Classical ukulele

I was excited to discover on Amazon.com that my guy "Jumpin' Jim" has a book out with John King's classical arrangements, including Fur Elise and Greensleeves.   It's amazing how wonderful famous pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart sound on a simple instrument, but it's sure hard to find good classical music transcribed for the ukulele.

From the New York Times:

The Journal of the Society for American Music last year called Mr. King  perhaps the world’s only truly classical ‘ukulele virtuoso.’ Mr. King’s death at 55 on April 3, 2009 at his home in St. Petersburg, Fla., sent shock waves through the ukulele universe, which has widened with enthusiasts now clustering on the Internet and at festivals around the country. His wife, Debi, said that Mr. King died of a heart attack, suddenly and completely unexpectedly.

Tom Walsh, a board member of the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum, said in an interview last week that Mr. King was “adored by the ukulele community,” most of whom faced an inescapable realization: “I could never possibly play like that.”

No kidding...but with Jumpin Jim's help, who knows?