The Ukulele Renaissance JAKE SHIMABUKURO BRINGS a MILD-MANNERED INSTRUMENT CENTER STAGE

StanFORD LIVE FEATURE THE UKULELE RENAISSANCE JAKE SHIMABUKURO BRINGS A MILD-MANNERED INSTRUMENT CENTER STAGE BY JANICE BERMAN s a teenager, Jake Shimabukuro Shimabukuro playing success. Signed by Sony at a coffeehouse there. Japan to his first recording Abegan a show by smilingly cautioning Shimabukuro’s mother, contract, he composed two Carol, played ukulele too new songs on an electric his audience not to expect too much since and was his first teacher. guitar and plugged in to he wasn’t a professional. It’s a telling Divorced from his father play them on his uke. when Shimabukuro was in Later, feeling as if that was sentiment, partly for what it says about high school, she worked two a little “disrespectful” to the young man’s innate modesty—having jobs, waiting tables at night, the musical voice of his to support Shimabukuro homeland, Shimabukuro played the ukulele since the age of four, and his younger brother, changed his mind. Bruce, who also grew up to “I decided to use my he was already beyond proficient—and be a professional ukulele hands, not electricity, to partly because of the unique virtuoso he player. Since he was very manipulate the sound of young, Shimabukuro had the instrument,” he said in would become. always run home to play the 2012 documentary film his uke after school, but in Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Ukulele popularity comes University’s Department his teens, when his parents’ Four Strings. And with that and goes. From Hawaii, of Music chair Stephen marriage was ending, he decision, his artistry changed. where the ukulele evolved Sano muses, “The violin, from a Portuguese folk too, has only four strings,” Once focused on playing his instrument, it swept onshore and it’s no piece of cake. ukulele as fast as possible, at San Francisco’s 1915 now he was letting the Panama-Pacific International Sano not only knows instrument “breathe.” He Exposition, flourished Shimabukuro but has played was playing his own in the 1920s (remember with him. Currently on arrangements of rock, jazz, those old cartoons of crazy sabbatical, Sano, a native folk, bluegrass, classical, college kids in raccoon Palo Altan, happens to be and flamenco. He was using coats?), dropped away a master Hawaiian slack- the drum techniques he had except as a kitschy prop key guitarist—in addition learned in his high school’s for comedians like Tiny to conducting Stanford’s marching band, adding Tim tiptoeing through Chamber Chorale and more twist to his wrists to Johnny Carson’s tulips, Symphonic Chorus—and increase his speed. He was and then it was baaaack! played in Shimabukuro’s Jake Shimabukuro watching and listening to 2004 concert at Stanford’s his heroes—groups like the Today, its popularity is Dinkelspiel Auditorium. sought comfort by spending Beatles and Van Halen and again on the upswing as even more time playing guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. the perfect instrument for This time around, in his room. In 1998, as these recessionary, DIY Shimabukuro, 37, is on his a member of the trio Pure Then as now, Shimabukuro times. You can buy one, own. But he plans to play Heart, Shimabukuro began wanted his shows to be a not-bad one, for under one number on a ukulele his climb to success, as exciting. “After an ‘ukulele $100. You can easily carry Sano had made from leftover Honolulu Magazine named concert, I want to be it onto an airplane and put scraps of the wood that one of the group’s albums drenched, like I just wrestled it in the overhead bin. And went into the Bing Concert to its list of Hawaii’s top- a bear,” he told interviewer best of all, once you know Hall’s stage. [See the related 50 albums of all time. Leslie Wilcox on PBS’s just three chords, you can story on the next page.] Long Story Short (“an” play tunes. A lot of tunes. Shimabukuro, a fifth- because the U is pronounced Further charms include a The two musicians met generation Japanese OO, although this article range of just two octaves some 15 years ago when American from Honolulu, doesn’t use the diacritical and only four strings. Sano, whose wife grew got a tour in Japan and markings that are part of Although, as Stanford up near Honolulu, heard soloed with breakout the Hawaiian language). encoremediagroup.com 11 StanFORD LIVE FEATURE To use the instrument to show called Ukulele Disco. played with cellist Yo-Yo music and the way it can play elaborate works of any The producers videotaped him Ma, himself no slouch at foster better communication. genre—one of Shimabukuro’s in Central Park’s Strawberry pushing boundaries; Jimmy When he’s onstage, “his triumphs is his take on Fields as he played his own Buffett; Béla Fleck and the energy is just unparalleled,” Queen’s massive anthem arrangement of George Flecktones; John Hiatt; Cyndi Sano comments. “It’s just part “Bohemian Rhapsody”—may Harrison’s “While My Guitar Lauper; Paul Simon; and of the way he is in wanting seem like a lot to squeeze Gently Weeps.” A few months last but not least, Hawaii to understand and experience out of a mild-mannered later, when he was back in homegirl Bette Midler, with music. Any instrumentalist little ukulele. But he enjoys Hawaii, mainland friends whom he concertized for can get pigeonholed into one that dichotomy. He plays on started forwarding him a video the Queen of England. area. He’s just a guy who is it. “One of the best things that showed him playing in really hungry to learn about about being a touring ukulele the park. YouTube was just Offstage, Shimabukuro comes all styles and genres.” Sano player is that audiences all beginning, and Shimabukuro’s off as a classic mellow local adds, “As a musician, you over the world have such “While My Guitar Gently Hawaii guy, hanging around don’t get better unless you low expectations,” he told Weeps” became one of its the backyard barbecue with play with people who are bet- Wilcox. So when he plays, first viral sensations to the his wife, a doctor, and their ter than you are. Jake’s a very he added, the effect is like tune of millions and millions little boy and strumming his humble guy, and he soaks “going to a magic show.” of downloads. He got invited Kamaka tenor uke, which things up like a sponge.” to perform everywhere, to is slightly larger than the In 2006, something that open for fabled bands, to soprano one he grew up with. Formerly New York might be described as magical collaborate with everyone. Sano says he’s “articulate and Newsday’s dance critic, happened to him. Visiting thoughtful,” especially when Janice Berman writes New York City, he agreed to Since playing at Stanford he speaks about the quieter, frequently on the arts appear on a little local TV last time, Shimabukuro has more meditative side of his and entertainment. THE UltImate BING The result? Twins. Sano welcomed two blond-top tenor ukes to his growing family of stringed instruments in October 2013. The twins CONCERT HALL SOUVENIR have a “micro jumbo” shape—generous curves with a tight waist. The soundboard for each is made of six quartersawn floor scraps, now Limited-Edition Ukuleles Made beautifully fitted together and polished, and the back and sides are koa, from Stage Floorboards an indigenous Hawaiian hardwood favored by instrument makers. While the sound personality of the fence-post uke is fat and warm, the twins are The idea started with a gift. snappy and bright. “Glorious” is how proud father Turner describes the For music professor Stephen sound. “[It] made me want to buy some yellow cedar for more uke tops!” Sano’s 17th wedding anniversary Sano cherishes instruments with a story. He explains, “In the Hawaiian in 2012, his wife found a ukulele at context, different instruments possess different mana.” It’s one of a local shop, Gryphon Stringed those somewhat untranslatable words that can mean something akin Instruments, with a top made to spiritual energy. Sano recalls a master slack-key artist playing one from a piece of discarded fence of his guitars and saying, “Ho, dis guitah get great mana!” (translation: found on the Stanford campus. “Wow, this guitar possesses an amazing spiritual energy!”) From ugly duckling to swan, the old piece of weathered California redwood was transformed by Santa As Sano notes, “The ukes have a provenance that traces back Cruz luthier Rick Turner into a beautiful and expressive instrument. to Peter and Helen Bing’s gift to Stanford of one of the world’s preeminent concert halls, so the mana of the instruments is one A couple of weeks later, when Sano was on the construction site born of care, respect, and a devotion to place and people— of the Bing Concert Hall and saw scraps of Alaskan yellow cedar characteristics that are the sound and spirit of the instruments.” being cut off the edge of the stage floor, he collected as many pieces as would fit in his Honda and headed to Santa Cruz. If Turner Visit live.stanford.edu/media for a video demonstration. could turn a fence post into music, imagine what he could do with pristine cuts of wood coveted for its resonance and fine grain. —Robin Wander, Director of Arts Communications at Stanford 12 StanFORD LIVE MAGAZINE APRIL/MAy 2014.

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