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Shimabukuro Takes Ukes to Extremes
HAWAIIAN UKULELE VIRTUOSO JAKE
Shimabukuro was charting new waters before
he landed on the Atlantic Coast for a show at
Boston’s Wilbur Theater. His latest album,
Nashville Sessions, features nothing like the covers
that have brought him worldwide acclaim.
But Shimabukuro’s incendiary approach
to his instrument—with blazing lines, impossibly
fast strumming, blur-fingered tremolos,
fretboard tapping, surprisingly piquant chord
voicings and more—is amply showcased on
the new album. Bassist Nolan Verner and
Nashville studio drummer Evan Hutchings
hold down the groove while Shimabukuro
mingles acoustic uke tones with sometimes
soaring distortion-laced solos.
A veteran performer, Shimabukuro knows
his audience well. At the Wilbur, he and Verner
offered a 21-song set interspersing new material
with a generous portion of cover songs.
Consumed by the music, Shimabukuro danced
as he played, never muffing a note.
A few hours before showtime, he spoke
with DownBeat about his musical adventures.
COLEMAN SAUNDERS
Nashville Sessions-
Yeah, and I’m really happy with this one. I
was a lot more experimental and pushed myself
using different techniques and sounds. I also
used more studio techniques, which I had shied
away from before because I am more of a live
performer. There were no edits on any of the
songs. We overdubbed to the live takes and
that’s what helps it maintain the live energy.
For the song “6/8,” for instance, Nolan started
with the bass line that begins the song and
then I came up with a melody. We had “A” and
“B” sections, but that was it.
We played those and kept vamping. I
stepped on my stomp box and started soloing
and it became a seven-minute jam.
We had 13 or 14 tracks and picked 11. The
opening one, “Hemiola Blues,” is actually the
last half of another song. We listened to the
track and kept saying, “The back half feels good,
but the front half doesn’t cut it.” We were
going to leave it off but then decided that we
liked the second half so much that we used
just that part. That’s why it’s so short.
The first time I went beyond the standard
meters was when I wrote the tune “Trapped.”
Jake Shimabukuro
I had played in 5/4 and in 7 before, but I don’t
know why I started writing that way for this
album.
I started playing covers and still love doing
them. In my show tonight I’ll do new stuff, as
well as “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “While My
Guitar Gently Weeps.” There is a sense of comfort
and security in doing covers because people
already love them. When I play the first few
notes of “Hallelujah” or “Over The Rainbow,”
you can hear the people go, “Ahh.” You’ve got
them just by playing the melodies because they
mean so much to everyone. It’s a little scarier to
play your own music.
I always knew I’d be playing the ukulele
because it’s my passion, but I didn’t dream that
I’d be a touring musician playing concerts. I
started out playing coffee shops, and figured I’d
play in small clubs and hotel lobbies.
A lot musicians in Hawaii play in hotel lobbies,
and I thought it would be cool to do that.
But most of the time they wanted ukulele players
that sing; only a few could make it playing
solo uke.
I love working with vocalists, but at the
same time, I’m such a fan of the ukulele that I
like to hear it as the main voice. Having a ukulele
accompany a singer has been done a million
times, and I know that sound works.
I guess [it was when] I was in high school.
I’m a bit of an extremist. If I was to decide to be
a vegetarian, I’d probably go all-vegan. I always
loved music and practicing, but I approached
things with an extreme mentality. If I was practicing
a strum, I’d see how fast I could do it and
then how slowly. It’s the same with dynamics:
how loud can I make the ukulele, and then
how soft. Taking things to extremes was how I
approached my playing to make it more interesting.
I like surprising people.
We hope to get back into the studio in
February. The new record will be more along
the lines of Nashville Sessions, but I want to
take things even further. I won’t over-practice.
I want a balance between preparedness and
spontaneity. I’ll also use different-sounding
ukuleles. Last time I used tenor, baritone and
soprano. Next time I’ll include a concert uke as
well as six- and eight-string ukuleles. There are
so many possibilities.
—Mark Small
FEBRUARY 2017 DOWNBEAT 15