Download List of Press Quotes
The Presidio Sentinel
"Nope, he's not a household name here, but he should be. "This guy is a God on the ukulele," says one of Jake Shimabukuro's 18,375 MySpace "friends." Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-BOO-koo-row) has singlehandedly turned the oft-disrespected ukulele into an instrument we can now see is capable of competing with the finest four-string tenor guitars and giving a good run to a high end six-string as well."
- Richard Cone
CMT.com
"Ukulele may not have much to do with country music - but maybe it should. I would dare to say there are some very real similarities between the old-time music of Hawaii and that of the mainland. When I saw Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele master and Internet sensation (check out his arrangement of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"), perform Wednesday night (May 27) in Nashville, he showed off one of those similarities above all the rest. It was a welcome change of pace and a stirring performance that the Belcourt Theatre audience rewarded with two standing ovations".
-Chris Parton
Nashville Scene
"Never seen someone shred on the ukulele? Obviously you've missed the YouTube clip of Hawaiian uke-master Shimabukuro transforming the stately "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" into a fleet-fingered flamenco freakout. Before you write him off as the Yngwie Malmsteen of the plucked lute, however, give his Live album a listen: whether he's covering Bach or Michael Jackson's "Thriller," he plays with soul as well as speed. Don't miss opening act Sam Brooker and Ruby Amanfu, a.k.a. Sam & Ruby, whose chamber-folk pop is elevated by Amanfu's voluptuous vocals; watch soon for their Rykodisc debut. Tickets are $20 at the door."
Charleston Paper
"On his latest album, a compilation of concert tracks simply titled Live, he touches on everything from Bach (in D-minor, of course), to a jumpy cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," to a beautiful rearrangement of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Although it's compiled from several different shows, the album features an impressive continuity and fluidity - as if recorded all at once during one big concert."
-T. Ballard Lesemann
Arkansas Online
"People usually laugh if one admits liking the ukulele. OK, we get that. But Jake Shimabukuro is no Tiny Tim, he is a virtuoso musician who happens to play ukulele. When you hear the depth of feeling, tone and musicality Shimabukuro gets from the instrument, you'll get it."
- ELLIS WIDNER
Times Free Press.com
As one of the most respected talents on an unassuming instrument, Jake Shimabukuro said impressing people with his lightning-fast ukulele performances isn't as hard as it might seem.
"For me, the best part of playing the ukulele is that everyone has such low expectations of the music," Shimabukuro said during a phone interview from his home in Hawaii.
-Casey Phillips
Honolulu Advertiser
"Shimabukuro's passion for music and desire to inspire others also led to the creation of The Music is Medicine program, designed to inspire young people to pursue their passions and to work hard in developing their talents and skills."
"It's an honor and responsibility to share the music you hear in your heart with anyone who wants to listen," Shimabukuro said. "Music is the language of the future. Music communicates pure emotion. Music is good medicine.
- Mark Hayden
Vintage Guitar.com
"In his introduction to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," Shimabukuro explains how a video of him playing the George Harrison classic in Central Park, for New York's Midnight Ukulele Disco, "changed my life." That's an understatement. With more than a million views on youtube and other Internet sites, it catapulted him to the top of Billboard's World Music chart and to stages playing with Bela Fleck, Jimmy Buffett, and Tommy Emmanuel."
-Vintage Guitar
Live Ukulele.com
"Jake Shimabukuro's new "Live" album has just become my one of my favorites. It is well known that Jake puts on a heck of a show, and that feeling was captured very well on this CD. The 17 songs presented on this album were recorded in different venues from Japan to New York by a very talented crew. The quality of sound that was coaxed from a Fishman Matrix pickup blew me away. You might think that for doing a live album Jake would have chosen to use a mic, but you can hear the nuances of the pickup in every song - well done!"
- Live Ukulele.com
San Diego News Network
"His fingers flutter like a bird. His hands torture the strings like a heavy-metal guitar player. And he ends a song with a tender pluck, like a lover kissing his beloved.
Listening to him play, you would never know it. His music pushes the genre of Hawaiian music, with instrumentation that rivals the best of jazz, blues, folk, pop and even Japanese koto music."
- Helen Kaiao Chang
