Pete and Maura Kennedy Present: The Stringbusters
Pete and Maura Kennedy formed the sweet, swingin' ukulele duo, The Stringbusters for a one-off recording in 2007. A retro-hip aggregation of neo-classic string pluckers, The Stringbusters recalled the fun and optimism of the Swing era, with a strong dose of virtuosity on a dizzying array of stringed instruments.
Pete has had a guitar in his hands for decades, except when he's swapped it for a ukulele, mandolin, five-string banjo, or anything else with frets and strings. A few lessons with jazz greats Joe Pass and Johnny Smith, and some classical tutelage with Larry Snitzler, gave Pete's playing a bit of uptown sophistication, enabling him to freely move about in various musical worlds, from rock 'n roll to folk, and from the orchestra pits of "Cats" and "Evita" to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with the National Symphony. After stints with swing masters Tom Principato, Mike Auldridge, Jethro Burns and Johnny Gimble, Pete forged an alliance with jazz guitar legend, Charlie Byrd, in "Pete and Charlie's Blues and Boogie Band", a regular act at the King of France Tavern, a well-known jazz room in Annapolis, Maryland. Pete and Charlie also appeared at The Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, and the Merriwether Post Pavilion. Today, Pete tours the country as The Kennedys with his wife and sometimes Stringbuster, Maura, concertizing and conducting intensive workshops on all aspects of guitar performance.
Maura is a powerhouse vocalist and rhythm guitarist, whose energetic stage presence and million-dollar smile have charmed audiences across the nation. She is relaxed and fun-loving on stage, and when she delivers a smooth performance of one of the great standard tunes, she always makes it uniquely her own. A lifelong fan of Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, and the rest of the vocal pantheon, Maura takes her place in the tradition with her special warmth and passion for the kind of singing that goes straight to the heart. A graduate of the music program at Ithaca College, where she studied with jazz great Gunther Schuller, Maura spends her off-stage time conducting workshops for aspiring vocalists.
Together, the Stringbusters give their twin ukuleles, and the rest of their fretted arsenal, a real workout with a program drawn from the great swing songbook of 20's and 30's. Tunes by Django, Satchmo, and Jelly Roll come alive with Maura's vivacious vocals and Pete's hair-raising virtuosity. When Maura croons a traditional hula in Hawaiian, and then Pete delivers the one-two punch with a solo uke version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", audiences come to their feet. They can't help themselves! It's all about the music, and the music is all fun.
The Stringbusters were mainly active in 2007 but will still dust off their ukuleles once in a while for a special concert. As recently as 2022, they participated in The Folk Project's annual ukulele festival in New Jersey, leading several workshops and performing as The Stringbusters.
