Artist description Uke Jackson's rousing acoustic presentations of songs span centuries as well as genres. Whether it's a Robert Burns poem set to music, a Cab Calloway classic, or an original songwriting effort, he gets audiences singing along, swaying and bouncing. Uke Jackson appears anywhere from farmers markets to festival main stages, from crossroads cafes to cosmopolitan cabarets. Uke Jackson describes himself as a bard, and rightfully so. He is a musician, songwriter, playwright, storyteller and writer. His first CD earned him a nod as one of the Top Ten recording artists in the country, according to the editors of the American Library Association's BookList. From 1979 through 1987, his sonnets and other light verse were a frequent feature in the New York Times. In 2001, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran his sonnet "Bruination" on its editorial page to kick off national poetry month. His plays have been staged in Manhattan, Princeton, NJ, and elsewhere. His play "Avenue Z Afternoon" was a GM Mark of Excellence production on the A&E network. Uke Jackson also holds a black belt in ukulele. His work with the Plexus group in the 1980s led to jazz opera extravaganzas -- including full orchestras, corps du ballet, and hundreds of other performers -- produced in New York, Italy and Senegal. In addition to his duties as dramaturg and impresario, he performed as Lorenzo deMedici in "Eve" (with score by Lawrence “Butch” Morris and lyrics, which won the National Book Award for poetry, by Miguel Algarin); as the Head of the Serpent in "Il Viaggio del Serpente"; and as Rex Ferdinand in "Cristofaro Colombo Viaggio nel Pianete Arte" (score by Giancarlo Schiaffini). During this period, he also worked as a musician playing ocarina and ethnic flutes with the late jazz legend Don Cherry, Charlie Morrow, and other vanguard performers, at the New York Open Center, St. John the Divine Cathedral, C.U.A.N.D.O. and elsewhere in New York and in California. In 1995 he began telling River Tales, written for his daughter Isabella, on WBAI FM in Manhattan. These were recorded and eventually heard by radio audiences on some 200+ stations throughout the English-speaking world. He was honored with a special River Tales evening at Sunnyside, the National Historic Landmark home of Washington Irving in Tarrytown, New York. He now performs his storytelling programs in schools and at festivals. He has worked as a reporter and reviewer for a number of newspapers, including the Berkeley Barb, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Miami Herald, and he has written hundreds of magazine articles (under the name Stephen DiLauro, which his parents gave him). Uke Jackson's main focus these days is his music. He began his musical career playing electric guitar, with Rockers, a band he and schoolmates formed, at the New York World's Fair. He was nine years old. More recently, he played ukulele and rhythm guitar with the Juggernaut String Band. Currently, he performs solo on ukulele, tenor guitar, Pan pipes, harmonica, and 6-string acoustic guitar, or with the Uke Jackson Cabaret Orchestra, a backup trio with a revolving roster. An evening of music with Uke Jackson includes traditional Celtic and cowboy songs, original tunes, blues, Appalachian folk songs, spirituals, Tin Pan Alley and jazz standards, and the occasional poem, story, or reminiscence from his life as a bard.

Music Style black belt ukulele

Musical Influences Celtic, blues, jazz, cowboy, roots, folk, Hawaiian, traditional country, blue grass

Similar Artists Elvis Preseley, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen

Instruments tenor ukulele,soprano ukulele, tenor guitar, 6 string acoustic guitar, harmonica, ocaraina, Pan pipes, other ethnic pipes and flutes

Albums Bard at Work, River Tales, Painting in the Cave of the Sun, Blue Deer, Blue as I get, Ukulele Cowboy, Black Belt Ukulele, Ukulele Peace, Ukulele Sampler

Press Reviews "a marvelous tapestry of sound" -- Philadelphia Inquirer

Location Stroudsburg, PA - USA

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