YOU SHOULD HEAR the way Jake Shimabukuro pronounces ukulele. It's a beautiful murmur floating on a tropical breeze: ooo-koo-lay-lay. The more common pronunciation lands on the ear with a comical thud — you-kuh-lay-lee — and it means "jumping flea."
The Hawaiian virtuoso can thank both YouTube and Jimmy Buffett for his rising profile. A video of Shimabukuro performing the Beatles classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" has more than 2.5 millions hits on YouTube, and he's a frequent guest with Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. His instrument gets a bad rap as a tourist trinket, but Shimabukuro's remarkable musicianship makes it cool again.
Q: First, let's talk about pronouncing your name.
A: Even I have trouble saying it right. When I first started going to Japan, I found out that I was actually saying it wrong. I was putting the accent in the wrong place. When I was younger, I would always say Shee-ma-boo-KOO-row. There aren't really any accents on any of the syllables, but there's a slight emphasis on the bu: Shee-ma-BOO-koo-row.
Q: The instruments you play are probably very different from the novelty ukuleles most people imagine, right?
A: When people think of the ukulele, they think of a toy or a kid's instrument. And that's because there are so many bad ukuleles in circulation, just these cheap $30 ones. If you think about it, those little toy pianos, if that was your perception of the piano, and someone tells you, "I play the piano," you'd think, "Oh, that's cute." It's kind of the same way with the ukulele.
Q: I saw a video clip of some performance where you sang a little ... A: I can't believe that got up there. Did you see it on YouTube? If I knew that was going to get up there. ... I was just making a joke. It was a song that I used to sing when I was a kid. I'm not a singer. I never sing in my performances. That one time and someone caught it on video and put it on YouTube, I couldn't believe it.
Q: How long have you been playing with Jimmy Buffett?
A: We've been touring together for about two years now. It's been an incredible experience. Just standing up in front of that many people. ... Even when I play in Japan — I have my largest following in Japan — when I do concert halls, they're about 2,500, sometimes 3,000. For me, I get really nervous before a show like that. But for him, playing in front of like 50,000 people, he just gets up there, and he's doing it all the time. He really puts on a great show. The way that he connects with every single person in the audience, I don't know how he does that, but it's great.
• THE 411: Jake Shimabukuro. 8:30 p.m. June 6. $15; $12 advance. Red Light Cafe, 553 Amsterdam Ave., Atlanta. 404-874-7828, www.redlightcafe.com. Also with Jimmy Buffett. 8 p.m. June 5. Sold out. Lakewood Amphitheatre, 2002 Lakewood Way, Atlanta. 404-443-5090, 404-249-6400.
About the Author
Shane Harrison is the Arts & Entertainment editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ajc.com. He has been with the AJC since 1990.
