Mark Jackson and Jane Jelbart (aka Jack n Jel) are a dynamic, collaborative, flexible, fun and funny workshop and performance powerhouse for festivals and music camps. Doing 6-9 uke workshops every week back home since 2009 has really helped hone their uke and singing teaching skills. Teamed up with Ruth McCrae and John Wallace they make…….

Jack, Jel, Mac and Wal

Some live videos to check out…..

A cover of Nature Boy with John on lead vocals recorded at the National Folk Festival Bohemia stage 2024

A cover of Katie Cruel with Jane on lead vocals recorded at the National Folk Festival Bohemia stage 2024

I’m on Fire (Bruce Springstein) featuring our nephew Elliot Peck during Covid lockdown 2020

Shake Your Love, an original song by Jane recorded at the Newkulele Festival Newcastle Oct 2022 (Ruth had covid this gig!!!)

A couple of original songs, Laziness and Politics (John Wallace) and Beach Pockets (Mark Jackson) recorded at the Newkulele Festival Newcastle Oct 2022

An original song by Jane for her Puddy cat recorded at the Blue Mountains Uke festival 2020

An original by Mark The Grace of God recorded at the Blue Mountains Uke festival 2020

An original by Ruth McCrae recorded at the Blue Mountains Uke festival 2020…

A cover of Lucky Now featuring Mark Nelson (USA) no John in this one! 2016….

Workshops

As festivals, cafes and folk music camps around the globe can attest, Mark and Jane’s Ukestration Workshops are unique on Planet Ukulele. They can corral 5, 20, 50 or 300+ people into one great ukestra sound. They can do:

a one off 45 minute festival workshop
their own in-your-town 2 hour ukestration workshop
deliver a whole week of ukulele skill development
a punchy and entertaining 5 minute in-concert arrangement (see Billie Jean below)

Don’t trust them for commentary though.

Trust this unsolicited, unrelated (and unkind?) piece of feedback from a festival organiser after they employed some one else to teach ukulele.

Just a little feedback for you as it appears we bombed out with our choice of ukulele tutor this year – from a punter … “Granted Mark and Jane were a hard act to follow – they were not only skilled musicians – they also really hit the mark with being able to teach something to all skill levels. They kept it interesting and challenging unlike….. (this year’s tutor)”. All the anecdotal feedback from people I’ve spoke to reckon you guys (Jack n Jel) were the best ever.

hmmmmm….harsh!

Libertango – a one week workshop

This version of Libertango is the result of working for one hour per day for one week with a bunch of beginners and experienced musicians alike at a Folk Music Camp in California. the original video is lost (such a shame) but here is another version of the song

Billie Jean – a five minute special

Mark and Jane also have an amazing ability to work with large one-off audiences of uke players. This off-the-cuff experience (with some help from 0n-the-spot friends – in the past James Hill, Aldrine Guerrero, The Nukes) results in a fabulous group experience for audiences as large as you want! We can’t do James Hill’s solo version of Billie Jean, but we sure can have some fun with 300+ people. Thanks to Rita and Jo for these twin perspectives on the same performance. The first one is better sound. The second contains some good close ups of Aldrine and some ‘ukulele aerobics’ (technically – ‘conducting’).

Mark conducts the audience participation, whilst Jane organises the cobbled together guest band (Aldrine Guerrero (Ukulele Underground) on lead ukulele, Ben Collier (from NZ’s The Nukes), Anu Grace on lead vocals and Cath McCourt on bass).