Jake Shimabukuro at The Red Light Cafe, Atlanta

Glad to hear some other Ukulele Undergrounders are gonna be at the Red Light, thief and DeG! I'll be the dude with the red beard and shaved head drinkin' a Guinness at the bar in the back. ;) Gonna try to get there a bit early and will try to grab a table if possible. There are often impromptu jam sessions at the Red Light before and after shows. Are you guys planning on bringing your ukes?
 
Correction: just spoke with a buddy who goes to the Red Light often. The Jam Sessions are on Thursdays. So I guess this means that there's no "planned" jam for tomorrow before or after the show. Considering that I've got to come from work, I don't think I'll be bringing a uke.
 
Quite simply, and in a word, Jake was straight up off the hook tonight! :bowdown: The Red Light was totally sold out (I almost didn't get in :eek:). The show he put on was amazing. Here are three things that really impressed me about Jake's live performance:

1) The radical dynamism of his technique. There is something about seeing Jake play live, where you know almost immediately from the first note played that he is one of those rare musicians who is truly a master and yet also a lifelong student of the music and the instrument. Jake's range of influences is huge, from George Harrison to Bella Fleck and beyond. He can fingerpick so softly, then turn it up all the way to the loudest strumming I've ever heard; his wrists move like they were the most skillfully and carefully handled weapons. He can take it from a hightempo bluegrass inspired rollick (Orange World) to his classic covers like While My Guitar Gently Weeps or ballads like Blue Roses Falling and Dragon to the slowest classical hymn (Schubert's Ave Maria) and his flow is as seamless as I've seen. And let me tell you, Jake uses every square inch of his ukulele. He can definitely strum HARD! And when he picks light, his tone and the overtones are just gorgeous. Jake's and his Kamaka can go anywhere he needs to to paint the perfect landscape. His range of colors alone is outstanding.

2) The emotiveness of Jake's playing. Every note Jake plays, you can tell he feels it. I can't think of a single instance where he seemed not to be perfectly "in tune" with his music and instrument. Related to his affective quality, Jake is also a great storyteller and has great stage presence, and he is a very funny guy, a bit quirky in a lovable kind of way, and a serious critical thinker. I love the way he is able, both through his playing and through his discourse with the audience, to share his love of music, history, and the ukulele. The stories his ukulele tells genuinely bring people together through his music.

and, finally, 3) Jake's humility. He was so gracious and generous with his fans, signing countless ukuleles, taking countless pictures, and shaking countless hands. Moreover, he is humble in relation to the music and the instrument he plays. He approaches what he does with a spirit of gratitude, to both the audience and to the music and the histories that made them possible. He is a role model in the truest sense of the word, combining unparalleled passion, knowledge, virtuosity, kindness, and integrity.

What a night. It was my first time seeing Jake. My expectations were high, and he still blew them out of the water. I am in awe. 'Nuff said. :bowdown:
 
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Quite simply, and in a word, Jake was straight up off the hook tonight! :bowdown:

He is a role model in the truest sense of the word, combining unparalleled passion, knowledge, virtuosity, kindness, and integrity.

What a night. It was my first time seeing Jake. My expectations were high, and he still blew them out of the water. I am in awe. 'Nuff said. :bowdown:

And to think I blew my chance at seeing him play the one time he visited NYC last year. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa:mad: I shall not make that mistake again...
 
Quite simply, and in a word, Jake was straight up off the hook tonight! .....
What a night. It was my first time seeing Jake. My expectations were high, and he still blew them out of the water. I am in awe. 'Nuff said.

Drubin, that analysis of jake's show was the best I've seen in a while. Let me tell ya, it was JUST as good when he came here to Guam. Glad you got to see him in action! :D:nana:
 
Right on, Dave, right on! BTW, great first name! I'm a "Dave" too! ;) Yeah, Jake pretty much blew my world. :music:
 
Whoops! Got cut off by the "intra-web"'s unpredictable fluctuations! LOL! In any case, Jake deserves double props, no doubt! :)
 
Right on, Dave, right on! BTW, great first name! I'm a "Dave" too! ;) Yeah, Jake pretty much blew my world. :music:

yeah I was blown away by him too. My friend Eleo and I were so star struck after meeting him haha. Have you seen some of the videos I posted of us meeting jake? Jake probably stayed for a good 2 hours after his show just to meet with each one of his fans.

btw, dave did you get any good pics or videos?
 
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Sorry, Dave, no pics or video. :( But there were plenty of cell phone cameras at work at the show; maybe someone will post something on youtube...
 
Jake Show @ Red Light cafe

Drubin, your review is right on the mark, I knew Jake was the Uke God before but now I have a new found apprieciation for him. He acts as if he doesn't know how awesome he is...a very approachable, down to earth, humble kinda guy.
His performance was incredible. I can't remember which song it was, but it was towards the end of the show, and his left hand was moving so fast :music: it was just a blur. I enjoyed his between song stories (Stinky Strings and Shirley T were great) The whole night was awesome. Probably the best $12 I ever spent.
 
Jake Show @ Red Light cafe

Davoomac, thanks for the advice to bring a Uke to the concert, got mine signed..too bad the picture turned out blurry. The only problem now is I'm afraid I'll mess up the signature when I play it!!
 

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Oh man! That was my first/best concert ever! Totally got first row, AND I got a mention right before "Me and Shirley T" (I think), and he totally gave a shout out to me (Chris) because he saw me and another guy outside playing. The truth was, the other guy was teaching me "Somewhere over the rainbow" and when Jake came out,the other guy started playing "Me and Shirley T," while I sat there watching him play, so I did nothing really, but it was very cool to get a shout out!
 
Davoomac, thanks for the advice to bring a Uke to the concert, got mine signed..too bad the picture turned out blurry. The only problem now is I'm afraid I'll mess up the signature when I play it!!

Oh sweet you got it signed! nice pic! I was amazed by Jake's humility. He such a genuinely nice person. Did Jake give you a hug? lol I think I got a total of 3 hugs from him. :p
 
Red light cafe videos on youtube

This cameraman must have been just few rows in front of me, guessing from the angle. Check it out...

Blue Roses Falling:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=H2XnPEcxCfw

Stinky Srtings:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TbFSdrUCEpk

Going to California:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VPrsFQ9n-yc

Orange World:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qkajad7_7XI

While my guitar...:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=J26c8EonnpQ

Sakura:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hYNtqVjCpW8


These were posted by Youkuleler, maybe a UU member also???
If so, let us know! :rock:
 
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