Like most countries, Fiji has produced some of the world’s finest musicians. Unfortunately, many may not have enjoyed the financial fruits they should have, given their musical prowess, and there are a lot of reasons for that.
Some were musical geniuses that were happy to gather every week and jam for a few dollars.
Others with outstanding musical talent and skill were quite content with displaying it at their whim and leisure with musicians who were of similar skill.
They did not feel the need to always be in the spotlight or to pursue fame and popularity. They just loved music so much that no dollar value could be placed on their passion for the art.
They simply went where the music called them – whether it was around the tanoa, at special events, restaurants, bars or resorts. And they remained in the shadows, spoken about with respect and admired for their “quiet” dedication to the pursuit of musical excellence.
Inia Tuicakau is one musician who fits that bill. From relative obscurity, he emerged out of the concrete jungle of Raiwaqa and made a name for himself as a guitarist and then music director of some of the most outstanding bands Fiji has ever produced.
But to find out what drove him, we have to turn back the pages of time. Born in Lautoka in 1960, Tuicakau grew up in a house that was filled with music.
His father was a civil servant who always had music playing on the radio, and he worked at the then Road Transport Control Board with renowned composer and entertainer Ratu Manu Korovulavula.
Tuicakau’s grandfather was a policeman stationed in Lautoka but as time passed by, the family moved to Raiwaqa in the early ’70s.
“It was a pretty rough place back then but luckily, I met Ioane ‘Bruce’ Burese and he introduced me to music – and that literally transformed my life, things were never the same after that,” the now Cuvu, Sigatoka, resident said.
“I was so fascinated with the different chords on the guitar and how they worked together.
“Bruce and I used to jam a lot and we shared ideas and musical possibilities.
“Horace Emberson, Wise (Waisea Vatuwaqa) and Tom Mawi (three of Fiji’s guitar greats) were there and we learnt a lot by watching them and asking questions.”
In 1979, Tuicakau left Raiwaqa and moved to Lautoka. There, he witnessed the musical genius of one of the country’s bass guitar virtuosos – Saimone Waqa.
“By then I had a guitar and was invited to join the Assemblies of God Church by Talatala (pastor) Vulaca.
“The church had an amazing band and from time-to-time Esther King (Litia Daveta) would come down from Australia and they would tour.”
Tuicakau relished the opportunity to perform alongside King and the other seasoned musicians playing gospel music with all its intricate chord changes and tricky rhythms.
“One day, Saimone Waqa said there was a job at a hotel on the Coral Coast and asked if I was interested.
“I jumped at the opportunity because it would allow me to expand my musical horizons, and so in 1983 I went the Reef Resort (now Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort) with Saimone and Thomas Elliot.
“I was still very green musically, and there I heard Nicholas Banyon.
“Even today, the way he used the guitar to express himself musically keeps playing over and over on my mind.
“He just had a particular sound and the chords he used, his music style and repertoire was very different.
“He was a huge influence in terms of how I approached the guitar.” Tuicakau said unlike the music scene of today, bands in the ’70s and ’80s played “good music”.
“We used to perform Earl Klugh and Barney Kessel numbers – these were very challenging instrumentals with complex chord changes and unique time signatures.
“The tunes challenged us to lift our musicianship to another level.”
Unfortunately, Nicholas Banyon left the group and emigrated to Australia where he passed away.
- Next week: Read about how Inia Tuicakau met up with some of Fiji’s music greats including bassist George Moore and guitarist Robert Verma – and how he landed a residency at the Ka Levu fine dining Restaurant at the then Fijian Resort (now Shangri-La).
