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 | Hawaiian artists News - 19-July-2006 |  |
 IT'S FINALLY HERE!!! JAKE SHIMABUKURO SOLO UKULELE CD
Gently Weeps is the solo ukulele CD that Jake's fans have been asking for, reflecting the repertoire of the live shows that have been perking ears and dropping jaws worldwide. Recorded in Nashville, Gently Weeps was produced by Mac McAnally, lead guitarist from Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer band.
"Recently, I've been touring a lot as a solo artist," says Jake, "and it was suggested to me that I record an album to directly reflect my live 'bandless' set. The songs I chose for this project are tunes I frequently perform at my shows. There are a couple of new ones, but these are mainly songs that I've been playing for a while."
Most notably is Jake's cover of Beatle George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Last year, a video clip of Jake playing this song in Central Park started circulating the internet and emails of support and amazement came in from places as far away as France, England, Germany, Sweden, Australia (where Jake will be performing in October) and Korea. The 12 solo tracks include fan favorites "Ave Maria," "Blue Roses Falling," "Spain," "Let's Dance" and "Misty."
In addition, there are five non-solo bonus tracks that allowed Jake to compose and arrange for some new kinds of projects. "I was recently hired to score the music for a Japanese movie titled, 'Hula Girl,' that was released in Japan earlier this summer," says Jake, "and the track 'Beyond The Break' is a surf tune I wrote that is currently being used for a television series" ('Beyond The Break,' by THE N television network) and was also selected as the 2006 Honolulu Marathon theme song."
A first for Jake, maybe the most surprising inclusion on the album is the vocal version of "Wish On My Star." Delightfully melancholy lyrics intertwine beautifully with Jake's gentle uke play. But no, that beautiful voice isn't Jake; it belongs to Hawaiian-born singer Jennifer Perri, who you may remember was the adorable young winner of Oceanic Cable's Kiddieoke-Plus Contest back in 1997.
"This project is something I began daydreaming about the first time I heard Jake play," says McAnally who first brought Jake's music to Buffett's attention.
"Our goal with this CD is to introduce Jake to people who have yet to see him," says McAnally. "In a live show there is the advantage of visual image and the energy of an audience. Jake is a very kinetic player live, so in the studio we wanted to free him from the normal studio setup which is being locked down within inches of a microphone. Instead we used a "vortex" of 11 high quality microphones to create a space in which he could move around if he wanted. We used a pair just above the ears for the sound he hears as he plays and a pair about four feet in front for the listener perspective. We placed a couple mics overhead and then just walked around placing a few of our favorite old ones in good sounding spots in the room."
Track Listing
01. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
02. Ave Maria
03. Wish On My Star
04. Sakura
05. The Star-Spangled Banner
06. Let's Dance
07. Misty
08. Spain
09. Heartbeat/Dragon
10. Blue Roses Falling
11. Grandma's Groove
12. Breathe
Bonus Tracks
13. Angel
14. Lazy Jane
15. Hula Girl The movie "Hula Girl" theme song
16. Beyond the Break Music for the TV network THE N "Beyond the Break"
17. Wish On My Star (vocal version) Music for the movie "Hula Girl"
For more info on Jake visit his official website: www.jakeshimabukuro.com
(Info from Press Release)
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