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Jake Shimabukuro

 
Artist: Jake Shimabukuro
 
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Colon, Pure Heart, Béla Fleck

Formal Connection With:

Seann Carroll, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones

Relationship With:

Bruce Shimabukuro
  • Born: November 03, 1976, Honolulu, HI
  • Active: 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrumental Instrument: Ukulele
  • Representative Albums: "My Life," "Gently Weeps," "Dragon"

Biography

Ukelele master Jake Shimabukuro has taken the four-string, two-octave instrument to places no one could have imagined back in the golden years of Don Ho, ranging freely across the music spectrum from jazz, blues, and funk to bluegrass, classical, and folk with the ease of a musician fully in command of the possibilities of his chosen instrument. Born November 3, 1976 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Shimabukuro was given his first ukulele and lesson by his mother when he was only four-years-old. Fascinated by the uke, he eventually began playing regularly at a local Honolulu café. He was a founding member of Pure Heart, and played on the trio's first two albums before leaving to form Colon. In 2001 Shimabukuro began his solo career, releasing Elaine Maru (In Memory Of) on Surfside Records that same year. He signed with Epic in 2002 and released Sunday Morning on the label a year later, following it with Skyline in 2003. In 2005 he found an international distributor for his own label, Hitchhike Records, and began issuing his own CDs, including Crosscurrent, Dragon, My Life, and the much lauded Gently Weeps, which included a haunting version of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Shimabukuro has completely rewritten the book on the possibilities of the ukulele, and his skill on the instrument attracted the ear and attention of Béla Fleck who has used Shimabukuro as both an opening act and as a sit in playing guest with the Flecktones. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Jake Shimabukuro
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Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro performing in Joshua Tree, California in 2007.
Jake Shimabukuro performing in Joshua Tree, California in 2007.
Background information
Born November 3, 1976 (1976-11-03) (age 32)
Genre(s) jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock
Instrument(s) Ukulele
Years active 1998–present
Associated acts Jason Tom
Pure Heart
Website www.jakeshimabukuro.com

Jake Shimabukuro (born November 3, 1976 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) is a ukulele virtuoso known for his rapid finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, rock, and pop.[1]

Contents

History

A fifth generation Okinawan American[2], Jake initially gained attention in Hawaiʻi in 1998 as a member of Pure Heart, a trio with Lopaka Colon (percussion), and Jon Yamasato (guitar). Jake was working at a music store in Honolulu when the group released their eponymous debut album, featuring a sound and style somewhat similar to the Kaʻau Crater Boys. Their debut album won them four Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (the Hawaiian counterpart of the Grammy Awards): Island Contemporary Album of the Year, Most Promising Artist(s), Album of the Year and Favorite Entertainment of the Year, the latter determined by unrestricted public vote.

The following year, they released Pure Heart 2, which earned them another Hoku award for Island Contemporary Album of the year. Jon informed the others that he was quitting the group via a newspaper story that ran in the Honolulu Advertiser on Thanksgiving Day, and Shimabukuro and Colon formed another group, Colon, which they named in honor of Colon's father, famed percussionist Augie Colon. The new guitarist was Guy Cruz, younger brother of the Kaʻau Crater Boys' Ernie Cruz, Jr., and John Cruz. Colon won the Hoku Award for Favorite Entertainer of the Year in 2001, after which Jake decided to pursue a solo career.

Shimabukuro's mother gave him a ukulele at age four, and he was hooked from the first chord he played. As a solo artist after the break-up of Colon he experimented with using effect pedals to make new sounds that no one would associate with a tiny, four-stringed, two-octave, "novelty" instrument. He has released an instructional DVD called "Play Loud Ukulele.", and in 2006, composed the music to the Japanese film Hula Girls, which featured hula dancing and a Hawaiian spa resort as its primary theme and setting respectively.

Personal

Shimabukuro stopped using his trademark horn rimmed glasses in 2007 and made other dramatic changes to his appearance.

Media

Discography

Pure Heart

  • "Pure Heart" (1998)
  • "Pure Heart 2" (1999)
  • "Pure Heart 2.5 Christmas" (1999)

Colon

  • "The Groove Machine" (2000)

Solo

Album cover for Dragon

Singles

Contributions

DVD

  • Million Miles Away (Jake Shimabukuro)
  • Play Loud Ukulele

Television

Japan

USA

Australia

Instruments

Jake plays a custom-made 4 string tenor ukulele from Kamaka Ukulele. Jake uses a Line 6 Pod XT Live and Zaolla Cables. [6]

References

  1. ^ Official biography
  2. ^ Virtuoso more than a novelty act
  3. ^ NHK Ongaku Yume Club via archive.org
  4. ^ Nikkan Sports
  5. ^ NHK World Premium Synopsis for February 19-25
  6. ^ http://www.musicplayer.com/article/jake-shimabukuro/Sep-05/13510 Interview with Jake

External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jake Shimabukuro

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jake Shimabukuro".  Read more

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