Jake Shimabukuro | KNKX Studio Session

Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro brought his "Christmas in Hawaii" show to the Northwest this month with concerts in Olympia, Seattle and Mt. Vernon. He also performed a pre-show session for KNKX at the Moore Theatre and talked about celebrating the winter holidays in an island paradise. Shimabukuro&latest album, Jake & Friends includes a variety of musicians including Bette Midler, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Sonny Landreth and long-time friend and booster Jimmy Buffett. In fact, Shimabukuro told a great story about a surprise visit from Buffett at a Seattle concert where the "Margaritaville" star ended up selling shirts and CDs after the show. Shimabukuro was joined by bassist Jackson Waldhoff on the Moore Theatre stage in downtown Seattle. With Waldhoff in steady support, this special concert began with Shimabukuro&fiery rendition of "We Three Kings" with a hint of the Beatles. Then he really let his classic rock influence take over. Shimabukuro and Waldhoff combined for a remarkable performance of the Queen hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" which emphasized the song&classical and hard rock elements. Next was a Shimabukuro original called "Dragon" that came from daydreaming about his heroes Bruce Lee and Eddie Van Halen collaborating on a song for the ukulele. Finally, honoring a fellow ukulele lover, Shimabukuro played a duet version of the George Harrison song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" including a guitar riff medley introduction and a bass solo from Waldhoff that had...