Jake Shimabukuro To Deliver 'Calm Seas' This Month
(Jensen) World-renowned 'ukulele artist Jake Shimabukuro is set to release his highly anticipated new album, Calm Seas, on January 30, 2026. Blending masterful technique with emotional depth, the acoustic ambient album marks a reflective new chapter in Shimabukuro's creative journey, one rooted in simplicity, peace, and the quiet strength of connecting nature to the human spirit.
Calm Seas features a collection of 13 original compositions, with 12 additional versions for the digital album. Each track is crafted to evoke cinematic landscapes and meditative soundscapes. The project showcases Shimabukuro's unmistakable ability to push the 'ukulele beyond convention, delivering performances that are both technically breathtaking and deeply personal.
"Calm Seas was an eye-opening and healing project for me. It rekindled my connection and relationship with nature. As a kid, I spent a lot of time outdoors, swimming in the ocean, camping in the mountains. Some of my favorite memories include sleeping on the beach to the sound of the waves, and waking up to the light of the rising sun," says Shimabukuro.
Recorded in Hawai'i, Calm Seas features warm acoustic textures, and minimalist arrangements that highlight the raw expressiveness of Shimabukuro's playing. The record invites listeners to slow down, reflect, and immerse themselves in an expansive musical world.
Shimabukuro added, "Usually, when I think of adding the sounds of the ocean, waterfalls, or the sound of native birds to any music score, I write the music first, and later add the background sounds. However, for this project, we recorded nature first and created the music around it. The sound of the birds and the ocean waves served as the leading melodic content for each piece."
Songs like "Sounds of Hakalau" was Shimabukuro's serene tribute to one of Hawai'i's most treasured landscapes, the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. Blending his signature 'ukulele artistry with the calls of critically endangered native Hawaiian bird species found nowhere else in the world, Jake creates an immersive, ambient soundscape that transports listeners to the lush rainforest.
In "The Passing Storm," Shimabukuro crafts an immersive sonic journey that rises from quiet unease to cathartic release. What begins as a sparse landscape of resonant 'ukulele tones slowly gathers force, layers of texture rolling in like thunder on the horizon. Yet beneath the storm's power lies reflection; every note feels deliberate, and by the time calm finally returns, you are left with the lingering clarity that follows after the storm.
"This project taught me that sometimes we need to let nature lead the pacing of our lives," says Shimabukuro. "When we are able to align ourselves with nature's key center and rhythmic tempo, we can live more harmoniously with everything around us. I hope listeners feel a sense of peace and connection when they hear this album."
Shimabukuro will be back on the road in March 2026, promoting his recent projects.
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