On Sunday March 29th, 2020, the late Chifuru Noda, a.k.a. Chief Noda would be 63. As it’s impossible to do a physical jam session, we are holding an open mic in the virtual world of cyberspace to remember and honor him.
Chief joined my weekly ukulele jam sessions in the Walter Baker Building providing us with a much-needed bass though it was not his main instrument. He had started on the classical guitar at age 16 in Japan. He moved to the USA for post-graduate studies, obtaining a PhD in Chemistry at Stanford University.
Chief Noda was a well-known guitarist in the open mic scene. He was an expert on the Beatles. He composed and arranged music for guitar and the ukulele, many can be found on his website. He also produced two CDs of his own recordings.
The following video was never officially released. It marks the last time we “sang together” for him while he was in the hospice on December 20, 2018.
He passed away the day after Christmas in Milton, Massachusetts 2018.
At his first posthumous birthday party in the Walter Baker Building on 29th March 2019, we gathered to play and sing songs from this list. It was a cultural evening, as we ate homemade Japanese curries with rice, yakisoba, and Japanese snacks.
We invite everyone to join us for his birthday open mic on Sunday March 29, 2020 from 3 pm EDT = 20:00 BST (England) ZOOM ID = 907-436-646
In preparing for this upcoming virtual jam, I seem to “find him” everywhere. While preparing for my introduction workshop to “Chinese Songs for Ukulele,” Chief seems to be answering my questions. I googled for the best ukulele tablature creation software. I found his answer in Ukulele Underground.