Gods of Uke: Remembering ‘Duke of Uke’ Bill Tapia, Jazz Ukulele Pioneer
Jazz ukulele pioneer Bill Tapia's career spanned 9 decades and put him at the center of both the 1920s ukulele explosion and, more recently, the uke revival.
Watch Nico’o & the Kapiolani Boyz Rip Through “Atabal Biarritz”
Tampa Bay Ukulele Society
By Julie Garisto On a balmy Saturday afternoon in Largo, Florida, a southern suburb of Tampa, 40 people have gathered with their ukuleles at a palm tree dotted apartment complex inhabited mostly by retirees. Excitedly chattering like high-school kids in…
The Birth of the Ukulele
The belief that Hawaii lays sole claim to the ukulele is a widely held misconception. The earliest ukes only date back to the mid-1880s, and they weren’t invented by the Hawaiians.
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Ukulele chanteuses the Mersey Belles channel a retro vibe in pursuit of modern-day fun
By Amber von Nagel This may be the digital age, but the Liverpool ukulele duo the Mersey Belles still have one foot firmly planted in the stylish past. In fact, connecting with the two women—Danielle “Nancy” Perkins and Lindsey “Pearl” Stainthorpe—via…
Watch Jake Shimabukuro and Composer Byron Yasui Prep for Concerto World Premiere
We’re counting the days, hours, and minutes until the world premiere of Byron Yasui‘s Concerto for ‘Ukulele and Orchestra, Campanella, to be performed by Jake Shimabukuro and the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra on June 6 and June 7. Watch in the above promo video as Shimabukuro and Yasui talk about the…
Gods of Uke: The Wizardry of Israel ‘Iz’ Kamakawiwo’ole
The legacy of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole—known to his fans simply as Iz—goes far beyond his famous ukulele medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World."
Aloha, Edgar Dang
At Aloha Warehouse in San Francisco’s historic Japantown, co-owner Edgar Dang spread his love of Hawaiian music and culture—one ukulele at a time. This winter, Dang unexpectedly passed away in his sleep, at age 56, but his vision and legacy…
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‘Nashville’ star Laura Benanti Is Bitten By the Uke Bug
“Please don’t ask me where you know me from,” Laura Benanti’s bio reads on her hilarious, unfiltered Twitter account (@LauraBenanti). If Benanti does look familiar, it could be through any number of her roles. The 35-year-old Tony-winning actress and ukulele…
Watch an Impromptu Performance in the Ukulele Magazine Office from Erich Sylvester
When Erich Sylvester dropped by the office to pick up a box of magazines, he was kind enough to treat us to a song (“I Want to Learn to Speak Hawaiian”). Luckily, we had a camera phone on hand and…