JPR Live Session: Jake Shimabukuro

JPR Live Sessions

Jake Shimabukuro grew up on Oahu and first started learning ukulele at the age of four. In 2006, as he was starting to get noticed, he recorded a video of the Beatles classic While My Guitar Gently Weeps. It is considered among the first viral videos and put his career into overdrive.

Known for his fast, complex playing style, he set out to take his instrument to new places. His use of effects and live looping allow him to explore a vast array of sounds, and his interest in music takes him across multiple genres.

His most recent album, Blues Experience, was a collection of blues and rock covers (and one original) he recorded with Mick Fleetwood, drummer and founder of Fleetwood Mac. Prior to Blues Experience, he released Jake & Friends, with a genre-bending cast of friends including Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga, Willie Nelson, Sonny Landreth, Lukas Nelson, Bette Midler, Billy Strings, and Ziggy Marley among others. Jon Anderson, the lead singer from Yes, joined him on a version of the Beatles tune A Day in the Life that showcases the creativity Jake brings to his sound.

Hear him talk about his technique and recording these albums plus live performances of Cause We've Ended as Lovers, Kula Blues, and The Legend of Joseph Kekuku - the latter being a tribute to the inventor of the steel guitar. Hearing his story inspired Shimabukuro to start playing ukulele with a slide.

JPR Live Sessions are engineered by Jon Griffin and made possible with support from The Talent Club offering live music and cold drinks in a casual atmosphere in Talent, Oregon. Find their live music schedule here