Quick: name three well-known people who were born in Hawaii. President Obama, actor Bette Midler and musician Jake Shimabukuro… and all three have met England’s Queen Elizabeth. Newburyport’s favorite ukulele player had the honor of performing with fellow Hawaiian, the Divine Ms. M. (Bette Midler), in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen as part of a special fundraising concert in Blackpool, England this past December.
You, however, will not have to travel so far to hear the virtuosity of Mr. Shimabukuro or to see his lightning-fast fingers in action. Jake is back at the Firehouse Center, Market Square, Newburyport on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 for two shows (7pm and 9pm). Tickets are on sale now ($26 Members • $28 Non-Members) and may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office at 978/462-7336 or online at www.firehouse.org.
Since he was here last year, Jake has been busy traveling the world over promoting his idea that the small, stringed-instrument of Pacific Island heritage is capable of rocking right along with its big boy cousin, the guitar. The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small guitar-like instrument brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants. It gained great popularity elsewhere in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.
Much of the instrument's popularity in the US was cultivated via the 1950’s television show The Arthur Godfrey Show and then later in the 60’s when singer-musician Tiny Tim became closely associated with the instrument after radio-listeners heard his 1968 hit "Tiptoe Through the Tulips."
If that is where your familiarity with the little stringed instrument begins and ends then you owe it to yourself to expand your world and experience Jake Shimabukuro live in the intimacy of the Firehouse Center’s 195-seat theater. Not only does his considerable musical talent fill up every inch of the Arakelian Theater but his quiet charm reaches out to every member of the audience and you feel as though you are in the presence of your best friend while he serenades you personally and tells you a few tales concerning his recent adventures on his globe-trotting mission.
Renowned for the way his fingers move over the strings with alacrity and precision, Jake views the ukulele as an “untapped source of music with unlimited potential”. Playing jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock, his virtuosity defies label or category; and so he is the perfect ambassador to show everyone that the ukulele is capable of so much more than the traditional Hawaiian music – or corny showbiz routines -- many associate with it.
A long-time Beatles fan, Jake’s rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps went viral on YouTube and has now been viewed by more than five million viewers across the world. In addition, Jake’s collaborations are many and varied: He’s toured with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and recorded on their Little Worlds (2003) album. Jake was also featured on Ziggy Marley’s Grammy-Award winning Love is My Religion (2006). Since Jimmy Buffet made Jake a semi-regular member of his Coral Reefers band, Jake has appeared on three of their CDs as well as two DVDs. At the end of 2008, he was a guest artist on Yo-Yo Ma’s holiday album, Songs of Joy and Peace. Their collaboration on the John Lennon/Yoko Ono tune “Happy Xmas [War is Over]” is also part of Jake’s album of Beatles covers, Across the Universe (released in Japan only) that also featured a vocal by Cyndi Lauper. As the credits roll, one can plainly see that this ukulele has certainly embedded itself into the world of rock and roll and has done so seamlessly.
As his popularity grows, (Jake is now known to fans around the world thanks to his international touring and his appearance on such national television shows as Conan and Ellen); the Firehouse is more proud than ever to host this incredible talent for the fourth year in a row and we here in Newburyport are very lucky to have such an intimate venue in our community of the ilk that continues to draw world-class performers again and again, year after year.
So is it possible to say ukulele and rock music in the same sentence and keep a straight face? Absolutely… if you include Jake Shimabukuro in the same sentence. Should you include ukulele and rock music in your summer entertainment plans? Definitely… if you include Jake Shimabukuro at the Firehouse in Newburyport.
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