Purchase includes postcard signed by Jake Shimabukuro.
Jake Shimabukuro has been redefining the capabilities of the ukulele for the last 20 years, and on February 14th, 2020 he returns with his new album ‘Trio,’ his first on Music Theories Recordings. It was nearly 15 years ago that the world first caught notice of the stunning musical artistry of Jake Shimabukuro. The young ukulele player’s gorgeous rendition of George Harrison’s ballad ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ whilst sat in Central Park, became one of the most-watched clips on the then newly launched YouTube platform, and now sits at 16.5m+ views. “People call me ‘an ambassador for the ukulele,’ but I really don’t see myself that way,” Shimabukuro says. “I’m simply a fan of the instrument. Ever since I was a kid, I just loved playing it. Over time I started to realize that you could do more than just play traditional songs on it. There’s no end to what you can do on the ukulele, and it’s been rewarding for me to show that to people all over the world.
Jake previously released 3 albums as part of the band Pure Heart, and has since released 16 solo albums beginning with 2002’s ‘Sunday Morning’ up to 2018’s ‘Greatest Day’ – 6 of these albums reached the Billboard Top 5 World Album Charts, including the #1 ‘Peace Love Ukulele’ (2011). A tireless live performer, Jake has floored audiences across the globe, appearing at music festivals as varied as Bonnaroo and the Fuji Rock Festival. He’s played with world-renowned orchestras at prestigious venues from the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House. Known as the “Jimi Hendrix of the Ukulele”, Jake has appeared on some of the biggest national TV shows in the world including Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Carson Daly, The Today Show and BBC Breakfast. There has also been a documentary made on him, entitled ‘Life On Four Strings,’ and he has dedicated many years to non-profit charity organizations to create outreach programs and educational workshops to schools.
Guided by producer R.S. Field (Steve Earle, Webb Wilder, John Mayall, Sonny Landreth) Shimabukuro, bassist Nolan Verner, and guitarist Dave Preston holed up in Nashville’s Sound Emporium studio in early 2019 with only a few snippets of riffs and melodies fleshed out, and over the course of a week these jams took flight and became songs. “I really wanted to capture the sound that we make when we jam together,” Shimabukuro explains. “We get into this amazing improvisational zone at sound checks: Nolan will play a cool bass line, and Dave will chime in with these incredible guitar parts. Then I’ll come in right after and play melodies to what they’re doing. So I finally said, ‘We should just go into the studio, hit ‘record’ and see what happens.” Music fans will no doubt hail Trio as a high water mark for Shimabukuro. “Beyond playing the ukulele, I’ve really tried to grow as a writer,” he says. “Spending time in Nashville and being around great songwriters has inspired and influenced me, and of course, working with Nolan and Dave has brought me to musical places I never thought possible. I’m so proud of what we made together.”
