The general din of chatting friends and fingered ukuleles in the Luis Oasis Senior Center’s main room died down as the Luis Oasis Ukulele Band leader Ray Reynante approached a microphone placed in front of the several dozen seated seniors. With ukuleles tuned and group announcements out of the way, Reynante directed the group to open their songbooks to “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.”
“Let’s play through the song, and then continue on to the parody without stopping,” he said. “One, two, one, two, three, four.”
A simultaneous cascade of harmony filled the hall, giving voice to the bouncy ragtime chords, which were joined by the sound of singing after a few measures. Once the song was played through, it continued on again, this time with some of the key lyrics changed.
“Come on and hear, come on and hear, the Luis Oasis Ukulele Band,” sang the ensemble. “Come on and hear, come on and hear, we’re the best band in the land.”
The senior center members strummed ukuleles of various sizes, with everyone holding a steady downbeat and some players accentuating more syncopated rhythms with flourishing seventh chords.
The band meeting is a weekly ritual for the members of the group, who often bring guests to listen or play with the band. The group is open to Luis Oasis Senior Center members, including association members, who don’t have to be seniors. The group is mostly over the age of 60, Reynante explained, but anyone is invited to sit in.
“We get together; we socialize; we do regular barbecues and events,” he said. “We like to play an instrument, and it gets us out of the house to do something that everyone looks forward to every week, and it’s something everybody can do.”
“If they practice,” added band member Dave Renshaw, who also leads the beginner’s ukulele class that meets before the band each week. “And if you don’t know how to play, we can get you started.”
The Luis Oasis Ukulele Band is regularly invited to gatherings and events due to the group’s fun, inclusive style. Those unable to play ukulele are welcome to join in on the singing, Reynante explained.
The group does offer a variety of options for new members where ukuleles are concerned though. The group makes use of four different kinds of the four-stringed instrument to round out the ensemble’s sound.
“Well, we play with the soprano uke, which everyone is familiar with, that’s the tiny one,” Reynante explained. “Then there is the concert uke, which is a bit bigger, and then we have the tenor, which is a little bigger, and then the baritone, which is tuned like a guitar.”
The baritone ukuleles provide the low end of the band’s sound, and thanks to their tuning, make it easier for guitar players to join the group and start strumming.
Band member Beverly Hoebel plays the baritone ukulele in the band and counts the regular chance to play and sing in a group as a valuable part of her week.
“I play a baritone. I used to play the guitar, and this one is strung the same way as the guitar but without the two bass strings, so I don’t have to learn any new chords,” she explained. “You cannot be unhappy when you are singing, and you get happy when you are here, and you can’t put a price on that.”
Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 4, 2015.