Malu Natapu

Samoan born bass player with Will Jess And His Jesters and Bill Sevesi & His Islanders. He had a long musical association with Bill Sevesi. His association with Sevesi came about as a result of some of the members of Sevesi's band not being available for a gig in Waihi, leaving just Sevesi and the drummer. A young German-Samoan named Hugo Spemann approached Sevesi and said that he was a ukulele player and his friend Malu played "tea chest bass". Sevesi said he was looking for a piano player and Spemann said he'd go home and learn piano. In a short time he came back and said he had learnt Piano. Sevesi asked him to play some chords which he did. Sevesi said to him that he was hired and told him to bring along his friend on the tea chest bass. In the 1992 documentary, "Song of the South Seas - The Life and Music of Bill Sevesi" by Chris Todd and Chris Williams, Sevesi recalled a very lively gig they were playing at the hall. He said Natapu's fingers were bleeding from the blisters he got from playing the bass. He told him to go and put some plasters on them and Natapu said to him, "No I'm so bloody happy" and he continued playing. Natapu played in his band for many years.

He was also connected with The Samoan Surf Riders, probably in the earlier line-up that recorded the Aloha Samoa album that was released on Viking in 1962. It's likely that Natapu was the "Malu" in the Malu And The Samoan Planters recording act who recorded the Samoa album, released on Viking in 1963, for which Billl Sevesi was credited as the album's engineer. Natapu was probably part of the Talofa Samoans ensemble who released the Samoa Na album in 1969 and the Hugo Spemann Singers ensemble who released the Samoan Favourites album on the Armar label around 1970.