Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro will perform live at The Classic Center Theatre in Downtown Athens on Sunday, June 13. Accompanying him on stage during the performance will be bassist Jackson Waldhoff and guitarist Dave Preston. There will be no opening support act.
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.” Jake takes the ukulele to places no one has gone before, performing awe inspiring music that ranges from jazz, blues, and rock to bluegrass, classical, and folk.
Attendees will enjoy the fresh, raw, organic sound of a live trio, while the musicians perform both original songs as well as familiar cover songs.
Shimabukuro’s latest album, Trio, includes Waldhoff and Preston, living up to its title as a fully immersive document of the sonic alchemy the three musicians achieve on stage. Re-imaging beloved classics has become a Shimabukuro specialty, and on Trio, he and the band have their own unique way with Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” The three musicians turn in a glorious reading – the blend of Preston’s rustic guitar lines, Waldhoff’s richly intuitive bass playing along with Shimabukuro’s ravishing treatment of melodies is one of the album’s standout moments. “This record really captures our collective spirit, and I can’t wait to get out there and play these songs live,” says Shimabukuro.
Reserved seat tickets to this show are $45 and $35. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 16 at 10 a.m. and will be available for purchase exclusively online at ClassicCenter.com.
This will be a safe, socially distanced event with very limited capacity. Venue safety measures include, but are not limited to cashless transactions, mobile ticketing, and mask-wearing requirements.