THE DUKE OF UKE

Pop quiz: What’s unusual about Jake Shimabukuro’s version of George Harrison’s classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps?”Answer: He plays it on a ukulele. For those who think that’s a sacrilege, think again. Shimabukuro does for the uke what Ian Anderson did for the flute or Béla Fleck did for the banjo—breaks it out of its doldrums and introduces it to modern rock, jazz and blues. Like Anderson and Fleck, Shimabukuro has taken his instrument where no musician has gone before. His use of various guitar effect pedals while plucking and strumming creates jaw-dropping sounds. There’s even ample evidence that Harrisonwould have enjoyed the tunes of this modern-day uke master. “George Harrison loved the ukulele,” says Shimabukuro, who met Harrison’s widow, Olivia, when she attended one of his concerts. “She was telling me these great stories about parties they had where George Harrison got out his uke and they all started jamming together.” www.jakeshimabukuro.com

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