Kahulanui (The Big Dance) at Freight & Salvage

Just got a note that this Hawaiian swing band will be playing at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley this Friday night. Sounds fun!

"Kahulanui (The Big Dance) is an inspiration passed down three generations from Grandfather Robert Kahulanui Naipo, to Dad Rodgers L.L. Naipo Sr., to Grandson and Kahulanui band leader, Lolena Naipo, Jr. Lolena remembers stories of his Grandfather who was a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band during an era when horns and drums were a part of Hawaiian music. 

"Throughout Hawai‘i in the 1920s and 1930s, one could find orchestras playing Hawaiian Swing and the house would be jumping. Kahulanui borrowed from these influences and performs classic Hawaiian songs in a syncopated style making Hawaiian Swing vibrant and alive in Hawai‘i today." 

Ukulele player, Duke Tatom, reminds me of Troy Fernandez and his playing really swings. Link

Rachel Manke on Prairie Home Companion

Let's see if we can get more ukulele players on Prairie Home Companion by making a ukulele tune the #1 video from from this week's show. Check out Rachel Manke and Garrison on "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie", then please share with all your uke pals. Does PHC need to do an all-ukulele show? Indeed it does.

Oh, and while you're at it, check out Rachel's Kickstarter campaign for her first CD. T'aint no sin, to pitch right in! Link

Jim Tranquada Interview: Why You Should Take the Ukulele Seriously | Learn To Uke

In case you missed Jim Tranquada's lecture at the LA Public Library, here's a Q&A, courtesy of the folks at Learn to Uke. Link

2015 Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival

Ukester Brown sez you can also catch Rachel Manke at this year's Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival, August 21-23 in Two Harbors, MN. Bring your uke, music, and hot dish to share.

Prince Paul

I had the distinct honor of working on the Ringling show with this gentleman, Prince Paul Alpert. I'm guessing that this is from a spec production, some Roaring 20s theme. I'll update if I learn more.

If you like the photo, it's up for sale on Etsy.

(Thanks, and happy birthday, Michael Simmons!)

Big News from Lake Wobegon

Big news coming from Malden, MA: Rachel Manke, splendiferous strummer in the Smeckian and sundry styles, will be making her national radio debut on Prairie Home Companion. Mark your calendars and set your dials for Saturday, June 27th, when the show will be broadcast from Tanglewood. We expect Garrison to aim a little sacerdotal sarcasm at her, but the word is still out as to whether Guy Noir will help a lady uker in need.

Here's Rachel's site.
And her YouTube Channel.

And in case you've ever wondered what the lead-in music for PHC is ("Oh, hear that old piano, from down the avenooo..."), it's Tishomingo Blues. Here's a link to a .pdf of the chords, courtesy of Ukester Brown. Or, if you prefer, the original Spencer Williams sheet music (1917).

Jim Tranquada at the LA Public Library this Saturday

Attention LA ukulele enthusiasts. Ukulele historian Jim Tranquada will be at the LA Public Library this Saturday, May 9 at 2pm:

"Author Jim Tranquada (The Ukulele: a History) discusses the fascinating musical and social history of the “tiny four-stringed thingamajig” and argues for a rehabilitation of the instrument’s image."

In the Mark Taper Forum, Central Library. If you go, say hi to Jim and tell him Ukulelia sent you. Link

Warren Buffett's Second-Favorite Uke

Legendary beverage maker Coca-Cola and legendary ad agency Wieden+Kennedy recently had a custom ukulele built for legendary uker Warren Buffett.

Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the iconic Coke bottle, the tenor ukulele was built by Portland luthier Mark Roberts and features a sound hole cut in the silhouette of the bottle. More info on the Coke site.

You can't really see the uke too well in the above video of Mr. Buffett playing "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." Here's a slightly better photo of Mark Roberts and his work.

We haven't located any more images, but will reach out to Mark and see if he has any he can post. We're not familiar with his work, but a few clicks around his site reveal him to be an innovative and impressive builder (check out his Wise-N-Uke, a baritone version of a Weissenborn hollowneck steel guitar).

Now where in the world do you suppose W+K got this grand idea? Considering that they turned me down for a job years ago, it's nice to know that they liked at least one of my ideas.

Link to article on Adweek.

Telstar on Ukulele & Stylophone

How did we miss this one? The Tornados Telstar performed on ukulele and stylophone. Richard G's got the tab, too, here.

James Thurber on The Ukulele

The Sun-Dial has been published on the campus of Ohio State since 1911. Around 1916 a young fellow joined the publication, eventually becoming editor-in-chief. His name was James Thurber.

Of the ukulele, Thurber once wrote:

“Let me be the first to admit that the naked truth about me is to the naked truth about Salvador Dali as an old ukulele in the attic is to a piano in a tree, and I mean a piano with breasts..." 

And, while we cannot be certain whether Thurber penned the lead editorial for the December, 1916 edition of The Sun-Dial (which was billed as the Hawaiian Number), it certainly reads like Thurber (read the entire editorial at the link).

"Some time ago somebody read “Madame Butterfly” and wondered why he couldn’t transplant her. So the nearest place to land from the land of Nippon was the isle called Honolulu. So then we had “The Bird of Paradise.” They brought those wierd (sic) little musical cigar boxes called ukuleles with them and the great American public found out that they are easy to play or display. 

"We haven’t a thing in the world against the ukulele, in fact, we like them. But we do hope and pray that the Hawaiian craze will not extend much further than “Yaka Hula” and “Oh How She Could,” etc. As long as they don’t import the cute little sausages which the brown dreamers of the Pacific wear or are imputed to wear, we won’t kick."

We guess those "cute little sausages" might be leis. Odd.

Note the references to Bird of Paradise, the theatrical production that helped ignite Hawaiian Fever across the continent, as well as Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula and Oh, How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wacki Woo.

There are more ukulele "ditties" and cartoons in the magazine.

West Coast Premiere: Jim Beloff's Ukulele Concerto

Jim Beloff & Santa Monica High Orchestra - YouTube:

Backed by the Santa Monica High Orchestra, Jim Beloff performed the west coast premiere of his ukulele concerto Uke Can't be Serious yesterday. Nice, Jim!

Ultra Wide Neck Ukulele Kickstarter -- Deadline Today

Aldrine and our good friends over at Ukulele Underground have designed this innovative solution for players suffering from Large Finger Syndrome, or LFS.

Watch their Kickstarter video today. Starts and ends today, so don't miss it.

Uke-A-Thon! - Panama-Pacific International Exposition

Please join me and a whole bunch of ukulele fanatics at the Uke-a-Thon! celebrating the centennial of the Pan-Pacific Exposition, the event that set the mainland afire with Ukulele Fever.

Saturday, February 21, 2015
Palace of Fine Arts Rotunda
3:00 to 4:30pm
Free (register here)

Details at the link. Hope to bump into you there! And don't forget your uke!

Link

The Brian May Uke

I see a little silhouetto of a uke...Link

ELMO Ukulele by BohemianWorkbench

Pretty cute! Link