Since he first came to the world’s attention with his deeply beautiful and original take on George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in a viral video that dominated YouTube in 2005, the Hawaiian-born Shimabukuro has virtually reinvented the four-string instrument, causing many to call him “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.”

Throughout his rich and varied catalog of albums, Jake captures the many moods of the ukulele, fearlessly traversing boundaries and putting his inspired touch on everything from island standards, to popular tunes and classical symphonic concertos. He has collaborated with artists from Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson and Cyndi Lauper to Ziggy Marley, Dave Koz, Lyle Lovett and Bette Midler, and wowed audiences at SXSW, Bonnaroo, the Playboy Jazz Festival, and the cutting-edge TED conference. This year he founded Shima Ukulele with his brother, a fellow artist and teacher, Bruce Shimabukuro, which aims to make quality ukuleles accessible for anyone interested in learning to play.