Review: Aldrine Guerrero - Suite 409

Bandito Tyler Unplugged (Sample MP3)
Uke on Stick (Sample MP3)
Red and Silky (Sample MP3)

You probably already familiar with Aldrine Guerrero from his YouTube videos and his lessons on Ukulele Underground (the web’s second best ukulele site). Aldrine has just released his debut CD, Suite 409, and Ryan from UU (the album’s Executive Producer) was brave enough to send me a copy for review.

The Good Stuff

Bandito Tyler (Unplugged): A phenomenal tune. A stone-cold ukulele classic. It’s played with real force and energy. It fizzes out of the speakers.

The album contains two versions of Bandito Tyler: a solo version and a band version. The solo version is by far the most exciting. The tune is so strong and forceful that the band dilute it rather than add to it.

The Instrumental Tracks: As well as having impeccable technique, Aldrine has a way with a tune. The instrumental tracks are instantly catchy.

They’re also nicely varied. Schizophrenic Snowflakes is light and atmospheric. Uke on a Stick is great fun. It starts out as a 21st Century Greensleeves, kicks into some Dick Dale tremelo, launches into Santana-style soloing and recalls the solo from Hotel California before it’s done. Cecilia is steady and meditative. Each of them a huge success on their own terms.

The Not So Good Stuff

The Vocal Tracks: In contrast to the variety of the instrumental tracks, all the songs are mid-tempo, easy listening RnB. Whether he’s lonely (Buttercup), in seduction mode (Red and Silky with Danyo Cummings and Ariki Foster), or resigned (Ducky Adores Me), it never really shows in the songs. Lyrically, the songs don’t ring true. It feels like he’s holding back most of the time.

Listening to the songs made me feel like the girl who feel for the cock-strutting MoFo of Bandito Tyler and ended up with the limp lothario of Red and Silky. I wanted the same passion and honesty of the instrumental tracks in the songs.

Overall

Suite 409 announces Aldrine Guerrero as a serious contender in the ukulele world - up there with the very best. If he can get the same passion that he has in his playing into his songs, he’ll be unstoppable.

Buy Suite 409
Aldrine and Ryan are currently touring California. You can find the remaining dates here.

Review: Michael Conway - Ukulele Mike

It takes a fair bit of gumption to invited comparison to one of the heroes of the ukulele. Luckily for me, Mike was willing to send me a CD so I could check it out.

Mike’s been playing ukulele for 35 years and had a knack for it from the start. As a lad, he toured with J. Chalmers Doane - the man responsible for Canada’s peerless ukulele program which produced James Hill - as part of the Halifax Adult Ukulele Ensemble (read more about them here). He’s been strumming away since, but has only just put out his debut solo album.

The album is bookended with a couple of rollockin’ ukulele instrumental kicking off with Molly Brown Medley (featuring Freight Train and 12th Street Rag) and ending with Homesick Medley (which you can hear in the above video). In between Mike turns in vocal performances of songs such as Crocodile Rock, Leaning On a Lamppost and I’ll See You In My Dreams along with plenty instrumental versions of popular songs.

The Good Stuff

- The Playing: Mike is an incredibly accomplished ukulelist. He produces a crystal clear sound and manages to keep his playing articulately even at great speed. His picking and strumming on a spirited version of, the bossa nova tune, Brazil is breathtaking. If you want you ukulele playing to sound fluid and natural, you need to listen to this track and pay close attention.

- Singin’ In the Rain: Mike’s version of this song is insanely infectious. As soon as it can on I had to grab my uke and play this along to it.

The Not So Good Stuff

- Song Choices: I’d love to hear Mike make more adventurous song choices. Some of the songs on the CD (Over the Rainbow, Aloha Oe, Yesterday) have been done to death and these are my least favourite songs on the album.

- Production: Nothing wrong with the production if you like crisp and clean, but I prefer a bit of grit occasionally. It’d be great to hear what he can do when he really lets loose.

Overall

There’s some exceptional playing on this CD and any ukulele player would be well advised to sit up and take notice. You can buy the CD at CD Baby or individual tracks for download at PayPlay. Whichever option you chose, your life is not complete without these…

Essential tracks: Molly Brown Medley, Brazil, Polka Medley, Singin’ In the Rain, Homesick Medley.

Christmas Gifts for Ukulele Players: How To Play Ukulele eBooks

You’re still looking on the net for Christmas presents this late? You are screwed. Unless…

The big advantage with ebooks is that they’re delivered straight away (unless you pay be echeck - slogan: “Do you miss the hassle of real-world checks?”) and you can send them to anyone, anywhere instantly.

In my opinion, the best ukulele ebooks around are those available at How To Play Ukulele. Of course, I might be slightly biased in that opinion since I wrote them. If you want a more even handed view, here’s what other people are saying.

How to Play Ukulele Chord Progressions

“This is the first time someone’s explained basic chord formation and scales and transposition in a way that makes sense to me”
Mike Dickison of Mike’s Ukulele Page

I started using the book - it’s great!!! This is really a helpful and friendly guide.
Jen Kwok

I am really glad I bought your chord progression theory book. You did just a great job! I am taking piano from my daughter’s classical teacher. He is great but somewhat hardcore classical. He tried to explain some of the theory to me, but I think that your book is way more accessible and directly applicable. And this comes from me, someone who has taken theory classes in the past!
Carol Seigal

“Your ‘How to play ukulele chord progressions’ is excellent. It cleared up a number of things for me. I’m just getting into music theory and having something that relates directly to the ukulele was very useful.”
Chris Double

The “How to Play Ukulele Chord Progressions” was great. I got a better sense of hamonized chords, and their fretboard relationship. The feelings the sounds generate for different chords, and how the tension is built and released really made sense.

This ebook is key to understanding chord relationships, and I can take my music to whole new levels.
Terry Truhart

How To Play Christmas Ukulele

An excellent selection of tabs and playing tips… I highly recommend picking it up.
Chris of The UkeCast.

Just have to say again that your “How to Play Christmas Ukulele” is really terrific. There is a fair amount of ukulele Christmas music out there but very little as good as your arrangements. All of your music is very easy to play as well a lot of fun to play.
Art Crocker

The selection of songs is great. There are popular favorites, along with some that I’d never heard of before. All are arranged for beginner to intermediate. I’m definitely in the beginner camp, but have been able to play a few bars of each… Priced at $7.00, this eBook is a bargain.
Ukulele Review

Christmas Gifts for Ukulele Players: Bob Brozman’s Ukulele Tunes & Techniques

Bob Brozman’s Ukulele Tunes & Techniques (DVD)

Bob Brozman is one of my musical heroes. A quick check on YouTube will show you why. It’s not just his playing, it’s his musical philosophizing too. He’s always interesting and often highly quotable (the quote of him on my About page is from this DVD). All that meant that buying this DVD was a bit of a no-brainer for me.

The DVD has Brozman playing through different arrangements of a number of Hawaiian and American tunes tabbed out in the accompanying booklet. Towards the end, he is joined by Hawaiian guitarist and ukulelist Ledward Kaapana. Brozman’s tunes are arranged on D-tuned ukulele and Kaapana’s tunes for low-G ukulele.

The full tab list is:

Hi’ilawe, Meleana’E, The Beach at Waikiki, Ukulele Blues, Sweet Georgia Brown, I’ll See You In My Dreams and Spanish Eyes (Kaapana).

There are also untabbed performances of Ukulele Spaghetti, Tomi Tomi and L&D Slack Key (Kaapana).

The Good Stuff:

- Techniques. This DVD was a huge inspiration on my playing. Each time I watch it I’m itching to to try something new I’ve picked up from it.
- Some of the stuff Brozman pulls off is just fantastic to watch and hear.
- There’s a lot to be learnt here about how to use chord inversions and how to incorporate them into chord solos.
- Some very good examples of how to arrange the same song in different ways to keep it interesting.
- Ledward Kaapana. He’s a big teddy bear and probably the most adorable man in the world. He also pulls of tricks in L&D Slack Key that are worth the price of admission by themselves.

The Not So Good Stuff:

- Tunes. I haven’t learnt a single tune from the DVD. It’s sometimes hard to work out exactly which piece of tab is being played. Sometimes what is being played isn’t tabbed out at all. Brozman turns in a fantastic fingerpicked version of The Beach at Waikiki but all we get tab for is the strummed version. When I watch this DVD I promise myself I’m going to learn one of the songs but it never happens.
- Kaapana isn’t a natural teacher. Bob has to play both faux-naif “What ya doing there, Led?” role and the know-it-all teacher role.
- Tunings. Bob’s in D-tuning which makes chord names confusing for C-tuners (particularly if they’re a bit slow in the head like me). Led’s in low-G which isn’t really a ukulele.

Overall: Inspirational.

More Christmas gifts for ukulele players

Christmas Gifts for Ukulele Players: Herb Ohta - Sophisticated Ukulele

Herb Ohta - Sophisticated Ukulele (Book and CD)

Herb Ohta (or Ohta-San if you prefer) has been playing the uke professionally for over 60 years and has released over 60 albums - he probably knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the uke.

Sophisticated Ukulele is another book in the Jumpin’ Jim’s Ukulele Masters series but is presented in a very different way to the John King book. There is no tab in this book; just chord diagrams and the melody in standard notation.

The book features 26 songs mainly from the Great American Songbook but with 5 Ohta originals. The accompanying CD has Ohta playing solo ukulele versions of 15 of these. The full list of songs:

Dinah, Feeling Like It Lately, Fools Rush In, Georgia On My Mind, I’ll Be Seeing You, Imagine, I Won’t Dance, It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie, Ja-Da, Jeanie, The More I See You, My Blue Heaven, The Nearness Of You, Night & Day, Poipu-I Hawaii, September Song, Sophisticated Hula, Stardust, Sukiyaki, Sunny, Take The A Train, The Very Thought Of You, Waikiki Beach, Waikoloa, When I Fall In Love, Yesterday

Good stuff:
- There are some very nice arrangements here.
- I think anyone who works through this book will come away with some new chord ideas.
- Ja-Da.

Not so good stuff:
- No tab. That’s a big disadvantage to me. Just chords and melody line don’t give the entire story of what he’s actually playing. For those who want to strum and sing, this will not be an issue.
- Many songs aren’t on the CD.

Suitable for: Beginner to intermediate. Those who love to strum through and sing the old standards.

Overall: Well worth the price of admission. The fact you have to do some of the work yourself in putting together arrangements isn’t an entirely bad thing.

If you have this book, leave a comment letting us know your opinion.

Christmas Gifts for Ukulele Players: John King - Classical Ukulele

I’ll be taking a look at some of my favourite ukulele books, DVDs and CDs. If you have a favourite ukulele book DVD etc, let us know about it in the comments.

John King - Classical Ukulele (Book and CD)

There’s little doubt that John King is one of the foremost ukulele technicians (just check out his YouTube channel for proof). He spent many years playing the classical guitar and not only brings the classical repertoire to the ukulele but also brings the classical technique and approach to playing. He’s very big on the ‘campanella’ style - playing one note per string and letting them ring into each other - and uses it throughout the book.

Classical Ukulele is part of Jim Beloff’s Jumpin’ Jim’s Ukulele Masters series and tabs out 19 of King’s arrangements. Although it’s called ‘Classical Ukulele’, around half the pieces in the book couldn’t be classed as classical. And that’s all to the good since my favourite pieces are the traditional tunes (particularly ‘Alekoki and Tarantella Italiana).

Most of the works in the book are arranged for solo ukulele. One, Rigaudon, is arranged for two ukuleles and five are arranged for ukulele and guitar.

The book comes with a CD of all the tabs. King plays a Fluke (which is a blow to those of us who think we’d sound that good if only we were playing a DaSilva special).

You can get a flavour of the style and difficulty with the tabs he has put up on his site.

Full list of tabs:

An Air From County Derry (Danny Boy), Greensleeves, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), The Celebrated Chop Waltz (Chopsticks), Prélude (Op. 28, No. 20), ‘Alekoki, Pupu A‘o ‘Ewa, Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman, Prélude (BWV 846), Ahe Lau Makani, Tarantella Italiana, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Prélude (from BWV 1007), Rigaudon, Für Elise, Menuett, La Carolina, Les Barricades Mystérieuses, The Entertainer

Good stuff:
- The arrangements are the most elegant I’ve ever seen on the ukulele.
- They’re a good challenge for an intermediate player.
- The CD is great. I’ve listened to it for pleasure a number of times.
- It’s a masterclass in the ‘campanella’ style and has been a big influence on how I arrange tunes for the uke.

Not so good stuff:
- If you’ve read his articles on Nalu Music , you’ll know that King is one of the most engaging and knowledgeable ukulele writers there is. I’d have liked to have seen some of that in the book.
- The campanella style can sound a bit weak. I would have preferred beefed-up uke arrangements to guitar accompaniment.
- A bit more guidance on what the right hand should be doing would have helped me.
- Chopsticks?

Suitable for: Intermediate to advanced. Those who like to get stuck in to some tricky and challenging pieces.

Overall: best ukulele tab book I’ve ever bought.

If you have this book, leave a comment letting us know your opinion.

More Christmas gifts for ukulele players