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
The ukulele has always appealed to the older generation.
They represent everybody. All the greats. Bill Cosby - one of my heroes. Now me? This is so incredible. I can't believe it! I'm so thankful.
I thought I'd grow up to be a teacher, or maybe run for political office.
I'm so touched. I had an awesome jam session in a classroom today.
When I played my first chord, I was hooked. I fell in love with the instrument.
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.
You know, the ukulele itself is not a very loud instrument, all right? And, you know, compared to like a trumpet, right? A trumpet is really loud.
When I was growing up, there was no such thing as a touring ukulele player.
One of the biggest things that happened for me was YouTube.
Jazz is an art that takes decades to appreciate and understand.
I think everyone should feel like they can make music, they can create music.
You get older, you start meeting girls, you want to impress them. And if you happen to know an instrument, what you do is turn on the radio and try to figure out how to play popular songs.
Bruce Lee loved all different styles of martial arts. He believed that you shouldn't limit yourself to one style, because martial arts is just another form of human expression.