Jake Shimabukuru is getting to be a regular visitor to Santa Barbara preaching the ukulele gospel, which resonates with a lot of locals. Ever since he burst into fame with the release of a viral Youtube video of him playing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” he has wowed audiences the world over with his prodigious technique and infectious enthusiasm for the diminutive four stringer. He has applied his musical virtuosity to rock, jazz, classical, funk, bluegrass, folk, and flamenco, as well as composing film scores and his own original tunes. For his most recent UCSB Arts & Lectures appearances he held a capacity crowd of middle school students spellbound at the Granada Theatre, getting them screaming for more, then headed out to UCSB for a rousing al fresco concert in Storke Plaza. How long will it be before the mutual love-fest continues?
