Everyone always talks about Jake, how come I never hear about...........?

ejnovinsky

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The ukulele orchestra of GB who are not only hilarious in that way only the British can be, but incredible musicians.


 
Nice, probably my favorite song by the Talking Heads. I like their harmonies and their use of dynamics.
 
UOGB's version of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" was our wedding march.
I adopted our son (formerly only her son) at the same time, so the title fit.

Their version starts out very subtly (edited to remove the chatter) and as soon as everyone figured out what the tune was they burst out laughing. Good times.
 
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I agree. Jake this. Jake that. Jake everywhere. Sometimes you couldn't be blamed to think there was only one incredible uke player in the world. Lil Rev anyone? Azo Bell? AJ Leonard? I mean many uke lovers haven't even heard of Cliff Edwards. There are an enormous number of wonderful professional and non-professional uke players around and it is a little sad that one takes 80% of the spotlight. No doubting he deserves the plaudits he gets, but surely there's room for more faces in the Uke Kingdom...
 
UOGB's veriong of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" was our wedding march.
I adopted our son (formerly only her son) at the same time, so the title fit.

Their version starts out very subtly (edited to remove the chatter) and as soon as everyone figured out what the tune was they burst out laughing. Good times.


That may be the best thing ever........
 
I agree. Jake this. Jake that. Jake everywhere. Sometimes you couldn't be blamed to think there was only one incredible uke player in the world. Lil Rev anyone? Azo Bell? AJ Leonard? I mean many uke lovers haven't even heard of Cliff Edwards. There are an enormous number of wonderful professional and non-professional uke players around and it is a little sad that one takes 80% of the spotlight. No doubting he deserves the plaudits he gets, but surely there's room for more faces in the Uke Kingdom...


No doubt indeed, the guy is almost otherworldly talented, but yeah thats kinda how I felt about it too, was watching a bunch of UOGB, and even some of your buddy Cliff. (Im trying to learn his version of Paper Moon.) Im no expert on Uke history, or its players.( I actually only started searching for Cliff Edwards because of the last conversation we had about where you get your material.) Maybe we should start a "Jake is not the only uke player out there" video thread huh?
 
I think part of it is just that Jake is such a likeable guy and so very, very enthusiastic about every note he plays. I'm not saying the others aren't but Jake goes out of his way to be very, very approachable and his utter, sold-out enthusiasm for uke comes out in every YouTube video you see (and it's even more amazing live). I love it when he starts "chair dancing" 'cause he just can't contain himself.

Many others are as good as Jake (including many who don't make their living on stage) but I think that he's pretty unique in the way he "brings it." Well...not quite unique...Taimane has that same presence but in a different way. Both of them just own a room from the moment they step on stage.

That said, I knew about UOGB before I knew about Jake! I love their stuff. If they ever tour over here and hit some city within reasonable driving distance...even a weekend road trip...I'll be there in a flash! I also would love to see James Hill, Taimane Gardner, Little Rev, and Ukester Moe if he's still ukin' it. Not to mention Aldrine, Dominator, Ryan, and Matt. I'd love to see Gus and Finn (the GUGUG guys) if they ever make it across the pond (or if I ever make it over there).

John
 
That may be the best thing ever........

Thanks

It was a good day
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Why do conversations about "there are many talented uke players out there" always wind up being about Jake S? Everyone here acts like he is the ambassador of uke to the world but no one I know has ever heard of him and I hadn't till I started playing. People here defend him, poke at his skills vs the public perception of his skills, etc. I have been here leas than 2 months and it is already old as hell. Makes me glad that I am too young to have dealt with Beatlemania and too old for Biebermania.

If you want to promote uke players - ANY uke players, just talk about THEM. And end this constant comparison. The OP, by mentioning him when the intent seems to be more "hey these guys are awesome" (I concur) just turns it into another Jakefest. Thereby defeating the exact point it seems the OP was trying to make, that this joint is Jake saturated.

/rant
 
I love the UOOGB. They are awesome. Jake is probably one of the most gifted musicians, let alone ukulele players, in the world today. The man is the Jimi Hendrix of ukulele but there is plenty of room in ukeledom for every great player both pro and non. I love all the artists mentioned and I'm currently listening to The Barnkickers who deserve far more attention than they get. Sadly, I think more people of the general population would know of more great uke players if the uke was considered a mainstream instrument. It should be!

The ukulele orchestra of GB who are not only hilarious in that way only the British can be, but incredible musicians.


 
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these are some of my favourites of theirs. Got to see them live last month and it was just wonderful...

"Teenage Dirtbag"


"Hard To Handle"


"Hot Tamales"


"You Don't Bring Me Flowers"
 
Jake has a lot of credibility outside ukulele circles. I know many people who are serious music afficianados with very broad tastes who only know one uke player, and it's Jake. I confess that when I am trying to show someone that the uke *is* a serious mainstream instrument, I immediately go to Youtube and pull up Jake's Bohemian Rhapsody and While My Guitar Gently Weeps for validation.

For me, it was Jake and James Hill that caught my eye first, but it was the UOoGB and the Ooks of Hazard that convinced me to actually go buy a uke. ;)
 
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I don't know much about Jake S, except that he's a virtuoso. I think the most important thing is to be curious; to check out all kinds of music - ukulele or otherwise. The fact that some people get a lot of recognition over and over, is due to the fact that listeners do not seem to be curious enough. They stick to the performer already getting the most attention, instead of investing time and effort in investigating the outer limits of whatever they are interested in. A jazz fan, for instance, would be richer if he/she checked out other artists than just the 'big' names. The wonderful internet, with its unbelievable wealth of recorded material, is such a gold mine these days. Listeners should be on the lookout, and trust themselves and their own taste - not just take for granted that a big shot is necessarily an accomplished artist. As for Jake S, I only wish him the best. He has been blessed with great talent. The interesting thing to see is what he will do with that talent in the future.
 
I think part of it is just that Jake is such a likeable guy and so very, very enthusiastic about every note he plays. I'm not saying the others aren't but Jake goes out of his way to be very, very approachable and his utter, sold-out enthusiasm for uke comes out in every YouTube video you see (and it's even more amazing live). I love it when he starts "chair dancing" 'cause he just can't contain himself.

Many others are as good as Jake (including many who don't make their living on stage) but I think that he's pretty unique in the way he "brings it." Well...not quite unique...Taimane has that same presence but in a different way. Both of them just own a room from the moment they step on stage.

That said, I knew about UOGB before I knew about Jake! I love their stuff. If they ever tour over here and hit some city within reasonable driving distance...even a weekend road trip...I'll be there in a flash! I also would love to see James Hill, Taimane Gardner, Little Rev, and Ukester Moe if he's still ukin' it. Not to mention Aldrine, Dominator, Ryan, and Matt. I'd love to see Gus and Finn (the GUGUG guys) if they ever make it across the pond (or if I ever make it over there).

John
In 2009 the UOGB did a big concert at the Albert Hall in London, where they invited everyone to bring their ukes along and join in on "Ode to Joy" - I traveled to London to take part in that, and it was such HUGE fun - everybody jammin' outside, before the concert, an inside - 1000 ukuleles! It was an incredible experience!
 
But why does uke have to be like it's own special little novelty? Why does it have to be "Ukulele Orchetra" - why can't they just be a group of musicians that happen to play uke? Why is Jake or James great ukulele musicians, and not just great musicians? It's just another instrument, and one that we here happen to love, but it's a choice among many choices. Why is it treated by us, and by the media, as some other thing off to the side? Let's quit seeing it as a novelty of putting ukulele before our names like Ukulele John and Ukulele Tim And Ukulele Betty, or putting Ukulele in the group name - and just let's play what we play and be who we are, and either the listening public gets it or they don't. Critics like to pigeonhole musicians into this or that category anyway. Let's not give them anymore help at that.
 
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