^B00:00:11 >> Herb Ohta Jr.: Hello, this is Herb Ohta Jr. coming from Honolulu, Hawaii on the beautiful island of Oahu with the backdrop of Honolulu and Diamond Head, and I'll be performing songs on the ukulele today, and I hope you folks enjoy my experience and my love for Hawaiian music and ukulele music. So the first song I would like to perform for you was written by Queen Liliuokalani, our last reigning monarch here, and she wrote this song while she was in house arrest at Iolani Palace, and she wrote this song dedicated to a boy that delivered flowers to her every day wrapped with the daily newspaper so she can read what was going on outside of her palace, so here's a song called Ku'u Pua I Paokalani. ^M00:01:01 [ Music ] ^M00:03:54 You know, playing the ukulele has allowed me to travel the world and perform in front of people and make new friends. And on one tour to Japan, I was in the hotel lobby waiting for a fellow musician, and I was missing home. It was a long tour, and I was missing the beach. I was missing the sun, the blue skies, because when I went to Tokyo while we were touring, all we had was gray skies, and if you looked beyond the horizon, all you seen was skyline, more tall buildings. So I was missing home and I was imagining my daughter and, you know, kids just playing on the sand with their fluorescent colored buckets and shovels making things out of -- you know in the sand and so I wrote this song called Sand Castles. Enjoy ^M00:04:53 [ Music ] ^M00:07:59 For is next song, I used to perform on the island of Maui every weekend at a restaurant called the Hula Grill right on Ka'anapali Beach, and at that time I was asked to write a song and perform a song, like Hawaiian slack-key guitar for a Japan television commercial promoting Hawaii. So I wrote this song, and hope you folks enjoy it, Ka'anapali Sunset. ^M00:08:28 [ Music ] ^M00:12:06 In between travels, I used to go and visit a care home close to Diamond Head, which is back here, and it was called Le'ahi Hospital. And on one of the visits, I was playing for the residents and I asked them if they wanted to hear something new or if they had a request and they requested for me to play something new. I didn't know how to take that, because it's probably because they were tired of the songs that I was performing, and they wanted something different. So on tour in Arizona, I was listening to a lot of '70s music and it inspired me to write this song. I didn't have a title for it but because I played it for them first at Le'ahi Hospital, I entitled it Le'ahi Morning. It goes like this. ^M00:13:02 [ Music ] ^M00:17:09 And for this next song, I would like to introduce to you a very busy man, probably the most well-known ukulele player all over the world, Mr. Jake Shimabukuro. He'll be joining me for a medley of two traditional Hawaiian songs, Wai'alae and Ahe Lau Makani. Enjoy. ^M00:17:32 [ Music ] ^M00:19:40 Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jake Shimabukuro. And Jake, thanks for coming by, and please explain to everyone how you got started. >> Jake Shimabukuro: Well, you know, I started playing the ukulele when I was four years old. Actually, Herb was one of my teachers when I was older, not when I was four, but my mom was my first teacher, but I have to say that if it weren't for Herb's dad, you know, the legendary Ohta-San, I wouldn't be playing the ukulele today. I mean, he was my biggest inspiration. >> Herb Ohta Jr.: Me too. >> Jake Shimabukuro: Yeah. >> Herb Ohta Jr.: Yeah, me too. >> Jake Shimabukuro: That's one thing we have in common, well, one of many things that we have in common, but one of them -- >> Herb Ohta Jr.: Yeah. >> Jake Shimabukuro: -- is definitely we both wouldn't be playing today if it weren't for your dad. >> Herb Ohta Jr.: But, you know, Jake is a very busy artist. He's a devoted dad and a devoted husband, and I would like to thank you for -- >> Jake Shimabukuro: Oh, thank you. >> Herb Ohta Jr.: -- spending time with us today out of your busy schedule. >> Jake Shimabukuro: No, thank you for it. It's always an honor to. >> Herb Ohta Jr.: And any time, please go check him out at jakeshimabukuro.com for his tour schedule, and he's probably going to visit one of your hometowns definitely, because he goes everywhere. So go check him out and support Jake and I'd like to thank you all. Mahalo. . >> Jake Shimabukuro: Thank you. Thanks, Herb. Aloha. >> Herb Ohta Jr.: Again, this is Herb Ohta, Jr. and I hope you enjoyed my performances today, and I'd like to especially thank Mr. Jake Shimabukuro for joining me and playing a duet with me. He's a busy man. But, you know, I just hope that the ukulele continues to grow, and I hope with this performance and being showcased in your concert series, that it helps promote the instrument and it promotes Hawaiian music and Hawaii culture, and hopefully, one day, we all can travel freely. Well, not free, it's expensive, but freely where meaning, you know, we don't have to worry about the pandemic and COVID and but until then, well, I hope you folks take care and stay healthy. So I would like to dedicate this song to all of you who is watching. This song is more associated with Judy Garland with The Wizard of Oz, but here is my rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Aloha. ^M00:22:00 [ Music ] ^E00:25:20