Jake Shimabukuro: From Honolulu Roots to the “Blues Experience” with Mick Fleetwood

Honolulu-born Jake Shimabukuro is a ukulele virtuoso, YouTube sensation, and prolific artist who has captivated audiences worldwide. His robust career has led to over a dozen albums, film scores, and collaborations with world-renowned musicians such as Jimmy Buffett, Béla Fleck, Ziggy Marley, Cyndi Lauper, Keali’i Reichel, and Yo-Yo Ma. Shimabukuro seamlessly transcends genres, blending elements of jazz, blues, rock, and Hawaiian music. His latest musical ventures include a blues album in collaboration with Mick Fleetwood, co-founder of the iconic rock band Fleetwood Mac, and a U.S. tour with an anticipated stop at The Smith Center in Las Vegas.

For people who might not already be familiar with your connection to Hawaii, can you talk a little bit about your upbringing and how that upbringing might have shaped your approach to music?

I’m a ukulele player. I was born and raised in Honolulu. I got into playing the ukulele because my mom played it. When I was about four years old, she sat me down, taught me a few records. I just fell in love with it. My parents would have to take the ukulele away from me so that I would do my homework or eat dinner or go take a shower. I just loved it so much, and I still love it.

What was one of the first songs that you’ve learned?

The first real song that I learned was called USED, which is a local plantation song that people would play. It was a song I learned from my mom.

What led to your commitment to the ukulele?

What I love most is how easy it is to play. I just started playing pickleball.  I was amazed that, within 5 or 10 minutes of learning some basics and some of the rules, I was playing doubles with a bunch of people who play all the time. I feel playing the ukulele is very similar. [Even] if you’ve never played an instrument before, I could probably hand you a ukulele and sit with you for 10 minutes, and you could start playing a song. Many senior citizens who’ve never picked up an instrument and never thought they had a musical gene in their body, can strum along with a group. They have so much fun, and it gives them a sense of community. It’s instant gratification. That’s a wonderful thing because music is so therapeutic and healing. I think that music transforms you. When you play with other people, it gives you a sense of community, a sense of belonging. I’ve developed many incredible friendships, and music has opened the door for me to meet so many people.  I think that’s a very positive thing. We need that community. We need the friendships… the relationships. It is a great way to bring people together.

Can you talk about your recent tour with Jeff Peterson and Henry Kapono Ka’aihue? Have you known them for a long time? And why was it important to tour with other Hawaiian musicians?

I just finished a project called Grateful, which is a collaborative record with [several] Hawaii-based musicians. All the musicians [that participated] inspired me when I was growing up. Uncle Henry [Kapono Ka’aihue] is such a legend. I remember listening to his music growing up… and Jeff Peterson too. He’s so passionate about sharing the history of kī hōʻalu and the slack-key style of playing. When I was working on this project, I wanted to show my gratitude toward these musicians, who made me the musician I am today. They’re the people who really paved the way and helped spread the joy and power of this instrument.

The other month we commemorated the anniversary of the Maui wildfires. Did you have anybody in your life that was impacted by that event?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Everybody here in Hawaii was affected, and had direct relatives or friends [impacted]. I have friends that are on both sides, you know. Some have been able to get a leg up on things, but [there are] some that are still struggling. There’s still a lot of people in that community that need support. Everyone knows this is going to take years and years, right?

You recently worked with Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac. How did his approach differ from the native Hawaiian musicians you’ve been performing with?

He’s such an iconic legend. He’s a Maui-based artist, and he loves that community. I know he’s been doing a lot to support the community that he loves so much. Working with Mick was a dream come true. Especially doing a blues album. I mean his feel … that shuffle. Oh, my goodness. Removing myself from the equation, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would hear an album with Mick Fleetwood and a ukulele player! Mick is such a great leader, in a band setting. He’s like a really good point guard on a basketball team; he just elevates everyone around him and makes everyone play better. He’s constantly listening and in the moment.  So yeah, so I’m very excited about this album. It’s called the Blues Experience.

Has blues always been a part of your musical vocabulary?

This is my humble opinion, but I think blues music is a part of the lineage of traditional Hawaiian music, because of Uncle Joseph Kekuku’s invention of the Hawaii lap steel guitar and playing with a bar slide. I mean, that’s what led to people putting the slide on their finger, right? That style of playing was invented in the late 1800s, right? And that predates [famed 1930s blues musician] Robert Johnson and all those guys. That style of playing influenced so many musicians. Hawaii musicians learned how to play that style from Uncle Joseph, and when they traveled to the continental U.S., they took that style of playing with them. Historians have documented that [during segregation] a lot of the native Hawaiian people – because of their darker skin – resided in African American communities and would have epic jam sessions. Robert Johnson would call [slide guitar playing] the “Hawaiian-style” of playing. Today, we hear steel guitar in country music. I mean, think about Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon… all their records.

Are you playing in Vegas anytime soon?

Yeah, we have a show over at the Smith Center coming up, I think toward the end of the year, so we’ll be out there!