Just out of pure curiousity, is ed parkers American kenpo quite similar or quite different from Kajukenbo?
I'd say quite similar from what I've seen. Certainly similar enough that quality of instruction should be more decisive than style in choosing.
They are more similar than different. American Kenpo and Kajukenbo share some common roots in Hawaii. The "ken" part in Kajukenbo is for Kenpo. Also there has been a lot of cross-over between people that train kaju and those that train in kenpo. It depends on school and method, but the main differences I have seen between the two is that Kajukenbo goes back more to the principle that there could always be weapons and multiple attackers. Kaju has things like the Kangaroo ring and seven second rule, designed in training with the idea that there are multiple potential attackers. Even the Kaju forms can be trained with the idea of multiple attackers. I haven't seen a lot of multiple attacker stuff from American Kenpo, but it would depend on school and method, like I said. Kajukenbo is also a bit more primitive (basic), IMHO, than American Kenpo. Both utilize fast hands, but Kaju is more about hitting hard and where it counts. American Kenpo seems to focus more on overwhelming the opponent and less on hitting as hard as you can with a single blow.
I really enjoyed the Fight Quest Kajukenbo episode. I've never trained in either Kajukenbo or EPAK but thought you might find it interesting to know the Kajukenbo school here participates with the Khun Khmer, Muay Thia boxing gym. Word is, the Kajukenbo guys incorporate a lot of boxing into their art and are pretty competent fighters. For some reason the Ed Parker American Kenpo seems to get a lot of flack. This is just my observation though.