An Interview with Matt Catingub

A true Renaissance man, Matt Catingub does it all: sings, plays, composes, arranges and conducts. His prolific and varied career has taken him around the world. He also has amassed a long list of studio credits, including a Grammy for his work in the film “Good Night, And Good Luck.”

 

Since 1998, Matt has spent time in Hawai`i working with many of our top artists, from Hawaiian music legends to jazz greats, the Honolulu Symphony Pops and THE MATT CATINGUB ORCHESTRA OF HAWAII.

In late 2008, the Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band were thrilled when Matt agreed to be the first recipient of our brand new Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band Commissions series.  He chose to create arrangements of a number of recent Island favorites that are sure to please the band as well as local audiences and visitors.                                     

While best known for his work with larger orchestras, Matt is certainly no stranger to the world of bands. An alto sax player since high school, he joined the famed Louie Bellson Big Band while still in his teens and later served with the acclaimed Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band. By age twenty-one, Matt was leading his own big band and keeping busy as the musical director for a host of celebrated artists in jazz and pop. Conducting and arranging for symphony orchestras followed, which brought Matt to the Honolulu Symphony Pops in 1998. He not only conducts AND PERFORMS but also arranges about ninety percent of its material.

The Friends are thrilled to be able to help match Matt’s remarkable creativity with the talents and traditions of The Royal Hawaiian Band.

 

The following is an excerpt from a longer discussion FRHB Vice President J.W. Junker held with Matt in March, shortly after the new arrangements were completed - and a few days after Matt’s birthday.

 

JJ: Mahalo for adding your new arrangements to the artistic legacy of the historic Royal Hawaiian Band. We all look forward to hearing them and I’m sure the band looks forward to playing them!

 

MC: I was honored to be asked to write a couple of arrangements for the legendary Royal Hawaiian Band. I have always admired this organization for their unique place in the music world. Also, many of the musicians in the band are my dearest friends. Having arranged for the Honolulu Symphony Pops for eleven years, doing orchestrations for a CONCERT BAND is a bit of a challenge to me, but it has been a lot of fun.

 

JJ: Are there any specific instruments or musical qualities in the band that you will be showcasing in your arrangements?

 

MC: Well, knowing many of the musicians personally has allowed me to utilize their presence; in particular Scott Villager on sax, Mike Baker on trumpet and Noel Okimoto on drums and percussion.

 

JJ: Can you talk a little bit about the songs you’ve chosen?

 

MC: They were culled from a very large list of contemporary Hawaiian songs that was reduced to a workable number by seeking out the opinions of many musicians and artists. I’m proud to say that I have worked with every one of the artists represented and know each of the songs quite intimately.

 

JJ: What is it like writing for a group that has been around since 1836? Has the long and distinguished history of The Royal Hawaiian Band affected your arrangement in any way?

 

MC: Like I said earlier, it is a great honor: The Royal Hawaiian Band has such a rich history and there is no other organization like it in the world. At the same time, music always evolves so in the arrangements, I try to keep the concert band format but also think a bit outside of the box as well.

 

JJ: This brings to mind the question of how best to keep a musical institution with nearly 200 years of history behind it thriving in the current era.

 

MC: I think, as I do with the Honolulu Symphony Pops, that keeping the band relevant is important. Of course the traditions must always be continued, but for the band to survive, a natural evolution must also occur. The possibilities are exciting, at least in my mind, with what can be done by letting some modern and contemporary touches enter the mix at some point.

 

6. In your view, what role should “contemporary music” play in The Royal Hawaiian Band?

 

I would love to see the band more involved in some things that can ‘make some noise’, and make it, to use some jazz lingo, a little more ‘hip’.  I can see the traditional band coexisting with the hipper version, and I think the community would rally around the freshness.  I hope that my new arrangements will help, at least in some small way, in bringing about a buzz that can help the whole cause.