Acclaimed island singer-songwriter Roland Cazimero was remembered Monday as an inspirational artist whose creativity forever altered the local musical landscape.
A multi-Hoku Award-winning recording artist and one-half of the Brothers Cazimero, the man many knew as “Bozo” or “Boz” died Sunday night at Straub Medical Center after several years of declining health. He was 66.
Kenneth Makuakane said seeing Cazimero play a 12-string guitar was what inspired him to play one.
Amy Hanaiali‘i Gilliom recalled the encouragement he gave her as she was about to take the stage for what would be her breakout performance with Willie K at the Waikiki Shell.
Rupert Tripp Jr., founding member of island pop group Nalu! and a Hoku Award-winning solo artist, remembered sitting in on “the numerous jams on the ‘P Street’ home where he grew up.”
“Boz was one of a kind!” he said. “He was one of the best singer-songwriters out there. Not everyone understood him. In fact, some didn’t like him, but he inspired me more than any local musician in Hawaii.”
Hoku Zuttermeister was “honored and fortunate to have shared the stage with Uncle Boz on different occasions,” adding, “He was one of my biggest inspirations. There was no other 12-string player like him! And he was one of my favorite bassists, too!”
Alan Akaka described Cazimero as “a music genius — a trendsetter who inspired many, including myself.”
He added, “Bozo’s vocals and guitar strumming style broke away from the traditional Hawaiian music norm and created a fresh new sound that the young generation quickly embraced.”
Born Sept. 6, 1950, in Honolulu, Roland Kanoekalani Cazimero was the youngest child of Bill and Elizabeth Cazimero. He grew up surrounded by Hawaiian and hapa haole music. He first made history as a member of the Sunday Manoa with his older brother, Robert, and Peter Moon in the early 1970s. He and Robert founded the Brothers Cazimero in 1975.
Robert was the emcee and played bass. Roland played 12-string guitar and was known for his skill at interjecting quick, witty one-liners into his brother’s narration.
The brothers’ harmonies were unique. Their repertoire stretched from Hawaiian and hapa haole classics to contemporary pop hits and Broadway showstoppers.
The Brothers Cazimero won 10 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards between 1978 and 2007. Roland Cazimero also received Hoku awards for his work as a solo artist, for his work as a member of the musical group Hokule‘a and as a member of the all-star quartet that recorded “Broken Promise” in 1991.
His solo work also included theme albums “Warrior,” about Kamehameha the Great, and “Pele.”
The Brothers Cazimero headlined the Monarch Room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel from 1982 to 1994. Their May Day concerts at the Waikiki Shell were annual big events in local entertainment from 1978 through 2007.
The Brothers Cazimero Christmas concerts were also annual entertainment highlights for many years.
The duo was inducted in the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and received the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
Despite his star status and stellar accomplishments, Cazimero was always open and supportive of younger musicians and new artists. Slack-key master Kenton Emerson recalled the aloha Cazimero gave him and his brother, Phil, after they were signed to Mountain Apple Co. in the late 1970s when the Brothers Cazimero were already the label’s top act.
“He offered to play on our album, and was always thoughtful on how certain musical ideas would work, to make the best sound,” he said. “He showed a great deal of humor, along with his amazing artistry as a musician.”
Cazimero gave kumu hula James Dela Cruz an unforgettable boost in 1981 when Dela Cruz and his brother, Michael, were performing with Don Ho at the International Market Place.
“(Roland) encouraged my brother and I, sharing his feelings of what it was like working with his brother. He made me realize that it wasn’t easy but it was very rewarding. I’ll never forget that moment shared.”
Cazimero was by his own admission kolohe (mischievous) and preferred hanging out with everyday people, including some he’d describe as “hoodlums,” rather than with the “high makamakas.” He enjoyed working on jacked-up trucks as much as he enjoyed playing music.
Brandon No‘eau Serrano, one of the many younger musicians he mentored over the years, said Cazimero enjoyed life, and that “music lessons” were about much more than playing the instrument.
“If you ever go over to his house to ‘learn,’ you spend about five hours there. Two for the actual music lessons, and three for his elaborate storytelling, eating and drinking, and his home arts and crafts projects!”
Survivors include his wife, Lauwa‘e Ah Mau Cazimero; children Hawai‘iki Cazimero, John Devin Kumau C. McWilliams, Jonah Cazimero, Jordan Malama Cazimero-Chinen and Justin Pono Cazimero-Chinen; brothers Rodney and Robert; and twin sister Kanoe “Tootsie” Cazimero.
