Christmas in Hawaii via Santa Barbara

Melinda Palacio

At La Arcada, downtown Santa Barbara

This year, I've added a new Christmas tradition. Covid lockdown and the threat of new viruses and respiratory illnesses still loom, but I've had the chance to enjoy the Christmas in Hawaii show by Jake Shimabukuro. If you've never heard of Jake, you probably don't hang around ukulele players or guitarists. He's considered the Jimi Hendrix of ukulele because of his virtuosity on the ukulele. Over the lockdown years, I've had a chance to pick up the little instrument that means jumping flea in Hawaiian. While I don't play as good as Jake, I understand how his trajectory has led to his worldwide fame. 

He learned his first chords from his mother at age four, with two chords under his belt, he could play "Love Me Do," by the Beatles. He then went on to learn from Hawaiian masters, honing his craft, writing songs, producing albums and touring. He's now 46 and loves performing and connecting with his audience, has dozens of albums under his belt and is a true master of his craft. What's fun about watching Jake is how humble he appears while producing mind blowing sounds out of a little instrument with four strings. His musical set showed how he well versed he is in a variety of genres. He's not playing songs you'd expect to hear such as Tiny Bubbles or Melekamikimaka. He's playing Schubert's "Ave Maria," Queen's "Bohemaian Rhapsody," Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," to name a few. Christmas songs included "What Child Is This" and the more contemporary, "This Christmas." There was the obligatory homage to Iz and the Hawaiian version of "Over the Rainbow." Jake played flamenco songs and rock songs. He said he even found inspiration from Bruce Lee films. His original composition, "Dragon," is a tribute to Bruce Lee. 

His latest album, Jake & Friends, is a collaborative work with his musical heroes including Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, and Sonny Landreth to name a few of the collaborators. While he couldn't bring all of the collaborators on tour with him, he brought three friends from Hawaii to play some of the songs from the new album, Herb Ohta, Jr., longtime touring pal and bass player Jackson Waldhoff, and guitarist Justin Kawika Young, who also shared some of his original songs. The show ended with Jake playing "Get Together" by The Youngbloods, also the last song on his new album feat Jesse Colin Young. Not exactly a Christmas song, but the theme was just right and after the show there was a meet and great, a chance to connect in person with the humble and good-natured virtuoso. 

For anyone feeling depressed or experiencing low energy during the holiday, I can recommend learning how to play the ukulele. In my experience, compared to learning guitar or piano, the ukulele is accessible, especially if you've tried to learn an instrument in the past. Learning music lights up the pleasure zone in your brain and it's almost impossible to be unhappy while playing the ukulele. I can't say enough positive things about my experience learning the instrument. Meeting Jake, a ukulele master, was thrilling to see his infectious joy. If you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift, I would recommend a ukulele. 

with Jake Shimabukuro 

 

Ukulele Mel: New Adventures in Writing, Singing, and Playing

Melinda Palacio

At East Beach, Santa Barbara

I have a new toy, a beautiful tenor ukulele. The Fender ukulele, as if in costume and ready to rock and roll, looks a bit extravagant with its four strings and signature electric guitar-like headstock and mother of pearl inlay around the body and sound hole. This particular model is named the Montecito. Fender names its ukuleles after California beaches and it is apropos that I would choose a model named after a beach that is only miles away from my home in Santa Barbara.

Fender Tenor Uke (top), Gremlin Soprano Uke bottom

My new obsession with the ukulele started when I noticed that Steve had stored away his soprano ukulele that had been sitting on the sofa for the past two years. Somehow, it’s absence made me curious to learn more about the small string instrument. I brought it back into the sitting room, asked Steve to tune it and proceeded to watch YouTube videos on how to play it. I was enchanted and encouraged by how easy it was to play after years of learning the guitar. Anyone who knows their way around a guitar, can easily pick up the ukulele.

Reading the poem that inspired the song I wrote

In four days, I was playing some of my favorite songs. There’s something so thrilling about being able to learn a new instrument so quickly. I find that stimulating the part of my brain that informs learning an instrument has also helped my writing. I’ve now added a new genre to my writing repertoire: songwriting. Since I’ve always written a trifecta of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, adding another genre seems natural, given my newfound interest in music.

Singing the theme song to my poetry book, Bird Forgiveness

So far, my songwriting has been confined to the guitar, but I suspect I’ll soon write songs for the ukulele. I have become obsessed with playing the guitar and ukulele in ways that I’ve never experience with previous hobbies. Recently, I’ve started incorporating a musical performance with my poetry readings. Last weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to read poetry and play my guitar and ukulele at fellow Bloguero Michael Sedano’s house. He hosted two San Antonio Poets: Vincent Cooper and Viktoria Valenzuela. Read all about Sedano’s living room floricanto on Tuesday’s La Bloga.