Monthly Archives: August 2015

Pure Gene Kelly Perfection

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“I’d studied dance in Chicago every summer end
taught it all winter, and I was well-rounded.
I wasn’t worried about getting a job on Broadway.
In fact, I got one the first week.”
Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly

He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the charming characters he played on-screen. To me he was all of these adjectives and more. He had more charisma in his little pinky than any of his contemporaries.

Eugene Curran “Gene” Kelly was born August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was just eight, when his mother enrolled him and his brother James in dance classes.

He graduated from High School at age sixteen and went on to college, majoring in journalism. But the 1929 crash forced him to work to help his family. He created dance routines with his younger brother Fred to earn prize money in local talent contests. They also performed in local nightclubs.

The family fell on hard times, so to make ends meet, his mother suggested the family open a dance studio. The Gene Kelly Studio of the Dance became quite successful which enabled Kelly to give Broadway a try. His big break came in 1939 when he danced and did his own choreography in, The Time of Your Life.

Shortly after his success on Broadway, Kelly left New York and headed for Hollywood. It didn’t take long for him to land his first part in 1942 in the motion picture, For Me and My Gal starring Judy Garland. After that, it was one successful dance movie after another. He did do a few serious movies, such as his portrayal of the character Hornbeck in the 1960 movie, Inherit the Wind.

I have several favorite Gene Kelly movies, but if I had to pick just one I’d have to pick his 1964 musical comedy/romance, What a Way To Go. This movie had an all star cast which included, Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Robert Cummings and Dick Van Dyke. He performs a dance routine with Shirley MacLaine which he choreographed that is pure Gene Kelly perfection.

Shine On

A Walk in The Woods

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“I want things to be better all the time.
And I tend to get angry about that.
Books are an opportunity to vent.”
Bill Bryson

A Walk in The Woods

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve read a variety of books. I’m proud to say, I’ve read 65 books to date. They range from celebrity biographies to 100-year-old classics.

So it’s rare that I find a book to read that is laugh-out-loud funny, inspirational and educational all rolled into one. A Walk in the Woods is one of those rare books.

Bill Bryson’s 1998 book, A Walk in the Woods, which was made into a movie and will be released September 2nd, is a story about Bill Bryson’s quest to hike the Appalachian Trail.

The book has all the subjects and details I find interesting. It’s packed with history, nature and science with details about the hiking trails in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was Bryson’s sense of humor. This book was highly entertaining, and is a great read for all ages and walks of life who have ever hiked or simply enjoy a walk in the woods.

Shine On

Sweet Little Ukulele

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“I love the ukulele. It’s got a beautiful, melodic tone to it.
There’s something innocent and romantic, and
it’s just a grand instrument to play.”
Pierce Brosnan

Sweet Little Ukulele

When I went shopping for my ukulele, I was just going to get the simplest one I could find. However, I didn’t realize there would be such a variety to choose from.

After hearing the sounds from different models at my local music store, I decided on a Kala concert ukulele.

My little ukulele is  Kala’s ultra thin body uke. It features a 1-1/2″ archback depth and is made of spruce and mahogany with a Rosewood fingerboard and bridge. It also came with a beautiful embroidered padded ukulele bag, plus I bought a clip-on digital tuner.

The sound and the light feel of this ukulele is what I like most. I probably shouldn’t be playing until my lessons, but I can’t keep my hands off this sweet little ukulele.

Shine On

My First Ukulele

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“One thing you might want to learn before
you attend the world’s largest
ukulele lesson is how to say ukulele.”
Mary Schmich

My First Ukulele

Today I decided to shop for a ukulele. The class I’ll be starting next month suggest that we use a soprano or tenor concert size ukulele. Of course I’ve already Googled everything about the ukulele, since I signed up for the classes.

I was surprised to learn that the ukulele is a fairly new fretted instrument. It originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian adaptation of the Portuguese machete, a small guitar-like instrument, which was introduced to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants, from the Macaronesian Islands. It gained great popularity in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.

Ukuleles are usually made of wood. Cheaper ukuleles are made from plywood or laminate woods, in some cases with a soundboard of a tonewood such as spruce. The more expensive ukuleles are made of solid hardwoods such as mahogany. The traditionally preferred wood for ukuleles is koa.

Typically, ukuleles have a figure-eight body shape similar to that of a small acoustic guitar. They are also seen in non-standard shapes, such as cutaway shape and an oval, usually called a “pineapple” ukulele, invented by the Kamaka Ukulele company, or a boat-paddle shape, and occasionally a square shape, often made out of an old wooden cigar box.

Most ukuleles have four strings; some strings may be paired in courses, giving the instrument a total of six or eight strings. The strings themselves were originally made of catgut, but modern ukuleles use nylon polymer strings, with many variations in the material. Some of the lower strings, particularly on the larger sizes, are wound with aluminum.

Thankfully, the ukulele that my instructor has recommended is the most common and standard type of ukulele. It’s the smallest ukulele and is known for its thin, jangly sound commonly associated with ukuleles. Because it’s so small, its perfect for my small hands and fingers as well as convenient for traveling.

Now that I have a little bit of knowledge about the ukulele, I’m ready to head off to shop for my first ukulele.

Shine On

The Next Dawn Ho

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“If everyone played the ukulele,
the world would be a better place.”
Jake Shimabukuro

Dawn Ho

A few months back I put together some music for my husband that I knew he’d enjoy.

There’s one song in particular that he enjoys and it’s one of my favorites as well. The song is Izzy’s rendition of, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Growing up, we both enjoyed listening to the ukulele. Don Ho was very popular four decades ago and was famous for his big hit, Tiny Bubbles. The only other ukulele players I remember were Elvis and Tiny Tim.

When my husband came home from the hospital last week, he asked me if I would do him a big favor. He asked me if I would learn to play the ukulele. “The ukulele?” I asked. “Why do you want me to learn the ukulele?”

He told me he had been looking through our local “Adult Classes” brochure and saw that a ukulele aficionado was teaching a class for beginner ukulele players. I didn’t realize how much he enjoyed the ukulele.

What can say, I love my husband, and if learning to play the ukulele will make him happy, I guess I can learn to play. I’m actually looking forward to learning to play this cool little fretted instrument. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the next, Dawn Ho.

Shine On