FOUNTAIN of UKE

Ken Middleton & The Lost Art of Playing Fiddle-Tunes on the Ukulele

2011-12-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

In the fall of 2004, The Old Time Herald (Vol.9 #5) ran a feature article of mine titled: Ukuleles In Old Time Music http://www.oldtimeherald.org/archive/back_issues/volume-9/9-5/uke.html The purpose of this article (researched by Deb Porter and I), was first and foremost to shed some light on the role of the ukulele in the string band era. We explained in great detail, that the Ukulele was prominently featured in both the black Jug Bands as well as the white dance bands of the 20’s and 30’s. There were groups like The Fiddle Powers Family, The Hillbillies, Jimmie Rodgers, Da Costa Woltz’s Southern Broadcasters and the Memphis Jug Band; all of whom sat alongside of the Vaudeville Crooners, who inspired the masses. Thus, the ukulele was at the forefront of both progressive pop music as well as keeping the old tunes from home alive.

It has been almost 8 years since that article came out and a lot has changed in the ukulele world. We have witnessed an explosion, the likes of which only comes around every 30-40 years. From, The Mighty Uke to You Tube phenomenon Jake Shimabukuro, the global Uke craze has given birth to Ukulele clubs, festivals, dealers, builders, instructors, performers, authors, bloggers, and every other ilk. With this craze, has come a fine array of pickers and grinners, many of whom love old time music and its thriving repertoire of instrumental dance melodies.

One of those players is Ken Middleton of the U.K. I first discovered Ken, via You Tube when I was searching for renditions of Arkansas Traveler. Ken is firmly entrenched in the lost art of arranging Fiddle Tunes for the Ukulele. Players of old like Roy Smeck and King Benny also played melodic tunes, rags, marches and reels, but it was often done in more of a chord-melody style or occasional campanella style. Today’s crop of Ukulele Wizards (Ken included), have built their approach on the chops of those gone down before as well as an arsenal of progressive banjo rolls, contemporary finger-style picking patterns, chord melody like phrasing and anything old, new, borrowed or blue. In Ken’s playing one will hear many approaches to arranging a fiddle tune; from single string lead style, to finger-style and even campanella (check out the late John King for more on this approach). Ken has a smooth delicate touch, and while he makes no qualms about how his guitar work has influenced his ukulele playing, no one would argue, Ken has a genuine love for the Appalachian, Celtic, Scotch-Irish and English dance music of old. He takes on reels like Soldiers Joy, Airs, Waltzes and even Bluegrass barnstormers like Blackberry Blossom. One could learn a lot from the free tabs he offers on his website: www.kenmiddleton.co.uk/.

Lil' Rev Bonaparte's Retreat on Tony Graziano Baritone Ukulele

2011-12-15T13:48:00.001-08:00

Lil' Rev and Will Branch -- The Me or Uke Blues

2011-12-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

A song about real life...

Lil' Rev at The Coffee House Milwaukee

2011-12-08T08:46:00.001-08:00

The National Jukebox & Record Hunting

2011-07-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

The National Jukebox & Record Hunting:

The National Jukebox is an online treasure trove of historical recordings, prints and sheet music from the Library of Congress and other major collections. The concept, not unlike that of a number of other digital archives, allows us to peer into the wellspring of our collective riches. If you are keen on fishing for the true vine or blasting into the bedrock of American sound and entertainment, than consider this (and others like it), the mother-lode and start digging via http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/

Being a musicologist of sorts, I have always felt that good musicians and true audiophiles should take the time to follow our roots trail back to its respective source, which in this case turns out to be rag-time, brass-band, ethnic, blues, gospel, early jazz, Hawaiian, hillbilly and tin-pan alley to name a few. All of these genres are available en masse on the National Jukebox so I encourage everyone to listen to the works of The Duncan Sisters singing Aunt Susies Picnic Day, or Wendell Hall’s Ain’t Gonna Rain No More circa 1923 for an amazing glimpse at yesterday’s elegant simplicity.

If for instance you search for the word Ukulele and then begin to peruse the list of almost 60 related tunes, you’ll soon discover Frank Crumit, Frank Richardson, The Duncan Sisters, Wright & Dietrich, The Victor Band, Irving Kaufman, Nora Bayes, Irene West’s Royal Hawaiian’s, Elliot Shaw & Charles Hart, The Hawaiian Quintet and a slew of other lost American musical brawlers. I say ukulele, only because I am an ethno-music nerd and all tributaries begin with that singular word, while the streams, brooks and rivers of our nations musical conscious flows fast, furious and free for any and all who believe that standing at the crossroads might yield a mojo-hand. This is the creative juncture where liberty, justice and the pursuit happiness

form a prism for our unadulterated musical ears to hear, see and feel the deepest parts of our American soul. If you break away from the ukulele you’ll discover a panorama of America’s deepest roots like Vess L. Ossman’s Ragtime Banjo Solos, The Van Epps Trio, John McCormack, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, Roy Smeck or Louie Armstrong. The data base is immense, but, well worth the perusing. One can only describe these tunes as otherworldly; thus, the nature of these historic recordings can lead you down a rabbit hole that has no true end. When I first started digging for gold around Milwaukee, WI in the late 80’s, the music industry was a very different bird, the internet had not quite taken over yet and a young fellow in search of the holy-grail could mine for hours at local record stores. Even if you had something specific in mind, your search could often be akin to a right-of-passage for aspiring young musicians. If you found a good record shop, rummage sale, flea market or auction, you could pass the hours away. There was no telling what kind of a haul you might come away with. If you went out looking for polkas played on the harmonica, then you came home with some early country, rockabilly 45’s or and old blues records; ultimately, there was no real way to tell if you’d ever find what you were looking for amongst a quickly vanishing world of 33’s, 78’s, cylinders, 8 tracks, cassettes, 45’s and piano rolls; but the journey always made it worthwhile.

This is how I grew as a musician, spinning old records round and round, night after night, trying to emulate what I heard…a time honored tradition I am told. Today, the record huts of old, have all but vanished from the city landscape. Presently, there are still a few shops that dot the American Landscape like Amoeba Records of Los Angeles or Laurie’s Planet of Sound in Chicago, but these are few and far between and most of these shops have all but disappeared. The digital era ushered in an era of piracy and record label conglomeration as record labels could no longer afford to manage artist careers or sink major bucks into anyone who didn’t already come with a huge buzz and fan capitol to boot.

Today, record collectors sell their wares out of their homes via Ebay and Amazon. The Goliath of my teen angst years, MTV effectively turned the music industry into a bunch of pretty faced posers and fashion flakes, making music more about appearance than sound, just look at country music today, you’d never see a real face like George Jones or Willie Nelson come out of Nashville anymore. It is all too easy now that we don’t even have to leave the comfort of our homes to Get it Now. The hunt for old records ala Joe Bussard a legendary collector of early recorded jazz, country and blues has become the stuff of fiction for all of us en-pixellated paupers, who’ve traded the real for the surreal; even while there are some digital bright spots.

The chase, hunt, journey, pilgrimage, whatever you want to call it, has disappeared with the people and the places that really made our cities glow with eccentricity and character, those ghosts today, sweep the streets of our crumbled towns bemoaning gentrification and a world hell bent on packaging every experience into an MP3 or video game format, all while the real stories remain untold.

They are gone now. The record stores, owners and its’ dying breed of big ears! The real loss is not our collective groove, but the foundation upon which rests our humanity…the human contact that we encountered, which forever shaped our musical and cultural lives. My hometown of Milwaukee, isn’t unlike others, there isn’t even a bone yard where an occasional time traveler or intuitive audiophile might stop to honor the record stores of Christmas past with a wreath or bouquet of flowers… like that of the fallen solider. Not a trace, just the song that whispers to our communal hearts. Remember.

Life is full of contradictions. I am asking you to gather the remnants of our mono chrome lives, once so proud to be orbiting our galaxy at 78 rotations per minute, but now digital light years away. I am asking you to take a few minutes out of your busy lives to turn off the lights, put your feet up and close your eyes, but not before you dial in our National Jukebox. Sit back and listen man! Once we held these records in our hands, once we had power without the plug, once we gathered around the old Radio to imagine what possibilities life could bring and there amidst the snap, crackle and pop, perhaps you’ll find what I found inside my first Victrola, that the past didn’t go anywhere, we just stopped looking for it.

Lil' Rev sez, "Check This New Play-Along Tool Out"

2011-06-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a tool that ukulele players can use to play along with songs. It has various tunings available but is set up for Soprano as ADF#B, Concert and Tenor as GCEA, and Baritone as DGBE. Be sure to check out UKULELE PLAY-ALONG and explore its powers.

Lil Rev's Merchandise

2011-06-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Lil' Rev at the Sunset Playhouse

2011-05-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

Footlights Article

Lil Rev makes the NY TIMES!

2011-04-06T05:05:00.001-07:00

That's right Lil Rev was featured in an article back in December of 2010 in The NY Times Chicago Section.

The story was about House Concerts and showed a picture of Lil Rev doing a house concert in IL.

If this interests you, click on the link below to read the story!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/us/05cnchouseconcert.html

Philosophical Music Tips for the Aspiring Musician by Lil' Rev

2011-03-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

Lil' Rev sez,

1) Look like you are having a good time. Otherwise, blacken a tooth or two.

2) Let the mistakes roll right off you! Don’t call attention to them, we all do, including me, but it is best to let them go by, often folks don’t even know half the time when you screwed up, for the sake of professionalism, just keep going!

3) Good eye contact is the key to playing well with others.

4) For BIG concerts, know your tunes well.

5) Talk to your audience, they love to be engaged!

7) Be in the moment! Not somewhere else.

8) Smile! Even if you are terrified! Or make sure you are wearing a dry pair Depends.

9) Think confidently and positively and you’ll play well.

10) In leading a song, be confident enough to pretend that your cheat sheet isn’t there.

11) Sing into the Microphone, not the air

12) Music comes from the deepest part of the soul, if you are tired, stressed, overworked or unhappy, it will show.

13) It never hurts to know a few Jokes!

14) Be a character….on stage, all possibilities exist! Release your inner clown!

15) Stay Positive…this bears repeating!

16) If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

17) Self confidence is the key…I think I can, I think can, I think ….

18) Never be critical of others, even if you are perfect. We all biff it once in a while.

19) Music is about the heart & soul, not perfection.

20) Surround yourself with people who are better than you, and soon, you too will rise!

21) Playing with your-self is important, but playing with others is divine.

22) There is no substitute for lack of practice.

23) Music should be joyful! If you aren’t having fun…maybe curling would be better.

24) Be open to learning something musical from everyone.

25) Beethoven was almost totally deaf, that never stopped him. Don’t let handicaps stop you from enriching your life with music, cause man, the beat goes with or without us.

26) On the one hand the old blues guys played cheap guitars and the jug bands played homemade instruments, yet, they made the most beautiful music. Ultimately, a good instrument can inspire you to be a better player, but the caliber of the musician shall never be determined by the quality of the instrument you play. For soul knows no substitute.

27) Back when I first started playing music (age 11), it was magical and mysterious. Since those early days, I have never stopped searching for the lost chord. If life isn’t an adventure, whatever are we doing here?

28) Style and ability are not synonymous, but man! It sure helps to look good!

101 Licks for Ukulele & Other News

2011-01-31T16:23:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,

This is a post to let all of you know that my new book: 101 Licks For Ukulele is now available thru Hal Leonard Publishing.

Please spread the word to your ukulele groups and local music stores.

This book is a unique collection of blues, country, old time, bluegrass and jazzy-blues intros, endings, fills, hooks and cool little riffs to add to your grab bag of ukulele tools for all levels. The music is written in tab and standard notation and there is an audio CD for every track as well as a backing track for each chapter to try these licks out. The book sells for about $15.00

Soon it will be available on Amazon. Good sources for ordering would include:

Elderly Instruments: http://elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=101+licks+for+ukulele

and....

Hal Leonard's Website: http://www.halleonard.com/search/search.do?subsiteid=1&keywords=101+Licks+for+Ukulele

Currently, i am on tour on the West Coast and won't return to the Mid West until April.

I have a new CD with my good buddy (Wisconsin Folk Legend) Larry Penn now available called: Around The Campfire available thru Elderly Instruments of Lansing, MI:http://elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=around+the+campfire

I also have a new collection of poetry titled: Lil Rev's Lil Rev Gold Poem Book available from: lilrev.com $5.00 plus shipping.

Lastly, catch me and many other stellar players in the new International Documentary: The Mighty Uke: http://www.mightyukemovie.com/

Uke-Fully,

Lil Rev
January 30th Los Angeles, CA

A look back at the 2010 Milwaukee Ukulele Festival (and ahead to 2011)

2011-01-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

Calling All Ukulele Festival Goers: (From The Directors Perch)

A look back at the 2010 Milwaukee Ukulele Festival (and ahead to 2011)

The 2nd annual Milwaukee Ukulele Festival was held in downtown Milwaukee on September 25th 2010, and by all accounts was a huge success. After a year of planning and organizing, things came together masterfully in large part due to our highly efficient planning committee and a large legion of Ukulele Club volunteers!

As a performer, I am always looking at Ukulele Clubs and Camps,
asking myself, in what ways could this experience be improved upon?
Sometimes, there are minor tweaks, and other times it is highly obvious what didn’t work. (I have watched many uke fests die a hard death for oh so many reasons, with the most obvious being pure exhaustion, but that’s another story!)

For example, the first annual Milwaukee Ukulele Festival ran workshops back to back all day and there was little time for jamming, socializing or shopping and the vendors travel a long ways to showoff and share their wares, so I could understand their frustration around this issue. Anyhow, this was an obvious blunder on my behalf the first year and we easily corrected this on our 2nd attempt by making a schedule that was porous and open throughout the day. It is awesome as a director to see a whole year of hard work unfold before your eyes and run smoothly…it is even greater when everyone expresses to you that they couldn’t believe how well organized it all was.

Our committee met once a month to plan the festival and as the festival drew closer we met a little more. As director, I logged 636 hours (take note all you future Uke festival planners). Some of our featured performers included: Victoria Vox (a favorite and a repeat from our 1st annual), Ralph Shaw and Joel Eckhaus, Aaron Keim (teacher), The Milwaukee Ukulele Club, Lil Rev (MC), The 4 Strings of Swing, The Ditchlillies and Curt Sheller (teacher) to name a few. Everyone played well and the workshops were a huge hit with attendance running a good balance between the two classes we ran off and on throughout the day.

The headliners, Joel Eckhaus and Ralph Shaw definitely stole the show. Ralph Shaw is not only a great singer, dancer and strummer, but a consummate showman in the finest Vaudeville traditions…his animated shtick took Milwaukee by surprise with laughs galore! People really want to be entertained and instrumental music only goes so far no matter how good it is…so to have Ralph step in and deliver the goods with Joel (also a consummate performer), it was a highly memorable evening. I have seen Ralph many times over the years as we work together, but I ain’t lying when I say he was on fire in Milwaukee in 2010.

Workshops ran the gamut from Beginners classes with Curt Sheller, to Novelty Songs with Aaron Keim and yours truly. Other great classes included Victoria’s Mouth Trumpet Class and Ukulele Building Talk with Todd Korup to name but a few. Oh! Everyone packed in to hear Joel Eckhaus discuss the Techniques of Roy Smeck and many left determined to learn Ain’t She Sweet A La Smeck!

One other aspect I thought was especially wonderful was a dinner time jam/concert with Jon Prown, Dominator and Seeso. Together they displayed unparalleled talent and skill, weaving a variety of songs and styles with an intense progressive bent to it all. Jon is on our planning committee and this was his baby, I am grateful that he had the vision to think up a dinner time concert, because it offered lots of folks a chance to hear some really progressive playing as well as sit and relax during the dinner hour and not have to run out somewhere for something to eat (Milwaukee Ukulele Club Member Cherylann Kelly catered with a scrumptious meal option for all…thanks Cherylann!).

We plan to do this dinner concert again in 2011, and all agree it should be better promoted ahead of time so everyone knows about it, also those who want to come for the evening concert would be welcome to come early and catch these guys as well in 2011.

While I have never been more exhausted as I was after the 2011 Uke Fest, I must also say that everything from Registration to the raffle was handled by our team with such professionalism that I stood in awe! I am grateful that so many have invested their heart and energy into helping The Milwaukee Ukulele Festival to become one of The Midwest’s best little one day Uke events.

We also had a ton of Ukuleles to give away from Kala, Mya-Moe and Todd Korup to Ohana and Mainland Ukuleles. We are thankful to all of those who helped us raised quite a bit of money. Perpetuation is our goal!

We set up the Milwaukee Ukulele Festival as a 501c3 non-profit, so funding this festival and pulling it off takes a lot of work and sales savvy, in a recessionary economy. Again, thanks to all of our sponsors (visit: MUFest Link to see who our sponsors were).

2012 brings with it a few changes. First of all we will be moving from our funky, soul-filled, old, downtown church space to the suburbs of Milwaukee by way of Elm-Grove’s Sunset Playhouse. The playhouse will offer us a tech crew, ample space for vendors, jamming and an actual Theater for performance as well as a legit box office and concession space for food and alcohol. This is a classy little theatre with a great team in place, so there will be a lot of opportunity for us to help them realize some new customers as well as the theater can help us connect with some new attendees as well. Lastly, the Sunset Playhouse is located in close proximity to many restaurants, hotels and shopping on Blue Mound Rd. so it is a win-win choice we have made in deciding to move the festival to the outskirts. I am sure you will all agree.

Our website (thank you Tim Sverlong of www.ukeeku .com ) has many pictures and info so please check it out http://mufest.com/ . Also there is a great You Tube Video about our club at, YT ink. You can also find The Milwaukee Ukulele Club on Facebook at, FB link.

Our 2011 Festival Lineup will include: Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Craig Chee, The Lil Rev Blues Quartet Featuring Jon Simmons, Peter Roller & Steve Cohen (W/special guests: Robyn Plurer and Dave Fox) Harmonious Wail, Marianne Brogan, Rob Bourousa, The Barnkickers, Dominator, Seeso & Jon Prown and MC Mark Peterson (Plus possibly one more act!)

Hope to see you all there!

Ukefully,

Lil Rev
www.lilrev.com
1/5/2011 Written in Tarpon Springs, FL

Milwaukee Ukulele Festival 2010 (Hooten Images)

2010-09-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

Brian Hefferan & Lil' Rev Videos

2010-08-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Brian Heferran is a Lansing, MI based ukulele madman! He is a walking encyclopedia of early Tin Pan Alley Music, Ragtime, Blues and Old Time Music. He has been an employee at Elderly Instruments in Lansing for eons and this guy lives and breathes ukulele like no one I know. We share a love of ragtime and old time tunes and whenever I am in MI we try to blaze a path that leads us to a a few happy hours of jamming and video making. Brian is often accompanied by his lovely wife Lynn who plays a homemade upright bass and they harmonize beautifully together. Brian has also been a great resource in my quest to find old tunes and sheet music, he seems to know every obscure song I manage to dig up and I can't stump him with my music history inquiries either! At present, Brian has posted almost 70 videos on You Tube, many of which focus on early ragtime music. He is, to put it simply, an American Treasure and I am always honored to make music with him. We made these two videos on Friday the 13th of August 2010. Enjoy! Lil Rev

In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down (Lil' Rev's version of this old blues was inspired by Leroy Carr, Scrapper Blackwell, and Big Bill Broonzy.)

.Sandy Boys (An oldtime West Virginia fiddle tune. Lil' Rev plays this mostly with clawhammer technique, and Brian fingerpicks.)

ANOUNCING A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH KALA UKULELES

2010-07-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

I am announcing a new ukulele partnership with Kala. We have teamed up to present a traveling workshop for absolute beginners called: Uke Can Too, which will teach basic strumming, two chord songs, silly tricks and much more!

As I tour extensively around the U.S. I am often asked if there's a workshop for absolute beginners and this is his answer to that question. Thanks to Kala, for providing 24 Thin Body Travel Ukes to me so I can now accommodate up to 24 students.

The best part of this deal for those looking to get started on the ukulele and see if they like it, is that Kala and Local Music Stores will be underwriting the cost of this workshop and newcomers will be treated to a free 90 minute workshop -- that's right it's free!

So watch to see if Lil' Rev is coming to your town to teach the Uke Can Too workshop. As many of you know, I am the author of the Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book Series and was a Grade School Music Teacher and College Lecturer with extensive experience working with both kids and adults. My approach is fun, educational and enthusiastic and I am looking forward to embarking on this ukulele adventure.

Stay tuned!

Fountain of Uke Music Links

2010-06-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

MAGAZINES:
http://www.oldtimeherald.org/ (The old time herald is one of my favorite magazines for great articles on real old time music history past and present)
http://www.singout.org/ (American & World Folk Music fill the pages of this fine magazine. Originally started by Pete Seeger back in the late 50’s/60’s this magazine has a rich and varied history.)
http://www.livingblues.com/ (America’s very first Blues magazine! Covering traditional and contemporary blues in America with an emphasis on its African American purveyors, this magazine is always filled with top notch writing, reviews, news, and lore.)
http://www.bluesrevue.com/ (My second favorite blues history magazine! Leans more towards electric blues, but still a good magazine going strong for a number of years)
http://store.dirtylinen.com/ (The magazine of Folk & World Music!)
http://digital.library.ucla.edu/sheetmusic/ If you are into old music, this is a great resource for old sheet music pre-1922 public domain material posted by the UCLA-at Davis
http://www.ukuleleguild.org/index.php A guild dedicated to the preservation, perpetuation and continuation of all things ukulele worldwide.

MISCELLANEOUS MUSIC:
http://www.jugband.org/ (Find a Jug band near you! Keeping Jug Band History alive.)
http://www.folkalley.com/ (Get your iphone app and stream all folk, all the time from this great online radio program for lovers of traditional and contemporary folk music)
http://www.folkways.si.edu/ (the source for America’s richest repository of traditional music, folk, blues, Yiddish and all things Moe Asch! Folkways was the label that released the incredibly influential Harry Smith Anthology also the home of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Josh White, Lead-belly, Sonny Terry, Cisco Houston, Mike Seeger, The New Lost City Ramblers and so many of my other heroes! This is real music people! Folkways records have and will remain some of my deepest musical influences. This is, as they say…music of the people, by the people, for the people!)
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/ (Looking for old music? On the hunt for old tunes, the way they sounded so long ago? This trove of old time cylinders, digitized is the mother-lode of antiquity for anyone with a yen to hear the real deal.)
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/hasm/ (Digital collection of rare old sheet music for download and viewing. If you are hunting for old tunes as I often do, this is sometimes the place to start!)

http://www.oldtownschool.org/ One of a small handful of historic music Organizations in the country dedicated to perpetuating the folk arts thru lessons, concerts and workshops. A must visit when in Chicago.

http://www.pdinfo.com/ Avoid copyright infringement by knowing both the laws and the tunes available for us all to use. Anything composed prior to 1922 is fair game. Because the ukulele world relies heavily on old time favorites, this site is a must for every ukulele player. Public Domain Song listing.

http://www.elderly.com/ Elderly Instruments is one of the single greatest online mail order stores for music related merchandise in the country. When in Lansing visit their store as well.

MILWAUKEE UKULELE FESTIVAL

2010-06-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Ladies & Gentlemen! Come one! Come all!

...

The Milwaukee Ukulele Festival

September 25, 2010

9am -- 10pm

...

Website is now up and running.

Check it out!

...

While it still needs some editing,

it is up and running!

...

http://mufest.com/

WONDERFULLY ASKEW with Gerald Ross

2010-06-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

I wrote Wonderfully Askew over the winter of 2010 while touring up the California Coast. Barbara Brooks of the Monterey Ukulele Club took me for a tour of the charming little town of Carmel By The Sea, as we came to the Old Spanish Carmel Mission, she pointed out the architectural traits that time has not been good to, and in doing so replied, “but isn’t it Wonderfully Askew,” to which I thought, everything I love about life is wonderfully askew! The phrase stuck with me as we worked our way up the coast, soon a new song was born.
.
I am accompanied by three of my favorite players on this video…Gerald Ross, Marvin Reitz and Kathy Reitz…these guys are all stellar players and really know how to listen to the music, not overplay, complement what a guy is doing without hot-dogging it or getting in the way like a lot of folks often do. It is pure joy to make music with these guys and I have come to adore them. Gerald Ross, is as many of you know a dynamite player who specializes in swing, rock and blues influenced ukulele styles, as well as some mighty fine steel guitar playing. Gerald is in demand on the ukulele & music camp circuit and I couldn’t think of a better guy than Gerald to learn from.

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The chords to this tune are Bb, Eb, F7 as well as a C7 throw in along the way. The turnaround is classic 1920’s stuff!
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Enjoy!
.
Rev
.
6-2-10

Lil' Rev playing with Brian & Linda Hefferan

2010-06-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Here's an old Papa Charlie Jackson number featuring Lil' Rev playing harmonica, mandolin and guitar along with Brian & Lynn from the Fabulous Heftones. Be sure to see Lil Rev's YouTube videos at http://www.youtube.com/lilrevdotcom

Double Entendre at the New York Uke Fest 2010

2010-05-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Lil' Rev & James Hill || Obedience Blues || 2010 NY Uke Festival

2010-05-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

Lil' Rev's Top 10 List for Listening

2010-05-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Many of my fans often ask me," Lil Rev what are your favorite ukulele recordings to listen to?" or, "what should i be listening to as i am developing as a player?"

First off let me say, one should be regularly surfing You Tube for great ukulele music. There is nothing like seeing and hearing a stellar performance. With that said, there are a lot of vintage & new Ukulele Recordings that i would highly recommend to every budding ukulele player.

Here is Lil' Rev's top 10 Ukulele Album (or tune) list:

1) James Hill & Anne Davison: True Love Don't Weep (2009 Borealis) This is a stellar collection of traditional flavored music from choice covers like Oh Susannah on slide ukulele to Rocking Instrumentals like Richards Reel and Ode to A Frozen Boot. James has one foot firmly planted in the past and three feet in the future! I love this guy!

2) Lyle Ritz: How About Uke? (Verve 2004) This is a classic reissue of a 1957 recording that set the world on fire! Lyle is a legend, one of the original Wrecking Crew members (Lyle is a killer bass player) and this particular recording so far as I know was the first album of its kind to feature Jazz Tunes like Don't Get Around Much Anymore and Lulu's Back in Town. Everyone should listen to this album. This is the way it is supposed to be, straight ahead, tasteful, understated, masterful soloing and never over done. In an era where blazing, peel the skin off your forehead ukulele playing is all the go... i am summoned to point out that what moves me most, are the notes that an artist chooses not to play.

3) Brian Hefferan: Music Box Rag (Heftone CD02) Rags, Cakewalks and Marches from the dawn of the 20th Century arranged for ukulele! Need i say more!

4) Pops Bayless: American Novelty Hailing from Austin, Texas, Pops Bayless (one of the founding members of the Asylum Street Spankers), is rare breath of fresh air. Steeped in Vaudeville Traditions, Pops is a writer of timeless tunes, Double Entendre Delights and Blues Ballads.

5) The Double Decker String-band: The Rest is Yet To Come (5 String Productions 2006). One of America's greatest old timey bands! Bruce Hutton plays solid old time Banjo-Ukulele like the old hillbilly players of the 20's and 30's. Rock Solid! Classic!

6) Jake Shimabukuro: Crazy G - This is a little gem of chord harmony and arranging, it is also a tip of the hat to the Ragtime era and great practice for every ukulele player in developing finesse and speed. Yes, this is a simple tune, but, aren't the best melodies the simple...think camp-town races, grandfathers clock, dixie, there is a reason why certian melodies linger and others do not, Jake got it right on this one!

7) Ukulele Ike: Sings Again The Disney Sessions produced some great takes of Cliff Edwards singing his favorite songs, and while the ukulele is often obscured by the session players, this is a gem of an album.

8) Bill Tapia: Duke of Uke (moonroom records 2005) Like Lyle, Bill is from a generation of players who understood clearly what a tune calls for...tasteful solos, the melody, and good does of Jazz and Blues to color a classic tune. Bill said to me in NY recently, Lil Rev, everything sounds like a scale, these young kids don't know when to tone it down! Keep it simple and lean into it once in a while!

9) Hokum Blues: 1924-1929 (Document) These recordings represent the very best of the Blues and Jug Band Styles for Ukulele.

10) King Bennie Nawahi: Hawaiian String Virtuoso (Yazoo 2000) Like Roy Smeck, Bennie was a brilliant player whose mainland tours inspired a whole generation of steel guitar players in the country, jazz and blues tradition.

NPR goes to MILWAUKEE, Visits the Uke Club

2010-05-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Here is a great Video on The Milwaukee Ukulele Club, which I founded a few years ago.

It was featured as an NPR Podcast for state or the re:union show. Sound of The Re:Union: The Milwaukee Ukulele Club

Pretty Cool!

Lil Rev

Here's Sample Post #1 -- Sittin' On Top Of The World

2010-05-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

(Instruction Information)

Here I am about to embark on a new journey. In the invisible world of the internatz.

COMPOSE TAB
Allows you to make things more clean & purdy
EDIT HTML TAB
Allows you to gather stuff from other places in the internatz and put it in a post.

Below is your song from YouTube, If you are on the COMPOSE you see a box. If you are on HTML then you see computer goobeldiegook. Important Note: YT has a bunch of different picture sizes. Notice the word WIDTH="___" which is at the top and bottom of the GB (goobeldiegook). I have found that the maximum size I have is 425 or you go beyond the border on my blog.