Jake Shimabukuro preview

Jake Shimabukuro
Old Town School Of Folk, Chicago
Saturday, April 26, 2008

The thing about the ukulele is, its range spans a whopping four strings and two octaves. Even if you are the “Eddie Van Halen of the ukulele,” there’s only so much you can do with it.

Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-boo-koo-row) does his best to make the damn thing interesting, though. At least credit him with teaching us, despite what movies make us believe, the uke isn’t just played by enormous, shirtless Polynesian men serenading tourists as they get off the plane in Hawaii. It’s also played by young, hip, skinny (very skinny) dudes at rock clubs and festivals across the world. The instrument most people assume is either A) a tiny guitar or B) a tiny toy guitar has made this Hawaiian somewhat of a star. He’s played some of the most famous clubs in the country (The Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, Joe’s Pub and B.B. King’s in New York City), opened for or played with an array of stars (Jimmy Buffett, Fiona Apple, Blues Traveler, Kaki King), recorded with a few others (Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and Ziggy Marley), performed on national TV (“The Late Show With Conan O’Brien” and “Last Call With Carson Daly,” if that counts), and released a slew of records. The most recent is My Life (Hitchhike), a six-song EP that continues the concept of 2006’s Gently Weeps, where Shimabukuro “ukulizes” popular songs. Among the covers on My Life are The Beatles “In My Life,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Going To California.”

Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Iron open.

– Trevor Fisher

Click here for streaming Jake Shimabukuro samples.

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly