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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
 Posted - 07/13/2007 : 3:29:23 PM
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If you don't believe anyone is more proficient on the uke then Jake, you should see James Hill play the uke at Mike DiSilva's Uke Factory in Berkeley. I will be there to argue that point, if nescessary, after the concert.
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Stay Tuned... |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2007 : 06:34:18 AM
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| Different styles of playing. No need to make it a competition, as it's a treat to hear them live and on records, and aren't we lucky to have them both making music? They are both talented, friendly, open and sharing individuals. I'd put Herb Ohta, Jr., right alongside these guys. |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2007 : 10:09:51 AM
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If competition drives one to go beyond, great! But the following is my educated and unbiased critical evaluation of the people who are paving the way for those who are aggresively studying the uke and need direction one way or the other.
Style is not the issue. Proficiency is the key word. An accomplished player as opposed to a virtiouso. James and Jake are extremely skilled and I just want more people to see what James does. I don't consider Little Ohta on the same level. I'd say Jr is in the top 100 players in the world. Iz wasn't. James, Jake, Troy, Yasui, Ritz, Peter Moon, Ohta San, Ledward, Kelly Boy, and Tapia are among the top 20 most accomplished players. We also have bright stars rising like Britni Paiva, Aaron Duffy, Evan Tom, Kathryn Miyahira and many more unpublished genius's making their mark on the uke world.
HBell/Music Critic
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Stay Tuned... |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2007 : 11:06:02 AM
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Iz - love to strum and sing along to his music! (Even if I do have to go out in the woods and face away from populated areas...at least it keeps the raccoons from attacking.)
In the singing and strumming crowd my limited exposure puts Lil' Rev, with his tin pan alley repertoire, and Victoria Vox, with her sweet voice, on top, along with Steve Espaniola, for his great Hawaiian "yodel"! As for instrumentalists, I like Daniel Ho's slack key experiments with the ukulele and have continued great respect for Herb Ohta, Jr.'s works for ukulele incorporating slack key elements. |
Thank you. |
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kaniala5
Akahai
USA
65 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2007 : 12:03:20 PM
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As one of my mentors used to always remind me - the most talented and gifted musicians are usually playing away all by themselves up in the mountains and noone (critics or music lovers) will ever hear them.
Music is for enjoyment - I play for the love of it and try to appreciate the efforts others make to share it with me no matter what their skill levels are. |
Look for reasons to be happy rather than excuses to be miserable. |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2007 : 05:32:44 AM
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| Sorry... |
Stay Tuned... |
Edited by - hikabe on 07/15/2007 09:34:15 AM |
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Podagee57
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2007 : 11:28:05 AM
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Don't forget about this guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWy7mW6MmEs
He wants to be a school teacher
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What? You mean high "E" is the TOP string. No way dude! That changes everything! |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2007 : 11:35:10 PM
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| I for one am happy enough to hear Clyde Halema`uma`u Sproat plunk away on his `ukulele and sing the songs with great emotion and verve. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 08:06:47 AM
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Little Ohta is a term of affection for someone I have much aloha for. I have high regards for both he and his pops. Excuse my moke action. No can help. I am from Palolo....
James Hill was amazing again at Mike DiSilva's Uke Shop in Berkeley last night. Unfortunately, I missed Fran's slack key magic cause I was late. Mike has a great shop and I was impressed at the layout and acoustic setting for musical events. His uke club gets together 2 Wednesdays a month for all things uke. Check it out.
If and when you can, go see James Hill, aka "Little Hill". He will make you think differently about the uke. He is wonderfully witty and has an almost Appalacian style bluegrass, bohemian-baroque flavor. I don't really know what that means but I was very happy to see him live again. He will be in Santa Cruz on Thursday at the Santa Cruz Uke Club. His workshops are excellent and difficult. Bring asprin. Email andy @ cruzio.com for details.
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Stay Tuned... |
Edited by - hikabe on 07/16/2007 08:41:14 AM |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 08:56:44 AM
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All good musicians are that. But we need not compare among musicians which also include ourselves. The list is endless and we might as well be arguing politics or religion.I know and admire many musicians and I am influenced by their contributions to the world of music. But I do not think it is productive too argue about who is the best. Since there is always a higher mountain and the greatest enemy we can face is ourselves.
Where we come from should not be used as an excuse for one's behavior. I came from Chinatown and my playground was A'ala Park. But I still learned to argue a point with respect and not moke out. It is our responsibility as Hawaiians to behave in a manner above reproach. We have been disenfranchised and disrespected for so long that we need not bring any ill will upon ourselves and our people by acting out in anger towards others.
I submit this humble opinion with respect to all. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 10:20:41 AM
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quote:
Little Ohta is a term of affection for someone I have much aloha for.
I first met Herb at one of the early Aloha Camps. In his class he told a story about how tough his father was on him when he was staring his career. His dad, Ohta San, wanted to make sure that Herb Jr found his own way in the world and didn't ride his more famous father's coat-tails.
Herb said that his dad had forbidden him to even use the words "Ohta San" in his promo material.
I suggested he call himself "Ohta Son..."
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 11:31:40 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark
I suggested he call himself "Ohta Son..."
I used that term for him in an article I wrote back in Feb. 2005. I'm not too sure he was amused...but it's hard to tell with him, sometimes. He laughs on a delayed basis, which keeps you guessing. |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 12:45:11 PM
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He was amused. In fact, I believe the show biz term would be "spit take."
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 2:52:10 PM
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Without any comparisons in my mind, I was totally knocked out by James Hill, both in his workshop and in his performance. He is a thoughtful, deep, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, charismatic teacher. His workshop spent two hours on strumming, never wasted a minute, and absolutely knocked down doors in my understanding of how a uke can be played.
The concert was a further eye opener. With a new understanding of strumming technique, I spent the whole night staring at his right hand in awe <grin>. When I wasn't distracted by the gorgeous music he was producing. I am completely caught up in Hawaiian music and rarely listen to anything else, this young whippersnapper didn't play any Hawaiian stuff, and I still drank in every note.
James' own compositions were the high points of the evening in many ways, but familiar tunes like "Summertime" and "One Note Samba" got gorgeous treatments as well. James passed along some history and stories and songs of his influences, and took a side trip with a Delta Blues influenced version of "Oh Susanna" accompanied by a lap slide resonator uke.
I'll make it a point to see his future performances in our area.
Here's a youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sTBSVuuiYM He played better last night than in this video, and Mike DaSilva told me that James is better every time he sees him. Scary.
Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Dominator
Lokahi
USA
115 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 7:00:15 PM
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James has matured as an individual, a performer, song writer, technician etc. so much over the past four years or so since I first met him after his debut CD release. He really is such a great motivator and teacher. Fran is exactly right. James didn’t waste a minute of time during his workshop which focused on the right hand double and triple strums. Just the thought of “double and triple strums” might make a beginner cringe. Not so with a teacher like James. He broke it down to a level that everyone was able to sink their teeth into, to some achievable level. It was amazing.
It was good to see him again and have the opportunity to catch up on things. It was also great to see you again Fran. It’s been such a long time. You mentioned your CD and then I failed to ask you if you had any with you. Please contact me offline and let me know how I can get my hands on one of them.
Hiram, I looked for you at the workshop but obviously you came later for the concert. I wasn’t able to stay for the show as I had a very early morning and had to get back to prepare. Will you be in Santa Cruz Thursday??
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www.dominator.ukeland.com
www.myspace.com/dominatoruke
Practice makes Practice Perfect! |
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Tonya
Lokahi
USA
177 Posts |
Posted - 07/17/2007 : 06:01:51 AM
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James is not only a superb and talented performer but his teaching skills are top-notch. I've taken a number of "group" workshops with him as well as a private lesson. In each setting he "took control" of the teaching (not wasting any time) and honed in directly on precisely the element(s) he needed to cover. He is highly attuned to the participants and seems to have an innate sense/ability to gear his teaching to the recipient(s) understanding; he is not a teacher who tries only one way to put across his message and simply gives up if you don't "get it." He'll continue approaching the topic from a different direction until you *do* get it. His communication skills (both sending and receiving) are beyond compare. Wow!
My son, who took a composing workshop with James, described it best: "It's like being able to get inside the mind of a musician and understand how he approaches his music." |
http://www.uketreasures.com
http://www.ukuleletonya.com |
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