Concert Recap: Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band (Phoenix, July 2011)

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band played their first concert at the Children's Museum of Phoenix this past weekend, and we had fun indeed. It was a wonderful little concert targeted to the mostly preschool-aged crowd in attendance, with Swedberg occasionally pulling out a silly voice, while the Phoenix version of the Sukey Jump Band (Daniel Ward on bass uke and Doug Nottingham on everything percussive) held down the low end. (I think the kids particularly liked Nottingham's Boomwhacker solo.) Swedberg and her band also played a few songs she picked up in her recent trip to Haiti. I've embedded a couple of the songs below -- "Tonton Bouki," the Creole version of "Frere Jacques," along with a Haitian lullaby. They also did a Haitian call-and-response. I'm really only appreciating now how lucky we were to catch the gig in such a small space.

While Swedberg didn't pull out her crate of ukes for kiddos at the show (though Little Boy Blue brought his new uke, as did another one or two kids), she did have lots of them for use at a workshop she hosted for 12-15 folks on Sunday afternoon in downtown Phoenix. While you can give ukes to preschoolers, kids have to be a little bit older to grasp the bare rudiments of musical theory you need to play the uke (or to have the patience to sit through the tiny little lessons). A lot was second nature to me, but Miss Mary Mack joined me, and it was definitely right at her skill level. (And while the notes/chords part wasn't new to me, getting guidance on strumming and finger-picking was a big help.)

Swedberg's not the only ukulele evangelist, but she's doing the one-on-one work that'll make this resurgence more than a fad. She's coming back to town in January, and I think it'll be a big deal. (Also, attention Austin City Limits Festival 2011: -- if you don't have ukes for sale during her performances, you people are nuts.)

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band - "Tonton Bouki (Frere Jacques)" (Live at the Children's Museum of Phoenix) [YouTube]

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band - Haitian Lullaby (Live at the Children's Museum of Phoenix) [YouTube]

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band - "Mama Don't Allow" (Live at the Children's Museum of Phoenix) [YouTube]

By the way, if you want to be kept in the loop on all the Arizona-based kids music stuff going on, sign up for the e-mail newsletter below, and be sure to click on the Arizona-related box...

join our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Live in AZ? Want info on local kids music events?

• Yes! Sign me up for that as well!

Main Zooglobble List

• Yes! Sign me up for the main Zooglobble-ly list!

Close

The Ketchup Report, Vol. 9

Ketchup Report, Road Trip Division
A couple artists are currently embarking on pretty remarkable journeys. Heidi Swedberg is currently in Haiti bringing to the Global Family Orphanage in Les Cayes not just a couple dozen ukuleles (offered cheaply by Kala Instruments and purchased by the St. Brendan's Ukulele Club via bake sales) but also ukulele technique. As Swedberg notes the ukes are "compact; a box of 12 can fly at the cost of a suitcase." Swedberg said her first song would be “Ton-ton Buki”, the Haitian version of “Freres Jacques” - I'm sure they're long past that by now...

Second, Minnesota's Okee Dokee Brothers are heading down the Mighty Mississippi as we speak, part of their album-writing/portaging experience. They've received a bunch of publicity for the concept (guess it was more newsworthy than that time I drove down I-35 from the Twin Cities and sang along to a bunch of songs on the radio). You can follow their Mississippi blog here. The link below features an interview and a live cut of "Auctioneer" and an in-development track "Can You Canoe?"

More videos, songs, and concerts after the jump...
In the category of philanthropic activities, Michael Gurley (best known for his work in dada has released a dapper little kids music track, his first, called "Penguins." It's a benefit for Acoustic for Autism. Should you care to, you can sample and/or download it here.

In the category of philanthropic activities (or at least highly beneficial for parents), Charity and the JAMband's free download (or at least "name your own price") is "Potty Like a Tinkle Star" (get it? Party Like a Twinkle Star the name of part of her last album? I thought it was funny.) You can never have too many encouraging potty training songs, that's what I say.

OK, yes, there was Jiggle Jam. And Every Family Rocks. And the Kindiependent stage at the Northwest Folklife Festival. (It was a busy Memorial Day weekend, no?) But it's summer, so the kids festivals continue. If you're in the Twin Cities on June 11, I might recommend the Rhythm and Words 2011 festival. I've previously been a fan, and they've got another nice lineup -- the Bazillions, Sweet Colleens, and Koo Koo Kanga Roo, among others. (Also: author Lynne Jonnell, woot!)

I would also note that while I don't tend to review that much "educational" music 'round here, the lineup that they've got for a gig in NAEYC Orlando this November? It's like Lollapalooza for that particular subgenre -- Ella Jenkins, Hap Palmer, The Learning Station and Greg & Steve. I think it's actually open to the public.

Finally, while I just noted that I don't do that much "educational" music in the blog, this video for "Doctor" from Jonathan Sprout is over the top enough to be amusing. (You might also learn just a little bit about Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in America.)

Jonathan Sprout - "Doctor" [YouTube]

Austin Kiddie Limits 2011 Lineup Announced

The lineup for the 2011 edition of the Austin City Limits Festival (September 16-18, ugh, the humidity!) was announced this morning and, yeah, that top of the bill is pretty darn good. Stevie Wonder! Arcade Fire! Alison Krauss! Kanye West! My Morning Jacket! I've run out of exclamation points! (OK, now I have.)

Still, scroll down a bit and you'll find the lineup for the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, not in a particularly friendly way, but the brainy among us can figure it out. As with the Kidzapalooza lineup, you can split the AKL lineup into 2 basic divisions. The first are the folks you'd most typically find here at this site...

Sara Hickman
Heidi Swedberg
Mariana Iranzi
Brady Rymer
Recess Monkey

That's a good lineup (heck, I've put on shows featuring three of 'em), and I think they're all a good fit for the AKL stage.

Beyond that we have The Paul Green School of Rock, Q Brothers, Peter DiStefano & Tor, the Barton Hills Choir, and Quinn Sullivan, all making return appearances to the AKL stage. (Sullivan's performance may very well be the most crowded the stage gets all weekend.) So, in other words, while first-timers may find these performances worth sticking around for (and I think even I could be tempted to see the Barton Hills Choir), should we make the trip down to Austin again, I think it'll be an opportunity to broaden some of the kids' musical horizons... time to camp out in the gospel tent or catch Abigail Washburn.

Kindiefest 2011: Sunday Concert in Videos and Pictures

If Kindiefest's Saturday night showcase was about introducing new(-ish) names (and one longtime favorite) to a new crowd, the Sunday afternoon public concert was more about a lineup guaranteed to draw in, you know, the public.

There was indeed a nice crowd, both of conference attendees as well as local families. (It's not a coincidence that the conference is held in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope, famous (and perhaps occasionally reviled) for the sheer number of families who live around there. And unlike the showcase, with its brief 20-minute sets that may subconciously lead artists to forgo contemplation for excitement, the public concert, with 30-minute sets, and a more passive audience, allows for more variation in styles.

For example, the concert kicked off with a set from Oran Etkin, who tells stories (either more traditional stories or about the instruments themselves) via jazz. He was very engaging with his young audience. Most of his songs are originals, but here he is with a take on a piece Dizzy Gillespie made famous...

Oran Etkin - "Salt Peanuts" [YouTube]

Next up was the delightful Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band. The Brooklyn iteration of the band included Phillippa Thompson (who sometimes plays with Elizabeth Mitchell) and multi-instrumentalist Dean Jones. The set was similar to the one she played here in Phoenix in January, but the more enclosed nature of the performance here led to something occasionally hushed. I spoke with Elizabeth Mitchell a little bit later and she, too, enjoyed it...

Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band - "When You Get Old" [YouTube]

And that was just two down...
Next up was Aaron Nigel Smith. Smith was an artist who I've always felt was fine on record but who held no special interest to me. But his was a performance that reminded me -- I need continual reminding -- about the difference between recordings and live shows and how it's possible to hold different opinions about each. It was lots of fun, in part due to the chorus of kids he brought in to perform a few songs with him (as soon as I saw the kids walking backstage during Swedberg's set I knew we'd be in for a treat), but even more so due to his energy on stage, which even carried over to him being in the audience enjoying other artists' sets.

Aaron Nigel Smith - "Che Che Cole" [YouTube]

I missed the last part of Smith's set as well as the first part of Tim and the Space Cadets' set . The first rule of Kindiefest is that it's impossible to do everything you want to do at Kindiefest -- talk, learn, eat, listen, whatever. In any case, I am glad I caught the last three songs or so of the set. Tim Kubart wins the award for most energetic dancer/participant, Musician Division, at Kindiefest 2011, as he really got into others' performances throughout the weekend. There is a giddiness to his performing as well that serves him and his music well. They've already played Kidzapalooza, but I think their new album is going to bring them a lot more attention...

Tim and the Space Cadets - "Superhero" [YouTube]

Ah, Elizabeth Mitchell, how I do so enjoy your music. I saw her perform at Austin City Limits Festival last fall, and while those were fun sets, I think her music is best enjoyed in a setting without many distractions (or bizarre feedback from adjoining stages). The musicians off to the side were definitely engaged with Mitchell, singing along and doing the hand motions for a few songs. She brought in Heidi Swedberg and Dean Jones to sing "Shoo Lie Loo" and all in all, I felt like I'd now finally seen a true "Elizabeth Mitchell concert."

Elizabeth Mitchell and You Are My Flower "Little Liza Jane" [YouTube]

Hi, The Verve Pipe! Or, rather, bye, the Verve Pipe! I would have gladly stayed to see them perform, but I saw them twice at ACL last fall and, more importantly, the show was running slightly behind schedule and I had a train to JFK to catch. So I bid adieu to Littlefield. But here's another clip of the band performing a song with the guys from Recess Monkey a song not off their A Family Album disk.

The Verve Pipe (w/ Recess Monkey) - "You Can Write a Song" [YouTube]

Monday Morning Smile: "Billie Jean" - James Hill & Bakithi Kumalo

I love everything about this video: the choice of tune, obviously; the rediscovery of the lyrics; the gently educational nature of the performance; the way James Hill and Bakithi Kumalo (husband of Robbi Kumalo, incidentally) hold an audience captivated for more than 6 minutes with just 2 ukes. It's clearly a well-rehearsed piece (there are lots of YouTube videos featuring Hill covering this song), but so much the better for that fact. (Hat tip: Heidi Swedberg)

James Hill & Bakithi Kumalo - "Billie Jean" [YouTube]