Jere Canote joins the staff!
Hold on to your hats. Hitch up your pants. And find that old, wide tie in your closet! Here comes fun!
We knew we had room for one more instructor at the West Coast ‘Ukulele Retreat….but who best to fill the bill?
Why, none other than Jere Canote, the ‘ukulele-playing half of the glorious Canote Brothers!
Multi-instrumentalist. . . . Huge repertoire. . . .Years of experience. . . .Just what we were looking for.
Oh, and did I mention “fun?”
Jere Canote, a “well-seasoned” instructor and performer, brings a life-time of musical experience with him wherever he goes. And while he and his twin brother now live in the Pacific Northwest, they actually got their start right here in Silicon Valley in the early ’70s, honing their banjo-picking and fiddling skills in bluegrass bands that played weekly at Straw Hat Pizza restaurants in Sunnyvale and San Jose. A few years after their move to Seattle in 1981, they became sidekicks on “Sandy Bradley’s Potluck,” a National Public Radio show and spent 13 years performing on the show and expanding their repertoire to include some beautiful gems of vintage jazz and swing from the`30s and`40s–beautiful numbers that got lost, but through diligent research and exploration, were found again. As you can imagine, Jere, who is also an acclaimed ukulele instructor, is in high demand all over the country, so we are especially pleased that he can join us at Asilomar this year.
Here’s what Jere, will be bringing to our table:
Strum Fun!
A three-day class featuring more right hand techniques, aimed at the beginners and advanced beginners among us, to add verve and charisma to your playing! And, brilliantly, each technique is paired with a specific song to make practicing both productive and fun! Here you will learn the Freight Train Rhythm, the Triplet, the Syncopated Strum, the George Formby Split Stroke, the Swing Chop, and the Bo Diddly Beat. Look at that, One class and your versatility has grown exponentially!
Novelty Songs and Fretboard Exploration
Did you ever take your uke to a party……but nobody asked you to play? Well, that won’t ever happen again as long as you have this fun (and funny) repertoire of novelty songs from the 20′s, 30′s, and 40′s under your belt! But better yet, over the course of this three-day class you will be learning some new, intermediate-level techniques and chords at the same time, as a few of these songs will take you into the previously unexplored, far upper reaches of the neck of your ukulele. From Ukulele Ike to the Hoosier Hot Shots….from “That’s My Weakness Now” to “My Dog Loves Your Dog!” Jere Canote will keep you in stitches while making you a better musician and help make sure that both you and your uke are invited back to the party to play. Click here for a little sample.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Here’s a brilliant workshop for intermediate players where by you will learn to play just one tune, but you will apply three, old-time banjo and guitar techniques in the process: Carter Family Style, North Carolina 2-Finger Picking, and Clawhammer….techniques you’ll be able to carry over to other tunes in your ever-expanding repertoire. And you thought the old grey goose was dead. Not by a long shot!
My Three Songs
In which our beloved funster, Jere Canote, takes us through three fun songs…..in counterpoint…..with two different melodies, all sung at the same time. It’s a great workshop for ukulele players of all skill levels. Because the chords are easy, beginners and advanced beginners will enjoy learning new songs and skills. At the same time, the fun factor makes it a great workshop for more advanced players as well, as it will give them a little to something to take back to the old folks at home for those special occasions when they are called on to teach or lead another group.
And don’t forget, Jere will also be on hand for “office hours,” jam sessions, general chit-chat over breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and as a band leader!
Registration closes April 14! Asilomar still has a number (albeit very limited) of spaces available. So, please, if you’d like to join us, please register as soon as possible. (If you register with us, and then find out that Asilomar does not have room for you, we will issue you a full refund.)
Also, just wanted to let you know that due to a couple of cancellations….we do have room available for 2 couples or singles, for the Yankee Invasion of the ‘Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, June 20 – 27. Let me know if you think you’d like to join us!
Hope to see you in May!
West Coast 'Ukulele Retreat 