CD Review: Jake Shimabukuru's 'Gently Weeps'

Jake Shimabukuru

Gently Weeps

Hitchhike Records

The precursor to Jake Shimabukuru's 2009 Live, Gently Weeps is a 2006 studio production of ukulele with additional instruments including bass, drums, keyboards, steel guitar, electric guitar, and strings. The classic songs 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Ave Maria', 'Sakura', 'The Star Spangled Banner', 'Misty', and 'Spain' are all instrumental renditions. The other songs are original compositions and mostly instrumental. However, one vocal track exists of 'Wish On My Star'. The singer is Jennifer Perri. Jake's jazzy, up-tempo rhythms and precise playing abilities on the ukulele shine throughout. Gently Weeps can be a metaphor of swaying palm trees on a sandy ocean beach, or the tears running down listener's cheeks. In this case, they are tears of joy. Gently Weeps is an album of soulful, mournful, serene, and sometimes frenetic moments. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Jake Shimabukuro and the Ukulele: Live!

Jake Shimabukuro

Live

Hitchhike Records

Hawaiian-born Japanese American, Jake Shimabukuru, is the new face of ukulele pop. Shed your hula skirts and straw hats and enjoy the ukulele maestro live and in concert. Jake performs original songs, as well as renditions of popular and classic songs, including the late-Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', J.S. Bach's 'No. 4 in D Minor', Chick Corea's 'Spain', and George Harrison's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. Jake inserts limited commentary on some of the songs and his rise to stardom on Youtube.com. Live culls solo performances of ukulele from Japan, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Colorado. This is not your typical sleepy, dreamy ukulele music. Jake plays the ukulele with such ferocity, virtuosity, and tenderness, that it stands in world all its own. The Japanese-tinged 'Sakura Sakura' is an attempt at playing the ukulele with the mastery and likeness of a thirteen-stringed Japanese koto. The entire album features an absence of musical instrumentation beyond the ukulele and sung vocals are nonexistent. All in all, Jake takes the beach out of the ukulele and replaces it with a concert hall. A great change indeed. ~ Matthew Forss