James Hill- Artist Profile
James Hill: Friday, April 5. 8:00 pm. $15 at the door. James Hill, who has earned a reputation as Canada’s foremost – indeed one of the world’s foremost – players of the often-underestimated ukulele, stands poised and ready to take his place in the ranks of today’s best young songwriters. Barely into his 30s, his technical prowess on ukulele has been achieved through attacking the lowly folk instrument with the seriousness and nuance of technique usually associated with the highest levels of virtuosity. His entertaining and unpredictable solo concerts and his inspirational music seminars have made him something of a ukulele-based motivational speaker. And now, Hill’s latest album introduces us to Hill as singer/songwriter, a choice which is growing to rival his prowess as an instrumentalist. Multiple factors come together on Man With a Love Song, the rock-solid musicianship of Hill and his collaborators, the clear strength of Hill’s singing voice, and the playful breadth of the styles in which Hill has chosen to write (from soulful big-band jazz through barrel-house bluegrass to spoken-word-and-junkyard-percussion). But the central astounding fact of this album, is the poetry of the lyrics. jameshillmusic.com
Background: How does a kid from Canada become what the Honolulu Star-Bulletin calls a “rare peer” of Hawaii’s premier ukulele players? James Hill grew up nearly three thousand miles east of Honolulu in the town of Langley, British Columbia, where ukulele instruction has been mandatory in many schools since the late 1970s. To his fourth grade classmates, the ukulele was a means to an end, a way for them to dip their toes into the vast ocean of music. For James, the uke was a sea of possibilities unto itself and inside its tiny wooden shell he saw his life in music. He was hooked.
During his teenage years he honed his skills as a key member of the renowned Langley Ukulele Ensemble and as a student at the Langley Community Music School. James continued his study of music at the University of British Columbia where he earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in 2002. In a full-circle plot twist, James – also a passionate teacher – went on to co-author the Ukulele in the Classroom method book series with J. Chalmers Doane, the trail-blazing teacher who pioneered the use of ukuleles in Canadian schools.
A seasoned performer with an ever-growing fan base in North America, Asia and Europe, James has garnered wide acclaim for his ground-breaking approach to the chronically-underestimated ukulele. Over the course of his first three genre-defying albums – Playing it like it isn’t… (2002), On the Other Hand (2003) and A Flying Leap (2006) – he re-wrote every rule that had previously kept the ukulele in the realm of novelty and obscurity. Then came the Canadian-Folk-Music-Award-winning True Love Don’t Weep (2009, Borealis Records), his collaboration with cellist/singer Anne Janelle, an album that pushed the budding singer/songwriter into new territory, topped folk radio charts in North America and opened doors to festival stages across the continent. Hill’s latest album, Man With a Love Song, is a sweeping panorama of original songs and instrumentals that more than fulfils the promise of his earlier work.
James Hill - Merchandise
Get the latest James Hill albums and songs. Once you start listening, you cant stop!
A Man With A Love Song A Flying Leap
True Love Don't Weep On The Other Hand
James Hill - Photos
Here are some photos of James Hill in the act of playing the ukulele in different places around the world:
James Hill - 38th Annual Ukulele Fest
James Hill in Singapore
James Hill in Truro, Nova Scotia
James Hill in Vicenza, Italy
James Hill in Japan
Songs
Check out all the latest songs from James Hill!
James Hill - Man With a Love Song
2. Any Old Lover
3. High Demand
7. Soap and Water
8. What Would You Have Me Do?
9. Indecision Rag
12. You Should See Me Now
13. Voodoo Forever, Aloha (Part 1)
14. Voodoo Forever, Aloha (Part 2)
Check out the audio on YouTube, or on James Hill's website.
Album Release Date: 2011
James Hill - A Flying Leap
5. One Small Suite for Ukulele: Allegro con brio
6. One Small Suite for Ukulele: Largo cantabile
7. One Small Suite for Ukulele: Vivace giocoso
8. Fleas My Dog Has (Hill)
10. Never On Sunday (Hadjidakis)
Check out these cool songs on YouTube or on James Hill's website!
Album Release Date: 2006
James Hill - On the Other Hand
1. Ev'ry Night - with Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer (Trad.)
2. One More Lie to Love (Hill)
3. Oh! Susanna (Foster)
4. Ode to a Frozen Boot (Hill)
5. Sakura, Sakura (Trad.)
6. Travelin' On - with J. Chalmers Doane & David Myles (Hill)
7. Obedience Blues - with John Kavanagh (Hill)
8. Because (d'Hardelot/Teschemacher)
9. Richard's Reel (Hill)
10. Molly Brannigan
11. Duke's Alley Rag (Hill)
12. New York Strum (Doane/MacPhee)
James Hill - Play It Like It Isn't...
1. Flight of the Bumblebee (Rimsky-Korsakov)
2. One Note Samba (Jobim / Mendonça)
3. Orange Blossom Special (Rouse)
4. Meditation from Thaïs (Massenet)
5. Summertime (Gershwin)
6. Super Mario Brothers (Silvestri)
7. Habañera (Bizet)
8. Ave Maria (schubert)
9. Take the 'A' Train (Strayhorn)
10. Hello My Baby (Howard)
Check these songs out on YouTube!
Album Release Date: 2002
Bonus! James Hill & Anne Davison
True Love Don't Weep
1. Ev'ry Night - with Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer (Trad.)
2. One More Lie to Love (Hill)
3. Oh! Susanna (Foster)
4. Ode to a Frozen Boot (Hill)
5. Sakura, Sakura (Trad.)
6. Travelin' On - with J. Chalmers Doane & David Myles (Hill)
7. Obedience Blues - with John Kavanagh (Hill)
8. Because (d'Hardelot/Teschemacher)
9. Richard's Reel (Hill)
10. Molly Brannigan
11. Duke's Alley Rag (Hill)
12. New York Strum (Doane/MacPhee)
Check these two out on YouTube!
Album Release Date: 2009
Videos
Coolest Videos of James Hill and his ukulele, everything from original work to famous covers with unique spins, including an awesome cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean!
James Hill - Billie Jean (cover)
This amazing spin-off of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean really shows the talent that James possesses. He completely rearranged the entire feeling of the song!
James Hill - Hand Over My Heart
An original composed song, Hand Over My Heart, is the first single of the album Man With A Love Song.
James Hill - One Note Samba
You can tell James not only has an amazing talent of playing the ukulele but as proved with this song, he gets into the music and enjoys it.
James Hill - Flight of the Bumblebee
An amazing composition on a unique instrument, who would have thought Flight of the Bumblebee could be played on a ukulele
No comments:
Post a Comment