It’s not uncommon to see this quiet man lugging tripods and video and sound equipment as he documents special moments in blues music. Since 2000, Canadian filmmaker Mako Funasaka has traveled the world to record interviews and performances by a wide variety of blues personalities, before editing those conversations to create informative videos, podcasts, and broadcast material. The result, Talkin’ Blues, is currently a 39-part series examining the current state of blues music, documenting the stories and the passion behind the music. The series was syndicated on Bravo! Canada and also appeared on BET-Jazz. In addition, Funasaka continues to produce video podcasts (37 and counting) available on iTunes, featuring song performances and conversations with both international and local blues performers. Funasaka’s archival library is essential to chronicling the history of the blues. He has also been the guiding hand in producing In Memoriam films that honor the past year’s deceased at each Blues Music Awards show.
