New flyer for the Las Cruces UkeFest! So excited to be teaching with my friends and to head back to NM😁 See you folks there!

In the afternoons I become so incredibly inspired when I look out my window. I can hear birds chirping and see spring flowering over a fresh Seattle. On a clear day like today you can even trace your fingers along the tops of snowy peaks in the distance. So when I see the gold folding into the room from the west, I grab an instrument and see if poetry will strike today. Amongst my favorite things in life watching the sunset and playing ‘ukulele sits at the top. It’s something I have continued to do since I started playing as a child and remains a deep comfort for me. The warm sun on the crisp wind takes me back to upcountry Maui and the songs that rang in air. I first heard this one from Country Comfort and always thought it was a pretty song. Over the years it has taken on deeper meaning and has been blended with my love for the movie. To me it’s a symbol that the world is large enough for dreams and the truest expression of our experience comes from the love we share. So as I bask in my nostalgia here is a loose performance of Manhã de Carnival. Sorry the sun is bright but just think of it as an added effect. At least we are in theme 🌅 Stay beautiful world 🌎

Chasing Purple Butterflies Practicing the guitar by a sunny window in a reverie that makes my heart smile 😊 I hope you’re chasing your purple butterflies today 🦋

Villanova Junction(ish) - Jimi Hendrix To me Hendrix is a symbol of the potential of the human spirit and just how powerful music is as an art form. In a world of commodified music he stands amongst the giants on the mountain that remind us just how deep the world can be. I’d imagine from their lofty view that all our deeds make complete sense. Both in our terror and beauty. So I look back at a young version of myself and remember feeling like his music was as vast as the ocean and I had only a glass of water to understand it. Pouring over the records, thumbing through books, and buying any piece of gear to get closer to that sound. While inching closer everyday I couldn’t help but feel even further distanced from my goal. Under every stone there were dozens of pebbles and under pebble a million grains of sand. In my lifetime could I even come close to Hendrix? No. There will never be another. Though I think there is a certain nobility in the pursuit. In which we can only hope to be stained by his spirit. Sometimes you just gotta pick up your axe and fight like a farmer. So I’m focused on trying to be a bit more like myself everyday. He has laid the path in front of many us and in walking those paths we might just find out who we are ❤️ Think lightly of yourself and deep of the world 🌎 Jam on ✊

Then You Can Tell me Goodbye - The Casinos Honestly, I just really like this song 🎶 Follow the things you love ❤️

I love the adage, “From one thing know ten thousand things.” To me it’s an acknowledgement that the world is filled with wisdom and the governing flow of life washes through all things. In this mindset comes a yearning to understand that wisdom in a way that is humble and awe inspiring. Aside from being raised in a home full of art, curiosity led me down this road and kept me seeking that understanding through it. While poetic and beautiful in the honeymoon, this became the cornerstone of practical steps to growing into a future me. I headed to my local art supply shop and bought some cheap ink, brushes, and paper and threw caution to the wind. With no subject I just let my hands move to their whim and tried to enjoy the movements of the brush. Pouring into each motion the words “The Only Opponent is Within” started to burn in mind fresh from a recent read through of the book Zen Guitar. I feverishly followed the impulse and wrote out these three sayings that have lived in my practice rooms for the past 10 years (last pic). Since then I have continued my practice at a leisurely pace, enjoying my development like an aging flavor and celebrating in the small successes. It became a mirror to how I could practice music and I gave myself the grace to stop focusing at my inadequacies and set my being toward growth. I continue to collect these brief pearls of wisdom that help align myself with this version of me that is grateful and curious. So in my inspiration I wish to enter the 36th chamber and share this love of life with you. No second takes and no reprints in the spirit of the motion. As Nina Simone sang: “I wish you could know what it means to be me, Then you’d see and agree that every man should be free.” At a fest near you 🎶 Live in love and share it with the world friends ❤️

Played on some changes and felt a good flow on the guitar today. Just trying to have some fun noodling around Nightbird and starting to notice that my ‘ukulele mind and guitar mind are finally starting to agree with each other. For me it has always been a different approach but I am finally glad to see the two fellas getting along today. So thanks for letting me play the big guy and hope you enjoy the noodles 🍜

Weak - SWV During the lockdown I found a need to do something physical to help aid my mental health. So for the first time in my life I decided to start exercising regularly to see if that could shake the blues. Never more in my life did I find that a good playlist can make all the difference from an ok session to a great one. Once again the power of music revealed itself. That’s when I went to my roots and looked for all the beloved bangers of my youth and beyond. Littered with 90s R&B, I couldn’t help but have a goofy smile on my face as my calves were dying in a pool of sweat. Needless to say as the months passed I started to feel better and let this little ray of light be the catalyst to align myself with hope again. So when I hear these words, “I get so . . .” I cant help but think of an old me trying to pull myself out of darkness. It gives me an unbelievable amount of hope and fills my spirit to the brim. Once again I am made anew. So I hope you find the music that fills your spirit and can shine a light on life when it’s darkest💡 Walk on friends ✊find the light that lights up your life ☀️

Ruby My Dear - Thelonious Monk Up Tempo Version So I started working in this tune earlier this year as I was going through a stint of listening to a lot of Art Tatum, Barry Harris, and Thelonious Monk. I worked out the tune so I could play with the record, trying to understand the corners of Monk’s mind. Falling deeply in love with the tune I wanted to understand all the playful rhythms and this angularity I’ve heard so much about. The theory is this: learn it, stretch out every idea, and work through it with vigor and rigidity. I often like to explain it as feeling the tune in it’s extremes. Then try your best to forget it. Best seasoned with a dash of time and life experience. It is not as if we hope to magically intuit the song in the future but in hope that we don’t lose the forest to the leaves. The newly gain perspective helps us get closer to what we are meant to play instead of what we want to. So with a fresh cup of coffee I sit down to play Ruby My Dear again this morning. Sitting with the tune for over a year and listening to as many renditions I could find brought me to this distillation. Playing it as a ballad always left my fretting hand exhausted by the end of tune and would require me to rest after it. So what if we were a little light on the fingers? Is this a catalyst for a new and creative idea? So after a couple of takes I felt this one was cute enough to hang on the wall. I love the lilting feel at the end of the melody so I had to take it back a notch to resolve the tune like the record. Two of life’s most precious ingredients are love and time. I might even say they are the same thing in many ways 🕐❤️ Keep calm and Monk on 🎹 . . . #theloniousmonk #pianojazz #ukulelejazz #rubymydear #philosophy

A few weeks ago I made my way up to Port Townsend to meet the wonderful folks at Ukuleles Unite! Had a workshop on some swinging blues and played a mini concert in the beautiful Grace Lutheran Church. Not to mention it was such a great sounding room! Laughing and smiling ‘ukulele players fill my heart ❤️ mahalo Debbie, Bruce, Wendy, and crew for making it such a lovely day ☀️🎶😁 PC: Bruce Cowan

Press Photos

The Good Ol' Days Back in Hawaii!