★★★★★
On his most recent album Grand Ukulele, Jake Shimabukuro showcases the lengthening of his ukulele and range of coverage the instrument provides. In the opening trio of songs on the album, Shimabukuro identifies with several musical setups, including a tight-tempo jazz combo style on "Ukulele Five-O," a more orchestrated foundation on "Gentlemandolin," and his solo acoustic version of Adele's "Rolling In the Deep...
- www.glidemagazine.com
2012-10-04
★★★★★
Jake Shimabukuro plays the ukulele, which is like saying Béla Fleck plays the banjo. In other words, he plays it astonishingly well, defying genre, and with great joy. While the Hawaiian musician has been performing and recording since the late 1990s, with numerous albums to his credit, a ubiquitous YouTube video of Shimabukuro performing George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" raised his profile considerably...
- www.jazztimes.com
2011-03-14
★★★★★
Summary: It's ukulele time, motherfuckers! 5 of 5 thought this review was well written Have you ever wondered what a ukulele cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" would sound like? Me neither, but you can't deny that the very idea has already piqued your interest, at least a little bit. I mean, let's see you try to play a classic rock n' roll masterpiece on an instrument that only has four strings and two octaves...
- www.sputnikmusic.com
2011-02-21
★★★★★
Summary: It's ukulele time, motherfuckers! 4 of 4 thought this review was well written Have you ever wondered what a ukulele cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" would sound like? Me neither, but you can't deny that the very idea has already piqued your interest, at least a little bit. I mean, let's see you try to play a classic rock n' roll masterpiece on an instrument that only has four strings and two octaves...
- www.sputnikmusic.com
2011-01-10
★★★★★
Thanks in part to Jason Mraz and Train's "Hey, Soul Sister,'' we currently live in a ukulele-friendly pop marketplace. That makes it a good time to be Jake Shimabukuro, who approaches the four-stringed, two-octave instrument with a fleet-fingered, almost classical mastery. Unfortunately, on "Peace Love Ukulele,'' he simply doesn't have enough imagination as a writer or arranger to justify the effort...
- www.boston.com
2011-01-03
★★★★★
The humble ukulele needed a man like Jake Shimabukuro, the 28-year-old string virtuoso determined to turn all your "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" preconceptions on their ear. Shimabukuro's unconventional approach to the instrument produces a sound and a complexity more akin to a mandolin or a lead guitar than what you might recognize as a uke...
- www.jazztimes.com
2010-02-19
★★★★★
Several years into his recording career, Jake Shimabukuro has flatly lain to rest any skepticism that his quest to remake the image of the ukulele might have been a fleeting fantasy. The fourth-generation Japanese-American Hawaiian set out to bring respect to the instrument, so often treated as a novelty, and along the way he's commanded a devoted audience of believers...
- www.jazztimes.com
2010-02-19
★★★★★
As great as Jake Shimabukuro's studio albums have been, they've stopped short of capturing the excitement of the guy who made the ukulele not only sexy but also worthy of new respect. Shimabukuro's new album, "Live," his first full-length CD in three years, remedies that. The album begins slowly, with the gently swaying "Trapped," and moves on to Bach's Two-Part Invention No. 4 in D Minor. By the time we get to "Me & Shirley T," we're beginning to get Shimabukuro's genius and versatility...
- www.sfgate.com
2009-11-06
★★★★★
Track Listing: While My Guitar Gently Weeps; Ave Maria; Wish on My Star; Sakura; The Star-Spangled Banner; Let's Dance; Misty; Spain; Heartbeat/Dragon; Blue Roses Falling; Grandma's Groove; Breathe. Bonus
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2009-06-05
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