Al Duvall, a grandchild of the Great Depression, was one of many unemployed musicians in 1932 who was sent via time machine into the future to find work, as part of the WPA program. His timing couldn't have been better, for IN TIMES LIKE THESE (SM) we could all use an entertainer whose charm and musicianship once made the Great Depression so great. Hopefully, Al will bring a little bit of Depression to you with his cloud-scattering mirth.

A family friendly weekend retreat for ukulele players of all skill levels! The mission of Ashokan Music and Dance is to support and promote preservation and innovation in traditional music and dance. Our goal is to help keep these traditions vital and accessible in a changing world by providing an environment that fosters the free exchange of ideas among passionate musicians and dancers of all ages. We produce music and dance-focused weekend and week-long educational camps, performance-oriented festivals and concerts, and social and traditional dances to live music.

A gallery. A collection. A place for serious musicians.

THE MOONLIGHTERS have been a part of the New York City jazz and pop music scenes since they formed in 1998. Based around a core of harmonized vocal duets backed by warm acoustic instruments including Hawaiian lap steel guitar, ukulele, guitar and bass, they explore traditional and classic tunes with a unique, romantic approach that is appealing to listeners of all ages.

The Cal-Mum Uke Club is comprised of 5th graders at Caledonia-Mumford Elementary School, a public school in New York State. Students attend one day after school and during lunch time to practice and record songs that are available on our club’s web page. Students perform as an ukulele group with the band and chorus throughout the school year.

Inspiration came in the Spring of 2004 when Bill (aka Papa,) with twin boys in tow, attended the first ever Cigar Box Festival in Northern Kentucky. He was amazed at the look and sound of guitars that were fabricated from simple cigar boxes. As a woodworker he knew he had the familiarity and aptitude with wood, and the passion for music to craft something real. And so it began. The genesis of Papa’s Boxes started with a simple soprano ukulele. Papa’s Boxes attended the NYC Ukulele Festival as a vendor for the first time with one simple “build it yourself” uke kit. By 2006, one of Papa’s Boxes ukuleles had been inducted into the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum. Many of our first instruments didn’t have a clear classification such as banjo, mandolin, guitar, etc. But over the course of several years and through a ton of trial and error, our growing crew at Papa’s Boxes honed and reworked the designs and began to master specific instruments. This year has ushered in an even more interesting and diverse assortment of instruments from sopranos, concerts, tenors, and baritones in the Papa’s Boxes ukulele quiver.

Gallery Kauai is located in Rochester, New York. It was founded in 2001 by Kumu Victoria Kaiulani Visiko and her husband, Wayne Kimo Knox. Kaiulani has been involved in Hula for over 44 years. She has been influenced by and has studied with several Kumu hula (hula masters) on the Islands. Slack Key Guitar & Ukulele Lessons with Rochester’s Kimo Knox

George Sunshine started performing when he was 8 years old. His parents bought him a “Jerry Mahoney” Ventriloquist puppet from the Sears catalogue as a birthday gift. They thought he would play with it, and then lose interest. They began to worry when he started doing shows for his school and other local organizations. They haven’t stopped worrying since. In college, he started playing the Ukulele and combining it with Ventriloquism, created a wonderful one-man show that has been entertaining people for over 30 years. He has appeared on national television with Bill Cosby and on tour with Bill Crystal. “A very entertaining evening. Sunshine & Company is another high score for theatre” - The Daily Freeman

Herbert Khaury (April 12, 1932 – November 30, 1996), better known by the stage name Tiny Tim, was an American singer, ukulele player, and musical archivist. He was most famous for his rendition of Tiptoe Through The Tulips sung in his distinctive high falsetto / vibrato voice. He was generally thought of as a novelty act, though his records display a wide knowledge of American songs. Tiny didn’t have a legal middle name, he came up with Buckingham because it sounded like royalty.

D'Addario's first factory was in Lynbrook, New York, and the initial staff consisted of only five employees. As always, it was a real family operation with John, Sr., John, Jr. and James leading the company's growth and business plans. James' wife Janet helped to design packaging, heading up what would eventually become the company's art department.

J. WALTER HAWKES Originally from Pascagoula, MS, three time Emmy Award winning composer/trombonist/ukulele player J. Walter Hawkes has been an active performer, composer, and arranger/orchestrator in New York City for over fifteen years. He has played and/or recorded with some people you’ve possibly heard of, (Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Jon Hendricks) and many more you haven’t.

All the way from Oahu, HAWAII, Josh Kekoa Cho performs the Musics of the Islands! Hawaiian Rock, Reggae and Folk Music, sung and played on Ukulele, Acoustic Guitar, and Lap Steel Guitar.

Julia Nunes, a YouTube ukulele phenomenon, is a freshman in college. She has been playing guitar and ukulele for four years, and writing original songs for nearly that long. Her first CD, “Left Right Wrong” from JuNu Music, was released in the summer of 2007, consisting of ten original songs, and includes two live performances. Beginning in January 2008, Julia’s unique sense of humor and canny lyric-writing ability, coupled with catchy, can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head melodies, began to be noticed on YouTube. Her videos, cleverly edited, have received more than 2 million views, with subscriptions to her channel in the five figures, and rising.

In the 17th century, the small town of Salle in the Abruzzi region of Italy was considered one of the string centers in Europe. Local church records reveal that the most important string manufacturing families were Berti, Dorazio, Ruffini and MARI. Famous throughout Europe for fabricating the finest gut strings for lutes, guitars and violins, their craft also included constructing some of the earliest strings for wire strung instruments.

The New York Uke Fest was held for several years in various locations in New York in the early 2000s by Ken Bari. It was well attended but always seemd to be in a differetn location every year.

The “live feel’ of your music making radiates through; Ican visualize the stage performance and fun just listening to the recording.” Eddie O’Strange - Town and Country Radio Show, Heard nation-wide in New Zealand

The New York Ukulele School was started in 2007 by Mark Michaels, a musician and music educator with over 25 years of experience. Equally adept on ukulele, guitar and bass in pop, rock, blues, folk, jazz, and country, Mark has been involved in music education since the 70's, and was instrumental in developing on-line instruction for guitar and piano in the 90s.

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.

You'll find her in schoolrooms, amidst the giggles and positive hubbub of creativity, or strumming her ukulele surrounded by laughing faces at festivals, concerts, museums, workshops, school and family programs. You'll find her in the suburbs, in inner city schools and as consultant on educational family cruises as far away as Greece, Italy, the British Isles and Scandinavia.

The RIT Ukulele Club was founded November '12 by several ukulele enthusiasts who have worked diligently to play, compose, and teach ukulele music to musicians of all skill levels. During the year, we can be found playing around campus, rehearsing for a performance, or partaking in other social activities together.

Roy Smeck (born Leroy Smeck, 6 February 1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar,steel guitar, and especially the ukulele earned him the nickname “Wizard of the Strings.” Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Smeck started on the vaudeville circuit. His style was influenced by Eddie Lang, Ikey Robinson, banjoist Harry Reser, Johnny Marvin and steel guitarist Sol Hoopii. Smeck could not sing well, so he developed novelty dances and trick playing to supplement his act.

Ukuleles don’t always get their fair measure of respect. But that doesn’t stop the New York-based band Songs from a Random House from using two ukuleles to create an unconventional pop-music sound.

"The romantic crooning of Crosby and the jazz stylings of Ukulele Ike rolled up in one," was the reaction of WOR Radio to one of Spats White's recent appearances. Variety called Spats "a winning performer." The New York Post praised his show as "a cavalcade of great songs and stories" and The New York Daily News hailed him as "among the best you'll see in the city."

An introduction to the ideas behind the design and construction of my instruments has to begin with some acknowledgments and thanks. In the decade and a half since I began my lutherie journey, I’ve been privileged to meet many great guitar makers and to receive a tremendous wealth of guidance and education from these masters of the art.

Jam session/Meet-up. Players of any ability are welcome. Never played but want to check it out? Stop By! We have a couple of loaner ukes. Bring a piece to share if you like. We meet on alternate Fridays at 5PM. “Bring your uke and leave your cares at home!”