Jake Shimabukuro's ukulele roots run deep. After all, Shimabukuro, 39, has been playing the little stringed instrument for well over three decades.
As a child, he was exposed to the ukulele at home as well as at school, where classes were required for elementary students. Since then, Shimabukuro has taken the underdog of the strings section to new levels throughout his musical career, creating fresh, original compositions as well as innovative covers of beloved pop and rock songs. Some of his more famous covers include Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," the song that helped launch his career after a video of his performance became a YouTube sensation.
On his latest studio album, "Travels" -- the first in several years -- Shimabukuro revisits his island roots while branching out as well.
"Prior to this album, I was doing a lot of traveling, a lot of touring, and I feel like this new record reflects a lot of those new influences -- from going to different countries, meeting other musicians and collaborating with other musicians," Shimabukuro said.
Recorded entirely in Hawaii, the album retains a relaxed vibe and manages to incorporate jazz influences, contemporary Hawaiian themes, country twang and elements of world music.
Naturally, Shimabukuro also includes two unexpected covers, including a rendition of War's "Low Rider" and The Jackson Five's "I'll Be There." Picking these covers isn't always easy.
"There are so many songs that I love that I want to cover, you know?" Shimabukuro said. "There's not enough time to do all of them."
Eventually, Shimabukuro might also be hearing covers of his own compositions. "Travels" shows the musician's gradual shift to original music and his evolution as a composer.
"I've been trying to write more," Shimabukuro said. "This album reflects a lot of original material and just trying to get new ideas, new concepts, new things and trying to incorporate these sounds."
Exploring new ideas is a constant in Shimabukuro's career, as he continues to innovate with the little instrument. In June 2015, Shimabukuro performed the world's first classical ukulele concerto with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, aptly titled "Concerto No.1 for Ukulele and Orchestra" and composed by Byron K. Yasui. Shimabukuro later went on to perform the more-than-30-minute piece with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic.
"It was the first true ukulele concerto written in a contemporary classical style, and it was probably the most difficult piece of music I've ever played in my life," Shimabukuro said. "This was the first time I really dove headfirst into the real classical world, and it was such an incredible experience. For me, it's one of my personal milestones."
And although that mountain has been scaled, there's no doubt that Shimabukuro already has his sights set on other weird and wonderful ways to use the ukulele.
Despite a busy touring schedule with multiple dates in Japan, the U.K. and North America, Shimabukuro is working on a new album that he promises will be something completely off the beaten path for his legions of diehard ukulele fans. "We'll hopefully release this studio album before fall. I love just writing music, and with this new record that I'm working on, there's a lot of that concerto influence and some other heavier rock influences as well," Shimabukuro said.
"It'll be different."
Jake Shimabukuro
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6
Where: Atwood Concert Hall
Tickets: $32.50-$71.75 at centertix.net