Page 20 - MidWeek - Nov 23, 2022

20 MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 23, 2022
Living To Bring Joy, Happiness To People And Animals
FROM PAGE 19
Unfortunately, Yamazaki was diagnosed with termi- nal cancer just a few months after their friendship began. Immediately, Ginai cleared out her home office, had a hospital bed installed and sought on-site nursing care so that he could spend his re- maining days among loved ones.
F
ever since she was a teenager. In the seventh grade, she cap- tured a talent contest by sing- ing Roberta Flack’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. By 16, she joined a group that toured military bases (her fa- ther was in the U.S. Army) and performed ’50s music covers. Following high school grad- uation, she landed in the Bay Area where she played with a nine-piece funk band called Mo Dog.
take him to family barbecues,” she shares.
that he loved. Then, I rented a boat and we went outside of Lahaina and scattered the rest of his ashes there, because that’s what he wanted.”
ans of Ginai have been treated to her melodi- ous and powerful voice
awards along the way. In re- cent years, she’s turned into more of a jack-of-all-trades type of musician despite be- ing defined as a jazz and R&B singer for much of her career.
Music lovers can still catch her live with Funk-A-holics every fourth Thursday of the month at Tapa Bar at Hilton Hawaiian Village. She also plays a monthly gig with Ha- waiian Soul at the same venue. And, to help ring in the new year, she’s teaming up with Kailua Bay Buddies for three performances at Shorefyre in Waikīkī. The dates are Dec. 30, 31 and Jan. 1, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
“Before he died, he told me, ‘Ginai-san, you take my ashes ... I like go swimming with the fishes,’ ” she recalls. “When he passed, I had him cremated and flew his re- mains to Maui. He was a for- mer sushi chef at Kobe Jap- anese Steakhouse in Lahaina and I had a little bit of his ashes scattered next to a tree
“He was a troubled and lonely man ... and he fought his care home operators all the time, but I loved him till he moved on. He needed us, and we were there for him.
Those who prefer catching her performances on social media regularly visit her In- stagram account, @dginai. There, she streams live shows from Peacock in a Ficus Tree Farm, where she sings and bangs on the bongos while being accompanied by key- boardist Alan Okuye.
In many ways, Ginai has finally hit the high notes in her life. She has her farm, her family and a thriving music career. More importantly, she still has a lot of love to give to all creatures — whether they roam about on two legs or four.
Pausing briefly to remem- ber her time with the man she fondly calls “Yama,” and reflecting upon the lesson taught to her so many years ago by her mother, an emo- tional Ginai begins to tear up. There isn’t a day that goes by in which she doesn’t think of him.
“When I’m with (bands) Kailua Bay Buddies and Funk-A-holics, I’m playing rock, funk and soul,” explains Ginai, who was a regular per- former at Blue Note Hawai‘i from 2017 to 2019. “So in a sense, I’ve expanded as a sing- er, as a performer, as a musi- cian ... I’ ve been freed, I’ ve been allowed to fly.
Of her friend Izuo Yamazaki, Ginai says, “He needed us, and we were there for him.” PHOTOS COURTESY GINAI
“I like to think that I treat- ed him the way that I would want to be treated,” she says.
After returning to the is- lands, she found success with local swing band Hula Joe & The Hut Jumpers and Hot Club of Hulaville, and captured both Hawaiian Mu- sic and Nā Hōkū Hanohano
“Idon’twanttobeina box,” she continues. “You can no longer define me other than to say that I’m the cream of the crop at whatever I do. I’m not trying to toot my horn, but I’m really good at a lot of stuff.”
“My life is not centered around making money,” she states. “My life is centered around making joy and hap- piness for animals, for people, for audiences.”
“Peacock
in a Ficus Tree Farm” features scores of animals, including horses and goats.
And you can bet the farm that that’s a life worth living.
Happy
Thanksgiving!
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