Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukurois a ukulele virtuoso and composer known for his fast and complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco. Shimabukuro has written numerous original compositions, including the entire soundtracks to two Japanese films, Hula Girlsand the Japanese remake of Sideways...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionComposer
Date of Birth3 November 1976
CityHonolulu, HI
CountryUnited States of America
I actually got to perform for Queen Elizabeth, and I got to meet her after the show. She said she thought my performance was beautiful and I got to shake her hand and it was just an incredible moment.
Hawaii is a small, close community.
Classical music presents some of the world's most challenging pieces.
Now I know what a dulcimer is supposed to sound like.
Most people are awestruck when they see Lady Gaga and Bette Midler, but then the queen comes in.
There's no ego when you're a ukulele player.
Sometimes I can't think of a better way to end my day than coming home and just strumming my ukulele for a few minutes. I mean, I joke around and tell people that it's an entire yoga session in one strum, you know?
I still believe that music is healing to some extent,
Growing up, the ukulele was always a respected instrument. It's a big part of our culture. It wasn't until I started traveling outside of Hawaii that I realized people didn't really consider the ukulele to be a real instrument.
Bill Gates recently picked up the ukulele. And Warren Buffett is a huge ukulele fan. I even got to strum a few chords with Francis Ford Coppola. It blows my mind that these people, who have everything in the world they could want, have picked up the ukulele and found a little bit of joy.
Because if everyone played the ukulele, this world would be a much happier place.
The ukulele is the instrument of peace,
I'm not the kind of person that can do the same thing over and over and over, so that's why touring, playing in a different venue every night, in front of a different audience, is so rewarding, you know, because it always feels fresh.
There's nothing I like better than talking to kids, just sharing the music with them. To relate to them, you need to play songs they're familiar with.