James Hill & Anne Janelle, originally uploaded by leyaevelyn.
I went to see/hear James Hill on the ukelele and Anne Janelle on the cello at the Carleton Sunday night. A strange mix of instruments but it worked. Beautifully. James Hill is a master on the ukelele, makes it an instrument to be taken seriously. The songs went from classical to jazz to blues to folk with ease, grace and finesse. The only problem was the Carleton had sold out its famous hamburgers. So I settled for beer battered fish. It was good but I’ll go back for the hamburger.
Anne Janelle sings and plays the cello beautifully and, as well, has a Goldie Hawn smile. That’s what my dentist told me once when I was not happy about every tooth and gum showing when I smiled. But with Janelle, it was so lovely: perfect teeth, perfect gums, perfect smile. Young and beautiful. And an amazing voice came out of that mouth.
The only time I played the ukelele was when I was fourteen. I was at a summer camp in Wisconsin. The songs I learned were cowboy song, about wandering with coyotes. I still wander and wonder about coyotes, here in the woods of Nova Scotia. But I haven’t played the ukelele much since then.
James Hill was very inspiring. Maybe. I doubt if there was anyone (or at least hardly anyone) in that audience who didn’t want to go home and learn to play the ukelele. I did, but I probably won’t. There are so many things I want to do. I have to prioritize. Maybe next year. For now, I’ll stick to the piano.