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 joinedhis 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.
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.