I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Beloff at the Apple Tree Arts Ukulele Festival. For those who do not know Jim, he is a songwriter and has published over 38 songbooks and instructional books arranged by him and other well-known ukulele players. His love of all things ukulele lit the fuse and helped fan the flames of the ukulele’s rise in popularity. Some of the things we chat about include:
- How did the opportunity to work on “Daily Ukulele – Another Year” present itself, and what were some of the unique challenges with it compared to prior books?
- How did it come about that you were able to collaborate with “Wrecking Crew” session musician Lyle Ritz, and how intimidating was it?
- Can you talk about what it was like to work with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame, putting his solo album “Ukulele Songs” in songbook form?
- Some of your ukulele “students” include William H Macy, Bette Midler, and Sam Neill. Do you have any great stories to share about teaching them?