Widely recognized as “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele,” Jake Shimabukuro has created an international fanbase as a sensational performer whose concerts leave audiences awed, dazzled and delighted.

Over the past decade, he's become a one-man army advancing the ukulele cause, turning the four-string axe into a supremely pliable musical vehicle, capable of generating everything from crunching, effects-laden rock to sensuously swinging jazz. Strumming with a hummingbird blur, he coaxes an impossibly big sound out of the little instrument, playing an intoxicating mix of pop tunes, American Songbook standards and lilting originals.

Shimabukuro has released a series of award-winning albums, but surpassed himself with 2011's Peace Love Ukulele, a multifaceted session that showcases the range of his musical vision. It's a bravura recording that leaves no doubt why fellow string renegades such as banjo star Béla Fleck, fiddle wizard Darol Anger and cello virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma embrace him as one of their own.