John Bird is a veteran journalist and writer who in 2008 published a coffee-table book, The Spirituality of Music, available online at Amazon.com or through the publisher (www.woodlakebooks.com).

A lifelong frustrated musician, John was saved at the age of 50 when he picked up a ukulele, and has since played in bands and jammed with friends wherever and whenever he can, including throughout the Kawarthas in Ontario, in Iqaluit, Nunavut (Canadian Arctic), Varadero, Cuba and Elkins, W.Va. Recently banished to the howling urban wilderness of Toronto, he has been delightedly discovering lots of opportunities to make old-time acoustic music with new friends there. He enjoys old-time, blues, early jazz, Canadian fiddle music, bluegrass, Hawaiian, Cajun and basically any traditional music that is dance-based.

When not chopping away on the uke, John enjoys snorkeling in river and lake, mushroom hunting and skiing (both cross-country and telemark style), all things that are difficult to do in the city.

Reviews by John include:

Back Settlement Band
Ojibwe Revival

Michael Jerome Browne & the Twin Rivers String Band
Michael Jerome Browne & the Twin Rivers String Band

Flapjack
Old Time Bush Swing

The Incombustible Men
Lou Ow

Langley Ukulele Ensemble
Pacific Ukulele Connection

Bill Tapia
Tropical Swing

various artists
A Father & Son Reunion: The Braguinha Meets the Ukulele


Chasin' Gus' Ghost

Ukulele

Ukulele Expo


Bruce Dean
You Can Be a Ukulele Chord Genius


How the Fiddle Flows

The Jumping Flea: Tales of the Modern Ukulele