And that, dear readers, is my quote of the day.... by Emerson Rogers, his response to watching this video. I know exactly what he means. Michael Adcock jamming with the lads from "Shine" (whom I mentioned with high praise in my last post) at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain (UFGB) 2015.
Shine are from Barcelona. Fabulous band, hugely skilled and stylish, they knocked everyone out on the main stage the day after this video was shot. Michael Adcock is from Ludlow and at just 16 is beginning to make a name for himself on the ukulele scene. To see them all enjoying the festival spirit and jamming informally together is just a joy. Established musicians encouraging and jamming with talented up-and-comers - (who actually do deserve this experience, I think, with all the hard work, practice and hours they have put in... how can anyone believe that this stuff is EASY?)... the generosity of spirit and the spontaneity seen here... when people ask "Why ukulele?" ... surely this is the answer!
And did you see Ukulele Bartt joining in there? Yay! Wonderful stuff!
See Michael this weekend in Wigan! Uke@Crooke, run by Wigan Ukulele Club. He will be performing tomorrow evening, Saturday 27th June, just before the bill-topper Phil Doleman! And he'll be giving a workshop in the morning! How's that - wonderful, I say!
If you're not able to do that, well see him here at GNUF Huddersfield in May here!
Thanks for dropping in! Catch you again soon...
Showing posts with label Michael Adcock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Adcock. Show all posts
Friday, 26 June 2015
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
UFGB Cheltenham 2015... second post with a few pics!
Workshops. How can you attend a festival where the best players in the world are giving lessons, and not partake? That's my view, anyway. I usually take two workshops, but this year my attitude has been simply to take as many as I could afford.
So, UFGB in Cheltenham this last weekend...
Any workshop offered by James Hill is a must - he is ukulele "god" as far as I'm concerned, and such a great teacher to boot. Teaching objectives carefully broken down into a step by step progression toward achievement. It was like a dance.... he guided us effortlessly through filling in the melody gaps between given chords to working out the melody line in another song for ourselves. He guided us along, then armed with the know-how and the confidence, we made it on our own. Satisfaction guaranteed! What a great feeling!
And he signed my Little White Uke...
As did Herb Ohta Jnr! Who, if he didn't actually remember us meeting at the Kamaka factory in Honolulu last month, at least graciously pretended he did! Another lovely man... the prize to be taken away from Herb's workshop, straight after James's, was a catalogue of the finger-picking patterns taught to him by his father, Herb Ohta... it was a joy. Those magic numbers on the page, (thank goodness I did have a pen...) telling you which strings to pick with which fingers and in which order - and hearing how they sound, worked into the music. The thing now is to practice them, get them under the fingers and into the brain. Definitely worth making the effort... for as Herb told us - if you can bring yourself some magic into your music, it's a wonderful thing... if you can bring some magic into your music for others to hear, that's the best of all!
We left those workshops, Caroline and I, feeling like cats who had got the cream. Having got the cream, we headed for the beer. And the concerts.
It was impossible to see absolutely every artist. You have to have refreshment... but we saw most. The line-up was pretty impressive. In the afternoon we saw Ben Rouse, Zoe Bestel and Herb Ohta Jnr before taking a break in search of something hearty. They all showcased their own individual style, and were stupendous. Then the evening concert was everything we'd hoped it would be. The first act was at 6.00 and we missed it. You have to eat. We found seats but changed them eventually as the people in front of us were quite a nuisance with their big ipads stuck up to video, and phones glaring lights up under your nose. What a relief it was to find seats where the folk around us were content to sit quietly and watch the show! Much more civilised... there, my little rant off my chest...
We saw Tobias Elof from Denmark playing wonderful Scandinavian folk instrumentals; "Shine", a trio from Barcelona playing swing music from the 30's, Ukulele Bartt, hugely entertaining; Ryo Natayama, a brilliant young player from Japan; The Hot Potato Syncopators, who put on the most polished and comedic set that had people in stitches; and of course the massively accomplished James Hill with his wife Anne Janelle on cello. Surely a line-up that takes some beating.
I have to have a special mention for Shine. Here in the UK you can't count on a standing ovation. It takes a really special performance to get everyone off their behinds. I tell you, when these fellas finished, people leaped to their feet in their appreciation. They were just so darned GOOD! Flying fingers, oodles of style, massive enthusiasm for their music - which was of the best that the swing era produced. The folk rushed out to buy copies of their CD... I know, I was one... those CD's fairly flew off the table!
That just left the Big Busk and the afternoon back at the Norwood Arms for socialising and the open mic. So here are a few pics! I'm always too busy enjoying myself to trouble with too many photos... then afterwards I regret not taking more!
Dead Man's Uke - (the coolest duo around!) and Yours Truly
Benjamyn Rees
Caroline and myself stealing a pic with Bartt!
My favourite pic of the lot! Stealing a pic of Bartt stealing a pic..
Cootching up close for a pic with Dave Morgan of DJ Morgan Ukuleles - The Uke on the table!
with my great pal Caroline Stewart...
Michael Adcock with Ken Middleton
and Michael on stage at the Norwood Arms!
So, UFGB in Cheltenham this last weekend...
Any workshop offered by James Hill is a must - he is ukulele "god" as far as I'm concerned, and such a great teacher to boot. Teaching objectives carefully broken down into a step by step progression toward achievement. It was like a dance.... he guided us effortlessly through filling in the melody gaps between given chords to working out the melody line in another song for ourselves. He guided us along, then armed with the know-how and the confidence, we made it on our own. Satisfaction guaranteed! What a great feeling!
And he signed my Little White Uke...
As did Herb Ohta Jnr! Who, if he didn't actually remember us meeting at the Kamaka factory in Honolulu last month, at least graciously pretended he did! Another lovely man... the prize to be taken away from Herb's workshop, straight after James's, was a catalogue of the finger-picking patterns taught to him by his father, Herb Ohta... it was a joy. Those magic numbers on the page, (thank goodness I did have a pen...) telling you which strings to pick with which fingers and in which order - and hearing how they sound, worked into the music. The thing now is to practice them, get them under the fingers and into the brain. Definitely worth making the effort... for as Herb told us - if you can bring yourself some magic into your music, it's a wonderful thing... if you can bring some magic into your music for others to hear, that's the best of all!
We left those workshops, Caroline and I, feeling like cats who had got the cream. Having got the cream, we headed for the beer. And the concerts.
It was impossible to see absolutely every artist. You have to have refreshment... but we saw most. The line-up was pretty impressive. In the afternoon we saw Ben Rouse, Zoe Bestel and Herb Ohta Jnr before taking a break in search of something hearty. They all showcased their own individual style, and were stupendous. Then the evening concert was everything we'd hoped it would be. The first act was at 6.00 and we missed it. You have to eat. We found seats but changed them eventually as the people in front of us were quite a nuisance with their big ipads stuck up to video, and phones glaring lights up under your nose. What a relief it was to find seats where the folk around us were content to sit quietly and watch the show! Much more civilised... there, my little rant off my chest...
We saw Tobias Elof from Denmark playing wonderful Scandinavian folk instrumentals; "Shine", a trio from Barcelona playing swing music from the 30's, Ukulele Bartt, hugely entertaining; Ryo Natayama, a brilliant young player from Japan; The Hot Potato Syncopators, who put on the most polished and comedic set that had people in stitches; and of course the massively accomplished James Hill with his wife Anne Janelle on cello. Surely a line-up that takes some beating.
I have to have a special mention for Shine. Here in the UK you can't count on a standing ovation. It takes a really special performance to get everyone off their behinds. I tell you, when these fellas finished, people leaped to their feet in their appreciation. They were just so darned GOOD! Flying fingers, oodles of style, massive enthusiasm for their music - which was of the best that the swing era produced. The folk rushed out to buy copies of their CD... I know, I was one... those CD's fairly flew off the table!
That just left the Big Busk and the afternoon back at the Norwood Arms for socialising and the open mic. So here are a few pics! I'm always too busy enjoying myself to trouble with too many photos... then afterwards I regret not taking more!
Dead Man's Uke - (the coolest duo around!) and Yours Truly
Benjamyn Rees
Caroline and myself stealing a pic with Bartt!
My favourite pic of the lot! Stealing a pic of Bartt stealing a pic..
Cootching up close for a pic with Dave Morgan of DJ Morgan Ukuleles - The Uke on the table!
with my great pal Caroline Stewart...
Michael Adcock with Ken Middleton
and Michael on stage at the Norwood Arms!
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Grand Northern Ukulele Festival 2014 - Michael Adcock makes his mark!
I first met 16 year old Michael Adcock two years ago, the first time I went to a George Formby Convention at Blackpool. I remember admiring his Cartwright banjo-uke and chatting with him in the lobby of the Imperial Hotel as we waited for the doors of the convention room to open. Michael has long been a fan of Formby-style playing and is well used to taking the stage at Blackpool, wowing the audience with split-stroke prowess - but he hasn't stopped there.
There are quite a few talented young Formby syncopators right now; brilliant players, all of them - and boy, is it hard to play those Formby solos - but Michael is one player who has branched out and discovered the versatility of the wooden uke, including the music of Roy Smeck. Roy Smeck, self-styled "Wizard of the Strings" was as famous in America during the 1930's as George Formby was here in the UK. He played a number of fretted instruments including ukulele and dazzled his audiences with his playing. I've featured players of his music on here several times before...
Michael also became a huge fan of Peter Moss and has been studying his style, working hard to emulate his hero - to great result! Peter invited Michael to join him on stage at Blackpool, also at the Nantwich Ukulele Festival and now, this last weekend Michael joined Peter Moss and the other fringe players at the GNUF.
And his verdict? "Best weekend of my life!" Well deserved, I reckon.
And here are the pictures to prove it - playing this time with Phil Doleman and also with Ukulelezaza, Remco Hautman-Jannsen
Bottom - with the Mersey Belles and with Zoe Bestel....
Photos thanks to Teresa Adcock.
There are quite a few talented young Formby syncopators right now; brilliant players, all of them - and boy, is it hard to play those Formby solos - but Michael is one player who has branched out and discovered the versatility of the wooden uke, including the music of Roy Smeck. Roy Smeck, self-styled "Wizard of the Strings" was as famous in America during the 1930's as George Formby was here in the UK. He played a number of fretted instruments including ukulele and dazzled his audiences with his playing. I've featured players of his music on here several times before...
Michael also became a huge fan of Peter Moss and has been studying his style, working hard to emulate his hero - to great result! Peter invited Michael to join him on stage at Blackpool, also at the Nantwich Ukulele Festival and now, this last weekend Michael joined Peter Moss and the other fringe players at the GNUF.
And his verdict? "Best weekend of my life!" Well deserved, I reckon.
And here are the pictures to prove it - playing this time with Phil Doleman and also with Ukulelezaza, Remco Hautman-Jannsen
Bottom - with the Mersey Belles and with Zoe Bestel....
Photos thanks to Teresa Adcock.
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