James Hill locally

Earlier this week I was really lucky to catch a show in James Hill's tour of Japan.

It was an entertaining evening given to an almost sold-out crowd. The songs featured were mainly those that owners of his CDs would be familiar with. It seemed like the selection was almost designed to be as international and diverse as possible. He highlighted this diversity by commenting that the ukulele is indeed a versatile instrument.

One song that I hadn't heard before was an original composition he dedicated to the folks looking after him in town. It was a happy, bluegrass-inpired piece. Apparently, one of the minders is a fan of bluegrass.

Being four rows back from the stage, it was great to be able to see some of his right-hand techniques--at least when this hand was moving slowly enough to see. His upward rolling-stroke was particularly interesting.

I had seen James Hill last year at the Ukulele Super Jam in Tokyo. His performance this week was more enjoyable and had a nice at-home feel to it.

Seeing that he will be in Quebec the weekend of this year’s Ukulele Super Jam, attendees will not be able to enjoy his magic there.

This year’s Ukulele Super Jam will be at the same Yakult Hall as last year, but the date has been moved to 12 May. The date change knocks me off the attendance list, unfortunately.