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I don’t know about the rest of you strummers out there but, to me, the past few months (year?) have been ones of WAITING.  Waiting for “this” to end, waiting for “that” to begin, waiting for things to “go away,” waiting for things to simply “get better.”  The year without ending–2020.

There is, of course, the so-called “light at the end of the tunnel” but the route through seems long and the number of tunnels ahead are unknown–politically or pandemically. 

But, while there is always “hope,” my musical muse this week is pushing me toward the more pensive words of “waiting,” “wait,” “waited.”   

Let’s start with one of the earliest so-called “wait songs.” This was “Wait for the Wagon,” first published in 1851, that became a popular dance tune during the Civil War and an advertising freebie for the earliest of automobile companies.

Tap or click on the next image to hear a re-interpretation of this oldie. No ukuleles in this one but there is some good finger picking on a fretless banjo. You don’t hear one of those played that often!

There’s a batch of similar songs out there from those good old musical days, so—no more waiting, gentle readers—here we go!

By far, most of the “waiting songs” deal with the absence and anticipation of finding romance or reuniting with it.

Here’s this song from the movie “The Harvey Girls” sung by Kenny Baker. They girl isn’t Judy Garland, the star of the film, rather it’s Cyd Charisse–a much better dancer! Click or tap on the next image or link to see them in action.

While much of this longing had to do with good old boy/girl romance, the separations of wartime brought on particularly poignant songs.

Still others could be construed as a bit of salacious longing for an amorous lover’s (or over-amorous lecher’s) tryst.

And it gets worse: turns out our lover boy is a phone stalker, way back in 1919:

“Willie Snow each night would go to see his sweetheart Flo.
Her folks would always sit around the room until he’d go.
Willie never had a chance to be with her alone,
But this is what he’d tell her when he’d call her on the phone:

Wait ’till I get you alone!
Wait ’till I get you alone!

When there’s no one around to see,
I’ll make you give me all the love you promised me.
Wait ’till I get you alone.

When there is nobody home,
Your mother surely ought to know I love you so.
But she don’t understand and I want her to know,
That I’m not made of ice because my name is Snow!

Oh, wait ’till I get you alone… “

And, of course, others were just about waiting for something good to happen—luck or romance.

This one was a wartime favorite. Tap or click on the next image or link for a ride on this one.

Here’s another “waiting song,” this one by Jimmie Rogers who, as the “Singing Brakeman,” has some serious railroad cred!

Click or tap on the next image or link for a ukulele–plastic, no less–version of this sad, sad song.

First trains then ships! Here’s a recording of this one by the old crooner himself. Click or tap on the next image or link for a soothing, but melancholy, listen.

Now, on to something a bit peppier! This one is a great ragtime tune from 1912 that has found it’s way onto the vaudeville stage and into several movies over the years.

Alas, too many of the YouTubes of this tune feature a bit too much minstrel or blackface imagery for this little musing, but here is one take that captures the lively tune without too much tarnish. Click or tap on the next image or link to check out a pair of our favorite performers, doing their version of a “shuffle”–one of them backwards and in heels!

So, as some of the things we have waited and waited for have come to pass, and others are on the horizon, we still play “the waiting game.”

This Irving Berlin song was recorded by many singers back in the early days of the Great Depression. Tap or click on the next image or link to hear an Ethel Waters version from 1929.

This one is probably one of the most performed of the “wait songs.”

Here’s an early recording of this oldie. Tap or click on the next iamge or link for a lively version.

And, of course, we have a ukulele version of this one with some pretty fancy finger picking! Click or tap on the next image or link for a listen.

So, wait, but stay safe; wait, but stay sequestered; wait, but stay masked . . .

and—above all—wait and STAY TUNED!

As long as we’re not naughty!

And, let’s NOT wait without a sense of humor!  How about adding ukuleles to waiting rooms?

Well, here it is: New Years Day 2021!  With all the nasty viruses floating around, and all the political squabbles taking place, it’s a disconcerting calendric transition.  And, with the incessant facts, alternate facts, and polarized opinions being bandied about, I keep searching for something positive on which to begin a new annual (my 6^th year!) volume of musical musings. 

Alas, the raising of the globe on New Years Eve here in Northampton and the accompanying festivities were only memories this year. Wait until next year! Really stay tuned for First Night 2022 you AEIOUkers!

Hence, a 2021 New Years Day focus on “Hope.”  And, needless to say, gentle readers, another earworm begins to squirm in my head—the mid-century, Academy Award winning, kinda nonsense song “High Hopes.”

 Our song was first popularized by Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) and child actor Eddie Hodges (1947-) in the 1959 movie “A Hole in the Head.”

Our song was written by James Van Heusen (1913-1990) with lyrics by Sammy Cahn.  Those two teamed up on dozens of songs for Broadway and Hollywood musicals including two other Academy Award winners: “All the Way,” and “Call me Irresponsible.” The team also wrote “The Second Time Around,” and “My Kind of Town,” both of which were gold records for Sinatra.

“High Hopes” stretches the imagination by describing two scenarios where animals do seemingly impossible acts.

First, an ant moves a rubber tree plant all by himself, then a ram single-handedly puts a hole in a “billion-kilowatt dam.”  

The goals of these animals are described in the chorus as “high, apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes” although, as the song implies, they ultimately accomplish them! 

Click or tap on the next image or link to hear and see the film sequence of Sinatra and Hodges with this one. 

I hope we’re going to see as the ultimate accomplishment of our hopes this New Year!  As our song finishes by comparing problems to toy balloons, the problems have gone away when the balloons are popped–“Oops, there goes another problem, ker-plop.”

If only life were so simple!  Maybe we just need more balloons—or pins!

What makes this song a bit more interesting in todays political climate is the version that Sinatra recorded for the 1960 Kennedy presidential campaign.  Click or tap on the next image or link to peek in on this tune from the first presidential election I was old enough to vote in.  Remember, in those days you had to be 21 to vote (or buy a beer)!

And, of course, we need a ukulele version of our song which has become a favorite for children of all ages, and found in our blue book.  

 Click or tap on the next image or link for a very nice fingerstyle version of our song. 

As one of those quirky musical asides, one of the more obscure film treatments of “High Hopes,” including an ever so slight nod to Sinatra, is in this great entrance scene.  Click or tap on the next image or link to try to make out what the rabid fans are singing to honor their hometown boy!

Now, it should be noted that there are a couple of new tunes out there that go by the same title as our “High Hopes.”  That’s OK.  Life goes on!  I’ll show my age, however, and stick with the mid-century original!

So, as we all lurch into the new year, I have high hopes that we will stay safe, stay sequestered, stay masked  .  .  .

.  .  . and STAY TUNED!

Oh yes.  Be careful with your rubber trees!

Hi Fellow Strummers.  This is the last musical musing of mine for the miserable year of 2020.  Whew!

Here’s hoping that you and yours and us and ours have a much, much better year in 2021! Fingers crossed—except when moving through a few of those pesky chord fingerings.

Sadly, there will be no First Night AEIOUkes performance this year as we will all be in lockdown for this used-to-be gala holiday event. 

Again, here’s to a much better 2021, and to First Night 2022! Stay TUNED!

So, how do I end this year’s volume of over fifty weekly blog musings?  Well, my plan for 2021 is to do a musical journey around the country, ukulele style—and maybe the world while I’m at it. 

I’ll be musing about some songs from most of the fifty states–spiced up with a bit of international musical travel.  I did the same thing for the New England states (Musing No. 43) a few weeks ago and a lot of you gentle readers and fellow strummers found it to be fun.  So, let’s keep moving on with one per week (more or less) while my aging energy lasts and my youthful muse continues prodding. 

We’ll see how far we can travel as “administrative changes” are made.

Anyway, gentle readers, why not end this year with music about a faraway place—a song fairly off the wall as one might say but, in my humble opinion, a bit of needed mind diversion.  I’m all for anything that will give ourselves a different earworm and get our minds off the next month or so between now and Inauguration Day. 

Here we go with a song about—shall we say—an “administrative change!“

The song “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” was written with catchy lyrics in 1953 by Jimmy Kennedy and set to 1920s-vibe music by Nat Simon.  I warned you that it was somewhat “off-the-wall.”

What makes this an important reminder of the not-so-orderly process of “administrative change” is that the song takes its theme from the fall of the Byzantine Empire’s capital city, Constantinople, when it was conquered after a siege by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. 

As would be expected of the winners, they promptly erased the Christian name of “Constantinople” renaming it in Turkish as “Istanbul.”  Our song commemorates, in a way, the 500^th anniversary of this bit of nasty world history.  What better reminder of 1400s geo-political change than a 1950s novelty song! Go figure.

Anyway, Here’s our song with all the lyrical and rhythmical nuances of “Middle Eastern Swing” as performed, through the magic of the computer, by an acapella barbershop “quartet.” Click or tap on the next image or link for a history lesson—of sorts.

And, of course, we have a fun ukulele version of our song.  Click or tap on the next image or link to give a listen to some nice strumming on this one–never mind the Tarboosh (Fez) or the fake beard.

Now, to complement the Middle Eastern theme, here are a couple of ukuleles from my collection that would be quite at home in Istanbul, or Constantinople for that matter.  The first (lower half of pic) is a bowlback baritone “Baroqulele” set up with standard DGBE tuning.  The tone is really quite nice and mellow.  The trick is to keep it from rolling over as you strum—the hazards of a bowlback and my large belly!  

The second (upper half of pic) is a bowlback soprano “Baroqulele” tuned G-CC-EE-A—six strings in four courses.  The fingering is just like a regular ukulele, but the sound is much richer—once you get all six strings in tune using the wood pegs in the turned-back peg board. Needless to say a tad tricky!  Notice also that the frets are traditional “tied-on and dried gut,” not modern fretwire, a nice touch of authenticity.

Tap or click on the next image or link to listen to someone who really knows how to play one of these things!

A traditional Turkish ukulele-like instrument is the “Cumbus” which is a lot like a combination banjolele and resonator uke, sort of a flat metal can with a fingerboard attached. Alas, not in my collection. Yet. 

Click or tap on the next image or link to listen to what one of these things sounds like.

Now we can dive back a bit further in musical history for another appropriate tune–“C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E“–that some say was the inspiration for our song.  Yes, the hyphens are part of the title.  This 1928 foxtrot doesn’t have much to do with history but here it is anyway.  Click or tap on the next image for a recording by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra with some interesting period pics.   

As long as we’re having fun with our song, let’s end this musing with a Charleston version! Click or tap on the next image or link for a toe-tapping, leg kicking treat. Watch out for the loose Tarboosh!

Well, this musing doesn’t have much to do with either the presidential transition or the calendric transition from 2020 to 2021.   Who will write a song about THESE days 500 years from now?  At least there will be ukuleles! We’ll see . . .

So, stay safe, stay sequestered, stay masked  . . .

. . .  stay out of tiffs between the Byzantines and the Ottomans,

.  .  .  and STAY TUNED.

See you all as we strum our way into next Year!   

As the election/transition hoopla continues, I am sure that many of us would like to settle our minds and begin—just begin—to focus on the end-of-the-year “festivities” heading our way. The next event is, of course, Thanksgiving Day. 

Alas for many of us, the lonely bubbles and pods we find ourselves sequestered in will preclude the cherished chance to be within hugging distance of faraway friends and family.

We’ll just have to share turkey and trimmings by Zoom, FaceBook, Skype, or that good old-fashioned device–the telephone! Alas, alone and, needless to say, lonesome. 

So, for this musing I’m going to, shall we say, “face the music” and focus on a few songs that touch on those nasty words of “lonely,” “alone,” “lonesome,” and others of their ilk.  I’ll end on an upbeat, however, with a couple of the great songs of being together again. Gotta do it! And, with an emphasis, gentle readers, on our favorite little musical instrument–the cheerful ukulele!

Moving on.

Pining for absent friends and family has long been a musical tradition in America with people and populations moving here, there, and everywhere.  We come from many places, move to many others, and long to return–if only for a little while. It’s no wonder, then, that the “lonely” theme–family, friends, lovers–has permeated music and song almost forever! Let’s look at some song titles from years past. There must be hundreds. Here are just a sadly appropriate few.

We almost always think “Elvis” when we hear this song but it goes way back in musical history–over ninety years ago.

Check out this early recording for a lonesome change of pace. Click or tap on the next image or link to listen to this non-Elvis oldie!

Moving along . . .

We can really get into some tearjerkers here. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is one of the most plaintive of Hank Williams’ songs written and recorded way, way before the days of pandemic sequestration.

Click or tap on the next image or link to hear Hank himself. You’ll need a hankie for this one!

To give equal time, here’s another “lonely” classic.

Tap or click on the next image or link, grab another hankie, and listen to Patsy Cline’s heartbreaking rendition from the 1950s!

As an aside–more in the line of “thinking about” rather than “lonely”– whenever I mix a cocktail (or mocktail) of an evening, I always add an extra drop or two of spirits to the glass for “absent friends.”  A bittersweet reminder to me of those far away. I digress, but it does let me insert another ukulele picture from my collection!  

Oh yes, my favorite banjolele whiskey decanter! 

Now, let’s move on to hopefully sunnier days when we can all be together again! Will it happen? How? When?

And, of course, optimism. WE WILL MEET AGAIN!

Wartime was always a time of seemingly endless partings and meetings and songs often touched on this melancholy chord. Wartime? Pandemic? The same sentiment sings to us today.

I mused about this next song a couple of years ago, mostly in the context of World War II music and how it became a sing-along standard in music halls and theaters in both the UK and US in those lonely days.   

The late Vera Lynn made this her signature song of hope throughout the war years but it has been covered by many, many folks in a lot of styles.  For a different take on this song, here’s a recording by the Ink Spots.  Click or tap on the next image or link to listen to their close harmonies.

This song is also in our Yellow Book and we should give it a try “some sunny day.” For musical inspiration, here’s a ukulele instrumental of this one. Click or tap on the next image for some really nice fingerpicking.

Here is one of the oldest “meet again” songs–originally from the World War I era–that has become a pop, jazz, and gospel standard.

Click or tap on the next image for more close harmony singing, gospel style!

So, enough thoughts of loneliness and absent friends. Let’s dwell on the thought of meeting again–while, of course, enjoying a sequestered Thanksgiving Day this year in anticipation of non-sequestered ones to come!

Stay safe . . .

stay masked . . .

Keep your sense of humor . . .

And STAY TUNED!

Well, at last the waiting is over and, according to most, we have a President Elect and a Vice-President Elect.  It’s about time the counting, suits, and counter suits are ended and we can all get back to work! 

Speaking of work, I’ve been racking my brain (and checking out my songbook collection)  .  .  . 

.  .  .  to come up with some aptly titled tunes to celebrate this historic event.  Stretching my imagination, here are a couple apropos songs plus another that is “sorta.”  First let’s take a look at that great old tune right there in our Blue Book, “There’ll be Some Changes Made!”

 While the song doesn’t exactly outline an administrative program for the next four years, and its message is more personal than political, the title says it all!

“Changes” was composed by Benton Overstreet with lyrics by Billie Higgins.  First published in 1921, it has become a jazz standard.  In keeping with the revolutionary nature of the recent election with Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris being the first Black woman (to say nothing off the daughter of immigrants) to be elect elected to the second highest office in the country, the songwriters, publisher, and first vocalist and musicians to record “Changes” were all Black—ninety-nine years ago!

Click or tap on the next image or link to hear the original recording.

The popularity of the song outside the jazz world took off with the 1941 movie “Play Girl” that featured our song “Changes.” 

It was then picked up by Benny Goodman and his orchestra and, over the years, has been recorded by just about every vocalist of note in every style from Swing to Western Swing—including a ukulele version or two. 

For Goodman’s big band interpretation, click or tap on the next image or link.

Now for a ukulele take on this musical chestnut.  Click or tap on the next image for a peek and listen. Yes, it’s a Flea!

Moving on  .  .  .

A second appropriately titled song is really is a “life metaphor” for President-Elect Joe Biden.  “Bidin’ My Time,” was composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by his brother Ira.  It was introduced in the 1930 Broadway musical review “Girl Crazy.” 

This, too, has become a jazz standard over the years and recorded by many, many singers.  Click or tap on the next image or link to hear the original recording.

During the past election season the title of this song—to say nothing of the simple melody—gave a lot of witty songsters some low-hanging fruit for parody.  With no offence to any of you blue, red, or purple voters this past week–and simply for the sake of a good chuckle–here are a couple of musical takes on this song.  Tap or click on the next image or link to see how our 1930 song melds with some nifty 2020 visuals.

This next one was too good to pass up. Click or tap on the next image or link to listen to a piano playing (sadly not ukulele playing) guy having some fun at the old upright.

Alas, this is the only ukulele version of this tune I could fine on that vast storehouse of YouTube!  Most of us could do a better job.  A challenge?  Anyway, click or tap on the next image or link to give a polite listen.

Let’s end this musing with a third song that might seem appropriate for the latest presidential race. It might have been the ballot box motivation for more than half the voters out there, but I’ll only hint at the title of this one: “I’ll Be Glad When You’re **** ,You Rascal You!”  But, for the sake of civility and comity—to say nothing of avoiding accusations of criminal intent—I’ll let you, my gentle readers, search YouTube on your own for one of the twenty or thirty recordings of this 1929 tune that was among Louis Armstrong’s, as well as Betty Boop’s, greatest hits.  Nuff said?  Report back.                              

 So, we made it through another election season.  We did the best we could and now—here come the mid-terms in 2022!  No time to stop for breath  .  .  .

But, here’s a simple little ditty we should all take to heart.  Click or tap on the next image or link for a bit of inspiration.

So, stay safe, stay sequestered, stay masked  .  .  . 

.  .  .  keep that sense of humor .  .  .

.  .  .  and STAY TUNED!

While researching songs over the past three or four years for my weekly musing on all things ukulele, nearly all the sheet music I found from those Ragtime and Tin Pan Alley days included ukulele chord diagrams printed right in the score. They did, however, use a couple of different tunings—GCEA as well as ADF#B. We have better things to argue about than tunings!  But ukulele history is what it is. So, moving on . . .

Many of these songs also showed a ukulele “in action” on the cover and a few others touched on ukuleles in the lyrics.  So today, gentle readers, I’m going to focus on several of the songs I came across that include the word “Ukulele,” or some variation thereof, in the title.  More than enough out there to hold our interest–some sappy, some silly, but some quite serene!

So.  Pick up your uke, get it in tune, and give a look and listen to what I call “Title Tunes: Ukulele Style.”

First off, to get us started, tap or click on the next image for a musical introduction to a classic ukulele themed song of the Roaring (Strumming?) Twenties.

Now lets move along with a strumming stroll through some more of these titles, listen to a few, and have a bit of a nostalgic look at these homages to our favorite little instrument. By the way, I was surprised to find so many YouTubes of early recordings of these songs. This must attest to their popularity with sheet music and record buyers in those days. Here’s a photo of the well staffed and stocked sheet music counter in one of the bigger New York department stores of the day.

Some of these older recordings are a bit scratchy or, typical of many of the hastily produced instrumental ragtime tunes of the era, can become a bit repetitive to anyone other than a serious musicologist or a two-stepping ragtime dancer. So, if you don’t include yourself in either of these categories, feel free to move on to the next tune when you have had enough!

Tuning in . . .

. . . we can quickly see that there are a few musical genres represented in our research.  There are, of course, those songs with an obvious Hawaiian or Island theme even if written by so-called “Mainlanders” who had never been to the islands. Low hanging fruit here! 

This one gives you a bit of a tongue-twister around the word “ukulele.” Click or tap on the next image to hear this one. You might want to make sure you have your dancing shoes on!

There’s more!

These might not be the lyrics of this particular song but they’re close enough for ukulele! Tap or click on the next image for a Laurel and Hardy singalong, of all things. Too good not to include!

And more!

And, of course, the grandmother of all ukulele title tunes, one we all know and love! Who knew it was written as a foxtrot?

Tap or click on the next image for a listen to this one performed by one of the first “ukulele ladies” of vaudeville and radio.

And then there are others that are of a more generic genre—no doubt Tin Pan Alley’s commercial response to the ukulele rage of the age. But, most make some fleeting reference to the music of the islands and, of course, those lovely hula girls and, needless to say, their beautiful ukuleles! 

Click or tap on the next image for a singing/dancing version of this oldie–something you won’t forget!

Tap or click on the next image to hear that really great ukulele player, Johnny Marvin, strum and sing this oldie.

And, of course, there are others.

Tap or click on the next image to hear an early recording of this oldie (yes) but goodie (not so sure . . .).

Here are some ukulele themed songs from “across the pond.”

Give a listen to this one from the British music hall tradition. Click or tap on the next image for the seafaring tale of woe–sort of!

And, of course, the banjo ukulele virtuoso himself! Click or tap on the next image for this one.

Now, back to American radio of the 1950s.

Here’s a version of this “ookoolaylay” style ukulele song by the performer who made the ukulele famous (again) in the 1950s–Arthur Godfrey. Click or tap on the next image for his crooning, baritone uke version.

Here’s one of the earliest ukulele themed songs that I found, one that seems to mix musical ethnicities. Go figure.

Click or tap on the next image to listen to this 1916 recording. Variations on a spelling theme here, plus it’s a ukulele (oops, ukalele) tune in ragtime!

Moving on . . . As would be expected, one can come across a ukulele decorated with a ukulele, or at least a person—usually a comely hula girl or crooning guy—playing one. 

I’m still searching, however, for a “trifecta” for my collection—a sheet music cover of 1) a ukulele named tune showing 2) a ukulele decorated 3) with a ukulele.  A big ask, but anything can be anywhere. Still looking!

And now, gentle readers, permit me to end with a song that steps just a wee bit out of bounds from today’s theme. Rather than an homage to our favorite little musical instrument it’s a complaint about a ukulele player—who is, apparently, loud but not very good.  Alas, no “ukulele” in the title but the image and lyrics say it all! Definitely a song about a ukulele and worth a muse or two.

To end our musing of the day on an “earworm note, tap or click on the next image to listen in!

So, stay safely sequestered with your ukulele handy and think about all those ukulele songs about ukuleles played on ukuleles decorated with ukuleles.  Whew.  Anyway, stay safely masked for you, yours, me, and mine . . .

. . . and STAY TUNED! Oh yes, face your fears for your next open mike performance with your favorite little ukulele and a song about ukuleles!

A note of caution: Don’t use a “sopranino” ukulele if you’re tempted to try this yourself!

We live in what is known as the “Five College Area” of Western Massachusetts. And, in these pandemic days as we approach the beginning of the academic year, many of us are having dark thoughts about the impact of twenty or thirty thousand students from all over the world descending on our “Happy Valley.”

Or, conversely, having even darker thoughts about the impact of twenty or thirty thousand young folks NOT coming back to campuses and our communities until who knows when. 

The cultural and economic impact of either scenario is hard to fathom, to say nothing of the impact on the health of students, staff, and us in this academic/pandemic year. We wait and see and, yes, we STAY TUNED.

Meanwhile, in our masked sequestration in proximity to many halls of ivy, I find myself musing from time to time on college life both as I knew it way back in the mid-years of the last century (that sounds scary!) and how it affected music and our favorite little musical instrument—the ukulele—in those and earlier years.

Singing was popular in those days and many, many songbooks were readily available and well used.

And, here’s a really early songbook from 1891 and another dated 1915, both from Smith College here in Northampton, one of our five colleges.

Many popular songs were written ABOUT college life but, other than the good old “alma mater” tunes, were seldom written BY those actually experiencing it.  Ah, yes.  A form of cultural stereotype! 

So, as a musical kickoff in this football season with no football games, here is a parody of so many college songs of the day: “Oh How We Love Our Alma Mater!” Click or tap on the next image to listen and laugh at this one from the 1920s.

There were many ukuleles that had a somewhat “collegiate” theme. Here are a few from my collection. Let’s start with a banjo uke from the 1920s autographed by fraternity brothers.

Alas, I played a tenor banjo (a 1928 Gretsch tuned like a baritone ukulele, DGBE) way, way back when I was in college. Not quite a ukulele but close enough in those days.

So much for the instruments themselves.

Now, gentle readers, bear with me as I muse and dip into the devious world of statistics albeit in my mid-century way! Remember these gadgets?

For example, in 1920, fewer than 1% of Americans had college degrees.  By 1940, it jumped to around 6% while today it’s nearly 40%!  Going “off to college”during the pre-World War II, non GI Bill days, was viewed by many as a luxury few could afford and, in fact, more than a few found unnecessary and, in fact, pretentious. If the public image of college wasn’t tarnished, it sure wasn’t polished in the early days!

But above all, college was seen by many to be fun–a formulative interval in one’s path through life, so to speak–and the “collegiate mythology” was born!   Here is one of the most popular tunes of the era, one that typifies the myth both in content and language!

Click or tap on the next image to give a listen to this quintessential image of college life in the 1920s.

The musical myths continued to spin!

And, of course, ukuleles were a big part of college learning and loving.

Most songwriters of the era—with the notable exceptions of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael—had never set foot on a college campus.  To give them an A+ for that good old college try, however, here are a couple of (quite forgettable I would think) tunes by Porter, a Yale “Eli.” You would have to be a one to appreciate, let alone understand, these two.

Here’s a delightful presentation of this tune from the biopic “Night and Day.” Tap or click on the next image to, shall we say, bark along!

On the other hand, it’s a bit easier to pay homage to Carmichael, that good old “Hoosier” from the University of Indiana.

Tap or click on the next image for a look and listen to this song within its film context–snappy lyrics by Carmichael, no less.

But, to be a “college man” (or boy) in those days was still something special and worthy of note, many notes in fact!

Tap or click on the next image for this ragtime era tune from 1910.

And then there were the “college women” (or girls). There were more and more on campuses as the decades rolled along.

Needless to say, these and their college lifestyle became cemented in songwriters’ minds. 

But, a lot of the the songs endure and many were made for the ukulele!       

You can still strum a few of these today.

In the 1920s or 1930s—whether or not you went to “State,”

one of the “Ivies,”

or an “Ag” school,

or one of the “Sisters,”

college students wanted to fit in. 

Of course there were classes. Some stylishly serious.

And some not so. Also, professors, of differing descriptions!

I’ll spare you a YouTube of this one made somewhat famous by the bandleader Kay Kyser and his “Kollege of Musical Knowledge.”

They went to football games on their own or nearby campuses and on (unchaperoned!) dates.

They joined sororities and fraternities.

Tap or click on the next image for a listen to this venerable fraternity “sweetheart” song that has become an American songbook standard.

And they spent their weekends being and laughing with friends.

College men and women in those days often were more worried about the present Prohibition than the coming Great Depression.

Tap or click on the next image for a rowdy 1940s take on this oldie from the University of Maine, one of the most popular (and parodied) college drinking songs of the 1930s.

And, football was king!

Tap or click on the next image to hear this one.

Now here’s a genre of ukuleles from my collection that make the point (point after?)!

Here’s a rather strange interpretation of this old chestnut of a college song–with some rather interesting, not-quite-football moves! Tap or click on the next image for a look see.

There’s even a ukulele version of this one. Tap or click on the next image for a listen.

Still, a big part of campus time was spent meeting future partners—business and romance—and to have the best of times with their peers and cohorts. 

Needless to say, music—particularly rousing songs and wild dancing—were a big part of all this

Tap or click on the next image for a jazzy performance of this campus favorite!

The outfit that was the thing in the stadium.

In the 1920s and 1930s, women attending school—co-ed or their own, was becoming more and more the norm.  Prior to World War I, most women were expected not to pursue more higher education “than necessary” and to devote their lives to homes and husbands instead. 

However, after the war was over, both young men and women looked to their futures with newly opened eyes and enrolled in college for a more meaningful education. 

Tap or click on the next image to hear a Rudy Vallee interpretation of this oldie but goody!

Studies in colleges and universities in the 1920s mostly focused on the so-called “generals”—math, English, science, languages, and history.  Often both Greek and Latin were requirements.  Law and medical curricula were common and professional degrees in engineering, business, and architecture were offered. 

Despite Prohibition, hip flasks were often flouted and beer flowed freely in most fraternities.  Romance was in the air and, needless to say, opportunities were everywhere!   

Give a listen to this oldie by clicking or tapping on the next image.

But, to an outsider, social life seemed to be everything to college students in those days.  Alas, good grades and academics too often were not the reasons for attending college. Instead, it seemed to be all about the social life and, of course, football.

So, it looks like we are about to enter an academic year without football. Strange! Nothing to do but go to class, study, write those papers, and stay masked and socially distanced. And, lets not forget the parents!

At least we can have some sort of music to remember those sweet old college days when we could be closer than six feet from friends! Click or tap on the next image to here a delightful group of singers from Alison’s Alma Mater–Smith College.

Now, click or tap on the next image for a song from my old school, Illinois

So, stay well, stay distanced, stay close to your Alma Mater, and STAY TUNED!

And don’t forget your mask, especially you Smithies!

Thanks for college moms and dads!

My mother, with her wisdom honed during the Great Depression, often said to me that: “Poor folks have poor ways.” and: “Make do with what you have.”  These words describe not just household chores (When is the last time you darned socks?) but what inventive, often impecunious, musicians have been doing for a long, long time.  That’s why we see all those examples of so-called “folk” fiddles, banjos, guitars and—yes—ukuleles made by poor folks with what they have at hand.  

Discarded cigar boxes, ham or coffee tins, mixing bowls, motor oil cans, old wood hoops, or even hospital bed pans (sanitized!) have all been used to make the sound boxes of various stringed instruments including ukuleles. 

While these cobbled-together instruments made of man-made materials function, sound decent, and—often—look pretty good (?), there is another category of “found” materials I’m going to muse on today—those found in (or wrested from) nature.

Natural materials, such as bone, skin, and shell, have been used for various bits and bobs of lutherie for generations. They have been used both functionally like bone or ivory nuts and saddles, as well as skin banjo heads, or decoratively like tortoise shell and mother-of-pearl. 

Next, here’s my very own, mother-of-pearl decorated “Snowshoe” Art Deco tenor!

Now let me dig into another and broader category of natural materials used in luthiery—sound boxes made of “shells,” of one sort or another.  Here’s one in my collection that I built a few years ago.

While renewable plant materials, such as dried gourds and coconut shells are easy to find and work with, there is yet another category of shells I must touch on (albeit with trepidation) as an essential part of this topic—the shells (unlived in, of course) of turtles and even armadillos. 

Now, my intentions are not to offend any of you gentle readers who are vegans, vegetarians, animal rights-ers, or who simply might be squeamish with the thought of using large and recognizable parts of no-longer-living creatures to form our favorite little instruments.  Suffice it to say that what I am about to muse on is in the form of acknowledgement rather than advocacy!  Be that as it may, now is the time to opt out if you must. Otherwise, soldier on!

And, by the way, I have no idea where—short coming upon some road kill down Texas way—one could find an armadillo shell that could be put to luthier use today. I have not, of course, asked our good friends at Google about sources for these, but turtle shells are a tad easier to locate and can be found from time to time on eBay. But, who knows what’s out there in the dark corners of the internet! Anyway, more about these so-called “critter shells” further along in this musing.

But first, lets look at coconut shells and hollow gourds which, by the way, are totally different animals, so to speak.  These are readily available, renewable resources to say nothing of being a lot easier to scrape out, clean up, and prepare for luthiery! 

A dried gourd is, by far, the easiest type of “shell” to work with.  Simply find a good, solid one and trim it off, add a skin or wood head, fix a neck to the whole thing, string it up and—Bob’s your uncle!—you’re ready to strum.

I don’t know if these “double headers” sound better but they sure look craftier!

Now, here’s a pretty good tutorial on banjo ukes made from gourds. Click or tap on the next image to learn a bit and, perhaps to become inspired!

Click or tap on the next image for some good fingerpicking on a gourd uke.

Now here’s some really sweet clawhammer picking on a fretless gourd banjo. Click or tap on the next image for a look and listen.

Coconut shells are a much harder substance than a gourd and thus a bit trickier to work. Also, sometimes two or even three need to be fitted together to make a decent sized sound chamber. They clean up pretty well, however.

As an aside, here’s a bit of a coconut shell mystery that I stumbled across in my internet searches. After pondering a bit, my uneducated guess is that the next image must be of some sort of coco-coronavidian “face mask for two” or something like that. Needless to say, your thoughts will be appreciated. Alas, I digress. 

Quickly moving on, coconuts work quite nicely for a ukulele and can be polished up to a really glossy, deep brown finish.  These are usually topped with a thin wood head like our usual ukes. Here’s a nice antique coconut uke and some fancy strumming. Click or tap on the next image for a look.

Here’s some nice strumming on a double coconut uke, amplified, no less! Click or tap on the next image for this one.

How about an old chestnut of a coconut song from England, strummed on a uke. Click or tap on the next image for this carnival treat.

Leaving our thoughts of coconut shells and icy pina coladas behind, let’s drill more deeply into our topic of the day starting with the shells of an Armadillo (Spanish for “little armor-plated critter” or something like that). These have been used for generations in Mexico and South America for crafts and, more particularly to us, luthiery.

While armadillo shell ukes can be found, armadillo shells have been used traditionally for those South American cousins of the ukulele, the “charango”–a small, ten-stringed instrument similar in configuration to the “tiple” that was a popular cousin of the ukulele back in the 1920s.

The cleaned and dried Armadillo shell is formed into a bowl-like chamber and the rest of the process is much like the gourd or coconut examples.  Many YouTubes exist but, alas, mostly in Spanish—except for the music!

Tap or click on the next image for some strumming on an armadillo shell charango.

Next is a rather fast-charging charango piece from Bolivia. Click or tap on the next image for a listen. Lucky for us, the music doesn’t need a translation!

Now for those of you gentle readers who have stuck with me so far into this musicological exploration, we shall move on to turtles! Turtle, or tortoise, shells can be worked in just about the same way as the armadillo. Plus, turtle shells are readily available even on eBay! Take your pick and bid away.

I think that these look a bit less gruesome than armadillo shells but, it’s all a matter of taste and, I am sure, sound quality. As an aside, and if you can find or make some, turtle soup is traditional and quite tasty. I don’t know about armadillo soup or stew, however. Again, I digress.

It might be a bit easier making a uke out of a discarded turtle soup can but, moving on, here’s a nicely crafted example of a turtle-shell uke. In my aesthetic opinion, the heavily grained oak compliments the texture of the shell quite nicely. As to tone and playability, who knows!

Now, here’s a bit of strumming on a turtle-shell uke. Click or tap on the next image to hear what this sounds like.

Here is a nice, soprano sized turtle-shell uke nicely played. Click or tap on the next image for this one.

Needless to say, the so-called “critter” and natural shell instruments are a rare breed in the world of ukuleles, but they can be found in most collections of folk instruments and, as we have seen in the various YouTubes, are used by some performers today. 

So, if you are adventurous, and not the least bit squeamish, keep your eye out for road kill and see what you can make do. 

On the other hand, seek out a good looking gourd or a couple of sturdy coconut shells and craft a little nature into your strumming.

As a final treat, here’s a uke of wood made to look like a shell.  A whole different critter! Click or tap on the next image to see this facsimile critter in action.

Now there are not that many songs out there in music land on the topic of gourds, armadillos, and turtles that ukulele players have espoused or covered.

Sadly, no ukulele version of this Texas favorite but here is a “turtle tune” with Northampton connections! Click or tap on the next image for a ukulele version of this local “folk song.”

 

Stay safe (particularly when walking across highways), stay sequestered in your shells, and STAY TUNED! Oh yes, and wear an appropriate mask!

Note: A couple of things about the YouTube videos that I include in my postings.  First, I don’t want to spend the money to purchase access to YouTube without ads.  So, from time to time you may see an ad for a few seconds before the intended content clicks in.  Alas, in these days of political scrums, its hard to tell just whose face will pop up. Sorry.  A penny saved is a penny earned.  And, from time to time a particular YouTube video might seem a bit too long for you busy folks out there.  Feel free to click it off when you want, hopefully after you have enjoyed the point I was trying to make by including it.  Sometimes less is really more! 

Also, I don’t mean to make light of the pandemic facing our world, nation, state, community, friends, and family. Sometimes, however, we need a bit more lightness than darkness and so, gentle readers, I muse on.

Now, on to this week’s posting . . .

With our days of sequestration now extending into months rather than weeks, I found myself looking for appropriate songs in our good old Yellow Book (“The Daily Ukulele,” by Liz and Jim Beloff) that would touch on the main topic of today.  Sitting at home, songbook on the stand in front of me and gazing out the window, it came to me: the song for these trying times, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”—a fact, not fake news! 

Talk about an easy choice for a musical musing!  Written as a lover’s lament, the song takes on a whole new meaning as we sit home by ourselves these days.

Anyway, this jazz standard was composed and recorded by Duke Ellington in 1940 and first titled “Never No Lament.”  The song was just one among many similar, moody, bluesy songs of the Ellington orchestra’s Harlem repertoire.  When songwriter Bob Russell added lyrics for the song in 1942, the name was changed and it soon became a national hit. In those days of loose copyrights and tiny royalties, it was played and recorded by just about everyone in the music business. 

It really became a “standard”—orchestral as well as male or female singers.

Let’s start with the 1942 Ellington version.  Tap or click on the next image for this. 

The other chart-topping rendition of the song, recorded in 1943, was by the widely listened to quartet, The Ink Spots.  Click or tap on the next image for a listen to their close harmony and distinctive style. 

Another great interpretation of the song—with some good illustrations for us—was recorded by the blues harmonica virtuoso “Big Walter” Horton in 1961.  Tap or click on the next image for this one.    

And, of course, for a song that has been around for nearly eighty years, many performers—both instrumental and vocal—have worked their own magic with this tune.  You don’t need to listen to the whole YouTube recording unless, like me, you get carried away.  But, here are a few of my good-for-being-sequestered favorites!

Stephane Grapelli on Gypsy Jazz Violin, tap or click: 

 A 1940s film version on some artificial beach, no less. Tap or click:

Willie Nelson Country/Western Version with his beat up guitar, tap or click:  

And, of course, a jazz ukulele instrumental, tap or click: 

So, stay safe, stay sequestered, and STAY TUNED!  But, as a bit of a sendoff, here are a couple of parody versions—as we might expect—of our song.  Stay smiling!

Let’s start with an up to the minute parody version, tap or click: 

 And, of course, a close harmony Zoom version, tap or click:    

Now if you would like to give this a try at home, hopefully not too much by yourself, here is a chord melody TAB version I put together a couple of years ago. It’s set up for a DGBE-tuned baritone (or sopranino) uke but you GCEA folks can simply follow the TAB numbers and it will be in the Key of C.

Oh yes, stay appropriately masked when tabbing or strumming!

And shirted!

More lightness than darkness, I hope!