Hawaiian ukulele king Kimo Hussey tunes up for a recital at the Fernwood Inn tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Is Victoria becoming swept up in a worldwide ukulele-mania?

Maybe.

Take Larsen Music. For the past two years, the store has offered group ukulele lessons. Larsen Music found every time a course was offered, all 15 places were snapped up. Most recently, the store filled a class and had so many on the waiting list, it was immediately able to launch a second uke class.

Realizing it was onto something, Larsen Music has started seriously stocking ukuleles, which sell well. These days there are usually between 50 and 60 on display.

Anne Schaefer, who directs the store's music school, told me uke master James Hill ( "the Wayne Gretzky of the Ukulele") and Tony Coleman (director of the documentary The Mighty Uke) both told her Larsen Music now carries the best ukulele selection in North America.

Bowing to popular demand, the store has started offering ukulele workshop weeks, bringing in expert players. It hosted a four-day workshop this week with Hawaiian ukulele whiz Kimo Hussey, who performs and teaches worldwide (and who's in The Mighty Uke doc).

Sunday, Hussey will join students for a public recital at the Fernwood Inn. The concert starts at 6 p.m., with admission by donation. Attendees are invited to bring their own ukes and join in. "It's just that kind of instrument," Schaefer said. "It makes people all happy and smiley."

It's possible our city is becoming a wee shining beacon for the ukulele. After all, Victoria is also home to a public school based ensemble, the Island Ukuleles.

But what about the international scene? Is the ukulele's global popularity on the rise? Is it possible the damage done to the instruments image by Tiny (Tiptoe Through the Tulips) Tim is on the wane?

A quick newspaper search shows uke sales at Twin Town Guitars in Minneapolis are now up 35 per cent. Other recent headlines: "Ukulele strumming way back to popularity in Tampa area" and "Ozarks student part of booming ukulele revival."

I also found references to the Lone Star Uke Fest in Dallas and the Chicagoland Ukulele Jam Festival (Hussey has performed at both). There's also the Southern California Ukulele Festival, the Denver Ukulele Festival, the Reno-Tahoe Uke Fest, the New York Uke Fest and many others.

Holy moley.

Ukulele master Kimo Hussey, 65, is a soft-spoken Honolulu resident who's a retired air force pilot. He has played the ukulele since he was five. Over the past dozen years, he's noticed the instrument's popularity is growing around the world. There are now ukulele festivals in Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, and Canada (Nova Scotia is home to the International Ukulele Ceilidh).

"Ukulele, in terms of interest, is only going up," said Hussey, who tossed out phrases such as "the current renaissance."

The question is, why?

Hussey admits that, for the longest time, the ukulele was considered more of a toy than a real instrument. He remembers, as a kid, playing plastic ukes that sold for a couple of dollars.

As well, the ukulele has long been considered the epitome of uncool.

Tiny Tim, a scraggly-haired novelty act, sure didn't help. Neither did Hawaii's Don Ho, who in the 1960s hit it huge with his hit Tiny Bubbles — a middle-of-the-road favourite (along with James Last) at Mom and Dad's house parties.

Sometimes things are so unfashionable they become weirdly hip.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, for instance, has had success with plucked renditions of the Sex Pistols' Anarchy in the U.K., The Theme From Shaft and Chic's Le Freak. The ensemble has played on the Brit TV show Later . . . With Jools Holland, ordinarily host to indisputably hip bands like Radiohead.

As far as the ukulele's current vogue goes, Hussey notes that — on a strictly practical level — the instrument provides an affordable way to get into music.

Playable models start at just $100, although high-end ukuleles can cost up to $12,000.

Hussey said that with just four strings, the ukulele seems less intimidating to the novice than, say, the piano.

As well, it's highly portable, the sort of thing you can take to parties. It's a social instrument.

"I think the No. 1 thing people enjoy about playing the ukulele is, they just feel good," Hussey said.

A video of Kimo Hussey at Chicagoland Ukulele Jam Festival