Despite the early adoration of crowds, Loxmyn, now in his late 20s and an accomplished jazz musician, didn’t put much thought into whether he would go on to play music growing up.
However, he was exposed enough that it “didn’t feel unusual”.
Touring with your best mate, what’s not to love? Photo / Dean Purcell
Gaming, anime, sports, exercise, the One New Zealand Warriors – the father and son share many of the same interests and music is one of them.
“It was always going to happen, that he was going to be a part of the music,” Che says.
“I just love spending time with my son – and we get to play together, which is a joy.”
And Loxmyn isn’t just contributing on harmonica these days. He’s carving a path with his musical outfit, Filthy Junk Traders, and has also been a key saxophone player in his dad’s touring band.
The cover for Che Fu’s “Navigator”, featuring a young Loxmyn and his dad.
This October, Loxmyn is bringing his jazz background and horn arrangements as a member of The Kratez for the 25th anniversary tour of Che Fu’s 2001 triple-platinum album, Navigator.
“To hear my son and his foray into jazz was just awesome because I knew nothing about it,” Che says of Loxmyn’s musical journey.
“To surprise me still through music, that’s not an easy task. And it’s not like there’s a system of nepotism in our band. He holds his own.”
The young saxophonist says he was more interested in listening to the music and style of Navigator growing up, rather than dwelling on the album’s impact. Being able to explore and work through it in the rehearsal room now, as an adult, is an amazing experience, he says.
“There are parts of the album that are like these little melodies or little machines that stick with me in a personal way,” he says.
Che Fu with wife Ange and Loxmyn (left) after winning five awards at the 2002 Aotearoa Music Awards. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The tour will also feature other big names in New Zealand hip-hop and R&B, including Aaradhna, Betty-Anne and King Kapisi.
“We’ll be doing their tracks intermittently amongst the Navigator tracks. So it won’t be like the album all in its entirety.”
It’s not just the music, but also the look of Navigator that Loxmyn is connected to. The album’s cover shows Che with his baby son tied to his back staring at a 3D planet Earth.
Loxmyn was “about 2 or 3” when the photo was shot and recalls it being “really fun” despite having little clue what was going on.
“Everything [was] so serious and intense and I’m just in a basket on my dad’s back, and we were dressed like space navigators,” he remembers.
Che Fu with dad Tigi Ness, a founding member of the Polynesian Panthers in New Zealand.
Che knows what a childhood in a well-known family is like. His parents, Tigi Ness and the late Miriama Rauhihi-Ness, were activists and members of the Polynesian Panthers social justice movement.
He was brought up as a Rastafarian, watching his father perform at anti-apartheid events. His mum was one of the organisers of the 1975 Māori land march. In his early years, Che was predominantly raised by his grandma and aunty.
“I still had mum and dad, but they were doing crazy [things] like protests and being out the gate… which was amazing,” he says.
When he had his own family, Che wanted to make sure Loxmyn and siblings Jéru, Marley and Kaselle were raised with strong family values and kept close.
“When I eventually had my kids, I really wanted to keep them where I could see them, because I didn’t have that growing up. You try to put in place what you didn’t have when you get the chance to.”
Loxmyn is grateful, not only for his dad’s love and support but also has a deep admiration for his musical legacy. In his words, his “audacity and the creativity and the perseverance to make s*** happen”.
The pair share many of the same interests and hobbies, music being one of them. Photo / Dean Purcell
As we leave the gold-tinged Civic Theatre, where October’s Auckland show will take place, the self-confessed “nerds” tell me they’re off to the gym to work out together.
It’s one of the many things they do to “decompress” before it’s back to the family business in the rehearsal studio.
“Talking nerd stuff and getting healthy is good fun,” Che laughs.
Che Fu & The Kratez’ 25 years of Navigator tours NZ from October 7. Visit eccles.co.nz for details and tickets.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.