Tom Mawi:
AT 73, Tom Mawi is showing no signs of slowing down. Instead of kicking back and lazing around, the legendary jazz guitarist is practising and preparing for a show in his honour.
In some ways, the concert titled At Tom’s Place which will be held on October 29 at the Holiday Inn and Golden Dragon nightclub in Suva will be a homecoming for the guitarist who was once voted among the top 10 jazz players in the world by Downbeat magazine.
These are two venues that hold a special place in his heart.
The Golden Dragon was where Mawi kick-started his career in the early ’60s and the Holiday Inn is where the jazz virtuoso now does his thing on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6-9pm.
The lineup for the first of what organisers hope to be an annual show includes guitarists and vocalists that Mawi has hand-picked to perform alongside him.
Among those who will feature with the jazz great are Michael Reymond, Kat & Sam Waqa, Salome Baravilala, Sam & Annie Mawi, Robert Verma, Laisa Vulakoro, Georgina Ledua, Sassy, Ken Janson, David Steven, Margot Jenkins, Steve Makaba and Dr Richard Beyer.
The list reads like the who’s who of the local jazz circuit and after the show at the Holiday Inn ends about 10pm, fans will get the opportunity to be sated by the funky sounds of One2eight at the Golden Dragon.
Here, Columbus, Reymond, Waqa and Verma will get to jam with another guitarist of note — Nesbitt Hazelman.
“I really feel re-energised,” Mawi chuckled as he shared his thoughts about the show.
“I am honoured that Jerry Vatuwaqa and his team is organising this concert on my behalf and what I am really looking forward to is meeting up with some people I regard as Fiji’s greatest guitarists — Maxie Columbus, Mike Reymond, Robert Verma and Sam Waqa.
“For me, it’s all about the music. My life has always been about music and it will always be about music because that’s what God blessed me with.”
Many may not be aware that once upon a time, Mawi was renowned for being a bit of a shredder on the rock scene.
“In my younger days, while playing at the Golden Dragon, it was one of those things that we had to do. When rock music came out, we all got into it and while I didn’t go deep into it like Maxie and Mike, I managed to fool around with rock and roll, funk and rock that people used to like dancing to in the ’60s and ’70s.”
Mawi said he recalled having a jam with Columbus but does not recall where or when.
“All I can remember from back in those days was that every one was talking about the little Indian boy with long hair who could play guitar like a machine.
“So, I went along to see him one day and we had a bit of a jam.
“You know we were each doing our thing, I was already into the jazzy lines while Maxie was playing notes and scales so fast I just freaked out.
“He was good back then and when I heard him a few years ago over here, he just keeps getting better.
“And the thing with Maxie is that he can play jazz if he wants to, he used to play a lot of George Benson stuff back in the day.”
Mawi puts down the amazing explosion of ultra-talented musicians in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s to a place he calls ‘the best music school in the world’ — the Golden Dragon.
“I know a lot of people might not agree with me but if you look back in time, every musician who played at the Dragon went on to become so well known for their music.
“Because you were playing with the best all the time, you became the best and you had to learn to play everything from country to jazz to funk to rock, blues, rock’n roll — you name it, we played it.
“From the days that we were there with Samisoni Koroitamudu, my brother Ben and Simi right through to when Maxie came along and then Waisea Vatuwaqa, Joe Heritage, Rupeni Davui, Paspatu, Paul Steven, Tui Ravai, Extra, Claudie Larry, Robert Verma — there were so many musicians who came out of the Dragon and they really made a name for themselves.
“And this is something we don’t see now.
“There are a lot of talented musicians around but there is no one place where they all meet and jam and develop their individual styles like we did back in the old days.”
Mawi’s guitar style is unique in that it encapsulates the finesse of American jazz pioneer Wes Montgomery along with glimpses of another US great Barney Kessel in the way Mawi manipulates chords on classic jazz tunes.
Mawi shrugs off any comparison with Montgomery, despite the fact that he played without a pick — Montgomery’s signature style — for many years.
“I just listened to his songs on the radio when I was a little boy and learnt from him and then did what I could do.
“Like every other guitarist, you have your favourites and you try to copy some of the things they do and along the way you start to create a sound that becomes your style.
“I played with my thumb for a very long time but I began using a pick a few years ago because I’m in my ’70s now and the flesh on my thumb is not as strong as it used to be.”
For someone so talented, Mawi remains very humble and is thankful for being blessed with such a wonderful gift.
“Everything we do that is good comes from God and because He has gifted us, we really have nothing to boast about except the way He continues to bless us and encourage us to be the best that we can be.”
Mawi is a committed Christian after giving his life to Jesus many years ago.
When asked if it was a challenge living a Christian life and playing secular music, Mawi said everything came down to personal choice.
“I look at it in a very open minded way,” he shared.
“When I gave my life to the Lord and joined the church I respected their view that musicians should only play gospel music.
“But I was very honest with the church elders and told them that I had to earn a living and that would require me to play music that was other than gospel.
“So I went out and played worldly music but I didn’t get lost in the world or worldly things.
“I played for the time that the band was hired to play and then I would pack up my guitar and go home.
“To me — it’s a personal thing. If a musician wants to play only in the church they should but if they want to play outside then they can as long as they are glorifying God with the type of music they play and how they play it.”
Source: The Fiji Times
