SOTU 584 - Death and Life (Funeral Farewells)

emba said:
My song this week is “A Satisfied Mind”, though I feel like a hypocrite since my latest foray into the Marketplace netted me the nice new-to-me uke in the video and proved that as far as UAS goes, my mind is not satisfied. :)
Click to expand...
As a fellow UAS sufferer, I'd argue that the mind is strong, but the sprit, soul, and heart are mostly to blame when UAS takes over. The mind definitely knows that I don't need another uke. I just loses the difficult battle often.

And hey, the new uke has already made it to a video, so it's obviously well worth it!!
 
This is my best shot at covering Muse's version of "Feeling Good" after more takes than I'd care to disclose. Some of my favorite lines at the end ("Freer than you") only show up in the Muse version, which might be the hardest to sing. I guess I coulda tried to make it my own (and potentially simplify it further), but I don't have enough practice with that or time, as this Season is drawing to a close. Just under eight hours to get your last entries for 584 in! It's been a fun season so far with some very heartfelt renditions of some great songs. Thanks everyone for sharing!!

btw, this is my first time performing with sunglasses. I think it helps! I've just started to practice really singing out with all my heart and they just provide that little extra something for those parts you just have to let loose. I need more practice balancing and ramping up and down, while maintaining a steady strum, but I can already notice some improvement. All thanks to the Seasons!
 
Got a few more for ya. This is an old Guy Clark song that had better be played at my funeral.
 

I'm a mathematics teacher.

This is the only song I know that's about saying farewell to a mathematics teacher.

And I've done my best to kill the mathematics teacher inside me who would treat people like the teacher described in this Hoosiers song.

That makes this one a celebration of life, really :p
 
I got my dad song in under the wire. It’s still not quite as clean as I’d like, but I’m going to keep playing it, and memorize it, and perform it … so thank you for helping me bring it back!

Here’s the story:

In 1998, as my dad, a talented jazz composer, was living out his remaining months of life with a terminal cancer diagnosis, and years before I ever picked up a ukulele or wrote any music of my own, I proposed a novel idea. “Dad,” I said, “Let’s write a song together!”

”Great idea,” says Dad, handing me a cassette tape and some hand-penciled sheet music. “Here’s a piece I wrote years ago … you write the lyrics.”

He’d written the piece for a young man he knew who had died suddenly and unexpectedly. The piece was titled, “And Now He’s Gone”.

This was far from the fun, lighthearted, collaborative project I’d envisioned. Immediately I knew, of course, that the song would have to be about my dad, who we both knew was soon to be gone himself. It took me weeks of listening to the tape of dad’s office jazz band playing the piece, to begin to even wrap my mind around the tune. It’s jazz. It’s complicated.

Finally, I began to write some dummy lyrics, “It’s so hard to write a song….”, while I listened to the cassette, and that helped me finally learn the tune. That enabled me to finally begin to tackle writing some “real words” that I could sing to my dad.

I sang the song to him, a cappella, several times before he died, including once during his last moments of lucidity before he slipped into his own world in his last few days. He cried, I cried, it was very moving.

A decade and a half later, I began my ukulele journey, and within weeks I was making weekly Seasons of the Ukulele videos. About four months into my Seasons participation, a theme came up similar to this one. It was time to add some accompaniment to “And Now He’s Gone”. I stayed up late into the night, puzzling over two different versions of my dad’s hand-penciled sheet music, looking up chord notations on Wikipedia, and working out the best-sounding 4-note alternatives to the complex 9th and 13th and 7b5 jazz chords.

Being able to actually play them was a whole other challenge. I’ve performed this song many times over the years, and made several videos, but I’ve never really been able to play it cleanly. So this week I practiced a whole bunch, and it’s gotten a lot better. It’s almost there.

Then I went away for 4 days to yet another musical weekend thing, and stoppped practicing until today, when finally, on the shores of lovely Lake Gkula (pr “Goola”) at the Woodfork Folk Festival site, I made you this. I apologize I didn’t realize until after that you couldn’t see my hands playing those funky jazz chords. I can post a chart if anyone is interested.

 
There's still more than an hour to try a second take, but I thought I'd leave it as is. I selected a song that isn't too complicated to learn in a short time. After all, I'd much rather prefer a situation in which my close ones don't have to start the grieving process a long time in advance...

My bring this week is a melancholic tune with a fitting title, based on a traditional Catalan folk song. The arrangement is by Roger Ruthen, and is available from his website:

https://pdfminstrel.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/el_testamento2.pdf

For guitar this composition by Llobet has become the most common version:
https://imslp.org/wiki/El_testament_d'Amelia_(Llobet%2C_Miguel)

About the song:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_testament_d%27Am%C3%A8lia#:~:text=El%20testament%20d'Am%C3%A8lia%20is,Llobet's%20Canciones%20Populares%20Catalanas.

 
DelGriff said:
Thanks for hosting, Chris - I get the impression you’re really enjoying it! :)
Click to expand...
Sure did!

hands_on_lanzon said:
I'm horrible with names... it'll take me a while to learn all of yours.
Click to expand...
I'll be the first to admit that I can often be a bit of nerd, but this is how I need to arrange data and organize my scattered brain.
I created this spreadsheet, trying to figure out my wrap-up. In going thru the thread, I noticed that I had missed adding a few songs to the playlist.

If you tend to focus on the playlist to get your Seasons fix, please check out the list below to see if there are any songs you may have missed that spark your viewing interest! Feel free to PM me with any missing fields that I couldn't seem to get from the thread or YouTube descriptions and comments.

SOTU 584.JPG

There were so many great performances with various vibes, feels, emotions, and themes that all fit well within the Season! I've only been around the SOTU for a couple months now and I feel like hosting has been a deep dive in getting to know everyone a bit more... or at least the 30+ of you who participated and submitted 60+ songs! Thanks all of you who submitted songs, posts on the thread, or comments on YouTube!

I was blown away by some of the original songs and by many new songs that seem to become the original (to me) and make the originals feel like the cover. There were also some amazing instrumentals on some gorgeous sounding ukes!

I was in awe, appreciative of and inspired by the emotion and vulnerability that you're willing to display for UU and the world of the interwebs who are lucky enough to come across it. There were more than a handful of songs that wrenched my gut or made me smile or honestly laugh out loud.

I found that the task of picking three "winners" is IMPOSSIBLE for me and I really don't know how some hosts do it! Like I said earlier in the Season, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into! 😅 If I were somehow forced to pick just three, I'd go with the following, in no particular order and based purely on my gut:
  • @pabrizzer , Brian for his cover of "I'll Fly Away." This was one of the first entries I was hooked from the first bar. I thought it was going to be a great lil' instrumental, then he hit me with the amazing vocals and my eyes honestly started to well up a bit by the end of it all. It's truly a touching cover! He later added a paoriginal, "in frozen peace" that chills to the bone. Good stuff!
  • @Cornfield for his four in one day entries. His version of "We Become Birds" caught my attention with its interesting message and surprise connection to the Mesas... I think it connected to my recent road trip through the Southwest, Navajo and Hopi land. Then he sealed the deal with a heartfelt version of one of my favorites, "I Will Follow You Into The Dark." He closed out with "Mouse" and "When I Go", which were also very unique and touching.
  • @LimousinLil , Val for her covers of "That's Life" and "Boum." I just loved the spirit of both of these songs. Val sings them with so much joy and emotion that I can feel through the screen and I can't help but smile.
It might be a bit morbid, but I think part of the emotion for me watching this season was thinking of these songs actually being played at the funeral proceedings of each Seasonista... what kind of impact it would have on those in attendance.

Anyways, like I said, there were too many great entries to really pick just three, and here's the thing... since I'm making the postcards, I don't have to limit myself! I've been needing to draw and paint more and what better inspiration than to share with fellow Seasonistas?!?

So I'm willing to paint a postcard for anyone who's interested. Just send me a PM with your name and address!!

Sorry this has been such a long wrap-up. I have no idea what I'm doing!! That said, I also wanted to highlight a few other favorites that I would love to do a postcard for, whether their song inspired some art in my head or just hit my gut or made me smile. It's hard to do this without feeling like I'm leaving out some other great entries, but what the heck... it is what it is, right? Here's a little list with a few short words.

  • Voran's "Oak Tree and Bleached Bone" - great opening entry with amazing visuals, vocals, and location.
  • Jim's many entries, but especially "My Buddy" and of course his duet with Edwin! (what a treat!!). So much good stuff, but this one was truly heartfelt.
  • Edwin's in-person duet with Jim, "Come On Up To The House" was definitely a highlight, but he had me with "In The Aeroplane Over the Sea." What an effort, to travel and play some great ones! I had heard his first song years ago and was pleased to hear it again for the first time.
  • Bob's "I'm Not Afraid to Die" and my addition of his version of "Flirted With You All My Life." Sheesh! Both super heavy, played amazingly with great vocals. How is this NOT in my "top three?!?" It's truly impossible!!!
  • Brian Fergus' instrumental, "I Remember Clifford." WOW! Beautiful uke and beautiful arrangement. This made me bust out the headphones for a proper listen.
  • Chris' "Trouble." Loved this version of a song I already love from a movie I love. Go check out Harold and Maude, folks!!
  • Steve's "A Proper Sort of Gardener." What a message! Made me feel like living aloha!
  • Wendy's "And Now He's Gone." Another gut wrencher! Great story, meaning, and arrangement.
  • Jon's "Riding to New York." Speaking of gut wrenchers. Jon leaves his heart and soul out there for us on this one. So good!
  • Kev's "No Hard Feelings." This would get a standing ovation if I were watching in person. Great arrangement and vocal harmonies. I love the Avett Brothers too! Amazing performance by the whole band. Gotta check out that double necked uke* (@bobjking 😉)!
    • *read the YouTube comments and please let me know I'm not the only one
  • Rob's "Summer's End." This one got me! Reading back on Randy's story and watching some of his old entries seriously brought a tear to my eye and let me know what a special place I've found with the Seasons.
You can see from this list that I was truly amazed by everyone and I could easily keep going with this list. Everyone's entries were so good!
Again, please PM me if you're interested in a postcard!!

And with that said, I think that's a wrap and 'another warm Season's coming to a close.'
I'll leave you with this last Host's pick to close us out properly...



TLDR: I'm a sucker for the Seasons and I'm willing to paint all participants a postcard. PM me!
 
hands_on_lanzon said:
Sure did!


I'll be the first to admit that I can often be a bit of nerd, but this is how I need to arrange data and organize my scattered brain.
I created this spreadsheet, trying to figure out my wrap-up. In going thru the thread, I noticed that I had missed adding a few songs to the playlist.

If you tend to focus on the playlist to get your Seasons fix, please check out the list below to see if there are any songs you may have missed that spark your viewing interest! Feel free to PM me with any missing fields that I couldn't seem to get from the thread or YouTube descriptions and comments.

View attachment 151682

There were so many great performances with various vibes, feels, emotions, and themes that all fit well within the Season! I've only been around the SOTU for a couple months now and I feel like hosting has been a deep dive in getting to know everyone a bit more... or at least the 30+ of you who participated and submitted 60+ songs! Thanks all of you who submitted songs, posts on the thread, or comments on YouTube!

I was blown away by some of the original songs and by many new songs that seem to become the original (to me) and make the originals feel like the cover. There were also some amazing instrumentals on some gorgeous sounding ukes!

I was in awe, appreciative of and inspired by the emotion and vulnerability that you're willing to display for UU and the world of the interwebs who are lucky enough to come across it. There were more than a handful of songs that wrenched my gut or made me smile or honestly laugh out loud.

I found that the task of picking three "winners" is IMPOSSIBLE for me and I really don't know how some hosts do it! Like I said earlier in the Season, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into! 😅 If I were somehow forced to pick just three, I'd go with the following, in no particular order and based purely on my gut:
  • @pabrizzer , Brian for his cover of "I'll Fly Away." This was one of the first entries I was hooked from the first bar. I thought it was going to be a great lil' instrumental, then he hit me with the amazing vocals and my eyes honestly started to well up a bit by the end of it all. It's truly a touching cover! He later added a paoriginal, "in frozen peace" that chills to the bone. Good stuff!
  • @Cornfield for his four in one day entries. His version of "We Become Birds" caught my attention with its interesting message and surprise connection to the Mesas... I think it connected to my recent road trip through the Southwest, Navajo and Hopi land. Then he sealed the deal with a heartfelt version of one of my favorites, "I Will Follow You Into The Dark." He closed out with "Mouse" and "When I Go", which were also very unique and touching.
  • @LimousinLil , Val for her covers of "That's Life" and "Boum." I just loved the spirit of both of these songs. Val sings them with so much joy and emotion that I can feel through the screen and I can't help but smile.
It might be a bit morbid, but I think part of the emotion for me watching this season was thinking of these songs actually being played at the funeral proceedings of each Seasonista... what kind of impact it would have on those in attendance.

Anyways, like I said, there were too many great entries to really pick just three, and here's the thing... since I'm making the postcards, I don't have to limit myself! I've been needing to draw and paint more and what better inspiration than to share with fellow Seasonistas?!?

So I'm willing to paint a postcard for anyone who's interested. Just send me a PM with your name and address!!

Sorry this has been such a long wrap-up. I have no idea what I'm doing!! That said, I also wanted to highlight a few other favorites that I would love to do a postcard for, whether their song inspired some art in my head or just hit my gut or made me smile. It's hard to do this without feeling like I'm leaving out some other great entries, but what the heck... it is what it is, right? Here's a little list with a few short words.

  • Voran's "Oak Tree and Bleached Bone" - great opening entry with amazing visuals, vocals, and location.
  • Jim's many entries, but especially "My Buddy" and of course his duet with Edwin! (what a treat!!). So much good stuff, but this one was truly heartfelt.
  • Edwin's in-person duet with Jim, "Come On Up To The House" was definitely a highlight, but he had me with "In The Aeroplane Over the Sea." What an effort, to travel and play some great ones! I had heard his first song years ago and was pleased to hear it again for the first time.
  • Bob's "I'm Not Afraid to Die" and my addition of his version of "Flirted With You All My Life." Sheesh! Both super heavy, played amazingly with great vocals. How is this NOT in my "top three?!?" It's truly impossible!!!
  • Brian Fergus' instrumental, "I Remember Clifford." WOW! Beautiful uke and beautiful arrangement. This made me bust out the headphones for a proper listen.
  • Chris' "Trouble." Loved this version of a song I already love from a movie I love. Go check out Harold and Maude, folks!!
  • Steve's "A Proper Sort of Gardener." What a message! Made me feel like living aloha!
  • Wendy's "And Now He's Gone." Another gut wrencher! Great story, meaning, and arrangement.
  • Jon's "Riding to New York." Speaking of gut wrenchers. Jon leaves his heart and soul out there for us on this one. So good!
  • Kev's "No Hard Feelings." This would get a standing ovation if I were watching in person. Great arrangement and vocal harmonies. I love the Avett Brothers too! Amazing performance by the whole band. Gotta check out that double necked uke* (@bobjking 😉)!
    • *read the YouTube comments and please let me know I'm not the only one
  • Rob's "Summer's End." This one got me! Reading back on Randy's story and watching some of his old entries seriously brought a tear to my eye and let me know what a special place I've found with the Seasons.
You can see from this list that I was truly amazed by everyone and I could easily keep going with this list. Everyone's entries were so good!
Again, please PM me if you're interested in a postcard!!

And with that said, I think that's a wrap and 'another warm Season's coming to a close.'
I'll leave you with this last Host's pick to close us out properly...



TLDR: I'm a sucker for the Seasons and I'm willing to paint all participants a postcard. PM me!
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the honourable mention, Chris ... very much appreciated! You've done a wonderful, comprehensive job with your first Season ... really hope you'll be back to host again
 
Thanks for mentioning my entries. The only reason I did 4 in a matter of a couple hours was the recent passing of a friend. I would rather the friend still be here.
 
Thanks so much for stepping up and hosting a super season Chris. Great topic and I'm sorry that I let the death songs outnumber the life ones, but murder ballads seem to be something that attracts me.
 
Jim Yates said:
Thanks so much for stepping up and hosting a super season Chris. Great topic and I'm sorry that I let the death songs outnumber the life ones, but murder ballads seem to be something that attracts me.
Click to expand...
No worries whatsoever. I enjoyed every single one! Thanks for your entries!!

I really appreciate the hosting praise from everyone and everyone's entries as well. It's definitely not a thankless gig!
 
Last edited:
Cornfield said:
Thanks for mentioning my entries. The only reason I did 4 in a matter of a couple hours was the recent passing of a friend. I would rather the friend still be here.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that. Sending my beat juju out to you and all the folks here who may have lost loved ones recently! I hope some of the music helped in the healing process, even in the slightest!!
 
Hey, Chris! Thanks for hosting a great season and for the detailed wrap-up with the spreadsheet and all. It is extra impressive to see all that time, effort, inspiration, and talent laid out in a table like that. I hope you liked the experience and that others will follow your excellent example and give the seasons and hosting a try.
-Yukio (aka Chris, too)
 
I did learn the song. Finally. :) Took too long though. :)
 
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