I am an artist who is sharing his life in words, music, pictures and videos. I am thankful for being in the presence of giants who shared their 'light' with me. My journey has been one of unbelievable surprises and joy. I have have become a better person because of the examples of love shown to me by people whose hearts are as big as the universe! I thank them and pay tribute to their greatness. A big ALOHA & MAHALO to all the friends I have reconnected with after all these years. You guys are always in my heart!
I have evolved from a guy banging on his drums in a garage to a student of the late great Alan Dawson, the best drum teacher anyone could ever wish for. I was the guy flunking music theory in high school - not knowing a major chord from a minor chord to being a student of the great John Corigliano. I was a guy who played basketball in high school but loved singing in choir at lunch then becoming a student of the late great opera basso Jerome Hines. I needed to learn from the best and was given the chance to do so! I am grateful for the supportive parents who allowed me to dream and to follow the road that lead me here. Mahalo ia ko'u makua ko'u aloha!
The Magic of Hollywood! The Sacristan in Puccini's opera Tosca.
Thank you Joe Blasco for the incredible make up work! Thanks Bill DiDonato for the opportunity to sing in your opera company and for asking your friend Joe to help transform me.
THE LOO-OW BAND FEATURING MICHAEL PAULO ON SAX AND AARON LOO ON DRUMS WITH IRA NEPUS ON TROMBONE, PATCHES STEWART ON TRUMPET, DEAN TABA ON BASS, JOSH SKLAIR ON GUITAR, ROB NARITA AND JANE YOUNG ON BACKGROUND VOCALS "MIDNITE IS ON IT'S WAY' COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY AARON LOO
I was a drummer in Ollie Mitchell's Sunday Band in Hawaii, Ollie was a first call L.A. studio trumpet player who always had a smile on his face, a quick laugh to break the tension in a train wreck and some philosophy to lay down on the young cats to blow their minds! Ollie had bands to help young musicians get more experience in reading charts in L.A. and later in Hawaii. And most importantly get to play with top musicians so they would know how high the standard would be to be a professional musician. Ollie would tell me to get into writing because even though playing was fun it was the composers and arrangers who made the 'serious money'.
I took Ollie's advice - went to Berklee College of Music in Boston and got my B.M. in film composition. I took arranging classes with Herb Pomeroy and Mike Gibbs, songwriting classes with Pat Pattision. I studied percussion with Dean Anderson and vibes with Ed Saindin. I studied drums with two of the world's best drummers; Alan Dawson and Gary Chaffe. I used to take three buses and walked a mile to get to Alan Dawson's home in Lexington. A two hour trip out and two hours back twice a month. They weren't enough practice rooms in the Berklee dorms so I would practice after midnight with my practice room buddy Eric Marienthal. Later I moved out to 15 Edgerly Road, a couple of minutes from school. My first room mate was a trumpet player from Australia, Mike Peipman then Doug Webb. a monster sax player in L.A.
After graduating I went to Manhattan School of Music for graduate studies in composition. John Corigliano and Giampaolo Bracali were my composition teachers, John Olsen was my piano teacher. John was in charge of the job placement office at Manhattan and helped me survive with cocktail piano, music directing and arranging jobs that came through the office. I could be seen sweeping the sidewalks and taking out the trash for his apartment building in between classes when I was the super.
KAU KAU TO DA MAX
TRIBUTE TO MY DAD HERBERT W.F. LOO ONE OF DA ORIGINAL KAU KAU TO DA MAX BAND MEMBERS (WORDS AND MUSIC BY AARON LOO)
In NYC, I met Jazz drummer Akira Tana who introduced me to many Jazz musicians. I met Jazz bassist/Producer Teruo Nakamura through Akira and I started working for Teruo's Cheetah records as an engineer and arranger. I started his Pacific Apple Productions out of my apartment on Broadway and 125th St. I recorded Kenny Baron, Jimmy Heath, Spaceman Billy Patterson, Shunzo Ono, Alan Won and Bob Kenmotsu when the subways weren't running! Akira rented a bedroom to practice his drums and got turned on to a Mac by playing with my Mac Plus computer.
Don Armando, formerly of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band met me on the East side and talked my ear off for about eight hours. We lost touch of each other until we hooked up again in L.A. Go to www.loo0ww.ning.com to hear some of the music they created together. Don passed away in 2002, his witty commentaries on life using his polysyllabic vocabulary will be missed. Thinking of him in his Armani suits will bring a smile to those who knew him.
THE LOO-OW BAND BAND FEATURING PATCHES STEWART ON TRUMPET "A.C. SAMBA" COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY AARON LOO DRUMS- AARON LOO
CRUIZIN' IN NYC (LOO-OW BAND LIVE IN ATLANTIC CITY) FEATURES BOB KENMOTSU ON TENOR SAX COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY AARON LOO DRUMS- AARON LOO
CRUIZIN' IN NYC (LOO-OW BAND LIVE IN ATLANTIC CITY) FEATURES SHUNZO OHNO ON TRUMPET COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY AARON LOO DRUMS- AARON LOO
CRUIZIN' IN NYC (LOO-OW BAND LIVE IN ATLANTIC CITY) FEATURES ALLEN WON ON SOPRANO SAX COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY AARON LOO
I worked with Donald Alan Siegal on demos and children music at my NYC studio. Later Don followed me out to L.A. where we continued our collaboration until Don's untimely death in 2004. Don's kindness and love of life will be remembered by all who loved him.
I studied classical piano with John Olsen at Manhattan School of Music and Jazz piano with Eddie Swanston, Art Labriola and Harry Whitaker. I worked as a dance pianist for Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and the Ballet Hispanico. I was the musical director for singer/actor Keith Amos. I have been a musical director for AMAS and other musicals. In L.A. I have played piano for Danny Kaleikini and Al Harrington, both Hawaiian entertainer legends.
I am slowly learning how to add and change my page. This has been a fun experiment - it shows that there's not enough time in the day to get to everything. But I hope you can enjoy the crazy journey that I have been so fortunate enough to have taken with 'giants'.
