His Ukulele Gently Weeps

You may know Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele virtuoso.

I sat next to our family friend, his aunt I think, tonight taking her with my son to SOHO nightclub in Santa Barbara to see him play. his third appearance at the club. It's a great venue. Smalland intimate. I'm no longer either but it's a lot like a place I worked younger. It would be better to be there and be thirty, unmarried, without fever and illness...but, hey. I did it. Better too if there were not a flight of stairs to climb. Sheesh, I'm struggling.

My Life [EP]
Jake Shimabukuro (Artist)

And he was better than this CD and I like this CD, just now listening on my way back home. It's just in person the music he plays is so strong, vibrant, percussive and shows the enormous range he brings to his playing. this is not traditional ukuele. This is what makes me hear threads of Chet Atkins. Threads of the blues even. Threads of bluegrass. What he does is re-define what this can do. We were gifted with a very rare ukuele by his aunt. By a Hawaiian master maker.
Annette Okamura (his relation and my company last night) takes you under her wing, you are never forgotten.

Once I heard Stanley Jordan in France do this kind of virtuoso boundary breaking with his guitar. He played such incredible harmonics I'm still in shock and he too played While My Guitar gently Weeps. I'm at school or I'd put the YouTube version of that tune that has over 3 million hits of Jake. In Central Park no less. Go listen. Weep some more. Might as well cross off ukulele as a possible instrument.

How he does what he does is due to levels of musical craft and his real talent-hard work. 1% of 1% of the world combines talent and facility with an instrument with his interpretive skill, you look forward to what he will do one day. One day. He interprets music, and the depth is mesmerizing in person. Was for all of us at Soho.
He played tonight most of these pieces on this CD with other signature tunes. And that was a treat, my favorite oddly enough from this CD Going to California, dare I say it a Zeppelin piece. It was fantastic. But my favorite piece in the show was a piece where he attempted to sound like a koto, the traditional Japanese instrument, and he played a piece called Sakura a traditional song, it was absolutely beautiful. Do you know this tune? Follow that link. I wish I COULD link to his interpretation. For Annette who plays this instrument it was deeply moving. Do you know how amazing his talent to be able to take a ukulele and make it sound like a koto ? Fantastic.

The person I took, who bought me dinner at the best Chinese restaurant when I wanted to treat her to the evening of music while I can, is related to him and this was a treat for her. Both from Hawaii, but of Japaneses backgrounds deeply steeped in both worlds along with the fabric of America. She is a teacher, a piano teacher, uniquely able to play so many fine, rare instruments offering him her Koto after we listened to him tell how expensive they are and how much he enjoyed one he heard while recently in Japan. I was lucky, I know not many have their son easily taken backstage and introduced to such a fine player, but I had Annette Okamura to get the job done.
My son a guitar player. An artist.

A gracious and gifted musician that redefines the instrument showing it doesn't have any limits really at all. I'm very glad I picked up the CD and took the road up there to see this performed tonight. It's worth more words but I'm so tired. A delightful evening. Excellent present. Music of the heart.

You might try this while working with students as your music of the month.