Cover Model: Nainoa Kimura
Greenwood Logo Design: Warren Furuya
Greenwood Is:
Curtis Takahama – lead vocals, alto sax
Michael Chock – lead vocals, trombone
Owen Kajiwara – lead guitar, vocals
Dwayne Higa – keyboards, steel guitar, vocals
Robin Kimura – bass
Bradley Choi, drums, percussion, timbales
Jensen Tamanaha – congas, bongos, percussion
Miles Ichida - trumpet
Mark Siva - trumpet, valve trombone, flugelhorn
Steve Matsumoto - trumpet
Randall Hoo - tenor sax, alto sax, soprano sax, flute, clarinet, Akai Ewi
Wayne Nakamura – bari sax, tenor sax
Guest Vocalists:
Peter Rivera (Rare Earth)
Brent Carter (Average White Band)
Greenwood Guest Strings:
Colin Belisle - violin
Duane Padilla – violin, viola
Louise Ching - cello
Guest Musician:
Pierre Grill
Special Thanks:
Tatsuro Yamashita, Yusuke Baba - Smile Publishers Inc, Ryuta Toya - JASRAC, Reiko Yamagishi, Roger Bong, John Berger, Candace Fujioka, Tiny Tadani, Mike Nacapuy, Irwin Santos, Derwin Okinaka, Madeline DeLuca – Muserk, Kamasami Kong