Renowned ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro has teamed up with drumming legend and FLEETWOOD MAC co-founder Mick Fleetwood to announce the release of their forthcoming album, “Blues Experience”, due October 18 via Forty Below Records.
Relix magazine has premiered the first single, “Rollin’ N Tumblin'”, from this eagerly anticipated collaboration. Check it out below.
This groundbreaking project sees Shimabukuro and Fleetwood breathe new life into classic blues tunes, resulting in an exhilarating and unique reinterpretation of some of the genre’s greatest hits. The album also features a new song written by Jake, “Kula Blues”, which is about the area of Maui where Mick lives.
“I’ve always wanted to do a blues album, and when Mick and I started talking about working together, I thought who better to work with than Mick Fleetwood?” says Shimabukuro. The result is a dynamic fusion of their distinct musical styles, blending Shimabukuro‘s innovative ukulele mastery with Fleetwood‘s powerful and inspiring drumming.
The roots of this remarkable collaboration date back to the late 1990s when a young Shimabukuro met Fleetwood at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaiian Music Awards) ceremony, performing alongside singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. Their paths crossed again a few years later, at a FLEETWOOD MAC reunion concert in Nashville, where a mutual friend reintroduced them. That night, the seeds of their new project were sown, leading to recording sessions in Maui.
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”.
The album’s debut single, “Rollin’ N Tumblin'”, showcases the duo’s innovative approach. The track opens with Shimabukuro‘s swirling, delay-drenched psychedelic ʻukulele, set against Fleetwood‘s tribal drumming pattern, epitomizing why Shimabukuro is often hailed as the “Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.” The song then transitions seamlessly into a more traditional blues theme, with the Hammond Organ complementing Shimabukuro‘s experimental and otherworldly playing, which ascends into a fusion of psychedelic jazz-rock.
“Mick‘s energy when he plays is so infectious. He’s such an intense musician. He pushes everyone around him, and it’s inspiring to see his facial expressions and watch his movement and the way he hits the drums,” Shimabukuro shares enthusiastically.
Mick effused, “Jake and I had a full let-it-all-go moment on this one!! Jake let his hair down. A blues standard being given a wake-up call!”
“Blues Experience” promises to be a landmark release. It combines the formidable talents of Jake Shimabukuro and Mick Fleetwood with fresh, innovative interpretations of blues classics. Fans can expect a bold and forward-looking album deeply rooted in tradition.
Over the past two decades, Shimabukuro has proved that there isn’t a style of music that he can’t play. While versatility for any musician is impressive, Jake showcases his transcendent skills as he explores his seemingly limitless vocabulary through a variety of genres — on perhaps the unlikeliest of instruments: the ukulele. Called “one of the hottest axemen of the past few years [who] doesn’t actually play guitar” said Rolling Stone, Jake Shimabukuro has become one of the most exceptional and innovative ukulele players in the history of the instrument — an artist who has drawn comparisons to musical titans such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.
As drummer and co-founder of one of the best-selling bands of all time, FLEETWOOD MAC, Fleetwood has sold over 100 million records worldwide and established his place in rock ‘n roll music history. Having created a distinctive sound that endures today, the Grammy Award-winning artist was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998. With countless chart-topping albums and singles, the band’s 1977 album “Rumours” remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. Fleetwood completed the “An Evening With Fleetwood Mac” tour in 2019 and, in 2015, the “On With The Show” world tour, where he toured as a five-piece for the first time since 1998, featuring the five band members from the classic and most successful lineup back together, with Christine McVie rejoining band mates Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The tour sold out arenas across the globe and showcased the classic hit songs from the band’s career that spans more than four decades.
“Rollin’ And Tumblin'” track listing:
01. Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
02. Rollin’ N Tumblin’
03. Need Your Love So Bad
04. Kula Blues
05. Whiter Shade Of Pale
06. I Wanna Get Funky
07. Still Got The Blues
08. Rockin’ In The Free World
09. Songbird
10. Songbird (Mick spoken word)
Mick Fleetwood photo by Daniel Sullivan / Jake Shimabukuro photo by Sienna Morales (courtesy of Forty Below Records)