LIHU‘E — Rodney Adric has a new project on his plate. Adric was one of several winners of ‘ukulele given away during the 7th Annual ‘Ukulele Festival, Saturday at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center. As he accepted his Ohana instrument
LIHU‘E — Rodney Adric has a new project on his plate.
Adric was one of several winners of ‘ukulele given away during the 7th Annual ‘Ukulele Festival, Saturday at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center.
As he accepted his Ohana instrument complete with accessories and a hard case, Adric admitted he doesn’t really know how to play ‘ukulele very well.
With a new instrument in hand, the ‘ukulele festival continues to keep the ‘ukulele alive and well, one of the goals of Roy and Kathy Sakuma, founders of the festival some 39 years ago on O‘ahu.
The festival on O‘ahu is touted as one of the largest ‘ukulele festivals in the world, and the Kaua‘i version was added seven years ago when Sakuma and his guest artist Ohta-San arrived here to work with teaching people how to play.
That original aspect has never changed and Saturday’s festival opened with a two-hour workshop with Sakuma, recognized as Hawai‘i’s foremost ‘ukulele teacher.
Drawing from the two-hour free concert on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i’s version included performances by Hanalei School ‘Ukulele Band under the direction of John Kaneholani as well as the Kapa‘a Middle School choir and ‘ukulele band under the direction of Mary Lardizabal who performed some of the numbers that earned the group its gold medal at the Heritage Music Festival in California earlier this month.
Other performers included John Medeiros, an ‘ukulele contest winner and the familiar Lihu‘e Seniors that brought the show to its finale in their red-and-white attire and performances that sometimes includes a violin accompanying the group that is one of the highlights of the Visitor Industry Charity Walk as they perform for the hundreds of walkers along Rice Street.
Nick Acosta is missing a right hand, but that didn’t stop him from plucking out “Pipeline” to the amazement of the audience. Acosta, who is a repeat performer at the festival, was joined by Sakuma in a two-instrument arrangement of the popular surf tune.
Herb Ohta, with more than 100 albums to his credit, was joined by Nando Suan in a special performance. Ohta-San, as he is popularly known as, started playing the ‘ukulele when he was only 7 years old and his style was influenced by Eddie Kamae.
Ohta-San is the only known master of the ‘ukulele to have more than 6,000 tunes performed in concerts. He has recorded on Decca, Warner Bros., Polydor, JVC Victor, M&H Hawai‘i and many other labels.
In 2004, the Sakumas established ‘Ukulele Festival Hawai‘i, a charitable non-profit organization. Earlier this year, the organization began accepting applications for a scholarship from students who play the ‘ukulele.
The ‘ukulele is a Hawaiian musical instrument that is a modification of a guitar and was developed in the Hawaiian Islands during the 19th century.
According to history of the instrument, the Hawaiians were impressed with the speed of Joao Fernandez, one of 419 Portuguese immigrants that arrived from Madeira to work in the canefields in August, 1879.
Fernandez was so happy to be on land, he borrowed his friend’s braguinha and started played folks songs from Madeira on the wharf, the Hawaiians calling the instrument ‘ukulele, which translates as “jumping flea.”
For more information, visit www.roysakuma.net
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
