A 99th-birthday celebration

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ukulele virtuoso Bill Tapia, who was born Jan. 1, 1908, and learned to play the uke in 1915, celebrated his 99th birthday last Thursday with a two-hour concert at the rRed Elephant. Tapia, third from left, played the first half of the show with support from Steve Jones, left, Mihana Aluli Souza and Jeff Peterson. Ernie Provencher took over on bass after intermission, and steel guitarist Buck Giles sat in for a few numbers in the second half. Tapia played an assortment of Hawaiian, hapa haole and mainstream American pop standards. He was superb throughout. CLICK FOR LARGE

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Bill Tapia and Mihana Aluli Souza reminisced after the show. Souza told the audience that the first time she met Tapia, he shared his memories of the days when her mother, Irmgard Farden Aluli, was performing as a founding member of the Annie Kerr Trio in the late 1920s. CLICK FOR LARGE

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Paul Kreiling, left, and Joey Wolpert, right, co-owners of the rRed Elephant, talked backstage with Bill Tapia before the show. Kreiling was unable to watch the show because it was being recorded for Tapia's next album, and there was no video feed into the control room. CLICK FOR LARGE

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jeff Peterson and Steve Jones talked backstage before the show. Tapia mentioned during his performance that he had known previous generations of Peterson's ohana as well. CLICK FOR LARGE

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Guitarist Jeff Peterson glanced over as Tapia took a solo. The concert was a rare opportunity to enjoy the style and technique of a man who learned the instrument by watching and listening to first-generation Hawaiian ukulele players almost a century ago. Tapia, who described himself during the show as "99 (years) young," closed appropriately with "Young at Heart." CLICK FOR LARGE