Ukulele Star Jake Shimabukuro Collabs on Album with Legendary Drummer Mick Fleetwood for Fresh Take on the Blues

Shimabukuro stopped by the LifeMinute Studios to talk all about the 9-track record, Blues Experience, and play some songs

From The LifeMinute.tv Team

January 7, 2025

Over the past two decades, Jake Shimabukuro has proved that there isn’t a style of music that he can’t play on his ukulele. Since becoming a viral sensation on YouTube, the Hawaii native has had the opportunity of a lifetime to collab with some of his biggest idols including Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson, Bette Midler, Ziggy Marley, Sonny Landreth, Billy Strings, and Willie Nelson… to name a few.

For his latest musical venture, the renowned ukulele virtuoso was joined by legendary drummer and co-founder of one of the best-selling bands of all time, FLEETWOOD MAC, Mick Fleetwood. The duo recently released, Blues Experience, a fresh take on the genre with reimagined versions of Blues classics.

Joining Shimabukuro and Fleetwood on the album are bassist Jackson Waldhoff and keyboard player Michael Grande. Special guest Mark Johnstone from The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band also lends his keyboard prowess to "Need Your Love So Bad" and "Rockin' In The Free World." Over two intense three-day sessions, the band recorded nine tracks live in the studio, with Sonny Landreth contributing slide guitar to the Jeff Beck/Stevie Wonder classic "Cause We've Ended As Lovers."

Not long after the completion of the record, Maui was devastated by historic wildfires. At the benefit concert in Honolulu, Fleetwood once again joined Shimabukuro and the band to perform the songs on Blues Experience for the first time.

We were lucky enough to have Shimabukuro stop by the LifeMinute Studios for a second time (the first time to talk about his 2021 album Jake & Friends). The ukulele star gave us an inside look into making his latest record with the drum icon, and he also played for us.

This is a LifeMinute with Jake Shimabukuro.