Monday evening, for probably the sixth time, we saw the virtuoso ukulele player, Jake Shimabukuro, perform at the Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria.

Physically, Jake is rather diminutive, proving yet again that giants come in all sizes. His intimate connection with his music and his obvious joy when he performs keep him looking much younger than the 46 years in which he has graced the planet with his talent. You can read his biography here. https://jakeshimabukuro.com/biography/

The main Birchmere performance hall seats 500 guests at tables for six people each. It is a massive space, but in the hands of someone like Jake, it becomes remarkably intimate. We have seen Jake and other performers at the Birchmere many times. This time he was doing his magic on a Monday night and while the doors opened at 5 pm, the show wasn’t scheduled until 7:30. We figured to have plenty of time to arrive around 6:15 and finish dinner before the show started. The parking lot rings one half of the large building that houses the venue. We were shocked to find it was almost completely full when we arrived. The crowd knew Jake and had come early for the best seats. There were probably a few empty spots at show time but not many.

Jake wastes no time in displaying his prodigious musical gifts. It can be overwhelming for first-timers. You just can’t anticipate such sounds from a ukulele, even one electrically amplified. When Jake bounded onto the stage, the audience went nuts. He was obviously excited to be back at the Birchmere, and they were equally excited to see him again.

I don’t have words adequate to convey the power and quality of Jake’s playing. This evening he was accompanied by a young electric bass player, Jackson Waldhoff who has some impressive chops of his own:

[Waldhoff]  grew up in Kyoto, Japan, and moved to Hawaii when he was 15 years old. Jackson did not speak English at the time, and started to play music as a way to break language barriers. Later he fell in love with bass guitar, and decides to follow his passion for music. Since then Jackson has performed and recorded with wonderful artists such as Jake Shimabukuro, Mick Fleetwood, Alan Parsons, Sonny Landreth, Keb Mo, Sam Bush, Taku Hirano, Fiji, Mark Yamanaka, Conner Johnson, and many others. [https://www.jacksonwaldhoff.com/]

After a few pieces, Jake welcomed Conner Johnson to the stage. Johnson was an “America’s Got Talent” contestant whose voice and guitar riffs attracted Jake’s attention. He clearly loved to sing. Johnson performed and sang several great pieces, among them the amazing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.

We thought Johnson would stay for the remainder of the show, but he departed after four or so pieces. We anticipated the show would wrap up soon thereafter, but Jake has so much fun performing that he continued with bassist Waldhoff into the night. He managed to work in two of my absolute favorite pieces, While My Guitar Gently Weeps [https://tinyurl.com/mr2scjjr] and Sakura, Sakura [ https://tinyurl.com/ye2aat4r?v=FuqdeFqtxCg]

Then, when we were sure the show was about to end, Jake broke into the great anthem by Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYhcN8p4yhg] followed by, yes, We Will Rock You. On the ukulele. The audience was transfixed, singing the words (hundreds of people knew the words) as everyone joined in the excitement.

The YouTube videos of Jake playing do not do justice to his astonishing talent. But they give you a small hint of what it’s like to witness his performance live. If you ever have the chance to see him, do yourself a favor. You will, quite simply, be amazed and uplifted.

Two closing notes.

Jake played for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, which is extraordinary in itself. He closed the show by thanking everyone involved in producing it and the people in the venue, the waiters, the cook-staff in the kitchen, and delivered a message to the young people in the audience to stay drug-free. After all that, he appeared in the outer hall to speak with every person there who wanted to meet him. He stood for hugs, for photos, signing CDs, books, shirts, ukeleles. Always smiling. Always friendly. Never rushing anyone. The line was long – my wife waited in it for over a half hour and there were still many people behind her when she finally had her minute with Jake. She had him sign her CD and, typically, another one for the kumu hula (hula master) for her hula troupe with which she has been dancing hula for more than 15 years. Jake was probably there another half hour or more speaking to the last guests who wanted to meet him.

The other note is that Jake’s website mentions one of his

dearest friends and favorite singers — Pōmaika`i Keawe. In addition to her incredible musical talent, Jake is always so inspired to see how much time she dedicates to local non-profit organizations, lifting up the community through outreach opportunities. Pōmaika`i had always wanted to record “Ho`okahi Akua,” as a tribute to her late grandmother, the legendary Aunty Genoa Keawe. It was Aunty Genoa who arranged the music with the help of her friend Malia Craver who provided the Hawaiian translation. They had originally recorded the song during the pandemic and both were in tears by the end of it. Fate would have it that the song had to be re-recorded and the recent track captured the more hopeful and joyful feelings they now share.

As it happens, Pōmaika`i Keawe is the daughter of Eric and Marlene Keawe who are wonderful friends of ours in Hawaii. The entire Keawe family are exceptionally talented musicians on multiple instruments, carrying on a multi-generational love of Hawaiian music and culture. Pōmaika’i’s voice is spectacular. We were thrilled to see the entire family perform at a local show some years ago on a visit to Oahu and had dinner with them on our last visit. We saw Jake at the Hawaii Blue Note together. Eric on his guitar accompanied my wife’s surprise performance of a special hula dance as a treat for the audience at a travel industry business conference where she spoke a few years ago. She and he were a smashing success. It’s Hawaii. It’s what they do.

Now, go see Jake.