http://youtu.be/QBAKgOR0koo
“If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.” – Jake Shimabukuro
TED conferences are known for hosting some of the deepest thinkers in world who talk about profound and world changing ideas. So why was ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro invited to speak at TED conferences, such as this local conference hosted in Honolulu?
I think it is because he is an innovator who does things with a ukulele that people haven’t done before. Hawaiian music, with unique instrumentation such as slack guitar and the ukulele, is an area where Asian and Pacific Americans have helped develop a uniquely American musical form (I’d argue that turntablism is another). Shimabukuro builds on that tradition to push the ukulele into new musical areas. And they say that Asians aren’t creative! It’s ironic that as Shimabukuro raises the profile of the ukulele and Ledward Kaapana is honored as a National Heritage Artist, the Hawaiian music category was eliminated from the Grammys.
At the end of the video, he performs his ukulele version of the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” His cover on YouTube has gotten more than nine million views.
(h/t Madley)
