on a gentle island breeze album cover
A gentle breeze from the Pacific Ocean
Blowing through the island
Caressing nature and its inhabitants
At a leisurely pace on this land
Whistling one song after another from the inner heart
Innocently influenced by the shimmering sun-lit ocean
From a serene sentiment like the cycle of day and night
Daniel Ho’s musical landscape
So comfortable that even the coconut trees in the Pacific
Have forgotten which direction to bend
A gentle breeze from the Pacific Ocean
Blowing tranquilly
There is something about coming from an island and meeting people from island cultures that resonates with inviting familiarity. Food and music unify this connectedness even more. The concept of this album came about in Taiwan, a paradise of endless hospitality. We spent an evening at a backyard barbecue with aboriginal locals. Our generous hosts were members from various tribes in the area—Amis, Puyuma, Rukai, Paiwan—a mere cross section of the dozens of tribes dispersed across Ilha Formosa, or Beautiful Island, as Taiwan was aptly named centuries ago. It felt like home in every way, perfect to the core and complete with an island-style kanikapila (jam session).
We played through the night and shared mostly with smiles and head nods, and by calling out keys for various chord progressions. Instantly engaging with their rhythmic vocal displays, our new friends accompanied themselves on guitar and percussion. 'Ukulele was a natural fit for the pentatonic melodies of the aboriginal folk style. Some songs contained lyrics, others were void of spoken language and consisted of open-sounding vocalizations. Their stories were told in inflections—tales of happiness, thanks, excitement, love, and loss. Not bound by language barriers and compositional limits, it was a consummate instance of music acting as a universal form of communication.