applause for Jake Shimabukuro

I first heard Hawaiian Jake Shimabukuro play his ukulele several years ago at a small but popular venue here in Fort Wayne called Come to Go (C2G for short). It's a "nightclub" on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and a church on Sundays.  When he first performed there Jake was a solo act, and his ukulele playing was some of the most amazing music I had ever heard. I even have a picture of Jake taken with one of my girlfriends.  It was that kind of casual atmosphere. This evening I got to hear Jake perform with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as part of their Pops series.  At this point in his career he has toured all over the world, performed with several orchestras, and appears to be doing very well indeed.  His music is as marvelous as ever and this evening's performance was pure joy.  It was a packed house and he got three standing ovations, but I must admit I kind of missed the close-up ambiance of C2G.