YAN YALEGO

Bio:

Yan YALEGO plays in theatres, in living rooms, in stables, in bars, in the fields, in festivals, in caravans, in the mountains, in concert halls, in shacks, in studios, in garages, in castels, in closets, in radios, in water ponds, in marinas, in refuges, in cars, in crypts, in the forest, and in... YOUR KITCHEN !

Yan Yalego's Ukulele Kitchen Party is a "Ukulelist-Singer-Tape" Home Performance. It can take place in anybody's kitchen (or living room if the kitchen isn't large enough), for a small group of people -from one to ten- in a kind of "anti-show" set up. A soundscape, made especially, is played by an old tape recorder and drives the listener(s) in an exotic "swamp in the moonlight" ambiance. The songs played are old Country Blues, unfamiliar covers, prewar Vaudeville, Cajun and Tiki pieces. One may laugh.

THE KITCHEN CONCERT MYSTERY (Uke Jackson - Ukulele Mojo March 2007)

So, a few weeks ago I get an email from a cat in Aix-en-Provence saying he’s coming to Manhattan and would I like a “kitchen concert”? He says he’s doing a world tour of kitchen concerts. What did I have to lose?

Last night, Sunday March 4, was the event. He brought along his wife, and a well played Johnson reso uke tuned reentrant GCEA. This is a tale of a magician and his wand. The French player’s name is Yan Yalego.

I had a pot of marinara sauce on the stove and had picked up a fresh baguette and opened a jar of pickled green beans from my garden. I was prepared to be gracious and eat well even if the music wasn’t up to snuff.

After some getting to know you amenities, Yan offered to play. I sat in my favorite easy chair and leaned back. For the next 30 minutes I was completely transported by one of the finest solo ukulele / vocal performances I have ever enjoyed. At 30 minutes I had to jump up and deal with the meal’s final touches. It was a kitchen concert, after all, and he was on a roll. He played out his set and I caught the last tune back in my chair.

I saw and heard amazing right technique executed absolutely flawlessly. He played St James Infirmary with a Latin beat that sounded like a hot night in Habana. He played some Cajun, some blues, some Tin Pan Alley -- all the while making his humble reso uke an absolute love machine.

He’s got a deep crooning voice. He has that whole French accent thing going, too. Though, other than a couple songs he sings in French, his delivery in English is completely understandable.

Oh yeah, did I mention the mouth trumpet? Flat out, this cat does the best mouth trumpet I’ve ever heard. Why? The freaking trumpet is muted!

Yan Yalego knows what it is to woodshed and come up with an awesome set on the ukulele. Really super solid entertainment! He sold me totally.

New York Uke Fest 2007 is going to introduce Yalego to the Capital City of Planet Earth. He alone will be worth the price of admission to the Reso Stage on Thursday April 26.

And if this guy ever offers to play his ukulele in your kitchen, be there cooking something good!

Uke Jackson is the leader of the NEW YORK UKULELE ENSEMBLE, and director of the NEW YORK UKULELE FESTIVAL