The Paul Hemmings Uketet
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The humble ukulele has sat on the back burner throughout most of Jazz music's rich history. Paul Hemmings is determined to change that.
With The Paul Hemmings Uketet, the unassuming four-stringed Hawaiian instrument takes its place front and center, alongside bass and drums, in a well-seasoned jazz combo that pushes the boundaries of what has often been considered a mere novelty instrument. Based in New York City, The Uketet (pronounced yook-TET) serves up a savory blend of jazz standards, contemporary classics, and original music, all the while showcasing the instrumental virtues of its key ingredient. From the Hawaiian Islands to the Island of Manhattan, The Uketet combines the warm spirit of Aloha with the vibrancy of New York's world-renowned jazz scene to concoct a tantalizing taste of instrumental ukulele music. A jazz guitar player by training, Paul's love affair with the ukulele started in 2005 after purchasing his first uke while visiting the island of Maui for a friend's wedding. What began as a light-hearted fling soon developed into a full-fledged obsession. Over the next few years, Paul's ukulele found its way into more and more of his jazz guitar gigs until he decided it was time to launch a project that would feature the smaller instrument in its own right. After enlisting long-time friend and colleague Gaku Takanashi on bass and versatile session ace Mike Campenni on drums, The Uketet was born. The group set to work playing gigs around New York, developing their distinctive sound with arrangements that blend familiar melodies with exotic harmonies and the rhythms of the world. In any given performance, you'll find The Uketet incorporating elements of hard-swinging jazz, latin-infused polyrhythms, and reggae-tinged grooves, all peppered with fancy flights of improvisation. With a repertoire ranging from Thelonious Monk and Antonio-Carlos Jobim to Bob Marley and The Beatles, the group recently completed work on their first full-length studio album, due out in late 2011. |
