SPRINGFIELD – Baby Boomers might associate the humble ukulele with Polynesian music or with the 1970s pop culture icon Tiny Tim, but today a new generation of musicians is discovering the four-string instrument.
Snapback has four such musicians: Jim Lenn, Donna Hess, Gary Hess and Karen Knapp. Formerly known as the New England Ukulele Ensemble, Snapback will once again be bringing its crowd-pleasing sound for a special Christmas show at the Bing Arts Center on Dec. 17 at 8 p.m.
Lenn explained to Reminder Publications the Connecticut-based group has been around for six years and recently changed its name to better reflect its core repertoire: classic rock and pop tunes from the 1960s and ‘70s.
Lenn has had a long career in music and discovered the ukulele eight years ago when it was inconvenient to bring his guitar. When later he heard the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain perform “it knocked me out.”
He said that guitar players find the ukulele easy to learn and because of the size and having four strings chords are easier to learn. “It works with your hand,” he explained. The nylon strings of a ukulele are “much more forgiving” on a player’s fingers than the steel strings of a guitar, he added.
The price of a ukulele is less than a guitar, Lenn said, another part of its new appeal.
After seeing the British group perform he proposed to a group of fellow musicians and friends from his church if they would like to try forming a ukulele band. The four members work well both vocally and instrumentally and the group has become a kind of hobby for them.
There is resistance, though, to the idea of a ukulele ensemble. He related how a recent performance stretched from being an hour to an hour and 40 minutes because of the response of the audience.
“If they happen to be there and we play, it’s a completely different response,” Lenn said.
Getting people to listen to the group is “a conundrum,” but Lenn recounted how the group was allowed to open for the Hartford Symphony at the July Fourth celebration in Enfield CT this year and received a great response.
Lenn teaches ukulele classes at Windsor (CT) High School and can see the interest grow in the instrument.
To get a sense of the group’s sound, watch this video:
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Arts Center for the performance. Refreshments available. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Seating is limited.
