Forget the palm trees, tikis and other ukulele clichés. Jake Shimabukuro shares more with Jeff Beck and Joe Pass than Don Ho, which is why he already includes Béla Fleck and Victor Wooten among his fans. Now he reaches out to a wider audience with two releases. The soundtrack to Japan’s Hula Girls features 16 Hawaiian-style numbers from old-school swing to moody instrumentals. It’s a little soft when the violins come in, but the chops are as rock solid as the islands themselves. Ironically, Jake’s six-song covers EP, My Life, sounds more original as he unleashes a strumming storm of fingers and thumbs on The Beatles, Sarah McLachlan, Cyndi Lauper and Zep. Yes, Shimabukuro writes his own tunes. He’s just betting that if you recognize the song first, you’ll recognize his skills even faster, a gamble that’s already paying off. Just go to YouTube.com and check out his high-octane version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” It will instantly open your eyes to the man and his instrument as it has to 1.5 million viewers and counting.
