Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011

Ukulele player on stage

Jake Shimabukuro's philosophy is simple: "If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place."

But Shimabukuro, pronounced she-ma-boo-koo-row, does more than just play the ukulele. In little more than a decade, he has redefined the traditional four-string, two-octave Hawaiian instrument, stretching and molding it into a complex and bold new musical force.

Shimabukuro will bring his "uke" to The Clayton Center on Saturday, Jan. 28. His performances mix jazz, rock, classical, traditional Hawaiian music and folk.

Shimabukuro, who began playing the ukulele at the age of 4, skyrocketed to fame when he appeared on a New York TV program performing a cover of The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" in Central Park. The performance quickly went viral, ultimately receiving more than 6 million page views on YouTube.

Since then Shimabukuro has toured with Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and Jimmy Buffett, and he has shared the stage with the likes of Bette Midler, Yo-Yo Ma, Cyndi Lauper and Ziggy Marley. He's made numerous TV appearances and landed a slot in a TED conference. His most recent album, "Peace Love Ukulele," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard World Album Chart.

In addition to original compositions, he also performs his own arrangements of such classics as Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

Tickets for the 8 p.m. Shimabukuro concert are $25. They're available by phone at 553-1737, online at theclaytoncenter.com and in The Clayton Center box office.