DENNIS ODA / DODA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM Bill Tapia was honored earlier this year at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's 75th anniversary. He performed with Ray Noble at the hotel's opening in 1927.

Picking up wood
vibrations

Stars will shine at a first-ever Waikiki
workshop addressing all things ukulele

---

By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

Whatever your interest in the ukulele may be, the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort (still known to many longtime residents as the former Hawaiian Regent) is the place to be this weekend. The Ukulele Exhibition and Conference convenes this weekend with seminars, demonstrations and performances.

The two-day program is being presented by the Ukulele Guild of Hawaii, a nonprofit advocacy group of 156 makers, musicians, teachers and fans devoted to the cause of promoting the ukulele through the free exchange of information about all aspects of the instrument and its history.

Several of the Saturday seminars will be of interest primarily for people interested perhaps in building their own instruments or learning about things that distinguish a high-grade instrument from one of lesser quality. Seminar topics include "Ukulele Designing," "Action, Set-up and Intonation," "Designing With Laser" and "Ukulele Finishes and Restoration." Many ukulele manufacturers and individual luthiers will have their wares on display.

Les Nunes will provide an overview of the history of the ukulele and his family's role in creating the Hawaiian ukulele out of a Portuguese instrument (Portuguese craftsman Manuel Nunes arrived in Hawaii in 1879 and was one of the earlier ukulele makers).

Ledward Ka'apana and "Uncle Harry" Koizumi are also scheduled as seminar participants. Byron Yasui, Lyle Ritz, Benny Chong and Bill Kaiwa headline the list of scheduled entertainers. Kaiwa performs Sunday morning, and Yasui, Ritz and Chong on Saturday.

Yasui and Ritz are longtime playing buddies who both play ukulele and acoustic bass, and who are capable of trading off on instruments in midsong. Chong, who, like Yasui, mentions Ritz as his major inspiration back in the day, has been doing shows with Yasui as part of the popular "Solo Ukulele" series. But that's not all.

The big deal -- beyond getting Ritz, Yasui and Chong onstage together -- is that they'll be welcoming back to Hawaii a man who might accurately be described as an "unknown legend" in ukulele history, 94-year-old Bill Tapia.

Never heard of him? Well, don't feel too bad about it. Tapia left Hawaii more than 60 years ago.

"The old-timers would've known him, but they all died off," Yasui said. "He was playing 'Stars and Stripes Forever' in the streets of Honolulu with the ukulele behind his head when he was about 10 years old ... and banjo with Ray Noble at the opening of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1927."

Tapia's connection with Yasui's family goes back almost that far; Yasui's grandfather was Tapia's barber ("he got his hair cut once every two weeks at Honolulu Barber Shop"), and Yasui's father worked with Tapia at Metronome Music, making three recordings of Tapia playing jazz on his ukulele with "two other guys" in 1936.

"He's about the only direct living link to my father and my grandfather," Yasui said, adding that although few in Hawaii remember Tapia today, he was high profile back in the day.

"He knew all the musicians in town. ... He played with everybody in town, he had his own bands and his pictures were all in the papers ... but nobody is alive anymore from that period."

Like many musicians before and since, Tapia sought bigger opportunities on the mainland. He found there was more demand guitarists there than for ukulele players and set the instrument aside. Now he's coming back home to play.

"Between the four of us -- Lyle Ritz, Benny Chong, myself and Bill Tapia -- we have an estimated 220 years of professional musical experience. Benny's a couple of years younger than me, (but) it's not very often when I'm the youngest in the group!"

Ukulele Festival and Conference Where: Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort, 2552 Kalakaua Ave. When: 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. tomorrow and 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Admission: Free Call: 922-6611

Click for online
calendars and events.