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About James Kahu I was born in New Zealand. When I was one month old I was put in a foster home. My name was changed and then at the age of three, I was adopted by the same whanau (family) that took me in. I grew up in a loving family of seven. Being a New Zealand Maori, and Maori being the people indigenous to New Zealand, it was important to me to feel the love, pride and honour of a family. Throughout my life, my passion and intrigue for music grew. I remember my dad introducing me to the recorder at a very young age. That and swimming seemed to be the only thing I was good at. Music and performing brought meaning to my life. As a teenager, I started playing the drums but on the first day of High School I was told there were too many drummers, so I should try the spare Bass Guitar in the corner. I remember taking this old thing home, and my parents were telling me to play it right-handed even though I was totally left. So I played the right-handed bass guitar left-handed with

Born in New Zealand, and adopted at age 3 into a loving and supportive family gave James Kahu the foundation to create and develop his talent and passion for music, at the onset of his high school life. Born in New Zealand, and adopted at age 3 into a loving and supportive family gave James Kahu the foundation to create and develop his talent and passion for music, at the onset of his high school life. Starting with the recorder and drums, James, encouraged early on to try bass, quickly developed his skill and intrigue for music. Thanks to the support and guidance of Russell Brooke, his high school’s music director, James’ love of Jazz grew and his talent soared. By the time he was 16 years of age, James had played with some of the USA’s top jazz musicians – including Bobby Shew. This passion was further fuelled when he attended Christchurch Polytechnic’s Jazz School, a time he refers to as “the best and hardest three years of [his] life”. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy’s band