Ukulele Master Jake Shimabukuro Here Jan. 28

Jake Shimabukuro’s philosophy is simple. “If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.”

But Shimabukuro (she-ma-boo-koo-row) does more than just play the ukulele. In little more than a decade, he has redefined the traditional four-string, two-octave Hawaiian instrument, stretching and molding it into a complex and bold new musical force.

Shimabukuro brings his “uke” to The Clayton Center on Saturday, Jan. 28, and will demonstrate how he effortlessly mixes jazz, rock, classical, traditional Hawaiian music and folk to create a sound that’s both technically masterful and emotionally powerful.

Shimabukuro, who began playing the ukulele at the age of 4, skyrocketed to fame when he appeared on a New York TV program performing a cover of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in Central Park. The performance quickly went viral, ultimately receiving more than six million page views on YouTube.

Prior to the Central Park performance, Shimabukuro’s main stages were local Honolulu venues and coffee shops. A few well-received solo releases had helped him to earn some fame on the island. Then came the YouTube clip, and his career took off.

Since then Shimabukuro has toured with Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and Jimmy Buffett and has shared the stage with the likes of Bette Midler, Yo-Yo Ma, Cyndi Lauper and Ziggy Marley. He’s made numerous TV appearances, and landed a slot in a TED conference. His most recent album, Peace Love Ukulele, debuted at #1 on the Billboard World Album Chart.

Whether he’s performing an original composition or his own arrangements of such classics as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” it is apparent that Shimabukuro’s talent is utterly unique in the music world.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. Jake Shimabukuro concert are $25 and are available by phone at 919-553-1737, at The Clayton Center Box Office from 10 a.m. until noon and from 1 until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.theclaytoncenter.com.

All shows in the 2011-2012 Palladian Series are held in the renovated and historic 600-seat auditorium at 111 E. Second St. in downtown Clayton, located about 15 miles east of Raleigh.

The next scheduled show in the Palladian Series is a performance by Ladysmith Black Mambazo on Saturday, Feb. 18. Tickets to that show are $29.

Other popular artists presented in past seasons at The Clayton Center include Kathy Mattea, Dianne Reeves, Ricky Skaggs, Johnny Winter, Jesse Cook, Jim Brickman, Doc Watson, Eileen Ivers, Riders In the Sky, the Harlem Gospel Choir and David Sedaris.