Kehau Aspen has translated her Aikido training into her expression in the world, that of a professional musician. She writes, “The child of a classical pianist, who was also the child of a classical pianist, [I] was always surrounded by the beauty and power of music.” 
When I asked Kehau over lunch how her Aikido and martial arts training informed her work as a professional musician, she related an incident that had happened to her recently. “We were setting up and my guitar player was doing a sound check. Suddenly the bartender came over and got in his face about the noise being too loud. My guitar player stepped right into his face and suddenly they were in a verbal altercation. I came forward with my sense of center very much present and asked the bartender how I could partner with him to make the night work for all of us.” The story unfolded that the bar had had complaints about noise the week before. “The bar guy quickly calmed down. My guitar player calmed down. The three of us continued to talk and I made sure we all stayed connected until all the energy was defused and we were able to find a collaborative solution to the problem.”
She notes that as the bandleader, she uses her martial arts skills to judge the crowd every evening. “Navigating the terrain of four or five musicians and the crowd and the owners of the club and the music we playing means I need to listen with my whole body.” She continued, “Being a professional musician and a bandleader requires a special skill set. Without my Aikido training, that learning curve would have been much more difficult.”
She also told me that after “years of touring with nothing but [my] guitar and a book of self-penned tunes, [I’m] stepp[ing] out…into a deeper clarity in regards to [my] music.” Having heard Kehau play often, I can attest to that clarity in her singing and playing. And as a teacher of other musicians, Kehau states, “Unequivocally, musicianship is about communication.” Describing that relationship, she said, “The performer needs to communicate what she or he is singing or playing.” I asked her to give me an example. She laughed and told the following story. “I was with a group in a practice session where we were learning another person’s music. It was unclear what this person wanted to happen at a certain point. When I asked what she was looking for, all she could think of was ‘purple.’ She wanted us to make the sound ‘purple.’ Well, there isn’t a ‘purple’ sound. There are dynamics which can be expressed in notation form or verbally communicated to fellow musicians.” Chuckling to herself, she continued, “We finally figured out that what she wanted was, ‘legato,’ to have the notes tied (flow) together.”
“When I teach, I stress the foundation, the basic principles.” (Sounds like an Aikido or any martial arts class to me.) As we finished our meal, she handed me a written statement noting that artists like Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, Me-shell Ndegeocello, Esperanza Spalding and Erykah Badu helped inspired her music: “There is a level of sophistication and soul in everything they do that evokes not just feeling, but contemplation as well. It is both of these senses being activated that one is able to explore the depths of their humanity—which is what the true gift of music is.”
Kehau trained at the old Centerfield Aikido for many years, reaching the rank of 2nd kyu under Sensei’s Mary McLeanand David Keip. (The original dojo was located in Graton, California.) After concentrating on her career for the past few years, she indicated she’s ready to get back on the mat. Kehau and her band Crazy Love has a new CD coming out the beginning of next year.
You can find her at www.myspace.com/kehauandcrazylove or www.myspace.com/kehauaspen. For voice coaching inquiries in the fields of Pop, R&B & Rock, you can reach her at 707-695-5944 or at www.thesingingedge.com.
Kehau Aspen is a martial artist making a difference!
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