(A special "thank you" to Paul F. for pointing me towards Jake for this post.)
One of the things that comes to mind when I think of Jake Shimabukuro is what it must be like for him to go to a party with people he doesn't know. I imagine it goes something like this:
"So Jake, what do you do?"
"I'm a ukulelist."
"... I'm sorry, a what?"
"I play the ukulele."
"the little hula dancer guitar?"
"Well, I don'y play it for hula dancers, but yes."
"For a living?"
"Yup."
"Then... what do you play, if you don't play for hula dancers?"
"Oh, a little Michael Jackson, Queen, Leonard Cohen. Some original stuff too..."
"Hey, can you play us some hula music?!"
"Well, I suppose I could, but the other stuff I play is probably way cooler..."
"Like maybe Tiny Bubbles? Hey guys, Jake's gonna play some hula music!"
Jake is a virtuoso on an atypical instrument. His skill as a musician is a delight to hear, and his interpretations are imaginative and almost hypnotic.
Today's song is an original composition called "Dragon" from a live performance from a few years back.
Happy listening!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vE_x07jZHo
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