Five Questions With Ukulele And Guitar Master Khabu Young

Khabu Doug Young is a guitar, bass, and ukulele master operating out of New York City. He grew up in Texas, where he attended the High School For The Performing & Visual Arts in Houston, and studied at William Paterson College in New Jersey and at Naropa University in Colorado. Khabu became an adjunct faculty member shortly after finishing his time as a student at Naropa, and has held workshops and clinics throughout the US at major universities such as the University of California, University of Arkansas, and Arizona State University. Khabu draws on an eclectic array of influences in his musicianship, thanks in large part to touring around the globe, including all over North America, Europe, and India, with leading musicians like Art Lande and Paul McCandless.

Lessonface: How did you first get introduced to the ukulele and guitar, and what kind of music were you listening to at the time/growing up?

Khabu Young: I started playing and taking piano lessons when I was six. My older brother gave me a guitar when I was 11. Shortly thereafter I took jazz guitar lessons and then attended the High School For The Performing & Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston, TX. Many, many years later my daughter's great grandfather gave me a baritone ukulele, and a few years after that, I bought a tenor uke.

My first big musical “WOW!!!” came from watching The Beatles' “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” back-to-back when I was nine or 10. I listened mostly to classic rock, art rock, Texas blues, and whatever pop music was on the radio in the car. Once I was introduced to modern jazz (at 13) it was all over! At HSPVA, my friends and I had insatiable musical appetites, devouring everything in our music history class, from Gregorian Chant to Shoenberg's 12-tone music. On our own time we gobbled up all things jazz, blues, rock, avant-garde, Americana, folk, world...

Lf: Did you have any particularly influential mentors early on, or later as you progressed?

Khabu: My elementary school music teacher developed a very progressive pedagogy that taught us the basics of musical notation, fundamentals of music theory, and all about orchestral instruments, their placement, qualities, and ranges. I'm still very close friends with my guitar teacher, Erich Avinger. He had a major impact on my life, not only with music itself, but also with significant life-path choices like attending HSPVA, moving to NYC right after high school, then moving to Boulder, CO, to attend The Naropa Institute, not to mention inquiries and discussions regarding the spiritual dimensions and the function/purpose of art.

Another important mentor in my life is pianist/drummer/composer Art Lande. I studied and worked with him during my years in Boulder. We continue making music together and maintain a close friendship. Like with Erich, Art had a very profound influence on important decisions regarding my life-path and fundamental questions about being human, and being an artist in modern times.

Lf: What got you interested in teaching online? How long have you been teaching? How has the experience been so far?

Khabu: I was 17, and still in high school, when I taught my first guitar lesson. Students from other art areas would seek me out for learning the guitar. Teaching has remained a cornerstone in my career ever since. With technology and the internet progressing as it has, it makes perfect sense to develop and offer my skills and passion for teaching in an online format. Teaching online is different, so I've had to change my approach a little. However, I'm finding new and meaningful ways to musically interact and be an effective teacher.

LF: If you had to recommend one video or performance for prospective students to check out in order to understand you and your style, what would it be?

Khabu: While “music videos” have actually been around for as long as musical numbers have been filmed and featured in movies and television, only in the recent years have videos become a “necessary” form of business card, just as CDs had become by the mid-nineties. Which is to say that I've usually considered the visual component to be an extra enhancement to the primary audio content. While there are numerous videos available just on my own website and YouTube channel, I wouldn't place any of them in the category of “quintessential” to showcasing what my music is all about. But for starters try the D’Uke Project.

Here’s Khabu showing his incredible licks and timing on the tenor ukulele in “Solitude.”

LF: Can you tell us a bit about what's going on with any musical projects you're working on, and any latest news about them?

Khabu: I'm gearing up to record a body of music I composed during a composition sabbatical, where I switch between ukulele, cavaquinho, and baritone guitar in a trio with woodwinds (played by world-renowned double-reed improvisor Paul McCandless) and hand percussion. Hopefully this will be ready for the NY Uke Fest in the early summer. Later this year a “reunion” recording project is being planned for The Russian Dragon Band, my long-term collaboration with mentor Art Lande. I'm also plugging away at launching an online course applying music theory to the uke and guitar.

Check out Khabu’s take on the famous “It Don’t Mean A Thing” on the baritone guitar.

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