The Guest from Portland
In August, a ukulele player from Portland, Michael Kolibaba, visited Hungary. We arranged to meet and spent a delightful afternoon playing ukulele. We understood one another very well because, besides English, music was the common language we both spoke.
Mike told me that the ukulele is extremely popular almost everywhere in the United States. Several clubs operate in Portland and regular meetings are organized. One such group is the Portland Ukulele Association , which has around 80-100 members. Monthly meetings attract about 30-40 participants, and everyone has an opportunity to perform original songs or covers, either alone or in various combinations with others.
Mike sent me some information by email about one of the largest ukulele festivals in the north-western United States, held every October - hence the very appropriate name and web address: http://uketoberfest.com (although I am not sure the beer mugs are quite the right size). At the event you can hear concerts, discover new products from instrument makers, and of course take part personally in mass group ukulele sessions.
Back to our meeting: Mike and I played all sorts of songs for two hours, and fortunately our musical tastes are quite similar. Mike was accompanied by his American friend Neal, and Alex also joined us; Alex is the Hungarian friend of Mike and Neal. Is the relationship clear?
Alex, Neal and Mike
While Mike and I strummed continuously, Alex filmed continuously. A huge thank-you to him, because he recorded nearly an hour and a half of raw material, from which I edited the very short video below:
Mike bought his Hora-brand ukulele just a few days before our meeting atEthnosound.
I asked Mike what message he would give the blog's readers about learning music and playing the ukulele. I was pleased that he said almost exactly what I always tell people: it is never too late to start learning music. Mike added that, at the other end of the scale, music education can begin at almost any young age.
A message to Mike, Neal and Alex: I hope we meet - and make music - again!
