Hava Nagila Around the World: A Version by Ukulele Virtuoso Taimane

After posting 85 versions of Hava Nagila over the 10 year span of Jewish Humor Central, you might think that enough is enough. But it isn't. We keep finding new interpretations of this Israeli classic.

Today we're sharing a version played at high speed on a ukelele by Taimane Gardner, a ukulele virtuoso who discovered the song last year and combined it with a version of Misirlou, the Greek folk song.

Taimane was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and is of Samoan, German, Irish, French, and Swedish descent. Her name translates to diamond in Samoan language. Taimane began playing the ukulele at the age of 5. She was discovered by legendary musician Don Ho at age 13 and also studied under Jake Shimabukuro as a teenager.

By channeling her passion into the ukulele, Taimane busts open the door to connection with audiences. She’s garnered a large worldwide following with over 8 million video views and 80,000 social media followers.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Hava Nagila Around the World: Singaporean Laurance Tan in a Ukulele Version

Featured in film, theater and on CD, Laurance Tan is an international artist whose diverse career began in his native Singapore at the age of six. 

He studied ballet, jazz and conservatory singing into his early teens and began performing in musical theater. At the age of 22, Laurance directed and choreographed original musical productions for the Music and Drama Company. 

During this time, Laurance toured and performed throughout South East Asia and the Western Pacific. In his last two years with the Company, he appeared extensively on television shows as an actor and pop singer.

In his comments on his YouTube posting, Laurance writes:

This is a song that I have always wanted to perform ever since I was 15 years old but I have never mastered the confidence in doing so. I felt that being Asian, it would be inappropriate for me to sing this. Now that we coexist in multicultural cities, such Toronto, we should embrace and sing songs in celebration of each other's culture.

The background footage of the dancers is borrowed from Добавлено SGroup Corporation. They have such wonderful dancers.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.