A conversation with Jake Shimabukuro and how you can join NH’s ukulele scene

Ukulele together

Jake Shimabukuro’s new album is all about collaboration

In 2006, Jake Shimabukuro played the ukulele heard ’round the world. A clip he recorded for the New York City public access program Midnight Ukulele Disco, in which he played “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” was one of the first viral video successes on YouTube, amassing more than 15 million views. Since then he’s become a global ambassador for the four-stringed instrument. In addition to releasing several albums and touring the world, he’s performed a concerto for ukulele and orchestra, scored the Japanese remake of the indie film Sideways, given a TED talk, and spearheaded a ukuleles-in-the-classroom effort in his home of Hawaii.

Jake Shimabukuro and Friends, the ukulele maestro’s most recent album, couldn’t come at a better time. This duets album features a diverse array of musicians — among them Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Michael McDonald and Jimmy Buffett — in a celebration of the ways a good song can bring different people together.

Ahead of an appearance at Tupelo Music Hall on Thursday, April 14, Shimabukuro discussed the tour and the record in an interview via Zoom in late March.

Your latest album is a series of duets and collaborations. How did that come together and how did you pick which songs to play with which artists?

Oh, wow. Wow. So, that was a project that started about four years ago. It was a conversation I had with my manager. And he was like, ‘You should do a duets record.’ And I was thinking, wow. He started naming some artists and I was like, oh man, that would be awesome. But in the back of my head, I was thinking, oh, this is never going to happen, right? How are we going to get all these people together?

We had mentioned the project to Roy Benson of Asleep at the Wheel and he got very excited and he agreed to help me co-produce the record. The first thing he said to me was, ‘Man, we got to get you and Willie Nelson together.’ And I said, ‘Really?’ He picked up the phone, called Willie and told him all about the project and Willie was down with it. And two months later we were in the studio recording ‘Stardust.’ I mean, it was unbelievable. And so after that, it just gave the project all this momentum.

A couple of the songs on here are standards, like Willie Nelson’s version of ‘Stardust.’ What is it like to play those songs? And how did playing those songs change the way you listen to them?

Man, I tell you, when Willie Nelson agreed to do … .Well, when he said he’ll do ‘Stardust,’ I mean, my jaw hit the floor because I was like, I am going to have the opportunity to not just play, but record ‘Stardust’ with Willie Nelson, right? And I got to tell you, it was a funny story because the night before we went into the studio, Ray took me to go see Willie. And it was my first time meeting him in person. I’d seen him, we played festivals together and I watched his show and kind of seen him from afar. But I remember we got to his house and I was so nervous and he came over. He came over and Ray introduced us and I got to shake his hand and I had my ukulele in my case, on my back. And he looked at me and said, ‘Hey, so we’re going to do ‘Stardust,’ right?’ And I said, ‘Oh yeah, thank you so much. I’m so honored that you’re doing this. I’m looking forward to it. Thank you. Thank you.’ And then he looked at me, he goes, ‘Oh, OK. Yeah. Well, maybe we should run through it.’

And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. No, we can definitely do that.’ And then there was this awkward pause and then I realized, oh, he means right now. … And I was like, OK. But see, I wasn’t prepared for that because I thought he was going to play guitar on it. I didn’t realize he was just going to sing. I immediately realized, oh, OK. I’m just playing and he’s singing. So I was so nervous, but we played through it and then he looked at me and he said, ‘All right. Yeah. Sounds good. Looking forward to tomorrow.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, thank you so much.’ And then I left with Ray and I was just like, I told Ray, ‘Oh my gosh, I almost passed out.’ Talk about being put on the spot. And man, he’s such a nice individual when you’re around him. He just has such a gentle presence and vibe so I loved it.

Did you go to your collaborators or did they come to you?

Well, Jimmy Buffett introduced me to probably half the people on the record, right? So, I was very fortunate to know most of them. There were a few people I hadn’t worked with before, like Willie Nelson and Lukas Nelson. Also, Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Most of the people on the record I had worked with before, so it was a little easier to ask and reach out. Jon Anderson, that was another dream come true because I was a huge Yes fan.

And Jon Anderson’s iconic voice. Oh man. And then when he agreed to sing ‘A Day In The Life,’ it just blew me out of my seat. I couldn’t believe he was going to sing that. And then he kind of tricked me. He said, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll sing you a demo of how I like to sing it.’ And he sent me this video and he is actually singing it. But he’s also strumming a ukulele.

And I was like, I’m sorry. I called him and I was like, ‘Jon, I didn’t know you played the ukulele.’ He goes, ‘Oh, I love the ukulele.’ And it was such a moment. So I told him, ‘You have to play ukulele on the record,’ but he didn’t want to play. ‘No, no, no, you play the ukulele. I’ll just sing.’ But man, he is just phenomenal. He did a lot of, some of that percussion work and stuff on there as well and added all his layers of vocals and, oh, it’s just phenomenal.

What is it like to tour behind a solo album that’s so rooted in collaboration?

I always make a joke when I talk about the record and I introduce some of the artists that are on it. And I always say, ‘Unfortunately they all couldn’t be here tonight.’ I say, ‘We’re going to do the songs anyway.’ So we have been playing a lot of the songs from the record, obviously the instrumentals. But songs like ‘Something’ and we were doing ‘A Place In The Sun.’

When I listened to this album, one of the things that struck me was that it’s a real celebration of community and the way music can be a common denominator for a lot of different people. How does it feel to be touring and promoting this as some of the Covid restrictions are lifting and people are coming out to see live music?

I’m so grateful to be performing in front of a live audience again. I mean, it just feels so good. I mean the first couple shows when we first went back out a couple months ago, I mean, after the first song, I cried. I unexpectedly just was so…. It was so overwhelming that I actually started tearing. And I’ve noticed that in a lot of these shows, you can see people they’re just [moved]. Because for a lot of the venues that we’ve been playing at recently, we’ve been kind of their first show back. Well, back in November and December when we were touring and we were their first show back. So, I mean, you could see people just in tears, just crying, sobbing. And you know everyone has had their own unique challenges during this time. It just shows how just the healing power of music and the power of people coming together, being in the moment and just letting the music touch you, and it’s so powerful.

What can New Hampshire audiences expect from your upcoming show at Tupelo?

So I’m bringing a dear friend with me. His name is Jackson Waldhoff. He’s been touring with me for the last couple years. He’s from Hawaii as well. And just a very, I mean, honest musician. I just love his playing. Everything he plays is so pure. He’s so melodic and it just really complements the ukulele and the parts I play. We’re going to be doing a lot of bass and ukulele duets and he’s just so much fun to watch and I just love playing with him. Every once in a while you come across musicians that you play with and you just almost feel like you know where they’re going to go, what note they’re going to, how they’re going to play, and you just can read them dynamically. And I think that’s what we’re able to provide for each other and it’s really awesome, so I’m excited.

Jake Shimabukuro
When: Thursday, April 14, 8 p.m.
Where: Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry)
Tickets: $30 to $50
More info: tupelomusichall.com

You can ukulele

Ukulele enthusiasts keep the music going

Talking about his previous appearance in the Granite State, Jake Shimabukuro shouted out the ukulele players of southern New Hampshire.

“The last time I was there, they came and they brought their ukuleles,” he recalled. “It’s so wonderful to see that. All these communities of ukulele players, just all over the world. It’s crazy.”

The feeling is mutual. “No one can shred a ukulele like Jake!” June Pinkham said in a recent email interview. As one of the co-organizers for the Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group, she would know from ukulele shredding. Over the past decade, SNHUG has organized sing-and-strum get-togethers for ukulele enthusiasts in the Seacoast area, with bigger and more ambitious plans on the horizon.

Former Granite State resident Dan Mathis first organized SNHUG on Meetup in December 2011, appointing Pinkham as a co-organizer. Their earliest meetings were attended by five members.

“I had inherited a Martin ukulele from my father-in-law and wanted to learn to play it in his honor,” Pinkham wrote. “Little did I know where that would lead!”

The group has about 600 followers on their Meetup group, and avid members have met twice a month at the Seabrook Public.

“We have many talented members in our group!” Pinkham wrote. She describes their membership as “people from all walks of life. People like me, with no musical background, to people who are very well accustomed to playing on stage professionally and just want to have some fun.”

SNHUG’s mission includes a community service component, which involves performances and fundraising. The group frequently looks for “a way to ‘do a little good’ … bringing smiles to nursing homes, community events, farmers markets — wherever there was a need.” They have also raised money for the nonprofit Ukulele Kids Club, which brings musical instruments to children in hospitals as a form of music therapy.

“We organized the Battle of the Ukulele Bands, which took place in 2019 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth,” a “seriously complex event” that raised $23,000 for the UKC. “To date, we have raised almost $90,000 for charity — all the while having a blast!”

Check out a ukulele (literally)
You can get a feel for a ukulele by checking one out of some area libraries. Ukuleles are available at the Hooksett Public Library (31 Mt. St. Mary’s Way in Hooksett; hooksettlibrary.org, 485-6092) and from the Merrimack Public Library (470 DW Highway in Merrimack; merrimacklibrary.org, 424-5021). Call for details.

Like many ukulele groups, SNHUG had to shift their in-person gatherings to Zoom when the Covid-19 pandemic first hit. As the temperatures rose, the organizers found ways for the group to get together. “Last year we met as soon as the weather warmed up in the spring all the way through November — outside at the park, frozen fingers and all.” They were warmly greeted by members of the community and grew their community through outdoor performances at nursing homes and farmers markets. Just as ukulele sales grew in 2020, so did SNHUG’s community: “We didn’t see a change in our membership during the lockdown. In fact, I think our membership went up!”

SNHUG can help ukulele novices learn the instrument. For more information on SNHUG’s gatherings and lessons, visit snhug.wordpress.com. And keep an eye out for their annual SNHUGfest in Dover on Sept. 24.

Learn to play
Here are a few places where you can go to learn to play a ukulele.

• Let’s Play Music (2626 Brown Ave., Unit A2, Manchester, 218-3089; 145 Hampstead Road, 1st floor, Suite 26, Derry, 425-7575; letsplaymusic.com/ukulele-lessons.php) offers children’s and adults beginner to advanced ukulele lessons in person and on Zoom.
• NH Tunes (250 Commercial St., Suite 201, Manchester; 660-2208, nhtunes.biz) offers ukulele lessons for beginners to advanced players in person and on Zoom.
• North Main Music (28 Charron Ave., Suite 1, Nashua; 505-4282, northmainmusic.com/ukulele-lessons) offers in-person and online ukulele lessons for children and adults.
• The Real School of Music (10 A St., Derry; 260-6801, therealschoolofmusic.com) offers beginner to advanced ukulele lessons for children and adults in person and on Zoom.
• Steve’s House of Ukulele (123 Main St., Concord; stevesukes.com, 555-9876) Steve’s House offers Zoom and in-person lessons for beginners as well as more experienced players. Steve’s House also offers instrument rentals and sales.
• Ted Herbert Music (880 Page St, Manchester; 669-7469, tedherbert.com) John Chouinard teaches ukulele lessons in person and over Zoom for beginners through advanced players. He also leads the ukulele ensemble Ukuladies.

Featured photo: Jake Shimabukuro. Photo by Sienna Morales.