Grand Ukulele | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 2, 2012 | |||
Label | Hitchhike Records | |||
Jake Shimabukuro chronology | ||||
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Grand Ukulele is Jake Shimabukuro's 2012 album, released in October 2012. The album was produced by Alan Parsons, with orchestrations done by Kip Winger.
Grand Ukulele features a 29-piece orchestra and a rhythm section, with the ukulele as solo instrument, and was recorded in live studio sessions with no over-dubbing. The album reached number 2 on Billboard's Top World Music Albums in 2012 and 2013. [1]
The styles featured on the album range from, and sometimes merge: classical, blues, flamenco, mandolin, rockabilly, surf rock, and music box. [2]
Producer/engineer Alan Parsons attended Shimabukuro's concert near where Parsons lives in Santa Barbara, and asked the concert promoter to put him in touch. They had dinner, and Parsons suggested working together on a project. [3]
Parsons helped Shimabukuro expand his sound, bringing in a 29-piece orchestra and a big-name rhythm section, including drummer Simon Phillips (The Who, Toto), bassist Randy Tico, and Kip Winger (Winger, Alice Cooper), who helped with the orchestration. [3]
Shimabukuro commented afterwards: "The best thing was that, even with all those people, we recorded everything live with no overdubs. It was great, tracking live with an orchestra and a rhythm section. We picked up on each other’s subtle emotional cues – you could feel everyone breathing together. It was like the old days of recording – when everyone tracked together – there’s a certain magic that happens." [3]
All tracks composed by Jake Shimabukuro except where noted
Winger is an American rock band formed in New York City, New York in 1987. Winger gained popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s with two platinum albums, Winger and In the Heart of the Young, along with charting singles "Seventeen", "Headed for a Heartbreak" and "Miles Away". In 1990, the band was nominated for an American Music Award for "Best New Heavy Metal Band". As the music scene changed in the early to mid-1990s due to the popularity of grunge, their success faded following their third release, 1993's Pull. Winger disbanded less than a year later in 1994.
Concerto in F is a composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and orchestra which is closer in form to a traditional concerto than his earlier jazz-influenced Rhapsody in Blue. It was written in 1925 on a commission from the conductor and director Walter Damrosch. A full performance lasts around half an hour.
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, the band toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elements of exuberant folk music and a minimalist aesthetic occasionally reminiscent of composers such as Philip Glass.
Charles Frederick Winger is an American singer and bass guitarist, active as a member of the rock band Winger and as a solo artist. He initially gained notability as a member of Alice Cooper's band, contributing bass to his Constrictor (1986) and Raise Your Fist and Yell (1987) albums.
The Turn of a Friendly Card is the fifth studio album by the British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released in 1980 by Arista Records. The title piece, which appears on side 2 of the LP, is a 16-minute suite broken up into five tracks. The Turn of a Friendly Card spawned the hits "Games People Play" and "Time", the latter of which was Eric Woolfson's first lead vocal appearance. An edited version of the title piece combining the opening and ending parts of the suite was also released as a single along with an official video.
Jake Shimabukuro is a ukulele virtuoso and composer from Hawaii known for his fast and complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco. Shimabukuro has written numerous original compositions, including the entire soundtracks to two Japanese films, Hula Girls (2007) and Sideways (2009), the Japanese remake of the same name.
Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is the twenty-eighth official album release for English musician Elton John, released in 1987. It is a live album recorded at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 14 December 1986 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Dragon is Jake Shimabukuro's fourth U.S. solo album. It was released in October 2005.
Walking Down Rainhill is ukulele artist Jake Shimabukuro's third U.S. solo album. It was released on August 24, 2004 on the Hitchhike Records label. In Japan, the album was released on June 28, 2004 by Sony/Epic.
Crosscurrent is ukulele artist Jake Shimabukuro's second U.S. solo album. It was released in August 2003.
Sunday Morning is ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro's first full-length solo album. It was released in the U.S. in October 2002 by Four Strings Productions / Hitchhike Records. The album was released in Japan the following year on August 12, 2003 by Sony Music Distribution.
Alan Parsons is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Gently Weeps is the fifth U.S. solo album by ukulele artist Jake Shimabukuro, released in September 2006 on the Hitchhike Records label. In Japan the album was released on June 19, 2006 by Sony Music Distribution, with 17 tracks, many of which differed from the U.S. release, and additional bonus tracks on a CD-ROM.
"Steamroller Blues", is a blues parody written by James Taylor, that appeared on his 1970 album Sweet Baby James. It was intended to mock the inauthentic blues bands of the day. The song later appeared on two of Taylor's compilation albums and has been recorded by a variety of other artists.
My Life is a 2007 EP by ukulele artist Jake Shimabukuro, released in the U.S. on September 4, 2007, by Hitchhike Records. It was released in Japan on July 18, 2007, by Epic/Sony.
The Tour De Force was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John. The tour consisted in 26 shows scheduled in Australia accompanied by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Live is Jake Shimabukuro's 2009 solo album. It was released in April 2009, and consists of live in-concert performances from various venues around the world, including New York, Chicago, Japan, and Hawaii.
Peace Love Ukulele is Jake Shimabukuro's 2011 solo album. It was released in January 2011, and reached #1 in Billboard's Top World Music Albums in 2011 and 2012.
The Secret is the fifth solo album by English rock musician Alan Parsons. It was released on 26 April 2019 via Frontiers. Guest appearances include guitarist Steve Hackett on the first track, Jason Mraz singing on "Miracle", and Lou Gramm singing on "Sometimes".
Travels is the eleventh solo album by Japanese-American ukulele virtuoso, Jake Shimabukuro. It was released on October 9, 2015, by Hitchhike Records. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard World Albums chart and No. 11 on its Heatseekers Albums chart.