Jake Shimabukuro, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, began playing the ukulele when he was four, when his mother, who was also a singer and talented ukulele player, gave him the instrument. She was his first teacher before he went on to study for seven years at the Roy Sakuma Studios, working with Tami Akiyami.
Shimabukuro first came to public notice in 1998, when he was a member of the trio Pure Heart, performing in Hawaii. He gained international fame in 2006, when he appeared in a YouTube video that captured him playing his version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Since then, he has produced music, made appearances in the media, collaborated with famous artists, and performed concerts. All his projects culminated when a documentary about his life, “Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings,” was released in 2012.
Shimabukuro’s music combines elements from a variety of genres including classical, bluegrass, rock, funk, blues, and jazz. He has written many original works, as well as two soundtracks for Japanese movies: 2007’s “Hula Girls,” and “Sideways” (2009). A review says:
“Jake is a true virtuoso; he does things with the ukulele that you would never believed [sic] possible with the modest instrument.”
Jake Shimabukuro will be at the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham on November 16. When events like this are on the calendar, organizers can promote them using poster printing.