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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
 Posted - 01/22/2005 : 1:18:48 PM
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'Ukulele legend Bill Tapia is unstoppable. After a big 97th birthday party on New Years Day, he's hitting the road in support of his new CD "Duke of Uke", including three dates in Northern California, his home for many years. Following decades of quiet obscurity, this 'ukulele and jazz pioneer is enjoying his highest profile ever. Since the release of his first-ever CD "Tropical Swing" last March, Bill Tapia's undeniable skills and charm have garnered worldwide recognition. Featuring new recordings plus a couple tracks from his original heyday in the 1930s, "Tropical Swing" spun on hundreds of radio stations nationwide, reaching #10 on the CMJ Jazz chart. With his humor, energy, and total recall of career highlights dating back to World War I, he also became a favorite guest on talk radio from coast to coast.
Feature articles and record reviews have appeared in the L.A. Times, Baltimore Sun, Honolulu Advertiser, Los Angeles Magazine, Popmatters and many others. Billboard's review said Tapia "takes his rightful place" alongside such long-gone contemporaries as Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Fats Waller. Bill Tapia has no plans to slow down. With the release of the new album "Duke of Uke" on February 8th, more concerts, and a forthcoming PBS documentary about his amazing life, 2005 promises to be an even bigger chapter in the improbable resurgence of this national musical treasure.
Bill will be joined by Mihana, a daughter of one of Hawai'i's most legendary musical families. She was part of the traditional group Puamana for many years with her mother, the late Hawaiian Music Hall of Famer Irmgard Farden Aluli. Mihana spread her wings in 2002 with the solo release "Rust On The Moon", an album so diverse it reached #22 on the national Americana chart, meanwhile winning a Hoku Award (Hawai'i's local version of the Grammys) in the jazz category.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA DATES:
Saturday February 19
Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz
320-2 Cedar Street
831-427-2227
http://www.kuumbwajazz.org
Wednesday, February 23
Little Fox, Redwood City
2209 Broadway
650-FOX-4119
http://www.foxdream.com
Thursday, February 24
Freight and Salvage, Berkeley
1111 Addison Street
510-548-1761
http://www.freightandsalvage.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mark Taylor/Taylored Marketing
888-441-7440
markt @ tayloredmktg.com
LINKS:
http://www.moonroomrecords.com
http://www.billtapia.com
http://www.mountainapplecompany.com
http://www.mihana.net
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