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- Bassist Lyle Ritz: Father of Jazz Ukulele
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- Heidi Chang
No one plays the ukulele like Lyle Ritz. He's revered as the "Father of Jazz Ukulele" because he introduced the concept of playing jazz on the tiny instrument when he released the world's first jazz ukulele album, "How About Uke?," in 1958.
Ironically, Ritz never earned his living playing the ukulele. Instead, he played the bass as a member of the "Wrecking Crew," the group of studio musicians that backed up most of the hits that came out of Los Angeles from the 60s through the early 80s. He's on the Beach Boys "Good Vibrations," Sonny and Cher's "The Beat Goes On," and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers.
Now in his late 70s, Ritz demonstrates how he recorded his latest CD, "No Frills," all by himself on his laptop computer, playing both bass and ukulele. Over the years, Ritz has inspired ukulele enthusiasts worldwide, especially in Hawaii. In 2007, he was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame and also the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:2004-2007:Lyle_Ritz http://www.musicianshalloffame.com/award_show/index.php
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Piece Description
No one plays the ukulele like Lyle Ritz. He's revered as the "Father of Jazz Ukulele" because he introduced the concept of playing jazz on the tiny instrument when he released the world's first jazz ukulele album, "How About Uke?," in 1958.
Ironically, Ritz never earned his living playing the ukulele. Instead, he played the bass as a member of the "Wrecking Crew," the group of studio musicians that backed up most of the hits that came out of Los Angeles from the 60s through the early 80s. He's on the Beach Boys "Good Vibrations," Sonny and Cher's "The Beat Goes On," and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers.
Now in his late 70s, Ritz demonstrates how he recorded his latest CD, "No Frills," all by himself on his laptop computer, playing both bass and ukulele. Over the years, Ritz has inspired ukulele enthusiasts worldwide, especially in Hawaii. In 2007, he was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame and also the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:2004-2007:Lyle_Ritz http://www.musicianshalloffame.com/award_show/index.php
Broadcast History
Broadcast on National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition Sunday" on July 29, 2007.
Transcript
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11858836
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:No one plays the ukulele like Lyle Ritz. He's called the "Father of Jazz Ukulele" because he recorded the world's first jazz ukulele album more than 50 years ago. But Ritz never earned his living playing the ukulele. Instead, he became one of the most sought after studio bass players in Hollywood during the 60s through the early 80s. On his latest CD, "No Frills," Ritz plays both bass and ukulele. Heidi Chang has this profile.
OUTRO:Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Felicidade | Lyle Ritz | No Frills. | Flea Market Music | 2006 | 04:03 |
| Have You Met Miss Jones | Lyle Ritz | How About Uke?. | Verve | 1957 | 03:06 |
| Lulu's Back In Town | Lyle Ritz | How About Uke?. | Verve | 1957 | 03:26 |
| Satin Doll | Lyle Ritz | No Frills. | Flea Market Music | 2006 | 03:37 |
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