Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Feng E Takes LA
Kid ukulele YouTube prodigy Feng E recently appeared at the Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival. Now 17, here's a brief interview and performance on KCAL.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Gary Zimnicki Builds a Uke
Detroit-area luthier Gary Zimnicki is well known for his guitars, but he builds sweet 'ukuleles, too.
(I'm the proud steward of a Zimnicki Reclaimed Wood soprano!)
Gary recently wrote to say that he's started a project of posting build videos on YouTube. This is the first in the series. We'll update you with new ones as they're posted. Or you can just follow his YouTube channel.
Here's Gary's website: Link
Monday, August 19, 2024
Happy Uke Week!
This Friday, August 23rd, 2024, marks the 145th anniversary of the 'ukulele's "arrival" in Hawai'i in 1879 aboard the Ravenscrag.
To celebrate, our good friend and mentor, James Hill, has several exciting things planned. Surf on over to Uketropolis for complete details, but here are some highlights:
- 20% off, site-wide at Uketropolis. Check out James' many online courses, from The 'Ukulele Way to the JHUI Teacher's program
- 25% off merch at 1879 Apparel
- Song premieres
- Online interviews
- A great big toast to the 'ukulele on Friday, the 23rd.
Monday, July 01, 2024
Aloha, Sonja Christopher
She was a lovely spirit, and we'll miss her.
Sunday, May 05, 2024
Ditson Ukuleles by Martin
The ukuleles made by Martin for the Oliver Ditson Co. Music Store in Boston are among the most collectible ukes out there. Here is a site with a comprehensive history of Ditson ukes. Link
Saturday, May 04, 2024
Scott Linker - Four Strings & a Jest
Multi-instrumentalist and, like yours truly, a former Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown, Scott Linker has a new ukulele-infused album out. For me, this is kind of like Harpo Marx cutting a record: for all his years in greasepaint, Scott worked silent. It's lovely to hear his voice!
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Ukulele-Playing 'Survivor' Contestant Sonja Christopher dies at 87
Friday, April 12, 2024
Running a Marathon, Playing a Ukulele
Thursday, April 04, 2024
Kyle Gray Young's Historic Banjo Method Transcriptions
Horace Weston was considered to be the finest banjo player the world had ever seen. Weston performed extensively throughout North America and Europe from the 1860s until his death in 1890. He was one of a few African Americans in the 19th century who performed in minstrel shows, largely to White audiences.Horace Weston was also the first African American to get credited for his banjo compositions. In the 1880s, S.S. Stewart published a couple dozen of Weston's banjo tunes. All 24 of his banjo solos and duets are presented here in crystal clear tablature for re-entrant ukulele. These are very challenging and not suitable for beginners. You will most likely need a tenor ukulele for some of the arrangements that use the higher frets. Certain tunes like Home Sweet Home are almost unplayable, but that's pretty much how the banjo version is too. There are many reasons why Horace Weston was The Champion Banjoist of the Entire World.
Friday, March 01, 2024
Fluke Baritone Ukulele!
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Chase and Jake Shimabukuro Play Anthems
Friday, February 16, 2024
Smeck Harmony Bag Find
Friend o' the Blog Rachel Manke recently scored a sweet, nearly mint condition Smeck Harmony uke. But the most remarkable part of her find was this printed paper back that uke originally came in.
In my quarter-century of sleuthing out arcane ukulele artifacts, I've never seen one of these until today. I've found one other one, but Rachel's seems to be in much better condition.
Have you? If so, drop us a note in the comments!
Friday, February 09, 2024
Will Rogers Ukulele Quote: A Surprising Find
I always wondered why old Will had it in for our favorite instrument (even though it's been the butt of jokes almost since it hit American shores...)
Curiosity got the better of me the other day and so I did some searching to see if I could find the original quote.
Turns out it's from a Chicago Examiner newspaper article, ca. March 3, 1918.
What's even more interesting is the context in which the quote is found, particularly in light of the current war between Ukraine and Russia.
The article begins,
"Now they've asked me to write about Russia.
"That's fine! There's some sense to that. I can write about Russia for I know that my readers don't know any more about Russia than I do..."
"There is always this to look forward to with Russia. Pick up the morning paper and look for Russian news and have a fear of reading the worst; you won't be disappointed."
Rogers is writing about the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which would have been in the news. The treaty gave independence to Ukraine. Rogers continues,
"You see, Germany was willing to treat for peace as long as Russia did all the treating.
"Now they have given German freedom to some province called Ukrainia (sic); sounds like ukulele, and I doubt it it will flourish even as long as that short-lived instrument."
(Ukulele – Ukraine...it's word-play! And note that Rogers seemed to have considered the ukulele passé by 1918!)
"The ukulele had this advantage: Not even a trained musician could tell if you were playing on it or just monkeying with it, but the Ukrainian liberty can't fool anybody; those poor independents have "Made in Germany" stamped all over it."
(Emphasis mine)
The rest of the article is primarily about Russia being taken for fools by Germany. Perhaps a reader/historian more conversant with the treaty and the geopolitics of the time can chime in in the comments. I'll leave it there.
You'll find Rogers' full article in The Papers of Will Rogers: From the Broadway stage to the national stage, September 1915-July 1928, University of Oklahoma Press, 2005, p 121- 122.