Mary McCaslin's Roundup

May 23, 2002

THE UKE KOOKS OF SANTA CRUZ

How many other towns do you suppose there are on the U.S. mainland that can boast of having a ukulele club? Well, once again, Santa Cruz is on the leading edge.

Last Thursday, I attended the fifth monthly meeting of the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz (the U.C.S.C.) at the Harbor Cafe on 7th Avenue. I don't recall having ever seen so many ukes in one place, except for the time a couple of years ago when Sylvan Music hosted a Jumpin' Jim Beloff performance.

In recent years Jumpin' Jim has made a name for himself in ukulele circles and has even developed an instrument called the Fluke. Flukes are basically ukes made of fiber glass, and they actually have a very nice sound. They come in an assortment of solid colors and patterns, including leopard.

When Jumpin' Jim played at Sylvan he brought along several other ukulele performers and each played a couple of songs. The thing that came through, either in spite of or because of the mostly whimsical style of dress and musical presentation, was how much these musicians truly loved their little stringed instruments. They were proud to be there and happy to bring uke music to the world.

I saw the same display of devotion by the many uke players at the meeting at the Harbor Cafe. The meeting started off with the official club theme song, Under the Boardwalk. From there things just got better. After announcements of upcoming ukulele related events, it was time to get down to the real business of the evening - the first ever U.C.S.C. amateur night! There were Beatle songs, Hawaiian songs, smooth sounding 1930s songs, an instrumental called "Take That, Jose Grecco" and killer versions of Little Surfer Girl and Nights in White Satin.

The Harbor Cafe supplied a wonderful atmosphere for this ukulele event. There was fine food and drinks, along with friendly service. The festivities spilled out onto the cafe patio, which added to the tropical feeling of the night with its palm trees and large tables.

The performers ranged in ages from twenty something to eighty something and they played various models of ukuleles. The smallest member of the ukulele family, as we know it today, is the soprano uke. The next size up is the concert ukulele, then the tenor and baritone sizes. Normally ukuleles have four strings, but there are some models that have "courses" (pairs) of strings, somewhat similar to the 12 string guitar. However those ukes commonly have only two strings out of the usual four strings in courses, making them six string ukuleles.

Along with Jim Beloff's Fluke, there are other variations on the ukulele form. Local ukulele maker Tony Graziano has made some of the most beautiful and incredible sounding instruments around today. His ukes have been constructed in the traditional design. However, he recently built the very first "Hulacaster", which is of course, an electric ukulele shaped like a small Fender Telecaster guitar. There was also a very nice baritone uke with a metal resonator played at the Harbor Cafe gathering.

While you get a sort of "anything goes" feeling from the uke folks, there is an underlying committment to the preservation of this wonderful instrument and the tradition it comes from.

For more information about local ukulele happenings and the next U.C.S.C. meeting call Ukulele Dick (also known as Rick McKee) at 476-8969 or Peter Thomas at 475-1455. Meetings are always on the third Thursday of the month, but not always at the same place. Plans are underway for a series of themes for upcoming meetings, including an All Rock`n' Roll night.

On Wednesday, June 5 there will be a very special evening of ukulele music at Henflings. The music of the duo Blue Shoes and the Ukulele Extravaganza will be featured.

Blue Shoes is made up of Peggy Reza and Douglas Johnson. Using the "pen name" of Auntie Uke, Peggy has put together some clever little ukulele song books. The members of the Ukulele Extravaganza are Ukulele Dick, Michelle Kiba and Oliver Brown.

So if you've never experienced the Joy of Uke, here's your chance. That's it for now. Happy trails.

E-mail Mary McCaslin at roundup@marymccaslin.com