Read the latest on Bill from the San Francisco Chronicle...
Andrew Gilbert
Thursday, April 2, 2009
At 101, ukulele master Bill Tapia is the oldest working musician in the United States, if not the world. Born in Hawaii to Portuguese parents, he can recall playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" for American doughboys heading off to World War I in 1918. His longevity is amazing, but what's most impressive is the way he distills nearly a century of musical experience on the bandstand, delivering graceful, harmonically sophisticated renditions of jazz standards and Hawaiian swing on the diminutive four-string uke. (Full story here...)
More about the new album...
1. Undecided
2. I Want To Learn To Speak Hawaiian
3. Secret Love
4. Nearness of You
5. E Ku'u Morning Dew featuring Mihana
6. Honeysuckle Rose featuring Ledward Kaapana
7. Satin Doll featuring Lyle Ritz
8. All of Me featuring Mihana
9. The Sheik of Araby featuring Ledward Ka'apana
10. The Lady Is A Tramp featuring Lyle Ritz
11. In a Mellow Tone
12. Stars And Stripes Forever
At 101 years young, there's no doubt that Bill Tapia is in a class by himself. Not only is he still playing, touring and recording, his chops, wit and showmanship remain top notch. Case in point: that big crowd reaction you hear about 1:45 into "Undecided" on his new CD? That's Bill playing his ukulele behind his head, a trick he first learned about 50 years before Jimi Hendrix.
Having purchased his first instrument at age 7 from one of Hawai'i's original ukulele makers, Tapia represents the last living link to the earliest days of Hawaiian music as we know it today. Tapia is the only musician on the planet who can say these words: "Here's a song I performed in World War I…" when he’s introducing the unique version of "Stars and Stripes Forever" he came up with in 1918 at the age of 10. Abandoning the uke for guitar,Tapia's youth was spent performing and jamming with the top names of the day, including Charlie Barnet, Billy Holiday, Fats Waller, Bing Crosby and many more. While in Hawai'i he led his own big band and also worked with Island luminaries like Sol Hoopi'i and Johnny Noble. After World War II, Tapia and family settled in the San Francisco area, where he taught guitar in obscurity for decades.
Bill picked up the uke again a few years ago. Since then, he's hit the Top 10 on the jazz chart twice while touring the West Coast between frequent trips to perform in the Aloha State, where he now has a second home. His longevity and legend will only grow with his new live release, "Livin' It Live", available March 31st. Recorded at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall and elsewhere on a 2005 tour, Tapia is joined by Bay Area jazz aces Ruth Davies and Akira Tana, plus Hawaiian songstress Mihana and special guests Ledward Ka'apana and Lyle Ritz.
John Berger of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin summed it up last year when he wrote: "For him, being 100 is maybe the new 50, in terms of playing music and entertaining a crowd."
Enjoy.
Bill's Upcoming Concerts:
(use links to venue and ticket information below)
Fresno Art Museum**
Thursday April 23, 2009
2233 North First Street
Fresno CA 95060
Phone: 559-431-3653
Click HERE for tickets and info.
Bernie's Guitar***
Friday April 24, 2009 8:00 PM
3086 Bechelli Lane
Redding, CA
Phone: 530-223-2040
Eclectic Music and More Series @
The Unitarian Center***
Saturday April 25, 2009 8:00 PM
87 4th Street @ C Street
Ashland OR
Phone: 541-535-3562
(workshop at 2:00 PM across the street)
Arcata Playhouse***
Sunday April 26, 2009
1251 9th Street
Arcata CA
Phone: 707-822-5394
Click HERE for tickets and info.
DaSilva Ukulele Company -- An Evening With Bill Tapia
Monday April 27th, 2009 8:00 PM
2547 8th Street, Suite 28
Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone: 510-649-1548
* Concerts in the Bay Area feature award winning Hawaiian songstress Mihana, and jazz aces Ruth Davies (bass) and Akira Tana (drums).
** The Fresno concert will feature Ruth Davies on bass.
*** The concerts in Redding, Ashland, and Arcata will feature Bruce Calin on bass.
New York Uke Fest 2009
May 29-31, 2009
Baruch College and the Gershwin Hotel
New York, NY
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