JAN/FEB 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM SOUNDCHECK Jake Shimabukuro TOP TEN Post-Beatles songs Brandon Ching featuring at least two members of the group on the same track 1. John 5. John , “cold Lennon Turkey” (1969) “instant karma!” (1970) Lennon’s emotional account of kicking heroin features Lennon’s third solo single Starr on drums. features on guitar. 6. , “it don’t come easy” (1971) 2. george harrison, “” Harrison produced and (1987) played guitar on Starr’s first solo hit. Ringo Starr plays drums on this wry sendup of Harrison’s 7. george harrison, former group. “” (1981) 3. ringo starr, “Photograph” (1973) McCartney and Starr join in on this tribute to the late Starr’s chart-topper was co- Lennon. STUCK ON UKE written by Harrison, who also plays guitar. 8. Paul Mccartney, “Beautiful night” (1997) Driven by a new generation of 4. Paul Mccartney, “Take it away” (1982) Starr plays drums and sings aficionados, the ukulele rises again harmony on this ballad gem. That’s Starr playing drums “The ukulele is cool again,” declares John behind his old friend. 9. , “gimme Schroeter, producer and author of Between the Strings: The Secret some Truth” (1971) Lives of Guitars. Inspired by its simplicity and relatively low Harrison plays guitar on cost, amateurs and professionals alike have increasingly Lennon’s spirited protest taken up the instrument in recent years. ‘AS LONG AS IT song. Brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants in the 10. ringo starr, “You’re 18th century, the ukulele remained off the mainland’s radar HAS SOUL sixteen” (1973) until the 1960s—and even then, Tin Pan Alley throwback McCartney contributes a Tiny Tim nudged it further into novelty territory. Over unique solo by imitating a the next 30 years, uke-loving rockers like George TO IT, HIP-HOP saxophone with his mouth. Harrison, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder, Elvis Costello and the Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt CAN LIVE ON.’ helped to gradually increase the instrument’s cachet. Now young acts like Jake Shimabukuro and –TUPAC SHAKUR Brittni Paiva are leading a charge to introduce LIVE NOTES its charms to a new generation. “What I wanted to do was to show the diversity of the ukulele,” > norah Jones’ 36-ciTY Paiva says of her latest album, Four Strings: 1991 spring U.S. tour is scheduled to The Fire Within. The word is spreading over begin on March 5 in Tulsa, Okla., social-networking sites like YouTube, where and continue through Shimabukuro can be found covering Norah Jones early May. pop songs like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” > on March 22 “Think about what David Grisman has done for the mandolin, or what Béla Fleck has Autumn de Wilde Wilco will kick off a 16- done for the banjo,” says Schroeter. “They took their date U.S. tour dubbed respective instruments out of the traditional bluegrass milieu and “An Evening With Wilco,” launched them into jazz, blues, folk, classical and beyond. This is which the band says will precisely what the new generation of ukulele players are bringing feature extended sets to their instrument.” exploring songs from each of its seven studio albums.

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