(Edmonds Center for the Arts) In March of 2006, Jake Shimabukuro was a respected ukulele player who toured around Hawaii and played the occasional Hawaiian music festival in California or Japan. In late April of that year, he video-recorded a shockingly virtuosic ukulele version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” while sitting in Central Park. The video hit YouTube, and Shimabukuro became one of the first viral-video internet sensations. Phone calls started pouring in and, since then, Shimabukuro has played with Yo-Yo Ma, Ziggy Marley, Béla Fleck, Jimmy Buffett, Cyndi Lauper, and many others. Recently, he accompanied Bette Midler in a performance for Queen Elizabeth. Whether he’s playing traditional Hawaiian music, covers of pop songs, or his own compositions, Shimabukuro almost single-handedly has taught the world to respect the ukulele. BRENDAN KILEY
