The Good, The Bad, and the Pineapple Mango

Daniel Ho is a 6-time GRAMMY winning artist, producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and audio engineer from Honolulu, Hawai'i.

Playlist

Spotify playlist

Guest

Daniel Ho is a 6-time GRAMMY winning artist, producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and audio engineer from Honolulu, Hawai'i. He began his professional career in the ‘90s as the leader of Billboard-topping contemporary jazz group Kilauea and has since gone on to win innumerable awards, tour all over the world, and compose, perform, record, and produce dozens of solo and collaboration albums. Most recently, Daniel collaborated with Japanese rock legend Tak Matsumoto, traditional Mongolian group The Grasslands Ensemble, and even performed the National Anthem at a Clippers Game at the Staples Center. Additionally, Daniel collaborates with luthier Pepe Romero in the creation of original ukulele instruments.

Between the Sky & Prairie - album by The Grasslands Ensemble and Daniel Ho (CD / iTunes)

"Pineapple Mango" by Daniel Ho (CD / iTunes / instrumental version on Spotify)

Daniel Ho created original instruments with master luthier Pepe Romero:


Tiny Tenor 'Ukulele


ST Concert 'Ukulele


XS Soprano 'Ukulele


Ukeboard



Daniel Ho also designed and produced the Shakerlele and Bongolele instruments with Ohana.

Electric Island, Acoustic Sea - album by Tak Matsumoto & Daniel Ho (CD / iTunes)

“Sakura Sakura” from the album Our World in Song by Wu Man, Luis Conte, Daniel Ho, Jhou Yi-cian, and Wu Chen-chun (CD / iTunes)

More of Daniel Ho’s CDs, books, and merch here.

Lightning Round Questions

​​What genre is your music?
Two years ago, it was classical. Last year, it was stadium rock. This year, it was Mongolian world music.

Performance ritual?
Daniel plays through his entire show the day of and uses his ukulele piece "Amis Rondo" as a technical warm-up. (CD / iTunes / Songbook + CD)

A modern/technological tool that’s extremely helpful to your practice?
Yamaha P-115 keyboard, which has a built-in metronome, plays like a piano, and only costs $600.

What failure that turned out for the best?
His last marriage. "Life has been absolutely amazing since then."

Something besides music that you’re obsessed with right now?
Finding a better way to live.

A piece of art that changed your life?
The tiny tenor ukulele, which Daniel envisioned and luthier Pepe Romero created with him.

Counterpoint

Is there such thing as "good" music or "bad" music?

Something Old

Moog Sub 37 synthesizer (instrument used in the 80s and on the Stranger Things soundtrack)

Something New

"feelings change" by yaeji - it beautifully breaks a traditional music theory rule called parallel 4ths (iTunes / Spotify)

Something Borrowed

The band S U R V I V E, an analog synth band that uses the 80’s-era Moog Sub 37. Check out their song "A.H.B." (iTunes / Spotify)

Something Blue

The Blue Notebooks album that blends contemporary classical with electronic and spoken word featuring Tilda Swinton. Check out “The Blue Notebooks” and “On the Nature of Daylight.” (iTunes / Spotify)

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