April 2005

G'day,

So far April's been a really exciting month on the Oz ukulele scene.

Amazing Hawaiian player DANIEL HO was a special guest at the annual Ten Days On The Island festival in Hobart, Tasmania and he also made it to Sydney and Melbourne to do a few uke workshops.

It was the first time many of the workshop participants had met a genuine master of the instrument in person and I'm sure they got a lot of useful information out of it. I know I did.

We hope it'll be the first of many visits Daniel makes down-under.

In other news, Ukulele Land 2 will be held next Friday (April 22) at The Harp Irish pub in Sydney.

Arranged by Rose Turtle Ertler (aka The Electrik Ukulele Lady), the first Ukulele Land concert took place at the Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach in January, 2002 and proved to be a huge success.

This year, it's going to be even bigger so I'd better get off the computer and get practising!

Mahalo,

Cameron

10 (plus 1) Questions With Daniel Ho

When did you start playing ukulele? "When I was in second grade - the age of seven."

What make of uke do you play? "A KoAloha D6. I've been using KoAloha instruments since 1997."

What's the first tune you learnt to play? "Song For Anna by Ohta-San. It's still one of my favourites."

Who are some of your favourite players? "Herb Ohta Jnr, James Hill, Gordon Mark, Lyle Ritz - they're all solid players with their own unique style."

Favourite uke memory? "Playing Hawaii 5-O with my friend Gavin at school assembly when I was in the third grade. It was my first-ever performance and it must've been special 'cos I still remember it!"

Career highlight so far? "Playing Bach's Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring with the Honolulu Symphony was hands down my most exciting moment. It was very unusual to have a 50-piece orchestra backing me up on a ukulele!"

Favourite colour and why? "Blue. Because it's everyone's favourite colour and I want to be an everyman!"

Favourite food? "Ikura sushi, which is salmon eggs preserved in salt. I love the saltiness and the way they pop in your mouth."

Favourite movie? "Finding Nemo! I thought it was very clever and I love Ellen DeGeneres's character Dory."

Favourite animal and why? "Right now it's a wombat 'cos I got to pet a couple of 'em in Tasmania. They're so cute!"
Sum up Australia in one word… "Awesome."

March 2005

G’day (that’s Australian for “Aloha”) and welcome to the Aussie Uke Corner!

The good folks at the UGH have kindly given me some space on their beaut web site to talk about the Australian ukulele scene and I’m really excited about doing it.

Over the past few years, the jumping flea’s become more and more popular in Oz and it’s still on its way up.

In future editions of AUC, I plan to use this space to report on down-under ukulele events (check out the calendar) and occasionally devote it to an interview with a local uke legend or touring pro.

Stick with me – it’s gonna be fun!

Mahalo,

Cameron Murray