C: I have always admired Jezrael’s music. More importantly, his experience has real research value. Coming from the Philippines, he has lived and established himself in Hong Kong while maintaining an active international presence, performing in the United States, releasing albums, and carving out a global reputation as a professional jazz musician. As a fellow jazz pianist, I want to understand how he learns structured repertoire, builds understanding of harmony and develops his tactile sensitivity and “certainty” on the keys despite his blindness. These are experiences I can’t get from other pianists.

L: In Hong Kong, I earn my living as a musician. Frankly, my lack of familiarity with Cantopop sometimes leaves me marginalised. But for me, this research and creative project is not about searching for an identity. Rather, by sharing my story and musical philosophy with Daniel, we become companions on the musical journey. I also want to tell people that if you have a dream, you can achieve it if you are willing to put in the work. Blindness is not a constraint.

C: For the first time, I witnessed up close how technology supports the daily life and creative work of blind musicians. In fact, by mastering technology, their capabilities not only can match those of sighted people but may even surpass them. Jezrael is very skilled at composing music on the computer. He showed me his creative process, deepening my understanding of how he constructs his musical workflow. What inspired me most was how he learns the jazz language primarily through listening. He never copies jazz phrases from masters verbatim. Instead, he listens, internalises and transforms them into his own sounds—constantly imitating, yet never merely repeating. This pure and steadfast way of learning reveals his incredible perseverance and sensitivity. It has also made me rediscover the importance of “listening” in the jazz language. I gradually developed some new thoughts. For example, jazz music originated in an oral and aural tradition. In a sense, blindness granted Jezrael direct access to this tradition—could this have made his learning more direct? I have also become curious about what it feels like to play long-term without “cannot see the keys”, relying solely on touch: is it more relaxing, or are there moments of tension?

L: Through this project, I hope to spread the message that being blind does not inherently make us learn faster; Rather, sighted people may be distracted by other sensory stimuli. With music, our learning methods are equal— we must all work hard to develop our own musical philosophy and values. To me, all music genres are a way of life. My father taught me: you are not learning a particular “type of music”—you must simply learn wholeheartedly, then understand how to express yourself through music.