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

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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

right

• Sunday Morning (2002)
• Crosscurrent (2003)
• Walking Down Rainhill (2004)
• Dragon (2005)
• Gently Weeps (2006)
• My Life (2007)
• Live (2009)

Singles

• Ehime Maru (2001)

Contributions

• Song of America (2007) - "Stars & Stripes Forever"

DVD

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

Television

Japan

• NHK Ongaku Yume Club (??·????) - May 12 2005 ^[3]
• 57th Kohaku Uta Gassen - December 31 2006, alongside Rimi Natsukawa ^[4]
• NHK Live in Shibuya: Instrumental Music Concert, February 22, 2007 ^[5]

USA

• KHON-TV, Honolulu, - September 2003
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien - December 2005
• Last Call with Carson Daly - February 2007
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien - February 2008

Australia

• Spicks and Specks, ABC TV, 24 September 2008

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