Photo Credit: Bradley Hasse
James Casey’s solo album, The Kauai Project, was released on August 28, 2024. Its arrival coincided with the one-year anniversary of the beloved artist’s passing from colon cancer at age 40. As a follow-up and added compliment to the rendering of the five-track EP, a new video, directed by Bradley Hasse, with cinematography and editing provided by Lisa Bolden, has premiered. Watch below.
The short film debuts today as a Relix exclusive and showcases Casey’s remarkable resilience: his determination to create despite coming up against an aggressive stage IV cancer diagnosis, ultimately fueling his desire to deliver the five-track EP. “After the diagnosis and especially because it was unclear how long he had, he took every opportunity with as much gusto as possible,” Ayla Casey tells Relix.
The late musician’s wife and video’s executive producer continues, “Every gig was special because he wanted to spend as much time as he could sharing his life’s work with the world and his fans. When he wasn’t on the road, he was on chemotherapy, and even then, he was typically in his studio creating through the night. During the darkest days of the fight, getting the music out was the beacon of light that allowed us both to keep pushing for the next day and his next performance.”
Using its runtime to the fullest extent, The Kauai Project Comes Full Circle, a James Casey Story, thoughtfully articulates Casey’s timeline in his own words. The EP takes on new meaning by cutting back to footage of the musician explaining his intent for the project. Explaining his back story, Casey offers to tell of his pandemic-era stint on Kauai with his partner, Ayla. “In the most amazing beautiful place, with the most amazing beautiful people,” he emphasizes. A first-time experience creating an album under his name, Casey challenged himself to record at home, channeling his expertise in a myriad of celebrated groups (Trey Anastasio Band, Billy & the Kids, Soulive, Lettuce) while allowing originality to bloom.
“More than anything, James wanted to leave his mark on the world, particularly in the language that came so naturally to him–music. A performer, through and through, James learned to sing before he learned to talk and had his first professional gig at age 2 in a singing group organized by his mom and their church. He may be most well known as a saxophonist but it was hardly his first instrument. He said ‘drums were his first love’ and he played professionally in church throughout his teens and up until COVID, he performed drums in a weekly service every Sunday in a church in Bedstuy. He never met an instrument he couldn’t play,”
“I had the time to sit here and really craft something. And, I am really proud of what I did and what we were able to accomplish. And I hope everybody likes what we did,” Casey says in the video. “All it really comes down to is… Are you gonna finish the thing that you really want to do, or not? In the time frame we have–my time frame has been truncated in ways I don’t know, but I do know I’ve got today.” Prompting a reference to his “New Bloom” lyrics: “No matter what problems come your way/ You’ve got today/ And no matter what happens today/ You’ll be ok.”
The full circle moment evokes Casey’s response, “The silver lining, I guess, for me is, is cancer basically takes everything from you. I call it a wrecking ball. You’ve built up yourself to be who you are, and it takes the wrecking ball… and kind of wipes everything out. So you have a little bit to deal with. I’ve had to kind of grow myself back, but I’ve grown myself back into it seems like I was going to be, you know? Before the world gets a hold of whoever you are. I am very happy about who I am now.”
A producer and multi-instrumentalist with deep roots in the music industry, the arrival of The Kauai Project Comes Full Circle, a James Casey Story promotes another listen of the project, given its maker’s steadfast approach to leaving a sonic mark for fans, family, and future generations of music enthusiasts.
Casey’s posthumous EP is currently up for Grammy consideration, including Best Alternative Jazz Album for The Kauai Project, Best Arrangement Instruments and Vocals for “New Bloom,” Best Jazz Performance & Best Arrangement Instrumental or A Cappella for “Secret Sax,” and Best Americana Performance for “Outside.”
For those looking to support Casey’s choice charity, consider donating to ABGH, the Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists. The organization’s mission is “to promote health equity in Black communities, advance science, and develop the careers of Black gastroenterologists, hepatologists, and scientists.” Donate now.
Stream The Kauai Project. For more information on Casey, visit this website.
Watch the Relix exclusive premiere of The Kauai Project Comes Full Circle, a James Casey Story.
The Kauai Project Tracking List:
Outside
E.J.B.M.
New Bloom
This Place (pars Animus)
Secret Sax
The post Video Premiere: ‘The Kauai Project’ Comes Full Circle, A James Casey Story appeared first on Relix Media.
