Ukulele giant Lyle Ritz will be performing as an added “legend” this Wednesday night, February 10^th at the Ukulele Legends in Concert at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Bill Tapia, who was to perform in person, will now perform via a media hook up to his home in California. The 102 year old Mr. Tapia who had fallen and broken his hip was not cleared to travel by his physician.

Mr. Tapia had fallen and fractured his hip and underwent surgery over two months ago.  He was all ready and excited to come to Hawaii to perform for everyone but was told by the physician that he is still unable to travel.  With this sad news, Lyle Ritz, a good friend of Herb Ohta and Bill Tapia has accepted to help with this event.  

“It’s unfortunate that Bill will not be able to be here in person,” said Kazu Sekiguchi the Ukulele Foundation of Hawaii’s driving force and promoter of the concert. “We were saddened when we received the news that Bill Tapia will not be able to be here in person but we’re pleased to announce that we have another legendary performer, Lyle Ritz, that will be flying in all the way from Oregon to perform for us on the 10th and the 13th.”

The Concert’s producers quickly scrambled when they received the news that Mr. Tapia would not be coming in person. Through the magic of modern technology and the kind assistance of Lori Estrada of ACN communications a video phone hook up is being put in place to have Bill able to perform at the event. ACN will provide the hardware and technology to beam a video and audio feed to a large screen at the event.  

Lyle Ritz firmly owns the right to be called an ukulele legend. He was one of the first to record and treat the ukulele as a bona fide jazz instrument. The ukulele is often considered a novelty instrument when in its usual Hawaiian surroundings, but Lyle Ritz never felt that way. Born in Cleveland, OH, Ritz studied violin and tuba as a child. While attending college in California, he found a job at the Southern California Music Company in Los Angeles. Working in the “Small Goods Department” meant he took care of harmonicas, accessories, and the instrument that was to become his love, the ukulele. It was the ’50s and he started by playing the hits of the day and some novelty numbers. Guitarist Barney Kessel was also working as an A&R man at the Verve record label at the time, and when he heard Ritz playing live he quickly signed him. Verve released Ritz’s albums How About Uke? in 1957 and 50th State Jazz in 1959. The albums did well in Hawaii but failed to get much attention on the mainland past hardcore jazz collectors. Ritz gave up playing the ukulele professionally and switched to bass.

Ritz experienced a steady stream of work during the ’60s and ’70s as a session musician in Hollywood. Herb Alpert’s “Taste of Honey,” the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” are just three of the 5,000 recordings that feature his bass playing. Ritz later found work in the world of television and film, and his bass was part of the soundtrack to The Rockford Files, Name That Tune, and Kojak, to name just a few. The only work he found with his ukulele was when he was hired to play the parts Steve Martin would pretend to play in The Jerk, but his fandom in Hawaii was slowly growing. Ukulele player and record producer Roy Sakuma hunted Ritz down in 1985 and brought him to the islands for a festival. Ritz had no idea his Verve records were the stuff of legend in Hawaii, but it did influence him to return to the festival during the next three years. In 1988 Ritz decided it was time to “retire” to the islands with his wife, but he still kept up his playing; Roy Sakuma Records released Ritz’s third album, Time, that year. In 2004, Verve reissued How About Uke? Currently living in Oregon, he continues to play his loving tenor ukulele with his unique style. 

「我々が伝説の目撃者となる日」

コードとメロディを同時に演奏する奏法を究め、比類なき演奏スタイルを確立したオータサンこと、ハーブ・オータ。８０枚以上のアルバムを作り、ウクレレの神様と呼ばれ、日本の第２次ウクレレブームに火をつけたと言われるオータサンの信奉者は世界中にいる。

その師匠とも言うべき存在がエディ・カマエだ。若き日のオータサンに大きな影響を与えた。エディはすでに有名な演奏家だったが、その後、自身がリーダーを務めるThe Sons of Hawai`iとともに７０年代のハワイアンルネッサンスにおいて重要な役割を果たした。８０年代に入ってから作り続けているハワイアンミュージックのルーツをたどるドキュメンタリーの映像作品は、ハワイの子どもたちを今も啓蒙し続けている。

そのエディよりもひと世代前に生まれ、ハワイアンミュージックが外の世界の影響を受けて洗練の道をたどり始めた２０年代から活躍し続けるのが１９０８年生まれのビル・タピアだ。ウクレレを初めて作った人とされるマニュエル・ヌネスから直接ウクレレを買ったところから彼の伝説は始まる。１０才からプロミュージシャンとなり、世界ではじめてウクレレでジャズを弾いた人とも言われる。ビルは以降、メインランドに渡りジャズのフィールドで演奏活動を続け、９０歳を過ぎてから初めて、自身のリーダーアルバムをリリースした。

彼らのフィールドはそれぞれ違うが、共通しているのは、今もウクレレとともにプロフェッショナルな演奏家として活躍を続けている事だ。それぞれ先人から影響を受けながら独自の道を歩んだ３人、ウクレレを弾き、音楽を愛する僕らが彼らから受け継がなければいけないものはまだまだたくさんあると思う。それを確認できる機会でもある。

２０１０年、２月１０日、数えきれぬ伝説をそれぞれ作り続けて来た彼らが、今度はともに新しい伝説を作る日がやって来た。

３人で共演するのはもちろん初めてだ。ひとつのステージで彼らはそれぞれ違うスタイルの演奏を披露する。至福のひと時が幻のように過ぎるに違いない。そして我々は伝説の目撃者となるのだ。

関口和之（エグゼクティブ・プロデューサー）

Ukulele Party!  The 3rd Ukulele Pa`ina will be held at Pipeline Cafè on December 6, 2009 (Sunday). Pa`ina is Foundation’s successful event that perpetuates happiness and joy of the ukulele in Ohana style music party filled with lots of Aloha.  

This year, Pa`ina features performances by Kalei Gamiao, Brittni Paiva, Bruce Shimabukuro, Jody & Chris, and students from Ukulele Hale, an ukulele school in Kaimuki. 

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The Ukulele ♪             

A little instrument with a big heart

Friendly and inviting

Creating millions of smiles

With just a simple strum

The Ukulele♪

Kazuyuki Sekiguchi