Jake interview and Google Alerts

itsme

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In case you're not familiar with Google Alerts (and I wasn't until recently) you can set it up to email you on various topics. So I set "ukulele" as the search term, the type to be news articles only, you have a choice of instant, daily or weekly notification, and now I get an email a day with summaries of news articles and links. Sure, a lot of them aren't even worth clicking, but you do find some real gems you otherwise wouldn't by just going to general news sites.

http://www.google.com/alerts

Today's digest contained a link to an interview with Jake. :cool:

http://www.newuniversity.org/2010/01/entertainment/jake-shimabukuro/

I've really come to look forward to this email every day and thought some others here might, too. :)
 
thanks, i signed up for that too.
 
cool idea, thanks for sharing!!
 
Just signed up, thanks for the share.
 
Just wanted to share a quote about the uke from an article that was linked today.

http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_14327967

"It's a small, portable, analog alternative to our complicated digital lives," said Tony Coleman, director of the documentary "Mighty Uke"

What a perfect way to describe the uke! :D
 
Another good article in today's digest with some interesting quotes.

http://www.thespec.com/go/living/article/718486

Boomers are taking a huge interest, according to music store owners. It has become the Freedom 55 instrument -- the thing to buy the day after your retirement party.

Shearer says the uke has become "the social networking instrument." It's as much about socializing as it is about playing, he says. Players love to jam and meet other enthusiasts from around the world over the Internet.

Tony Coleman, co-director of a new documentary about the ukulele called The Mighty Uke (mightyukemovie.com), says ukulele fans "didn't wait for the New York Times to say it was OK to play the ukulele again. They just found each other online and discovered they were part of a growing global community.

"Nobody plays the uke to be cool. Nobody is doing it to make a crapload of money. It's about people who are interested in communicating with each other musically."

He sees it as a sign of seismic changes in how people relate to music.

"For thousands of years we made music together. We sang together when we worshipped, when we worked and when we celebrated. Then at the beginning of the 20th century, the record player came along and all of a sudden you could have Caruso singing in your living room instead of your brother."

This encouraged us to be listeners rather than players. He says we've gone full circle now and want to participate in music rather than be passive listeners. From this the ukulele became the perfect instrument for musical newbies.
 
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