Ukulelia

What is it with mermaids and ukuleles?

2010-03-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

Sirene Von Calypso singing "Surfer Boy"

Gibson "Poinsettia" Uke at Auction

2010-03-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

If you've ever lusted for a Gibson Pointsettia (and let's face it, who hasn't?), Gyrphon Stringed Instruments has one on auction right now on eBay. Link

Sita Sings the Blues Soundtrack

2010-03-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Nina Paley sez that the Music CD from her animated film Sita Sings the Blues is now available. Packed with Annette Hanshaw goodness. Link

(By the way, does anyone have the chords to If You Want the Rainbow?)

Jake Post-TED

2010-03-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

Nice, short video of Jake Shimabukuro following his recent TED appearance. Link

Crocheted Baby Ukulele

2010-03-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

Alicia Kachmar crochets baby ukuleles! Available on Etsy. Cute. Link

Der Humpink

2010-03-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

Might this spell doom for the vaunted 3rd Wave of the ukulele? I shudder to think. You may never look at your ukulele the same way again.

Letter of the Week

2010-03-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

Who? Link

Beatles Complete on Ukulele: A Benefit for EMI during SXSW

2010-03-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

Roger and Dave are at it again. This time at SXSW to benefit EMI. Who says You Can't Do That? Link

The Days of Wine and Roses

2010-03-08T14:11:00.001-08:00

Or as my high school band director called it, "The Days of Runny Noses." Anyway, it's been running through my head for some reason. Here's a great solo jazz arrangement. Enjoy.

Amanda and Macbeth

2010-03-05T06:28:00.000-08:00

Killer songwriting by one half of the group "The Barnkickers", Amanda Boisen.

Mighty Uke Screening This Saturday

2010-03-02T10:59:00.002-08:00

Attention all Bay Area ukers. Mike DaSilva sez:

"Please join us on Saturday March 6, 2010 for an intimate screening of Mighty Uke. Director, Tony Coleman and producer, Margaret Meagher will be in attendance to answer questions and strum along with a little jam session after the movie. So, bring your ukes, your friends that get it, and your friends that don't so they will."

Film at 7:30. $10 at the door. Link

Nellie Does Doris

2010-02-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

I like McKay (but does McKay like me?). Her latest CD is a tribute to Doris Day. Link

Train Ukulele Track

2010-02-15T06:57:00.000-08:00

(Craig beat me to this one. My kids liked this song until they realized that it's a uke on the track and that I could and would play it when their friends were around. Here is a link to some arrangements. --Gary)

Bill Tapia Performs on Film With Uke Stars

2010-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Tappy is still recovering from surgery after a broken hip, and so wasn't able to make the recent Ukulele Masters event at Aloha Tower in Honolulu. So he appeared by film.

How's Tappy doing? Well, if one can judge from his sense of humor, pretty darn well:

"He said he was asked to walk 100 feet with a walker after shorter walks in the hospital. He did. Then he was told because he could walk 100 feet he would have to pay a higher rate of $190-a-day rate or go home. 'If I knew that I would have walked only 50 feet,' Bill said. 'A doctor told me I was the first 102-year-old man they ever operated on. I told him the hell with the history, make me well.'"

Link

Ukulele Hottie Valentine

2010-02-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us here at Ukulelia. Here's a cutie by Chelsey Barnes. Link

"...don't let them cashew smuggling almonds..."

2010-02-11T05:25:00.001-08:00

The wonderful FolkUke, Cathy Guthrie and Amy Nelson, return from their Australian tour. Read all about it. (Nice to see Amy playing a uke too!)
The Story
Their Site

A Portrait of Harry

2010-02-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

A Portrait of Harry from Thomas Trail on Vimeo.

"A visual portrait of Harry Feinberg, an 88 year old ukulele player. I shot this one summer afternoon in Los Angeles. Featured on the DVD 'The Best of Resfest Vol. 01'" Thomas Trail

thanks,Thomas!

Update: Harry's playing the DeSylva, Brown & Henderson song, It All Depends on You. Music and chords.

The Cosmic Luthiers

2010-02-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

Phil Doleman, at the Ukulele Cosmos blog, has accumulated a rather nice collection of British luthiers' ukuleles. Here's what he has to say:

"Whilst sorting out my uke cupboard, it struck me that I have a large number of ukes made by members of this very forum. It also struck me that many of them are very new to building, and are 'amateur' (in the literal sense that they build in their spare time), often finding their way by talking to other builders right here on the Cosmos.
So here we have, ladies and gentlemen, the Cosmos builders line-up....

Left to right...
Triangle soprano uke in walnut by Rob C
Concert uke in cherry by urbansheepdog
Soprano in meranti by ecosteel
Martin style soprano in mahogany by Timbuck
Soprano in English ash by urbansheepdog
Peardrop concert in walnut & spruce by Rob C

All of these ukes are great players and sound wonderful. They are also all very different, in sound, in design and in the timbers used, and show a heck of a lot of imagination and skill.

Amazing work, fellas! "

Amazing, indeed. You can find out more about any of these luthiers by heading on over to the Ukulele Cosmos and checking out their "Uke Luthiers" section.

Fratila+Romania=Ukulelia

2010-01-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Stefana Fratila has a wonderful take on being a singer/songwriter:"...if one day I get paid for being me, I'll buy myself a harpsichord! retire to the hills! read kipling & eat my grandpa's fallen plums all afternoon!"

Stefana Fratila- Vista Voyager from small fists! on Vimeo.

link

trois voix et trois temp�raments

2010-01-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

The nice thing, of course, about this "ukulele renaissance" is that the ukulele is finding its way into good musical groups as just another instrument with its own unique sound to add to the sonic mix.

A perfect example of this is the French trio "Les Poupees Gonflees". Valerie Charlot handles the ukulele in the group, but you can also hear them with guitars, accordion, concertina and, natch, three lovely vocals.

Valerie, Bebop and Titi.

The songs are bouncy, melodic and...uh...why don't you just listen for yourself:

link

Sell $2 in Magazine Subscriptions, Get a Banjo-Uke

2010-01-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

Back in 1926, you could get this banjo-uke for selling only $2 worth of subscriptions to Everyday Life magazine. Was it a come on? Let's check.

Are all these claims true?

Is the Banjo-Uke an open invitation to join every social circle?
Is it a boon companion wherever it goes?
Is it the most popular musical instrument there is?
Wherever people get together for a good time, is there always a place for you and your uke?
Will you have more fun with it than anything you've ever owned?
Will you become the jazz king of your town?
Will you be able to play for dances and make money?
Are boys and young men doing it everywhere?

And then, about all those subscriptions you have to sell. How much is that in 2010 dollars?

Well the good new is that all the claims are absolutely true, as we all know. And $2 is only about $24 in today's dollars. Could you sell $24 worth of stuff today to get a banjo-uke and become the Jazz King of your town? Yes, you could!

Link

versus

2010-01-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

Another grey, rainy day in Ukuleletown. It's late in the evening and I'm restless so I decide to head over to Lenny's Bar and Grill for a Rye and Ginger and some cheap talk.

It's kinda quite when I stroll in, not many patrons for a Friday night. I grab a seat at the bar and Lenny pours my libation. I look over my shoulder at the empty stage in the corner and raise one eyebrow in question to Lenny.

"Ach.." he says, polishing a shot glass, "I hired someone to come in and play some ukulele and sing but I had ta chase 'em out when they started..."

Again with the questioning look on my part. "Well," Lenny continued, "I wanted a Musician and I got a 'performer'". He said "performer" like he was spitting it out.

"What's the diff?" I asked, trying to decide if there were too many ice cubes in my drink.

"The diff is..." he explained, "that dis gal was more innerested in dressing to the nines, dishin' some funny lines an' playin' goofy, slightly sexy songs."

Again with the questioning eyebrow on my part.

"...but she couldn't sing or play." Lenny explained. "I ain't got nothin' against a good performance, but it has to be built on solid musicianship, right?"

I shrug and say, "but now you ain't got nobody to play to this massive crowd..."

Now it's Lenny's turn to give ME the eyebrow. "This ain't no off-Broadway theater. I don't hire Actors...I hire musicians."

"Yeah," I say, "You gotta point, an' it's your place." Lenny grins and I add, "So...'nother drink, an' not so much ice this time..."

"Hergonomic" Ukulele by Dave Talsma

2010-01-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Kay Dake sent me this; "...most ukuleles rest further away from the chest wall, causing the wrist and arm to be cocked at a less comfortable angle. This seemed to challenge my smaller hands and shorter fingers when it came to 4-finger chords and barring. The distance from my body and the angle of the uke also forced me to further change the angle of the uke if I wanted to visualize the neck when playing. My "Hergo" has the slimmer side of the wedge on top, allowing it to snug up close, and the wider section of the wedge pitches the uke so that the fretboard is in sight at all times. The best way to describe the fit is that it's similar to pulling on your favorite jeans. It's incredibly light and the unusual shape of the body actually gives it a very clear bell-like quality. Surprisingly even the gentlemen, who have tried this on for size, find it very comfortable and noticed a difference in the angle of their wrist.

Dave made a styrofoam mockup and had me try it on for size before he built it..."

Bay Area Uke Scene

2010-01-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

Nice write up of the San Francisco Bay Area uke scene in the SF Bay Guardian today. Tippy, Uni, and all the cool kids. Link

Ukulelia Uke?

2010-01-19T18:53:00.001-08:00

Ukulelia pal and editor of the Fretboard Journal, Michael Simmons, sent us this photo from NAMM. I hope that if they're using our name that at least they're decent plastic ukes. (Heh, imagine if they had named them Uke Hunt. They'd be indecent ukes. Jealous, Woodshed?) Click photo for larger view.

(Thanks, Michael!)