Big sounds sometimes come from small instruments.
Mega Uke Tacoma, a musical meet-up of scores of ukulele players, will serenade the Proctor Farmers Market in Tacoma on Saturday.
Organized by WASSUP (Washington Association of South Sound Ukulele Players), it promises “two hours of ukulele fun with 100 of your new best friends!”
WASSUP has been performing at the market annually but this year founder Tom Brooks thought, “Let’s make something big out of this.” He’s hoping more than 100 uke enthusiasts will gather to listen to WASSUP and jam with the group.
Brooks was playing upright bass in jazz combos on the weekends when a friend gave him a ukulele a few years ago. “I started taking it with me everywhere and learned to play many of the same songs I was playing on the weekends with the jazz combos,” he said.
The ukulele produces a uniquely joyful sound and appeals to a diverse fan base that enjoys playing together, Brooks said. “This little instrument is easy to learn but offers unlimited complexity for more advanced playing,” he said.
Brooks said there has been a ukulele “revolution” lately. “Kids love them, adults love them and they are affordable. Arthur Godfrey used to say, ‘A kid can’t get in too much trouble when he has a ukulele in his hands.’”
UKULELES AT THE MARKET
Here’s the schedule for Saturday at Proctor Farmers Market:
9-9:30 a.m. WASSUP performance
9:30-10 a.m. Beginner instruction
10-10:30 a.m. Two-chord jam
10:30-11 a.m. Jam with WASSUP
The market is at North 27th and Proctor streets in Tacoma.
More info: WASSUP meets 6:30-8:30 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month at Point Defiance Village, 6414 North Park Way, Tacoma. Call Tom Brooks, 253-431-6694.
craig.sailor@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8541
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