Tiki Central / Tiki Music / Ukulele master Bill Tapia
Post #133388 by Humuhumu on Thu, Dec 30, 2004 3:43 PM
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Humuhumu
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Thu, Dec 30, 2004 3:43 PM
Bill Tapia will be celebrating his 97th birthday this coming Saturday, January 1. Tapia has been playing the ukulele for 90 years. Think about that: ninety years. He still plays today, I first heard him at one of King Kukulele's Tiki Taix nights. His style of playing is really gorgeous, quite jazzy. His version of Stars & Stripes Forever is stunning--as is his story of having heard John Philip Sousa's band play it in person when he was a small child in Hawaii. Anyone who has an opportunity to see him in person should do so. For those who don't have that opportunity, I have a few things to share with you. The first is Tapia's CD, which I received as a gift this Xmas. It's available from Amazon (be sure to use the Tiki Central Amazon link, to help offset the costs of running TC!).
The CD has a number of newly recorded tracks, and includes a 1936 recording of Stars & Stripes Forever. I also have some video I shot of Tapia at King Kukulele's birthday, and at a Tiki Taix night. These are honkin' huge video files, I apologize for that, and were taken on my digital camera rather than a proper video camera, and the sound is definitely sub-par, but it's what you get, so take it and be happy, dammit. Two of these are of him playing songs, and one is of him talking story for a short bit. Tapia plays at King Kukulele's bday: Tapia chats for a bit while the boys set up for him at Tiki Taix: Tapia plays at Tiki Taix: Happy Birthday, Bill Tapia! |
