I have to confess that the ukulele isn’t an instrument that I ever paid much attention to. I primarily associated it with Tiny Tim singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” or hula girls in grass skirts strumming away. But that all changed about five years ago when the ukulele was suddenly everywhere: Paul McCartney played one in concert, Eddie Vedder recorded an entire album of tunes played on the ukulele and Jake Shimabukuro achieved fame thanks to his virtuoso skills on the instrument.
Even Taylor Swift played one in concert and there have been a number of ukulele groups popping up over the country, including here in the valley. It was time to sit up and take notice.
One of these local groups is the Well Tempered Ukes, and they will be performing at the Great Falls Coffeehouse tomorrow at 7 p.m.
This trio, which consists of Marlene Wong, Richard Perimutter and Robin Hoffman, describe the music they play as “Renaissance, parlor, pop and art songs – the great hits of the last 500 years, with a twist.”
“There are lots of wonderful ukulele groups and players, and one great thing is that if you can play a few chords you can play a ukulele and get together with other people and have fun,” said Hoffman. “Or you can get really good and have a band.”
The Well Tempered Ukes are really good and taking the ukulele in some very original directions.
“We like to say that nobody else does quite what we do at this particular point in time,” said Wong.
Having attended the band’s recent performance during Northampton’s First Night celebration, I can attest that what they are doing is different as well as extremely enjoyable and entertaining.
While most ukulele groups perform recognizable rock and pop tunes, the Well Tempered Ukes favor art songs like Mendelssohn’s “On Wings of Songs.” They do, however, sprinkle in some familiar songs, like Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” into their varied
repertoire.
All three musicians have impressive, albeit very diverse backgrounds. Hoffman, who spent twenty years as a professional ballet dancer, purchased a ukulele about ten years ago as an alternative to a toy guitar for her young son. Before she knew it, she was completely taken with the instrument and became serious about learning to play. Wong, of Easthampton, is a classically trained organist and established church musician who also has a background in dance. She initially borrowed a uke as part of Forbes Library instrument lending program. She was drawn to it because she wanted to play a portable instrument and also one that required different skills than she already had. Like Hoffman, once she started playing she was hooked.
Perimutter is a longtime professional musician who plays many instruments and has recorded solo albums, produced for acts like Nickelcreek and was creator of the award winning “Beethoven’s Wig” album series. He said he has always had ukuleles around and when he moved to Amherst from Los Angeles about five years ago, he saw the instrument as a way to meet people here.
He joined AEIO Ukes in Northampton, a group of ukulele players who primarily play modern music. It was through this group that he met fellow uke fans Hoffman and Wong. They discovered they all had a broader interest in the ukulele and a shared love of classical music. A couple of years ago they started playing together, which led to the formation of the Well Tempered Ukes.
“One thing we discovered was that the three of us really liked to work hard and we were hankering for something to sink our teeth into,” said Hoffman.
“It turned out that all of us had some kind of a background in classical music, so we started playing things that were certainly not played by other ukulele groups,” added Perimutter, who arranges most of the songs. “The ukulele is cut from the same cloth as the lute. It’s sort of a singer songwriter instrument and it seemed natural that we could play these older renaissance songs, or art songs, and it seems to work pretty well.”
“We like to say that besides being a direct link with the lute, the ukulele is also a licensee to make mischief with these songs,” added Hoffman.
The Well Tempered Ukes, who took their name from Bach’s “The Well Tempered Clavier,” played their first professional show at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls as the house band for the Young Shakespeare Players. In the fall of 2015, they were the first band ever awarded a year-long residency at the Forbes Library in Northampton — an experience they said was extremely beneficial in shaping all aspects of their performance.
They have played throughout the Valley and have done some performing in New York, Boston and New Hampshire. They are in the process of recording the group’s first album. From the start, the band’s ability to entertain and incorporate these genres of music struck a chord with listeners.
“Our audience is pretty varied,” said Hoffman. “Sometimes it’s people who like early music or art songs and are really delighted with what we do with them. And, of course, ukulele people are into what we are doing.”
There is also an educational component to what they do onstage.
The trio likes to share the history of the music they play and talk about the ukulele — an instrument that they stress is inexpensive, you can purchase a good ukulele for around $50, and relatively easy to learn.
“We like to promote the ukulele a bit,” said Wong. “We like to say that we have a petting zoo because we sometimes bring 10 or 12 ukuleles to a show and we hope that people will come up and look at them.”
“The audience does seem interested in this,” added Hoffman, who teaches the ukulele and has students who were inspired to learn the instrument after seeing the band play.
And it’s easy to understand the appeal. When the Well Tempered Ukes perform it is obvious that they are very serious accomplished musicians, but at the same time they seem to be having a great time.
“The point was always that this is fun and we are enjoying it,” said Hoffman. “We want it to go as far as it can go, but the most important thing is that we enjoy playing together.”
“My philosophy is we try to have a good time,” said Perimutter. “And if we do that, hopefully the audience will have a good time.”
The Great Falls Coffeehouse takes place in the Great Hall at the Great Falls Discovery Center located at Avenue A in Turners Falls. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Coffee and homemade baked goods are available. The museum and museum store are open during intermission. Suggested sliding scale donation is $6 to $12. Free for children.
For more information, visit: www.welltemperedukes.com
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com