Consider the humble ukulele. It’s an adaptation of a stringed
instrument that traveled with Portuguese immigrants who came to work
in the sugar cane fields of Hawaii. Islanders made the “machete”
their own, mixing external influences of classical European music and
Spanish guitar with Hawaiian songs. Native Hawaiians renamed the
little machete the ukulele and it’s become synonymous with Hawaiian
music and Hawaiian culture. Jake Shimabukuro comes from that same
process of mixing both island and outside influences, both modern and
historical. He’s combined the qualities of a long line of virtuoso
ukulele players with modern rock musicians to create a sound that’s
uniquely his own but still firmly grounded in Hawaiian tradition.
Growing up in Hawaii, Jake’s influences include legendary ukulele
players like Eddie Kamae, Ohta-San and Peter Moon. Jake also credits
icons like Bruce Lee and Michael Jordan as a source of inspiration.
Known for his energetic strumming on the ukulele, Jake’s performance
incorporates elements of thoughtful, sophisticated arrangements to
spontaneous, improvised passages. In addition to his original
compositions, his repertoire includes Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody,
Schubert’s Ave Maria and Cohen’s Hallelujah. Born and raised in
Honolulu, Hawaii, Jake’s life has always centered on the ukulele. He
started playing at the age of four, urged by his mother who also
played. Jake began his music career in the mid-90’s, performing at
local coffee shops as a sideman with his first band, Pure Heart. But
Jake’s solo career began in 2002 when he signed with Epic Records,
becoming the first ukulele player to sign with Sony Music. While his
well-received solo releases positioned Jake as an established musician
in Hawaii and Japan, his career skyrocketed when a cover of “While
My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube with more than 13
million views, opening the rest of the world’s eyes to Jake and his
unique playing style. In the years since the YouTube clip aired, Jake
has collaborated with an array of artists that include Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy
Buffett, Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Dave
Koz, Michael McDonald, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Tommy Emmanuel,
and Lyle Lovett – as well as orchestras around the world. He’s
sold out world-class venues, played at Bonnaroo, SXSW, the Playboy
Jazz Festival, Fuji Rock Festival, the influential TED conference, and
even performed for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Performance
in Blackpool, England. He has topped Billboard’s World Music Chart
numerous times, been declared a musical “hero” by Rolling Stone
Magazine, which also stated: “one of the hottest axemen of the past
few years doesn’t actually play guitar.” He has also won accolades
from the disparate likes of Eddie Vedder who states: “Jake is taking
the instrument to a place that I can’t see anybody else catching up
with;” been talked about by Perez Hilton and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, wowed
audiences on national TV with appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,”
“Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Good Morning America,” and
“The Today Show,” and along the way has earned comparisons to
musical innovators such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. Jake has been
the subject of an award winning documentary “Jake Shimabukuro: Life
On Four Strings,” currently on Netflix. Jake also travels to schools
around the world and spreads positive messages to young people,
encouraging them to find their passion and live drug-free. Although he
is constantly touring, playing 140 shows a year, Jake and his family
continue to make Hawaii their home.
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20/10/2015 Last update