Jet Kanani, nicknamed "Pineapple"because of his previous work on the Dole Pineapple plantation, spent his early years on the shores of his beloved O'ahu, with music always being at the center of family gatherings. After seeing an ad in the paper, he grabbed his guitar and tried out for a band to take a shot at making it. When he realized they were looking for a bass player, he pawned his guitar for a bass, came back, and convinced this group of haoles to take him on tour. Though they could barely understand what he was saying through his broken pidgin english, they knew there was a special quality in him that they would regret passing on. He spent the next 4 decades of his life with The Lelands (aka The Leland Four) touring all over North America, building a life surrounded by music. My Kupuna's talents were endless, constantly working to add more skills to his repertoire. It was business as usual for him to be on stage playing bass with one hand, and playing marching trombone with the other at the same time, putting the horn down to control the lights or sing harmonies while never missing a beat.

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I have many childhood memories of visiting my Kupuna at hotels, going to watch him perform. When I was 5, he helped me record my first album onto cassette tape which included hits such as "The Wheels on the Bus" and "You are my Sunshine". During his final battle with cancer, playing and singing was what got him through his hardest days. When his fingers grew too weak for his bass, he played his ukulele. When he could no longer hold his ukulele, he composed with his omnichord. He had a 4 track digital recorder sitting next to his bed at all times, ensuring that he could compose music until the day he took his final breath, which he did. My Kupuna loved to spell things in unique ways for fun (like Hawai'i being Ha-y-ee) which is why I spell Pinapl the way he liked to. I promised him that I would build this studio, and that I would honor him by naming it after him. Without Jet Kanani, there is no me, and there certainly is no Pinapl Studio. Kupuna, I honor you and I thank you. Mahalo!