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Original Post By:
Geoff Rezek
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Date: 3/21/2015 9:03:20 PM
(Updated: 3/21/2015 9:19:12 PM)
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National Music Museum Receives Rare Ukulele Collection
Posted: Tuesday, March 17, 2015 9:19 pm
VERMILLION �- The museum that preserves the world�s oldest cello (the Andrea Amati �King,� mid-1500�s) as well as a violin, mandolin and guitar by Antonio Stradivari�among some 15,000 other musical treasures�is also home to many historic ukuleles.
The Geoffrey Robert Rezek Ukulele Collection has recently become part of the holdings of rare and popular plucked stringed instruments at the National Music Museum (NMM), in Vermillion, South Dakota.
In the midst of its own musical golden age, the ukulele is winning due respect not only from performers and listeners but from historians and collectors. "Each ukulele contains a bit of history," says Geoffrey Rezek. "That's one reason why I like to collect them, and why I've decided to donate so much of my collection to the National Music Museum." Among these rare ukuleles is one previously owned by TV/radio showman and ukulele popularizer Arthur Godfrey and one by classical virtuoso John King.
Rezek has collected ukuleles signed by Tiny Tim, the original members of Pearl Jam, James Hill, Jim Beloff, Ian Whitcomb and current ukulele phenom Jake Shimabukuro. There are C. F. Martin & Co. ukuleles, a Gretsch baritone ukulele, three Joel Eckhouse Earnest Music custom ukuleles, Maccaferri ukuleles, a May Bell banjo ukulele, a Betty Boop ukulele, a custom �side-by-side ukulele� by Black Bear Ukuleles [see photo], the first baritone banjo-ukulele prototype by Eddie Connors, early model Fluke and Flea ukuleles and even a playful Lego� �Tofukelele.�
Geoffrey Rezek amassed over 100 ukuleles and an archive of more than 4,000 documents, including sheet music, method books, videos, articles and hundreds of autographed photographs and posters � most from the mid-20th century. The National Music Museum�s Rezek archive also features pop-culture artifacts like Tiny Tim�s iconic Budweiser jacket.
According to NMM Senior Curator and Associate Director Dr. Margaret Banks, �The NMM already had exceptional historic ukuleles in the collection�such as one of the first, by maker Jos� do Espirito Santo [Honolulu, 1895-1905]�but the Rezek collection, nicely surveys and testifies to the ukulele�s powerful contemporary popular appeal.�
A relatively young musical instrument, the ukulele was born in Hawaii, in the late nineteenth century, developed by Portuguese-immigrant laborers. It rose to popularity with the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, and again in the 1950�s, associated with the likes of Elvis Presley and Arthur Godfrey. It flared up briefly in the late 1960�s with the hippy movement. It is now experiencing perhaps its greatest renaissance�fueled by its ultra-simple learning curve, strumming societies, countless YouTube videos, the popular rendition of �Over the Rainbow� by Israel Kamakawiwo�ole and a spate of chart-topping indie-rock hits.
Geoff Rezek himself is a ukulele player and teacher as much as he is a collector. He has taught thousands of first-time ukulele players. He has also given away over 1,000 ukuleles � to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan; to �Ukes for Peace,� an organization devoted to peace in the Middle East; and to school music programs around the world, from Africa to Fiji. �I like that the National Music Museum has a strong research and educational mission as well as a commitment to preservation,� says Rezek. He even wrote a song with his sons and brother-in-law that has been published as �Ukuleles are the Best� in Jim Beloff�s best-selling songbook The Daily Ukulele. Rezek was also on the Board of Directors of the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum from 2002 to 2007.
Ukuleles from the Rezek collection are on display in the NMM�s Graese Gallery.
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2015/03/16/ukuleles-donated-vermillions-music-museum/24868127/
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Posted By:
Frank B
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Date: 3/21/2015 9:30:22 PM |
Congratulations, Geoff, both for your collection and for the honors you have received.
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Posted By:
Ukulele Rob
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Date: 3/22/2015 8:24:59 PM |
Geoff: Your generosity to the NMM and the ukulele community is really appreciated. Thanks so much.
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Posted By:
jimdville
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Date: 3/22/2015 8:35:40 PM |
Great job keeping the legacy going Geoff!
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Posted By:
Ukeguy
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Date: 3/23/2015 10:38:39 PM |
Geoff, your generosity and willingness to share are inspiring. Well done!
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Posted By:
singndance
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Date: 4/9/2015 2:06:29 AM |
Geez, Geoff, that was a wonderful thing to do. The only thing wrong with it is that you didn't invite me over to see the whole kit and kaboodle while the babies were local. Geoff, call me if you haven't moved them yet.
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Posted By:
singndance
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Date: 4/9/2015 2:09:43 AM
(Updated: 4/9/2015 2:10:35 AM)
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P.S. Geoff, its me, Chris
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Posted By:
looney tunes
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Date: 5/9/2015 9:03:00 PM |
Fantastic Geoff and congratulations. I was hoping you would have thought of me first however your second choice is even better. (We met at a New York Uke fest many years ago and had a wonderful session in a West village hotel). Best and way to go. Looney Tunes
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Posted By:
Ukester Brown
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Date: 5/23/2015 10:06:19 PM |
I've been to this museum. Awesome place. Thanks for your gift!
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