Kenpo master and sculptor Albert Cornejo

Grandmaster Robert Temple shared this amazing short film with me. The piece is about Grandmaster Albert Cornejo, a Kenpo practitioner from California, where the Kenpo Karate style has probably its strongest legacy in the United States. Kenpo is about real life self-defense and I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Bishop Donnie Williams and Master Carl Scott for Blvd. Warriors. Bishop Donnie Williams and Grandmaster Steve Sanders co-founded The BKF.

In fact, Master Scott mentioned to me and my cousin Jerry during our nearly three hour interview that one of the main reasons he did the interview was Grandmaster Temple.

This is the first I’m learning of Albert Cornejo and it is a great honor that the connections I’ve developed have given me the opportunity to share and learn about such inspirational and unique stories. The fact that Grandmaster Cornejo is also a visual artist also shows a connection between martial arts and visual arts that I’ve documented in Blvd. Warriors and continue to document for my ongoing photo essay on the martial arts.

Check out the short film below, titled “The lives of Albert Cornejo: martial arts master, renowned artist and barber to the stars.” in it, you’ll see interview clips with Robert Temple, as well as clips of martial arts legend Ed Parker, a judo shodan that was introduced to Kenpo by Frank Chow and trained under William Kwai Sun Chow.