The first New York Uke Fest was held from April 27^th to April 30^th at the “Theater for the New City” in Manhattan. Uke Jackson was the driving force behind this event and he did a fine job in getting together some great performances, workshops, and vendor displays. NY Uke Fest looked very much like the UHoFM Expos from days past. (Workshops and jam sessions in the day, performances at night) Additionally, NY Uke Fest featured a daily “Cabaret” of featured performers and Open Mics on Thursday and Sunday. If that wasn’t enough, there was also a multi media presentation by Shorty Long, and a concert reading of a new musical comedy called “Uke 2079.”

The NY Uke Fest brought some talent to the Northeast that we haven’t seen at previous expos. What a treat to see Brittni Paiva! At seventeen years old, Brittni already has several Cds and is currently on tour. She plays mostly leads and melody on a KoAloha tenor uke. Her CD “Hear” has her ukulele rendition of “Take Five.” …..Sweet.

Mad Tea Party…..what a fun and talented band! Make an effort to see them live. You’ll have a great time. The Flea heard a rumor that they might be touring near the Barre, MA area sometime in the next year.

The Akamai Brain Collective performs a unique style of Hawaiian ukulele jazz. Abe Lagrimas is a wiz on lead uke. Also a great live act.

The Boulder Acoustic Society performed their second show “acoustically” on Saturday night due to issues with the sound system. These guys are polished, have a great repertoire and if I haven’t said it before….see them live.

Victoria Vox was a hit with her beautiful voice. She has been getting a lot of press and is doing a lot of touring. You should be able to catch her even if you happen to be in Europe.

Folk Uke is a uke and guitar duo featuring Cathy Guthrie and Amy Nelson (Daughters of Arlo and Willie!) They put on an intimate show and really won over the audience with their lyrics and humor. It sounded like church as the audience sang along to their beautiful, but sometimes adult, songs. They’ll be with Uke Noir on May 5^th in Somerville, MA.

Will there be a NY Expo 2007?….Well, maybe and maybe not. If you want to increase the chances, why not email Uke Jackson about purchasing a NY Uke Fest t-shirt? I know he had some leftovers on Sunday. He put on a great show and paid the artists for their performances.