Tiny Tim Tiptoe Through The Tulips

Small strings spark big craze

Rick Kintzel / Staff Photographer

Ukulele players, Tammy Krout holding a Mainland Soprano (left);

Rick Kintzel / Staff Photographer

Ukulele players, Tammy Krout holding a Mainland Soprano (left);

The alternative rock style of the British band Radiohead is

But that doesn’t stop Tammy Krout from strumming the band’s

It’s a strange concept but somehow it works.

In fact, almost any song or style of music can be played on the

She ticks them off — the classical music of Beethoven, the glam

The Pennsburg woman has been playing the ukulele for about a

“I saw an ad on Craigslist for a ukulele for sale. I thought ‘I

The group, usually consisting of four to five players, is part

“It’s a fun instrument and less pressure than learning to play

Several members of the group recently returned from the Ukulele

The instrument, introduced to Hawaii in the 19th century via

Musicians such as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift and

Sales of the ukulele are up 16 percent from 2009 to 2010, with

There are several theories for why the ukulele has become

Karl Dieterichs, owner of Bucks County Folk Music Shop in New

“It really never died completely. It has ebbs and tides,” said

He has seen that side of his business explode in recent years,

Popular in the 1920s and 1930s, the ukulele picked up again in

Recently the ukulele sound has popped up in commercials, movies

Nick Roberti says the Internet has certainly helped spark the

“He’s really amazing. He can demonstrate what you can do with

The 39-year-old Roberti is a professional musician and began

“I kind of became obsessed with it,” he said.

Obsession seems to come with the territory. Many ukulele players

Krout has 10.

“I trade a lot and buy used a lot,” she said.

The average price of a ukulele in 2010 was $72, up from $66 in

So how long will this ukulele craze last?

Dieterichs said instruments often run along a bell curve of 10

“You never know. If a movie comes out and features the ukulele a

Dieterichs said a similar situation occurred with the

Regardless of how long this current trend lasts, Herbst says

“I’m hooked, as soon as I picked it up ...

DiscConnected: BABY LET'S DO THE MICHIGAN RAG

Leon Redbone made his career in the Toronto club scene in the early 1970's specializing in interpretations of early 20th-century music, including jazz and blues standards and Tin Pan Alley classics. Recognized for his trademark Panama hat, dark sunglasses, and bow tie, Redbone has a sizable cult following. His concerts blend performance, comedy, and skilled instrumentals, and he was once cited by Bob Dylan as the first performer he'd want to sign to his own label. Redbone croons and growls his way through a repertoire of standards , making no attempt to modernize these songs, as artists in past decades have attempted to do, choosing instead to keep true to the Dixie, Delta blues and ragtime jazz styles that made these songs popular to begin with. His version of "Ain't Misbehavin" would make Al Jolson beam with pride. Incidentally, any idea who the "Anonymous" poster was who left a comment after mine? He/She was borrowing a line from Henry David Thoreau, and I wonder if that comment was meant for me to see. Unless it was a wink at me personally, it doesn't make much sense contextually where it was posted. Did he or she know I was a Thoreauian kind of guy? And by the way, for the sake of clarity, I didn't say I wasn't interested in the Redbone album. As I recall, I said it was ideal 2-3 AM drinking music, for when the wild night is winding down. But since I ain't out drinking until 2 or 3 AM anymore, it's not an album I would likely play very often. Still, I thought it was something that I would enjoy in small doses. My whole life, I wanted to make my living in music. Not necessarily as a performer, but maybe as a producer, or a manager. So what did Mr. Wizard do? Well, he became an accountant and went to work for an insurance company! The same week (literally), he purchased his first CD. Twenty-five years later, I've got a room full of CD's, another wall unit full of records, and my only financial interaction with the music industry has been as an obsessed consumer. A few years ago, I started posting brief reviews of CD's on a blog on my space, and have decided to continue that tradition here. You'll have to put up with the delays between posts when I'm busy, and the occasional opinion post, but you may luck out and hear about some music that you may want to check out. And the story continues...

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