You could see it from the way he enters the room, lightening up the cold weather mood with a smile. From his first “Aloha Ann Arbor.” From the way he collapsed his inner fingers in and stuck out his pinky and thumb to create the “hang loose” sign. From the way he bowed to the audience. From the way he fist-bumped his bass player after every song, as if it was the best time he’s ever played each song – consistently. You could see that Jake Shimabukuro is one of the nicest performers around, and has a unique talent.
When I entered Hill Auditorium, my eyes were filled with a startling haze that replicated what one might see at a rock concert or a smog-filled arena. On stage were four stalks of concert lights. I was wondering how Jake was going to fill the stage. Would he sit on a stool, Nirvana-esque, and we would listen? Would he be leaping about like Lindsey Stirling? The audience surrounding me had a good mixture of young children and families, college students, and surprisingly, a large community of white-haired folks. Could one musician cater to all people in this broad spectrum of ages?
And then Jake came on the stage, and the lights flared with vibrant colors, bouncing shadows off the walls. While his bass-player appropriately took the simple accompaniment lines and stayed stone still, Jake made up for his stillness by strumming right into an uplifting, high-energy ditty. It must be difficult to create kinetic intrigue, especially when holding such a small instrument as the ukulele. But Jake’s stage presence (although one in his position may feel awkward by the way he bopped his head and bent his knees in rhythm) became larger than himself and was quite necessary for the enjoyment of the show.
If happy had a sound, it would be the ukulele.
Jake is most well known for his covers of classic rock songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which resonated with the older generation in the audience. While he played these two, as well as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” (*sobbing*) and Ave Maria, he also played quite a few original pieces, which were terrific! He has a unique talent in that he is not solidified in one genre. He is a master of many styles, including flamenco, bluegrass, rock, Hawaiian, and Japanese folk songs! Although he has the skill and control over his flying fingers, his instrument is able to achieve different tones through the use of several effect pedals, as well as one which he can create a sound sample and then loop it and play with it in the background. He told us that many of his pieces are influenced directly from experiences in his own life, as art usually is. Past travels to Japan led him to write a piece called “Ichigo Ichie” which translates to “the once-in-a-lifetime crossing of paths with a person who you may never meet again.” His own childhood in Hawaii inspired a Hawaiian-style folk song. He told a tender story about his friend’s grandmother who, while in the hospital, hallucinated that blue roses were on the ceiling and were dropping their petals on her – a powerful image. This story inspired his elegiac song entitled “Blue Roses Falling.”
The show would have suffered, I think, without Jake’s conversational interlude. He brought us closer, knitted a connection between him and the audience in this moment of ichigo ichie. We were able to listen and appreciate his music in a different way, because we understood how his head worked. We could empathize with the way he felt when he was composing the piece. He probably paid homage to the wonderful venue of Hill Auditorium five times during the night, revealing that he was awe-inspired by the beautiful structure we walk past every day (this parallels how amazed we are by the instrument that he plays daily). Jake is a performer who not only wants to entertain, he wants to inspire, he wants to uplift, and bring good cheer to the world. He gave a quick fatherly preach to the younger generation in the audience : “to choose whatever they’re passionate about and go out into the world and do it.” He followed up with “And you don’t need drugs. I’ve been drug free my whole life. You don’t need them.” Although perhaps a little overdone, I know that he meant well. He believes in “music education,” which got the entire auditorium applauding. After a little research on him, I am pleased to find out that the 38-year-old has created his own music education non-profit organization called “The Four Strings Foundation,” proof that he does not just talk, but follows his own advice.
Aloha Jake. We hope you come back to Ann Arbor and bring your sound of happy with you.
