Posted on: Monday, August 30, 2004
The uke master wins fans in Japan
By Eric Talmadge
Associated Press
TOKYO — Jake Shimabukuro is perched on the verge of stardom. He still does the little clubs, but he also can fill arenas, pulling in thousands of raptured admirers. And he's a darling of the critics, who have compared him to such guitar greats as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.
Advertiser library photo "I've always thought the 'ukulele was an untapped source of musical potential," the 27-year-old from Honolulu said in an interview recently after wrapping up his third Japan tour. "I want to expose more and more people to the 'ukulele in this new fashion, changing people's perspective of the instrument. Or just opening up their minds to the new possibilities of it."
Shimabukuro's own exposure to the 'ukulele — which made its way to the Islands about a century ago from Portugal — is very Hawai'i. His mother got him playing it — or playing with it — when he was 4. By 2002, he had become the first Hawai'i artist — and only 'ukulele player — to sign with Epic Records.
Shimabukuro, a fourth-generation Japanese-American, has since built a solid following in Japan, which has long had a love affair with virtually all things Hawai'i. Last year, he performed at the Fuji Rock concert, one of the biggest summer music extravaganzas in Japan.
"It was just a sea of people," Shimabukuro said. "Amazing."
His most recent Japan tour took him through nine cities this summer. As usual, the critics were left gushing.
"He has fingers faster than the best rock guitarists," the Yomiuri newspaper said in a glowing review. "If he plays country, his 'ukulele transforms into a banjo."
Still, Shimabukuro has had a hard time hitting the big time. His biggest audience outside of Hawai'i or Japan was about 10,000 at a festival in Colorado.
"I don't want to say people are closed-minded, because that's not quite it," he said. "They have an image about the 'ukulele, an idea about it, and it's hard to convince them to come to the shows. But once they do, and they see it, they appreciate it."
Not bad, considering Shimabukuro plays the 'ukulele.
Jake Shimabukuro's recent tour of Japan took him to nine cities and, as usual, had the critics gushing about his speedy fingers.
