An Evening with Jake Shimabukuro THU / OCT 3 / 7:30 PM

Jake Shimabukuro Nolan Verner BASS Dave Preston GUITAR

Tonight’s program will be announced from the stage.

There will be no intermission.

PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 4 ABOUT THE ARTIST

Every major artist has that one him to transcend his material—no Shimabukuro plays seeps into one’s defining album or performance, mean feat considering some of the heart and soul, proving that music is but for ukulele master JAKE classics and standards he’s tackling. indeed the universal balm. SHIMABUKURO, his entire career Among the self-penned tunes, Only he didn’t end it there: has been filled with such magical there’s the blissed-out title track, Shimabukuro was particularly excited achievements. Since he first came so effervescent and airy that it about his playing on a recent round to the world’s attention with his transports the listener into the of dates with bassist Nolan Verner deeply beautiful and original take on clouds. Shimabukuro wrote the and guitarist Dave Preston. The ’s “While My Guitar song the night before going into the addition of a guitarist allowed him ” in a viral video that studio. After laying down parts with to solo more expressively than ever dominated YouTube in 2005, the Verner and Hutchings, he watched before. The digital edition of The Hawaiian-born Shimabukuro has Dave Preston add a joyous, Edge- Greatest Day includes a beautiful live virtually reinvented the four-string like guitar riff that completed the version of “Blue Roses Falling” that instrument, causing many to call him picture. “It came together so quickly,” features Shimabukuro dueting with “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.” Shimabukuro says, “and when I heard cellist Meena Cho as well as a concert As soon as music fans got a listen to the final mix, I just thought, ‘Wow, this recording of “Kawika” (originally made Shimabukuro’s virtuosic approach has been the greatest day!’” famous by the Sunday Manoa). to the ukulele, they were hooked. As always, Shimabukuro’s playing The CD and vinyl versions of the Albums such as Gently Weeps, Peace has a wonderful innocence to it, album include both tracks along Love Ukulele and Grand Ukulele topped as if each phrase feels new to him. with three more cuts including the Billboard World Music Charts, and This sense of discovery is abundant immersive takes on “While My Guitar as a live performer he became one of on his astonishing reinterpretations Gently Weeps” and Shimabukuro’s the hottest tickets around, headlining of ’ “Eleanor Rigby,” own “Dragon.” There’s even a slinky, the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center now a driving and insistent ballad ultra-funky interpretation of Bill and the Sydney Opera House (he even brimming with furious chords and Withers’ hit single “Use Me” that performed for Her Majesty Queen a spirited back-and-forth between sees Preston showing off his soulful Elizabeth II) while making frequent Shimabukuro and dobro legend vocal chops. They were recorded live appearances on media outlets like The Jerry Douglas. with no overdubs at various venues Today Show, Good Morning America, by engineer Brett Lind and mixed by The two go toe-to-toe on Jimi Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Night with Jack Clarke (who engineered Hendrix’s freak-flag classic “If 6 Nashville Conan O’Brien. and ). Was 9,” spiraling off into a spacey, Sessions The Greatest Day In 2016, Shimabukuro recorded the jazz-rock odyssey that manages Shimabukuro has already been all-original Nashville Sessions at Music to be reverential to the original performing some of the material City’s famed Ronnie’s Place studio while simultaneously distinguishing from The Greatest Day live, and he’ll with producer R.S. Field (Steve Earle, itself as a bold new tour de force. soon work more songs into his set. Webb Wilder) and with the ace rhythm Shimabukuro’s wild wah-wah lines In mid-July, he embarked on an section of bassist Nolan Verner and form transfixing sheets of sound, and extensive tour of the U.S. and a fall drummer Evan Hutchings. He returned he even pulls off a neat trick, varying tour of Japan. to the same city and studio—and with some of his melodies to recall another the same gang, too (augmented by Hendrix standard, “Little Wing.” guitarist Dave Preston)—for his newest record, The Greatest Day, which was The Zombies’ psychedelic rock released on August 31, 2018. nugget “Time of the Season” was one Shimabukuro often heard in his house The 12 studio tracks that comprise growing up, and on The Greatest Day The Greatest Day feature some of he trips into nostalgia with an elegant Shimabukuro’s most imaginative and rendition that features some of his adventuresome playing yet. Half of smoothest, Wes Montgomery-like the album is devoted to originals, on phrases. which the instrumentalist reaches new heights of compositional The Greatest Day concludes with distinction. And on the covers, a sparse yet exquisite reading Shimabukuro's prodigious skills allow of Leonard Cohen’s iconic hymn “Hallelujah.” Each line that

PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 5