Ukulele master Hiram Kaailau Bell performs on April 20

The Menlo Park Library is hosting a free performance by ukulele master Hiram Kaailau Bell on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:30 pm at the Main Library, located at 800 Alma Street. He will perform traditional Hawaiian music, as well as a few surprise pieces.

Bell was born and raised on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. “Where I grew up,” he says, “a ukulele was sitting in the corner of everyone’s house, and everyone would be strumming it.”

He is a self-taught player, and since moving to San Francisco, has been teaching others how to play in private classes as well as in college courses. He performs in clubs, festivals, and jam sessions, and he has released two albums of his music: Sound Waves and Santa Cruz Uke Club Presents Hiram Bell.

Hiram Kaailau Bell’s April 20 performance is free, thanks to contributions to the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.

Photo courtesy of Hiram Kaailau Bell