Author Nick: Kainoa Louis
Name: Kainoa Louis
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Where most ukulele virtuosos are known for their playing and recording, Roy Sakuma is known for his teaching. A protégé of the renowned ukulele player Ohta-san, Sakuma has dedicated his life to fostering interest in the instrument by teaching others how to play it. His methods allows students who have no experience with music to [...]
Moe Keale (1939-2002) was a ukulele great and a huge influence on the exposure of mainland audiences to Hawaiian culture. He was an actor, a musician, a tradesperson and an entrepreneur whose roots were firmly in the Hawaiian Islands. He was among the few full-blooded Hawaiians remaining in the 20th Century, and he grew up [...]
Kelly Boy Delima is a ukulele virtuoso with a long history in Hawaiian music. He is most well-known for being the leader of the band Kapena, which has become largely a family affair over the years, with his children performing and singing as part of the band, along with other musicians. The band has released [...]
Herb Ohta Jr. continues on the virtuoso ukulele playing of his legendary father, Ohta-san. His style, however, is his own and he has carved out his own niche as one of Hawaii’s premier musicians. His interest in the ukulele goes back to his childhood, when he began learning songs at the young age of 3. [...]
Troy Fernandez is widely-considered one of the best ukulele players alive. He is known for his very fast fingers and his virtuoso style. He began playing the instrument early in life. Ukulele is a common part of Hawaiian music education, but it was apparent from the start that Fernandez was not the average elementary school [...]
Israel Kamakawiwoole’s fame was such that, when he died in July of 1997, all the flags in Hawaii flew at half mast. He was among the Hawaiian musicians who managed to achieve fame on the islands and on the mainland, and his rendition of Wonderful World charted on Billboard. His influence on Hawaiian music was [...]
Today’s ukulele musicians are introducing the instrument into the mainstream with more seriousness than in the past. The ukulele, because of its small size and the popular misconception that it’s not a “real” instrument, was oftentimes viewed as a toy or a novelty by non-islanders. Today, however, musicians such as James Hill and Jake Shimabukuro [...]
Peter Moon is known principally for his ukulele playing in Slack Key music. This traditional music of the Pacific Islands constitutes one of the rich musical elements of the Hawaiian Islands. Moon is given great credit for dedicating a great deal of his life toward the promotion of Slack Key and other forms of traditional [...]
Herb Ohta—who also goes under the name Ohta-san—is probably more associated with the ukulele than any other individual. He has recorded an astounding number of albums since the 1960s and is the recipient of several awards, including some of the highest honors for Hawaiian musicians. His virtuosity is legendary and his prolific nature has resulted [...]
Coffee is far more than a cup of Joe. There are almost infinite ways that this beverage can be prepared and, depending upon your tastes, its flavor can be altered to be sweeter, bolder or most anything else. The entire process starts, however, with a properly-brewed and high-quality cup of coffee. Just as refrigeration will [...]
