Winter Wonderland

There's a nice version of Winter Wonderland posted on Ukulele Hunt. I'm planning to bring it to the jam tomorrow. If you have a chance, listen to it and check out the chord sheet. It includes a not often heard intro/verse.

http://ukulelehunt.com/2008/12/11/christmas-ukulele-winter-wonderland-chords/

Ukuleles for Peace

Check out Ukuleles for Peace.

From Ukulele Hunt (where you can also find a cool book of uke music, sales of which benefit the project):

The charity is based in Israel and run by Paul Moore who teaches ukulele to Jewish and Arab kids and brings them together in a ukulele orchestra. The goal is to create friendships and links between otherwise entirely separate communities.

The Durham Ukulele Orchestra is in preliminary talks about how we can help. There might be a benefit show in the works. Stay tuned!

(Holiday) Uke Jam

Tomorrow night (Monday, December 15th) is our last jam before Christmas, and the last jam of 2008. I'll be bringing some Christmas tunes. Come on out and bring any holiday tunes, or any songs you'd like to play to bid farewell to 2008!

If anyone is feeling ambitious and inspired, I thought it might be nice to try one of the uke tab solos mentioned in the previous post (below). There's a nice version of Greensleeves (aka What Child is This?). We can all muddle through it together in the second hour.

Uke Jam material

Hi.
George Michaels brought a great set of music to the jam last time, and I wanted to pass on the link so that anyone who wants to can get a copy:


http://ukulelehunt.com/2008/11/12/wilfried-weltis-ukulele-tabs/

This is a set of mostly classical and some other tunes written in tablature. We thought it might be fun to play some of them at the next jam. There's a nice arrangement of Aloha O'e in there too. That tune has a pretty simple chord progression, so maybe next time some people can play the tab and others can play chords.

We're always looking for new ideas for tunes and ways to make the jam fun for everyone. So if you have any ideas, please post them in the comments section, or email me (Marilee) directly.

Next jam is Monday, December 1st. Hope to see you there!
~marilee

Election Eve Uke Jam!

We are having uke jam tomorrow, Monday November 3rd, 7-9, at High Strung. Bring any election appropriate or just plain fun tunes you want to play and come join us!

Durham Uke Orchestra plays the Marvell

The DUO is excited to play another gig at the Marvell Events Center this Wednesday night, October 29th. Doors open at 9. DUO plays, we think, at 11. We love this club, a funky little place with a great vibe in downtown Durham. We'll be playing, in addition to our usual offerings, some tunes chosen for their halloween appropriateness. Come join the fun!

Bookulele fun

We had a great time at Bookulele on Friday night. The Friends School group was fun. The ukulele costumes were cool to see. And the DUO had a great time playing for a really enthusiastic, supportive audience. We even played our first "Encore!" ever. Special thanks to George Michaels, who led us in a fantastic version of The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. George, we hope to play with you again! And our young guest performer AJ: Wow! Thanks for joining us! Extra special thanks to Lee and Christine at High Strung for making the show happen, and to Broad Street Cafe for giving us space to play.

BOOkulele!

The second annual Bookulele show, hosted by High Strung, is happening this Friday night, October 24th, at the Broad Street Cafe in Durham. Performances of halloween and other music by the kids from the Friends' School ukulele class (wait until you hear their set list: awesome!), and the Durham Ukulele Orchestra, joined by some special guests. Check out the uke costume contest - best dressed ukuleles win some great prizes. All ages enthusiastically welcomed. Festivities start at 7 p.m. Free admission. Hope to see you there!

Uke Jam tonight!

Hey everyone.
High Strung is closed today, but we are still having Uke Jam tonight. 7 - 9 p.m., as always. Stop on by and play with us!

Durham Ukulele Orchestra Gig 7/30/08

Hey Everybody,

We're playing a benefit on the 30th. Please come out and see us and make sure to say hi. Here are the details:

**FREE BENEFIT nite for DestroyIndustrY distro/zine, etc.** w/movies @ 8pm & concert @ 930pm mysp...
Age Limit: All ages Tickets: *FREE, donations if u got em*
119 W Main St Durham, NC, US 27701

See you there!

We know Jack...

...plays a ukulele!

Uke Jams in July

There will be uke jams on the 7th and 21st of July. High Strung Guitars. Broad Street, Durham. 7-9pm. See you there!

Gina Gershon plays one, shouldn't you?

Uke Jams in June...

There will be ukulele jams on June 2nd and 16th. High Strung Violins and Guitars. Broad St., Durham. 7 - 9pm. See you there!

A New Level of Cool for the Uke...

Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas

Uke Jams in May...

There will be ukulele jams on May 5 and 19. 7pm. High Strung Violins and Guitars, Broad St., Durham. See you there!!

Ukulele Underground...

I've been meaning to post a link to Ukulele Underground for a while now. This is another site that is updated regularly and is packed full of useful content for beginners and advanced players alike. Enjoy.

Two new famous ukers to add to the list...

Van Morrison plays ukulele on his new record Keep It Simple. You can listen to samples here.(from ukulele hunt)

Also, The dreadlocked wonder boy
Jason Castro from American Idol busted out a uke to sing Over The Rainbow on Idol tonight. Not as great as Iz, but I was happy to see a ukulele broadcast into ten billion households. Get ready for a gazillion pre-teen girls to be the next ukulele enthusiasts.

By way of ukulelehunt.com

Here's our new theme song! Also,if you haven't been over there, you should definitely check out all the fresh content at ukulele hunt.

Uke Jams in April

Hey Everybody! As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, it's a great time to come together and play music. Also a great time to spread the joy that our favorite little instrument can bring. April is bring along a beginner month at the Durham Ukulele Jam, so pick a friend most likely to be in need of some fun, bring them along, and we'll put a ukulele in their hands! What could be better?

April Jams will be on the 7th and 21st. 7-9pm. High Strung Violins and Guitars. Broad Street, Durham.

See you there!

Nice article in the Guardian...

Read it here.

Uke Jams in March...

As Spring aproacheth, so does more ukulele activity...

Uke Jams will happen on March 3rd and 17th. Bring songs about warm weather, fertility, leprechauns, the Easter bunny, pagan rituals, or just any old tune that you like.

Jams start at 7pm. Beginners 7-8pm, Intermediate 8-9pm

High Strung Violins and Guitars, Broad Street, Durham.

See You There!

Paul

Uke Jams in February...

Monday February 4th - Valentines or Anti-Valentines edition - Bring your favorite love or anti love song.

Monday February 18th - Regular Jam

All uke Jams are at High Strung Violins and Guitars - Broad Street, Durham. 7pm
1st hour - beginners
2nd hour- intermediate / advanced

Some people just don't understand...

An article about ukulele players and the people who love them.Via ukulelehunt.com

Durham Ukulele Orch. this Thursday!

This Thursday, Jan 17th, the Durham Ukulele Orchestra (DUO) will play the Broad St. Cafe with Brian and Mary Lewis and Skeedaddle. Show time 8pm. $5. Come join us!

Bringing Songs...

There was a question about the protocol for bringing songs to uke jam. Anybody at any time is encouraged to bring songs to uke jam. We love new songs. When you bring a new song,here are some things to think about:

1. Bring a dozen copies.

2. Make sure it's relatively clean. Hey, we've got kids here!

3. Make sure it's not as long as Alice's Restaurant

4. The song should have common chords in it. Ebm9#5/G is not a common chord. Songs in the key of C, F, or G are particularly good.

5. If it's not a song people know, be prepared to sing it so we can all learn the melody.

That's it!

Uke Jams in January...

Monday January 21. 7pm High Strung Guitars and Violins, Broad St. Durham.
Yes it's MLK, but we're going to jam anyway. Holidays are always better spent with a ukulele!