It was FUUUN!
Hello Strummers!
Everything went well tonight, indeed, you might say the evening slid along
as smoothly as an inflatable teflon sled on warm buttered runners. Big THANK
YOU to Marnie who spent hours with her hot-glue gun putting together many of
the glorious decorations. She was also responsible for most of the prizes
for the Xmas quiz. Re. the quiz: I won’t go into detail but it’s shocking to
me how little North Americans know of the Christmas hit songs that get
played relentlessly in the UK at this time of year. It’s like a totally
different musical world!
And what a great little musical world the ukulele circle is! Performance
time included a mash-up of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings by 3
generations of the Demos family (Jessica, Jordan, Audrey, Steven and John.)
Ed’s “beginner” uke group did a surprisingly proficient performance of
Silent Night – way to go guys! Jim and Miriam sang White Christmas. Derryl
did the Australian song: Six White Boomers, that is kangaroos pulling
santa’s sleigh instead of reindeer? I dunno – doesn’t sound very practical
to me – but then the whole Santa/Reindeer thing is more than a bit unusual
when you really start to think about it.
Staying on the animal theme, I sang my song Donner the Yodelling Reindeer.
Donner is one reindeer who I felt deserved his own song so I wrote it.
Jennifer, who we saw as Janis Joplin last time, took on a very different
style by singing the old (16th century) and beautiful song Coventry Carol.
Boaz sang Tom Lehrer’s “regifting” song called I Got it From Agnes. Tom M.
came with gloves-on-strings-around-neck to sing the Burt Bacharach/Hal David
song The Look of (G)love. And by remarkable coincidence the other Tom also
brought a Burt Bacharach/Hal David song, this one called What the World
Needs Now is Love Sweet Love – not really a seasonal song but definitely a
Christmas message.
And Ronin ended Performance time with Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas. He also mentioned what a large part of his life both the uke
circle and ukulele in general has become. I was also thanked by a couple of
others who wanted me to know how much they enjoy coming to this. That really
means a lot you know. It can be hard to tell from the stage how people are
doing in the audience and having you stand in front of me and acknowledge
what you’re getting out of it is really nice. So thank YOU for thanking me!!
Huron Carol and Fairytale in New York were great – I think I may stick them
in the new song book – just ‘coz!
Have a very merry festive season and I hope you take a little time to think
about all that is good in the world.
See you in January – if not sooner!!
Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016!!!
Ralph
http://www.ralphshaw.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ralphshawmusic
