Say the word ukulele, and it will probably conjure up three visions; grass-skirted hula dancers swaying under palm trees, 1920's collegiate boosters in bulky raccoon coats waving pennants while cruising in jalopies, or a stringy haired Tiny Tim crooning about tulips on the Merv Griffin Show.
This seemingly native Hawaiian instrument is actually Portuguese in origin. Known as a braguinha, it came to the islands by the ship Ravenscrag, which dropped anchor in Honolulu harbor in August 1879. The 419 passengers aboard her were from the Portuguese island of Madeira. Among them was Joao Fernandez, who began to sing songs of thanksgiving, accompanying himself on the humble four-stringed instrument. The local islanders were intrigued by the instrument, and soon renamed it ukulele (actually properly pronounced oo-koo-le-le) which means "jumping flea".
In this compilation recording from Rhino, we are treated to some of the greatest ukulele virtuosos ever recorded. You might laugh and think, "Yeah, just what I always wanted to hear." Understandable. I thought the same when I came across this CD in a Border's listening station. Laughing, I picked it up and showed it to my husband. He glanced at it. Walking trivia-book that he is, he quickly said, "It's got a song by Ukulele Ike on it...Cliff Edwards. You know who he is, don't you?" Thinking for a moment, but drawing a blank, even though the name rang a bell with me, I shook my head no. "Edwards is the voice of Jiminy Cricket," the trivia-book replied.
Somewhat intrigued, I slipped on the headphones and fast-forwarded to track 4. About 30 seconds later, I was completely charmed and won over. Five minutes later found me purchasing this CD of ukulele music. About a year and a half later, the CD still regularly finds its way into my CD player, with track 4 needing a repeat or two before being allowed to go on to 5.
The earliest recording is from 1927; the newest, 1998. With the span of so many years, the variety of styles is impressive, with my favorites being the pre-1950 historical recordings. Despite the fact that some of these recordings are 70 or more years old and monaural, their sound is clean and crisp, with relatively little in the way of scratches and pops.
Johnny Marvin's recording of the 12th STREET RAG is the oldest recording. A skillful uke player, Marvin can also be heard scatting.
The Kalima Brothers' 1946 recording of STAR AND STRIPES FOREVER gives a new spin to the old brass band favorite. It not only became the piece most identified with Jesse Kalima, but also entered the repertoire of nearly every student of the ukulele.
Englishman George Formby is best known for playing the banjulele, an instument with a ukulele fret board and the resonator of a banjo, though he also played Hawaiian ukulele. Although he is playing a banjulele in this 1933 recording, the title is MY UKULELE. In this catchy, but oddly risque song, we are euphemistically advised that the way to stay out of trouble is to keep our ukuleles in our hands, although the singer apparently doesn't always heed his own advice.
My favorite, the often-repeated track 4, is Cliff Edwards' recording of THAT'S MY WEAKNESS NOW from 1928. Not only do we get to hear his distinctive and unforgettable voice known so well from Disney's PINOCCHIO, we are treated to his charming, if less than spectacular when compared to some of the other players on this CD, ukulele playing. Edwards also indulges us with his unique scat style in this piece, a style he called "eefin". The song is somewhat repetitive, but due to Edwards' artistry, it works, and works well.
Among the newer recordings I enjoy on this CD is a rendition of Chuck Berry's JOHNNY B. GOODE by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain recorded in 1994. It's fun, if a bit goofy...they change Johnny into a ukulele player. The UOOGB is much better known in Japan than they are in the UK.
DO I LOVE YOU is a pysdo-1920's song recorded by Ian Whitcomb & His Bungalow Boys in 1991. It's a sweet, jaunty love duet sung by Whitcomb and his wife, Regina.
ON FIRE is an instrumental offering by the Ka'au Crater Boys from 1994. This group is well-known in Hawaii, with Troy Fernandez's playing style inspiring many young Hawaiians to try their own hand at uke playing.
Other selections from this CD are (when I have "by", it refers to the featured artist, not the composer):
LITTLE GRASS SHACK (1993) by Ohta San What would a ukulele CD be without this piece? In this recording it's given a jazz treatment.
UKE SAID IT (1959) by Roy Smeck
MISTY (1978) by Nelson Waikiki Another instrumental jazz styling.
HAWAIIAN WAR CHANT (1960) by Johnny Ukulele Another Hawaiian standard, this time rendered in really groovy, cool lounge-style, complete with marimbas!
MAKIN' LOVE UKULELE STYLE (1950) by Arthur Godfrey
HOLIDAY FOR STRINGS (1970) by Eddie Bush Fun, but not nearly as fun as the original recording!
FOR THE LOVE OF UKE (1998) by Jim Beloff, with Lyle Ritz
GRANADA (1962) by Eddie Kamae
UKULELE BENNY (1933) by The Georgia Jumpers featuring King Benny Nawahi
LULU'S BACK IN TOWN (1995) by Lyle Ritz Another jazzy selection.
And of course, how could there be a ukulele compilation without this recording...Tiny Tim on TIP-TOE THRU' THE TULIPS WITH ME (1968). This might be my least favorite piece on the entire CD, though it was interesting to learn that Tiny based his use of falsetto on this song on a 1929 version by Nick Lucas.
The booklet that comes with the CD is well done, with lots of information on ukulele history and the artists featured within it. There are also quite a number of photos of the artists and various ukuleles.
I am very fond of this CD. Sure, in the eyes of many, ukuleles are silly and campy. But the talent and musicianship of the recording artists represented here would prove otherwise. They take their instruments seriously, and the results vary from beautiful to fun. I no longer laugh at this CD, but it makes me smile almost every time I listen to it.
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