Jake Shimabukuro

Try not to read too much into the fact that ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro is playing in Tokyo on Respect for the Aged Day. Though his instrument of choice is synonymous with the kind of bland wallpaper music that's tailor-made for retirement homes, the Hawaiian virtuoso refuses to settle for anything so innocuous. Shimabukuro incorporates techniques from everything from bluegrass to jazz to flamenco, while his cover versions of songs like 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' knock 'em dead every time.