I decided to get into the music scene via the radio medium to help spread the word about the artist, not only the art. From the first moment I heard Jake Shimabukuro create his pieces, I was moved immediately to find out more. I reached out to Jake’s people at Hitchhike Records and was instantly embraced as a friend with a since “Aloha”. What I ended up learning was that Jake was not only a virtuoso on the ukulele, but by my accounts he was a virtuoso as a person also. It is easy to see that he is a real person, like you or I, and in a concert setting that comes to the forefront so naturally. His charm and warming wit spread over the crowd, as the ukulele seems to become more than an instrument almost as an added portion of his body extending outward from his heart and soul.
Those in attendance at the majestic Stoughton Opera House were fortunate to hear a few songs off of his new album, “Peace, Love and Ukulele”, which will be released in early January of 2011. The show also featured a bountiful collection of songs ranging in styles from classical, jazz and rock and roll, as well as songs very personal to Jake himself that you could almost feel the emotions in the ukulele’s shine. On that night, there was poetry coming off those strings.
