Ukelele master Jake Shimabukuro Goes Tranquil on Calm Seas, Echoes February CD of the Month
Weekend listeners get a smart respite. In these troubled and turbulent times, we thought it might be right for a CD of the Month that will both sooth your senses, but also take your mind into new places. Today, I’ve got that album, Jake Shimabukuro’s Calm Seas. Jake is the Jimi Hendrix and Tommy Emmanuel of the ukelele. His playing can be fast and pyrotechnical, but not on Calm Seas. Jake Shimabukuro has heard all the Tiny Tim, Don Ho and Hawaiian music jokes about the ukelele. He isn’t that, although those are some of his roots. But Jake changed the way a ukelele is supposed to sound the way Hendrix changed the way a guitar is supposed to sound. And sometimes, he attains Hendrixian levels of electricity. But again, not on Calm Seas. This is an album of meditations and contemplations. But also an album of sonic experimentation drawing upon inspiration from across the minimalist spectrum. There are only two sounds, if you will, on the album: Jake’s ukelele and the Hakalau Rainforest. We’ll hear several tracks from the album tonight on Echoes from PRX