No. 53, Summer 2026

This issue’s cover features longtime contributor Daniel Ward, whose flamenco background, years of touring, and adventurous musical spirit have helped shape a uniquely global approach to the instrument. We also take readers inside ukulele festivals around the world—from Italy and Brazil to Malaysia and beyond—in a lively feature by performer Bartt Warburton, and explore the ways international influences found their way into vintage American ukulele design in a richly researched and photographed piece by Sandor Nagyszalanczy. The songs and lessons in this issue carry that global spirit forward. Learn Christopher Davis-Shannon’s mambo-inspired arrangement of the Cuban classic “El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)” and Marcy Marxer’s arrangement of the traditional Chinese melody “Flower Drum Song.” Elsewhere, Fred Sokolow teaches a jazzy chord-solo take on the Gershwin standard “Someone to Watch Over Me,” Brian Liu breaks down the techniques behind Hawaiian-style swing in a lesson on “Noho Pai Pai,” and our video exclusives offer even more ways to dig into the music. There’s also a conversation with Good Morning Bedlam about its energetic, genre-crossing folk sound and the role ukulele plays in its songwriting, plus a review of Kala’s Pan Pacific soprano models, inspired by early 20th-century instruments. Add in a visit with luthier Ray Vincent and his nature-inspired creations, a look at a quirky vintage auto-chord ukulele, and much more, and there’s plenty here for ukulele fans to explore.