( In the studio with Ray Charles ) "Lyle Joseph Ritz" (born January 10, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American jazz ukulele musician who was a key part of the Hawaii ukulele genre. As part of the "The Wrecking Crew", Ritz contributed to many American pop hits from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s. He was inducted to the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum in 2007 and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.

Benny Chong taught himself to play the ukulele when he was about 11 years old. After nine years or so, he virtually put the ukulele away for some thirty-five years. Benny was the guitarist with the Ali’is, the band that backed up Don Ho. In 2000, He was invited him to be one of the four artists in “The Art of Solo ukulele”, a concert series that led to a CD and a public TV special. These events revitalized his interest in the ukulele, resulting in his album.

Bill Tapia (January 1, 1908 – December 2, 2011), known as “Uncle Bill” and “Tappy”, was an American musician, born to Portuguese parents. At age 8, Tapia was already a professional musician, playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” for World War I troops in Hawaii.

"Byron Yasui" has been on the music faculty at theUniversity of Hawaii in his native Honolulu since 1972, where he teaches music theory, composition, and jazz improvisation. His experiences as a classroom instructor of 'ukulele include workshops at the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum Expositions of 2001, 2002, and 2003 (all on the east coast), the 2004 UkeFestWest in Santa Cruz, California, the Ukulele Guild of Hawai'i" annual conventions of 2002, 2003, and 2004, countless workshops at the University of Hawai'i Windward Community College since 2002, the Aloha Music Camps of 2004 and 2005 (Molok'i), and various one day workshops on all of the Hawaiian islands since 2000. Many of these workshops were tied in with his participation as an `ukulele soloist in concerts at the various venues.

Abe Lagrimas, Jr. is a versatile multi-instrumentalist who begun his musical journey when he first sat behind the drums at the age of four. As he learned more about drums and music, Abe gained an interest in other instruments as his career progressed. Predominantly known as a drummer, Abe is highly proficient on the vibraphone and the ukulele and continues to perform throughout the world on all three instruments and in many different musical situations.

As an Author and Publisher I created Curt Sheller Publications in 1998 as a small publishing company catering to the needs of musicians, guitar players and ukulele players worldwide. Curt Sheller Publications provides for the resources and information to develop as a musician. Curt Sheller has over 40 years of playing experience, 20 plus years of teaching experience and publishing for over 10 years. As a Musician I have over 40 years playing experience in a variety of styles and s settings, most notably jazz. As a Private Music Teacher and *Educator Curt maintains a teaching schedule averaging between 40 and 60 private students a week.

Sarah Maisel (ukulele and vocals), hailed as the “Queen of Jazz Ukulele” by international music critics, has taken the world by storm and strum. 2013 has been quite a milestone for Sarah as she found herself performing for the first time overseas at the largest ukulele festivals in England and Australia.

I began playing guitar at the age of fourteen, but my first musical instrument was a plastic recorder (song flute) that my brother gave to me. I would play along with records or with the music on the radio. I never thought about what I was doing I just played what sounded right to me. It must have sounded pretty good because my brothers would have me perform for their friends. They would turn on the radio and I would immediately be able to play along with whatever song they found. I also played the musical instruments that my three brothers would bring home from their school music lessons, a trumpet, a violin and a snare drum. My brothers quickly tired of their music lessons but during those few short months the instruments were in the house I had a wonderful time making sounds and attempting to make music with these instruments.

Christopher Davis-Shannon's music is the essence of honest simplicity. Bringing together influence ranging from Fats Waller to Chet Baker, he creates an atmosphere that will instantly transport you back to jazz clubs, and speakeasies of the early 20th century. Not Content being labeled a traditionalist, he forges ahead breathing new life into old classics, weaving together a sound that is enjoyed by both young and old.

After playing the guitar for over 40 years, Craig discovered the ukulele, and has not looked back. Although he enjoys nearly all styles of music, his true passion is creating chord melody arrangements and finds the ukulele to be a perfect fit. Craig’s ukulele idols include Herb Ohta-San, Benny Chong, and Lyle Ritz. However, his single greatest influence is the legendary guitar player and arranger, Howard Heitmeyer.

I listen to a lot of Jazz.  I take my piano voicings from Oscar Peterson,  I like the style of Wes Montgomery (for my leads - the octaves), i like Charlie Mingus too....

With The Paul Hemmings Uketet, the unassuming four-stringed Hawaiian instrument takes its place front and center, alongside bass and drums, in a well-seasoned jazz combo that pushes the boundaries of what has often been considered a mere novelty instrument. Based in New York City.