Whanganui musical brothers pay tribute to their late father with 'Come on Up'

As well as his five sons, Johnny Paki's extended whānau also feature in the Come on Up music video. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui saxophonist Johnny Paki died two years ago, and his final wish to his sons was for them to rewrite and record one of his songs.

They did as he asked - and the gospel-infused reggae track Come on Up will be released this month.

Saxophonist Marcel Martin joined his brothers Benjy Paki, Joel Paki, James Paki and Gerrard Paki to record Come on Up last year, just before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Johnny Paki's brother-in-law, Jermaine Kawau, completed the line-up on bass and backing vocals.

For Martin, the process was a chance to celebrate his father and acknowledge the musical impact he had on his children.

"When we first took on the project we knew it would be special," Martin said.

"There's just so much to say. Dad was the one who inspired us all to play music.

"We are all part of other musical projects, but coming together has been a real eye-opener, it's been a cool project."

Johnny Paki, who was part of many Whanganui and Ratana bands, originally recorded the song for a Whanganui compilation called Muster, which was spearheaded by Carl Perkins (Herbs and House of Shem) and released in 1998.

Over the years he played with Perkins, Jasper Walls, Whanganui reggae outfit NLC, and The Māori Volcanic Showband.

The brothers recorded the song in Baz Muir's (NLC) Whanganui studio.

Johnny Paki was a fixture of the Whanganui music scene. Photo / Supplied

"Being a good saxophone player meant that everyone was asking 'can you come and play?'," Martin said.

"If Dad was free, he always would.

"He could do a bit of everything, but his big thing was big-band, jazz type of stuff."

Martin said he was able to play music with his father for a number of years, all around the country.

"He's the one who taught me and my brother [Gerrard Paki] how to play sax, and hopefully we can hand that down to some of our kids.

"I reckon Dad would be pretty proud of what's been done, and that his boys are following in his legacy."

A lot of people had been asking if they would continue to make music together after Come on Up was released, Martin said.

Combined, the brothers have a lot of original music "just sitting there waiting".

"After the project it became quite obvious to us that it was just the beginning of something we really want to push," Martin said.

"There's a bit of support for out there, and we want to use it to kickstart our own thing.

"Playing with all your brothers is really cool for a start. We are just going with the flow at the moment."

A music video has been made to accompany the song, featuring prominent Whanganui landmarks such as Ratana Pa, Virginia Lake, the Whanganui River and the Durie Hill Tower.

Johnny Paki's extended whānau also make an appearance.

"When people see the video, they'll know where we're from," Martin said.

The single will be released onto all major music platforms on August 21.

The Come on Up project can also be found on Facebook.